PowerDemon’s '15 MK7

[PowerDemon]

Hello all,

I never thought I would dive down this rabbit hole enough to warrant a build thread, but I think it is time to make one.

Interior:
Raceseng Topology
OEM Monster mats
Helix Subwoofer Upgrade

Exterior:
BMS billet exhaust tips
Rennwagen V1 Spoiler Extension
Llumar Ceramic tint 50/35%

Engine:
DBV2 V1 Journal Bearing Hybrid IS38
DBV2 Large Bore TMD
Equilibrium Tuning Protune
Southbend Stage 2 Daily
Baun Performance FMIC
aFe Magnum Force Pro Dry S Intake
MST Performance TIP
Brisk Racing ER10S
Bosch 4-BAR PUT Sensor

Fueling:
Autotech HPFP Internals
Pagparts 450 LPFP
Pagparts 8mm Fuel Lines

Exhaust:
CTS Turbo 3.5” Catted Downpipe
Custom 3” Midpipe
Vibrant 17950

Suspension:
BFI Stage 2 Engine and Trans Mounts
Powerflex Black Series Poly Dogbone Mount Insert
10/15mm APR Spacers
19” VW Pretoria (Hyper Black) with Firestone Firehawk Indy 500s
18” Audi A3 S-Line wheels (Porsche Silver) with Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4s (winter)

Braking:
(Front)
Stoptech ST-40 Calipers
Stoptech 355mm Slotted 2-Piece Rotors
Hawk Performance HPS pads
Stoptech Stainless brake lines
(Rear)
Stoptech 272mm Slotted Rotors
Hawk Performance HPS 5.0 pads

Fluids:
Motul Gear 300 75W-90 (Transmission oil)
Liquimoly 5W-40 Leichtlauf High Tech (Engine oil)

Misc:
BMS Clutch stop
BMS Billet washer fluid cap
Clutch delay valve delete
Bosch Aerotwin wipers
Braille G20S
MeLe Series 600 battery mount

Performance (Dragy) (93)
1/4 Mile - 13.13s @ 116.5mph
60-130 - 9.63s
60-100 - 4.26s
0-60 - 5.54s

I got the car in July of 2018. I searched for at least 2 months to find the one I wanted. I wanted CSG, manual transmission, S trim, and the lighting package. I finally found the one I wanted in Pennsylvania and I bought it CPO with 36,xxx miles on it. Unfortunately a few thousand miles into my ownership I took it to my local dealer to get a weird clunking sound looked into. It turned out to be a failed transmission, which was fortunately replaced under warranty. While they had the engine out I took the opportunity to have them install a Southbend Stage 2 clutch. I finally got the car back and it turns out that it was still making the same clunking noise. Imagine that. I took it back and it turned out to be a failed lower control arm and bushing. I replaced both and it seemed to fix the issue.

Heres the car after I picked her up from Pennsylvania.

Around 42,xxx miles I took the car to my first stage of power modifications with an aFe dry filter and a JB4. I ran the JB4 on a custom map 6 set up by George who was very helpful throughout the process. I also got a Llumar window tint installed 50/35%. The car was a blast in this configuration and I planned to keep it this way for a long time. I kept it in that state for maybe 20,000 miles.

Here she is all cleaned up after the tint job.

Late in 2019 I decided to take it to the next level. I installed a CTS Turbo downpipe, Brisk spark plugs, and a Stratified Stage 2 tune. The car was a blast and had a ton more power. I ran it like this until early 2020 when I bought a whole new round of modifications to take my car to Stage 3.

Early 2020 I bought a DBV2 V1 Journal bearing turbo, EQT protune, Stoptech brakes, and a Baun Performance FMIC. Today I got the FMIC and Stoptech brakes put on. I am still waiting on the turbo, and it should be in early April. I got the Stoptech ST40 355mm kit and it was a crazy easy install. If I had to do it again I could probably do it in an hour and a half. The brakes feel great as well. I haven't gotten a chance to test out the FMIC yet because it isn’t quite warm enough yet to notice but the install was relatively easy. I also might get the rear calipers painted silver to match the fronts. I bought a set of used black 19” Pretoria wheels. I got them stripped, the curb rash fixed, re-powdercoated hyper black, and had a set of Firestone Firehawk Indy 500s mounted. I am very pleased with the wheel and tire setup. The only con to the Pretoria wheel is that I have to run 10mm spacers to fit the Stoptech brakes, but I think they look good enough to justify it.

Some install pics. Intercooler going in...

Here she is after the intercooler install.

Vibrant 17950 along with custom 3” midpipe. Shoutout to Lou’s Custom Exhaust

Here she is after I installed the Stoptech ST-40 kit with the 19” Pretoria wheels.

And here she is in her current state after a fresh wash.

Winter Mode

 

[MonkeyMD]

Pretorias still my favorite wheel, oem or aftermarket. Just makes the car look great.

Awesome setup btw.

 

[jimlloyd40]

Really nice so far and looking forward to the turbo install and the EQT tune.

 

[PowerDemon]

I agree about the wheels. Pretorias have always been my dream wheels for this car, and I am very happy to finally have them.

Thanks for the kind words guys! I appreciate it!

 

[PowerDemon]

DBV2 V1 should be here by Friday and getting it installed by Altered Components on April 2. (Can’t come soon enough) Also picked up a new Powerflex Hybrid puck from another user on here. That should be here Thursday. ?

 

[JerseyDrew77]

DBV2 V1 should be here by Friday and getting it installed by Altered Components on April 2. (Can’t come soon enough) Also picked up a new Powerflex Hybrid puck from another user on here. That should be here Thursday. ?

Glad to see another DBV2 owner on here and that you talked to Josh to get it installed.

 

[sprinks]

Great looking car. 15s don't get a whole lot of love, but yours sure looks nice. I bet it moves too with your current setup!

 

[PowerDemon]

Glad to see another DBV2 owner on here and that you talked to Josh to get it installed.

Happy to be here lol and I look forward to working with him. Thanks again for the recommendation.

Great looking car. 15s don't get a whole lot of love, but yours sure looks nice. I bet it moves too with your current setup!

Thanks! I appreciate it. She moves out pretty good as is, hopefully she'll be a lot quicker real soon!

 

[Stavrosqq]

Great looking car so far.. my only question is how come you havent buy brake calipers in red color in order to match with the other red details.. I'd would make them pop

 

[PowerDemon]

Great looking car so far.. my only question is how come you havent buy brake calipers in red color in order to match with the other red details.. I'd would make them pop

Well to be honest I picked these brakes up on a deal, and the deal was too good to be picky about the color. I too wasn’t sure about the color when I first got them either. But I figured worse comes to worse I could power coat or paint them. However after getting them on I think they look great. It’s much more subtle which is what I’m going for with this build. I actually like the silver fronts so much I have looked into getting the back ones coated silver to match. I agree the red would make them pop, a bit more, but I’m going for more of a sleeper look with this car.

 

[PowerDemon]

It's finally here. This morning I received and unboxed my DBV2 V1 journal bearing hybrid turbo. The turbo has the optional ceramic coating as well as the exhaust porting. I can’t be more excited. Turbo looks great, and my experience with Dan at DBV2 has been awesome. I cannot wait to get it on the car. I also got a Turbosmart DV to go with it. My Powerflex hybrid puck came in today as well. Hopefully I will find the time to put it on today. As recommended by Ed at EQT I will be ordering a set of NGK racing plugs to go along with everything. Appointment to get the turbo put on is for Thursday next week. Can't come soon enough!

Added turbo porn pics I forgot to post up here in my excitement.

 

[JerseyDrew77]

Get rid of the Turbosmart DV and use the stock DV. Trust me, I tried the Turbosmart one and it gave me issues. It couldn't hold the boost steady in the upper RPM's.

 

[PowerDemon]

Get rid of the Turbosmart DV and use the stock DV. Trust me, I tried the Turbosmart one and it gave me issues. It couldn't hold the boost steady in the upper RPM's.

I’ll keep that in mind. I also have an OEM DV on hand so if it gives me issues I can easily swap it out. The only reason I’m using it is because Dan spoke so highly of it.

 

[PowerDemon]

Out with the old and in with the new. Today I installed my Powerflex polyuretyhane dogbone mount insert. It is the hybrid unit so it reinforces the upper dogbone as well as replacing the lower puck entirely. I got to drive it pretty extensively today and man I wish I did this sooner. In terms of NVH at idle with the A/C on it is pretty extreme, seemingly shaking the entire car. With the A/C off it feels pretty normal at idle. However I am fortunate that I do not spend much time at idle so it doesn’t bother me. I think it's kinda cool actually. Like all upgraded inserts vibration while in reverse is greatly increased and this is no different. Vibration while driving is almost negligible unless you are lugging the engine, otherwise you wouldn’t know it is there. Keep in mind I am on 19”s and it’s hard to feel any NVH over those things. I do expect it to break in within the next few hundred miles. I plan to re-torque it next time I have it in the air. (and flip the plate over lol) In terms of feel, it is fantastic. It makes shifts so much smoother and firm. Overall I would highly recommend this insert. I plan to supplement this with BFI Stage 2 mounts in the near future.

In terms of installation it was pretty simple. Once I accepted the fact that I needed to cut the old mount to remove it, removal was a breeze. With a reciprocating saw blade in a pair of vice grips I cut a grove in the mount and then pried out with a flat head screwdriver. Once it was protruding I grabbed it with pliers and pulled it the rest of the way out. Once the old one was out, I lubed up the new mount with the supplied grease and pressed it in. I was able to get it within 1/2” of being all the way in. At that point I used a jack to gently press it the rest of the way in. I pushed the transmission towards the back slightly and that allowed me enough room to get the bolt started. Once that was in I torqued it down to 74ft-lbs. All in all took me about 45 minutes. Overall I am very pleased.

 

[PowerDemon]

I finally got the turbo installed today at Altered Components. Josh was awesome and big thanks for JerseyDrew77 for recommending his services. I drove the car home tonight and unfortunately I was not able to lay into it yet because I am still on the EQT basemap and I’m not going to make any WOT pulls unless I am logging. Josh also recommended to take it easy for 200-300 miles to allow the turbo to break in so I will take it easy for a little while longer. The BFI Stage 2 engine and trans mounts got installed today at the same time and they feel great. They are a lot louder which I like actually. It's like a soundaktor (which I unplugged) but real sound lol. I expect them to break in soon though similar to the Powerflex which has already started to break in a bit. Overall I am ecstatic and I can’t wait to start getting her dialed in. Here are some quick photos I grabbed of the turbo after installation.