Originally Posted by JHM2K
IMO it wouldn't be at all unreasonable to ask $5,000 for a complete SRT drivetrain, turnkey, with differential and ECU and all the goodies. Can cheaper ones be found? Sure. Will they have everything you need? Probably not.
The BEGi turbo is quite promising, I think 340 flywheel horsepower isn't out of the question. More than that, and you start cooking the Limited tranny and pushing the limits of stock internals. The ability for the 6MT to hold that power is speculatory at best. Sure, the clutch can be upgraded, but the dual-mass flywheel can pose some serious difficulty in making everything play nice.
The Rotrex is very similar... tons-o-fun but lots-o-risk. In the end, I don't see Web3.0 selling those kits for less than $5K, if he even decides to market them. Asking him to sell a kit that he's invested over a year's worth R&D on for $3,000 would be an insult.
V-8 swaps are like any other project -- amazing and relatively inexpensive if you can do all of your own fab work and programming... a money-pit if you need to hire even half the job out, let alone the full monty. Rudy doesn't get $20,000 for no reason.
And no, I don't think the answer to everyone's question is "buy an SRT". I took that path because I was willing to pay $14,500 for a choice Limited. Paying a comparable amount for a modded SRT, in excellent condition, with double the horsepower was a no-brainer. If I still had my white one, selling it wouldn't even be considered, as I had too much heart and soul in the car itself, let alone the drivetrain.
It's for those folks, that the SRT swap would make sense. The two bolt-on forced induction alternatives would give you stock SRT power, very reliably, for less than $5K. The only problem is the remaining drivetrain, and its limits (known, but never fully tested).
Whatever you choose, enjoy the ride.
John, that is a very good explanation, and you are right there as far as the price I am looking at for a complete setup. And that is the difference, a complete factory package, everything needed to convert to SRT6 power.
As some know, I have designed and built turbo systems for years, and whatever the "base" price is, your always going to spend more to make it your own setup. And granted, the turbo will be popular, and may produce power close to the SRT6, but as you stated, you don't get the forged engine, built tranny, and matching rearend. With the conversion package, you keep the balance front/rear intact (heavy V8), you get awesome power, AND you have an engine that you can build on.