I'm pleased to report that after almost 2 years and 15K miles on the ESS VT3, all is well, the car is running strong and has been very reliable for the amount of horsepower it is making. The built motor with drop in pistons and rods, has never burned any oil between changes and drives just like stock out of boost, the DCT is holding as well.
The VT3 over the last 6 months, with the 12/13psi pulley's, has dynoed between 670-700whp consistently, it's been to 6 events, 4 Airstrips and 2 Big willow track days, and as of September it is now my daily driver. Since I've got the car back from ESS, we have made a few changes to the fuel system, added a few more bypass valves, and as I've posted before the car has had a few issues come up, mostly at these airstrip events, all very fixable though.
At the past two SS3 Airstrip events, while going WOT through all the gears, the manifold has been lifting.
Also during WOT runs while shifting at redline, it felt as if the car was shaking/vibrating excessively, and at the most recent NFZ event, I had some misfires. Even with these issues, while frustrating, the car managed a 166MPH trap speed at two different events! On a clean run, 170MPH should be attainable with 13psi, in the 1/2 mile. Some may wonder why not turn up the boost? While it's certainly possible it's not pragmatic or wise to do so on the stock DCT. I have no desire to blow a DCT tranny, it's not worth it. If they ever came out with a tested viable upgrade, only then would I consider it. Regardless a 670 - 700whp reliable daily driver is pretty awesome.
Fixing the issues, the DCT shifting at WOT vibration/judder took awhile to diagnose, a few shops that looked at the car thought it might be, lowering springs, subframe mounts, etc. It wasn't until I took the car to EAS and after a few WOT runs did Steve@EAS know what the issue was, the DCT was causing the excessive vibration/judder. Tom@EAS suggested that we re-calibrate the DCT clutches, he had the tool there to do it, after recalibrating the DCT clutches, the vibration/judder has gone away significantly, I've been impressed with EAS, their techs and the ability to be a full service shop with the proper equipment to do so, thanks guys.
The manifold lifting on WOT high speed runs seems to have been rectified as well. We added two Forge type bypass valves to relieve the excess pressure from 11+psi, one in the back where the ICV hose is, and one on the discharge hose between the Supercharger and Manifold, this seems to have done the trick. Pics below -
Rear Bypass valve -
2nd Forge Valve -
During the last Airstrip event, NFZ, the manifold didn't lift,
, but unfortunately the car had a misfire issue during WOT.
Rectifying the misfire issue seemed to be as simple as changing the spark plugs, however while doing so I found in cylinder #4, the spark plug chamber and coil pack were soaked in oil.
This is most likely what caused the issue. The spark plug tube that goes between the head and valve cover has a rubber/gasket on each end, the bottom portion where it fits into the head was torn, and oil was slowly leaking in and eventually filled up the chamber over time. The spark plug tip and electrodes were completely free of oil, and all the old spark plugs looked great. After finding this issue, and changing the plugs, no more misfires. :thump: The tear in the rubber gasket must have happened when the new Red PC valve covers that M33 sent me, went in! Regardless easy fix and a big thanks to M33 (Zim) for the new Red Valve covers.
Here is the spark plug hole/chamber that filled with oil -
Here is what it's supposed to look like -
Here's some before and after pics of the Red valve covers, on the originals the paint was peeling.
New cover from M33 in place -
We also changed the fuel system, from two aftermarket pumps to the stock M3 pump and another BMW pump, this setup has been performing perfectly and I can take the fuel all the way down to reserve and not worry about starvation issues. The motor has plenty of fuel, solid fuel pressure and the AFR gauge reads 11.3 - 12, even with a 30% mix of E85 as well.
Here's some pics of the modified fuel rails, pumps, etc.
I decided I wanted the car to be a little more quiet, I'm getting old and the neighbors were getting upset, lol, here's a few pics of the stock exhaust with the EAS Black ceramic tips -
Here's a BS report:
The VT3 is a blast to drive, Roman and AJ from ESS have been extremely supportive every step of the way and awesome to deal with as well. Also a big thanks to Robert, aka PG who has been very helpful, Izzy (BLUDVL) and and Zim as well. Loving the car, and can't wait tell the next event.
If you are curious about the orignal build thread from a few years ago go here:
http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=559030