Hum, it seems i have the same problem, was wondering if it wasnt the pump itself making this noise.
Going to swap the pump soon, i'll know for sure then.
Hey guys, since this isn't a vendor thread, and we have some knowledge of the product directly from two people testing it. We can speak on it, and hopefully, dispell some of the questions/comparisons to the shotgun.
First off we think this is a great idea, and if well executed 100% has its place in the market. It is a simple device and does exactly what the Shotgun does. Takes a positive displacement pump, and spins it faster thus increasing its pumping capacity.
A few facts that people should know up front based on the information given to us directly from people who have this product. We can say with 110% certainty this does not spin the HPFP as fast as the shotgun on the belt does. Meaning this has less flow potential, again it's a simple matter. Spin a positive displacement pump faster, increase its output, spin it slower decrease its output. Since this spins slower than the shotgun it simply will not flow as much. We rate the Single Barrel at right around 550WHP on 100% E85 (much higher for lower blends), since this option does not flow as much who knows what it will support, but in the 500WHP (100% E85) area would be our guess, depending on the price that may or may not be worth it to some people.
Another thing to consider if 500WHP is not enough for you, there is no way to add another pump in like we do with the double barrel. You put the overdrive on the HPFP, and you get what you get if you want more DI only you are out of luck.
Something else that should be in peoples minds, this uses a planetary gear set up, while that is a well known, and common way to build an overdrive, the gears are expensive if made properly, and if too much RPM is pushed through the gear set you can real-time failures. In the shotgun they only thing you have that is RPM dependant is the bearings which are rated at over 16,000RPM, much higher than they will ever see. Will the gears be able to withstand the RPM, that remains to be seen, but its something to keep a watch on.
I see some people saying they want this because they are not getting enough fuel from a shotgun, this will NOT fix that, I also see someone who placed an order for a DB, saying he may cancel depending on the results here. If you need a DB, we assume you are looking for more than 500WHP on E85, if so this product is going to fall well short of that goal.
In the end this is a great product for people such as E6X platform, XI, and Active steering as the shotgun does not fit, but for people looking to push DI only, its reduced flow capacity due to less RPM, and its inability to be upgraded to a DB style upgrade will hinder those looking for 650+WHP DI only.
Just wanted to step in a vendor, and clear up the questions that seem to be asked before too much misinformation gets thrown around.
As always direct questions, email me [email protected]
Chris
All speculation and just because you haven’t seen the alleged issue on the ones you’ve sold, doesn’t mean anything about the total population of kits sold.Now who is spreading misinformation
What shotgun failures, maybe in the past when they were welded and that was addressed with the billet drive since then I haven't seen any problems on all the ones I've installed.
The problem is not the overdrive but the pump itself being over driven that much.
VTT coped a lot of flack for even overdriving it 1.5x or 2x but overdriving it 4x the normal speed ?
With the pumps now costing in the 4 digit vicinity I'm not sure I would be comfortable spinning the hpfp that fast but hell if they survive those speeds I know the shotgun won't be an issue after all and that myth can be put to bed.
There is also the issue of the restricted inlet in the pump, you can spin it as fast as you like but the inlet flow can't keep up to the output and that's another issue
There are more issues with the pump itself than the over drive kit, you could easily change the pulley on the shot gun and drive it faster but I wonder if they know something already about it and that's why it was limited. Hmm
VTT coped a lot of flack for even overdriving it 1.5x or 2x but overdriving it 4x the normal speed ?
Out of the hundreds of kits sold by VTT, a hand full possibly came back as bad
Try carrying out repairs on your BMW and see if BMW parts will cover your warranty if not installed by a qualified mechanic.
So I took a closer look at the oem gear drive.
The oem configuration is a 61.1% underdrive for the vacuum pump and hpfp off the crank. I measured the gears with image analysis software passing the ruler through center of each gear perfectly horizontal for a true diameter comparison accounting for camera angle etc.
So if we do the math, single shotgun kit returns pump to oem crankshaft speed then overdrives it 168.8%. This result is from the pulley measurements I obtained, 130mm crank pulley divided by 77mm shotgun pulley.
Divide 1.688 / 0.611 for 2.760 which means single shotgun effective overdrive ratio is 2.76 : 1
Helix at 4.x : 1 is still faster. the 61.1% underdrive part doesn't apply to Helix calculations as it's driven off the oem sprocket not the crank.
At the end of the day I would rather have the pump on the belt that the chain whilst overdriven, if something was to go wrong with it and it locked up due to failure could you imagine the damage that would cause. Lets hope the kit is fully tested and has some serious miles on it before they release it.
Did VTT share their failure data with you on this product as well as the total units shipped etc? It sounds like you are just assuming/speculating.
I know you and VTT are tight and you have a very close business relationship together so I understand you wanting to defend your business partner as it is in your best interest and it puts $$$ in your pocket. If you've followed VTT on this platform you know Tony has been known from day one to not release the product perfect the 1st time in almost every case see: stage 3 turbos, original stage 2s, the GC 1 Zage debacle, Gen 2 cast with the new issue with the wheels destroying themselves and having to change the specific metal they are using, the fake HPFP fix which was just drilling out the rail and removing the filter, this bracket having to be redesigned more than once, etc.
IIRC they now offer a billet mount SPECIFICALLY because there were too many problems with the welded version. You know the billet mount costs significantly more, they did not go to this to save costs but to increase reliability which they had to because of the failures. They fixed the problem which is great! But obvious not enough R&D or testing was done before the product was released. I think eventually VTT fixes most of their products or at least try to as they don't want failed products and an even worse rep than they currently have. But being a gen 1 adopter is a big risk with VTT and this is yet again another perfect example.
At least they still aren't refusing to give refunds for group buys when the product is 6 months late
Uhh...BMW covers the warranty on the part if I install it in my driveway according to their website: https://www.bmw.ca/en/topics/owners/parts_service_warranty/original-bmw-parts.html
"Original BMW Part purchased from a BMW Retailer comes with a 2 year, unlimited mileage, warranty that provides coverage against defects in materials and workmanship. For parts installed by a BMW Retailer, the limited warranty shall cover any labor, including diagnosis. Parts installed by third parties, are still entitled to receive the limited warranty coverage, excluding labor and diagnosis. "
I am the 3rd party working in my garage I get the 2 year warranty.
I can buy OEM BMW parts with a lifetime warranty from FCPeuro 1 state away. LIFETIME when installed by a shade tree mechanic: https://www.fcpeuro.com/page/lifetime-guarantee I only buy from FCP as a lifetime warranty is the shit. I can return my oil and filter and get a full refund. Free oil changes for life.
With the amount BMW charges for parts I bet they don't give a flying fuck because their margin is so damn high. Example: My NOX sensor costs $650 from bmw, it is the same as a continental NOX for $120. They make bank on parts.
At the end of the day I would rather have the pump on the belt that the chain whilst overdriven, if something was to go wrong with it and it locked up due to failure could you imagine the damage that would cause. Lets hope the kit is fully tested and has some serious miles on it before they release it.
I propose an easy way to test this concern... throw helix on an N54, throw car on dyno, set limiter to 8,000 and sit there till something blows up.