I'm going to take a chance here... I think both parties of the SC fuel debate are correct.

I've been messing around with forced induction for a while now. Almost had a 400HP VW GTI... then life happened. Anyway, the Apline SC being a low boost system, it shouldn't *require* 92 octane. We're not talking about 9 psi and 100+ HP gain here. In the world of forced induction, 4 psi is really not that much. However, I wouldn't say that lower grade fuel is fine for all situations.

The VX's motor was not designed or built with forced induction in mind. Being naturally aspirated, it has relatively high compression ratio. Typical force induction motors have compression ratios of 8:1 or 9:1 to help avoid predetonation. There are other factors involved, like air/fuel ratio. But, compression ratio is one of them.

Since the SC's boost is low, lower grade fuel is probably OK for general use. However, I wouldn't say it won't ever ping. Amount of engine load, altitude, and numerous other factors can come into play and push the fuel's limits. A ping here and there will take their toll on the motor's internals in the long run.

I have to admit, the SC kit is pretty tempting. I almost jumped on it. But, having owned a SUV (Jeep ZJ) and a sporty canyon carver (GTI) I think it's best to have one of each. An SUV can never be as good as a sports car in doing what the sports car does best. And the sports car can never do what an SUV does best.

Perhaps my driving style has mellowed with age, but I actually find the stock VX's power to be decent. There have been times where I miss the GTI's ability to pass several cars with one quick excursion into the opposing lane. Then, I remind myself that being a few cars ahead is really not that important. One of these days I'll pick up a project sports car to fill the need for raw HP and speed.

Making a high riding 4000lb vehicross faster just isn't very cost effective... not saying there is anything wrong in doing it. If I had the means, I'd probably do it just for grins. It's just that for the cost of doing it... I can probably build a certain sports car into a 800 HP monster (no joke).

In regards to the intake... I thought the SC was made to work with the stock airbox? That's what it looked like to me in pictures posted on the pvmuffler page. Is the production kit different from what's shown in the pictures?

The kit would consist of a cone/cotton filter + heat shield. The heat shield mounts to the engine bay via one or more mounting points used by the stock airbox. The MAF would then be secured to the heat shield. It'll basically be like the Calmini kit, except instead of a bracket, you get a heat shield.

Whatever goes on between the MAF and the throttle body shouldn't matter (as long as the hose is long enough). And if the SC is designed to work with stock airbox, the intake kit should work for both SC and NA cars.

It's probably possible to make another kit that consists of a cold air scoop attached to a duct to feed cold air to the space the heat shield will create. Come to think of it... for those who do a lot of river/creek crossings, it's probably better to keep the stock box and have a snorkel for the box.