DCT with S/C?

[wildwestm3]

Lots of threads out there on supercharged cars. I've read a lot, but want to hear about those with a DCT that have some miles on them. I'm looking at a lower mileage car with the ESS VT2 575 kit on it and the matching DCT tune. Apparently ESS does a tune to match up the DCT? Anyways, it is a really nice car but I'm concerned about the longevity of the DCT with a s/c'd car. Drove it, loved it, trying to decide if I want to pull the trigger.

Please don't give me a speech about the search tool being my friend. I've done quite a bit of searching, but a lot of the returns I'm getting talk about the engine reliability as opposed to the DCT. Thanks...

[shimmy23]

from what i've read the dct is plenty strong to handle the ess kits. this should be posted in the technical section

[BOOF-M3]

Awhile back I test drove an 08 or 09 DCT ESS 550 and I wasn't impressed. Don't get me wrong it was way faster than my tuned only motor but it felt lacking for what I thought the car should do. It's possible it had bad plugs or needed re-tuning. But I have driven
low/mid 11 second cars before so everything is relative. ESS 575 would certainly be a better choice from what I have read here in the forums. I haven't read any issues mating it to a DCT but I do not have real world experience. Any reason you are not thinking in terms of ESS 625? Sorry I didn't go back and read your OP, maybe you said you have found a car to purchase and it already has the 575, If that's the case then excuse me it's late.

http://esstuning.com/e9x-m3-vt2-625-...harger-system/

[azndrunk74]

absolutely no issues. i'm running an ess 625 with the OEM GTS DCT tune and it's been flawless. even with the s/c, torque isn't outrageous so the transmission can handle it just fine. i haven't encountered any strange DCT issues and i DD my car to and from work.

i would ask if the DCT has been maintained (fluid, filter, gaskets). if not, that should be a priority.

[wildwestm3]

Thanks for the info. The owner was told by the person he bought the car from that ESS did the install, tune and put their supercharger tune in the DCT. I e-mailed ESS the last 7 of the VIN and they only show a NA tune being sold to that VIN. So...now I need to figure out what has actually been done. The install looks clean (nothing hanging, wires, splices, stupid stuff) and there are no lights, so I would think someone had to have tuned the car. Not sure if there is a way to figure out what tune(s) are in the car. Hopefully there is a way and the answer isn't, "we don't know what's in there so for $X we'll just add the proper tunes." The car runs great, shifts well, no lights. However, I don't want to buy Frankenstein (nothing against the current owner, he just doesn't know what's been done).

If an admin wants to move this post to another section, that's fine. Sorry for putting it in the wrong place!

[SYT_Shadow]

There's plenty of history of the DCT and ESS supercharged cars. Looks pretty much like smooth sailing to me!

[wildwestm3]

Yep. Now to dig up more information on the car...

[Evolve Automotive]

We have a bunch of DCT cars running our Evolve kit with no issues. You can look up Lost Marine or WayneM3 both have DCT cars.

[Iyzmi]

Originally Posted by BOOF-M3

Awhile back I test drove an 08 or 09 DCT ESS 550 and I wasn't impressed. Don't get me wrong it was way faster than my tuned only motor but it felt lacking for what I thought the car should do. It's possible it had bad plugs or needed re-tuning. But I have driven
low/mid 11 second cars before so everything is relative. ESS 575 would certainly be a better choice from what I have read here in the forums. I haven't read any issues mating it to a DCT but I do not have real world experience. Any reason you are not thinking in terms of ESS 625? Sorry I didn't go back and read your OP, maybe you said you have found a car to purchase and it already has the 575, If that's the case then excuse me it's late.

http://esstuning.com/e9x-m3-vt2-625-...harger-system/

I had the 550 kit for a year before upgrading to a 625. Honestly, if you weren't impressed by the 550, you probably wouldn't be blown away by the 625 either (no pun intended). It's obviously faster, but the jump from stock to 550 is more substantial than 550 to 625. I've mentioned it before in other threads, but the way this car builds power just doesn't feel "scary fast" to me, though it is objectively very fast. Some people disagree with me so like you said, everything is relative.

I haven't seen anybody mention supercharger related DCT issues so I say go for it. I could never go back to NA after experiencing the added power.

[SYT_Shadow]

A close friend had the 625 for years and then switched to the 650. He said he was surprised at how much he could distinguish both

[Iyzmi]

Originally Posted by SYT_Shadow

A close friend had the 625 for years and then switched to the 650. He said he was surprised at how much he could distinguish both

I remember Longboarder commenting on his upgrade from 625 to 650. He said there was definitely a noticeable difference after 7k RPM where the 650 is just an absolute animal.

[deansbimmer]

DCT handles any SC setup just fine. 650 HP is no problem for the GS7. The only con I could think of would be reduced clutch life if you only ever drive it around in "D" which slips the clutches more.

It's hard to screw up an ESS installation. There are like two wires to splice. The rest is plumbing- it's almost self explanatory.

IMO if you're going to pay for an SC setup, look for the 625 or 650. When considering the significant difference in seat of the pants output, I personally wouldn't pay out money for anything less than the 625. The 575 is a nice boost, but you'll want more.

[Iyzmi]

Originally Posted by deansbimmer

DCT handles any SC setup just fine. 650 HP is no problem for the GS7. The only con I could think of would be reduced clutch life if you only ever drive it around in "D" which slips the clutches more.

It's hard to screw up an ESS installation. There are like two wires to splice. The rest is plumbing- it's almost self explanatory.

IMO if you're going to pay for an SC setup, look for the 625 or 650. When considering the significant difference in seat of the pants output, I personally wouldn't pay out money for anything less than the 625. The 575 is a nice boost, but you'll want more.

I agree that the 625 is the sweet spot. Keep this in mind when considering a 650:

Originally Posted by sales@ESSTuning

We also use a different injector on the 650 than the rest of the lineup. The increase in boost is part of what adds power but the 650 software is very different than the 625 software. VT2-625 is your best all around setup if you want very good power on the stock motor IMO. The VT2-650 is very dependent on fuel quality as it maxes out the stock motor and fuel system. The 650 kit was designed for customers who want to squeeze every last HP out of the stock motor and are ok with pushing limits. It is also meant for customers who understand that you have to use the product as designed due to the added stress it puts on the motor.

[tom @ eas]

DCT is no problem with supercharging. Expect plenty of trouble-free miles down the road with the ESS kit.

[loveskiing]

Originally Posted by tom @ eas

DCT is no problem with supercharging. Expect plenty of trouble-free miles down the road with the ESS kit.

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