118TSI 1.4tsi twincharge build

[pocketpunch]

Hello team.

I've posted several years ago about my jetta.
I know there are those who lurk forums from time to time and reread old posts about guys who have had projects and gotten somewhere but never posted an update..
I want to make sure that if there is even 1 person who is following this, that they have a comprehensive guide on tuning a twincharged Jetta the way I have..

I bought the car brand new from Barloworld VW for 19k (run out sale for 2014 models).
I originally wanted a grey, comfortline manual until the dealer stopped me in my tracks by telling me there is no manual option except for the base model..

Most people might overlook this preference and buy the upspecced model in spite of their original buying criteria.
I'm no ordinary buyer though.

I ended up with a candy white 2014 prefacelift (prefer the look) twincharged CTHD.

Now it's been 95K kms since I bought my car and have done several mods and lots of research over the years.

I understand that a 1.4L is a tiny engine and no-one should expect it to be a powerful adversary to say, a 2.0T.
However the S/C and T/C nature of this engine makes it an excellent performer who has more character than an outright more powerful engine.

So get to the meat of this post.

I have followed examples posted by several forums for various models who have the CAVD/CTH series engines.

Mods so far:

BC RACING BR type coilovers (7K Front springs) (6K rear)
Whiteline 24mm RSB with heavy duty adjustable endlinks.
NGK BKR7E spark plugs (copper version = more efficient and cheaper)
NGK U5002 coilpacks - have read that these will supply plenty of spark even for 1000hp RB26 builds.. for they will do for a 1.4
RTMG turbo inlet pipe
Custom air intake pod filter(3" to 2.75" silicone elbow to match oem supercharger hard pipe)
Stage 1 tune, boost set at 18psi - 130kw at wheels (dyno tested) (this was done whilst needing an oil change and pre several mods I've done since, probably up by a few KW since then)
2.5" catback exhaust pipe (kept stock resonator and muffler)
GFB DV+

And that rounds up the car so far.
It uses between 6.5-7.8L /100km depending on traffic and driving style.
The car handles miles better with coilovers but it can be slightly bumpy with the spring rate I'm running (wouldn't change it though)
I ran BKR8EIX plugs but they gave me misfires, even turning on soft limp mode once and the EPC light.
I now run BKR7E's until I need the 8s later on ... more on that later..


I have acquired the following parts in plans of chasing 300hp (and maybe further)

Awaiting install:

Wossner forged pistons
ZRP H Beam forged connecting rods with ARP2000 rod bolts
S3/MK6R oem intercooler
Hybrid OEM turbo from EuroCarUpgrades (rated at 300hp)
2.5" decat stainless downpipe
K03 oil restrictor (decat can lead to leaky turbo seals unless oil restrictor is used)


Wish list (perhaps one day)

Cat cams sport cam for the twincharger 260 duration
RTMG 420hp rated injectors (to avoid using WMI)
RTMG 380RS hybrid turbo
Golf R valve springs
Supersprint resonated exhaust system (for CTH Jetta)


That pretty much rounds it up.
I've collected knowledge and parts towards building an awesome daily, and I really mean that because I don't want to go too far with the build where I'll have issues.

The idea is to rebuild the engine using the 76.5mm pistons and not require a rebore.
New cam chain, tensioner and water pump to be done all at once.

Some tuners have been nervous about tuning the 1.4 with stock internals so I've decided to forge the bottom end for reliability.

The power increases are purely for overtaking flexibility and the mountain runs.
The upgrades internals will insure the engine can keep this up for years to come.

A lot of people may think I'm silly for spending all this time, effort and money into this little engine.
To me, it makes perfect sense because the jetta ticks my boxes for a family car which I will need soon.. so why not make it an awesome one?
Im not planning on buying another ICE car ever.. I'm simply going to wait it out until electrics are well established and readily available.

Until then..
I'll continue to make an awesome 1.4L with a fat torque curve and a good top end... as a personal farewell to internal combustion engines.
I always liked the Lancia Delta S4.. and since I probably can't own one- I'll make one of my own.

I'll continue to update this as the build gets underway.

4797847979479804798147982

[The_Hawk]

That's pretty amazing! I have read over the years people pulling crazy numbers from the little 1.4L and it looks like you're heading in that direction. Having the CAVD myself and running a tune it is a magical engine (until it's not) and the newer CTHD fixes (??) many/most of the flaws.

I'll be watching this build closely, although I have to ask. Given the amount of work you're putting into the engine, did you consider a full transplant to a 2.0L Turbo and MQ350 gearbox as an option?

[pocketpunch]

Thank you !
Yeah I weighed up doing this for a long time and was convinced that there wasn't a point.

I then started seeing just how quick these get around the 300hp mark (seeing as the Jettas are rather light for their size).

I thought about selling it for a mk7 Gti or a 6R or atleast engine swapping it if something went wrong one day.
The whole reason I want to stick with the CTH is due to its wonderful fuel economy when just chilling, and that awesome supercharger.

My dad has a MK7 Gti and I notice that they shortened the gears to give the car more low end pep off boost.
This is a cheap way to make a car accelerate harder but you will lose on economy and smoothness.

The charger helps the 1.4 chug up to speed with a genuinely fat torque curve, not gearbox trickery which I enjoy.

So yeah I thought about swaps but I think there is something special about these little engines and even though I'm never going to reach the big numbers a 2.0 can - 300 - 350ish up would be plenty for me.

Anything faster and I'll just jump on my Yamaha MT10 instead haha !

I'd be glad to help anyone out with part numbers or sources as that's the biggest issue I had when researching things.

I've even found a source for custom tubular turbo manifolds in case someone would want to mount a Garret GTX on one of these (people in Greece have 400+hp 1.4Ls with these setups).

[The_Hawk]

(people in Greece have 400+hp 1.4Ls with these setups).

I've read some of those! Crazy power.

Last time I went down this rabbit hole there wasn't many performance upgrade parts around for these since they aren't the performance model. I also don't believe the twin charger was in the US which also limits the audience a little.

If you haven't already found it, the Dieselgeek short shifter is bloody awesome and was my first mod.
Sigma 5 Five Speed Short Shifter for MK5, MK6 and MK7 — www.dieselgeek.com (https://www.dieselgeek.com/collections/vw-short-shifters/products/sigma-5-five-speed-short-shifter-for-mk5-mk6-and-mk7-vw)

I'm the APR Stage 1 and have the Forge CAI (https://www.forgemotorsport.com/VW_Golf_14_TSi_Induction_Kit--product--1175.html) although it's not currently installed because it makes the car very loud (which I usually like) but wanted to quieten it down for some reason and haven't put it back in yet. Mine actually connects to the front grill in the same place as the OEM one, the pictures on their website look like the pipe goes else where now??
In case anyone is interested, here it the sound of the Stock Intake (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7G4WZ4us9U) vs Forge Intake (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubGSbysyQnQ) and with a GFB DV+ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcwLhML71Vw).

Oh yeah, GFB DV+ kicks out some errors because the DV+ reacts differently that a stock one and the computer gets confused. I'm told this is normal and it doesn't actually show any CEL on the dash, only in VCDS.

I've also got a Poly Dog Bone insert sitting in a box, it was installed when I was driving the car on the track and I think it made a difference, but on the street it caused extra vibration through the car which caused things to rattle which drove me nuts so it came out.

I considered a down pipe and exhaust, but there wasn't anything available other than a custom job and even then the advice I got at the time was that the stock downpipe was pretty good, as was the exhaust, so there wasn't much if any gain to be had.

I also looked into intercooler upgrades, a front mount gives you something more visual vs upgrading to the S3 intercooler for similar performance upgrades in a stealth package.

Lastly, I've looked into the R8 Coil packs and adaptor plate (https://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/f112/r8-coil-packs-118tsi-111336.html), something which is probably the next mod I will do when I get some time and money available. This supposedly helps with misfires, which are supposedly more of an issue on the CAVD and something I've talked about before. (https://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/f112/118tsi-misfire-count-93676.html) It's apparently normal and not an issue, but I liked the idea of a stronger spark.

[jimmedy]

Great sounding build!

As a fellow twincharged CTH fan, I'll follow along with interest.

My little A1 is grossly over-capitalised, but I love it.

The best bang for buck thing I've done of all the mods in my signature? The SuperPro dog bone insert - for < $100 the transformation was amazing. It cleared up so much axle tramp (maybe not ideal for a family car... I dunno).

The silliest thing? The Quaife DQ200 LSD. Haha. I mean. It's great now it's in there but that was a $5000 journey I don't know if I could ever whole heartedly recommend to others.

I'm most interested in what you're up to with the internals and the turbo because that's the place I haven't gone.
The only things I still have on my 'one day list' are the 1.6l stroker kit:
Stroker Kit 1.4 TSI (https://www.r-tmg.com/stroker-kit-1-6tsi-661.html)
and the LOBA 270 Hybrid:
LO270P 1.4 TSI Upgrade Sport Turbocharger - JBS (http://www.jbsautodesigns.co.uk/product/4224/lo270p-14-tsi-upgrade-sport-turbocharger)

Of course then I'd also need a custom tune.
There's something to be said for pushing something to the limits of where it can go.

But... by this point I may as well have bought an RS3 :)

[tyr382]

I'll continue to make an awesome 1.4L with a fat torque curve and a good top end... as a personal farewell to internal combustion engines.


Not sure what you mean by this lol?
Internal combustion engines are not going anywhere.




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[The_Hawk]

Internal combustion engines are not going anywhere.


There are plenty of players talking about an 'all-electric' future, although that may be delivered after hoverboards and flying cars... VW are in that camp following the whole Dieselgate thing, but when that future is may very well beyond our lifetimes.

One of the real wildcards in this future is when Europe (or other places) choose to and are able to adopt a more electric focus potentially leaving Australia with its different requirements behind and limiting our choices thanks to a lack of infrastructure. Consider if VW did go all-electric... can you? Or would you now be looking at a different marque?

[tyr382]

I don’t see internal combustion engines going anywhere considering synthetic fuels are on the rise.
Fuels that made from renewable energy and atmospheric Co2, in a way will make battery cars obsolete in my view.

Sunfire is making huge advancements in carbon neutral fuels using renewable energy sources. I really love where this company is going along with carbon engineering that is starting to make a competitive industry.

Unless Tesla adopts this technology, I can’t see a reason why they would even need to exist.

Shell is trying there best to hold onto fossil fuels and are making huge investments in natural gas that can make renewable more competitive.

Then you have the nuclear industry the rise with modular reactor technology’s.

So in all we are still gonna use petrol, just not from crude oil. Synthetic fuels are way cleaner and have huge performance gains.

Green Syngas - Sunfire (https://www.sunfire.de/en/applications/syngas)

YouTube (https://youtu.be/Mb_8DJF6Hp0)


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[pocketpunch]

Hopefully you're right and synth fuels are here to stay.
This car has served me well and all the work I'm planning on putting into it will be well worth it for me as it's a long termer.. That's all I meant.

Nothing has happened on the build so far, this virus business has put a stop to a lot of it.

I'm also planning on perhaps taking a different direction with my turbo setup.

If anyone is interested in a euro built hybrid turbo for the twincharger, I have a 300hp capable one which I want to sell to fund a garrett setup.

Never before used, and I'll be able to post a pic of it if there are interested parties.

You can run it with the stock cat, but you will need a new turbo inlet pipe from the supercharger as the turbo conpressor mouth has been widened.

Engine build work will be the first to go once the virus calms down and shops open up again, then hopefully upon sale of hybrid turbo (perun) I can grab the garrett and start a proper custom build.

Let me know people :)

[pocketpunch]

OK guys

Time for a post-lockdown Victoria update.

So nothing substantial has happened in terms of the build,
but I have gotten some new extra goodies and .. minor inconveniences.


So onto the good:

New VR alloy intake for the twincharger
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VR R8 coil adapter
(they sent me bolts which were too short so need longer ones now)

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I actually installed the ELDOR R8 coils today and re-pinned the harness using Blower's guides from the 1.4tsi forums.
The car ran great initially and after about 5 WOT pulls, I started getting some savage misfires at 4200rpm (right in the sweet spot of boost) and it even turned on the CEL.

So I reverted back to my standard coils and wiring until I start piecing the tune together.. it probably just needs a tune.
But I'm not willing to risk the engine with such strong misfires.

It did feel a lot nicer in the midrange and it up top while it worked fine though !


I was also looking at replacing the standard sad 16" wheels with rubber that was suited for this car.. 225/40R18.

I happened to be at a wheel shop and saw some nice bronze Ray's.. but at +$3000 it was more of a dream than attainable purchase.
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I wanted something with a nice lip and a TE37 aesthetic.. so I dug around and found these AVID1 AV06 wheels.
I'll need to run an adapter and hub rings but I think it'll look just right on the Jetta.

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They seem to be reputable, low-pressure cast rep wheels so I have faith they'll be fine for mountain runs (seem them on track cars without issues).
The colour is cool too, its a hyper-black which is a metallic black with what seems to be a silver pigment... reminds me of Kawasaki's H2 colour.

On the same top of aesthetics.. I went all out and got Maxton Design side skirts and rear diffuser extensions.
I haven't mounted the rear diffuser because the oem muffler is kind of in the way of the install - more on that later.

I also have an ebay spec 2015 facelift front splitter which I think looks the nuts.. but i'll get to that install when I do the intercooler.

A week ago, someone decided my car looked better with scrapes, so my passenger front and rear doors now have scrapes.. 6 years with flawless paintwork and careful ownership - erased by a 5 second parking noob who didn't have the decency to leave their details.

SO now I need to get the doors straightened and painted... at the same time, my boot is the only panel on the car that has swirl marks from washing (i try to avoid this as much as possible but its a daily car and gets dirty very easy).
I just happened to have order a carbon pixels duckbill spoiler (krotov) and when that rocks up, I'll get the doors done, boot repainted and the spoiler moulded in for a nice neat look.



Along with the wheels, I think the car is going to look fantastic for 2021... then we enter the engine build.

[pocketpunch]

I timed out on posting the other pics so here they are:

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And to come back around with the rear diffuser,
I received an exhaust system from Jetex - a resonated 3" catback which slides straight in to the OEM exhaust pipe in the center of the car.
Once I begin the install of that, I'll have the space to attack the rear diffuser and bolt it up nicely.

No pics of that yet, but its a nice system with mild bends, a very GTI looking hotdog resonator and polished rear muffler.
I've checked out clips of it online and it isn't a very loud system - but I like that because I'm not going for cop attention.

[pocketpunch]

The wheels are on, I think they're fantastic.52288
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Next up - Krotov duckbill spoiler.
I decided not to mold it in, just get it professionally painted installed with auto tape.

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[The_Hawk]

Next up - Krotov duckbill spoiler.
I decided not to mold it in, just get it professionally painted installed with auto tape.

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I like it as a subtle little addition :D

[billybones]

Wow, great update

[selexon]

How do you find the RTMG parts? Looking at getting a few bits from them for my 12 1.4 TSI

Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk

[pocketpunch]

Thanks The_Hawk!
Yeah... its a little less subtle than a regular lip spoiler haha
I always liked the Rocket Bunny style kits for Silvia's and Jap cars.. so when I saw this CarbonPixel's Krotov spoiler.. I had to have it.

RTMG, so far, I've only got their silicone turbo inlet pipe and its to a very high standard.
It comes with PERFECT alloy fittings that clamp into the OEM supercharger junction and the compressor bellmouth.

The company I got my R8 coilpack adaptor was from a Malaysian custom shop called Velocity Racing, they're also the ones behind my new alloy intake manifold - great products, they just sent me the wrong bolts for the adaptor.. they're even shorter than the OEM valve cover bolts and they can't thread deep enough for me to secure the coilpacks - so I have to remeasure the stock ones plus the thickness of the adaptor to size up new ones..

I'll be sure to update it along the way.

If anyone knows a good VW engine builder in Melbourne to help me get the build underway, I'd much appreciate it.
I've spoken to several tuners and while they're happy to tune, they normally don't build the 1.4 and I'm having a hard time getting them onboard (Plus they're booked out until Feb) so its putting my build time schedule behind..

There was a few places that would do it, but they only do factory part rebuilds - not with forged rods and pistons (what's the difference guys..)

:) so yeah that's where its at.


Supplementary - I'm having some vibrations at 120-130kmh with the new wheels.
They have been balanced by a very reputable motorsport alignment shop so i know its not a balance issue.
I'm guessing my alignment would be out by a lot since I've gone from 16"x6J to 18"x8J wheels.. hopefully this gets fixed on Wednesday with a new alignment - or perhaps the hub rings aren't right... I'll need to investigate.

I was also disappointed to find out that when I got home after my new wheels, I had a look inside the wheel barrel to notice no balancing was done.
I decided not to confront the wheel place about it, since they are a bit out of my way and take it to a local shop where I've historically bought all my tyres for all my previous cars.
I told them about the shop's blunder and they balanced my wheels.

Took the car home and realized they balanced 3/4 wheels.
Came back to the shop and they insisted they had no time to correct their mistake and even tried to spin the old "How do you know we haven't done it" trick.

Unfortunately buddy, I know a bit about this stuff.

So now I'm getting all my alignment and balancing done by a nice shop in Clayton.. best thing is they exclusively work on high end and modified rides so they take pride in their clean shop and their prices are matched with every other shop I've been to - plus they make nice coffee on site.

[The_Hawk]

I don wonder what that sort of boot spoiler would look like on my Cabriolet. I like it!


Yeah, not a lot of users want to play in this space and I'm guessing most workshops work on the more 'common' performance engines. I can't wait to see what you manage to pull out of this little engine!

[Andresv87]

Nice project. Just a few questions:

Who's your tuner?

Do you have a dyno chart with the difference between stock intake manifold and that one?

Also are you still thinking on use Catcams sport camshaft?

Thanks mate.

[pocketpunch]

Alright guys so I accidentally deleted my post trying to edit it.

To answer Andresv87:

I had been speaking with Etuners about tuning the car, and while they weren't opposed to doing it (although a little hesitant and trying to push me to buy an R or GTI and tune that instead) they agreed to tune and even map out a custom turbo if they were dealing with a strong, forged engine.

I haven't installed the intake manifold just yet, I wanted to do it when I get the new turbo on so they can get mapped together.
Reason why is because the plenum size is larger than stock and since our engines work from MAP sensors, the engine won't know the volume of air difference because it only takes air pressure as a measurement (given that the plenum volume is a constant with a stock system).

Cams would be a fun addition, however I think it'll change the fuel economy too drastically.
I'm chasing 300hp at the flywheel (like a golf R), and north of 380 has been achieved in Italy and Greece with stock cams.. so they're not necessary.
Would sound great at idle though !


Today marks the build getting underway.
I've been speaking to a shop with a twincharge specialist who has rebuilt many of them while working as a tech for VW, so I'm confident this is going to go smoothly.

After some consultation, he was pleasantly surprised to hear that 120k KMs and 7 years has not netted any issues with the engine, just smooth sailing.
Except for a rough idle on cold starts, but that has been present since I had the car.

I have noticed after having the ecu tune from years ago, that over time my car has gotten slower, worse on fuel and it gets heat soaked easily.
He explained that it's possible that the engine might have a slightly cracked piston which can lead to power loss, coupled with carbon build up (7 years worth)..
All in all, I'm excited as it's been a long time planning and I can't wait to see how it drives when I get it back and prepare for the next stage..

I'll be receiving images throughout the build so I'll be sure to post on here, but in the mean time, check out my quick Instagram start up of the Jetex 3" exhaust.

I also have some motorbike action on there if any of you are into that.
Enjoy !

Login • Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/p/CJjJpGlnHn4/?igshid=2vi67rg41hxr)

[pocketpunch]

Just a quick update as the build is under way, posting some photos that have been shared with me.

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So the OEM pistons look to be in great shape, even after 4 years of spirited driving on a rich stage 1 tune, and 3 years stock tune.

No cracks from the CTHD KolbenSchmidt pistons, no abnormal bore wear and everything is going smoothly.

The head is getting machined, so when that is back at the shop, it's all getting out back together.

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And ofcourse, the new hardware.
TBH mostly excited to have a new timing chain that won't rattle on startup and to fix my irritating neutral clutch/flywheel rattle (still not sure what's causing it).

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ETA is sometime early next week as the head is being worked on and they're waiting for it to come back.
All in all, pretty impressed with the boys as they quoted me that it'll take just 1 working week to get it all sorted.

I can't be without a car for very long and its one of the reasons for delaying this major work, especially as my timing chain got worse, I was nervous to drive the car and yet couldn't be without it !

If anyone's interested in the shop, please private message me on my instagram as I will usually see those message way before I see them on this forum as I only log into here to share my experiences here for all to see.

IG: Pocketpunch91
drm (@pocketpunch91) • Instagram photos and videos (https://www.instagram.com/pocketpunch91/?hl=en)

Stay tuned for the next update, as I chase the goal of making a 118tsi, a ~220tsi !

[The_Hawk]

This build just gets better and better