Audi R8 V10 SuperCharged – Supercar Territory
We often get asked, “what can you do to add more power to my car?” In many cases, if the engine is naturally aspirated (read – not turbo charged or super-charged), then not much. The car manufacturers have done an amazing job in all the normal tuning areas to extract as much reliable power as possible. But, if the engine is turbo-charged or super-charged, then we have all sorts of options. Cars like the new BMW M3 / M4, or the Porsche turbo based engines, even the MINI Cooper, offer all sorts of options. But, what if the engine is not turbo-charged or super-charged from the factory? In some cases, there are still options….that is, to add a turbo or super-charging system.
That was the opportunity presented when one of our customers had a new Audi R8 V10 Plus…and he wanted more power. What a perfect combination…the new Audi R8, the proven V10 engine, and Audi’s 4-wheel drive to put the power down. This was the market opportunity that VF Engineering saw, and they have been developing a Super-charger solution for the Audi….now in its third generation form. On paper, the numbers generated from the VF Engineering kit looked too good to be true….we would hope for about a 20% increase…but w the VF Engr kit, we could see over a 33% increase, and enough horsepower to put the car into “supercar” territory. Is this just marketing hype, or was this real. From all our prior experiences w VF Engr, we knew they didn’t stretch the truth, and if they say it will produce over 800HP…..read that right, OVER 800HP, then we knew we were in for something special.
Here is the canvas that we started with…the normal Audi R8 V10 Plus engine bay (w the nice Carbon Fiber interior pieces already installed) –
VF Engr has done such a thorough job, that they have thought thru all the elements needed to produce reliable, trusted power. No piece is left alone. But, the good news is that the power can be produced, run, used, without having to also upgrade the bottom end of the engine.
– Intake
– Supercharger
– Integrated intercooler
– Intake manifold
– Fuel injectors
– Fuel injector rail
– Air filters
– Oil cooler
– Auxillary water cooling system
– Additional radiator
– Software tune
– Pulley system, belts, tensioner, mount
The good news is how complete and well designed the kit is. The bad news is that this is no simple install…it takes a lot of time and effort to implement all the pieces and changes. Let’s take a look at the pieces….here is all of it:
Now let’s break it down into the main pieces:
The main performance gain comes from turning the engine from a “naturally aspirated” engine, into a “forced induction” type of engine. That is accomplished with the addition of a Super-charger kit…there is room in the engine bay for the kit, but the intake base plate needs to change to accommodate the new “twin screw” type Super-charger system.
Here is a close up look at the combined unit of the Super-charger and the intercooler (sitting right below the main twin-screw Super-charger)
The inside of the Super-charger, where you can see the “twin screw” type or version of the Super-charger unit used in the VF Engr kit:
To further enhance performance, VF Engr integrated an intercooler into the intake manifold…just beneath the main Super-charger. In many SC after market kits…the intercooler is located outside of the intake….realize that each bend in air flow detracts from the benefit of the “compressed” air. By incorporating the intercooler into the intake, there is a straight path for the air flow, and no loss of power. The intercooler is a fluid to air type intercooler or heat exchanger. The lower we can keep the compressed air, the denser the intake, and therefore, the more fuel we need to add to the incoming intake charge, which is where the power comes from…more air, more fuel, more power.
Integrated Intercooler or heat exchanger:
To get this complete Super-charger, intercooler, and the fuel injectors to fit and optimize the flow, a new intake base plate is part of the kit. In addition to just being an adaptor, each of the pieces has been optimized, port size, fuel injector location, and intake port length:
To feed the increased, compressed intake flow, new fuel injector rails (to increase the amount of fuel that can flow to the fuel injectors), and the injectors need to be upgraded.
With the production of more power…comes the one piece that also needs to be dealt with….HEAT. The VF Engr kit deals with all elements of this….the intercooler liquid to air system (which needs it’s own fluid, resv, radiator, and pump), and an additional oil cooler.
Due to the change in intake system, and the routing of the air from the stock intake / air filter system, to the new intake / Super-charger manifold, VF Engr designed the perfect intake manifold to feed the Super-charger…notice the clean lines, lack of bends, and ported internals. Optimized air flow.
To further “mate” this system to the car, BRracing custom painted the interior elements of the VF Engr logo to match the body color of the car, making the system look like a true OEM solution
The Audi R8 V10 Plus is a tightly integrated solution, and finding room for all the additional pieces was no small feat. Here is one of the additional radiators being installed, in front of the left side core radiator. This sits right behind the main side intake duct, so airflow to the system is optimized, and some trimming of the intake air duct is required, along w some new brackets and fitment elements for the existing radiators, along with the new plumbing. (Note – the pic below is during the test fitment of the new, dual layer radiator system).
Here is the completed, dual radiator install and new plumbing:
To provide the cooling for the intercooler…you need the radiator, new plumbing, an auxillary water pump, and a cooling system expansion tank. BRracing further enhanced the VF Engr kit in the location, routing, hose sizing, and serviceability of the system as part of the install.
The end result is a complete kit…not missing any element, providing robust amounts of HP and torque, and looking to the world like this is the way it should have come from the factory (BRracing powder coated the interior engine bay brace to match the body color to further enhance the integrated and OEM look).
The result is nothing short of STUNNING…AMAZING amounts of power. Linear, pulls like you wouldn’t believe, pushes you back into the seat, and you best hang on….and watch the speedo, as we hit unimageable speeds faster than you can blink.
If you are going to add this much power…..and thank goodness for the 4-wheel drive to put this power down…you need big rubber.
Paul decided to upgrade his wheels and tires as well…going w the HRE RS205M forged wheels, shod w Michelin tires.
WOW…never have we been so amazed at the results. You hope for more…but you don’t imagine that you get WOW! If you see this car….or you see a red BLUR pass you by….now you know why.
BRracing – building cars others just dream about
