Supercharging the Audi R8 V10 results in totally unhinged performance.
It is said that Japanese pearl divers can hold their breathe for two full minutes. In that case I had it comparatively easy as I only had to stop breathing for about eight seconds while the supercharged MTM R8 under me rocketed from zero to 200km/h (124mph).
Only the Bugatti Veyron and Porsche 918 Spyder have pinned me back in my seat so resolutely during acceleration testing. Like the R8, these cars had 4WD to maximise their traction off the line, and both effortlessly broke the 3.0 sec benchmark to 100km/h.
Launching the supercharged MTM R8 involves pushing the ‘Race’ mode button on the steering wheel and depressing the throttle and the brake pedals. Releasing the brakes results in an onslaught of power and torque at all four wheels, provoking a momentary wiggle at the back before the tyres hook up and the car flings itself down the road.
Drama is the operative word here. Even as you are pinned back in the figure hugging race seat by sheer g-force, gripping the steering wheel in this white knuckle ride, the big rev counter lights up like a pinball machine, its face flashing red as the needle flies round the dial towards the 8,500rpm red line in each gear.
In Race mode the driver does not have to do anything other than hang on since upshifting to the next of the seven forward ratios happens automatically when the computer judges the balance of power, torque, revs and grip to be just right.
After a few runs we returned to base and downloaded the data from the VBox. The numbers were telling. In standard form, the 5,204cc V10 Plus makes 610hp at 7,800rpm, with 560Nm at 6,500rpm, and a rev limit of 8,700rpm. It is the fastest accelerating production Audi ever with 0-100km/h coming up in 3.2 sec, and 200km/h in 9.9 seconds on its way to a 330km/h top speed.
The supercharger installation takes the output up to 802hp at 8,650rpm and 710Nm of torque at 5,100rpm. The ECU remapping encompasses the fuel, spark and camshaft timing curves. With two people on board and half a tank of fuel, the MTM R8 rocketed to 100km/h in 3.06 seconds, 160km/h in 5.76 seconds and 200km/h in 8.43 seconds. Top speed is just 8km/h up at 338km/h due to the overall gearing.
We know from past experience that having a passenger in the car adds about 0.2 to 0.3 seconds to the 0-100km/h time of a car, so the supercharged MTM R8 will gobble up the tarmac even faster when you are alone. There is no doubt that the supercharged R8 with its extra 200hp would benefit from a set of stickier Cup tyres as even with 4WD, traction is at a premium when the motor is giving its all in the first three gears.
MTM sources its Audi/Lamborghini V10 supercharger conversion from VF Engineering in California, which will be celebrating their 20th Anniversary this year. The kit is based around an Eaton/Magnusson TVS2300 roots supercharger with an integrated air/water intercooler. The boost is set at a relatively modest 7.1psi, enabling the suitably remapped engine to run on US 91 Octane fuel.
In Germany, where 100 Octane fuel is available at most fuel stations, the ignition can be run with more advance at low revs, which benefits throttle response.
“All the components are of the highest quality and bolt straight on to the R8 V10 engine,” says MTM boss, Roland Mayer,” who worked in Audi’s R&D department before starting MTM 27 years ago in 1990. “All we really had to do was adapt the software for European grade fuel and EU emissions cycle, which allowed us to gain full German TUV certification for this conversion, which takes a week to fit and test to make sure everything is perfect.”
“Another plus point is that as all the components are external to the engine, everything is easily reversible so you can remove the installation when you sell the car,” he added.
“The Audi 5.2 litre V10 used in the new R8 and the Lamborghini Huracán is very robust and we have not encountered any issues with it at all,” says VF Engineering boss, Nik Saran. “In comparison, the old Lamborghini 5.0 litre V10 in the Gallardo has a reputation for being much less reliable. In comparison, the new dual injected motor and its dual clutch gearbox are a match made in heaven in stock form, and even more so when enhanced by the supercharger conversion.”
“We used CAD to design the new intake manifold that mates the supercharger to the cylinder-heads, and once we were happy with the fit of the parts made by the rapid prototyping machine we cast the production components in high grade aluminium.”
“One of the reasons I moved from London to California was the wealth of high tech industries here that allow me to make the best quality parts possible,” Nik continued. “There are many aerospace grade resources here, which means that I can source world class materials and skills, allowing me to concentrate on the design of my components without having to worry about quality issues.”
Where MTM normally pair the factory R8 Magnetic Ride dampers with a set of their lowering springs, this car had just been fitted with a set of race-style fully-adjustable KW coil-overs with outboard reservoirs for a track test at super smooth Hockenheim by a German car magazine.
The ride on these is decidedly firm, but not actually punishing in a way that driving a racecar on the road would be. However, having driven an MTM modified R8 before I can attest to the fact that their lowering spring set with the stock dampers is a nice combination for the press on road driver.
Spring compliance is always good for traction away from rest in a mid-engine car, which does not have the 911 Turbo’s advantage of a heavy engine over the rear wheels when accelerating from rest. However, the stiffer track set up of the race style KW suspension seemed to encourage a bit of side slip at the rear wheels in the first metre during a race start.
Irrespective of the suspension set up, the 9.0J and 11.0Jx20-inch MTM Bimoto forged wheels shod with 245/30ZR20 and 305/30ZR20 Michelin Pilot Sport 4S rubber look a million dollars on this car and fill the arches out perfectly.
Every mid-engine supercar needs a rear wing to look finished, and the R8 is no exception. MTM’s carbon-fibre aerodynamic package provides exactly this along with a front splitter, dive planes, and side skirts that match the big factory rear diffuser. These produce positive downforce at speed, and stability was unimpeachable at around 300km/h on the local autobahn.
Apart from its sheer speed, the most remarkable thing about the performance of the MTM R8 is how closely it mirrors the driving characteristics of the standard factory car. The blown motor revs just as smoothly through the gears, showing no signs of mechanical drag from the belt-driven supercharger.
Only a slight whine in the background tells you that a blower is present. This manifests itself as a rather evocative layer of performance ear candy overlaying the charismatic low-end warble and high rev scream that the V10 powered R8 shares with its Lamborghini cousin from across the Alps.
The counterpoint is total tractability and docile low speed behaviour, and if you do not dig into the throttle travel and just drive normally around town you would never know that the car was anything other than stock. That also means that in normal driving the fuel consumption is unaffected by the conversion. Only when you drop the hammer will the motor gobble down an extra 10% of super unleaded, which it needs to match the extra charge air being shovelled into its intake.
This is simply one of the best aftermarket engine conversions we have come across. Maintaining the stock driving characteristics while moving power and torque upwards is every tuner’s dream, and VFE / MTM have achieved exactly this with no apparent downside apart from the hefty price of 61,464 euro in Germany with TUV certification, which would buy you a new Porsche 718 Boxster plus a few options!
However, the experience of owning and driving the supercharged MTM R8 V10 Plus transcends the vulgar concept of money. And as Roland, and VF Engineering have both proved, would be customers for whom coin of the realm is not an issue tend to sign on the dotted line once they have experienced the visceral tug on their heart strings and g-force meter that its rabid acceleration brings.
What comes next is always an open question for Roland Mayer whose engineering brain is always exploring the boundaries of the possible. This time he came up with a snappy answer to match the schoolboy grin he always displays when he is about to share an exciting idea.
“I want to supercharge an R8 GT4 racecar, which weighs 200kg less than the R8 road car,” he said. “But I will put back the 4WD quattro system to make the most of the power and torque.” Now that sounds just like the next MTM car I want to drive!
Original article posted by 9tro. September 27, 2017.
