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One year later follow-up. Figured I'd copy my post from the "what have you done to your M3 today" thread.
Just did the break-in oil change for the ESS G1. Kind of awkward to do. It's hard to tell you've gotten all the old oil out. I've looked up videos, and the Mustang kits are able to get the syringe all the way into the check port. I couldn't get that to happen, and the mounting bracket is also in the way. When filling, bit of a guess to verify you've gotten the right amount in (I just used up the second half of the first bottle). I guess the vent will sort everything out, just make things a bit messier for a while. Though now that I've done that change, I have two full bottles of oil, or 4 oil changes and 30000 miles worth of oil. I put on ~2500 miles a year on the car, so 12 years worth of oil right there.
So now that I've put 2500 miles on it, I feel like I can properly provide feedback on the kit. I'll start with the downsides. Yes, you do lose a lot of the induction note. If you like cruising in gear and playing with the throttle, you'll notice this. Yes, in hot weather, it does heatsoak and you probably lose 50 whp in most scenarios. If you heatsoak really bad, probably close to 100 whp. If I wanted to go harder or track the car, I'd be looking at implementing an interchiller or a big reservoir in the trunk. There is an interesting transition/recirc reaction point between 4k-5k rpm that can feel a little inconsistent with boost transition. There is a slight delay in reaction when letting off the throttle as the boost bleeds off. You can hear some high pitched SC noise while cruising at freeway speeds, though it's pretty minor. It doesn't add a lot of low end torque (like a Harrop) below 2.5-3k; it drives very similar to stock with way more top end.
All that out of the way, I have no regrets with the kit. Dynoed at 535 whp; playing around on the street I can confirm it's roughly the speed of a 600cc sport bike. The exhaust note (Corsa + TP) sounds angrier and is just perfection. You gain the turbine like whine of the SC, wooshing noises from the blower + recirc, and a very nice exhaust pop when shifting. It feels like you're driving a supercar. But the real benefit I rarely see brought up is how much it wakes up the chassis. When I installed the kit, it felt like it wanted me dead (mainly because the 5 year old PS4S' in the back). With time and fresh tires, I've gained the confidence to really poke the car. The power is transformational, even on relatively stock suspension. It has a shocking amount of grip with the 285 PS4S' in the back. If it's high 70s outside and I have a bit of heat in the tires, I can get it to hook in first. All grip in 2nd on. When NA, the car felt almost AWD. Now when you get on power through a corner, you can really feel the tires digging into the ground, the rear axle squat and then it working to launch you out the exit. It's also much easier to provoke the car on the street. It's very easy to get on the throttle a little early and heavy, then feel the rear end skate out of the corner with incredible precision and control. It really highlights how good the rest of the car is.
All in all, I strongly recommend the kit. Completely transformational, and quite the deal given the $7800 price it sits at today. Plus, I had no issue passing through emissions check (after putting in the stock cats, and with one unready monitor allowed) with the system.
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