Well, I guess it is due that I report on my recent modding activities! Apologies for the essay…..in essence I had mods fitted, and they are great!
Last week my plans were finally put into action and I went ahead with the following:
- Revo Stage 2
- APR RSC 3.0†TBE
- Forge DV
- Carbonio intake
- ECS Dogbone Insert
On Monday I had the RSC exhaust, Forge DV, ECS insert and Carbonio fitted at Tuningwerkes in South Croydon. Tuningwerkes are an APR dealer – hence why I did not get the remap done at the same time. Overall, I was very impressed. The exhaust note is amazing and even better than I was expecting. It seemed much louder on my car than the Tuningwerkes demo car that I was taken out in (both MK5 GTi’s). Everyone comments that it is not a stereotypical sound of a Golf, but that it is a very nice sound. Inside the cabin there is NO drone at all. It is quiet when you want it to be, but under WOT it absolutely screams! I could instantly feel the improved throttle response from all of the modifications, and the car really did feel like it was breathing better. Although the exhaust is a 3.0â€, I did not notice a reduction in low end torque, which I kind of expected due to the greater air mass that needed to be moved, combined with not having a map to suit. The car also held onto the torque at the high end revs a little better.
Wednesday came, and it was time to go to JKM for the Revo stage 2. I spoke to Keith the previous week to discuss my plans, and he said that without a high pressure fuel pump (HPFP) the car would not be able to perform to the optimum. He said that the stage 2 software is a much smoother map than stage 1, and is a lot more progressive. But the greater torque figures in the mid range mean that if the car is loaded (i.e. flooring it in 4th/5th on a motorway) then the standard fuel pump cannot cope with the increased fuelling, and the result is misfires and fuel cuts as fuel pressure becomes lower. He said that to combat this, he would have to turn the boost down accordingly so that the fuel pressure did not drop too much. I accepted this as he assured me that the Stage 2 map is so much more driveable and would fully complement the TBE and intake that I had fitted. Keith also said that the Carbonio that I had fitted is much better in terms of reducing potential fuel cut issues than a full CAI and induction system that would require the engine cover being taken off. He said that those systems are the best to go for, but as they bring in so much more air than the Carbonio, they accentuate the fuel pump issues (with a standard pump).
Anyway…got to JKM and Keith took my keys and was out for just over an hour with the car. Before he took the car he said how much he was looking forward to hearing the RSC exhaust – as he had never seen one in real life before. When he came back, his face gave off quite a surprised expression! His first words were something along the lines of:
“You had better be very careful when you get back into your car – it has taken very well to the map and it is a seriously quick car now!â€
He also commented that my choice of exhaust was “spot onâ€, and that he was “extremely impressed by both the sound quality and complete lack of droneâ€. He commented that the Milteks often sound quite boomy, and that the APR was perfect. He also said that the noise produced is very unorthodox for the TFSI engine, but is a really nice sound. Quite an interesting set of comments considering how highly JKM rate the Miltek exhausts!!
His look of surprise regarding the performance of the car shocked me because I thought he did things like this day in day out and my car would be pretty average to him! But upon questioning him, he described how he has only seen very few other GTI’s that have taken to the map as well, and that the result was that the car has been completely transformed.
My verdict: Oh my God. The car is a completely different car to how it was before the map. The pull is incredible in every gear. Ive driven some very fast cars in the past, but the GTI is right up there with the best of them (something that I was not expecting at all).
Traction is a serious problem however. It simply
cannot get the power down in 1st and 2nd. In 3rd it torque steers a bit too, but traction is okish on a smooth road but still not perfect. I guess it’s a case of me getting used to it and modulating the throttle, but I wasn’t expecting it to be as bad as it was!
My final Revo settings were : Boost 6, Timing 6, Fuel 8.
I would love to have a ride in an ED30 with over 300hp from a map – after driving my GTI, I cant imagine how fast an ED30 must be. But surely you guys have major traction problems?!?!?
I think I’ll book a rolling road session at JKM within the next month to see how the car is performing after the map!
The Carbonio intake looks lovely, and Tuningwerkes and JKM have nothing but praise for much it is meant to improve airflow over the OEM intake.
The forge DV is of
MUCH superior quality to the OEM valve – definitely recommended to all.
I can’t feel any difference from the ECS dogbone insert, but I trust that it is doing it’s job well – based upon others that have experience of using it.
I have to give full credit to Tuningwerkes (Reuben) and JKM Portsmouth (Keith) for doing such an excellent job. I would definitely recommend both. Also to Paul at APR UK for putting up with my endless telephone calls!!
Just out of interest…what other MK5 GTI’s (not ED30) are running stage 2 software at the moment? Off the top of my head the only person that I can think of is Red Robin?
Thanks for reading, and I hope that I can be of help to anyone that is currently considering any of the modifications that I have had fitted.
Chris.
