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#todayishere



Keep flying high. We will always be behind you. Now and forever.

How to get louder DSG fart for Jetta MK6

There is something addictive about the "pop" sound that the Volkswagen DSG gearbox makes every time it up-shift.

This "pop" sound is make iconic especially on the more performance oriented models of Volkswagen group, namely the Golf GTi.

This "pop" sound is also known as the DSG fart. All VW model with DSG gearbox will have this "fart". Its only a matter of loudness. It is more pronounced on the performance oriented models and very much lesser on the regular models.

How does a DSG fart sounds like? Take a look at the video below and tell me is the sound addictive?

In order to make this "fart" louder, there is a few ways to go about it.
Either you can go down the route of a full exhaust system change or you can do it the budget way.

As for me, I do not really see the need to go for a full exhaust change on the Jetta partly due to one reason, the tiny 1400cc engine. As wonderful as this piece of EA111 engine is, at the end of the day, its major drawback is its small capacity engine.

So what I did was to go the budget way to make this "fart" sound more pronounce.

I did a resonator delete.

The resonator is highlighted in the picture below.

A more close up of the resonator.

The resonator is removed and replaced with a straight thru pipe. The end result is that you get a louder more pronounce "fart" and yet there is not much drone if you are cruising at speed.

The end result is as below.

This is how it will sound like.

Total damage?

About RM 200 for this trill.

P/S - I will take a better video once I get my car as it is now literally a public property.

Car modifications and warranty related issues

"Will this modifications void my warranty?"

The gazillion million trillion dollar questions that basically get on my nerves and I believe will also get on motorhead's nerve in general.

So to new car owners, the general rule is this (which pretty much is common sense lah, but I feel its lacking alot), modifications DO NOT go hand in hand with warranty.

What does that mean?
That basically mean that the moment you modify something, you run the risk of your warranty being voided.
IF you have modified something and your warranty is voided, please do not go around bitching about it. The terms and condition of the warranty is there for you to see and read. So please read and understand it.

So please do not go around asking the question. You basically make yourself look stupid.

You itchy backside want to modify, you run the risk of your warranty being voided.

Common sense. Grow some please.

And yes, I am very sensitive to this question. Sensitive as in very sensitive and potentially I will go super saiyan ape-shit if being asked question.

Here's a customary potato after a rant post.

P/S - modifications is not the same as enabling/disabling BCM functions.

[Review] Volkswagen Jetta MK6 1.4 TSI - An onwer's review

Volkswagen Jetta MK6 1.4 TSI , launched in Malaysia back in October 2011 in a completely built-up (CBU) guise, imported wholesale from Mexico. The Jetta then retails for RM 149,888 without insurance.
The newer Jetta is now being assembled locally in Pekan via completely knocked down (CKD) packs and retails for RM 130,888 without insurance.

The difference in specifications between Jetta CBU and CKD can be found here.

A C-segment option in the already crowded C-Segment market in Malaysia where the Jetta will have to go up against the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla Altis, Nissan Slyphy, Peugeot 408, Kia Cerato K3 to name a few.

There is already test drive reviews by the usual motoring sites and magazines. Now its about time to get an owner's review as the owner will be the one using the car day in day out as compared to those motoring sites that only has the car for a couple of days.

To be continued... brain jam... LOL

[Review] BC Racing V1 Coilover Kit for Jetta MK6

At the turn of the year, I've finally outgrown the stock suspension.

So its time to search for a performance suspension kit to fulfill my requirements.
After sometime of hunting around and exchanging knowledge with fellow petrolheads, I decided on BC V1 Series coilover kit.

For those lazy bum who is too lazy to even click or tap on the links, the specifications of the BC-V1 Series is as below.
- 30 way adjustable damping
- Adjustable spring platform
- Height adjustment via bottom mount to retain full damper travel
- Dust boot to protect damper seals

The kit I ordered come with the following spring rate installed.
- Front spring rate of 8k
- Rear spring rate of 5k

As per the norm, I have the kit ordered and installed at EA Autoworks. The kit cost me about RM 3.6k inclusive of installation.

So up on the hoist my car goes to have the stock suspension removed and replaced with the new BC Racing V1 series coilover kit.

Front suspension view.

Rear suspension view

Upon completion of the new suspension installation, the car is lowered from the hoist and lo and behold, the ride hide is really slammed low.

The original ride height of the Jetta is 60cm.

The preset ride height of the new coilover kit I believe should be in the region of 54 cm there about. My mistake as I did not take the ride height measurements. That is like 6 cm (60mm) of height reduction.

As the ride is slammed too low for my comfort (days of slamming it too low is behind me), its time to bring out the calculator (not literally lah, doh) to recalculate the optimal ride height and to get the proper preloading adjustment done.

Installing a suspension don't always meant removing the old and plunk in the new. A good tuner will always know and make an effort to get the entire kit preloaded spot on and mind you, preloading is not just as simple as twist, turn, voila kind of job. This is where I trust the folks at EA Autoworks to get it right.

For your info in a nutshell, lowering your car too much don't meant it will always handle better. At times it can and will cause the handling to be worst then stock as lowering a car too much can cause the suspension geometry to be thrown out the window. 

So be smart when lowering a car (no doubt a lowered car looks nice, but can it handle as well as it should?).

Case in point the car below. Looks nice but the handling will be crap (if it is not already crap to begin with).

Anyway back to topic, after much discussion on the ride height by taking into consideration the original suspension geometry setup, it is decided that we will test out a 2cm (20mm) height reduction.

So from a ride height of 60cm (600mm), the car is lowered to 58cm (580mm).

(No, I do not use fingers as a height measurement tool)

This is how the car looks like when the height adjustment is completed.

Closer look at the front height.

As for the damping, after some period of fine tuning which of course involve some run up and down the usual mountain route, I have come to find that by running between 16-18 "clicks" for the front and 12-14 "clicks" for rear, you can achieve a balance between handling and yet it will not be as trashy as it will be over uneven or rough surfaces while being driven around daily.

Please bear in-mind that I use the word trashy instead of comfort as there will be no way a coilover kit even at its softest settings it will never be as comfortable as a stock suspension.

If you want comfort, please stay stock.

There is less diving and squatting now under hard braking or sudden hard acceleration compared to before. This basically allows me to put more power down much earlier and also provide some improvement in braking stability.

With the damping for daily and weekend runs pretty much nailed, its time to turn the focus to the track. Of course it goes without saying that the suspension will be set to the hardest setting in track lah. Double doh.

A remarkable improvement. I am able to put my power down much earlier compared to before as the weight transfer is much more manageable now. With the new suspension kit and of course some help from the Big Brake Kit and RS3 rubbers, I managed to shave 6 seconds off my previous timing.

View it here.

#throwback picture

Mountain road test - checked.

Track test - checked.

2 test down and its time for the ultimate test of ferrying family members (my grandma and her 2 younger sister and my mom) around town visiting relatives in Jalan Ipoh, Cheras and Kemuning.

As I did not change the suspension settings from the previous track day, I take this opportunity to see if there will be complains from my family members that I am ferrying around.

Running around the said area with the hardest settings while driving at the legal speed limit, there is no complains what so ever from them. In fact they don't even realize that I am running on coilovers.

I am quite surprised at this. 

So suffice to say, at the hardest setting and driving around at the legal speed limit, the ride is not as trashy it is supposed to be (over the bad Cheras road condition and the infamous uneven Kesas Highway). There is still some degree of refinement or "comfort" to be found. 

Of course you don't charge over speed bump like you would on a stock suspension lah, the rebound will surely jolt the passengers. Just be more careful when going over speed bump and all will be fine.

With the family member test successfully aced, I don't think I will be reverting back to my original street settings anytime soon.

Apart from family members, I have given a couple of Jetta owners a ride and their collective view is that even at the hardest settings, it is still decently refined.

Even a buddy of mine who has a GTi MK7 and driven my car around town, commented that the car handles quite well.

Now come the question (as usual), will it void warranty? 

My answer will be "What do you think? This is a modification."

Ok seriously, the question will always be, why BC? Why not KW or Bilstein or some brand more "continental"?

My honest answer and opinion will be as below.

No doubt KW or Bilstein coilover kit might be better compared to BC V1 Series but how much better will it be against BC V1 to justify the price tag difference between a KW or Bilstein kit?

A KW V3 coilover kit will most likely cost you around RM 8k region. Since it is twice as costly as my BC V1 coilover kit, will the KW V3 perform twice as good? My personal opinion will be maybe just 15%-20% better at most.

At the end of the day, its your money and your choice. If you can afford it, by all means go for the branded kits. I am here just to share what is my experience with this BC V1 Series coilover kit and that I am happy with it.

Pictures with EA watermarks credit to Drex Chan of EA Autoworks.

[Review] AP Racing CP5200 4-pot brake kit for Jetta MK6

Towards the last quarter of 2014, I had my stock Altis brakes upgraded to Golf-R MK6 brakes for an improvement in braking performance.

With a bigger disc (345mm vs 312mm) and a bigger caliper, it provides a much greater bite and of course with a bigger disc size, the brakes will be able to take much more heavier punishment before suffering from the dreaded brake fade.

At the turn of the year, towards the end of Q1 2015, I decided to get the Altis upgraded further in terms of stopping power.

After looking around and the indecisiveness between Brembo or AP Racing BBK (Big Brake Kit), I decided to go for the AP Racing BBK.

I purchase my AP Racing BBK from AC Gruppen Singapore. The boss, a nice guy name Jun, deals with my queries and provided some very sound advice. 

(Do let me know if you wish to purchase BBK from him. He carries Brembos and AP Racing).

My AP Racing kit consist of

- CP5200 4-pot caliper

- Mounting bracket for Jetta MK6

- 330mm Slotted original AP-Racing rotors

- Steel braided brake hose

- Ferodo DS3000 brake pads

All in all, it cost me SGD$2899 (RM 8200 with today's exchange rate).

I did not install the brake kit in Singapore. Instead I opt to transfer the kit back to Malaysia and have it install at Acanta Autotech.

Installation is straight-forward and a couple of hours later, the brake kit is now in place.

Looks good isn't it?

After some initial period of bedding in the brake pads, its time to test out the brakes.

Where else to test if not for the usual hill-climb route.

The braking performance of a 4-pot setup as expected, is a major improvement over a single pot setup. There is no need to slam the brake pedal to extract some serious stopping power from the BBK. All you need to do is just to modulate the brake pedal and watch the speed drop and it seriously drop really fast. 

Really confidence inspiring when some serious braking power is needed. You know the BBK will just give you the braking power the moment the brake pedal is depressed.

With the hill-climb route test done and over with, its time to hit the tracks.

Again as expected, in the tracks the brakes performed flawlessly. There is a renewed sense of confidence in braking much later before a turn. You just know the BBK will slow the car down before the turn.

One thing I found out on the Jetta is that if we are to stand on the brake pedal with this BBK, the weight transfer of the car is very much different compared to when I am on the R-brake kit. The rear of the car will loose its grip much earlier as the weight transfer from rear to front during hard braking with the BBK is much more apparent. This will upset the car balance prior to entering the corner if the front end of the car do not have enough traction and grip to cope with the more sudden increase of weight transfer.

This could be solve with a harder and stiffer front suspension or upgraded rear brakes.

I will update once I've experimented with this 2 solutions.

On the streets, this characteristic is not apparent as we are not pushing the car to the limits unlike on the tracks. So in this sense, it is pretty much safe and fool-proof. So do not worry about getting your car brakes upgraded with BBK.

On a final note, in my opinion, the Jetta stock brakes (which in fact is the same brakes found on the MK6 GTi, whiich technically means the Jetta is already running BBK out from the factory) is more then capable of stopping the car.

If you want improved braking power and upgrading to a BBK is too big a budget, getting the next best thing will be to use a better brake pads. You will feel an improvement for sure, just don't expect wonders like what BBK can offer you.

Apart from braking power, BBK adds to the aesthetic value of the car.

As the saying goes, "kereta slow tak per, janji gaya ada" (it's ok if my car is slow, as long as there's style)

Hehe.

P/S -

As I am using a Ferodo DS3000 brake pads, my brakes will be generating huge amount of screeching sound in slow moving / town traffic application. Those that have driven my car or have gone driving with me will know.

The screeching sound is annoying loud and if you can't stand the sound, stay away from this brake pads. This brake pads provide crazy amount of bite but the trade-off will be the annoying loud screeching sound.

The original AP Racing brake pad that comes with the kit will not emit annoying screeching sound but of course it wont match the Ferodo DS3000 in terms of bite.

DQ200 (DSG7) - VW Jetta 1.4 TSI

I have written about the DSG7 discovery previously.

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

Even though it is DSG7, but the car in question is a Malaysian VW Passat 1.8 TSI.
Those few article helps in clearing doubts about the DSG7 but on the Passat 1.8 TSI.

Now I would like to take an opportunity to share about DSG7 mated to a Malaysia VW Jetta MK6 1.4 TSI which seems to be gaining popularity.

In this post, I've shared that I am now running 177HP and 270NM of torque to the wheels.

This easily exceed the supposedly known 250NM torque limit.

For easier reference 

RED is stock power figure.

BLUE is new power figure.

I've have been running with this power figures for about 1.5 months now. In this 1.5 months, I've been to the track, gone on some B-roads drives, high-speed drives and the usual daily grind and everything is still holding up very well.

A complete scan of my car controllers shows a clean bill of health. Even the DSG7 clutch reading shows that everything is working fine.

Even though the period is just a short 1.5 months, I've just wanted to share what is my personal experience thus far and let people judge themselves if the 1.4 TSI / DSG7 combo is as fragile as what people (usually non-owners) claim it to be.

Nothing beats hearing from an actual owner directly.

For information sake, I've use the following fuel type:

Petron RON95 - Nov 2012 to August 2014

Petron RON97 - September 2014 - January 2015

Shell V-Power Racing - Febuary 2015 - current

This car is still being daily driven at the moment and its now clocking 80k km.

Software upgrade - Projec'A Stage 2 Map for VW Jetta 1.4 TSI

What good is a hardware if there is no software to make full use of it?

As mentioned here, the car have a hardware upgrade done to it. Now since there is a hardware upgrade done, it is imperative that the software be upgraded to make full use of it.

So I turned to my usual tuners, Project'A for the software upgrade portion.
After much discussion with them on my requirements and expectations, we got to work.

For the first step, it involved taking the existing ECU file for a base reading.
But before that, the ECU needs to be taken out from the car.

The placement of the car ECU is as below.

Once the ECU is taken out, the base reading will be done.

This is how the ECU looks like with its covers off. 

With the base readings, the team at Project'A then proceed to work on setting the parameters according to my requirement.

Lets just say they work smart and fast. Overnight, they completed the necessary parameters and the next day, it is ready to be loaded to the car.

Met up with them again and they then proceed to load the new parameters to the ECU.

Once the entire process is completed, we proceed with some adaptability test.

With my butt dyno, I can feel that the car has much more mid range to top end power now and the car accelerate much better then before. The mid range (3k-5k rpm) acceleration was superb. There is no need to go down a gear.

The next step of course is to get the car on a dyno machine to prove what I've felt with my butt.

And wait for it.....

RED is stock.

BLUE is with Project'A.

So the dyno pretty much confirm what I felt with my butt.

The new map has a peak 22HP / 34NM gain over the original map with the bulk of the gain in the mid-range section, the section that will be used most in our daily drive.

The mid-range section (3k to 5k) rpm now is very much better. Personally this is how the car is supposed to be direct from the factory. 

On the original map, I need to downshift a gear or 2 in order to gain some urgency in acceleration. With this new map, most of the time, there is no need to go down a gear to get the same urgency, even on the super long gear 7. All you need to do is to give it slightly more throttle and the car will go.

Apart from the huge improvement in the mid-range portion, the top end also felt livelier. Previously if I am to rev beyond 5.5k rpm, the car don't really pull as it is already at its limit of the power out put.

Now with extra 22HP gain in towards top end, the car is now more eager to go. The top end no longer feel like you are wasting fuel for nothing. 

And lets just say, with the extra 22HP going to the wheels at the top range, the speed that you can reach is quite fascinating. Not super-car territory but more than good enough for a 3-box family sedan.

So like a certain tagline, you gotta "Drive it to believe it".

It's time for the million dollar question, why is the HP/Torque figures "low"? 

Why is it not 195HP or 290NM of torque? Is this tuner not good in tuning?

The answers to all the question above is because this is exactly what I've specified to the tuners. I am not chasing for peak figures. I am going for drivability and they get the job done to my expectation.

If you want peak figures, they are able to get it done for you. I have no doubt about it.

Just bear in mind this, with higher output, the stress on your engine internals is higher too and don't forget about your dear friend, the DSG7 gearbox.

As for me, I am happy with what I have and yes, my 1.4 TSI engine and DSG7 gearbox is still fine, very much alive and kicking, if you all want to know.

P/S - Question about warranty will not be entertained.

PP/S - Fuel consumption question will not be entertained too as FC is in direct relation to how heavy your right foot is.

Some hardware upgrade

The modification bug bite a couple of months ago and there is a pressing need to scratch it.
So scratch it I will.

This modification involved killing the cat.
Yes. Cat.

I killed the cat here.
Of course I've pre-order my downpipe a few weeks before hand.
I highly recommend Jian Hang due to Ah Wa superb workmanship.

This is how the original factory catalytic converter looks like.

How the engine looks like with the factory catalytic converter removed.

I junked this restrictive factory catalytic converter into a custom after-market downpipe.

A comparison of the factory catalytic converter and the aftermarket downpipe.

Now what is the difference after swapping to an aftermarket less restrictive downpipe?

Frankly speaking, you won't feel any difference but this step is required if you are to enjoy the full potential of the software portion.

Hehe.

Stay tuned.

VW Jetta - CBU vs CKD specifications comparison

The VW Jetta in Malaysia has finally began its CKD operations.
The Jetta will be assembled in Pekan, Pahang and will join its Passat, Polo Sedan and Polo Hatchback brethren as one of the locally assembled VW model here in Malaysia.

The CKD operations begun from April 2014 onwards. Any Jetta delivered from May 2014 onwards will most likely be a CKD model.

The CBU (from Mexico) model will no longer be on sale.

So finally my lazy ass brought me to bring you people a more complete spec-to-spec comparison compared to what you have read out there.

Of course I am more complete laaa, I got a CBU model ma..
Ok jokes aside. Lets go through the similarity first.

On the power and transmission front, the 1.4L twincharge engine (160PS, 240NM Supercharger + Turbo Charger) and the 7-speed DSG dry-clutch gearbox is the exact same unit as found in the CBU model.

On the safety front, you still get 6 airbags (Dual Front + Side + Curtains), ABS, EBD, BA, ESP and

ISOfix anchors with top tether on the 2 outer rear seats.


On the convenience front, you still get the same
- fabric seats
- dual zone aircond
- glove compartment cooler
- rear aircond vents
- auto lights & wiper
- auto-cruise
- coming home and leaving home lights
- all round one touch power windows
- electronically foldable side mirrors with heating function
- front and rear fog lights
- auto dimming rear view mirror
- interior front and rear seat map/reading lights
- overhead sunglass storage compartment
- 3 12v power socket (front seat, rear seat, trunk)
- rear hook mounted on B-Pillars

On the chassis front, it maintains the rear multi-link suspension as before. (Thank god !!)

(Multi-link rear suspension yet able to provide 510L of boot space that somehow feels much bigger. Real world usage as below.)

On the outlook and exterior front, it is exactly the same as the CBU model. In-fact, park a CBU and CKD model side by side, you won't be able to tell the difference at all.

So far so good?
Now for the items that is omitted in the CKD models.

No Driver and Passenger vanity mirror lights for the CKD model. (CKD left, CBU right)

No Tyre Pressure Monitoring. (CKD left, CBU right)

No paddle shifters on the steering wheel. (CKD left, CBU right)

Relocation of the aux-in port to the headunit. More on this later. (CKD left, CBU right).

(Ignore the USB port and the ESP off switch on my car.)

So much NO, now time for some yes. Haha.

Fret not, with the CKD model, you do gain something.

You gain the following.

RCD320 with bluetooth support compared to the RCD310 model that comes with the CBU Jetta's.

(Sadly RCD320 do not support OPS function). Don't worry, the CKD Jetta still have 4 front and 4 rear parking sensors.

The Aux-In port is now built into the RCD320 head unit. The SD-Card slot and USB slot is also found on the head unit itself as compared to RCD310 where the USB in is located in the glove compartment.

With the CKD, you have a 6 speakers (Front Tweeters, Front & Rear Door mounted speakers) setup instead of the CBU 8 speakers (Front and Rear Tweeters, Front and Rear Door mounted speakers).

You now have a leather based adjustable arm-rest.

Well, certain CBU models has it too due to the running changes that VW constantly does to its product.

So there you have it, the different in specifications between the CBU and CKD models.

The original list price for the CBU model is RM 151888 without insurance while the CKD model list price will be RM 134888 without insurance factored in. 

All in all, the CKD is RM 17000 cheaper compared to the CBU model. 

Will this RM 17000 able to offset the missing functions/features? You have to do the math yourself.

Should you buy one? (Below is purely my personal thought)

If you are buying a car purely based on power with some decent handling thrown in, then this is the most powerful car in this price range. No car comes close, not even the Peugeot 308/408 turbo. The 1.4L twincharge engine and DSG gearbox combo will simply blow the competition away. Not to mention the hilariously cheap yearly roadtax (RM70) in relative to the performance that you get.

But if you take a moment to calm down and step back and look at a bigger picture, to be frank, apart from the engine and gearbox combo, the Jetta is actually quite plain outside and inside. Everything is just functional and business like. 

There is no sat-nav of anysort, heck there is not even a touch screen head unit. Apart from that there is no funky push start button or keyless entry or some fancy light greetings when you walk near your car. Just plain o'l remote control and insert key and twist to start way. If you are fine with this method like I do, then its good.  

Also do bear in mind this is about the only car north of RM 130k that do not sport leather seats. Not a deal breaker but still to think that even leather seats is found in cheap cars like the Myvi, at least VGM should have offered some option for this.

(Fabric seats yo..)

As for the maintenance and servicing, to be fair there is some improvement in the service centers lately but in general the experience is still some step behind what Toyota and Honda has set.

So at the end of the day, your money, your choice.