Which Brad Penn oil did you use? Can you post the Lab Report?
Why the Switch to Motul if using Brad Penn? Just curious.
Any regrets building on this particular platform? Instead of going to something AWD like an Evo or something of the like?
I just never quite understood the appeal of having HIGH HP FWD cars. Just curious to your point of view on it.
We all like certain cars I understand, but a project like this? How do you keep the power down? Must have to re learn how to drive all over again.
Just curious.
Everything looks top shelf that your doing. I respect and admire your attention to detail and the quality of the work. Much respect.
:icon_secta:
Jeff
Brad Penn is a partial synthetic with a ZDDP package in it. In terms of engine break-in, I followed a very strict oil break-in procedure slowly moving from conventional oil to synthetic oil:
1) Conventional 5W-40 – after first engine start, we had several oil changes with low boost / low mileage intervals to flush out the engine.
2) Brad Penn Partial Conventional / Partial Synthetic 10W-40 with ZDDP – higher boost / 2,000 mile interval to run higher rpm and boost with the ZDDP protection. Here is the recent Blackstone Labs oil analysis:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mF6XhIvSI1PqwVe1HjFTdJ0qqAF8jif2/view?usp=sharing
3) Motul Sport Ester 5W-50 100% Synthetic Engine Oil – Now with the engine fully broken in, I’m using an ester based synthetic oil for consistent high boost and wear protection. For weekend cars like mine, Ester provides oil adherence to metal surfaces which are not run / circulated daily. The oil weight change is for added cushion for my Audi coated bearings. I will have another Blackstone Labs oil analysis in another 2,000 miles but with winter here it will take a while.
No regrets on building this platform. I’ve been building it since the beginning of 2011 and have learned a ton, from simple bolt on parts to customization to water meth to fueling to tuning. I went stage 1, stage 2, K04, big turbo. My only semi-regret is that I should have gone straight to big turbo. I could have run K04 power levels on stock internals then once the engine was built I could have added fuel and flashed a higher boost file. If anyone is able to make the investment from stock turbo to big turbo, you are not limited in terms of power potential as you fill in the supporting build list (clutch, internals, fuel, etc.). AWD is great don’t get me wrong, but the cars are heavier, sometimes more complex, expensive and there is lost power transfer through all 4 wheels.
In terms of High HP FWD cars, a lot of people don’t plan on adding that much power when they first buy the car. I bought my 4-door GTI as a commuter car and to fit my growing family. Added some parts, added some more, admitted I was bit by the mod bug and went nuts to stay on top of the traction. If you’re willing to do the research and test various suspension parts and setups, there’s no reason why you can’t reign in the power on the street. Going to a big turbo does force you to learn how to drive all over again, but to be honest, the added spool allows for better traction and smooth drivability around town. It’s not like an IHI/K03/K04 with lightning spool where you can roast tires down low all day long. That’s not fast, that’s just fun. Traction is a balance of drivetrain and suspension and it’s taken me years of testing different manufacturers parts and combinations to get it right. Here are the most important excerpts related to traction:
Drivetrain:
034Motorsport Street Density Engine & Transmission Mounts – a must have to lock the engine and trans weight down in the engine bay, aids in wheel hop control.
Bridgestone Potenza RE-71R 245/40/17 Tires – wider and extremely sticky rubber.
APR Pendulum Mount with SuperPro Bushings & Racingline (formerly VWR) Subframe Mount – these go hand in hand and IMO are the biggest improvement to prevent wheel hop and gain gobs of FWD traction.
Peloquin’s Limited Slip Differential – the biggest upgrade for traction dispersion between both front tires.
Suspension:
H&R Front 26mm & Rear 24mm Sway Bars – more for traction in turns but aids in coupling the front tires and the rear tires.
ST Suspensions XTA Coilover Kit – allows me to adjust front camber to -1 degrees as FWD cars go into positive camber (targeting 0) upon acceleration. Allows me to set the front dampers to 75% soft to soak up road imperfections and travel and the rears to 50% stiff to help prevent squat without being too harsh. Allows me to corner balance the car with me inside the driver’s seat so the weight is 50/50 side to side and 60/40 front to back. Equal side to side weight and more weight at the front allows for more traction.
Stern Rear Subframe Brace – keeps the rear subframe locked in place which allows the suspension to work more effectively.
SuperPro Control Arm Kit – includes the anti-lift kit which provides additional caster (shifts the transverse engine weight forward over the front axles and tires).
Swift Rear 400lb Progressive Springs – Prevents rear squat and ultimately front lift on acceleration.
TyrolSport DeadSet Rigid Front Subframe Collar Kit – keeps the rear subframe locked in place which allows the suspension to work more effectively.
TyrolSport DeadSet Rigid Rear Subframe Collar Kit – keeps the rear subframe locked in place which allows the suspension to work more effectively.
TyrolSport Hatch Brace – more for traction in turns but aids in coupling the rear tires.
Unibrace UB – keeps the center of the chassis stiffer which allows the suspension to work more effectively.
Whiteline Rear Trailing Arm Front Bushings – Optimizes rear suspension geometry.
Eventually I’ll replace every suspension bushing with SuperPro bushings.
