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Best bang for your buck supercharger?

32K views 103 replies 36 participants last post by  RichardNHCooper 
#1 ·
Hey all, I'm looking at putting a supercharger on my '05 Elise after I graduate from grad school this Spring. A little graduation gift to myself. But I'm feeling a little confused by the different options out there and not sure which I should be looking at, and was hoping someone might be able to point me in the right direction. I use my car as my daily driver, I'd just like to add a little more punch. So what's the best bang for your buck option out there?
 
#2 · (Edited)
If you are fine with sticking to around 250hp, the Katana kits are rock solid and a few grand cheaper than the BOE kits. If you want the option of more power in the future go with BOE. Both kits are great. You can also sometimes find good deals on the Katana kits in the for sale section. Brand new they are about $4k and another $1500-2k for a shop to install if you don't do it yourself.

I've ran the Katana II kit from Sector 111 for years and have not had any issues. Most don't have any issues and the kits have been around for YEARS. It's a low boost kit that doesn't put a lot of strain on the engine/trans/clutch and is great for a daily driver. However I'll be replacing mine this year with one of BOEs kits because I want more power. BOE kits start around $6800 but gives you an upgrade path where you can start low and add in parts as your power needs increase.
 
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#8 ·
Really? Where have you seen that? That's not something I have seen before in terms of those cost. If so that's definitely not turn key costs which I think the OP is really after. That would be awesome.....and I think you would see a whole lot more Fed Eliges that would have done it.

The majority of cars that I have seen do that swap are the rover engine S1's over in the UK but other S2's pop up as well. I believe there are a few on here in the US that have done the swap with success. One member comes to mind, WhatsaDSM, I think he was kicking out 350-400hp on that setup. A complete Honda swap for the same as a standard S/C kit, where do I sign up? ;) Would love to do that!
 
#4 · (Edited)
It really depends on what you want from the car. The best bang for the buck is probably the Sector 111 Katana kit, which uses the older MP62 supercharger. BOE's kits use TVS blowers, which are more efficient/run cooler. I'd say that BOE also has the tuning advantage. Both are great companies to work with. It also looks like the cost of the BOE kit has dropped to $6350 :)
 
#7 ·
Sounds about right, around 280whp. Unlike the Katana kits, it's intercooled so it gives a little more juice. Much like the old MP62 kits BOE used to sell, the Rev 310.

Yeah that is an old dog of a tune....Charlie X right? Sector's tune is a little long in the tooth as well, their latest being the 265 over the last couple years. Charlie X.....haven't heard that name in years. :)
 
#10 ·
That is awesome man! I don't have the skills/time or know how to tackle such a project like that myself. I can turn a wrench and have installed some turbo kits in the past on previous vehicles but nothing like an engine swap. So I would fall into the bucket of $10k plus to do something like that. Kudos to you, very impressive, especially at those costs!

I'll look for your build thread and read up.
 
#11 ·
I looked at the options and went with a Katana2. At my current level with the goal of having a fun, reliable HPDE car I felt this was a good, budget conscious, tried and true option. The recommendation of various instructors I have had to not upgrade the car past my (track) driving skill also played a role in this decision.

I did the installation myself and for me it was not difficult but I'd call myself an above average home mechanic.

I figure by the time I am ready for more HP then I will have probably blown the motor or close to it and I'll ship my car off to BOE for a full engine build and "the works". Or the 2020 Elise will be here and I'll consider that route.

YMMV.

Sent from my Samsung GS7 using Tapatalk
 
#15 ·
Bang for the buck is subjective (e.g. an NA tune might be cheaper per horse), but here is some supercharger food for thought:
1) Solid used kits show up on these forums some times.
2) I lean towards the BOE rev series in part because it can be upgraded and they seem to make more power than other kits.
3) Bang for the buck starts to go away when the power levels start breaking things.
 
#16 ·
Those are all considerations. Here's my thoughts, YMMV:

1.) I was running the BOE Torque Tune 200NA. It doesn't even come close to the Katana2 performance. Nowhere in the ballpark. I live at altitude so that is a major factor, it might do better at lower altitude but I would really doubt it's anywhere close to the supercharger

2.) REV kits are really nice and BOE is a great outfit. The REV cost is $2000 more and from what I have read to make the upgrade worthwhile with a REV400 you really need to be putting it on a race built engine. The litany of upgrades that follow is a slippery slope that greatly exceeds the cost of the supercharger alone. So even if you bought a REV300 I might think that once you were ready to upgrade that later you'd be in for way more $$ than just the upgrade alone. I'm sure there are many other benefits for the REV type supercharger which I agree is a more modern design than the MP62 but the MP62 seems to work nicely.

3.) Yup. See #2 above. So what that threshold is probably depends on how hard you drive it and where you drive it and how much power you are running thru the driveline. There might be a reason Lotus engineers stopped at 260 crank HP :scratchhead:.

Again these are my opinions, YMMV and I am not trying to convince you that what I did is what everyone should do.
 
#17 ·
I bought a used factory OEM supercharger for my 2005 Lotus Elise from another member here. I know it won't make as much power as the BOE ones - but one thing to keep in mind here is - will the car pass emissions in California or not? Now I don't live in CA - but I wanted a setup that would pass their emissions so when it comes time for me to sell the car to move up to an Exige I still have that market of buyers available. Plus since it doesn't have intercooler it will be cheaper to have it installed too. The guys at BOE are excellent and that is who I'm going to have install mine - and get an ECU tune from them while I'm at it (and a slew of other things I want done too haha). Are you planning on doing this install yourself of having someone else to it? Do you live in California??
 
#18 ·
Thanks all for the responses. I live in Atlanta, fyi.

Since I'm not looking at doing this til the Spring/Summer, I think I'm going to hang around on the parts forum and wait for a Katana or a BOE to pop up there. Unfortunately, I can't really DIY any of these projects since I'm a relative novice, and currently living in a condo parking garage limits my opportunities to do too much DIYing as it is. The local Lotus dealer is happy to do these types of projects, but the labor aint cheap, so I think I'll lean more towards a Katana kit in the meantime.
 
#28 ·
I can't verify the "train wreck" part but I do think a K-swap gives the car a Frankenstein factor for resale. Right or wrong, I assume these cars are most often damaged goods and I question where the surgery has really ended.
 
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#22 ·
I'd argue for avoiding the MP62, there isn't really any headroom there, it's just too small to be efficient for generating boost
My car is way fast with the MP62 and seems to generate plenty of boost. Yes definitely less than a REV but not like the Katana 2 is a pointless upgrade or something.
 
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#23 ·
Midnight,

I think you really should decide what you want the car to be. Just a little better performance around town? Or do you want to smoke that BMW off the line? Since you are in Atlanta, the Lotus club has a monthly Sunday morning mountain drives. It is run by a guy (Mick) with a high HP (BOE) Exige and there is sometimes a stock supercharged Elise. So maybe you can get an idea from riding a little bit with them.

I had been thinking of going supercharged also, thinking that I needed the extra horsepower to get my lap times down. Then I let a Miata racer drive it and he was passing everything on the track (until the straight at least). So I will spend a little more time NA and work on my driving before going to a supercharger.
 
#24 ·
Hi,
I am also in Atlanta metro (Marietta) and last year I got used BWR supercharger (MP62) to put in my 05 Elise. I was planning to do the job myself, but honestly I don't think this will happen anytime soon, so maybe someone else can put it in use. If you want to take a look at it send me a PM.
 
#27 ·
I've heard wonderful things about BOE's support but haven't had to deal with them yet in that area. However I second the comment on S111. I have spent thousands with them over the years and have never had an issue with their support. Heck as an example, one of my intake manifold studs broke last summer and I'm finally getting around to fixing it. I was trying to track down the stud specs/size just the other week on the forums so I could buy a replacement kit. Within a day Sector replied on the forums and mailed me one for free. I know its just some simple studs but that is just cool of them to do so without me even asking for it.
 
#30 ·
@acslater I see your point for sure. The OP should know that the stock Elise supercharger was an MP45 which is smaller than the MP62 used on later Exige (like yours) and in Katana2 kits. Also what's not discussed much is the additional costs to reinforce the driveline to handle crank HP above 275. I read here and elsewhere when I was considering options that this was the max Lotus engineers felt the stock driveline could safely handle. It gets to be a slippery slope that definitely depends on what the OP plans to do with the car and how much he wants to spend on ancillary modifications.

Sent from my Samsung GS7 using Tapatalk
 
#31 ·
Yea, in practice the drivetrain seems to be pretty good almost up to 300whp, but I concede that point - absolutely, more power= more drivetrain wear and higher incidence of breakage. The same argument can be made about the MP62 though, i.e., the REV300 makes a safer 300 crank hp than the MP62, limiting the risk of detonation, etc.
 
#37 ·
I'm starting with a base elise with stock internals and no factory s/c.

Knowing my own personality and knowing that I will always want more power, I decided on the rev400. I could've gone rev300, but I personally believe at those power levels, that a intercooled setup is what I want. The rev400 will give me the room for growth if desired and I can do it slowly over time.
 
#38 ·
great choice... definitely the smartest way to go if you think someday you want to max out your power... just be aware you won't be able (I believe) to run the max amount of HP with a stock motor... I wanna say in the lower 300's RWHP is what Phil (BOE) will recommend until you upgrade to a built motor.... I have that setup and it's INSANE!!! To be honest I can't even imagine what the REV X would be like with another 100+ rwhp.-eek-

As a matter of reference for how quick this setup is today our local exotic car club had a drive today to a local 17 y/o boy with terminal cancer and about 30 exotics and sports cars turned up and lined up in front of his house... He picked about 5 or 6 cars to take a quick ride in and mine was the last he picked.... His face was priceless and his big grin showed he really enjoyed it! The whole time he was like "OMG!!! This is so much quicker than all the other cars he had ridden in!" (He rode in a Ferrari 360 Challenge Stradale, a lamborghini superleggera, 1000 hp Alpha 7 GTR, newer gen Viper (GTS?), Maserati Grand Turismo, etc... Now I'm sure some of the other drivers just didn't push it as much and I know that some of those cars are obviously quicker/faster, but it's kinda funny to see his reaction and saying that my car was the most fun and "killed all the other cars!" :rolleyes:
 
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#40 ·
my 2 cents

After reading the previous posts a lot of good points were brought up. What it really comes down to is what the o.p.'s budget really is. If it stretched at the cost of the BOE supercharger kit and tune alone I would go with the katana II. Adding extra hp to a car, no matter how meager, stresses the drivetrain. If you blow your budget to get 300hp and then blow the transmission without the funds to fix it you are left with a very nice stationary piece of automotive art. I agree, lots of fun to look at but even more fun to drive.
I opted for the katana II for my otherwise stock elise. If you aren't looking to smoke 911 turbos off the line than the hp upgrade that the mp62 provides is a good jump over stock. I too looked at the TVS blower as well and, to be honest, along with the power I also really wanted the supercharger "whine" that is ever present with the mp62 but not as much with the TVS. The installation was easier than I thought it would be and while I have worked on my own cars for years I would not consider myself a skilled mechanic. Taking your time with the install, if space is available, is the way to go. I learned a lot about the car during process as well.
Ultimately it is up to you and what your long term goals for the car are. But, for a daily driver with a drivetrain that you would like to preserve for as long as possible the MP62 will not disappoint.
 
#41 · (Edited)
@Jmoses77 you and I came to the same conclusion. I did my own install too. My car is mostly track and per Shinoo they've never blown one up from the Katana2 at the track. I have no illusions about beating 911 turbos, prepped race cars, etc with my Elise. However since installing I've been to the track and now can keep up with the S2000s, STI's, stock Mustangs/Camaros and stock C5/C6 Corvettes on the straights. I can afford the car but decided I'd rather spend more money on suspension upgrades and tires and other stuff than reinforced driveline and a built motor at my current driving level.

One thing that has not been mentioned is that for the supercharger upgrade you need to do exhaust too. That adds about another $500-1000 to the price tag unless you already have a supercharger compatible muffler on your car.

Sent from my Samsung GS7 using Tapatalk
 
#42 ·
One thing that has not been mentioned is that for the supercharger upgrade you need to do exhaust too. That adds about another $500-1000 to the price tag unless you already have a supercharger compatible muffler on your car.
What are the differences between NA & SC exhausts? Is it a different mount or does it just have to be able to cope with added gas flow? Or...?
 
#45 ·
The main differences are as stated, the packing and flow. The stage 2 exhaust and stage 3 (rare but meant for SC) are essentially the same inlet/outlet size, but the stage 3 was designed around the higher pressure of an SC. I am considering modifying an extra stage 2 I have to have a muffler with metal baffling, or just a straight pipe. Loud? Yes. Worth not having to repack? IMO yes.

Easy to identify:
Stage 1 - two small diameter tips with rounded ends.
Stage 2- slash cut larger tips.
Stage 2- single large oval tip.
 
#48 ·
I went with BOE's Silent Touch which is S/C compatible and is re-packable. The repack kit costs about $30.

I used to have a Larini slash tip muffler before I installed the S/C which sounded awesome but was not recommended for use with an S/C. I wish my Silent Touch sounded like my Larini did, I do miss the sound.
 
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#50 ·
I had the stage 3 and it wasn't all that. It was light at 18 pounds and change. Gave it to qu1z.

Had a Larini for a couple of months. Sold it at a loss and got the Silent Touch. Light and just right for me (California police). I'd prefer the QuarterStick, but I'll wait until I get a header and decide if I need the extra noise.

San
 
#51 ·
As mentioned earlier, I can't think of anything that gives you more bang for the buck than the Vision Function kit. It gets you about 90% of what you'll get with a BOE kit, for about half the price. Plus it leaves the car at a reasonable power level. Anything more, and the costs start climbing fast, as you start having to worry about the drive train.

Mine has been going strong for the last 8 years and 20k miles. The tune is on the rich side, and it won't idle below 1000 rpm, but it drives just fine in stop and go traffic, and always passes its emission test. I always toss around the idea of having BOE clean up the tune, but it already works well enough that I'm not sure if it would be worth the money.

Now, if money is not an issue, the BOE is definitely the way to go. It has nearly a decade of further development than the VF kit.
 
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