Got my car back from Vortech!-3rd party tests & test drivers thread

[draggin_az]

just watched your video and now I really want one

[Huehuecoyotl]

I also spend time on the track and I post videos
I do got love for Vortech, and they have had nothing but love for me and our platform.
I'm just remaining transparent and visible, to you that may be no different that a vendor's posts and that is fine

I dont know that AVO or fbm/VCMC share details as intimate as I share with you.You mentioned them, not me. if their testing on this forum is the same as mine for you, good for you.
gotcha, dont they have a post you should be off reading? This is my thread to share MY opinions. got that?

I dont think so. But thanks for clarifying and responding to my question "who has the TRACK tester endorsement model they have with me"
this not a team run, or company owned and operated vehicle
they have no control on what I post
I dont know what failures they have dealt with or decided to share, do you?
So far Transparency has been my style here, but many of you make me second guess that

None of them to my klnowledge are volunteer forum testers who are as transparent or as active as me. I mean I share an aweful lot here. Tomorrow my other car could be running Company X kit, if you infer that I think they are shit, thats something you need to deal with when I buy a fbm,avo or pandL kit for my other ride...

It is my opinion that "VERY few companies are as visible, transparent and 'real world' about it all,"
and I am entitled to that opinion.sharing that is not cause for anyone to get bent.

Not bashing anyones kit. Dont throw false accusations at me. "What does the silence from other vendors MEAN?" is NOT bashing, chillax
@2forme it IS possible for you to post without putting words in my mouth, isnt it? No kit or vendor was called "shit" dont put words in my mouth, no direct reference to anyone was made so not sure who youre defending. I am allowed to feel and share that I think I have the best vendor support and youre allowed to see it as otherwise. No offense, but I think the 86 is better than the Miata and s2000, thats not calling them shit, or is that what you hear and read?

Which vendor am I bashing,who specifically did I put down? please be specific, find another Gem on the forum I wanna meet him? again with the cry babies

I'm proud of my visibility and no, I dont think anyone comes even close. Same with my vendor. *

No kits were put down in the making of post #434, so get off my back
I'm not taking anyones BS this round.

[2forme]

I'm just saying you don't need to reference other vendors when you're posting about one. You're not the first person I've seen with a blown seal on a supercharger. I hope it gets settled soon.

Eat a snickers. Jeez.

[Sportsguy83]

Originally Posted by Huehuecoyotl

This is what I do, I have broken perrins stuff too, so I guess thats why these companies benefit my 'work'

NOTE,VERY few companies are as visible, transparent and 'real world' about it all, as Vortech has enabled me to be as a real world tester, this is a benefit that should hint at the loads of confidence they have in their product to those who wanna track. Name one, any other vendor, who has the TRACK tester endorsement model they have with me, and have had since day 'zero' on their kit? Speaks volumes about their product confidence. What does the silence from other vendors MEAN?



Do you know if the turbo kits in test have had any track issues? No you dont, officially, this-- I hardly see any real world forum members with any other SC or any TCs tracking their cars, and really this is the only SC show in town that has even materialized in the hands of non vendor community. And vendor endorsed to track, hard full out. Top That. Try.

Those companies dont use the real world tester route, thats a good thing thing when controversial things happend, but I think its far more promising and realistic for you to see what a high heat tester car goes thru and their support model is one all their competition needs to learn from and should strive to attain

I'm not going to start a flame war, I am at peace with you 100% for real!! Since you asked, I am pointing out what is seeing as subtle jabs at the other kits. Because while it is TRUE what you say (regarding you being a guinea pig on the street and not being an employee of Vortech), and those are your opinions, they ar presented in a way that it "seems" belittles the other kits.

The fact that you have that relationship with Vortech (which is awesome and I'm not knocking on it at all), doesn't mean that the test strategy for other kits is less or worse than yours. AVO tracking their car in Japan since day one (repeat TRACK CAR since DAY ONE) is not less invasive or intensive than your approach.


Again NO war with you, no back and forth, just giving you constructive feedback.

[2forme]

Well its Sunday, relax. Watch some sports. Play some video games.

[A5D5TRYR]

Awesome video Gem! I appreciate that kind of feedback. I still haven't fully decided which route I eventually want to take (TC or SC). I've been back and forth but I really like getting impressions like this in the moment to get a feel for them. That kind of feedback is huge when you consider the price of entry and if driving one beforehand is not an option.
Again, thanks @Huehuecoyotl, @Supermassive, and @Yruyur for these cross-car comparisons. They're huge.

Edit: One thing that I would like to add regarding the opinions expressed regarding other vendors and their testing, Gem isn't directly affiliated with Vortech or any other vendor and because of that doesn't have to concern himself with company PR and shit like that. But what it does offer as a benefit is he can share a whole lot more information on his testing and I'm willing to hear out his opinions in his thread in order to hear the additional information as well. That being said I also understand everyone's reaction.
In regards to the other companies doing testing, a lot of companies test their own products under a curtain and never tell customers about the problems. They just fix them. As much as transparency is nice, companies know that some information, even if the problem is fixed, does more damage then good. So just because they are not sharing everything doesn't mean their testing is any less valid or that they are not as confident in their product, etc. I'm thrilled at the community we have here and that when forum members install these kits from vendors they post their personal reviews of them. I couldn't imagine trying to mod cars like these years ago with no internet and not having the information and feedback channel that exists today. I'm willing to take a whole lot of opinion to have this kind of feedback.

Sorry, that ended up way longer than I intended.

[Sportsguy83]

Originally Posted by Huehuecoyotl

been a long weekend man!

sportguy83, I appreciate your post, I'm always like on 'thin ice' 'round here, and more often I'm being less 'polar' than you may think I am and dont want to make my sharing my weekend with you all fodder for the trolls, thats all!

Gem, I like you how you are and wouldn't have you any other way.

We all express our views in different ways. I respect that. Keep the reviews coming and thanks for sharing all details.


Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2

[s2d4]

Originally Posted by Huehuecoyotl

Now a days I pre-empt the flaming and try and prevent the back and forth TC vs SC attacks, and even that seems to get me in trouble.

Easy, the two not to do's are:
1. reference other kits in your quests to put a big plus on your preference
2. lay down opinions as facts.
This just detracts from the truth and adds too much bias which can be a nuisance that is all.

I enjoy reading your experiences. Hell, I also have a 4gze so I do like SCs on a high revving 4 banger but I also have turbos on the RB26 and enjoy it for different reasons.

[Pete]

Originally Posted by draggin_az

just watched your video and now I really want one

It's a good vid, I keep making others watch it!

[Sonolin]

Very awesome vid! Good to hear another person's impressions as well it put a smile on my face

You need to relax Gem. Not everybody is attacking you I mean its an internet forum, this stuff is bound to happen anyway don't let it get to you :P

People all have different opinions. I know a few people who have laughed at my choice in car & forced induction, but I've resolved that they just don't understand . No need to get hung up about it.

I would love a turbo assuming the power band is good, but this supercharger is really good and I'm very excited about it. And I've seen the support Vortech gives their products and it makes me that much more confident I'll be buying vortech in the future .

[AZFA20]

Ok, sorry for the late check-in Weekend has been non-stop since I left the track on Saturday. I wanted to just drop a little line (insert sarcasm) in regard to Huehuecoyotl's setup and my impressions of the Vortech system. For those who are in search of unbiased reviews or impressions that is what I am here to hopefully accomplish. Now a little background on the situation just so those reading this have an idea of the circumstances.

This was the first time Huehuecoyotl and I had met so the impressions I have of the Vortech system for this car are basically the same as anyone here on the forum would have access to. The reason I wanted to arrange a meetup was to assist my decision on forced induction for this platform just as many here are trying to do. What better place than the track. I am far from new to forced induction and as a matter of fact my other track car utilizes turbo. I know there is a lot of controversy about the reliability in the AZ environment with turbos and track time but if done properly they are just fine imo (not to be confused with pros and cons out of the box between the various FI options). I want to bring that up to clarify I do not have bias with regard to AZ extreme climate or altitude for the most part as their are clear pros and cons (again not to be confused with the differences environment can have on FI that I do genuinely recognize). I have been involved in many SEMA vehicle builds in the past and have worked with a substantial amount of aftermarket companies to bring new products to the tuning community. I bring this up because I want it to be known that my access and experience with lots of different parts and companies has refined my perspective of performance add-ons. I am a boost junky by nature no question about it and I have respect for all forms. Each with their pros and cons that compliment different uses in their own unique ways. Road coursing is my favorite playground of all the motorsports out there and it is the place I feel this car belongs when not looking fantastic on the streets. If you are looking for an all out straight line drag car or V8 tq. thrust then you may as well stop reading this now.... You have to approach this kit with a realistic point of view. I will tell you right now this setup is not going to net you superiority on the straights on the track but fast in the straights is only part of the track (More on this later).

First of all thanks a bunch Huehuecoyotl for the ride along for both my girlfriend and I. I am glad we were able to make some minor tweaks to the suspension to get it dialed in to provide a little more corner speed and confidence. Just need to work on the brakes and I think you will really be able to carry some speed through the corners as we talked about. For those who may not have caught that, the car is fast enough to be limited by brakes at this point......

The tires were also brand new (literally 1 day old) so they first needed to be broken in which took no time at all when the track is roasting hot So after a couple laps of breaking in the tires I was able to get a feel for Gem's car and the way it reacts on the track. Mind you I am paying attention to EVERYTHING, not just the power at this point, suspension, brakes, acceleration, cornering power, predictability, steering response, driver input, all of it. This particular track is 2.25 miles in length and is SUPER flat with very little elevation change throughout. It has a great mix of straight sections and nice smooth corners that in my opinion are really good to get a feel for this kit/car. We have a lot of road course tracks here in AZ so we are lucky but this was a good place for reviewing the Vortech. Here is the track for reference:



The first thing you will notice with Vortech is nothing!.......... Whoa wait a minute what does that mean? Your thinking to yourself I read all of this and the Vortech yielded nothing!?.......... Well don't panic this is actually a good thing What you notice is an FRS/BRZ/86 that is faster, what you don't notice is why it is faster unless you pop the hood. Trying to find words to describe the feel of the vehicles new found breath of fresh air (literally) is not an easy task. The best way to explain it is that the little 2.0 liter boxer just became a bigger displacement NA engine. The power is incredibly smooth and the infamous TQ dip gone. The accelerator pedal matches the power, the vehicle is reactive to the foot. It is darn right unnoticeable except for the fact that it doesn't feel like your accelerating into a 50mph wind gust as the little boxer seems to exhibit in the 3k-4k range. It reaches redline faster in all situations around the track. The straights are fast and linear but vehicles with more power will make up some ground here however, Gem's car had no problem keeping up with much faster cars on the straights. I think it should also be noted that with the two of us in his car we were likely pushing the threshold of 400 extra lbs. I weigh a little over 200lbs myself and this can make a big difference for anyone who is use to carrying a passenger on the track. Cars are undoubtedly slower with extra weight. Still, even with this having been said the car still had no problem accelerating with ease.

It's fun! It's refined feeling! It's that little bit of power the platform was missing! Did I mention unnoticeable? It lets you just simply drive the crap out of it while it secretly resuscitates the the boxer to life. It allows you to focus on skill as a driver as the vehicles behavior is so smooth and confident. Is it a neck breaker? Absolutely far from it..... Is it vocal about its existence like a turbo, roots, or screw makes it audibly known its there? Nope! Is it the fastest car on the track??........ Gem I think we can get you there to hold out in front next time with some apex refinement. The car had no problem leading the pack until we gradually became faster and faster and needed to make a couple suspension adjustments to compensate for a bit of understeer mostly in turns 2-3. understeer popped its head up in many of the corners but this was easily resolved. The car powers out of the corners with predictability and ease as it climbs through the gears. No burst of power to encourage the rear to overcome traction which was seen on multiple occasions as more powerful rear-wheel drive vehicles lost it on several corner exits. Could the kit use some more power for more advanced drivers YES but far from necessary. With that said my guess is that Vortech has a couple tricks up their sleeve that will allow users to further increase their powerband which imo can be more beneficial over more power on the track.

Conclusion, minus all the technical bits such as dynos that often muddy the waters for those looking for a kit that is going to just put a smile on their face. I love all that data, I really do but when the day is over all of that is only part of the equation. How does this thing feel on the track and on the street?

I think this kit is a fantastic compliment to the car. I have to be honest, it is hard as hell for me not to go turbo on this car but I also love superchargers. They each have their time and place and the way this kit reacted with this vehicle is damn near exactly what I was looking for. Even though we had a failure on the track don't let this be of too much concern as that is part of the game and more importantly not catastrophic. Vortech appears to be on top of it and there isn't much more you can ask for really. The system still runs hot and I am not afraid to say that I was actually surprised by the hands on temp of the cold side charge pipe after a 20 minute heat (it was really hot). Mind you this was felt after 2 laps around the paddock to cool the brakes down so feeling it right after the session would have been more ideal. We were not data logging at the time so I was unable to see actual IATs which would have given better insight. I have my way of suppressing heat out here in AZ which I highly encouraged Huehuecoyotl to perhaps look into. For those looking to purchase this kit I really truly liked this kit and it blends right into the car both visually and performance wise. I am excited to see this kit grow over time and I would say this is without a doubt a contender.

[Foobar]

Originally Posted by AZFA20

For those looking to purchase this kit I really truly liked this kit and it blends right into the car both visually and performance wise. I am excited to see this kit grow over time and I would say this is without a doubt a contender.

Dammit. As if I needed another reason to buy this kit...

Thanks for the review. Looks like my wallet is about to get lighter again.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

[Huehuecoyotl]

Wow, that was a great review. Thanks for that!

For the record, I am now trying to keep up with well worked STI and well worked M3 type cars, those are still abit faster than me in the straights, I'm passing everything else all over the track.

Its all green lights, happy vendor support, lightning fast turn arounds so far this all falls in line with being a tester, and working with Vortech is fast easy and all I could have ever hoped for.
I cant help but admit I dont have the patience to wait for vendors, I want it fixed, and I want it yesterday. they seem to be the right guys to support my tracking needs with this car

It was keen of AZFA20 to notice how wide smooth and like stock the power band was, thats really what makes the kit worth driving, and give it the edge when driven at the limits, on or off a road course. I feel so confident laying down the power, I can focus on steering, passing and smiling. Ear to ear.

I think with a brake upgrade, I will apex faster with better modulation before approaching apex, and being able to feel confident and brake later. The kit is enough power for me to need to get rid of my OE brakes before adding more power to it from where it sits today.
-gem

[Sonolin]

Cool review, it sounds just like what I want out of my car!

Good point on the more usable power range bit. I never thought about this (still haven't tracked my stock frs), but it would definitely help not having to shift gears so much to keep this in the power band.