Let the tinkering CONCLUDE

[Greg Roles]

OK.

Time to get back to what I really love to do, and that's mess around with my car. Can't let all these young blokes rule the Diesel section!!

I've been quiet on the tinker front this year, all mainly due to Carformance, but what a welcome distraction. It's starting to get properly busy, and Viezu coming onboard allows me to really get all my projects, such as the Sports DPF, cracking.

For this initial post all I've been doing the last few weeks is testing a few race orientated tunes from Viezu, and I have to say the one I have now is a cracker. Amazingly smooth through the typical 1800rpm torque spike - I always thought I wanted to keep that nice wack, but now.... the top end on this tune is just stupid. I took my car out to my favourite 20% long backwater quiet hill, and actually ended up with a new WRX up my arse on the way there through suburbia. Got to the bottom of the hill, planted it, and astoundingly, no more WRX. That shouldn't be possible!

I'm going to refit my 42DD cat back properly, and the holdup on the Sports DPF dump is the core, and a trip to China is on the cards, seems to be the only way to deal with these companies seriously. Astounding you get so much junk email from Asia as a business, yet when you actually want to work with one.....they become difficult!

I've donated my Meth kit to the Viezu Tuner Challenge car, wasn't fitted at the event, but that car is being taken to stage 2 for racing events down in NSW, so it will have a bit of diesel love in it. Have my eye on a newer version (http://www.snowperformance.net/mpg-max-vw-tdi.html) from Snow anyhow ( much as I'm not a fan of Snow and their utter LACK of any form of customer service....) it does seem to be one of the best available.

http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2012/08/productlarge_image94-1.jpg



It's the same as the Stage 3 kit I had, but has a dual jet setup for a broader spread of meth, and that can only be a good thing!

It's also LONG overdue to work on some cosmetic mods, my car still looks stock! I've recently bought a GTI rear bumper, and have a small bodykit planned, some coilovers along the likes of ST or HPA, and some god damn 18" wheels at long last. Throw in some TT control arms thanks to advice from my mate Dave C, and it will almost be ready for a lap of the track.

Hoping this thread is a more eventful one, and get's me to the car I want to drive!!

[team_v]

Looking forward to more updates and the cosmetic ones to match it.

[stormshark]

OK.

Time to get back to what I really love to do, and that's mess around with my car. Can't let all these young blokes rule the Diesel section!!

I've been quiet on the tinker front this year, all mainly due to Carformance, but what a welcome distraction. It's starting to get properly busy, and Viezu coming onboard allows me to really get all my projects, such as the Sports DPF, cracking.

For this initial post all I've been doing the last few weeks is testing a few race orientated tunes from Viezu, and I have to say the one I have now is a cracker. Amazingly smooth through the typical 1800rpm torque spike - I always thought I wanted to keep that nice wack, but now.... the top end on this tune is just stupid. I took my car out to my favourite 20% long backwater quiet hill, and actually ended up with a new WRX up my arse on the way there through suburbia. Got to the bottom of the hill, planted it, and astoundingly, no more WRX. That shouldn't be possible!

I'm going to refit my 42DD cat back properly, and the holdup on the Sports DPF dump is the core, and a trip to China is on the cards, seems to be the only way to deal with these companies seriously. Astounding you get so much junk email from Asia as a business, yet when you actually want to work with one.....they become difficult!

I've donated my Meth kit to the Viezu Tuner Challenge car, wasn't fitted at the event, but that car is being taken to stage 2 for racing events down in NSW, so it will have a bit of diesel love in it. Have my eye on a newer version (http://www.snowperformance.net/mpg-max-vw-tdi.html) from Snow anyhow ( much as I'm not a fan of Snow and their utter LACK of any form of customer service....) it does seem to be one of the best available.

http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2012/08/productlarge_image94-1.jpg



It's the same as the Stage 3 kit I had, but has a dual jet setup for a broader spread of meth, and that can only be a good thing!

It's also LONG overdue to work on some cosmetic mods, my car still looks stock! I've recently bought a GTI rear bumper, and have a small bodykit planned, some coilovers along the likes of ST or HPA, and some god damn 18" wheels at long last. Throw in some TT control arms thanks to advice from my mate Dave C, and it will almost be ready for a lap of the track.

Hoping this thread is a more eventful one, and get's me to the car I want to drive!!

Whens me exhaust coming back, plus with a solution to the DPF problem?

[gecko2k]

Hells yeah.

[Greg Roles]

Whens me exhaust coming back, plus with a solution to the DPF problem?

Mate you are welcome to your delete pipe back, I've all I need from it dimension wise, thanks for the loan. A potential solution is a trip to China away I reckon as per the above.

[jazd]

Doesn't sound very conclusive Greg ;)

[Greg Roles]

Anything you buy from me just got a surcharge! :P

[stormshark]

Mate you are welcome to your delete pipe back, I've all I need from it dimension wise, thanks for the loan. A potential solution is a trip to China away I reckon as per the above.


No worries, a pleasure all in the name of DPF solutions,send it back when able. Seriously though do you have a guaranteed DPF delete remap(that does the job properly) that works if i have the new exhaust rehooked up again?

[Greg Roles]

PM me your address, can send tomorrow. Viezu won't do DPF deletes in Australia, a policy I agree with. Custom Code out of the UK have the only proven DPF delete tune, and I know you know who to contact. If you do so my suggestion is to keep it all quiet, very illegal.

[DkN]

Sounds like things are happening, I'd be happy to assist with the Chinese to bridge the language gap if you need some assistance :wink:

[Greg Roles]

Well I spent today avoiding what I was supposed to be doing, and fitted my 42DD 2.5" cat back properly. I've had it on and off over the years to see how it fits, and it was the very first pipe I bought in back in Nov 2009 when I started importing 42DD. It has held up bloody well. You will notice the only thing that has rusted, and even then it is just so surface and minor are the flange outers, the faces were perfect, and even a few dings in the pipe itself have not rusted. For sure being on a car day in and day out will accelerate that, but this is a near three year old pipe, and it's not been protected at all, sitting on cement mostly!

What I did solve was the fact that TDI's seem to have a more central pipe joiner than the GTI, at least on my MKV anyway. I had to do a bit of rather ugly stick welding, and added 490mm to the stock adaptor in total ( this is from slip join to the flange on the 42DD flanged system ) as these systems are a straight fit on the GTI's, with a slip join just ahead of the back axle. Something for you guys to consider if you want to fit a GTI cat back. Now I have the measurement I can have 42DD make a straight bolt in version by ordering a longer stock adaptor.

http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2012/09/P1010086-1.jpg

http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2012/09/P1010091-1.jpg

I have not fitted the 3" mid pipe with resonator as yet, as it needs to meet up with my proposed dump, and I have a bit of messing around to make that a nice fit. That midpipe is the back half of the 42DD 3" dump system. You will see how the TDI slip join is right in the middle of this mid pipe designed for the GTI's.

http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2012/09/P1010089-1.jpg

http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2012/09/P1010088-1.jpg

So I did some zap -stick - zap - stick - weld finally arc welding, and astoundingly it's exhaust tight. I will never post a picture of my efforts though, even ground down it was pretty poor. Anyway I fitted it all up, hung it all nice, stood back and admired my new shiny tips, and then went for a drive!!

http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2012/09/P1010095-1.jpg


Now I have had the suitcase delete for a few years now, and at the time it made a subtle difference, but it was noticable, and I liked it. 42DD reckon the axle resonator is the restriction, not the suitcase, so I'm going to cut them both open tomorrow and check them out, just to see for myself.

So around my favourite hilly road I go, let the car warm up, and then I step on it, awaiting the burble, that glorious straight through Magnaflow sound.

Nuthin. Not a god damn thing. It's no different, at all, even in the slightest!!

SO, the #$%*@# DPF remains the killjoy, and not even a full straight through cat back makes the DPF equipped diesel sound any better. I'd LOVE to say it was somehow better, but it simply isn't, and yep, I'm rather bummed! I'm happy it is there as I am repping the brand afterall, and when I do finally get my own dump pipe working, it will pay off, but for now, I basically have $800 odd nice tips.

So my advice for all you DPF diesel people is to do a muffler delete, and it's not going to get much better sadly. I wouldn't advise anyone to get a cat back if you have done a suitcase delete, perhaps a 3" system would be a bit better, but the magnaflows are indeed straight through, and make quite a difference on the petrols in 2.5", a bit too much in 3" in my opinion.

Perhaps tomorrow will show which muff to remove, but for now, well what a bummer!!

[Greg Roles]

What was really astonishing, and DOES show how effective a DPF is, are the pictures below, of my 2008 stock pipe insides.

http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2012/09/P1010092-1.jpg


Astoundingly the inside had a small amount of fine dust, but that's it! The outside of the stock pipe was FAR dirtier, not a bit of soot, and even wiping my half dirty fingers inside the pipe didn't make them any dirtier. I was amazed.

As much as they suck for some reasons, by GOD that's clean for a diesel.

[h100vw]

What was really astonishing, and DOES show how effective a DPF is, are the pictures below, of my 2008 stock pipe insides.

http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2012/09/P1010092-1.jpg


Astoundingly the inside had a small amount of fine dust, but that's it! The outside of the stock pipe was FAR dirtier, not a bit of soot, and even wiping my half dirty fingers inside the pipe didn't make them any dirtier. I was amazed.

As much as they suck for some reasons, by GOD that's clean for a diesel.


Wow, that is clean Greg. The inside of the pipes on my S3 are far dirtier.. Pesky DPF!!

Gavin

[Greg Roles]

Well here's the stock axle "resonator" and it doesnlt look overly restrictive to me! Note dual wall casing, but she's basically straight through.....last pic is for anyone with a GTI or petrol VW MKV to see if it is the same unit 42DD reckon is the restriction in the cat back.

http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2012/09/P1010101-1.jpg

http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2012/09/P1010096-1.jpg

http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2012/09/P1010097-1.jpg

http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2012/09/P1010098-1.jpg

http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2012/09/P1010099-1.jpg


Sadly I went to cut up the suitcase "pancake" muffler and it was gone, had forgotten I threw it out ages ago.....damn.

[stormshark]

What was really astonishing, and DOES show how effective a DPF is, are the pictures below, of my 2008 stock pipe insides.

http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2012/09/P1010092-1.jpg


Astoundingly the inside had a small amount of fine dust, but that's it! The outside of the stock pipe was FAR dirtier, not a bit of soot, and even wiping my half dirty fingers inside the pipe didn't make them any dirtier. I was amazed.

As much as they suck for some reasons, by GOD that's clean for a diesel.

Top photography, incredible how clean that is!

[team_v]

It's interesting to see what hte inside of the resonator look like.

To be honest you can see what it isn't the most free flowing of devices (I was expecting it to be hollow withh some diffusers inside but not have the pipe stick in from both ends)

[Greg Roles]

Someone cut up their rear pancake muffler, I want to see one!!

Shame mine is landfill already....

[poyta]

Someone cut up their rear pancake muffler, I want to see one!!

Shame mine is landfill already....

Sold mine a little while ago sorry.

[Mysticality]

Let me start with an apology... I'm a bit of a noob.
There. I said it!!

So...

Pancake muffler = the one at the back?
Suitcase = Middle one(?)
XD

After January I'm going to look closer at the exhaust on my vRS TDI.
From reading this, all I can do is take the two mufflers out?
Got a quote from a local exhaust place, and its about $300 for that.

If this is the case, you're welcome to my old ones!

[team_v]

Let me start with an apology... I'm a bit of a noob.
There. I said it!!

So...

Pancake muffler = the one at the back?
Suitcase = Middle one(?)
XD

After January I'm going to look closer at the exhaust on my vRS TDI.
From reading this, all I can do is take the two mufflers out?
Got a quote from a local exhaust place, and its about $300 for that.

If this is the case, you're welcome to my old ones!

pancake/suitacse = rear muffler
hotdog/resonator = centre muffler

[Greg Roles]

OK decided to stop and take a breather this weekend, and do some more tinkering.

Decided to uncomplicate my electronics, and have decided to drop my temp switch fan for underbonnet air flow, and just stick with the external intercooler spary, even though with water meth injection even that will be rather unecessary. What a nightmare to go back into something you have not touched for several months......but it;s down to just one circuit board now that I will box up properly once I have calibrated the spray, and I need some hot weather to do that.

http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2012/10/P1010170-1.jpg


I reinstalled my water meth kit, as it wasnlt legal to put it on the Viezu tuner entry car, so it came back from Stuart at BMR. Made a nicer install while at it, and upgraded the snow solenioid with the better flowing Devils own one. I'd forgotten just how much better the car goes on plain deionised water, can't wait to get a drum of Methanol and play with that.

I bought one of the cheap rear valences from the guys at Euro Division and I quite like the different look. It fits quite well despite being VERY cheap. Managed to cut a much smaller hole for my tow bar mount, and made the whole thing a lot less noticable, hid the trailer plug below the mount etc. Was a pretty easy swap to be honest, and incredible bang for buck. Still in two minds to leave it alone or colour match it, not sold on the matched look. My rego has changed, as some bastard pinched my plates last time I was out on my MTB. If and when I go personalised, I'll be putting them on with security screws!!

http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2012/10/P1010171-1.jpg


I must admit the 42DD cat back is starting to become more noticable, I guess the packing is blowing out a little, and the car has a definate little growl now around 2000rpm. Nothing major, the DPF is still obviously preventing any noise, but it is better than when I first put it on and noticed nothing at all! Looking foward to my "sports" DPF, and here's hoping it bloody works!!

http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2012/10/P1010172-1.jpg

[Greg Roles]

Well I must say I am liking the cat back - even with the super muffling DPF in place, it's got a nice little growl now that has gotten louder as the muffler packing has "bedded in ", which most certainly used to happen on dirt bikes when we repacked the mufflers.

Been doing a little shopping, and at friggen LONG last the TDI will get some more handling and braking, might even make one of those track days eh Clint? Also just going back to the small Deka's, my you beaut $300 Oddessey didn't last any longer!

Thanks to Martin for his used but mint V3's, and Tim from Dubaddiction for unreal everyday pricing.


http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2012/11/P1010186-1.jpg

[team_v]

Ohhh goodie!
Can't waiut to see how the handling mods go.

[Transporter]

Also just going back to the small Deka's, my you beaut $300 Oddessey didn't last any longer!

What about this battery 1.7kg weight and 600CCA power, SSB PowerSport > Products > Product List (http://www.ssbpowersport.com.au/Products/ProductList/tabid/241/mode/details/pid/419/Default.aspx) ?

I bought the SSB HVT-2, which is just AGM SLA but is small size, light weight (not as the above one) and has 550CCA . Bought it to replace my 6yo Thumper Pack in whch the batteries will need replacing soon.

[benough]

Wow, all those handling mods took me about 3 years to put in!

[Greg Roles]

I'm about to hit year five young fella....

[benough]

Me too! V3's were the best thing I did.

[Greg Roles]

Well I managed to install the Whiteline front sway and steering bush, some of the Tyrol subframe shims and the BSH billet pendulum mount. I decided tackling shocks same day would be ambitious, just the above took all afternoon and into the evening. Biggest hassle was trying to align the subframe bushes, which I just couldn't do, seems the bolt centres on the TDI are a bit off, so I could only effectively install half the bushes, but figure they will still help. Shame. Bet that doesn't happen on the German built cars...

The front sway on medium makes the car incredibly more planted, another obvious difference. I have the rear on max. I was unsure about the need for a front sway, but I'm pleased to say it makes a positive difference.

Just took her for a lap, and WOW the vibration at idle is quite noticable now, figure it's the pendulum mount, the stock one was squishy as compared to the billet one. Certainly takes the car into a more unrefined zone, but my god, plant your foot, and it just launches forward, the whole point really. I'll "test" it a bit more, but I don't doubt this will assist wheel hop as well. At anything over 1000rpm you can't feel any difference, and it gets better once it warms up and the idle is a bit smoother.

Be interesting to see how the Stage one Black Forest engine and trans mounts go.

Astoundingly, given I basically dropped the subframe and messed everything up, the car feels better to drive then it did beforehand, so I may have lucked out aligning it till I can book it in to be done properly. You gotta win sometimes!

[gldgti]

I'm not so sure about those sub-frame bushes.

If you have standard strut top mounts, the only way to correct/adjust the front camber is to move the sub-frame left or right....

I know of the issues some people have had with the subframe moving, but I think this is down to the assembly more than the fact that bushes are required there. More like the bolts need to be all done up properly and hte frame seated so the bolt tension is maintained.

just my 2c :-)

I would like to know if you can give any feedback on wet weather handling changes because of the swaybars :-)

[Greg Roles]

Well the subframe bushes are out, as only having half of them installed made the creaking a lot worse, and when I thought about it, that makes sense. Only having a few tops on, would leave the "untopped" mounting points 1mm shorter, and would change the whole mounting setup, even with such a small difference. Anyway taking them out cured the problem, so I don't think they are needed in my case.

I also decided after two days of vibrating at the lights, I couldn't live with the CNC pendulum mount. Whilst the acceleration and response was markedly improved, the idle at the lights was a bit silly, and well I'm a bit too old to be without some comfort! Would be perfect for the much smoother petrol idle, or a diesel track car, but for daily traffic driving, for me, just too much.

This has also put me off the engine mounts, so there will be a few things for sale in the parts section!

The front matching sway has made the car just perfect in my opinion, and has made the front a lot more solid, yet the stock shocks perform well and the comfort is stil there. I can go around corners a LOT more confidently, and am playing with the front / rear settings to get the understeer / oversteer balance just right. I'd rate the sway bars as a great mod, without messing with the ride too much.

Aydan no idea as to the wet handling - yet to rain while I'm out - but with the rear whiteline solid on max setting, and the front whiteline solid on mid setting, it feels amazingly neutral for a FWD car. With just the rear, when I really pushed it the back end would come out - so oversteer, but now I'm not sure which end will break first - sure feels neutral to me for normal spirited driving.

So for a diesel - be wary of the BIG change more solid mounts make to the low / idle vibration, and sway bars - highly recommended from someone who is very just a daily driver and not a track person.

[Greg Roles]

OK to add a bit more feedback, I'm absolutely stoked with just the sway bar setup, the car is still quite comfortable, yet feels FAR more planted and you can go to the limit of the tyres around corners really easily, and it is actually oversteering nicely for a FWD. I can drift the back if I get too carried away quite easily. So for me, as a daily drive, I'm wrapped.

I'm about to put another pair of tyres on the car, so no doubt having very worn Bridgestones on the rear is a large part of that. I wil get it setup and aligned, and then see what needs tweaking from there. The way it is handling at present REALLY makes me set on getting a RWD/AWD car next, understeer just sucks.

With the newly washed out DPF, the car is back to breaking traction quite noisily, and I'm quite enjoying the drive again. I do look forward to seeing if I can add a sports DPF and a full "delete" tune to the car, but my initial thoughts of LSD's and clutches etc etc.....well, I'm starting to think upgrade rather than more serious mods, as the car is still returnable to stock for now.

See what 2013 brings in way of a recession, and go from there me thinks, I'm liking having no more car repayments at the moment!!!

[team_v]

Sounds like you need an Amarok :P
R/4WD, diesel, able to lug around a whole bunch of stuff.