Supercharging in 2018-19; best option?
06-26-2019, 10:36 PM
#81
At risk of having to post an ironic negative update, I just have to say this. As with most reviews or feedback, negative reviews are more common, as people don't give feedback when something is working as expected. I'm fairly certain that the KW kit is probably the most popular kit, and having one "official" certified installer in one corner of the country has led most owners to self-install or pay a shop with little or no experience.
I saw a post on the Facebook Kraftwerks group of a failed idler pulley stud breaking, and the photo showed a poorly installed stud and nut. I've also seen two cars with loose/wobbling upper bracket pulleys, which is also a sign of an improperly installed kit.
I think a majority of the reliability issues stem from two causes:
1) Rushed or poor installation
2) Lack of documentation in the instructions. This is kind of ridiculous, as the AP1, AP2v1, and AP2v2 instructions lack steps that the other manuals include (and are not specific to that year/generation).
The only issue I've encountered is being on the safe side with belt tension (and the lack of a proper tension level in the manuals is not ideal), which has required me to tighten the belt three times after 75 miles. The belt stretches, and requires attention the first few drives as it heatcycles.
Other than the belt tension, I have to give the kit a very good rating. i give KW a negative rating because they avoid helping the customer. I paid for the upgraded 38-92 blower, and their stock intake elbow doesn't fit it. When I submitted a ticket to ask if they have an elbow that fits the 3.5" inlet diameter, they closed my ticket after two weeks and claimed it was resolved... Without ever responding.
I saw a post on the Facebook Kraftwerks group of a failed idler pulley stud breaking, and the photo showed a poorly installed stud and nut. I've also seen two cars with loose/wobbling upper bracket pulleys, which is also a sign of an improperly installed kit.
I think a majority of the reliability issues stem from two causes:
1) Rushed or poor installation
2) Lack of documentation in the instructions. This is kind of ridiculous, as the AP1, AP2v1, and AP2v2 instructions lack steps that the other manuals include (and are not specific to that year/generation).
The only issue I've encountered is being on the safe side with belt tension (and the lack of a proper tension level in the manuals is not ideal), which has required me to tighten the belt three times after 75 miles. The belt stretches, and requires attention the first few drives as it heatcycles.
Other than the belt tension, I have to give the kit a very good rating. i give KW a negative rating because they avoid helping the customer. I paid for the upgraded 38-92 blower, and their stock intake elbow doesn't fit it. When I submitted a ticket to ask if they have an elbow that fits the 3.5" inlet diameter, they closed my ticket after two weeks and claimed it was resolved... Without ever responding.
06-27-2019, 08:49 AM
#82
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^^ I agree I also don't like the coffee grinder sounder of the SOS and the lower whp compared to what I have seen on the KW; and lets be honest the the KW kit look super bad ass.
LTH are months out of KW install they really got the corner of the market but they are accross the USA for me. I did look into shipping back and forth I'm not a big enough baller for that.
Would love to hear from more KW users and SOS users on the topic tho.
LTH are months out of KW install they really got the corner of the market but they are accross the USA for me. I did look into shipping back and forth I'm not a big enough baller for that.
Would love to hear from more KW users and SOS users on the topic tho.
So I was down to getting the new KW kit, having LHT do the work, or going with the SOS kit. LHT/KW was a no go because their earliest available install dates were about 7 -8 months out. I have no doubt they would have done a good job, I just couldn't wait around that long.
I ended up pulled the trigger on the SOS stage 2 kit. My local mechanic did the install, which was only complicated by the fact that removing one kit and installing another adds some complexity versus just installing a kit from scratch. After the mechanic did the install, I took it to a local tuner. Final numbers were 397hp / 250tq: .
Very happy with my choice, and I'd recommend without reservation.
06-27-2019, 10:39 AM
#83
I posted in this thread earlier as I was trying to decide whether to go with KW or SOS. I had an "old" KW kit that bit the dust after the second failure of the c30-94 headunit. I purchased the car with the kit already installed by one of the premier s2000 mechanics in my area, so install wasn't the issue.
So I was down to getting the new KW kit, having LHT do the work, or going with the SOS kit. LHT/KW was a no go because their earliest available install dates were about 7 -8 months out. I have no doubt they would have done a good job, I just couldn't wait around that long.
I ended up pulled the trigger on the SOS stage 2 kit. My local mechanic did the install, which was only complicated by the fact that removing one kit and installing another adds some complexity versus just installing a kit from scratch. After the mechanic did the install, I took it to a local tuner. Final numbers were 397hp / 250tq: https://www.instagram.com/p/Byiw1cVnTou/.
Very happy with my choice, and I'd recommend without reservation.
So I was down to getting the new KW kit, having LHT do the work, or going with the SOS kit. LHT/KW was a no go because their earliest available install dates were about 7 -8 months out. I have no doubt they would have done a good job, I just couldn't wait around that long.
I ended up pulled the trigger on the SOS stage 2 kit. My local mechanic did the install, which was only complicated by the fact that removing one kit and installing another adds some complexity versus just installing a kit from scratch. After the mechanic did the install, I took it to a local tuner. Final numbers were 397hp / 250tq: https://www.instagram.com/p/Byiw1cVnTou/.
Very happy with my choice, and I'd recommend without reservation.
08-10-2019, 09:08 PM
#84
DIY KW owner
DIY KW owner here. I've had my kit installed since 2016 and put about 10K miles and other than a broken belt, mine has been rock solid. I would say that whenever you mod your car, whatever it may be, you're going to have to deal with the consequences of those mods. If your S2000 is your only car then I would go with the SOS kit as their owners have reported far fewer problems but you still have to be aware of all the potential problems you may run into when you heavily modify your car. As an aside, I installed an engine torque damper on my car before I installed my kit and I've noticed how much the engine shakes when it's not on. It's a purely anecdotal observation but it seems to reduce stress on the mounting bolts of the KW kit when you have this supporting mod.
At risk of having to post an ironic negative update, I just have to say this. As with most reviews or feedback, negative reviews are more common, as people don't give feedback when something is working as expected. I'm fairly certain that the KW kit is probably the most popular kit, and having one "official" certified installer in one corner of the country has led most owners to self-install or pay a shop with little or no experience.
I saw a post on the Facebook Kraftwerks group of a failed idler pulley stud breaking, and the photo showed a poorly installed stud and nut. I've also seen two cars with loose/wobbling upper bracket pulleys, which is also a sign of an improperly installed kit.
I think a majority of the reliability issues stem from two causes:
1) Rushed or poor installation
2) Lack of documentation in the instructions. This is kind of ridiculous, as the AP1, AP2v1, and AP2v2 instructions lack steps that the other manuals include (and are not specific to that year/generation).
The only issue I've encountered is being on the safe side with belt tension (and the lack of a proper tension level in the manuals is not ideal), which has required me to tighten the belt three times after 75 miles. The belt stretches, and requires attention the first few drives as it heatcycles.
Other than the belt tension, I have to give the kit a very good rating. i give KW a negative rating because they avoid helping the customer. I paid for the upgraded 38-92 blower, and their stock intake elbow doesn't fit it. When I submitted a ticket to ask if they have an elbow that fits the 3.5" inlet diameter, they closed my ticket after two weeks and claimed it was resolved... Without ever responding.
I saw a post on the Facebook Kraftwerks group of a failed idler pulley stud breaking, and the photo showed a poorly installed stud and nut. I've also seen two cars with loose/wobbling upper bracket pulleys, which is also a sign of an improperly installed kit.
I think a majority of the reliability issues stem from two causes:
1) Rushed or poor installation
2) Lack of documentation in the instructions. This is kind of ridiculous, as the AP1, AP2v1, and AP2v2 instructions lack steps that the other manuals include (and are not specific to that year/generation).
The only issue I've encountered is being on the safe side with belt tension (and the lack of a proper tension level in the manuals is not ideal), which has required me to tighten the belt three times after 75 miles. The belt stretches, and requires attention the first few drives as it heatcycles.
Other than the belt tension, I have to give the kit a very good rating. i give KW a negative rating because they avoid helping the customer. I paid for the upgraded 38-92 blower, and their stock intake elbow doesn't fit it. When I submitted a ticket to ask if they have an elbow that fits the 3.5" inlet diameter, they closed my ticket after two weeks and claimed it was resolved... Without ever responding.
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