Global Motoring Group's KRATOS Turbos Master Thread

[Sales@KRATOS]

Brand:

Greek God, KRATOS, is the personification of Strength and Power in Greek mythology. This ethos has defined the direction of the KRATOS brand.

KRATOS came into conception through a group of engineers with 25+ years of private label design and manufacturing turbo systems for various house-hold name performance brands. These engineers saw a untouched segment in the high end European market for True OEM Style Dual Ceramic Ball Bearing Turbo System Manufacturing and through that revelation the KRATOS brand was born.

KRATOS systems are forged from the finest raw materials and assembled with strenuous attention to detail. Every component is purposefully designed and engineered-in-house and tested to extreme standards. KRATOS is The Only True Dual Ceramic Ball Bearing OEM Fit CORE-LESS Turbo System Manufacturer.

KRATOS aims to provide exclusive turbo systems for premium European performance vehicles. This goal is achieved through pride and purity of engineering as well as uncompromised use of top tier materials and manufacturing methods.

KRATOS was recently acquired by Global Motoring Group LLC, not to be confused with racing company GMG. This has further emphasized the focus of the KRATOS brand is to provide OE fit turbo solutions to top tier European performance cars.




Power and Results:

Testing:

Product prototypes have been in testing through 20k+ miles of daily driving at 750whp+ on beta test vehicles. In addition, KRATOS was approached by Strom Motorsports road racing team due to the inefficiencies and failures of the factory turbos they had experienced. Strom Motorsports recently took first place in the GT4 class at the Bathurst 12HR. Durability and endurance testing has primarily been completed Strom’s 25HR endurance M4 race car as well as their time attack M4.

Power:


List of modifications

• Stock Engine
• Stock Intercooler
• Downpipes
• Intakes
• Spec Stage 2+ Clutch
• Fuel-It PI
• Maximum PSI Crank Hub
• BootMod3
• HCP Custom Tune
• KRAS55Bi Turbo System (Standard Billet Wheel Option)

This Dyno Graph depicts the capability of the KRAS55Bi on a stock BMW S55 engine with the supporting modifications listed above at 32psi on E85 fuel. Notice how power continues to climb to the rev limiter which is a results of the compressor wheel, turbine wheel, and manifold A/R ratio design. The goal was to achieve 800whp on a stock engine safely while limiting midrange torque and horsepower for the safety of the connecting rods. More boost or timing was not applied to the stock engine for higher horsepower figures as durability and reliability are one of the main focuses of the KRATOS brand. It's imperative that the test vehicles go through the proper sequence of durability testing at each tested power level before increases in power are applied. As KRATOS has been working very closely with BM3 and HCP tuning, with a built engine and cylinder head the KRAS55Bi will be capable of supporting up to 900whp with the proper tuning.

This Dyno Graph depicts the capability of the KRAS55Bi on a stock BMW S55 engine with supporting modifications listed above on 93 octane fuel only. As 93 octane is a much hotter burning fuel, along with that comes higher egt's at given boost levels as well as a lower detonation ceiling. With that in mind, HCP Tuning devised a custom tune as boost and timing are tapered in the upper rpm to increase reliability and repeatability of power.

This Dyno Graph depicts the differences in power between the same BMW S55 engine on stock OEM turbos E30 Fuel Only with all modifications listed above without Fuel-It PI vs. KRAS55Bi on E85. There are other S55 that have made more power with stock turbos and stock fuel system, however this is the power that was made on the same vehicle which is why this data was used. Notice at 6900rpm there is a Difference of 327whp between the stock turbos and the KRAS55Bi. These figures are used for reference only, but they do give the end user an idea as to the difference of power that can be achieved when upgrading from a stock OEM turbo system on E30 to a KRAS55Bi on E85.

This Dyno Graph depicts the differences in power between the same BMW S55 engine on stock OEM turbos 93 octane fuel only with all modifications listed above without Fuel-It PI vs. KRAS55Bi on 93 octane fuel only. Notice at 6900rpm there is a Difference of 200whp between the stock turbos and the KRAS55Bi. These figures are used for reference only, but they do give the end user an idea as to the difference of power that can be achieved when upgrading from a stock OEM turbo system on 93 octane fuel only, to a KRAS55Bi on 93 octane fuel only.




Many BMW S55 owners have come to accept that fact that owning a FBO S55 with hybrid turbo upgrades limits them to approximately 700whp before running into connecting rod failures. The introduction of the KRAS55Bi proves that early connecting rod failure on stock engines is more a result of high exhaust back pressure along with extreme torque demands rather than a pre-mature mechanical limit of the rotating assembly based on data from several high mileage 750+whp beta test vehicles. The shape of the dyno curves listed above are a visual representation of the KRATOS Engineering Team’s success at disproving this fact.






Technical Summary:

Ceramic Ball Bearing Cartridge (Patent Pending):

KRATOS ceramic ball bearing technology encompasses industry leading technology in an OE fitment package. The use of ceramic ball bearings in true OE fit cartridges is entirely unique to KRATOS. This translates into ease of ownership and increased performance for the end user.

• 5x the service life of steel ball bearings.
• Significantly lower operating temperatures than steel ball bearings.
• Increased efficiency and thrust load capability.
• Near frictionless operation requiring minimal oiling.
• Heightened transient response.

One Piece Turbofold (Patent Pending):

The cornerstone of the KRAS55 line of turbos, the completely re-engineered one piece turbofold is a part of the reason of safe power can be achieved. The turbofold reduces backpressure significantly, making engine operation at higher output safer and more reliable. In testing, data proved a 1.1:1 Backpressure rating at 32psi. A car making 32psi of boost would see 35.2psi of pressure on the manifold side. This allows for the engine to cycle without additional stress of vacating spent exhaust through a manifold with high resistance. If not addressed, excessive back pressure causes undue stress resulting connecting rod failures as well as loss of power and engine efficiency.

Mathematically matched A/R ratio.

• Reduced heat and increased turbine efficiency.
• Smoother internal runner transitions.
• Increased runner diameter.
• Computational Fluid Dynamics modeling software tested.
• 316 Stainless Steel.

OEM Fitment and Core-Less Design:

The integration of ceramic ball bearing technology into true OEM fitment is unique to the KRATOS brand. Like all other KRATOS line of products to follow, the KRAS55 series retains use of factory oil and water lines without use of adapters of any sort. Many customers may weigh downtime and core usage as important factors in their buying decision. KRATOS products allow customers to retain their cores for whatever use they prefer and create no downtime other than installation.

• CORE-LESS
• Utilization of OEM Oil + Water lines.
• Full reversibility.
• Full compatibility with OEM fit aftermarket parts

S55 Specific Inlets:

The factory S55 turbo inlets at their narrowest point have an internal diameter of 42mm. This poses a problem if a compressor wheel with a larger inducer diameter is used. To address this, all KRAS55 turbo systems include a set of custom designed 4 ply silicone inlets as well as a matched ported billet aluminum elbow which are designed to support flow capabilities of even the larger wheel options.

• Direct fitment to OEM crankcase ventilation and intakes.
• Custom Designed 4-ply silicone inlets.
• Polished and match ported billet aluminum elbow.

Compressor Wheels:

KRATOS compressor wheels are in a league of their own. Each compressor wheel is designed and tested in house for each specific application in mind. These compressor wheels will only be found on KRATOS products and hundreds of hours have been spent on testing and design in order to match the intended use. KRATOS also performs shaft speed testing to ensure that compressor designs are not being run beyond their efficiency range or flow capabilities..

There are currently two options for compressor wheels on KRAS55 turbo systems.
KRAS55Bi: 850+whp

• Forged Billet Aluminum
• 3rd order Geometry Design
• Point Milled Manufacturing

For those who intend on keeping their internals stock, this may be the best option. This system is capable of supporting 850whp+ and allows for safer and reliable operation over 700whp on the stock engine.

KRAS55Ti: 1,000whp+

• Forged Billet Ti6Al4v Titanium (Grade 5)
• 3rd Order Geometry Design
• Point Milled Manufacturing

This wheel is intended for use on built motor high output setups. Titanium’s higher tensile strength over that of aluminum allows for more aggressive design characteristics. The Titanium material is also great for road race or endurance racing applications where HCF (High Cycle Fatigue) can pose issues. More information and data results will be available as release of the KRAS55Ti approaches.

Warranty:

All KRATOS products have a limited 2-year warranty from date of purchase that covers all manufacturing defects.

Availability and Pricing:

All KRAS55 products require NO CORES!

KRAS55Bi: $7,895, Early Q1 2019
KRAS55Ti: $8,995, Late Q1 2019

All Global Motoring Group brands maintain a focus on manufacturing and sell product through the vendor network. All interested consumers can find a licensed dealer in their area through direct contact with a Global Motoring Group representative at info@asrkratos.com.

Global Motoring Group ensures that sufficient KRAS55 stock is kept to reduce the chances of backorders and shortages. All buyers can expect their products to be shipped within 24-48 hours after their purchase no matter the season. This being said, high volumes of interest have been observed and many of the first units to ship will be spoken for. Due to this, we will be opening a pre-order list for customers who would like to reserve systems that will be first to ship. More information on preorders will be made available in the coming weeks.

Current KRATOS Platforms include BMW S55, Mercedes Benz M177/M178, and McLaren M840T (Currently in R&D Phase).

[chetrickerman]

These look very promising!

[mike@x-ph.com]

[sdstatestud88]

I remember seeing these back at sema about a year ago. These look great and like a very nice turbo option with pure.

Any reason for the delay in go to market? I believe you originally were hoping for q1 2018

Look forward to some results
Sales@KRATOS

[Sales@KRATOS]

Originally Posted by sdstatestud88

I remember seeing these back at sema about a year ago. These look great and like a very nice turbo option with pure.

Any reason for the delay in go to market? I believe you originally were hoping for q1 2018

Look forward to some results
Sales@KRATOS

Good question.

We decided to push our market release back for a few reasons. First and foremost, many things changed with the production process to reflect how the product is expected to perform in the market. The KRATOS brand was initially structured to do productions runs of a few months worth of inventory. Given the response that was received, that model was changed to doing larger batch runs.

Additionally, minor changes were made in the product to reflect the results seen today.

The purchase by Global Motoring Group and consequent internal restructuring were a time consuming but necessary and positive process. During this time, additional testing was completed and more miles were logged on the KRATOS hardware. KRATOS takes the testing phase very seriously and tests for reliability and performance far beyond industry norms.

[bracer]

$8-9K when Pure is $4k, and VTT is $4-5K?

I think you've priced yourself out the market for this chassis.

[Sales@KRATOS]

Originally Posted by Railgun

That being said, as some have indicated in the past on this forum and elsewhere, anecdotally or otherwise, would you say that the operation of ASR now has nothing to do with the ASR of then? Meaning whatever issues ASR may have had to give it a not-so-rosey image are things of the past?

While ASR Engineering and KRATOS are separate brands, we are managed by the same Global Motoring Group and this is a relevant question.

In short, yes. The ASR Engineering of the mid to late 2000’s grew much faster than anticipated; this led to managerial and PR shortcomings of which have been aired out. Although issues of management arose, there was never an issue regarding quality of the product or of engineering prowess.

The ASR Engineering of now no longer operates as a stand-alone company, but as a brand owned and operated by Global Motoring Group. With this comes a more streamlined and corporate standard operating procedure.

Just as management has, the direction of the ASR Engineering brand has shifted. ASR Engineering now focuses its efforts on engineering and manufacturing of true forged carbon fiber performance parts. Information on this will be published in the coming months beginning with endeavors for the McLaren 570S and following with product for the BMW S55. ASR Engineering will also be entering the realm of cooling components, i.e. intercoolers and heat exchangers.

[sdstatestud88]

Originally Posted by blackey

$8-9K when Pure is $4k, and VTT is $4-5K?

I think you've priced yourself out the market for this chassis.

@blackey these do not require stock cores and also include inlet pipes along with a new manifold. Not exactly 1:1 comparison with existing options to the market.

[Sales@KRATOS]

Originally Posted by blackey

$8-9K when Pure is $4k, and VTT is $4-5K?

I think you've priced yourself out the market for this chassis.

We do not compare our products to offerings by other companies as they are very different products in nature.

While we appreciate your opinion as this is something many S55 owners may think at first glance, these are our differences.

We are the only manufacturer offering dual ceramic ball bearing cartridges with OEM fitment for this platform and any platform at that. Our commitment to uncompromised quality and performance brings with it a product that costs worlds more to manufacture than any other current market offering. All of the technical segments listed in the product release above are components where KRATOS has decided to spend more time and money in order to produce a new class of product.

The majority of the current market segment is hybrid stock turbos. Of which, reliability and performance compromise aside require use of cores. Core charges at time of writing this revolve around $2,500. KRAS55 owners are afforded the ability to retain their factory cores, which allow them to return their cars to stock should they desire to do so. If they do not, those cores can be sold to subsidize the purchase of the KRAS55 system. This leaves you with a similar cost to that of hybrid turbo, for an entirely different class of product.

When compared to other casted systems, every component of the product has been custom designed for S55 (as we do with every single new development) and are not designs and concepts carried over from previous BMW platforms. KRATOS has made efforts to be fully transparent in its manifold re-engineering and has stated the real world results of those efforts in the form of backpressure testing. Again, KRATOS is the only manufacturer offering dual ceramic ball bearing cartridges for this platform! Our patent pending 316 stainless steel manifolds and patent pending 316 stainless steel dual ceramic ball bearing OEM fit cartridges are a few of the standout differences.

We are not simply a BMW turbo manufacturing brand. We are a true turbo manufacturer that works amongst different platforms with multiple patents pending on many of those platforms. KRATOS is an innovator in the turbo technology space.

KRATOS performs testing beyond industry norms. Customers can rest assured that more miles have been traversed, more heat cycles have been completed and more dyno passes have been done on KRATOS products prior to release than on any other line of turbo product.

The powerband of the KRAS55 is in a class of its own. KRAS55 turbos give a linear powerband that allows the user to go beyond what were previously accepted as limits of the platform. In addition, there is a system capable of 1,000whp+ available which further accentuates the differences between KRATOS and other brands.

Customers can be more comfortable buying a US made product from a brand and company that will fully back and support it. The value of the KRATOS product is in its reliability, the engineering experience required to design them and a company who backs their product 100%.

As stated previously while we do appreciate your opinion, one of the reasons we increased production is because of interest based on the info provided at our current price point. We hope that this helps you better understand why the KRATOS products are in a league of their own.

[bracer]

Agreed they do not require cores, but neither do the VTT's. All include the manifold as it's part of the design. I'm sure there will be a few that go here, but this will only be for extreme builds vs mainstream aftermarket. I suspect those that will go this direction will instead go with something like the Doc Race single kit, etc...

I definitely could be wrong, time will tell.

[chetrickerman]

The thing that makes these look attractive to me is that the manifold is completely flow optimized stainless steel (which is much better at not cracking under high heat situations), the ball bearing CHRA which is much better at handling high shaft speeds, and last is how they actually test the back pressure of the turbine side, which likely no other companies do.

[Sales@KRATOS]

Originally Posted by blackey

Agreed they do not require cores, but neither do the VTT's. All include the manifold as it's part of the design. I'm sure there will be a few that go here, but this will only be for extreme builds vs mainstream aftermarket. I suspect those that will go this direction will instead go with something like the Doc Race single kit, etc...

I definitely could be wrong, time will tell.

On the contrary, not all casted manifolds allow for the same performance capabilities. So, this not a fair assessment in our opinion to claim they're all equal since it's part of the design.

KRATOS did not simply copy a stock manifold and manufacture a casted version to implement a larger turbine for the sake of offering a core-less system. As listed in the press release, the manifold our engineering team designed is vastly different than stock and the data provided further supports that claim.

The perception that the KRAS55Bi would appeal more to those striving for extreme builds may be a valid one for those that aren't familiar with the premise behind the KRATOS brand concept. The mainstream school of thought, as of recent, that anything over 700whp on a stock S55 engine is a ticking time bomb has now been proven as inaccurate. Many S55 owners were not aware that extremely high back pressures and early onset torque tuning were 2 major factors contributing to connecting rod failures in addition to loss of power in the upper rpm band. One of these factors can be easily addressed with tuning changes. However, the mechanical part is a constant that can not be rectified without a change in physical hardware to the KRAS55Bi. That being said, this would appeal to any S55 owner that values the cost of R&D and Engineering to help increase durability and reliability of their stock engine at those given hp levels.

Although, we do agree that the KRAS55Bi would appeal to many looking into custom single or twin turbo offerings. They will now have the option of purchasing an OE style system that performs at similar power levels with a much more usable powerband, while being able to utilize their existing bolt on parts and without the requirement of any major modifications.

[Justin.AutoTalent]

Nice, this looks really promising. Did not know GMG acquired Kratos!

[Sales@KRATOS]

Originally Posted by Justin.AutoTalent

Nice, this looks really promising. Did not know GMG acquired Kratos!

We appreciate the positive feedback! Just to clarify though, Global Motoring Group acquired KRATOS. Global Motorsports Group aka (GMG) is a different company.

[Justin.AutoTalent]

Originally Posted by Sales@KRATOS

We appreciate the positive feedback! Just to clarify though, Global Motoring Group acquired KRATOS. Global Motorsports Group aka (GMG) is a different company.

Ahhhhhhhh..... Yeah missed that bit. I apologize.

Thought it was Global Motorsports Group. Still very excited

Product looks good

[Sales@KRATOS]

Originally Posted by Justin.AutoTalent

Ahhhhhhhh..... Yeah missed that bit. I apologize.

Thought it was Global Motorsports Group. Still very excited

Product looks good

It was an honest mistake, so no apologies necessary. We appreciate the support!

[Sales@KRATOS]

As the release of the KRAS55Bi for the first quarter of 2019 nears, we felt it would be an appropriate end to 2018 if we were to post a video of one of our stock engine beta test vehicles showing the highest horsepower ever produced (812whp) with a stock style OEM fitment twin turbo system on the S55 platform.

[e85m4]

I like the product but price tag is on the very high side !! Yes 812whp is a lot but its at 32psi... any aftermarket turbos at that boost level will produce power around that level.. but the stock engine wont last long either .. people are making 600whp on stock turbos at 22.5psi so 10psi more = anywhere between 100 and 200whp more

[chetrickerman]

Estimate on when the KRAS55TI will be released?

[Sales@KRATOS]

Originally Posted by e85m4

I like the product but price tag is on the very high side !! Yes 812whp is a lot but its at 32psi... any aftermarket turbos at that boost level will produce power around that level.. but the stock engine wont last long either .. people are making 600whp on stock turbos at 22.5psi so 10psi more = anywhere between 100 and 200whp more

Currently there are no aftermarket twin turbo systems for the S55 platform that produce 812whp at 32psi other than the KRAS55Bi. All current aftermarket offerings are hybrid turbos that produce more than 100whp less at the same boost level. Also, the back pressure levels on stock manifold hybrid turbos are extremely high which is one of the contributing factors for increased risk of connecting rod failure at power levels above 700whp. While it is true that many people are producing 600whp on stock turbos, peak horsepower does not tell the whole story. Stock turbos may produce that power for a brief moment as they're operating outside the confines of their compressor map and well above 22.5psi. Whereas, the KRAS55Bi continues to make power all the way to the rev limiter. The true difference in power lies in the powerband as shown in the stock turbo overlay with E85 vs. the KRAS55Bi. By 7k rpm the KRAS55Bi produces 327whp more than the stock turbo.

This particular beta test vehicle has over 30K miles on it of which 20K+ miles have been with the KRAS55Bi's installed daily driven at 750whp-775whp without fail. We understand there is a lot of information in the press release which can sometimes be overwhelming and overlooked. Here again is a quick excerpt regarding engine reliability at this power levels with the KRAS55Bi. We hope this helps clarify some things.

"The introduction of the KRAS55Bi proves that early connecting rod failure on stock engines is more a result of high exhaust back pressure along with extreme torque demands rather than a pre-mature mechanical limit of the rotating assembly based on data from several high mileage 750+whp beta test vehicles . The shape of the dyno curves listed above are a visual representation of the KRATOS Engineering Team’s success at disproving this fact."

[Sales@KRATOS]

Originally Posted by chetrickerman

Estimate on when the KRAS55TI will be released?

Late Q1 2019

[overlook637]

What would be the power increase with just a 22psi tune compared to OEM turbos with the same 22psi tune? That would highlight how efficient the manifold and ceramic bearings are.