Thinking about going supercharged - any reliability issues?

[bmwm3fanatic]

I am thinking about supercharging my 2011 E90 M3 DCT in the near future. I’d like to do an ESS-625 kit which I know countless amounts of E9X M owners run in their cars. My question is - is there any ‘reliability’ issues with the supercharger? I have heard rumours that the SC kits can cause wear on main bearings however there was no evidence to support that. How do oil temps stay at with the ESS 625 kit?

[Scharbag]

Higher loads. Higher wear. But face it, you are not always at WOT. So who cares.

But it is worth it as these things are FUN with a blower.

Main bearing wear is likely not an issue as the belt has no more force on it than stock. I would change the rod bearings before you SC the car with proper clearance ones.

I went with the G1 kit over the 625. Smaller unit, no worry about it spilling oil under high G loads. Makes power sooner and makes similar peak numbers.

If you do go with a SC, remember that you will have to change plugs more often. And buy more fuel. So much more fuel.

[m3boost]

625 kit - going on 5 years. o2 sensors / plugs might go quicker but that's about it.

[Davisca455]

Have you looked at the GP-Infinitas (formerly G-Power) kits?

The prices had come way down the last time I checked.

My kit was installed in early 2009, and now has over 70,000 miles with zero issues.

Advantages:
No heat soak issues with the large air to air intercooler. Plenty of power on tap, even on hot days.
Went 55,000 miles on the supplied spark plugs with no problems.
The supplied spark plugs were something like $200 for all 8 to replace.

Disadvantages:
Initial installation is "craft intensive", not for the faint of heart.
Installation instructions do come with 1:1 templates to insure correct cutting though.

[BobS]

Absolutely not

I am running a 650 kit, had a 625 kit before this. I've had my M3 SC'd for 7 years and 25,000 miles. No issues....

The SC wakes this car up and really makes it a blast to drive. So much so I can't let mine go.....

[Redd]

Great info. Is the blower rattle at idle as bad as they say in these kits? Is it loud enough to be embarrassing in a car park?

[BobS]

Originally Posted by Redd

Great info. Is the blower rattle at idle as bad as they say in these kits? Is it loud enough to be embarrassing in a car park?

Nope

I've never had anyone comment on it.

OP- no issue with oil temps either while SC'd.

[BPMSport]

Comes down to how the car is maintained and cared for. I've had the blower on my car for 8 years and not a single issue. We've got customers with over 100K supercharged miles and still going strong.

[Davisca455]

Originally Posted by Redd

Great info. Is the blower rattle at idle as bad as they say in these kits? Is it loud enough to be embarrassing in a car park?

The "Box of Rocks" noise, I don't even notice it anymore.

https://m.youtube.com/shorts/FYMCyEAdURk

[Scharbag]

Originally Posted by Davisca455

The "Box of Rocks" noise, I don't even notice it anymore.

https://m.youtube.com/shorts/FYMCyEAdURk

Helps to have the idle increased a little bit to tone down the box of rocks.

[Davisca455]

Originally Posted by Scharbag

Helps to have the idle increased a little bit to tone down the box of rocks.

The new ASA pumps have a clutch now, so they are quiet.

[bmwm3fanatic]

Thanks for the replies folks! Think I’m going to pull the trigger on a local 625 kit I found!

[Shrike360]

You guys aren't making the wait for my G1 kit any easier

[DrFerry]

To supercharge or not to supercharge is the question of the day - thread and poll:
https://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1390426

[kerrit]

Put on ESS-550 at 37k miles, cracked a piston ring land at 57k miles. Could have been from detonation from bad fuel or other fuel system issue. Or maybe the casting was weak on the piston from the factory, who knows.

When the entire fuel system is working as intended, I think the kits are very reliable. If something goes wrong, there is less room for error.

I'd recommend a P3 gauge or similar to monitor AFR's in real time, or at least getting a K-DCAN cable and bimmerlogger and do some pulls to make sure everything looks healthy every so often.

That said, I have a forged 11:1 CR 4.1L going in my car right now with a G1 kit

[CamasM3e93]

+1 for P3 gauge or similar to improve reliability and functionality. Rod bearing replacement well established prerequisite. I'm in an e90 with 50k total supercharged miles and 107k total. Car and engine would pass for 30k miles. I wouldn't hesitate to SC, though I'm not a fan of ESS kits. They just look so damn rinky dink to me and yes, the can of rocks phenomenon in the 6xx kits is just silly for the platform. Would go Harrop or G Power, ESS G1 last resort. I gladly unloaded an ESS 550 kit and would repeat that decision 1000 times

[SAMM3Y]

I don't think you'd have any types of cooling issues on the streets.. if the car sees a hot dry climate with spirited driving maybe you could get it up there but doubt it would reach limp mode. They just get slower as they get hotter because of IAT's/heat soak.

[patroklai]

ESS G1 here and agree with much of what has been said. It's also an easy install and no issues.

[bmwm3fanatic]

Originally Posted by CamasM3e93

+1 for P3 gauge or similar to improve reliability and functionality. Rod bearing replacement well established prerequisite. I'm in an e90 with 50k total supercharged miles and 107k total. Car and engine would pass for 30k miles. I wouldn't hesitate to SC, though I'm not a fan of ESS kits. They just look so damn rinky dink to me and yes, the can of rocks phenomenon in the 6xx kits is just silly for the platform. Would go Harrop or G Power, ESS G1 last resort. I gladly unloaded an ESS 550 kit and would repeat that decision 1000 times

Didn't know G power still sold sc kits!

[bmwm3fanatic]

I have been offered a VT1-550 kit for a great deal. However I'm a bit worried about not having an intercooled system. Thoughts? On a side note if anyones looking to sell their VT2-625 kits please PM me!

[CamasM3e93]

Originally Posted by bmwm3fanatic

Didn't know G power still sold sc kits!

From what I understand G Power split up and now kits are sold by a splinter group, goes by Infinitas or something like that. I might have that backwards. But those orange, centrifugal high horsepower kits with air to air intercooling are still available out of Europe new and the pricing is pretty favorable with the dollar's exchange.

[bmwm3fanatic]

Originally Posted by CamasM3e93

From what I understand G Power split up and now kits are sold by a splinter group, goes by Infinitas or something like that. I might have that backwards. But those orange, centrifugal high horsepower kits with air to air intercooling are still available out of Europe new and the pricing is pretty favorable with the dollar's exchange.

Thanks for the info! I always loved the G power kits however never read up much about them. You got the info right

https://infinitas-automotive.com/en/supercharger/