http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show...6&page=1&pp=20

Read this if you're interested in an ATI kit. It's like a soap opera, but good reading if you're considering spending some serious $$.

 

Those guys at ATI are known a-holes anyways.

 

Ever dealt with Vortech?

They've all have had their problems. My first blower was a Paxton. TOTAL piece of crap.

Seems to me that ATI is feeling the wrath of trying to enforce existing policies they had previously looked the other way on in order to promote their D/F series head units and build market share. Bad call in the beginning and definitely a bad call now. Random enforcement of policies is a bad move in general.

The C5/Corvette market....who cares. Very small market in comparison to the others out there. Also a market (at least around here) know for their whiny, little-b;tch boy attitiudes that no amount of customer service could ever make happy.

Take it with a grain of salt....

 

While I agree with the general sentiment “people should not be treated that way/things should be better,” the fact is that they are not, and ATI is not the only one. Just about every major aftermarket manufacturer has similar policies that are enforced on some level. In a lot of cases you just can’t buy “parts” without buying the kit.

As far as crappy fit goes, get in line. About the worst I’ve seen is the Kenne Bell 4.6L mustang stuff, which is supposed to all bolt up to the stock air box/intake and the rest just bolts in/on… YEA, RIGHT… main brackets are machined wrong, blower inlets are drilled in a way that you can’t actually mount the TB and nothing clears the fuel rail, the whole thing is about 3” over too far for the air cleaner assembly to work, and no aftermarket cold air will fit there. For that matter, I HAVE NEVER seen KB’s intercooler assembly installed on a car without major changes, they actually have their own aftermarket of intercooler kits that actually fit the KB install. Then just wait till you get to their supplied tuining/chip.

Others, like the Stillen setups for various imports (which use other blowers, like an eaton on the G35/350Z and vortec on the maxima) are significantly better in that they do basically bolt on/splice in (yes, there is cutting involved), mostly like their instructions describe (well, there is the problem that the G35 kit is the 350Z kit and the cooling system on the G35 is basically a mirror image of the Z so that you’re basically stuck reengineering the intercooler plumbing and assorted brackets/mounts), but the drive design is just asinine, they all seem to destroy belts. On the G35 “oh, some of the idlers just end up at the wrong angle, you need to slide half of a shim under the bearing to **** it over a little and it will “fix” it.” And the tensioning procedure just does not work (and you have to remove 47 body panel fasteners to get to the 2 lower tensioners… I made access hatches instead after the first 2 times). That is all a piece of cake compared to some of their centrifugal blower assemblies that never appear to get the belts right, and basically involve removing the whole blower assembly + bracket to change belts sometimes more often then oil changes.

Vortech/Paxton have their own issues, but the cool thing with the merger is that they are redesigning their parts to make the 2 lines modular/interchangeable, so you can use the same brackets and other parts on both lines of blowers.

Some of the whipple stuff is just scary. I’ve seen a couple of installs that people either give up all together or just get hung up for days just trying to get it to look like the picture in the instructions, since the instructions are worthless.

ATI tends to be one of the ones that is the least hassle to deal with and install… I wouldn’t describe them as particularly well engineered, but better then many.

ALL of them seem to have the same attitude towards problems. They ALL assume that if you’re having a problem it’s you, their **** doesn’t stink. “Really, we’ve installed hundreds of those and never seen that.” When you finally convince them that you didn’t F up and then email them a dozen pictures of it they’re like “oh wow, you do have a problem there, huh…” and then they want actual build dates and other BS to try to figure out why your car is different, and If you’re persistent after a couple of WEEKS of hounding them you’ll run across someone that will say something like “yea, most of them don’t fit there, I usually just score it with something and then pull out the biggest hammer I can find and beat the crap out of it till it fits” (no exaggeration, this is the response a certified installer of one of the kits that I listed as one of the better ones got about an install).

From what I’ve seen, the only one that I would actually call good on all of these levels is Magnussen/Magnacharger. I don’t know if it’s because they deal with some OEM stuff or what but their stuff fits, their tech guys have a clue, you can buy just about any bit of their kits separately, no questions asked, they’ll even help you pick out the best thing in their parts bin. Of course, you’ll pay for all this, their kits are not cheap and some of the parts cost about the same as going out and designing and machining them yourself…

 

nice rant Crossfire ...

how well do the miny blowers fit???

 

What, like the 142/144 blowers? I haven’t actually installed one and don’t know that they come as a car specific kit… in other words, you bolt them on in the place of the intake and the rest of the setup is up to you to work out…

 

I tried reading that nonsense, its too long, 17 pages!! I don't really care what those guys say. I don't much care for Vortech, they just disappointed me. I have no opinion of Paxton, only heard good things. However, when my time comes, unless something comes out in the mean time, I am still going with an ATI kit. Its good to read about though anyway, just in case something stupid happens, I won't be as surprised.

 

yes

 

I also own a C5 with an Ati setup the car is a beast mid 10s motor is stock.The tuners made the cars run.Ed Wright and Chris Isser built this one.Isser did alot of fab work to the charger setup,But Andy Green(A&A),and Doug And Chris at ECS developed brackets to get rid of belt issues.The threads on corvette forum show a stage 2 setup that Ati put out it looks like an A&A or ECS.I love my car,but hate dealing with aholes.

 

ATI's Stage II setup looks nothing like A&A's or ECS's setups other than the radiator is layed down. The bracket is completely different.

 

What do you work for them?My charger was installed in early 2003, Ati offered no tech support most of my brackets Chris Isser fab. up.People buy these units because they see cars like mine run 10.5s on stock motors,or cars that ECS/A&A built that have alot of time and money in them.The battle that is going on in Corvette forum is that ATI is pulling a power play with the guys who made there **** run.My car runs well,and I am happy with it. The fact is ATI needs to remember who sold there kits who put them on the cars.C5 guys look at Andy Green(A&A)/Doug at ECS like the Covette GODS of Supercharging If these guys had said use Paxton thats what would be big now or Vortech.Sorry guys this is a fight from another forum and a touchy subject with the forced ind. group.

 

Dude, stop being such a dick!! I'm not defending them or anything. I know their first C5 kits sucked. I'm just saying that you are wrong by saying that ATI copied their brackets. The brackets are completely different.

 

Sorry man I am part owner of Vettetech in Maryland and the guys ATI is bending over are friends of mine.I did not mean to be a dick

 

Yes their Vette market may be small but had ATI done the same thing to the 3rd gen market, you guys would be whining about it too.

Come to think of it, didn't some guys on here have belt problems on the ATI kits because of crappy engineered brackets, etc?

 

Doesnt every supercharger have belt issues? Camaro and mustang kits all seam to have belt throwing issues. One of my buddies p600 kit that he had would throw a belt at 5500 rpm no mater what just like clock work. He even bought the upgraded bracket that ati swore would fix the problem. It didnt he said screw it and now has two turbos instead

 

Ahh yes, turbos will solve all belt issues!