Anyone run this combo on an E36 M3? Any driveability or other performance issues? A dyno sheet would be great.

Thanks

Anyone run this combo on an E36 M3? Any driveability or other performance issues? A dyno sheet would be great.

Thanks

I wouldn't go with a Rotrex. Do you have cams now? I'd save your money and either go with with a vortec s/c, TS kit, or a turbo kit.:)

rotrex are pretty limited. only good thing about the AA kit is that it comes with a oil cooler.

rotrex are pretty limited. only good thing about the AA kit is that it comes with a oil cooler.

Did you know that oil cooler is for the blower only not the motor oil. They use a proprietary oil and oil supply for the supercharger. The oil cooler cools the supercharger oil because of the high revs of the blower. I wouldn't diparage the kit for somebody who is happy with close to 300whp it is a very reliable set up.

I wouldn't diparage the kit for somebody who is happy with close to 300whp it is a very reliable set up.


but this kit cannot be upgraded at all. if you want more power you have to buy an entirely new setup.

IF you want more power 300whp is enough for some people.

I am super happy with mine. It pulls REAL strong especially in this weather in Boston. I suggest you contact AA directly to get their opinion on this.

what about extra noise under the hood? is it bad? oh, and how much $?

Most people who get into it, think 300rwhp is enough... but the thing only makes 240-250rwtq. It would seem like enough, but not having an upgrade path makes this kit rank pretty low for most people. If you go CF SC, a Vortech based kit is a much better alternative. The price difference is slight with all the players in the market.

I'm only saying because I learned the hard way. It maybe enough for some, but MANY don't know what a 300rwhp (actually 285rwhp) CF SC really feels like... drive and compare if you can.

Boris

VF has a vortech based kit that goes for 4,500 for the e36 m3, i'd look into that kit.:)

KO is a VF dealer and they are in stock and ready to ship! $4500 for a complete new kit.

Thanks everyone for the info. Not looking for max HP, looking for linear power increase with more area under the curve from 3500 to 6000rpm

The reason I'm interested in the rotrex is it appears to have better mid-range than Vortech running similar boost levels.

Anyone have a rotrex vs Vortech (or other CF?) dyno sheet?

I am super happy with mine. It pulls REAL strong especially in this weather in Boston. I suggest you contact AA directly to get their opinion on this.


M3Armand

Thanks, I did contact AA. They have several customers running this combo. Just trying to find one of the customers to get their impressions.

Few questions for you...Have you driven a vortech, powerdyne or other CF S/C? How did it compare the rotrex? Why did you go with the AA kit?

Thanks

I was very happy with the AA rotrex kit in my car. I was looking for dead reliable power on the track and this did it. I didn't have to worry about things blowing up, which seems to happen with some of the other setups when they're pushed hard on the track at hi rpm's for 30+ minutes at a time.

Street driving isn't the same as track driving, the car takes a far more serious pounding...

I'm with Doc and Armand on this. The AA kit makes decent power, is conservatively tuned, intercooled in "stage 1" form (no extra charge), and does not superheat your engine oil because it has its own oil source and cooler. The s/c nightmares I've heard seem always to be that they heatsoak quickly on the track, or they so bake the crankcase oil that the engine fails, or the tuning is so lean up top that the motor detonates. With my AA kit, I don't worry about any of that at all. In short, it's the safest choice, and for that you trade off some hp compared to other kits.

M3Armand

Thanks, I did contact AA. They have several customers running this combo. Just trying to find one of the customers to get their impressions.

Few questions for you...Have you driven a vortech, powerdyne or other CF S/C? How did it compare the rotrex? Why did you go with the AA kit?

Thanks

Yes, I've driven the Vortechs and Powerdynes. Between the two, I'd get the Vortech. Read this:

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...light=decision

And you'll know why I went with AA vs. Vortech. If I were to start all over again, I'd go with...AA/SC. 1+ year from now or so, I may consider AA's TS setup once more people "debug" it for me. :) The Vortechs, if not intercooled in some way, are DEFINITELY slower (many times slower than stock) at the track...

Also, AA's new "C Drive" Rotrex is MUCH MUCH better than the original Rotrex. I can see 9.5 psi every so often with the "stock" rev limiter settings and stock everything else except exhaust (including stock cats). My original Rotrex was warrantied and replaced with the new C Drive after AA and I determined that it was definitely not operating per specifications. Now with that kind of service, I would be foolish to try another vendor who may/may not stand behind their product.

I'm sure you will find that others may not have had the same experience with AA. But one thing I do know is that they, or any vendor, prefer that if one had a question regarding their product, that that person ask AA directly - this way, you are getting the true information from the "source" and not hearsay. This is why I suggested you call AA directly regarding running AASC with the Schrick cams. This doesn't apply to ownership questions, of course. So regarding the ownership questions, in conjunction with trying to look for people who have the setup in question through the forums, I would also ask AA for a referral.

Hope it helps!

I agree with what you say except the part about Vortech's blowing up or heat soaking on the track. My car runs consistent track times again and again on W/A injection only. If your looking for a track set up I am not sure AA is the only option, my car has 3k miles of track testing on it and it has held up fantastically, although it was tuned by AA :)

I agree with...My car runs consistent track times again and again on W/A injection only....

Water-alcohol injection/intercooler/aftercooler = same or similar story. You need some sort of cooling or you will get heatsoak. Try running without your w/a injection...

I too have nothing but rave reviews for AA's service. They were absolutely outstanding, I have nothing but good things to say about them.

I'm with Doc and Armand on this. The AA kit makes decent power, is conservatively tuned, intercooled in "stage 1" form (no extra charge), and does not superheat your engine oil because it has its own oil source and cooler. The s/c nightmares I've heard seem always to be that they heatsoak quickly on the track, or they so bake the crankcase oil that the engine fails, or the tuning is so lean up top that the motor detonates. With my AA kit, I don't worry about any of that at all. In short, it's the safest choice, and for that you trade off some hp compared to other kits.

Can you please clarify these two statements:

1) The AA kit ... does not superheat your engine oil because it has its own oil source and cooler.

2) The s/c nightmares I've heard seem always to be that they ... so bake the crankcase oil that the engine fails

??

Can you please clarify these two statements:

1) The AA kit ... does not superheat your engine oil because it has its own oil source and cooler.

2) The s/c nightmares I've heard seem always to be that they ... so bake the crankcase oil that the engine fails
??

With blowers that use the crank case oil, the very high temps of the blower will heat the engine oil to temps higher than it would otherewise see. This of course reduces the film strength of the oil, making it less effective as a lubricant in the engine. I talked to one guy at a DE who said his vortech based system added 70 degrees to his oil temp on an s52 motor. His motor failed at the track ($8k+). The Rotrex uses a separate resevoir of synthetic "traction oil" with an air to air cooler, so the engine oil is unaffected, except to the extent that more hp always means more heat. I just moved from 5w30 to 10w40 (amsoil or redline) when the s/c went in.

A lot of people assume the AA oil cooler is for the engine oil and it isn't it. Even with an AA supercharger you still could be going beyond the heat range of the engine oil. That is why I have an oil cooler installed on my car. If you run a Vortech at the track it is very necessary, probably for a lot of street applications it is equally advisable. I think this is why a lot of people see oil leakage at the supercharger on Vortech kits. The hoses are typically only rated for 250 degrees.