timneedscoffee10
Go Kart Champion
Side note: how long had my signature read "Unibrace XD?" hahaha. Just saw that. Fixed it. Can't wait to add "RB" when I finally install it.
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TimNeedsCoffee10's Build Thread -
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timneedscoffee10
Go Kart Champion
Laying in wait... Get my car back from INA in about an hour; so just grabbing a quick bite before hand.
Issam said my engine didn't sound too healthy,which has me a bit concerned. I definitely need to clean the intake valves, but he was concerned I may have skipped a tooth on the timing chain :/.
So we'll see. He did the tensioner and guide rails, so hopefully he would have been able to tell for sure?
South Bend Stage 3 Daily silent and SMFW, though - cant wait to drive her again! It's 90 miles of mixed city, highway, then rural driving to get home... Will post impressions later
Issam said my engine didn't sound too healthy,which has me a bit concerned. I definitely need to clean the intake valves, but he was concerned I may have skipped a tooth on the timing chain :/.
So we'll see. He did the tensioner and guide rails, so hopefully he would have been able to tell for sure?
South Bend Stage 3 Daily silent and SMFW, though - cant wait to drive her again! It's 90 miles of mixed city, highway, then rural driving to get home... Will post impressions later
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timneedscoffee10
Go Kart Champion
So... First things first: Issam at INA Engineering. Great guy. Take your car there. Had a couple surprises with the car (busted headlight guide, busted end link, and busted N75 valve) - which introduced a small delay to the project last week... but Issam got the car back to me in ship shape, and honestly it drives better than it has in a while.
When Issam picked up my car, he immediately noticed a power delivery problem - and diagnosed a bad N75 valve. So with that resolved, hopefully my overboost and limp mode issues will be gone. I'm going to drive around in stock pgm for a while to break in the clutch - and then we'll see.
The clutch is killer - very stiff pedal feel, fast engagement, and reduced travel in the pedal. The SMFW is noisy, but with AC off and radio on at idle it's tolerable. I think the SPM mounts exaggerate the problem. Driving, though, is incredible. My stock clutch was completely burnt out and had no friction material left in the pads (will post pics tomorrow), so no big shock it's an enormous improvement.
Only weird surprise was a busted end link - I wonder if I hit a speed bump too hard when I dropped the car off for him? I suspect I would have noticed a front end clunk from it, and it hasn't been long sing I had the front wheels off - surely I would have noticed? But no matter.
Next up: suspension! Then, man... I'm done for a while. Too much too soon this modding season
time to drive, and enjoy
When Issam picked up my car, he immediately noticed a power delivery problem - and diagnosed a bad N75 valve. So with that resolved, hopefully my overboost and limp mode issues will be gone. I'm going to drive around in stock pgm for a while to break in the clutch - and then we'll see.
The clutch is killer - very stiff pedal feel, fast engagement, and reduced travel in the pedal. The SMFW is noisy, but with AC off and radio on at idle it's tolerable. I think the SPM mounts exaggerate the problem. Driving, though, is incredible. My stock clutch was completely burnt out and had no friction material left in the pads (will post pics tomorrow), so no big shock it's an enormous improvement.
Only weird surprise was a busted end link - I wonder if I hit a speed bump too hard when I dropped the car off for him? I suspect I would have noticed a front end clunk from it, and it hasn't been long sing I had the front wheels off - surely I would have noticed? But no matter.
Next up: suspension! Then, man... I'm done for a while. Too much too soon this modding season
time to drive, and enjoy
timneedscoffee10
Go Kart Champion
Mounted my new Thule Force L cargo carrier today -- looks good! And it's surprisingly quiet. Got up to highway speeds, and noticed no increased wind noise. Stopped for a second, though, and got out of the car - and the poor cargo box was rattling like mad thanks to my SPM mounts .
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timneedscoffee10
Go Kart Champion
Man -- it's been a busy month, and my poor GTI has been suffering for it. I'm taking her on a 1600 mile road trip this week, from northern NY, to Columbus OH, to Lousiville KY, and back - for work... will be my first "big" trip (>300 miles) with the K04 and South Bend Stage 3, and I can't wait to hit some wide open road. The laptop is charging so I can do some data logging pulls too. Since Issam @ INA Engineering replaced my N75, I haven't had any problems at all - but would like to capture some logs to get a baseline for future reference.
Funny story - today I changed the oil in my wife's 2012 5spd manual 2.5L Jetta SE - which I haven't driven since months before I had my clutch installed in the GTI. So I jump in the driver seat, clutch-down and start the engine - and had this very bizarre experience where my clutch-foot was pinned to the floor - and I could not lift it up.
The effect was similar to when you stand in a door jamb and press your arms outwards against the sides, as hard as you can, for several minutes, and then your arms seem to float when you let go.
My left leg has become so accustomed to getting "pushed" off the floor with the stage 3 pressure plate that I literally couldn't function on a stock clutch anymore... it was quite strange, and very disturbing all at the same time. Getting that car up on ramps in my garage was actually quite a challenge!!
So yeah - while I feel like my new clutch is normal, and requires no additional effort -- apparently it's still quite a beast and I've just adapted.
Funny story - today I changed the oil in my wife's 2012 5spd manual 2.5L Jetta SE - which I haven't driven since months before I had my clutch installed in the GTI. So I jump in the driver seat, clutch-down and start the engine - and had this very bizarre experience where my clutch-foot was pinned to the floor - and I could not lift it up.
The effect was similar to when you stand in a door jamb and press your arms outwards against the sides, as hard as you can, for several minutes, and then your arms seem to float when you let go.
My left leg has become so accustomed to getting "pushed" off the floor with the stage 3 pressure plate that I literally couldn't function on a stock clutch anymore... it was quite strange, and very disturbing all at the same time. Getting that car up on ramps in my garage was actually quite a challenge!!
So yeah - while I feel like my new clutch is normal, and requires no additional effort -- apparently it's still quite a beast and I've just adapted.
timneedscoffee10
Go Kart Champion
Finally getting to do my springs and struts this weekend! Here's a picture in progress... My newly assembled driver side Koni FSD with SPM spring, Audi TT upper mount, and new bearing and dust boot; along side my stock passenger assembly.
timneedscoffee10
Go Kart Champion
Hey man - thanks! Doesn't feel brilliant right now, since I can't get my front suspension reassembled; but I'm glad you like what I've done with her! I live in a very rural area, with no other GTIs in sight unless I'm on a road trip out of town... so this place is all the exposure (/validation) my car gets
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timneedscoffee10
Go Kart Champion
Installed my KONI FSD struts and DriveSPM springs this weekend, along with all new hardware, and Audi TT upper strut mounts. I was a bit worried going with the FSD struts, and was prepared to have to do this all over again when I sold them to get KONI Yellows -- but I'm thrilled my choice and very happy with the car!
Here's some stance shots after about 30 miles...
The drop is pretty noticeable
I'm taking a road trip to New Hampshire this week for work, and will post detailed impressions afterwards. Initial impressions are very positive: the car is definitely not "floaty" (I'd read some FSD reviews complaining about that); rather, it's very firm, but not harsh at all. Road imperfections are virtually imperceptible, and rail road tracks, breaks in pavement, man holes, etc, are all handled very smoothly. She's much flatter into turns now compared to stock, and holds the road very well still.
I get an alignment tomorrow morning, and I'll really get on it a bit on my way out to NH this week. So far, it's an awesome combo, though!
Here's some stance shots after about 30 miles...
The drop is pretty noticeable
I'm taking a road trip to New Hampshire this week for work, and will post detailed impressions afterwards. Initial impressions are very positive: the car is definitely not "floaty" (I'd read some FSD reviews complaining about that); rather, it's very firm, but not harsh at all. Road imperfections are virtually imperceptible, and rail road tracks, breaks in pavement, man holes, etc, are all handled very smoothly. She's much flatter into turns now compared to stock, and holds the road very well still.
I get an alignment tomorrow morning, and I'll really get on it a bit on my way out to NH this week. So far, it's an awesome combo, though!
Attachments
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IMG_0865.jpg
timneedscoffee10
Go Kart Champion
Wanted to put these two side by side... The angle varies a bit, but you can see the difference in suspension height:
Stock:
DriveSPM after about 20 miles:
DriveSPM after about 150 miles:
Stock:
DriveSPM after about 20 miles:
DriveSPM after about 150 miles:
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timneedscoffee10
Go Kart Champion
The springs settled in a good bit on my drive today (300 miles or so). The fender is about 1.5 fingers from the top of the wheel. I'm going to update the previous post with a third shot from the angle (standing height) to compare stock to new install to settled in - but not until after it stops raining.
Here's one where I was about at wheel height.
And close ups of the passenger wheels...
Here's one where I was about at wheel height.
And close ups of the passenger wheels...
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timneedscoffee10
Go Kart Champion
So I drove 291 miles on the new springs today... pictures of the settled in height are above. The drive took me through a variety of road types including rural highways, small town back roads, interstates, and construction zones. Overall, the suspension held up really, really well with one exception: dips at speed.
Several times I'd approach a small overpass, over a creek or stream, and there would be a moderate dip just before the bridge. Hitting these at speed caused the struts to bottom out (seemed like the wheels would drop going into the dip, and then the car would drop just as the wheels were coming up on the other side of it). These hit pretty hard, and I'm learning to be cautious of them.
Other than that - everything was really nice. Smooth ride, firm response, and very little harshness (except for those dips). The KONI FSD struts are not recommended for use with lowering springs, because they do not perform well in the bump stops - and I suspect that's the situation I'm encountering here. For me, I think this is a solid trade off, though, for the general "touring" feel at highway speeds, and sporty responsiveness in the twisties.
Several times I'd approach a small overpass, over a creek or stream, and there would be a moderate dip just before the bridge. Hitting these at speed caused the struts to bottom out (seemed like the wheels would drop going into the dip, and then the car would drop just as the wheels were coming up on the other side of it). These hit pretty hard, and I'm learning to be cautious of them
.Other than that - everything was really nice. Smooth ride, firm response, and very little harshness (except for those dips). The KONI FSD struts are not recommended for use with lowering springs, because they do not perform well in the bump stops - and I suspect that's the situation I'm encountering here. For me, I think this is a solid trade off, though, for the general "touring" feel at highway speeds, and sporty responsiveness in the twisties.
timneedscoffee10
Go Kart Champion
She's settled even further over the past 100 miles since I posted last night... the height is now less than two fingers between the wheel and fender. I'll post more pictures after I get home on Friday...
In the meantime, I hooked up my VAGCOM this morning to try to diagnose a pulsing cold-start idle, and discovered both my pre- and post- cat O2 sensors are shot, and subsequently that the replacement sensors have been consolidated into a "universal fit" requiring you to cut + splice wires back onto the factory connector! So that's bullshit. Here's the part numbers (note: ccta engine only...)
Even though the Bosch is "submersible," solder less, and OEM - I decided against them. I'm not ok cutting + splicing O2 sensor wires... so I went with the NGK/NTK sensors instead. Their website doesn't explicitly list them for the 2011 MY, but has them for 2010 CCTA engines as follows:
Amazon had them at roughly the same price ($175 give or take for the pair), which is cheaper than the stealership and my standard go-tos (ecs: $195 for bosch oe, german auto parts: $350 for VW branded), so it was a no-brainer. And since Amazon's "part finder" thingy guaranteed the fit, I'm confident I can return if needed.
So I guess this weekend I'll do that, and also get some MAF cleaner just incase, and also finally install my Unibrace RB!
In the meantime, I hooked up my VAGCOM this morning to try to diagnose a pulsing cold-start idle, and discovered both my pre- and post- cat O2 sensors are shot, and subsequently that the replacement sensors have been consolidated into a "universal fit" requiring you to cut + splice wires back onto the factory connector! So that's bullshit. Here's the part numbers (note: ccta engine only...)
- Pre-Cat: Bosch 17270 (direct fit)
- Post-Cat: Bosch 15733 ("universal fit": aka, cut & splice)
Even though the Bosch is "submersible," solder less, and OEM - I decided against them. I'm not ok cutting + splicing O2 sensor wires... so I went with the NGK/NTK sensors instead. Their website doesn't explicitly list them for the 2011 MY, but has them for 2010 CCTA engines as follows:
- Pre-Cat: NTK 24326 (direct fit)
- Post-Cat: NTK 25675 (direct fit)
Amazon had them at roughly the same price ($175 give or take for the pair), which is cheaper than the stealership and my standard go-tos (ecs: $195 for bosch oe, german auto parts: $350 for VW branded), so it was a no-brainer. And since Amazon's "part finder" thingy guaranteed the fit, I'm confident I can return if needed.
So I guess this weekend I'll do that, and also get some MAF cleaner just incase, and also finally install my Unibrace RB!
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timneedscoffee10
Go Kart Champion
Swapped out the O2 sensors this morning, and not surprisingly the car is driving better all around... Smoother idle, stronger pulls. I suspect the timing retardation I saw in my early K04 logs was due to the bad sensors... Will have to do some data logging again soon.
Here's the old and new sensors side by side:
Pre cat
Post cat
Here's the old and new sensors side by side:
Pre cat
Post cat
timneedscoffee10
Go Kart Champion
Took out my cat-back today so I could paint the suitcase... while it was out, I *finally* got to install my Unibrace RB. I've never had a part fit to such exacting standards before - there is not an extra millimeter of play in ANY direction with this thing. Very, very impressive, but also a major pain in the balls to get into place!!
Spent a good bit of time thinking I'd have to remove the sway bar, too, because I couldn't get the brace past it - but after a quick break, and a little more fidgeting, it just slipped right into place. I understand if I had virtually any cat-back other than stock, I wouldn't have had to remove the suitcase either...
Spent a good bit of time thinking I'd have to remove the sway bar, too, because I couldn't get the brace past it - but after a quick break, and a little more fidgeting, it just slipped right into place. I understand if I had virtually any cat-back other than stock, I wouldn't have had to remove the suitcase either...
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