The only weight reduction comes from the exhaust (about 65 lbs lighter than stock) and headers (about another 10 lbs).
On the flip side, the supercharger, cooling system, etc probably added at least 30-40 lbs back in.
She also has a shotgun safe in the trunk, so that adds another 3-4 lbs (not including shotgun, of course).
I now know not to mess with this M5 particular. My little M&P40 and 556 rwhp could not compete.
There's also a big difference in how a kit is designed. There's no reason why a 2.4 litre engine shouldn't be able to push 260 hp reliably if the setup is done right. Of course, doing it "right" involves things like new pistons and forged internals and lowered compression ratios and whatnot. And you're going to be pushing somewhere between 14 and 16 PSI to get there. That's a LOT, especially for the stock 9.6:1 or 9.8:1 compression ratio.
If you're just slapping a turbo on and not cracking the block to do a major retrofit on the internals, then yes, you're going to have problems trying to get 260+ hp out of the stock tC engine. If you're willing to open it up and start getting into proper internals, however, you'd be fine. Hell, the 2.3 litre engine in my Volvo manages about 240 hp on 10 PSI stock, but it's also running only an 8.5:1 compression ratio (and, again, there are forged bits on the inside and the cylinder walls are reinforced).
The "official" TRD supercharger kit for the Scion tC ran 6 PSI for 200 hp total. Not much different than the 6.5 PSI that Apex is safely running here. Percentage wise you're getting about the same gain, it's just that 25% of 160 hp is only 40 hp, while 25% of 500 hp is just a bit more than 40 hp.
Turbos get painted as "unreliable" because people seem to think they're magic. Just because you can get 125 hp from a low-pressure turbo on an M5 with perfect safety doesn't mean that you can gain that same amount on a 150 hp econobox. The reason that a 260+ hp tC will be thrashed in 50,000 miles is because you're trying to get more than a 60% power increase. That same level of increase for an M5 would be trying to get a 700 hp M5; of course at that level you're going to have issues.
Bottom line: If you do it right and don't get crazy, you're fine. The problem comes when people try to get too much without the proper supporting modifications.
ZV
So what's the combination-locked shotgun rack for other than, obviously, a shotgun?
Aren't you a tad scared to open your trunk in public? Load groceries or retail bags? Risk of theft?
I conceal carry everywhere I go, but leaving a registered shotgun in your trunk 24/7 carries additional legal risks.
Real world is about 14/19 or so on an M5. If you're going constant speed on the freeway, you can hit mid 20's.
For my wife, we're living in pretty much the worst case senario. We live atop a very long, steep hill, which kills the gas economy. She also takes very short trips, pretty much just up and down. Plus, she has a lead foot... like seriously lead foot.
When we're lucky, she can get maybe 12 mpg. Hammering it, it goes down to about 9. On the track, it'll dip below 6. At Streets of Willow, I think I had to fill up the tank at 70 miles or so.
The supercharger has improved the gas economy a notch or two, real world. I think at very low throttle, it runs slightly leaner.
So the time has come, flying out to Munich in less than 24 hours.
Pictures of the F10 M5 coming soon.
How does the SMG like the extra power? I've heard that those trannys can be finnicky at stock levels and like to eat clutches during city driving. I'd hope it would be okay to handle the extra 150-200hp.
Was the bottom end touched? I know that engine has high compression stock.
Congrats OP, nice set up.
Personally I'm not a big fan of that car (design wise), it remind me of:
:biggrin:
BMW doesn't really leave much room for improvements/upgrades.
Chances are, it's a matter of time before his wallet hates him.
:biggrin:
Serious? The car looks absolutely bad-ass IMHO. Very tastefully done and with an absolute beast under the hood.
Congrats OP, nice set up.
Personally I'm not a big fan of that car (design wise), it remind me of:
:biggrin:
BMW doesn't really leave much room for improvements/upgrades.
Chances are, it's a matter of time before his wallet hates him.
:biggrin:
vdub what's with your BMW trolling? Seriously? You find every opportunity to poke in and spread and bunch of totally false BS... Obnoxious.
Real world M5 MPG, even before modification, is much lower than that quoted by BMW, but if you're shopping for one this isn't on your list of problems.