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Supercharger Kit near completion, need a little help

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Old 10-06-2011, 09:33 AM
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Default Supercharger Kit near completion, need a little help

Hello to all. I am new to this forum, let me introduce myself and tell you a little bit about a project we have been working on this last year.

My name is Carl Fausett, and I run a company that develops performance parts for certain Porsche and Ferrari models.

Our big-ticket item is supercharger kits. I have developed supercharger kits for the 16v Porsche 928 V8; the 32v Porsche 928 V8; the 4 cyl Porsche 968, the Ferrari Mondial V8; the 16v Ferrari 308 and the 32v Ferrari 328 models. A complete list of the kits I have engineered and produced are here: 928 Porsche® Superchargers and Supercharger Kits

Last year, I branched in to Mercedes-Benz models, specifically the SLK 320. Love that car.
We had one in our shop, and made serious in-roads on developing a supercharger kit for it. Pictures below.

We have the crank pulleys and brackets made, the fuel system mods designed, and our baseline dyno pulls done. The vehicle was on loan to us and we lost use of the vehicle before we could finish the kit.

What I have left to complete is to design the air filter system and a modified coolant reservoir (to make room for the air filter), and the final dyno pulls to get the before-and-after numbers.

As long as I am finishing this kit, I would like it to fit both the SLK 320 and the Chrysler Crossfire to broaden the possible market for this kit.

So... what I am looking for on this forum is a loaner car. Is there a member who would like his Chrysler Crossfire supercharged, and wouldn't mind being without it for about 60 days? In return for being the guinea pig for me to model parts on, he would receive an installed supercharger kit with zero labor and a discount on the parts.

Saying it again differently: the person that loans me their Crossfire will have the ability to buy the kit at less than what it will retail for, and there will be no charge for labor to install it. I will just leave it on the car when it drives away.

If you have questions, please ask. Happy to answer.

I hope our lengthy string of successful supercharger kits gives you confidence that we know what we are doing. I insist that our kits look clean and have a professional appearance.

Photos below show some of the work completed on the SLK, NOT the finished kit.

Thank you for your interest!
 
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Last edited by CarlFausett; 10-06-2011 at 12:12 PM.
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Old 10-06-2011, 09:50 AM
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Default Re: Supercharger Kit near completion, need a little help

Where are you located?
 
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Old 10-06-2011, 09:52 AM
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Default Re: Supercharger Kit near completion, need a little help

btw, I love 928s. I was really looking for one when i ended up with my 951. I can't imagine how awesome that car would be with a super charger on it.
 
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Old 10-06-2011, 09:59 AM
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Default Re: Supercharger Kit near completion, need a little help

OMG - yes that would be helpful wouldn't it.

We are located in Horicon, WI 53032

About 1 hour north of Milwaukee, 3 hours north of Chicago.
 
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Old 10-06-2011, 12:28 PM
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Default Re: Supercharger Kit near completion, need a little help

Carl, welcome aboard!

Have you already settled the ECU issue of not being able to read boost on an NA ECU, or are you swapping ECUs as others have done?

Many here are able to install the parts, it is getting them to work with the MB ECU that is the pain, as I am sure you know. We have had a few here crack them, but not an easy thing to do...
 
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Old 10-06-2011, 12:41 PM
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Default Re: Supercharger Kit near completion, need a little help

Very Cool! Someone give him your car... I would but thre is no room for that supercharger under my hood.
 
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Old 10-06-2011, 01:26 PM
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Default Re: Supercharger Kit near completion, need a little help

Have you already settled the ECU issue of not being able to read boost on an NA ECU, or are you swapping ECUs as others have done?
Haven't had it back to the dyno running as yet, so I cannot say we have encountered that problem. Because it is a dead-head fuel system, we have gone in the direction of a boost-a-pump fuel pump controller that responds to boost.

Only when I get it running will I discover what else may be needed. There are ways to bring the MAF back into its range...
 
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Old 10-07-2011, 08:09 AM
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Default Re: Supercharger Kit near completion, need a little help

Careful, it's not a true dead head system, the regulator is in the fuel filter with a return to the tank.
 
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Old 10-07-2011, 08:14 AM
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Default Re: Supercharger Kit near completion, need a little help

Keep everyone posted?
 
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Old 10-07-2011, 09:21 AM
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Default Re: Supercharger Kit near completion, need a little help

Ok Carl, you have my attention. I live in Florida, however my car is currently in Western Carolina where it will be for the next couple of weeks so im 600 miles closer to you and not as much of a drive. Drivetrain is stock with no mods except exaust. Low miles and a 6 speed manual. Some suspension and brake upgrades If this is what you are looking for pm me and we will talk...
 
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Old 10-10-2011, 04:45 PM
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Default Re: Supercharger Kit near completion, need a little help

Thanks Jon,

I may take you up on that, but I would prefer a dead-stock car where yours has exhaust mods.

If I don't do that, we will always wonder how much of the HP gain is supercharger kit and how much is exhaust upgrade.

Carl
 
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Old 10-14-2011, 10:27 AM
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Default Re: Supercharger Kit near completion, need a little help

I'd love to take advantage of this since I'm relatively close (MN) but my car has some mods already. Let me know what you're looking to charge for parts and maybe I can convert it back to stock and help you out.
 
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Old 10-14-2011, 12:46 PM
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Default Re: Supercharger Kit near completion, need a little help

I cant say yet what the parts cost is going to be - the kit is not finished.

I know my target price for the finished kit is between $5 and $7k, and the person that lends me their car will pay less than retail.

What sort of mads do you already have done?
 
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Old 10-14-2011, 04:51 PM
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Default Re: Supercharger Kit near completion, need a little help

Pm sent hopefully my car might work for you
 
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Old 10-14-2011, 04:54 PM
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Default Re: Supercharger Kit near completion, need a little help

Carl, please don't take this wrong, and guys don't flame me too badly...but, here is my first impression. At 5-7K knowing 04s and up range from 8k - 14k depending on year/miles/etc...why would someone pay for the kit at that price, and then pay to have it installed unless they can do it themselves? You can take the 5-7k and buy a s/c'd srt6. I quess if you want to be different, or want the stick over the auto, that would be a possibility, but I'm skeptical at that price if you will get the interest needed for you to mass produce this product...just a thought, nothing more...it is meant to be constructive...
 
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Old 10-14-2011, 05:02 PM
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Default Re: Supercharger Kit near completion, need a little help

Originally Posted by oledoc2u
Carl, please don't take this wrong, and guys don't flame me too badly...but, here is my first impression. At 5-7K knowing 04s and up range from 8k - 14k depending on year/miles/etc...why would someone pay for the kit at that price, and then pay to have it installed unless they can do it themselves? You can take the 5-7k and buy a s/c'd srt6. I quess if you want to be different, or want the stick over the auto, that would be a possibility, but I'm skeptical at that price if you will get the interest needed for you to mass produce this product...just a thought, nothing more...it is meant to be constructive...
+ they've not figured out how to make the computer play nice yet either. I'm interested in watching how this goes.
 
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Old 10-14-2011, 05:12 PM
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Default Re: Supercharger Kit near completion, need a little help

Originally Posted by Thirteendog
+ they've not figured out how to make the computer play nice yet either. I'm interested in watching how this goes.
Im all for making things go faster, but to do a lot of R&D and then get just a few takers, I wouldn't think would be worth it... Those who have the knowledge and do it themselves certainly benefit, but install time, maybe labor costs, then the price of the kit... I just don't know, I may be wrong and hope I am...I am in town if you can get by the Wild Horse...if not, no biggie...we will see you next trip down...
 
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Old 10-14-2011, 05:34 PM
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Default Re: Supercharger Kit near completion, need a little help

He is using the same aproach to tuning as Kleeman which doesn't require much in the way of ECU work.
 
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Old 10-17-2011, 12:46 PM
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Default Re: Supercharger Kit near completion, need a little help

If you look at the cars and kits that we have already done:

www.928superchargers.com

then you can see we are well acquainted with kits that are worth almost as much as the car itself. Who would pay $5k for a 928 supercharger kit, when you can buy an early 928 for only $3k? They do. We sell about 4 of those kits a year.

We have developed systems and techniques to keep our costs down without the attendant needs for high volumes in these parts/kits. In other words, I am well aware of the challenges of low sales volume kits, and we incorporate that into our design models and manufacturing methods. Building a kit where we may sell only 5 a year is not unusual for us.

This is our 11th year of business.

On the other hand, I thought the Kleeman price for a SC kit for this car was unreasonable, and I'm sure ours will be significanlty less, which I am sure wont hurt sales numbers either!
 
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Old 10-17-2011, 01:32 PM
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Default Re: Supercharger Kit near completion, need a little help

I think you missed the point: If a Crossfire owner wanted a car supercharged, he'd purchase a supercharged Crossfire in the first place... the SRT-6. The difference in value between an N/A and an SRT-6 is about half of what you're telling us your kit will cost.
 


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