AA supercharger installed!

[kazuo13]

Finally got an AA supercharger installed over at RPM racing in Long Island, NY. I havent gotten much of a chance to drive it yet, but will post a review as soon as I get more time behind the wheel. Chek out the install pics at http://www.rpmracinginc.com
There are also more pics in the showroom area of the Fanatics forum. Goin Cruisin NOW!

[MB ///M3]

Nice! how much hp/tq? Have fun Drive safe.

[quadrophiend]

NICE! An AA install on a 323! I have a 325 and have been :drool:-ing over the AA for a while! I cannot wait to hear of dyno results and the like!

Any first hand impressions!?!?!

[Nico3k]

ohhhhhhhhhhhh you are one lucky person :D
so jealous......

lets see some numbers and your feedback... cant wait..


god im jealous

[quadrophiend]

p.s. get yourself some clears! :D

[Nico3k]

yeah thats what i was thinking.... damn how baller, didnt even get clears and already supercharged ahahahha

thats so sweet. rpm racing looks like they know what theyre doing

[kazuo13]

I will get one of those passport G-timer things to measure performance. As far as dyno... I havent decided if I will do one, depends on cost. But in the meantime, will use that always accurate butt-dyno!

[quadrophiend]

damn.. that bastard isn't replying now cause he's out cruising in his SC'd ride... :cry: :cry:

HURRY UP and post the stats my man! We all wanna know!

[NickACS]

Congrats bro, welcome to the club! :thumbup: :D

[quadrophiend]

dude, you gotta dyno! I'll throw you a 10-spot... i'm sure other SC wanna-be owners would all chip in to ease the cost... we wanna know, my man..

you are a baller if you are SC'ng your ride... you can afford the dyno..

give us your impressions in the mean time, though...

[JimBOT]

Hows the butt dyno feelin :D

[Nt_loader]

I have the GTECH COMP meter, let me know if you want to run some tests with it.

[Nick@Jlevi SW]

I think I see ur 323 on the front page :thumbup:

[kashif]

congrats dude. every time i hear about a fanatic getting their ride supercharged, i feel like taking out my cheque book. then i remember i have a STEP which is already close to its limits. Wish i have a manual. Dam man.

safe driving any way man and let us know how it feels!!

[nyuaznguy]

Originally posted by kazuo13
Finally got an AA supercharger installed over at RPM racing in Long Island, NY. I havent gotten much of a chance to drive it yet, but will post a review as soon as I get more time behind the wheel. Chek out the install pics at http://www.rpmracinginc.com
There are also more pics in the showroom area of the Fanatics forum. Goin Cruisin NOW!

Hey dude,

I saw your car at RPM, I brought my car to get an alignment and cornerbalancing there.. The guys there are really cool and I would definitely recommend them to anyone... second to none service.. they even bought me lunch =)

[itchyNscratchy]

Originally posted by nyuaznguy


Hey dude,

I saw your car at RPM, I brought my car to get an alignment and cornerbalancing there.. The guys there are really cool and I would definitely recommend them to anyone... second to none service.. they even bought me lunch =)

how much did the alignment and cornerbalancing cost?
i am thinking about using rpm in the future as well for my charger install and other misc items. i spoke with russ and he seems very kewl! thx for the recommendation, will definitely use them for future work.

[CYBER PETE]

Did you ever get a Dyno for yoru SC'd 323 ? Post it up!

[GHoStRidEr4450]

congrats dude. every time i hear about a fanatic getting their ride supercharged, i feel like taking out my cheque book. then i remember i have a STEP which is already close to its limits. Wish i have a manual. Dam man.

safe driving any way man and let us know how it feels!!


I believe you can get AA SCed with a steptronic tranny. Shouldnt be any problems.

[itchyNscratchy]

Did you ever get a Dyno for yoru SC'd 323 ? Post it up!

I actually met up with kazuo13 a few weeks after his post.
Pretty kewl guy and i sat in his car for a short period of time and you can tell the diff at the higher speeds but low end butt dyno didnt feel much of a diff though.
He wasnt able to floor it and open it up because there were tons of cops around the area.
Doubt he will get a dyno and just wanted to get some more speed in his car. :thumbup:

Also he had a step as well

[Yellowmann]

Congrats on the SC. So how long did it take and how much was the install if you dont sharing :)

Charlie

[kashif]

I believe you can get AA SCed with a steptronic tranny. Shouldnt be any problems.

my cars already near 260hp or above, if i supercharge it the step tranny will fail. :(

[Yankfan4L]

i got a totally stock 330i steppy

if i supercharged, would it be bad???????????? :dunno:

i heard if you push 400 HP, u could have MAJOR problems

[kashif]

400 hp mark is the limit for the manual,

you would be pushing your tranny to the limits at anything above 300hp. personally i wouldnt do it. considering the stock car is around 225hp. is it really worth blowing off $7k on a supercharger and only getting 75hp out of it at the max. it just aint worth it for our steps. NA mods are probably the best thing for our steps. its probably more reliable. go stage 4 NA from technik it will cost you $5500 max and you will get around 300hp from it, atleast that is my goal at the moment.

[Navin323i]

400 hp mark is the limit for the manual,

you would be pushing your tranny to the limits at anything above 300hp. personally i wouldnt do it. considering the stock car is around 225hp. is it really worth blowing off $7k on a supercharger and only getting 75hp out of it at the max. it just aint worth it for our steps. NA mods are probably the best thing for our steps. its probably more reliable. go stage 4 NA from technik it will cost you $5500 max and you will get around 300hp from it, atleast that is my goal at the moment.

What are "NA" mods and what does the "NA" stand for?

[kashif]

naturally aspirated. meaning mods like CAI, exhaust, headers, cams etc

[JetBlack330xi]

see that makes no sense though...getting your car a lot of HP is not as important as people make it out to be....sure, if you work on the car you can probably get 300 HP out of it--the technik stuff will probably do it--but that's only really boosting your HP, you need the torque to be way up there too!

truth be told, doing all that stuff to your 330 is like putting a slightly underpowered M3 engine in your car.....EXCEPT THAT, the M3 gets its max HP at 7800rpms! you can't even get past 6000, so the added HP wouldn't really do much for you...

just gotta suck it up and get a supercharger...

[kashif]

samir the man claimes that you can get your car to do 0-60 with the stage 4 around low to mid 5 sec if i remember correctly

my car has shaved of .5 sec from 0-60 hence you cant say the hp is only coming at the higher rpm. also if you have a look at jesse's dyno when he had the technik stage 2 his car was outputting the same torque like an M3 and his car was a step at that time. i think the mods definetly make a difference.

my car went to the dealers some time back after i got the stage 2 and the guys were asking me what i had done to the car, they said it felt 25-30hp more powerful than the other 330's

[bobm3]

your next mod should be a v-1 radar unit. lolllllll just drive safe and have fun.... congtr. on the s/c to of cause...........
bobm3 :hi: :hi:

[digitalinkartis]

Congrats....Hear nothin but good things about RPM. Now lets see some dyno results.

[kashif]

you are indeed right bro, but most people dont have $7k handy just to blow of on a supercharger. they rather take it by small steps, true it will never yeild them the power of FI, but then again spending $7k and a voided warranty aint something every one is willing to take. as for the NA mods most of them cant even be seen easily unless the agent particulary look for em example mods like CAI can be removed when given for service. if the headers or exhaust is seen at the most an exhaust warranty may be voided. lastly cams or ported heads may never be found until a problem occurs.

[Mako]

Kazuo,
Sweet set up with AA. What was your final, out-the-door cost for SCing at RPM? TIA

[Boosted330]

MY CAR IS AT RPM RIGHT NOW GETTING AN AA SUPERCHARGER INSTALLED TOO! lol mine's a 330 steptronic, im supposed to pick it up tomorrow or friday! :)

-Robby

[MIV4N]

can someone clarify if its bad to s/c an automatic and what numbers AA thinks it will add to a 325 and 330? TIA

[NickACS]

I believe you can get AA SCed with a steptronic tranny. Shouldnt be any problems.

Yes, I have one on my Step ;)

[itchyNscratchy]

MY CAR IS AT RPM RIGHT NOW GETTING AN AA SUPERCHARGER INSTALLED TOO! lol mine's a 330 steptronic, im supposed to pick it up tomorrow or friday! :)

-Robby

Congrats,

post and let us know how it goes when you get it back!!
did they lower the psi because u have a step?

[Boosted330]

Congrats,

post and let us know how it goes when you get it back!!
did they lower the psi because u have a step?

ill post pix and review when i get it back, and ill be running the standard 8psi, apparantly their software has taken care of any issues w/ boost. :)

-Robby

[itchyNscratchy]

ill post pix and review when i get it back, and ill be running the standard 8psi, apparantly their software has taken care of any issues w/ boost. :)

-Robby


That's strange cuz i think NickACS had his boost lowered to ~ 5psi (AA's recommendation i believe) rather than the standard 8psi because of the steptronic. The 8psi will boost you over 300hp at the crank which the step can't handle theoretically.

[kazuo13]

ok, some of you asked about price and install time, so I'll start there:

I bought the supercharger for ~ $5200 when AA had their Holiday promotion.
RPM Racing had my car for about 4 days for the install. They charge about $1000 installation ... maybe a little more depending on any difficulties they may encounter.

I have a 2000 323i with steptronic tranny approx. 22k miles (I know it's low, but I'm definitely driving ALOT more now!!) I've driven about 1000 miles since the supercharger was installed and so far,... ZERO problems. I'm going back to RPM Racing in about two months just for normal check-up... they want to make sure no hoses or belts loosened since install. I'm definitely satisfied with performance so far. After install, I half expected check engine lights to come on... maybe some rattling... or just ANYTHING out of the ordinary. Well, the only thing out of the ordinary is the extra torque I feel above 3000 RPM. The car is so much more fun to drive... especially in sport mode. Highway passing is much easier.

It's hard to describe the performance gain to you all... how you feel about the gain depends alot on what your expectations are. Starting with the 2.5 liter engine with steptronic doesn't leave THAT much room for improvement... modification has its limits. So with that in mind, I knew I wasn't going into M3 territory with the supercharger. What I can tell you is that my bro has a 330ci convertible with step and his car still feels like it has more low end torque. But once I get past 3500 RPM, my car definitely has more torque and feels it can pull away from the 330Cic. For those that swear by 0-60 times, I got one of the Passport G-Timers. I input the car's weight, drag, and other variables into the timer. After about 5 runs, my best time was 6.7 seconds 0-60. (ALOT of factors can affect this time considerably. Slight uphill or downhill, rolling a few inches before start, temperature will affect this time according to the manual.) I did this on as flat a surface I could find in about 30 degree weather. I did not floor the pedal but came pretty close and I did not let up till about 70mph. I will attempt to perform more runs when time and weather permits.

Some will be disappointed, some surprised with the numbers,... let me know what you think. ALSO, according to the 2000 BMW 3-series brochure, the 323i with automatic tranny goes 0-60 in 8.2 seconds. Is an extra 1.5 seconds worth $6000+? On the surface, it seems not, but the smirk on my face after a drive out on the freeway says yes.

(MODS: AA supercharger, AA exhaust, what else am I missing? ... suspension and brakes next!)

[kazuo13]

this link is a repost ... for those who havent seen already:
http://home.earthlink.net/~sampng/AAcharger.htm

[Boosted330]

heres the dyno of a 330i auto running 8psi taken from here http://www.activeautowerke.com/dyno/01_M3_vs_02_330i_Auto_SC8psi.asp

http://www.activeautowerke.com/dyno/dynoplot/01_M3_vs_02_330i_Auto_SC8ps.jpg

[NickACS]

That's strange cuz i think NickACS had his boost lowered to ~ 5psi (AA's recommendation i believe) rather than the standard 8psi because of the steptronic. The 8psi will boost you over 300hp at the crank which the step can't handle theoretically.

Sorry bro, but I am running 8psi :) Only ASA SKI Step version will run 5psi...

[kashif]

ok, some of you asked about price and install time, so I'll start there:

I bought the supercharger for ~ $5200 when AA had their Holiday promotion.
RPM Racing had my car for about 4 days for the install. They charge about $1000 installation ... maybe a little more depending on any difficulties they may encounter.

I have a 2000 323i with steptronic tranny approx. 22k miles (I know it's low, but I'm definitely driving ALOT more now!!) I've driven about 1000 miles since the supercharger was installed and so far,... ZERO problems. I'm going back to RPM Racing in about two months just for normal check-up... they want to make sure no hoses or belts loosened since install. I'm definitely satisfied with performance so far. After install, I half expected check engine lights to come on... maybe some rattling... or just ANYTHING out of the ordinary. Well, the only thing out of the ordinary is the extra torque I feel above 3000 RPM. The car is so much more fun to drive... especially in sport mode. Highway passing is much easier.

It's hard to describe the performance gain to you all... how you feel about the gain depends alot on what your expectations are. Starting with the 2.5 liter engine with steptronic doesn't leave THAT much room for improvement... modification has its limits. So with that in mind, I knew I wasn't going into M3 territory with the supercharger. What I can tell you is that my bro has a 330ci convertible with step and his car still feels like it has more low end torque. But once I get past 3500 RPM, my car definitely has more torque and feels it can pull away from the 330Cic. For those that swear by 0-60 times, I got one of the Passport G-Timers. I input the car's weight, drag, and other variables into the timer. After about 5 runs, my best time was 6.7 seconds 0-60. (ALOT of factors can affect this time considerably. Slight uphill or downhill, rolling a few inches before start, temperature will affect this time according to the manual.) I did this on as flat a surface I could find in about 30 degree weather. I did not floor the pedal but came pretty close and I did not let up till about 70mph. I will attempt to perform more runs when time and weather permits.

Some will be disappointed, some surprised with the numbers,... let me know what you think. ALSO, according to the 2000 BMW 3-series brochure, the 323i with automatic tranny goes 0-60 in 8.2 seconds. Is an extra 1.5 seconds worth $6000+? On the surface, it seems not, but the smirk on my face after a drive out on the freeway says yes.

(MODS: AA supercharger, AA exhaust, what else am I missing? ... suspension and brakes next!
ok so this tells me that my stage 2 is doing something form me since i got 0-60 of 6.52 on my car. stage 4 here i come, need to get my car under the 6 mark with our touching the differentials.

[kashif]

heres the dyno of a 330i auto running 8psi taken from here http://www.activeautowerke.com/dyno/01_M3_vs_02_330i_Auto_SC8psi.asp

http://www.activeautowerke.com/dyno/dynoplot/01_M3_vs_02_330i_Auto_SC8ps.jpg
after adding 15% to that torque figure i get a torque figure of around 281 you guys sure the step can handle that. 262 is the torque figure for a M3 if i am not mistaken.

[kashif]

Sorry bro, but I am running 8psi :) Only ASA SKI Step version will run 5psi...
what sort of hp figure is your car putting out also the torque. i think the manuals run at 7.5psi, how long have you been running your car at 8psi?

[itchyNscratchy]

Sorry bro, but I am running 8psi :) Only ASA SKI Step version will run 5psi...

Sorry my bad nick, i thought you were running at a lower boost with ur AA kit + step.

[NickACS]

what sort of hp figure is your car putting out also the torque. i think the manuals run at 7.5psi, how long have you been running your car at 8psi?

I've had mine since last July..Within one month, I drove up/down the east coast of the US from Atlanta to MD to NY to CT and then all the way back. Not a single problem and loved every minute of the ~2200 mile highway driving! :D Had a blast...If that wasn't a nice break-in, I don't know what is! I only have the dyno that AA supplied me with which was 255rwp, 257ft-lbs torque. It's been proven that AA's Mustang dyno shows lower Hp that Dynojet, so I want to get mine dyno'ed locally here sometime in the near future...Still have more engine mods on the way :) I can easily get about 330Hp or so from the Step by the time I'm done..


Sorry my bad nick, i thought you were running at a lower boost with ur AA kit + step.

No problem my friend! :)

[Mark@vfive]

thanks for the insightful feedback from all us potential supercharged 2.5l ppl, your post has given me the best idea of a supercharged 2.5l of any post so far !

you mention that your brother's 330 still feels like it has more torque down low, i assume u mean below 3000 rpm? do you think your car would be faster in a 0-60 then the 330 ?

Im just trying to gague the real world speed of the car

thanks!

[GHoStRidEr4450]

Ok so I still feel confused...I have a 2002 330i StepTronic, and I want to get an AA Supercharger. AA's website says the SC will produce 330-340 HP on 3 liter 3 series (IE the 330) This is exciting but...how much HP can a 330i StepTronic transmission take? Because i would like to have 340 HP on my car...sheesh...can anyone say M3 killer.

[kazuo13]

Yes, my bro's 330 feels more torquey below 3k RPM. Is my car faster than his? It depends on the driver. I know that's not the answer you were looking for. Next time I get his car (this week), I'm gonna floor it with the G-Timer installed to get his 0-60 time. Keep in mind that the 330Ci convertible with step is the heaviest of the stock 3 series. I suspect though that my car is a hair faster than his, maybe by half a second? It's just a guess. Also my 6.7 second time is NOT exactly Car and Driver tested, just an attempt to give you guys a general idea. PM me and maybe we can meet up sometime in NY.


thanks for the insightful feedback from all us potential supercharged 2.5l ppl, your post has given me the best idea of a supercharged 2.5l of any post so far !

you mention that your brother's 330 still feels like it has more torque down low, i assume u mean below 3000 rpm? do you think your car would be faster in a 0-60 then the 330 ?

Im just trying to gague the real world speed of the car

thanks!

[kazuo13]

Cant say how much power 330 step can take since I have 2.5 liter supercharged. My guess is that 330 supercharged can prob keep up with an M3, but M3 killer? I'm not so sure.

Ok so I still feel confused...I have a 2002 330i StepTronic, and I want to get an AA Supercharger. AA's website says the SC will produce 330-340 HP on 3 liter 3 series (IE the 330) This is exciting but...how much HP can a 330i StepTronic transmission take? Because i would like to have 340 HP on my car...sheesh...can anyone say M3 killer.

[xS3x]

Cant say how much power 330 step can take since I have 2.5 liter supercharged. My guess is that 330 supercharged can prob keep up with an M3, but M3 killer? I'm not so sure.

you can't kill a m3 with a steptronic setup, the automatic simply robs away too much power

[GHoStRidEr4450]

Ok so then the AA site (Here) http://www.activeautowerke.com/Supercharged/E46-330isupercharger.cfm
says you can get 340 HP which is higher than the M3, mean that you can get these numbers from a manual only?

[kashif]

you can't kill a m3 with a steptronic setup, the automatic simply robs away too much power

i'd agree with you jesse, from what i have heard, even with a manual you will need a good clutch to kill an M3 assuming the manual makes around 350hp. then again isnt m3 a heavier car than our cars?

[kashif]

so whats the possible limit for the 330, vince made a post on rennsport that alpina use the same steptronic tranny of their b3.3 model which makes about 300hp. Alpina wouldnt be using this tranny if 300hp was the limit on it.

why is it then that most manufacturers recommend s/c for our cars that only run at 5psi 300hp (ie ASA, Hartage, ACS, ESS, mosselman)?

[kashif]

One of the reasons i havent yet gone for a S/c for the car is the hot weather we have here in the UAE. would it be possible to change the PSI on the supercharger easily, imean keep a low boost for the hot summers, while keeping it high for the winters. dont know much about S/c but would this help reduce the heating issue. lastly could this be done, via software or some settings on the compressor it self.

thanks

[xS3x]

One of the reasons i havent yet gone for a S/c for the car is the hot weather we have here in the UAE. would it be possible to change the PSI on the supercharger easily, imean keep a low boost for the hot summers, while keeping it high for the winters. dont know much about S/c but would this help reduce the heating issue. lastly could this be done, via software or some settings on the compressor it self.

thanks

boost on the s/c can be easily changed by changing the pulley size

[kashif]

boost on the s/c can be easily changed by changing the pulley size

thanks for the reply

do you think reducing the boost will help the heating issue inthe summers.

i could order 2 pullies one for 7psi boost another for 4-5psi boost.

[xS3x]

thanks for the reply

do you think reducing the boost will help the heating issue inthe summers.

i could order 2 pullies one for 7psi boost another for 4-5psi boost.

yup..i would suppose so

[Mr Paddle.Shift]

I think we might be hijacking the thread...oh well...

The way to deal with heating issue is a larger intercooler and (drum roll...), an oil cooler. Kashif, I strongly suggest that you get some gauges installed as well. It's really important to know what's going on in your engine.

110F, Buttonwillow and California Speedway race track, over 2 hrs of track driving, average 4000 to 5000 rpm. Your ASA kit will hold up very well. ;)

thanks for the reply

do you think reducing the boost will help the heating issue inthe summers.

i could order 2 pullies one for 7psi boost another for 4-5psi boost.

[Mr Paddle.Shift]

Yes, I did post some info. It all depends on the tranny. ZF and GM trannies are torque rated somehow. Not HP rated.

Just a quick correction, I was talking about Alpina B3 S (3.4L). The B3 3.3 has about 280hp. I have info that the newer ZF tranny in non-M E46 can take more torque compared to the older one (even thought both are coded as 5HP19). Whatever it is, Alpina's judgement is reliable.

so whats the possible limit for the 330, vince made a post on rennsport that alpina use the same steptronic tranny of their b3.3 model which makes about 300hp. Alpina wouldnt be using this tranny if 300hp was the limit on it.

why is it then that most manufacturers recommend s/c for our cars that only run at 5psi 300hp (ie ASA, Hartage, ACS, ESS, mosselman)?

[kashif]

vince does the ASA supercharger spin when the car is idle (i heard it was clutched and does not spin when the cars idle). just wondering what would happen if the car got stuck in traffic on a hot summer day (around 40c)?

[samir@technik]

Yes, the ASA charger is clutched and does not spin below 1200 RPMs.

[Luke WL.]

So for the AA kit, hot weather is :thumbdwn: ?

[NickACS]

So for the AA kit, hot weather is :thumbdwn: ?

Dunno why? I live in Atlanta and the Summer's are pretty hot..no probs yet..AA is in Miami and it was pretty freakin hot last Summer when I was there test driving their 330i s/c'ed ride?? Hmm...

[Luke WL.]

nick, im not sayin it is, thats just what I understood from scanning thru the post. Because im in sofla, that would be no good so im doin my research.