Re: What\'s the scoop on supercharging?
Kid:
There seems to be more and more tuners throwing their hats into the ring when it comes to blowers. You are right in your attempt to do as much research as possible before dropping all of the money into one of these systems.
Some of the players in this game are Doug Levin and SVSi (there are others but my middle aged brain has done a cerebral fart). Both claim to generate some very impressive numbers.
The only tuner that I have seen with customers on this BB is Doug Levin. I've met Doug and seen his work. He is a straight shooter and will disclose as much as you need to know about what makes his systems unique and practical for everyday use.
I got to ride in Gerald's Gen 1 RT that Doug built and I have to say that it was downright scary. The fact that a car is capable of burning rubber through the bottom 4 gears is impressive and insane. The quality of his work is equally impressive. He uses top quality aircraft fittings and components (and he does all of his machining in house).
Everything that I hear about SVSi is that they make top quality products. I have not heard much about their blower systems or their engineering capabilities (or from any of their blower customers about their experiences). In the archives you will find some very biased comments from someone named Paolo. He is quick to criticize other tuners, but provides very few substantive facts about the SVSi system. IMHO his war of words hurts SVSi's credibility. I have always believed that any successful business, should live and die by its customer references.
You also need to decide what goals you have for your car, and how well your driving skills are to match (what your little brain wants). The kind of power that these cars generate can hurt you in the worse way imaginable. In talking to several of these tuners, the one comment that runs true with all of their customers is that most don't have the driving skills to harness the beasts that they bought. It's a miracle that more of the guys that buy these blower cars, don't end up as a dark scorch spots on the pavement.
If you go into the archives for the last 6 months you will find quite a bit of contention among players in opposing camps. My advice to you is to do your homework, check references and visit the tuners that you have short listed (a plane ticket is cheaper than a mistake that costs tens of thousands of dollars).
There are too many tuners out in the Viper world that won't disclose their performance numbers and how they achieve them (but will charge you up the a** for the unknown). There are others who profess to have the most impressive and visible cars, but can't deliver to those who have dropped a bunch of money in their laps (that are paying the lawyers to keep them alive). I don't need to mention any names, because if you really do your homework, you'll find out for yourself. Get away from the hype and do your homework.
Just a footnote, if you do blow your money on a bad tuner, don't come back here and cry about it...because we told you so.
The bottom line is "buyer beware".
Good luck in your search.
