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Tony's Black GTI
- Thread starter Tony48
- Start date
Tony48
Go Kart Champion
Thanks! I have a junkyard pair of rear lower control arms that I've sandblasted. They will get powder coated and put back on the car with associated poly bushes at some point (probably right before my next 4-wheel alignment). I plan on installing a rear subframe locking collar kit at that time too.
I don't have any plans for the upper control arms, trailing arms, or toe arms. I don't want to replace all of those bushings with poly ($$$) and don't need any adjustability (so no need to replace the arms themselves). What else is there to do?
EDIT: Looks like aluminum rear knuckles from Passat, TT, CC, Eos, etc. are an option but they add 8-10mm of track width per side. I don't think I'll be able to swing that without rubbing on my 18x8 ET45 setup.
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SoWalGTI
Autocross Champion
Yea, I was referring to the TT parts. This explains why the couple guys I know with it run OEM wheels.
Tony48
Go Kart Champion
After some significant trial and error I was able to get my GTI through Maryland state emissions. I'm going to post my setup here so it can hopefully help someone in the future because I know this is a frustrating issue.
2011 CBFA GTI
CTS K04
ECS Tuning Downpipe w/200 cell metallic cat
Vibrant J spacer (Vibrant p/n 11619) with the medium insert on the post cat sensor. Spacer points toward the front of the car (pic below).
Tune from Stratified - STOCK with codes U1030 & U102F toggled OFF to prevent codes thrown by faulty G611 Radiator Identification Sensor
I had two major issues to overcome:
-The P0420 code caused by my aftermarket downpipe
-The U1030 & U102F codes caused by a faulty G611 Radiator Identification Sensor
This setup allowed all readiness monitors to set after driving around gently for a few days without going into boost. A previous attempt used this same hardware setup but the tune was my current K04 tune with U1030 & U102F toggled OFF. For some reason the Oxygen Sensor monitor would not pass. Switching to the Cobb stock tune or Cobb Stage 1 tune allowed all readiness monitors to set but I still had the CEL for the G611 sensor. Jared to the rescue with the final version of my "emissions tune" which was just a stock tune with U1030 & U102F toggled off.
Glad to have that behind me so I can put the K04 tune back on and have fun.
I purchased a G611 sensor for a Mercedes just in case I couldn't get the tuning to work. You just need to solder the 4 wires to the VW connector (they're color coded so dummy proof, I can provide a link on this forum to someone who successfully made this sensor work). The sensor is for sale if anyone is interested. They're typically quite expensive and difficult to obtain but I snagged one new on eBay. Just want to make some of my money back so it's for sale and I'll make someone a good deal to help them get through emissions or eliminate a pesky CEL.
2011 CBFA GTI
CTS K04
ECS Tuning Downpipe w/200 cell metallic cat
Vibrant J spacer (Vibrant p/n 11619) with the medium insert on the post cat sensor. Spacer points toward the front of the car (pic below).
Tune from Stratified - STOCK with codes U1030 & U102F toggled OFF to prevent codes thrown by faulty G611 Radiator Identification Sensor
I had two major issues to overcome:
-The P0420 code caused by my aftermarket downpipe
-The U1030 & U102F codes caused by a faulty G611 Radiator Identification Sensor
This setup allowed all readiness monitors to set after driving around gently for a few days without going into boost. A previous attempt used this same hardware setup but the tune was my current K04 tune with U1030 & U102F toggled OFF. For some reason the Oxygen Sensor monitor would not pass. Switching to the Cobb stock tune or Cobb Stage 1 tune allowed all readiness monitors to set but I still had the CEL for the G611 sensor. Jared to the rescue with the final version of my "emissions tune" which was just a stock tune with U1030 & U102F toggled off.
Glad to have that behind me so I can put the K04 tune back on and have fun.
I purchased a G611 sensor for a Mercedes just in case I couldn't get the tuning to work. You just need to solder the 4 wires to the VW connector (they're color coded so dummy proof, I can provide a link on this forum to someone who successfully made this sensor work). The sensor is for sale if anyone is interested. They're typically quite expensive and difficult to obtain but I snagged one new on eBay. Just want to make some of my money back so it's for sale and I'll make someone a good deal to help them get through emissions or eliminate a pesky CEL.
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GoodTimesIndeed
Go Kart Champion
Nice, glad to hear! Thank god its only required every two years.
Tony48
Go Kart Champion
Agreed! Should be much easier next time since I've found the setup/tune combo that works (assuming I don't make any drastic changes in the meantime).
torga
Autocross Champion
Man, I decided to read all the way through your thread and you're making me want to spend way too much money! Slowly but surely, I'll love the journey of catching up to guys like you on this forum.
Plus, you've got a wealth of excellent information and cautionary advice that I've earmarked.
Plus, you've got a wealth of excellent information and cautionary advice that I've earmarked.
Tony48
Go Kart Champion
When I bought my car I thought maybe some day I would have coilovers and a downpipe. I stuck around this forum too long and look where that got me!
Pretty much everything I've learned about these cars I've learned on this forum so I've tried to use my build thread to share some of the knowledge I've gained. Glad to hear some of it can be of use.
torga
Autocross Champion
Engine bay back together and looking pretty. Not bad for 126k miles!:
Hey man, what is the brand of your hose from the PCV to IM? It doesn't look OEM and looks very premium.
Tony48
Go Kart Champion
It's actually the stock hose with a piece of PET expandable sleeve & heat shrink. I bought a bunch of different sizes of the stuff because it's really useful for making wiring jobs look clean.
I bought some unbranded stuff but the main brand is called Techflex.
My coolant overflow tank hose got the same treatment.
IMG_20181215_212412 by tonyg37, on Flickr
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uglybastard
Autocross Champion
i really like that