2015 GTI problem child

[Zer0DazE]

My Neuspeed Power Module arrived today. In case anyone reads this before installing one, jack up the car and remove the splash guard. That is what I didn't do, and it took 30-40 min to get that lower harness off. The 10 min I would have spent jacking the car up would have easily saved me 20+ min and some few F bombs.

After getting it in I went for a ride (15-20 min), meh... then I drove to work (17 min), meh... and then I drove home from work, and the car woke up. It is a very noticeable boost in the mid range, and a little at the top; thought you can still feel that the turbo is just running out of breath over 6k.

All in all I would say it's a good mod. They are on the secondary market for mid 200's, installs with 2 clips (my wife could have installed it), and is easily removed for any dealer/warranty work, I give it a thumbs up.

I will pair it with a downpipe later in the year, but first I need bring the ride height down a bit, and either buy a second set of wheels with snows or put the B16 I have in the Civic chassis in my shop for a winter beater. Either way I think I will come out about the same in parts cost.

 

[Zer0DazE]

The problem child has been less problematic over the last couple of weeks, and as such I decided to reward it for the good behavior.

First off, I ordered parts from a few different vendors, FAS Tuning (drop shipped from Emmanuel Designs), ECS Tuning, and Mitch. Mitch and FAS shipped and provided tracking same day. My order from ECS was just placed today, and hopefully they have the same, or similar, outstanding service as the other companies listed. Big thumbs up to those guys.

The Circuit Werks (Mitch pipe) downpipe was ordered Friday morning, and just arrived today. I am supposed to help a friend with a misfire issue on his Accord tomorrow, but will try to get the downpipe installed before he gets here.

Late this week/early next week I expect to receive a K&N drop in filter, Emmanuel Designs intake hose, and Emmanuel Designs lowering springs. I have a couple weeks off starting Monday, so I will need to make some time to install the springs.

I will probably pick up a few more small parts this year like dog bone insert, maybe a turbo inlet, and a turbo muffler delete/turbo discharge. The wheels will stay until next summer, this year I will be looking at 16" wheels with winter rubber.

 

[Zer0DazE]

Woke up this morning, had a pot of coffee, and got motivated. Out to the shop I went all bright eyed and bushy tailed to install my shiny new downpipe. What a pain in the ass.

I knew going in to this that the old one was going to be stubborn coming out, but I didn't expect the new one to fight me as much as it did. Being a Chinese part I should have seen it coming.

The rear hangers don't line up properly, but worked with a little persuasion. In the future I will need to remove the rear section for a few more tweaks to the hangers. I still had to force things into place a little to get the v-band flange to sit flat before tightening everything up.

The threads in the O2 bung needed to be chased, and once installed I am not real thrilled with the placement of the sensor. It rubs against the heat shielding under the car. Had the bung been placed a little more towards the driver's side it would have had plenty of room.

I believe that had they used a longer flex pipe the fit would be better without the use of so much force. All of the extra work added an hour to what should have been a 1.5-2 hour job.

When I fired it up it leaked a bit at the v-band, so I tightened it a bit more. It isn't superhero strength tight, but I wouldn't want to turn that bolt much more. At idle it sounds good and I gave it a couple of revs and liked what I heard. It's pouring rain out, so I am going to wait and hope it stops later today before taking it for a ride.

 

[Zer0DazE]

Got out and drove it a little yesterday after the rain stopped. It's not noticeable at idle or cursing at highway speeds; however, it is very noticeable over 2500 rpm during acceleration (daily driving or aggressive). Around town it can be a little obnoxious if you're not shifting early.

I found it was vibrating something between the driver's foot well and center console. So I climbed back under it this beautiful 80* sunny morning.

I removed the original clamp that joined the 2 halves with a slip clamp, I had a couple left over from a previous turbo Honda project. I figured the vibrating was coming from the O2 that was too close to the heat shield, so I made a little extra room for it.

Now only the covered bit of the wires barely touches.

The replacement clamp

plenty of room there. I have at least 1/2" of clearance.

After some adjustments I still have a little vibration, but only in 1st if I bog the car down from a stop. I think it might be from the upper half bumping the heat shield on the ABS.

In this pic you can see the small protrusion at the bottom of the heat shield. I think that may be where it is touching and giving me a rattle in the cabin. I am thinking that the dog bone insert might stiffen thing up enough to resolve the issue.

You can also see that I have the v-band about as tight as it will get. I'm going to have to get another OEM one for when I take it in for service, and will probably replace this one with one from ATP.

The mid range has a noticeable improvement. I don't really feel it at the top end, but I think the mid range feel of this engine and turbo combo over shadow the lack luster to end.

While I am typing this, the UPS guy just dropped off some packages. Hopefully they are my new intake parts.

Going forward I think I will start working towards a IS38 turbo upgrade. I figure I can collect and install the upgrades I need/want over the next year and have it ready for the turbo next summer. That should open up the top end without sacrificing much in the mid range.

So it looks like I will need to add a clutch, pressure plate, and flywheel to the list of stuff I need. A friend of mine at Cobb says they should have a tuning solution late this year. I really like their access port and tuning options.

I have also come to realize that working on the ground sucks. I have been spoiled for years with access to a lift, but recently I moved to MI and no longer have that luxury... though I do have a large shop that came with the house I purchased, and I started shopping for a lift last night (the wife gave me the ok).

I could go with a fixed 2 post, but they take up a lot of space. The scissor lifts mostly block access to the exhaust, but there are some oen center models. Here are the ones I have been looking at.

Mid rise with open center
http://www.bestbuyautoequipment.com/Auto-Lift-6-000lb-Portable-Mid-Rise-Frame-Lift-p/al-6k-mr-38.htm
I would prefer full rise though

http://www.bendpak.com/car-lifts/specialty-lifts/mds-6kf.aspx
same issue as above

This seems like the best of the low/mid rise as it is portable for auto-x and track days
http://www.bestbuyautoequipment.com...0lb-quickjack-car-lift-p/rangerbl-3500slx.htm

Full rise scissor, but blocks the center
http://www.gregsmithequipment.com/Atlas-TD6MR-Portable-Scissor-Lift

and then there is the maxjax
http://www.bestbuyautoequipment.com...ift-system-dannmar-maxjax-p/dannmarmaxjax.htm
I can't take it to the track, but I can move it out of the way. It's not a full height lift, but goes higher than the mid height lifts, and to top it off, the price is attractive. It seems to be a very good compromise.

 

[Zer0DazE]

So the rubbing/vibration was driving me nuts. I hit up josh.dsg on this forum because he had posted about a similar issue with his CW downpipe. He mentioned checking a screw on the heat shield where the downpipe turns towards the back of the car.

So I crawled under it this morning. I had an easy 1/4"+ of clearance there. hrm...
I decided to remove the lower section of the exhaust to look for rub marks. Nothing.

For there I checked the upper pipe. Look at the last pic in my previous post. You can see the downpipe sits pretty close to the ABS heat shield. Looking there I found that is were it had been rubbing, and had melted a small indent into it. Have located the issue I treated myself to another cup of coffee.

I loosened the v-band and made some adjustments to the upper half's angle. So how I have a fingers width of clearance between the ABS heat shield and downpipe (I can slip my hand between them up to my 3rd knuckle). This small change threw things off on the lower section, and now I had an issue with that screw. A couple of tweaks to the hangers, removed the screw, and now the O2 sensor has plenty of room and the I have between an 1/8-1/4" clearance on that lower heat shield.

I took it for a quick spin and had no noise or vibration when I tried to bog it down in 1st and reverse.

Thanks to josh.dsg!

Also of note. The downpipe now has 150-200 miles on it, and the tone has changed noticeably. It has gone from being tinny and a little obnoxious over 2500rpm to a deeper and more mellow sound. That has been a pleasant surprise.

Oh, and I think I found the lift I want. These guys are semi-local, and I need to get a quote from them this summer for the lift with install.
https://equipmentdistributors.biz/p...-9000-lb-capacity-floor-plate-style-symmetric

 

[carbongmk7]

nice! good to see the cars running better. i have the same downpipe and i love it, getting the oem unit out was a pain in the ass but the cw's unit went in problem free

 

[Zer0DazE]

I was skimming the blown turbo thread, and it made me wonder what revision turbo was on this car. I assumed being an early 2015 it should have had an early revision turbo. I snapped a pic with my phone, and it looks like a 722G.

This makes me wonder if the turbo had been replaced at some point. I need to do a little more reading on the issue and maybe make a phone call to the dealership with some service history questions.

 

[Zer0DazE]

Did my first long drive in the car this past week/weekend, and I don't like the downpipe at all. Over 2500 rpm it starts to drone. Between 70 and 80 mph it gets really loud any time you have to open the throttle a little going uphill or to pass. 4 hours of that started to get on my nerves.

I was also driving around small towns of the last few days, and if you aren't shifting before 2500 rpm then you are drawing attention to yourself (not good with out of state or country plates). This wouldn't be terrible if it at least sounded good, but it doesn't. It is still higher pitched, buzzy, tinny, and just plain ricey.

I think the crappy tone comes from relatively thin metal, a cheap/small resonator, and the resonator placement. A thicker or cast pipe with a resonator placed after the initial bend on the first straight bit of pipe would probably produce a better tone, and shouldn't sacrifice much. Something like what Invidia is doing with the catted unit, but maybe with a resonator when this piece has one.

On top of that, I still get the occasional rattling from the downpipe hitting where I had to remove the screw.

I may end up putting the stock pipe back on when I install the lowering springs, and maybe order something else with a cat and a resonator. I'm going to have to do some reading and see who is offering what, and will probably need to open my wallet.

 

[PLF8593]

I was skimming the blown turbo thread, and it made me wonder what revision turbo was on this car. I assumed being an early 2015 it should have had an early revision turbo. I snapped a pic with my phone, and it looks like a 722G.

This makes me wonder if the turbo had been replaced at some point. I need to do a little more reading on the issue and maybe make a phone call to the dealership with some service history questions.

Most blown turbos are cars that were built in early to mid 2014 as the first few rollouts of MK7's in America. If yours is early 2015 (like mine), you're in the clear.

 

[Zer0DazE]

Just got back from Buffalo last night. We spent 4 days with family, and it reminds me why we left. lol
After that we popped through my friends beach cottage to help her with some stuff and empty some bottles. On the bright side (besides emptying bottles) I got 40.8 MPG making the drive, and that is way better than the Subaru's 24-28 MPG.

Anyways, when I got home there were a bunch of boxes waiting for me. I had boxes with a new ECS intake hose to go with my K&N filter, a 034 billet dogbone insert, and Emmanuele Design lower springs. It was like Christmas in almost July.

Pulled the car in the shop this morning, popped the hood, made a pot of coffee, and got after it.

I actually installed this 3 times. It wasn't cut straight, and I "needed" the clamps to be straight (OCD). I doubt it does anything, but it shouldn't dry out and crack like the OEM plastic piece from heat over time.

Then I crawled under the car to install the dogbone mount and adjust my downpipe a little. I heard it rubbing a little while we were back home.

Then came the spring install. I will start this with this statement, I hate suspension work. It is just always a fight when you are working alone.

I started with the passenger front side and it fought me until I pulled the 3 nuts for the lower ball joint (you shouldn't have to), but after that I had enough wiggle room, though it made things a little more difficult... as in 2 hours difficult.

The driver's side went as planned and only took 1 hour. At this point I took a 1 hour lunch break. I was 4 hours into the day between issues and answering an unbelievable number of dumb text messages and emails (shouldn't have brought my phone with me).

After lunch I got after the rear end. The rear went well with 1 exception. The rubber locating nipple popped out on the passenger side, and it was more difficult than it should have been to get back in. I blame not having a lift.

The driver's side rear has the leveling sensor, and thank goodness for the interwebz or I wouldn't have seen it, and I would have broken it. Anyways, the rear took between 1 and 2 hours. It all could have been done quicker, but this guy is familiar with wrenching on Hondas and Subarus, not European cars with stupid wheel bolts instead of lug nuts.

And the real reason we all click on threads... pics. Here it is just after I finished it, and yes I know I need to Roundup my driveway.

Then I took it in for an alignment. I figured the camber would have been way off, but it was -1.1 (in spec), but the toe was way off.

After the alignment

And then some shots in the garage so you can see the drop. There is 1.5 fingers of gap, and measured from the center of the wheel cap, the rear wheel arch is .25" higher than the front.

My thoughts on the parts?

The hose clamps are meh, but the hose is nice, the price is right, it fits like it should, and their customer service was very good. The item I originally ordered was on backorder, but they were quick to inform me, and let me make changes to my order.
The 034 insert is great. I am pretty sure it is the insert and not my adjustment that fixed my downpipe rubbing under slow acceleration in 1st. The only noticeable in cabin vibration comes from my spare change rattling at 3000 RPM.

The springs look great! No more Stomper!
They fit like they should, the YouTube instructions they provide are excellent, the price is great, and the ride is seriously like stock. I live on a rural road, and the heaves and bumps are no more violent than before, and there is no bounce..

So a big thumbs up to FAS Tuning, Emmanuele Design, 034 Motorsport, and ESC Tuning (in no particular order)! I am very happy with the vendors in the VW community so far.

edit:
Went on a 100 or so mile drive because it was too nice of a day not to. I love everything I did today. The 034 insert makes shifts less spongy, and really does add almost no vibration to the cabin. I am accustom to using solid urethane mounts, and this is a heaven sent.

The springs really are nice. I understand that Emmanuele Design does not release their spring rates, and I don't blame them. They hit the nail on the head. With OEM dampeners they are a great mix of sport and comfort, all while giving a perfect drop for those of us in the North with less than perfect roads.

My body hurts because I am old and have arthritis, but the hours in the shop today were all worth the pain. Now if only I could get rid of the speed limiter without a flash

 

[PLF8593]

Now if only I could get rid of the speed limiter without a flash

JB4 will remove limiter (once the MK8 comes out...)

 

[Zer0DazE]

I think I have narrowed it down to 2 wheel choices.

The Bremmer Kraft BR10 in Matte Grey

or the BR09 machined with the dark tint.

And I have an appointment on Friday morning to have the windows tinted with 30% all the way around.

 

[Diggs24]

Tough choice. Both of them would look great.

 

[Sandman GTI]

I like the BR10.
Unique.
I have not seen another forum member with them and they look good.

 

[Zer0DazE]

tint done, 30% all the way around