Mk1 TT 225 track day car, Officially a ten second car 10.8 seconds at 127 mph.

desertstorm

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Having done the odd track day event in my everyday A4 diesel estate decided that it might be a bit better if I have a go at converting a car to a decent track day spec to have some more serious fun.
I know lots of people opt for Clios or BMW's but I was never one to follow the crowd. Used S3's with reasonable mileage are silly money and most have been messed with by previous owners. I considered a FWD A3 / Golf and going the @Prawn route but decided on the TT.
The 225 TT is much more affordable and there are a lot more around compared to the S3.
So picking this up tomorrow, 2001 225TT BAM engine


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88K miles with 4 previous owners is pretty good for one of these, Plenty of cars with 130K plus and 7 owners plus. This one looks pretty unmolested with the original Chorus radio , no engine mods etc. Passenger window has an issue and the ABS/ ESP light is on reporting an intermittent issue with the lateral sensor. Not too phased about either.
Plan is to run it for a few weeks to make sure it's all OK. will replace the rear discs and pads which look quite scabby and sort the issues.
Then will be stripping the interior, roll cage , bucket seats, front brake upgrade probably LCR calipers with 323 or 330mm discs , probably GAZ coilovers with rear ARB and various bushes upgraded. A big wing on the boot as I understand they are not the most stable car at speed, Initially just going for a remap with a welly cooler and TIP along with removal of the various emissions related stuff that doesn't need to be there. Going forward probably upgrading the rods , exhaust springs valves , injectors , exhaust etc and fitting an upgraded turbo hopefully somewhere around 350bhp would be good.
On Club GTI they have been having some success with a DIY Haldex controller using an Arduino which Is something I could get my head around. Don't fancy the cost of blue or orange controllers.

Links to various mods in the thread.


EGT Sensor fix https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...-tts-dsg-gearbox-upgrade.319422/#post-3034296

Intercooler testing and install https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...-tts-dsg-gearbox-upgrade.319422/#post-3050778

Badger 5 TIP https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...sg-gearbox-upgrade.319422/page-2#post-3058760

3 inch down pipe and cat delete https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...sg-gearbox-upgrade.319422/page-2#post-3064887

Boost gauge https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...sg-gearbox-upgrade.319422/page-2#post-3064892

Remap at Unicorn Motor developments https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...sg-gearbox-upgrade.319422/page-2#post-3067535

oil cooler https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...sg-gearbox-upgrade.319422/page-2#post-3081196

Gaz Gold suspension https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...sg-gearbox-upgrade.319422/page-2#post-3086813

Seats https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...sg-gearbox-upgrade.319422/page-2#post-3092120

Decat pipe https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...sg-gearbox-upgrade.319422/page-2#post-3102818

Team Dynamics Jade alloys https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...sg-gearbox-upgrade.319422/page-2#post-3104776

Rear weight removal https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...sg-gearbox-upgrade.319422/page-2#post-3112185

Haldex powertrak insert https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...sg-gearbox-upgrade.319422/page-2#post-3113916

Shift light https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...g-gearbox-upgraded.319422/page-2#post-3116690

Brake cooling ducts https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...g-gearbox-upgraded.319422/page-2#post-3120973

Gearbox oil change https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...g-gearbox-upgraded.319422/page-3#post-3125856
Rocker cover oil leak https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...g-gearbox-upgraded.319422/page-3#post-3126820

MK 2 Bottom balljoint upgrade https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...g-gearbox-upgraded.319422/page-3#post-3128262

Low fuel pressure testing https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...g-gearbox-upgraded.319422/page-3#post-3149328

Hunter car alignment https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...g-gearbox-upgraded.319422/page-3#post-3150677

Roll cage https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...g-gearbox-upgraded.319422/page-3#post-3158698

Forge baffled sump https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...g-gearbox-upgraded.319422/page-3#post-3159635

DAB radio Handsfree install https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...g-gearbox-upgraded.319422/page-3#post-3160022

Cage install and sound desdening removal https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...g-gearbox-upgraded.319422/page-3#post-3178188

AC evaporator and wiring removal https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...g-gearbox-upgraded.319422/page-3#post-3188745

Battery install https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...g-gearbox-upgraded.319422/page-3#post-3188747

Battery Install 2 https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...g-gearbox-upgraded.319422/page-3#post-3195174

OMP steering wheel https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...g-gearbox-upgraded.319422/page-3#post-3193068

Short throw gear change https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...g-gearbox-upgraded.319422/page-4#post-3205703

Alarm battery replacement https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...g-gearbox-upgraded.319422/page-4#post-3208065

DW65V fuel pump install https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...g-gearbox-upgraded.319422/page-4#post-3213224

Catch can https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...g-gearbox-upgraded.319422/page-4#post-3223232

Ebay rear wing https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...g-gearbox-upgraded.319422/page-4#post-3223232

RS3/TTRS front brake upgrade https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...g-gearbox-upgraded.319422/page-4#post-3242661

Rear towing eye https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...g-gearbox-upgraded.319422/page-4#post-3255692

Rear brake upgrade https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...g-gearbox-upgraded.319422/page-4#post-3255700

Vortex generators https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...g-gearbox-upgraded.319422/page-4#post-3259071

Rear brake pipe repair https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...g-gearbox-upgraded.319422/page-4#post-3259225

Custom exhaust at Longlife https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...g-gearbox-upgraded.319422/page-4#post-3260727

Curbrough June 2018 https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...g-gearbox-upgraded.319422/page-4#post-3263628

Rockingham June 2018 https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...g-gearbox-upgraded.319422/page-4#post-3264942

V6 radiator upgrade https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...g-gearbox-upgraded.319422/page-5#post-3268304

Autec Wizard allo wheels https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...g-gearbox-upgraded.319422/page-5#post-3273180

Car weigh in at Track toys https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...g-gearbox-upgraded.319422/page-5#post-3283293

VAG Tuner live Donnington July 2018 https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...g-gearbox-upgraded.319422/page-5#post-3283295

Corner weighting at Track Toys https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...g-gearbox-upgraded.319422/page-5#post-3306158

Curbrough August 2018 https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...sg-gearbox-upgraded.319422/page-5#post-331043

G25-660 arrives https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...g-gearbox-upgraded.319422/page-5#post-3320886

Donnington October 2018 with Dad https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...g-gearbox-upgraded.319422/page-5#post-3341764

Bi XENON headlight modification https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...g-gearbox-upgraded.319422/page-5#post-3342275

Nortech manifold and Downpipe https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...g-gearbox-upgraded.319422/page-5#post-3343025

Lightweight 70A alternator https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...g-gearbox-upgraded.319422/page-5#post-3346068

MAP sensor mounted on intake manifold https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...g-gearbox-upgraded.319422/page-5#post-3355669

PLX AFR gauge install https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...g-gearbox-upgraded.319422/page-5#post-3357485

Ignitron ECU install https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...g-gearbox-upgraded.319422/page-5#post-3358898

Engine out for first rebuild https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...g-gearbox-upgraded.319422/page-6#post-3368241

Engine going back in the car https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...g-gearbox-upgraded.319422/page-6#post-3406006

8600 RPM https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...g-gearbox-upgraded.319422/page-6#post-3417212

Compression check https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...g-gearbox-upgraded.319422/page-7#post-3438887

Antilag https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...g-gearbox-upgraded.319422/page-7#post-3440914

CSF radiator install https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...g-gearbox-upgraded.319422/page-7#post-3445073

Badger 5 Dyno run https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...g-gearbox-upgraded.319422/page-7#post-3453371

Front splitter, brake disc temp monitor https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...g-gearbox-upgraded.319422/page-7#post-3462513

N/A inlet cams acquired with info https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...g-gearbox-upgraded.319422/page-7#post-3463087

Castle Combe Performance German day https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...g-gearbox-upgraded.319422/page-7#post-3467380

Water injection mapped with SSR on Ignitron https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...g-gearbox-upgraded.319422/page-8#post-3475582

Bosch 044 fuel pump upgrade https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...g-gearbox-upgraded.319422/page-8#post-3478192

Curbrough track day August 2019 https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...g-gearbox-upgraded.319422/page-8#post-3486192

Donnington track day Sep 19 McCleans off https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...g-gearbox-upgraded.319422/page-8#post-3492153

Intake cam change https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...g-gearbox-upgraded.319422/page-8#post-3506097

Badger 5 dyno run with new intake cam https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...g-gearbox-upgraded.319422/page-8#post-3506745

Santa Pod October 2019 https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...g-gearbox-upgraded.319422/page-8#post-3509222

Turbo outlet pipe and Pagid RS4-2 rear pads https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...g-gearbox-upgraded.319422/page-8#post-3522787

Silverstone Track day December 2019 https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...g-gearbox-upgraded.319422/page-8#post-3526256

BYC rear wing install https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...g-gearbox-upgraded.319422/page-8#post-3538505

Front wing mods and bonnet vent https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...g-gearbox-upgraded.319422/page-8#post-3546682

Radiator fan single fan mod https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...g-gearbox-upgraded.319422/page-8#post-3564649

SEM Motorsport intake manifold https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...g-gearbox-upgraded.319422/page-8#post-3572624

HPA haldes controller install https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...g-gearbox-upgraded.319422/page-8#post-3572925

Rear skirt trim and exhaust diffuser removal https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...g-gearbox-upgraded.319422/page-8#post-3573292

Audi R8 coil upgrade https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...g-gearbox-upgraded.319422/page-8#post-3582882

Heat insulation on tunnel https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...g-gearbox-upgraded.319422/page-8#post-3583189

BTCC brake upgrade https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...g-gearbox-upgraded.319422/page-9#post-3583449

Bedford Autodrome Track day https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...g-gearbox-upgraded.319422/page-9#post-3590701

Wossner piston failure engine blow up https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...g-gearbox-upgraded.319422/page-9#post-3598633

Engine rebuild Take 2 https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...g-gearbox-upgraded.319422/page-9#post-3617776

Gearbox failure https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...g-gearbox-upgraded.319422/page-9#post-3622549

Bedford Autodrome track day 2 https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...g-gearbox-upgraded.319422/page-9#post-3626265

DQ250 DSG gearbox install part 1 https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...g-gearbox-upgraded.319422/page-9#post-3639454

Badger 5 Rolling road on new engine rebuild https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...g-gearbox-upgraded.319422/page-9#post-3640492

DSG steering wheel and temp sensor https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...-gearbox-upgraded.319422/page-10#post-3645744

Engine mount Poly fill https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...-gearbox-upgraded.319422/page-10#post-3650188

DSG gearbox testing https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...-gearbox-upgraded.319422/page-10#post-3651231

Larger alternator pulley https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...econds-at-127-mph.319422/page-10#post-3655566

DSG gearbox weights and install https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...econds-at-127-mph.319422/page-10#post-3670904

DSG gearbox power steering hose https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...econds-at-127-mph.319422/page-10#post-3670908

Large centre silencer added and front driveshafts https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...econds-at-127-mph.319422/page-10#post-3675428

Awesome GTI TVS gearbox remap and Haldex prop doughnut failure https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...econds-at-127-mph.319422/page-10#post-3687098

Mallory park track day https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...econds-at-127-mph.319422/page-10#post-3687098

0-60 2.99 seconds https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...econds-at-127-mph.319422/page-10#post-3688097

Bedford Track day https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...econds-at-127-mph.319422/page-11#post-3719626

Treadstone intercooler upgrade https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...econds-at-127-mph.319422/page-11#post-3736903

6.8s 100-200km/h https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...econds-at-127-mph.319422/page-11#post-3736905

Bedford trackday and crank damper pulley failure https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...econds-at-127-mph.319422/page-11#post-3743845

TFSI Fluidamper and TFSI pulley upgrade https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...econds-at-127-mph.319422/page-11#post-3747146

Skoda Electro Hydraulic power steering upgrade. https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...econds-at-127-mph.319422/page-11#post-3772309

Donnington track day with Phil https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...econds-at-127-mph.319422/page-11#post-3772429

Santa Pod 10.8 quarter mile https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...econds-at-127-mph.319422/page-11#post-3776913
 
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Great project ahead for you. Respect.

Wish I had the time, space and knowledge to tinker with something like this.
 
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Don't forget coil packs, Arduino sounds very interesting.
 
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That is nice Karl. Plenty of fun to be had on track with tt. Enjoy. :) x
 
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Not done too much with the car so far, fixing some of the issues with the car, most of which I was aware of before I bought it.
After spending some time looking over the car it is as I first thought a very much unmolested original car, no fancy bits, all completely standard.
It still has the original untouched first aid kit and all the tools and stuff with the jack.

DSC 2399

I ordered a set of Febi Bilstein discs and Brembo pads for the rear to replace the really scabby looking items that were on the car. Only £50 for pads and discs which I was happy about. On the previous MOT there was an advisory about one of the rear brakes sticking so no surprise I found one of the slides on the near side pretty much seized and solid. Easily fixed and disc and pads changed on that side after I cleaned up the caliper and inspected all the brake pipes and flexis. Onto the off side and it was more obvious there was an issue here as I really struggled to get the caliper off the disc as the caliper was obviously seized. When I finally got it off the piston boot had become detached and water had gotten into the piston.
I wound the piston out and there was loads of rust and stuff coming out so looks like the caliper was shot.
Fortunately ECP had one in stock and had 55% off so a new caliper worked out at just over £80 with the refund from my original caliper.
Bled the brakes all around using some 5.1 fluid and the brake pedal feels a lot better as well as the handbrake actually working properly now.
Took the front wheel arch liners out and removed a few pounds of mud either side, No rust and it all looks good. took the front bumper off checking for any accident damage and again all good, sprayed the grilles in the front bumper black as it looks to me like the car has been resprayed all over at some time in the past. The paintwork is just too good for a 15 year old car.
The washer jets on the headlight washers are blocked but not too worried about that.
Bought 2 microswitches to fix the front door locks which weren't registering the doors being opened. A lot cheaper than replacing the locks and not that difficult to do.

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The passenger window didn't work when I bought the car and they had attempted to fix it but the mechanic couldn't sort it. There was a spare window winder motor in the boot of the car. It did take me some time to work out what the issues were but I think I now know what the problems are. The switch on the drivers door for the passenger window is faulty internally. It's putting out 12v on both the up and down pins at the same time so the motor is doing neither. Disconnect that switch and the motor attempts to do something. It appears the mechanism is almost jammed.
I removed it and freed it up a lot but it's still not 100%. I suspect the combination of three faults is what had foiled the previous mechanic.
Changed the rough looking rear hatch struts, I was going to paint them but for £13 delivered I just changed them.

DSC 2428

I ejected the CD tray from the changer and it doesn't want to go back in, so there's another small job before I start dismantling the car.
 
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Don't forget coil packs, Arduino sounds very interesting.
Checked these out today 06A905115D which appears to be the latest version of these. They don't look very old at all , looking at pictures of other coil packs and mine there appears to be a manufacturers date code on the in the bottom right hand corner on mine it has 19/14 which I think is the 19th week of 2014. So they are fairly new.
 
Done a few more jobs on the car, took the wheels off the car and rubbed down on all the kerb rash and marks on the wheels. Resprayed them and they look a lot better . They will probably only be on there for a few months until I track down something significantly lighter. I have two sets of Team Dynamics 1.2 for my A4 and a set of these will probably be finding there way onto the TT. Still undecided on 17 or 18 inch rims. Leaning towards a 8 x18
rim with 225/40/18 tyre as there is not much difference really in price between 17 and 18 inch track day tyres comparing 225/45/17 and 225/40/18.
Larger wheels leaves the option of possibly larger brakes on the front. Looking like a 330mm system ATM that will fit under 17 inch rims no problem.

Checked the compression on the engine as a basic health check, came out
Cylinder 1 160 PSI
Cylinder 2 175 PSI
Cylinder 3 180 PSI
Cylinder 4 180 PSI
Looking at various threads on the net these seem to be good readings .
Whilst the plugs were out I checked them and the car is currently running Bosch double platinum FR7KPP33 plugs . They don't look that old TBH but not sure they are the best especially when the car is mapped so after looking around will order some NGK iridium BKR7EIX plugs, which seem to get a pretty good write up.
Car is in need of some Top mounts I think, Just a bit of a gap. Will probably go for some Silver Project adjustable top mounts when the suspension goes on so that will get sorted then.

DSC 2451

Been doing some shopping on Ebay. Picked up a Badger 5 V2.2 TIP second hand. Never been fitted, looks like a good bit of kit.

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Also bought a Forge 008 dump valve to replace the OE Bosch 15Yr old item.
Ordered a Haldex filter tool off Ebay and oil and filter from CP4L as I am not sure when the last time the Haldex was serviced. I am not 100% sure it's working correctly as I tried running the output test on VCDS and I couldn't hear the pump running.
So will be looking at that tomorrow as well as changing the PAS fluid which I am sure is probably the original.
Ordered some Fuchs Titan Sintofluid to change the gearbox oil as I am fairly sure it's the original that's probably in there.
Also ordered some injector seals as I can see it's wet around the injectors on the manifold, cheap parts and doesn't take too long to change them hopefully.
Will also order an 82 degree thermostat to change that, car seems to have an issue warming up and I have yet to see the gauge hit 90. After about 3 miles it's around 75-80 degrees but doesn't get past there. VCDS measurements seem to show the same values.

I dismantled the faulty window switch that was causing issues. It was putting out 12V on both the up and down pins at the same time, so the poor window motor didn't know which way to go.

DSC 2434
 
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More jobs on the car, changed a brake pipe on the rear that I noticed when changing the caliper. checked over all the others that I can see and this is by far the worst. Will probably change the same pipe on the other side at some point as the paint is flaking but it's nowhere near as bad as this one.

DSC 2437


Changing fluids and filters around the car as some of them have never been changed.
Gearbox oil changed for some Titan Sintofluid which is a fairly common oil used by a lot of people. The stuff that came out was fairly black so I suspect was original. Gearchange a little smoother and less notchy than it was before.

IMG 1529

Drained the small amount out of the transfer box as well and cleaned the magnetic plug in there.

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When I changed the oil in my Passat I used Castrol Syntrans and found that the bottle connected to a normal garden hose quite well and this would fit in the fill hole. So just transferred the oil from the Titan bottle to the syntrans bottle and kept filling till it started dripping out the fill hole.
Then swap the hose into a Titan bottle to fill that and put the plug back in the gearbox.

IMG 1530

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Changed the fuel filter using a new Mann filter. No longer made in Germany, China now , no wonder it's cheap.

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Easy enough job just remove a plastic panel on the underside of the fuel tank on the drivers side . The jubilee clip was rusted solid so had to cut that off.
Fuel filter on the car was the original item date code 17.10.00, It had a lot of very black stuff in it when I took it off and emptied the fuel.

IMG 1550

And the new one in place with the lightweight rust free fixation, A tie wrap. Hopefully not have any probs with fuel supply.

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Investigated the haldex as when I ran the output test on VCDS I couldn't hear the pre charge pump running.
Just touched the earth strap and it virtually fell off in my hands, great design there.

DSC 2453

Went to undo the earth point on the body, and the nut was so corroded the stud snapped off. do had to drill a hole and mount another earth stud.

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With a new earth cable attached I can now here the pump running on the output test so looks like the car is now 4WD again.
Just to make sure I jacked the car up off the ground all around and checked the rear wheels were rotating when in gear, and they were.
I have a new filter and oil to fit as I have no idea when these were last changed. Also checked out the Haldex control unit to see what kind of powertrack insert is required. Looks like the circlip type so looks like I will be having some fun removing the controller to fit that.
 
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Removed the starter motor and added a bit of grease here and there and some WD40 as every now and then it make quite a wining sound when starting . Seems to be a common fault but it seems to have fixed it as I haven't heard it do it since I had the starter out.
Changed the coolant thermostat as the one in the car seemed to be faulty as the car was taking quite a while to warm up and didn't ever get over about 72 degrees.
I was planning to change it anyway as the 2003 on TT's had an 80 degree stat and it seems to be recommended for track and performance cars.
Fairly easy job and I changed the coolant whilst I was at it, I think it was just starting to turn as it looked pinky red in the bottle but when I drained it out it was more pinky brown.

IMG 1534


The stat has fixed the warm up issues and it's hitting 80 plus degrees within 3 miles.

I have bought some Elring Dirko sump sealer and some oil and a filter to change the oil to something a little better. Will remove the sump to check the state of the oil pick up and make sure there's not too much sludge in there. The car seems to have had fairly regular oil changes but I want to make sure it's looking fairly clean before doing anything with it.
Went for some Millers CFS 5w 40 Nanodrive fully synthetic competition oil. Seems to get a pretty good write up and the reviews look good.
Also it was only £45 delivered from JJC on Ebay.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/301704241286?

Also bought a shorter serpentine belt so I can delete the air con system, so that's a job for an afternoon. will then measure up for the FMIC as should have a bit more room without the aircon rad in there.

Last but not least I have found the NSF wheel bearing appears to be grumbling. As they are a pain to replace needing a press etc to get them in and out I have bough a complete hub second hand so hopefully that will just be straight swap.

Think I can get on with converting it into a track car then hopefully. Just bought a Seat Leon Cupra Brembo set up off fleabay so hopefully that will cover the braking requirements for a while with some DS3000 pads and brake cooling pipes should hopefully stop reasonably well.
There is also an upgrade path with these to some 330mm 2 part discs from Godspeed. Should they be needed.
 
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Bit of an update to this thread. Have been busy doing stuff to the car. Not all of it performance mods. Got the NSF wheel bearing changed and the car is so much quieter, when the hub was off the car you could feel and hear the noise with the bearing. Took advantage of the ECP upto 55% sale and picked up an SKF bearing for £37 and dropped off the hub to Midland VW for them to change the bearing. Big shout out to them for quick efficient and cheap service, just £10 to change the bearing.
The complete second hand hub I bought off Ebay was a complete waste of time, the bearing in that was a lot worse than the one on my car already. Returned to the seller for a full refund.
The aircon system developed a rapid and terminal pressure loss last weekend. As I was going to change the serpentine belt anyway as it looked a little second hand I counted this as a free mod.
Fairly straightforward to remove this the only tricky part is the pipes around the back of the engine. These will be stopping there until such time as I either remove the engine or have the turbo/ exhaust out. Also removed the charcoal canister and one of the horns.

DSC 2483


Reused one of the pipes from the charcoal evap system to loop the tank breather to the pipe that runs under the car.

DSC 2480

And blocked off a few more holes.

DSC 2481

DSC 2482

I removed the alloy pipe across the back of the engine bay and removed the one surplus pipe and replaced the pipe so got rid of a small amount of extra piping. Toyed with the idea of replacing the pipe with some hose but decided it's probably made out alloy because of the heat from the turbo / exhaust so will leave it as it is.
 
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Fitted the Seat Leon Cupra R brakes to the car.
DSC 2485

These were second hand off Ebay and have new pistons and seals 6 months ago,along with pins and springs. However the previous owner had tightened the one bleed nipple too much, unfortunately despite my best efforts I couldn't undo it and it snapped off, Fortunately it was the inboard one. So not a complete loss as you can still bleed the brakes just means you need to rotate the caliper to get the air through from the inside pot to the outside one.
I repainted them black for that more stealthy look. Have some Ebay Brembo decals to add when they are all sorted.
The Brake discs are MTEC and have virtually no wear, they look reasonable quality as they have the pillar vents as opposed to the more traditional vanes used on cheaper vented discs. Came with a virtually new set of Brembo pads and some HEL braided lines.
The HEL brake lines are way too long about 70 cm so need to source some shorter lines. Currently fitted them temporarily using tie wraps to keep the lines out of the way of the rim.
The difference in braking power between these calipers with standard Brembo pads and the 312mm standard brakes with Pagid pads is like night and day. And the brakes haven't even bedded in yet.
The overall weight of the larger 323 *28 disc system is actually a little less than the 312mm standard system due to the reduced weight of the caliper.
The 312mm system weighs in at 13.7 Kg Disc,caliper, pads,hose etc.

DSC 2504

And the LCR system 13.0 Kg.

DSC 2505

One of the reasons I went for this brake system is the pad prices are quite reasonable. You can get DS3000 pads for around £130 but when I had a look on Fleabay I came across these which worked out at £148 delivered. Ferodo DS1.11 , seem to get very good reviews and hopefully will last longer than DS3000 pads along with better disc life if all the gumph is correct.

DSC 2510

Will sort some hoses and back plates out for some proper cooling when I fit the FMIC.
 
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Not been too impressed with the clutch action on the car.struggle to get decent gear changes 2-3 or 3-4 as the biting point of the clutch seems to be quite low. I tried bleeding the clutch that didn't make too much difference.
I noticed reading some threads that some people had removed the restrictor in the plastic clutch bleeder so I decided to remove this.

DSC 2507


Whist I was dismantling the system I had noticed the car has exactly the same pedal damper that my daily B8 A4 had . I removed this on my A4 and this improved the gearchanges no end making it much easier to get quick changes. So I did the same with the TT.
Two 10mm female joiners joined by a 10mm male joiner, welded together. It's much easier to get at on the TT than it is on the A4.

Before
DSC 2506


After
DSC 2508


And the result, the gearchanges are so much better, with reduced travel on the pedal and no issues changing up and down the box quickly.
 
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Changed the oil and cleaned out the sump /strainer whilst the sump was empty. The car seems to have had reasonably frequent oil changes in it's life but for the sake of an hour and £10 for some sump gasket sealer and an O ring I thought it was worthwhile taking off the sump to have a look.
Fairly straightforward to get the sump off lots of 10mm Bolts and 3 larger bolts through from the gearbox into the sump. A ball end allen key is handy to get some of the 10mm nuts at the gearbox end of the sump.
Decided to go for some quality oil and the larger oil filter. Also bought a new O ring for the oil pick up strainer.

DSC 2490

The bigger oil filter is a good deal bigger than the standard item fitted to the car.
DSC 2494

The strainer , not overly blocked with stuff. There were some small pieces of red plastic, presume these may be off some chain guide or similar in the engine.
DSC 2496

Cleaned the strainer out in some white spirit and this is what came out. This car has only done 88K .

DSC 2499

Now nice and clean
DSC 2500


The sump before , don't think this is too bad.

DSC 2501

And after 10 minutes with some thinners and a few old rags.

DSC 2502

The oil change used all 5L of the oil. The larger oil filter must hold an extra 0.5L of oil.

Will be adding an oil pressure and temp gauge when I fit an oil cooler.
 
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Hi Karl, only just realised you had a thread for this TT you spoke to me about. I have a blue Haldex controller sitting in a bag in my garage if you want to try/test it out? It was supposed to go in the black S3, but I never got round to fitting it before I stuffed it.
 
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Hi Jojo thanks for the offer. I have read about these mystical Blue devices :) . TBH having now got the haldex working in the car I was going to try one of the powertrack inserts that locks the haldex up so it's 50/50 all the time. Along with recoding the ABS module to disable the ESP.
From what I have read the Blue Haldex is what the car should have come with from the factory for a fast road normal car. The orange is more competition / track focussed.
If it was just a 5 minute job to swap them it might be interesting to have a go. Unfortunately looks like a pig to get them in and out. The Haldex controller in my car has the circlip on the insert so will definitely need to come out. I have the oil and filter to change as well on the haldex as I have no idea the last time it was changed.
 
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Hi Jojo thanks for the offer. I have read about these mystical Blue devices :) . TBH having now got the haldex working in the car I was going to try one of the powertrack inserts that locks the haldex up so it's 50/50 all the time. Along with recoding the ABS module to disable the ESP.
From what I have read the Blue Haldex is what the car should have come with from the factory for a fast road normal car. The orange is more competition / track focussed.
If it was just a 5 minute job to swap them it might be interesting to have a go. Unfortunately looks like a pig to get them in and out. The Haldex controller in my car has the circlip on the insert so will definitely need to come out. I have the oil and filter to change as well on the haldex as I have no idea the last time it was changed.

It's actually a 10 minute job to swop the Haldex controller if you have access to a ramp, not so easy on axle stands though... 2 allen key bolts and the plug at the back. All I can say is, the magic happens when you are in a corner, and boot it. It's more effective with sorted suspension. The orange version I believe, is able to lock the haldex during braking, but unsure if the TT/S3 chassis is able to do that?

Also, with regards to the fully locked Haldex,.. it put's pressure on the transfer box off the gearbox, so not recommended to run such a setup for long periods.
 
DSC_2502_zpscbzf17yg.jpg



You really need a baffled sump or baffle insert for a track car to prevent multiple brief oil starvation during hard cornering Karl .

SeatSportsump1.jpg
 
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Hats off, Karl; what a mega superbly good thread
5187.gif


Found it this morning and I've read it once through quickly and for sure I'll be reading it again later albeit more slowly; good luck with it all...
 
Hi Gaz, I know it's on the list of things to do. Which happens to be a very long list :) .
I am trying to find a cheaper but acceptable solution other than shelling out £200 for a Forge item.
http://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threads/1-8t-baffled-sump.324504/

Personally I would avoid the forge item dude!
Built using non oem dumps which are incredibly soft and notorious but pulling the threads on the turbo oil drain and oil level sensor. Trust me I know!

If I were to do it again I would get a custom one made or buy the kit from aks.

Looking forward to future updates dude
 
Hats off, Karl; what a mega superbly good thread
5187.gif


Found it this morning and I've read it once through quickly and for sure I'll be reading it again later albeit more slowly; good luck with it all...
Hi John, thanks for that. You can have a go and see what you think when it's a bit more sorted.
 
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Personally I would avoid the forge item dude!
Built using non oem dumps which are incredibly soft and notorious but pulling the threads on the turbo oil drain and oil level sensor. Trust me I know!
If I were to do it again I would get a custom one made or buy the kit from aks.
Looking forward to future updates dude
Thanks for the heads up, I kinda suspect that they wouldn't be using an OE part as that would be too expensive. I have had a look at AKS and £300 is a bit too steep. I am going to look into getting one made up myself. Hopefully I know somebody who can weld it up if they are still working at the same place. They make intercoolers / alloy fuel tanks etc.
There's a guy on club GTI whos sells sets of cardboard templates for the alloy parts. I would rather use an OE sump.
 
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Got back to fitting some more bits to the car over the weekend.

DSC 2517


Cookbots and some Powerflex black bushes for the rear of the lower arm.
I am glad my next door neighbour has a huge vice that could press the Cookbots in as I am sure my bench vice wouldn't have done it. The second one went in a lot easier than the first. The Powerflex black bushes were a bit of a game to press in as well. Managed with my more modest bench vice but you had to get them dead centre to have any hope of getting them in.

DSC 2544


And what a faff trying to refit the arms, everything fairly straightforward except trying to get the rear inboard bolt located.

The existing dogbone mount on the car was pretty soft and squidgy. Again never an easy job working on a 15 year old car , one of the smaller 13mm bolts that holds the mount to the subframe snapped. When I eventually got it out could see this was due to corrosion between the alloy base of the dogbone and the bolt. Fortunately the remains of the bolt just twisted out with my fingers.

DSC 2545


I like it when you change things on a car and you can feel the results straight away. The gear change is more positive, no issues with any vibration from the dogbone. There is substantially less movement with the uprated parts.
The steering feels a lot more direct and positive as I hoped it would . Definitely worth doing.
 
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Got back to fitting some more bits to the car over the weekend.

DSC_2517_zps2xnj1xdb.jpg~original


Cookbots and some Powerflex black bushes for the rear of the lower arm.
I am glad my next door neighbour has a huge vice that could press the Cookbots in as I am sure my bench vice wouldn't have done it. The second one went in a lot easier than the first. The Powerflex black bushes were a bit of a game to press in as well. Managed with my more modest bench vice but you had to get them dead centre to have any hope of getting them in.



And what a faff trying to refit the arms, everything fairly straightforward except trying to get the rear inboard bolt located.

The existing dogbone mount on the car was pretty soft and squidgy. Again never an easy job working on a 15 year old car , one of the smaller 13mm bolts that holds the mount to the subframe snapped. When I eventually got it out could see this was due to corrosion between the alloy base of the dogbone and the bolt. Fortunately the remains of the bolt just twisted out with my fingers.



I like it when you change things on a car and you can feel the results straight away. The gear change is more positive, no issues with any vibration from the dogbone. There is substantially less movement with the uprated parts.
The steering feels a lot more direct and positive as I hoped it would . Definitely worth doing.
Anyone doing the dogbone mount today, I would recommend they buy new bolts. Saw some snapped clean off like yours just the other week on mates S3! He was complaining of grinding noises when the car was under load.
 
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Been playing with Nefmotos logger to check the car out. I am pretty sure it's a bog standard 225 but if somebody in the know could have a quick look at the attached PDF and tell me if it looks standard.
Wasn't sure what to log as there is so much stuff. This is a 3rd gear pull.
The MAF seems to max out around 180 ish so by my maths 180/0.8 = 225bhp which looks promising.
The EGT sensor tats seems to be a bit iffy. When I first started logging it was stuck at 1110 degrees then after a few seconds went to what seemed a more normal reading. But occasionally it flickers around quite a bit, I have seen fault codes logged for it so seems to be another thing that needs attention.
@Prawn , @badger5 @<tuffty/>
 

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Implausible signal for the EGT sensor by any chance?... usually means the sensor is goosed... 1110 is its default error state reading and causes the ECU to over fuel (default protection mode)

Some decent resolution from the Nef logger though...

Based on the data it looks std to me... not requesting more than about 0.9bar of boost... no AFR logged though to check fuel

<tuffty/>
 
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Hi thanks for that, Yes it does report implausible signal . Having a look a look around on the net seems there may be a possibility that it's down to a duff solder joint on the amplifier module so will take it off and have a look.
Quite impressed with the Nefmoto logger, it was actually taking 10 readings per second , I edited the .csv file as there was just too much information so too every other reading out. What do you recommend to log for fuelling as I would like to check the Lambda sensor is working OK.
I was logging the CPU processor load as well and that hit just under 90% which I think is the most they recommend on Nefmoto. So will probably knock it back to 5 readings per second when logging so many things at the same time.
I know the car has some leaks on the PCV/ breather pipes under the manifold as I can see the tell tale wet patches. Need to see whats going on there as well as have some Injector seals to change.
 
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Having a look a look around on the net seems there may be a possibility that it's down to a duff solder joint on the amplifier module so will take it off and have a look.
Sensor itself is potted... early ones use a gel, later ones a resin....

What do you recommend to log for fuelling as I would like to check the Lambda sensor is working OK.

Not used Nef logger so un familiar with the variable names for the correct values... in VCDS its block 31 for request vs actual... this is no doubt available as a variable or two in Nef... pretty fundamental so NefMoto will have the info you need to find these...

<tuffty/>
 
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Nice job with the car so far.
Whats your plans for oil temp and pressure?
 
Will fit a temp and pressure gauge when I fit the oil cooler. The oil cooler sandwiches usually have take off points for measuring temp and pressure. Gauges will go where the radio is at the moment.
 
Had a bit of luck with the EGT sensor this afternoon. Decided to have a look at it and with the engine running moving the connector or pressing on the case would cause the EGT to go upto 1110 intermittently. I took the connector off and checked the pins all looked good. Sprayed some electrical switch cleaner on the connector and pins and it was still the same.
Undid the 2 hex bolts that hold the sensor in place and quite easily managed to lever the top off with some flat blade screwdrivers.
Fortunately my EGT has the jelly filling which is easily removed.
I have circled the 5 connections to the PCB, The 3 on the right looked fine, but you can see the 2 on the left which are for the thermocouple, the joints have cracks around them. You can see a very thin black line.
This happens due to vibration or repeated heat cycling causing the joints to fail. I touched up all 5 joints with the soldering iron and stuck the lid back on with some plastic glue.
This has 100% fixed the problem, after 3 or 4 minutes of moving the connector and flexing the box it never once showed 1110 .


EGT PCB close up edited
 
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@<tuffty/> did some more logging today after I fixed the EGT and the car does feel like it's running a bit better . I suppose with the sensor flashing up high EGT's that would kick in some kind of protection . It does seem more consistent.
Heres a log 3rd gear acceleration run. I have logged the Lambda sensor specified and actual and it seems to correlate quite well around 0.95 when flat out above 3K RPM. The boost seems to be holding to the specified level , even a little above it.
Thanks for your help .
 

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  • 25-06-17 3rd gear accell run2.pdf
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Faulty EGT sensor forces protection mode so fuelling of 0.75 across the board... that will kill performance...

0.95 under load is std fuelling... when EGT's hit 920/925 then protection kicks in AFR drops like a stone...

<tuffty/>
 
Not updated this for a while. Been busy collecting parts and the next few weeks will be busy fitting them all and hopefully getting the car mapped by Rick.
Started with an intercooler upgrade. There is a great thread on here about the Wellycooler upgrade so figured had to be one of those. Didn't want 75mm pipes as the plan was to try and make it possible to refit the aliens when it came to MOT time. This did involve quite a bit of tweaking with the pipes but it is possible to fit the washers to the bumper and install the bumper on the car.
Started out deciding what intercooler to get, nearly everybody fit's bar and plate, I went tube and fin. The intercooler only weighs 6.2Kg 600 x 300 x65mm and presents much less resistance to flow through the cooler to the rad externally. Some bar and plate coolers can be very obstructive.
The seller of this cooler actually posts pictures of the intercooler core and they use an offset fin design. Not the lowest amount of pressure drop but some of the bar and plate coolers have straight fin designs that let the air straight through with minimal pressure loss. And consequently result in poor cooling of the air. It just runs straight through without touching the sides as such.
I wanted to measure a few things before I got going just to see what the standard I/C system did in terms of pressure drop.
This is all very rough science and the main thing you can deduce from the results is guesstimated pressure drops.
I have a Magnehelic gauage that I picked up off Ebay really cheap a few years ago. This measures differential pressures and is very accurate full scale is 1.5 Kpa which is around 0.22 PSI.
First I calibrated the vacuum cleaner :) . Disconnected the MAF from the car and connected the vacuum cleaner to it so it was sucking through the MAF. Started the engine to get the ECU reading the MAF and the vacuum was flowing 24 g/s . Which is around an eighth of the flow seen at max power.
Turn the engine off and reconnect the MAF. Clear the fault code that the ECU flagged due to the high flow at idle.
Connect vacuum to the pipe where the first intercooler connects and disconnect the pipe from the throttle body. Thus measuring the pressure drop across the existing intercooler set up.
DSC 2565


A reading of 0.8 Kpa or 0.116 PSI if you scale that up x8 = 0.93 PSI or around 1 PSI at similar flow to peak power.
DSC 2566

The intercooler is from Germany Boost Products. I bought it through Ebay £149 delivered. I am sure it's probably made in China, But it's good quality welding with cast end tanks and looks pretty solid.

DSC 2572


DSC 2573


DSC 2574


DSC 2577


I bought a load of 2.5 inch pipes , couplers and bends from the Toyosport shop for £65. I still have a lot of this left. This pipe kit includes some 75 degree bends which prove useful.
Needed to buy another silicon 90 degree bend and I purchased 12 JCS Hi Grip clips as I know the ones supplied with these pipes are not that good.
If they are good enough for Bill they will do me fine. And I have to agree they are very good.

s-l1600.jpg


Mocked up the pipe run and the intercooler to see what kind of pressure drop it showed. came out at 0.65 Kpa or about 20% less pressure drop than the OE setup.



DSC 2570

Made a bottom bracket from so thin galvanised angle brackets I had left over in the garage, sprayed Matt black. Forgive the gobby welding, the metal is very thin and galvanised which doesn't help. Sprayed most things Matt black going for the stealth option :) .


DSC 2589


The top bracket , is a much stronger affair and could support the intercooler on it's own . I made up some air guides to try and get air flowing through the core and hopefully guide some to the top of the core. The air guide plastic is from an old black square section downpipe off the house. I don't throw anything away :) . You never know when it may come in useful. The top and bottom pieces are secured to the intercooler with short self tapping screws as the top and bottom plates are approx 3mm alloy plates.

DSC 2591


Made up a tool to swage the ends of all the pipes. Actually not that difficult to do and hopefully means all the pipes will stop connected.

DSC 2592


The pipe runs, You can see I recycled one of the original hoses.

DSC 2593



Pipe run on the drivers side, You can see the way it runs allows for the bottom of the headlight washer to fit in. A straighter run without the 90 degree bends would have resulted in a smaller pressure drop across the entire system but it was of the order of less than 0.1 PSI at full flow .
DSC 2594

The passenger side

DSC 2596


Checked the pressure loss on the car when it was all plumbed up and came to 0.67 Kpa. pretty much what I had measured earlier. So this has about 15-20 % less pressure loss than the standard intercooler system.

DSC 2598


Repositioned the single horn on the bolt that secures the front bumper support.

DSC 2600



And checked the whole system for leaks by pumping it up to 25 PSI. Not even a hiss from any of the joints. Very impressed with these JCS clips.

DSC 2599

Will do some data logging to see if this has made any /much difference before I fit the Badger V2 Tip.

DSC 2601
 
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Finished the intercooler install off by removing the cross pipe off the car to trim it. I decided that as they fit these to the 180bhp with only 1 intercooler it obviously does more than linking the intercoolers and would serve to brace the front suspension legs. So just chopped off the excess redundant tube length off each end and refitted it. I was surprised how light it was.

DSC 2618
 
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Hi Jojo, Hopefully the plan was to run the TT but I am not probably going to have the suspension sorted by then and the original is not at it's best.
I will probably run the A4 as it's going better than it ever has since I fitted the large bore downpipe. It sounds good too :) .
Next job with the TT is fit this. Chinas finest :) .
DSC 2627
 
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Good work man!!
Keep ontop of the posts as I'm always here reading in the background

Lastly I don't wanna **** on your parade but the cooler you have fitted is the exact same as the Chinese tube and fin cores which have been tested multiple times and found to be really bad at cooling and hence got the nickname "interheater". :/.

They can see temps sky rocket up as high 60-70 degrees on multiple pulls
 
Good work man!!
Keep ontop of the posts as I'm always here reading in the background

Lastly I don't wanna **** on your parade but the cooler you have fitted is the exact same as the Chinese tube and fin cores which have been tested multiple times and found to be really bad at cooling and hence got the nickname "interheater". :/.

They can see temps sky rocket up as high 60-70 degrees on multiple pulls

Looking at the internal shot the fins look more like the proper toyo sport variants that work but the difficult to see if its a glued core or not...

Karl, just keep an eye on intake temps... it will be evident if its the wrong core... they either work well or not at all... no middle ground on these luckily

<tuffty/>