Ed Taylor

My plans are to be there. Should be an "empowering" experience.

GoRideSno

Gier,
No you are correct. They would be similar and hopefully less. I am hoping to keep the 16V stuff even cheaper as I don't think I'll have to have any aluminum casting patterns made for them. And if I do I think I can make my own (simple) patterns now. So maybe even a few hundred on the low end stuff to close to $1000 less on the high end stuff.

By talking about my "business" plans openly like I put my self at risk of getting attacked by my "competitors". If my time gets wasted defending my current products you can expect that the 16V stuff will take much longer.

Andy K

goliver

Wish I could come. Have fun.

Regards,

bcdavis

We all know the market, and we know your competitors.

Quick Carl and John have been out there pushing their supercharger and turbo kits for a while now,
with few, if any, takers. I think this is due to the cost, not because the 16v people are unwilling to
bolt on some extra power. If the price is right, people will jump on it...

It would not matter if it was a turbo kit, or centrifugal.
The issue is the pricing.

I think it is most likely that most 16v owners will want to start with a basic
kit, and since they will want more boost, they will want to add an intercooler later,
and turn up the boost, add fuel mods, etc... But if the price is right for a
system that uses stock injectors, no intercooler, etc, people will buy them...

AO

Does anyone know how much a "left nut" goes for these days?

Jim_H

Don't waste time defending it. Customer satisfaction speaks louder than any verbal back and forths you guys have been in.

Customer satisfaction + healthy dyno graph = BLISS

Jim_H

There was on being auctioned off on e-bay, don't know what he got for it.

bcdavis

Did John ever sell Goldmember?

GoRideSno

For the record, John.. has always supported me and me him.

Jim,
You have to consider that my projects are like children to me. They were born through passion for them and only continue to live by that means. Sales are great and I have to sell to keep this fun going. However I refuse to let my kids bet beat up even if it costs me. And it has, I had to give one very improtant customer's money back after one big fight on here (still giving it back). This customer actually has another SC on his car and was considering taking it off to replace it with my system.


Andy K

Jim_H

Andy,

Sorry to hear that.

I am the last one to be judgmental about getting suckered in to discussions that go nowhere, Stop by OT sometime

GoRideSno

Oh well, what do you expect from people that think they need a 500+hp car
Andy K

bd0nalds0n

The speed game has many parallels to recreational drug use...at least what I've read, of course.

You have some curiousity.
You get a little sample. Mmm. A tasty secret thrill.
You spend a little money, for some minor but rewarding results to call your own.
You spend a little more money, more reward.
You spend a lot more money.

Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

Not long before the only constraint on progress is budget related--and it now costs a lot more money for that incremental, novel thrill. Which by now has expanded far, far through the amount you previously considered to be a "rational ceiling".

Then there are the black operations--funded by whatever amount you can skim off to the side that doesn't affect the house, the spouse, the kids......too badly. Especially if the tree falls in the woods and nobody else is there to hear it.

From a business perspective, I like the idea of an "entry level" 16v setup, even if it must be at a loss. The add-ons can then be sold with a reasonable margin embedded as to recoup the loss. Once people get a taste, I think repeat upgrading customers can pretty much be relied upon to materialize. How many of us have, as Jim has noted, started with $10k cars that we're into for $40k, that are worth $15k?

This theory assumes that my story resonates at all with what you other folks have gone through.

All this presupposes that the 16v guys have a big enough budget to have their cars run properly in the first place, which I'm somewhat unsure about, since probably the biggest bang for the buck if you had such a budget would be to have a 32v car instead of 16v to begin with. But I can't be entirely objective in this regard, as I've never owned a 16v and chose the 32v for the reason I outline above. Perhaps the 16v guys own 16v cars because they have their own merits. But the buying guides always say to buy the newest, cleanest example you can afford, since the models mostly kept getting better and better.

May the force(d induction) be with you.

bcdavis

I got my 16v over a 32v for one reason only.

Non-Interference.

Regardless if the euros may indeed be interference, I did not know that at the time of purchase, and I simply did not want to have to deal with a broken engine, because of some stupid belt failing. I figured a 300HP euro would be pretty close in power to a 316hp s4, with a few upgrades... So with headers, exhaust, some tuning, etc, I have something pretty close to an s4 in terms of power, without the added complexity and risk of catastrophic failure. I knew these cars were expensive to maintain, but I really did not want to have to dump many thousands into an engine rebuild if my TB ever failed.

bcdavis

And yes, I know that you and John both respect each other's efforts.

My point was simply that his "passion" had a lot higher price tag,
and so people were not beating down his door for OB turbo kits.

GoRideSno

Brian,
I like your analogy. In my case though it was even worse. I didn't even just have to become a dealer but had to invent a whole new drug all together.

Here is a pic of the complete Jag/Eaton M112 Stage1 kit with optional gloss black powdercoat and the quick change pulley adapter. This one is headed to Australia to find a new home in the V of an 928SE and will feed on Shell Optimax 98 octane (same as 94 in us).


Andy K