Dr. Kenneth Noisewater
Ready to race!
- Location
- Rhode Island
This is mostly for my own record and notes, and so that other's can find it via Google if they consider the parts I have chosen to use. I'm going to keep things pretty shorthand, so if anything isn't clear I'm more than open to criticism. This car is primarily a daily driver that I am going to slowly transform into a mild autocrosser.
All work is done by me and my friend who is a former DSM lunatic, except where noted.
Cheers.
The Car
> 2015 GTI SE 4-Door: Not many PP cars available in March 2015 in my area. Shopping for a car, without a car, is a challenge.
> DSG: Traffic and power handling (400bhp-ish), knew I was going to tune. I can do the DSG service and coding myself. Almost bought a manual, but I love the DSG and do not regret this decision. I'll grab an old manual 3 series someday to get my rowing kick.
> Night Blue Metallic: Very pretty, gets dirty easy, looks incredible polished and waxed (reminds me of a nice black metallic paint)
> Lighting Package: I love it, love it, love it. Turned the NA restrictions off and it now raises above 50 or so. When I turn my high beams on and hit an offramp at night at 60, they lead my path perfectly. (Don't do this, it's dumb)
> Monster Mats: These are good, not exceptional, the trunk liner with velcro cargo blocks wear out quickly.
> VW Sunshade: Really nice, not expensive, made by Coverking.
> Pirelli Cinturato P7 A/S: Pretty comfortable tire at first, grip is mediocre like any all season, they were horrible by 25K in every way.
> USP stick on billet paddle extensions: Just OK, pretty overpriced at $60 or so for what they are. They interfere with the left or right stalks if turning while pulling towards driver. Would skip, I'll be removing these on the next hot day when the adhesive is warm.
> S2T Black Anodized Paddle Shifter: Much better than the stick-ons. Great feeling on your fingertips and no interference the the stalk. Install took about 3 minutes and required minimal effort and pair of needlenose pliers. Expensive but I'm really happy with these.
> Analog P3 Gauge: This is not their $400 VIDI gauge, I just wanted a dumb analog boost gauge with a MAX function. This is a nice gauge, well made, and stands out, leading to conversations which get tiring after a while. Almost as bad as the "is that AWD?" questions. The instructions and documentation are nonexistent, and the software is about as intuitive as multivariable calculus. This was very, very frustrating, I yelled a lot... but after a few months I had figured it all out. Other drivers can clearly see the bright LED boost gauge glowing red from lanes to your left since it sits right above the bottom of the window. I am ashamed to admit how much I enjoy that. You can see it in the picture above.
> ECS manifold boost tap: This requires permanently punching a hole in your manfold, and it not for the faint if heart. But it is easy and works well. I ran the vacuum line under the battery and through the grommet in the firewall. This part can be tricky. Gauge and tap work together well. Originally had a MAP spacer tap, was told by pretty much every tuner this was a bad idea and would screw things up.
> Unitronic Stage 1+ ECU tune with Stage 1 TCU and Uniconnect: Tuned at 20K, 25K miles since, no issues, great results from Blackstone Labs after 10,000 (dealer OE Castrol) and 7,500 (LiquiMoly High Tech 5W-40) mile intervals. They told me to go back to 10K, and I don't drive like a granny.
Tune continued:
Linear throttle response, much less turbo spool under 2500RPM due to timing based tune (some may see that as a negative but I don't). I've seen maybe 3.5-4.0 higher max PSI manifold over stock reading from an analog boost guage. Ignoring spikes, stock 19PSI to tuned 22.5/23PSI. It will occasionally spike higher for both but only for a fraction of a second according to VCS logs. My super gear-head friend says that it's a pressure wave or something and isn't really that high, I'll take his word for it.
John from Uni is great and I spoke with him on the phone before flashing. He helped outline some precautions and went over contingencies if anything went wrong. Nothing did.
This made the car appreciably faster, sometimes downright scary when you remember it's FWD... and I don't have an LSD. This tune is very well designed with regards to the engineering tolerances from the factory.
> OZ Omnia wheels: 18x8, the included spacers did not contact the MQB tapered hub well, so I replaced them with some I found on Amazon (BSD Wholesale, about $10 and high quality). Bought from tire rack, one wheel had high road force, but TR reimbursed me for it. This is a handsome wheel and many have commented that they look like 19s even though they are only 18. Pretty light at 21lbs, compared to stock 25lb Austins. It's definitely noticable since the wheel seems to move with the shock more easily. These could be a decent budget track wheel, but I bought them because they are handsome and well made.
> Continental ExtremeContact DW summers: Good tires, incredible in the wet. Excellent turn in and lateral grip. Firm and communicative. Quiet. Vibration when sitting overnight in temps below 50, takes about 4 miles to warm up, I assume this is from slight flat-spotting. Not a deal breaker but definitely a little frustrating. I like them enough that my next set will probably be their replacement, the ExtremeContact Sports.
> Unitronic CF intake: Probably little gain at this power level, but the noise... oh my. The carbon fiber acts like a resonating chamber and makes a very pleasant pulsating induction burble when in boost, and lets through a pretty significant hiss from the diverter valve at lift off. This has been so far my favorite upgrade, sounds great in a tunnel.
> 034 Dogbone insert: Does it's job well, I haven't noticed any wheel hop. Definitely a little uncomfortable with the DSG in D, but much better in S or manual mode. The engine sounds a bit louder, and you will get some resonance in the cabin. There was enough rattling and buzzing that I nearly took it off, but the Fluidampr i talk about next really took the edge off it. I'm probably going to keep it on. The biggest benefit is in manual mode: since the engine doesn't rock as much, 1st and 2nd gear are much more comfortable if you have to lift off or intermittently accelerate. Before this the engine rocking would shift the car and then shift my body weight, making my foot bounce on the gas pedal. This lead to an uncomfortable back and forth rocking I hated when stock.
> Fluidampr: Highly recommended. This made the dogbone much more livable, and made the car feel a bit more eager to rev. I feel like I've lost a little power below, say, 2500, rpm. But the improvements in top end more than make up for it. It's entirely possible this is in my head, but I am somewhat confident in these statements. This is my second favorite modification, though probably wouldn't be without the additional 80 or so horsepower from the tune. So... tie?
> Michelin Alpin PA4 winters: These are solid winter tires. I wanted high performance in the dry and wet, along with good snow traction. These fit the bill nicely. The only downside, and I'm reaching here, is a little bit of noise when turning at low speed on dry pavement, but it's a pretty aggressive tread pattern so this is to be expected.
> Koni FSD shocks: Very smooth, slightly better than stock even when dropped an inch. Squat and dive have been virtually eliminated and it feels like I installed stiffer sway bars as the car stays flat.
> Eibach Pro-Kit springs: Pretty good for a progressive spring. It retains good ride quality but stiffens up nicely in corners. The one inch drop might be bullshit, it looks the same as VWR/Neuspeed to me. I'd probably go with a linear spring if I could do it all over again. There is no negative rake with this spring, but my car is DSG with a sunroof so that weight may impact this. Wheels picture above shows drop.
> EBC USR Slotted Rotors: Got these to keep the pads even as I had some uneven pad wear of my stock set. So far so good. They look really nice too with the black Geomet coating.
> EBC Yellowstuff Pads: These noticably improve braking, but the break in coating is very dusty and they do squeal when hot from time to time. They feel a lot stronger than my stock pads, and I didn't do a flush at the time to keep it apples to apples.
Future:
WaveTrac (2018)
Neuspeed 340mm 6 Piston BBK (with PP rotors)
PP Rear Brakes
SuperPro Mounts, Bushings, and Sways
A3 Aluminum Subframe
Stage 2 maybe
Exhaust maybe
Big turbo, big maybe
All work is done by me and my friend who is a former DSM lunatic, except where noted.
Cheers.
The Car
> 2015 GTI SE 4-Door: Not many PP cars available in March 2015 in my area. Shopping for a car, without a car, is a challenge.
> DSG: Traffic and power handling (400bhp-ish), knew I was going to tune. I can do the DSG service and coding myself. Almost bought a manual, but I love the DSG and do not regret this decision. I'll grab an old manual 3 series someday to get my rowing kick.
> Night Blue Metallic: Very pretty, gets dirty easy, looks incredible polished and waxed (reminds me of a nice black metallic paint)
> Lighting Package: I love it, love it, love it. Turned the NA restrictions off and it now raises above 50 or so. When I turn my high beams on and hit an offramp at night at 60, they lead my path perfectly. (Don't do this, it's dumb)
> Monster Mats: These are good, not exceptional, the trunk liner with velcro cargo blocks wear out quickly.
> VW Sunshade: Really nice, not expensive, made by Coverking.
> Pirelli Cinturato P7 A/S: Pretty comfortable tire at first, grip is mediocre like any all season, they were horrible by 25K in every way.
> USP stick on billet paddle extensions: Just OK, pretty overpriced at $60 or so for what they are. They interfere with the left or right stalks if turning while pulling towards driver. Would skip, I'll be removing these on the next hot day when the adhesive is warm.
> S2T Black Anodized Paddle Shifter: Much better than the stick-ons. Great feeling on your fingertips and no interference the the stalk. Install took about 3 minutes and required minimal effort and pair of needlenose pliers. Expensive but I'm really happy with these.
> Analog P3 Gauge: This is not their $400 VIDI gauge, I just wanted a dumb analog boost gauge with a MAX function. This is a nice gauge, well made, and stands out, leading to conversations which get tiring after a while. Almost as bad as the "is that AWD?" questions. The instructions and documentation are nonexistent, and the software is about as intuitive as multivariable calculus. This was very, very frustrating, I yelled a lot... but after a few months I had figured it all out. Other drivers can clearly see the bright LED boost gauge glowing red from lanes to your left since it sits right above the bottom of the window. I am ashamed to admit how much I enjoy that. You can see it in the picture above.
> ECS manifold boost tap: This requires permanently punching a hole in your manfold, and it not for the faint if heart. But it is easy and works well. I ran the vacuum line under the battery and through the grommet in the firewall. This part can be tricky. Gauge and tap work together well. Originally had a MAP spacer tap, was told by pretty much every tuner this was a bad idea and would screw things up.
> Unitronic Stage 1+ ECU tune with Stage 1 TCU and Uniconnect: Tuned at 20K, 25K miles since, no issues, great results from Blackstone Labs after 10,000 (dealer OE Castrol) and 7,500 (LiquiMoly High Tech 5W-40) mile intervals. They told me to go back to 10K, and I don't drive like a granny.
Tune continued:
Linear throttle response, much less turbo spool under 2500RPM due to timing based tune (some may see that as a negative but I don't). I've seen maybe 3.5-4.0 higher max PSI manifold over stock reading from an analog boost guage. Ignoring spikes, stock 19PSI to tuned 22.5/23PSI. It will occasionally spike higher for both but only for a fraction of a second according to VCS logs. My super gear-head friend says that it's a pressure wave or something and isn't really that high, I'll take his word for it.
John from Uni is great and I spoke with him on the phone before flashing. He helped outline some precautions and went over contingencies if anything went wrong. Nothing did.
This made the car appreciably faster, sometimes downright scary when you remember it's FWD... and I don't have an LSD. This tune is very well designed with regards to the engineering tolerances from the factory.
> OZ Omnia wheels: 18x8, the included spacers did not contact the MQB tapered hub well, so I replaced them with some I found on Amazon (BSD Wholesale, about $10 and high quality). Bought from tire rack, one wheel had high road force, but TR reimbursed me for it. This is a handsome wheel and many have commented that they look like 19s even though they are only 18. Pretty light at 21lbs, compared to stock 25lb Austins. It's definitely noticable since the wheel seems to move with the shock more easily. These could be a decent budget track wheel, but I bought them because they are handsome and well made.
> Continental ExtremeContact DW summers: Good tires, incredible in the wet. Excellent turn in and lateral grip. Firm and communicative. Quiet. Vibration when sitting overnight in temps below 50, takes about 4 miles to warm up, I assume this is from slight flat-spotting. Not a deal breaker but definitely a little frustrating. I like them enough that my next set will probably be their replacement, the ExtremeContact Sports.
> Unitronic CF intake: Probably little gain at this power level, but the noise... oh my. The carbon fiber acts like a resonating chamber and makes a very pleasant pulsating induction burble when in boost, and lets through a pretty significant hiss from the diverter valve at lift off. This has been so far my favorite upgrade, sounds great in a tunnel.
> 034 Dogbone insert: Does it's job well, I haven't noticed any wheel hop. Definitely a little uncomfortable with the DSG in D, but much better in S or manual mode. The engine sounds a bit louder, and you will get some resonance in the cabin. There was enough rattling and buzzing that I nearly took it off, but the Fluidampr i talk about next really took the edge off it. I'm probably going to keep it on. The biggest benefit is in manual mode: since the engine doesn't rock as much, 1st and 2nd gear are much more comfortable if you have to lift off or intermittently accelerate. Before this the engine rocking would shift the car and then shift my body weight, making my foot bounce on the gas pedal. This lead to an uncomfortable back and forth rocking I hated when stock.
> Fluidampr: Highly recommended. This made the dogbone much more livable, and made the car feel a bit more eager to rev. I feel like I've lost a little power below, say, 2500, rpm. But the improvements in top end more than make up for it. It's entirely possible this is in my head, but I am somewhat confident in these statements. This is my second favorite modification, though probably wouldn't be without the additional 80 or so horsepower from the tune. So... tie?
> Michelin Alpin PA4 winters: These are solid winter tires. I wanted high performance in the dry and wet, along with good snow traction. These fit the bill nicely. The only downside, and I'm reaching here, is a little bit of noise when turning at low speed on dry pavement, but it's a pretty aggressive tread pattern so this is to be expected.
> Koni FSD shocks: Very smooth, slightly better than stock even when dropped an inch. Squat and dive have been virtually eliminated and it feels like I installed stiffer sway bars as the car stays flat.
> Eibach Pro-Kit springs: Pretty good for a progressive spring. It retains good ride quality but stiffens up nicely in corners. The one inch drop might be bullshit, it looks the same as VWR/Neuspeed to me. I'd probably go with a linear spring if I could do it all over again. There is no negative rake with this spring, but my car is DSG with a sunroof so that weight may impact this. Wheels picture above shows drop.
> EBC USR Slotted Rotors: Got these to keep the pads even as I had some uneven pad wear of my stock set. So far so good. They look really nice too with the black Geomet coating.
> EBC Yellowstuff Pads: These noticably improve braking, but the break in coating is very dusty and they do squeal when hot from time to time. They feel a lot stronger than my stock pads, and I didn't do a flush at the time to keep it apples to apples.
Future:
WaveTrac (2018)
Neuspeed 340mm 6 Piston BBK (with PP rotors)
PP Rear Brakes
SuperPro Mounts, Bushings, and Sways
A3 Aluminum Subframe
Stage 2 maybe
Exhaust maybe
Big turbo, big maybe
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