Haldex upgrade

[Lance B]

Hi all,

As some may have seen, I just took delivery of a new Passat V6 4Motion wagon on Monday 18th February. See thread here now with photos:
http://www.vwwatercooled.org.au/newforum/upload/showthread.php?t=13100

On Friday, I had a generation 2 Haldex controller installed for the front/rear torque split.
http://www.goapr.com.au/products/haldex.html

It can be set to 3 modes;
1) factory setting - setting is the same as what comes originally with the car.
2) Sports mode - this setting pre-empts throttle input when going around corners and applies more power to the rear for a more neutral handling and much less understeer.
3) Track mode - as the name implies, this is basically for track work where the torque is split 50/50 all the time except when required to be otherwise by the inputs from the car and then torque is split where required.

Most have it set to Sports mode as I also decided to have it set at. You can have a 3 position rotary switch installed so you can select the mode you would like to use, but this was an extra $400 for the loom plus installation.

I also had a polyurethane bush installed on the lower engine mount. This tightens up the rocking motion of the motor and makes the gear changes seemless.

The Haldex works very well. The standard set-up of the car from factory does have a little bit of understeer when pushed hard, but the Haldex addresses this situation very well giving a very neutral balance to the handling, although when pushed hard may even exhibit some oversteer, especially when the power is applied through and exiting a corner.

As the Haldex was installed at the Sydney agent of APR at Mona Vale, I took it for a run through Kur-ing-gai National Park from Mona Vale to Terry Hills through some very nice windy bits and now the balance is excellent. Using the Tiptronic was a blast and the car went like a dream and goes like a scalded cat! Maybe a little soft on the front, but overall a real thrill to drive. This car rocks!!

The Haldex costs $1699 installed and it is worth every penny, IMO.

[richdave]

I am always gobsmacked by folks who mod brand new cars.. :o But then I just worry about tossing my warranty out the window... perhaps too much :?:

That said... each to his own.

I did not test drive the 4Motion because I knew I'd prolly want it and the price is just too big for me. It also maxes out over the LCT limit which means more tax and less depreciation deductibility... Not good for a business use car.

Sounds like a treat to drive now... :grin:

[Lance B]

I am always gobsmacked by folks who mod brand new cars.. :o But then I just worry about tossing my warranty out the window... perhaps too much :?:

That said... each to his own.

I did not test drive the 4Motion because I knew I'd prolly want it and the price is just too big for me. It also maxes out over the LCT limit which means more tax and less depreciation deductibility... Not good for a business use car.

Sounds like a treat to drive now... :grin:

Due to the fact that we have purchased 4 VW's from this dealer they managed to drop the price enough to get me under the LCT, :D:D

The Haldex unit is a 5 minute swap job, so if there are any warranty issues then I can swap it back and no one is any the wiser. Also, Haldex is the maker of the original 4Motion system in the Passat, so it integrates well and there should be no issues.

[richdave]

Hey LanceB it seems you got all the bases covered then. :cool:

I read on the web that one of the 09 variants will have a similar system to switch between modes.

Looks like you are ahead of the pack... :D

[Lance B]

Hey LanceB it seems you got all the bases covered then. :cool:

I read on the web that one of the 09 variants will have a similar system to switch between modes.

Looks like you are ahead of the pack... :D

Oh, but I could have saved meself AU$1699! Having said that, I would rather have the car now though. :D

[richdave]

Oh, but I could have saved meself AU$1699! Having said that, I would rather have the car now though. :D


having the car NOW has it's advantages... besides the new car wont be cheaper... will it? And all optins cost so I suspect you may well have same/better outcome for less...

We'll see when they release final specs and such... by then it wont matter because you'll have had the pleasure ofthe car for ages...

[Steve]

Without the switch, how do you change between modes?

Also, regarding the engine mount bush - tell me more :) Who, where, how much, etc...!

I'm looking at doing both of these to the R36 when it gets here, after first changing the irritating shiny junk around the gear level for something a bit less offensive.

[Lance B]

Without the switch, how do you change between modes?

Also, regarding the engine mount bush - tell me more :) Who, where, how much, etc...!

I'm looking at doing both of these to the R36 when it gets here, after first changing the irritating shiny junk around the gear level for something a bit less offensive.

I would suggest that if you want to change between modes you would have to remove the controller, change the setting and then reinstall it. From what they told me, it is just a matter of changing the switch inside the controller. If you require to do this from inside the car, you can install a wiring loom and a 3 position switch, but that would cost more. Also, I didn't think it necessary as I would never go back to standard and I never really invisaged me using the "track" setting on the road, so the "sports" setting is what 99% of people have it set at and so did I. Having said that, I wouldn't have minded trying the "track" setting on the road to see how that went. :D

The exisiting engine mount bush is a rubber bush under the car in the centre and has a centre bolt to hold it in place. The exisiting bush has a number of voids around the centre piece allowing "give" in it for vibration. The aftermarket polyurethane bush has corresponding "knobs" on it which fit into the voids of the exisiting bush and therefore takes up any slack in the exisiting bush. Cost was $99 installed and takes 5 minutes to do.

I had the Haldex and the bush installed by Derek Smith at European Autotech at Mono Vale in Sydney, 9979 4484.

The shiny stuff around the centre consloe can be a bit off utting when the sun shines on it, but I do like the look of it.

[Steve]

I wonder if the "track" setting makes the car drive significantly differently than the "sports" setting - enough to warrant spending the $$ on the in car switch gizmo anyway.

Regarding the engine mount bush, does it have a negative impact on ride quality - excess vibration, noise, etc... or does it leave that alone and just make for smoother gear shifts?

Cheers :)

[Lance B]

I wonder if the "track" setting makes the car drive significantly differently than the "sports" setting - enough to warrant spending the $$ on the in car switch gizmo anyway.

Regarding the engine mount bush, does it have a negative impact on ride quality - excess vibration, noise, etc... or does it leave that alone and just make for smoother gear shifts?

Cheers :)

The track setting would be nice to see how it goes on road. If you decide to get the loom installed, then I would love to know. :D

As for the engine bush addition, it has made no impact on ride quality or vibration as far as I can tell but the gear shifts seem a little smoother and, in most cases, imperceptible. Definitely no worse, IMO.

[Northy]

ill be getting this item fitted to my R36 when it arrives, I'll get the loom too, nothing like having another switch.

[qsilverza]

Pity you didnt jump on the group buy, but its great to hear that the new Passats are being modded. I reckon I might have to jump into one in the not to distant future !

[Steve]

The track setting would be nice to see how it goes on road. If you decide to get the loom installed, then I would love to know. :D

As for the engine bush addition, it has made no impact on ride quality or vibration as far as I can tell but the gear shifts seem a little smoother and, in most cases, imperceptible. Definitely no worse, IMO.
We'll see what happens... I gotta decide if I really want to spend more coin on a car... or spend it elsewhere :)

The engine mount bush sounds good, though. I guess it's reversible if I don't like it...!

[3Putt]

Does the Haldex upgrade make the car quicker?

If so, does it feel $1700 quicker?

For 1700, i reckon i could get an exhaust. Then maybe chipping might up things again (tried GIAC - drove round the block and took it straight back - no change to stock).

Anyone got ideas on a 2-3K performance mod for the 3.2?

[Lance B]

Does the Haldex upgrade make the car quicker?

If so, does it feel $1700 quicker?

For 1700, i reckon i could get an exhaust. Then maybe chipping might up things again (tried GIAC - drove round the block and took it straight back - no change to stock).

Anyone got ideas on a 2-3K performance mod for the 3.2?

Haldex is only quicker in the twisty bits. ;)

The only performance mods that I can think of would be an exhaust system and a chip, but be careful as it may make the car quite different and less enjoyable to drive. By this, I mean that the V6 3.2 has a flat torque area between 2750-3750 of 330Nm and you may move this torque higher up the rev range with a exhaust system. A higher rev point for torque means that you have to rev the engine higher to get it moving, something I jumped out of the Subaru Liberty due to. The Liberty's torque peak is at a heady 4200rpm and required it to be kept on the gas which made it a chore to drive around town. Sure, it went like a scalded cat once you got it going, but it also made it a pain when you wanted to toodle about. The Passat eats it for driveability and is *no slower* off the mark as the 0-100 times are the same.

Having the torque at a lower point also means that the Passat gets to normal city speed limit speeds quicker.

[gareth_oau]

Very True Lance, but torque is only a secondary issue. an exhaust makes it sound a whooooole lot nicer:D

[sukebe]

Does the Haldex upgrade make the car quicker?

If so, does it feel $1700 quicker?

For 1700, i reckon i could get an exhaust. Then maybe chipping might up things again (tried GIAC - drove round the block and took it straight back - no change to stock).

Anyone got ideas on a 2-3K performance mod for the 3.2?

I don't think the Haldex feels $1700 quicker, but it is definitely great bang for buck at this price:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/HALDEX-AWD-Control-Unit-1999-2006-Audi-TT-04-VW-R32_W0QQitemZ180207379092QQcmdZViewItem?_trksid=p3 286.m20.l1116

[Lance B]

Very True Lance, but torque is only a secondary issue. an exhaust makes it sound a whooooole lot nicer:D

LOL. Ain't that the truth! :D

Another reason I like the Passat better than the Liberty is that there is at least some sort of sporty exhaust note with the Passat, but the Liberty was deathly quiet. The Liberty 3.0R B spec is *supposed* to be a sports type car with it's Bilstein shocks, bigger brakes etc, but it had *no* character. The Passat has a nice raspy exhaust note that at least *sounds* like it means business.

[3Putt]

You don't need to talk to me about torque curves - I just jumped out of a Liberty B4!

Had it chipped plus 3" stainless from turbos back - still had that god awful "valley of death" on the dyno charts (not to mention on most upshifts).

BTW, I tried the GIAC chip. It made no difference whatsoever so i had it taken straight back off for a full refund.

Might have to bolt on some hardware first to up the ante on this beast...