(for those who read, my full mods list is on the first page in my signature link)
yesterday we installed a whole slew of fixes and improvements on my car. this is super exciting and one of my best visits to carson's for work performed fromhim and jay.
General problems and grpes I've had about this car from day one:
* Crappy ebay intercooler fitment obstructing fitment of radiator and AC condensor, making everything slop around and radiator fans eating into upper intake pipe.
* Rough idle, very shaky DSG at takeoff/crawling speeds, clanky downshifts, general loss of smooth crispness characteristics that the DSG is worshipped for
* Rough, shaky ride. Lots of harsh bumps, and everythings translated to interior, which to my best efforts to pad and deaden all rattling culprits of the interior just falls short. Again, build quality was supposed to be one of Volkswagens' best characteristics when people talk about them, and I just am not feeling it.
*Subframe clunks/creaks: When we installed the tyrolsport deadset kit, we had to reinstall the subfram afterwards due to an unforseen issue and had to reuse all of the stretch bolts,so I've had subframe creak for over a year now.
Parts used to address issues:
* Neuspeed FMIC & Stock IC Delete kit
* Torque solutions DSG Dogbone mount
* Koni STR.T Street sport strut package
* Passat B6 Aluminum control arms
* * Install powerflex front control arm bushings and swap powerflex anti-lift kit onto the aluminum control arms
*New subframe hardware and all other bolts being touched pretty much
Jay and Carson excel immensely at knowing these cars in and out, and work very efficiently, knowing all bolt sizes, torque specs, and sequencing required for all jobs. Running into issues caused by other car modifications is clearly part of their forte, as nothing ever seems to really slow them down. For instance, my BSH meth pump bracket turned out to be directly inthe way of the longer FMIC outlet hose; they knew exactly what to do to jerry-rig the pump into a new place perfectly to allow clearance.
RESULTS:
So immediately following the installs i of course had to take her out for a test drive and I was blown away at the results.
The DSG INSTANTLY felt a million times better. No vibration at idle at all. Almost ZERO vibrations crawling and no clunks getting into reverse or first, which I was so used to. Engagements are now buttery smooth, and crisp. I wish I had done this mod the day I got the car, because i thought it was just normal wear and tear at this point, and vibrations were just futile, especially with the O34 mounts all around and HPA Puck insert, and DSG Tune. 10/10 recommend to any DSG car.
Intercooler:
Running the stock IC delete kit completely solved my radiator/condensor fitment issues. Obviously neuspeed is a much better IC than the ebay one (Rev9, godspeed, etc) that I had before.
ONE COMMENT/POSSIBLE ISSUE: Following the FMIC, i now hear a ton more boost noise but very different from the intake noise I'm used to hearing. literally sounds like a whistling jet now, with almost a gusty sound to it. Whistles kind of die off when I let off the gas isntead of sounding like it's all going through the diverter valve. Boost appears to hold strong. Can anyone relate to the noise? I'm guessing the IC not being sandwhiched between the other components is now just allowing me to hear the air passing through the core structure much more?
Aluminum control arms:
~2 lbs lighter, much stiffer than the stamped steel, whats not to like? I already 100% loved the antilift kit, which really helps improve straight line stability, but the new control arm bushings helped alot. You would think stiffer bushings = stiffer (harsher) ride, but like the spherical bushings in the back, i have been proven wrong again. The car feels the road how i want it to now, with none of the shaky car drawbacks i used to deal with.
STR.T Struts:
Never really found any good or bad reviews on these, and was originally planning to go with VWR struts, but those are on backorder, so i went with these.
One of my front struts was leaking a bit, not too bad, the others visually looked OK but I'm at 60000 miles now and lowevered for 10/15k of those. Harsh chicago roads definately take a hard toll on a sporty car. These struts made it ride better than ever, I can confidently say these STR.T's are amazing! I'm not a fan of the orange color on my blue springs but i'm just being a stickler here. The ride feels so amazing now. Really no interior rattles to speak of.
Overall, stuper stoked with everything I did here. No longer considering just 'ending it' with this car, it is 900% better to drive now and would recommend everything i did toanyone.