BCS Powervalve / Milltek Questions

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HHS3

Phantom Black S3 - R-Tech Stage 2+
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Hello,

My S3 is currently Revo stage 1 with a Revo CAI, my final plans are to reach stage 2+.

A lot of people say to skip stage 2 and go straight to stage 2+, this however is an additional £1500+ on top of stage 2 which means that it is a long way off for me due to the fact that I do not have much disposable income at the moment. So I've decided to settle for stage 2 for now and then spend a couple of years saving up for stage 2+.

All that is required for me to go to stage 2 is a downpipe and the map. I initially wanted a BCS Powervalve TBE which is around £1400, I then decided to go for a Milltek TBE due to being £600 cheaper, but I have heard mixed reviews of these whereas the BCS has nothing but complimentary feedback.

I'm now going for the BCS downpipe as this is only a tad more expensive then the Milltek but can anyone answer the following please:
  • BCS downpipe heat wrap, worth £55?
  • BCS downpipe power flex (uprated dog mount), worth £28?
As mentioned above money is the key factor for me, I've heard that the downpipe is the most restrictive part of the standard exhaust so am I ok just getting that done for now? Then get the BCS catback in future. Or get the BCS downpipe and a Milltek catback now and then replace the Milltek in future with a BCS?

Thanks.
 
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i'll throw a 3rd option into the mix for you, pipewerx down pipe. £275 they advertise on ebay, based in west lancashire.
These look extreamly well made also.
 
outsideline said:
i'll throw a 3rd option into the mix for you, pipewerx down pipe. £275 they advertise on ebay, based in west lancashire.
These look extreamly well made also.
Click to expand...

I've literally just been ploughing through older threads and saw this Pipewerx mentioned by @Dan-Jnr and a couple of others as being the only other downpipe rated highly and at half the price, so thanks for the suggestion.

I guess I can always buy some heat wrap and get Storm Devs to apply it when fitting. My only concern is that BCS don't sell the catback separate online but then I've heard people say you can call up. I live by the saying buy cheap, buy twice so I'd happily get the Pipewerx providing BCS would sell me their catback.
 
Send a message to @BCS Nige he is a site sponsor on here see what he can do for you. Iirc they running s group buy on a few things.
 
Sandra said:
Send a message to @BCS Nige he is a site sponsor on here see what he can do for you. Iirc they running s group buy on a few things.
Click to expand...

Thanks Sandra :)

I was in contact with him a couple of weeks ago about a BCS Powervalve TBE however funds are really tight for the foreseeable future unfortunately and I have terrible patience haha which is why I'm going to settle for the downpipe for now with stage 2 and then get the catback later on for stage 2+.

I really want Storm Devs custom map asap as well for stage 2 as although I'm happy with the increased torque from my Revo stage 1, I know for a fact it hasn't reached 300bhp which I'm unhappy with considering the amount I paid for it (I know others have the same problem with later stages). Luckily I got the Revo CAI as well which is a great bit of kit and a lot of fun in the meantime.
 
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Is t a 3door or 5 if it's a 3 pm me I can help you with your cat back.
 
First of all, not sure why you say it costs £1500 to go stage 2 to 2+.
The restrictive part of the exhaust is the downpipe. I have seen the BCS downpipe and it is really well made. You do not need the cat back to reach stage2+ so that will save you some cash. To reach 2+ you will need a hpfp. Cheapest way for this is to add the Autotech internals to your pump. The hpfp gives a big boost to midrange torque.
I have an intake, a Loba hpfp and an APR downpipe with APR 2+ software producing 365 bhp and 378 ft lbs. Maybe a bit higher now as I have added a few extra bits that were not too expensive.
Check out those prices again just to make sure.
 
When you add clutch to that it's easily 1500£ more. But the clutch might give up on stage 2 so i would be careful.
 
s3joe said:
Is t a 3door or 5 if it's a 3 pm me I can help you with your cat back.
Click to expand...

Cheers mate, it's a 3 door so I'll drop you a PM now but funds are especially tight as I'm saving up for Thailand in November with the misses so I don't want to waste your time.

prt57 said:
First of all, not sure why you say it costs £1500 to go stage 2 to 2+.
The restrictive part of the exhaust is the downpipe. I have seen the BCS downpipe and it is really well made. You do not need the cat back to reach stage2+ so that will save you some cash. To reach 2+ you will need a hpfp. Cheapest way for this is to add the Autotech internals to your pump. The hpfp gives a big boost to midrange torque.
I have an intake, a Loba hpfp and an APR downpipe with APR 2+ software producing 365 bhp and 378 ft lbs. Maybe a bit higher now as I have added a few extra bits that were not too expensive.
Check out those prices again just to make sure.
Click to expand...

Even though it's not technically required for stage 2+ the clutch goes 99% of the time within 20K miles and mine already slips the very odd time, so the £1500 was me including a Sachs Clutch & LUK DMF as you can pick this up for £725 and then £300 fitment. The remaining amount was made up of either the Autotech internals or the full Loba HPFP.

Getting the catback done was mainly due to me wanting the awesome noise as well as the performance, however I don't have the luxury of disposable income, so I'll just have to sacrifice this for now.. :(

S. said:
When you add clutch to that it's easily 1500£ more. But the clutch might give up on stage 2 so i would be careful.
Click to expand...

Yeah that's what I was accounting for in my figures when going to stage 2+ from stage 2 as mines at 55K and can already tell it will need doing. I'm leaving that bit to chance, worst case if clutch goes at stage 2 then that will just go on the credit card!

If I go down the Pipewerx downpipe route, I take it that the following is all I need:
 
After vacation i'll get in contact with local exhaust company that does excelent work and i'll get the price for their option of a valved cat back / back box. As i'm getting a bit tired of all the noise. They have done quite good work on a lots of big powered cars.
 
If your on facebook, have a look at the tfsi tuners page, there's a guy on there who makes up 3.5" down pipes with decat for £245. Loads of people running them on there now.

If I was you I'd be thinking of changing the clutch before up the power if its already slipping, you'll end up having a big bill otherwise and it sounds like you've not got to much money to throw around.

personally I've got a bcs powervale with 200 cell sports cat and have to say its amazing, I originally got the pipewrex down pipe, but have to say their after sales it absolutely shocking so that went back!
 
paul_zx6r said:
If your on facebook, have a look at the tfsi tuners page, there's a guy on there who makes up 3.5" down pipes with decat for £245. Loads of people running them on there now.

If I was you I'd be thinking of changing the clutch before up the power if its already slipping, you'll end up having a big bill otherwise and it sounds like you've not got to much money to throw around.

personally I've got a bcs powervale with 200 cell sports cat and have to say its amazing, I originally got the pipewrex down pipe, but have to say their after sales it absolutely shocking so that went back!
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info Paul, I'm on facebook so am just scrolling through the TFSI Tuning page now to see if I can find this guy.

Bet your BCS sounds the nuts!
 
HHS3 said:
Thanks for the info Paul, I'm on facebook so am just scrolling through the TFSI Tuning page now to see if I can find this guy.

Bet your BCS sounds the nuts!
Click to expand...

No worries, be warned you'll end up spending more money by looking on there. I think the companies called relentless mate.

Yes the BCS does sound the nuts, I may have to look in to that de-cat myself as I'm wanting more power, like yourself lol
 
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paul_zx6r said:
No worries, be warned you'll end up spending more money by looking on there. I think the companies called relentless mate.

Yes the BCS does sound the nuts, I may have to look in to that de-cat myself as I'm wanting more power, like yourself lol
Click to expand...

Perfect, cheers for that.

I know all about spending more than anticipated haha! Before ASN I was only planning on a stage 1 remap, alloys and a head unit.. Now I've got a 3 page document with over 4 grands worth of stuff (mainly stage 2+) I want to do!!
 
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That's how it goes.
One tip: look for some 2nd hand parts in classifieds and so on, so you can save a some money. Every now and then pops something for a good price i.e. intake, exhaust, springs and so on..
 
Noticed there have been a significant number of autotech failures reported on some US forums ... Something to check out.
 
downtothebone said:
Noticed there have been a significant number of autotech failures reported on some US forums ... Something to check out.
Click to expand...

This crops up from time to time....
As the Autotech pump is a set of internals only,it is extremely dependent on the competence of the person building it up,and on the cleanliness of the environment in which it's done.

Built properly,they are very reliable,and the one on my car has run for over 60k miles,mostly at more than 400bhp.
 
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and dont foget think about there ratio of cars compared to our market!! its huge the number of tfsi engine cars over there.
Like alex said, fuel pump internals need to be put together very sterile really, they run on unbelievable fine tolerance.
 
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S. said:
That's how it goes.
One tip: look for some 2nd hand parts in classifieds and so on, so you can save a some money. Every now and then pops something for a good price i.e. intake, exhaust, springs and so on..
Click to expand...

I check this forum most days whilst I'm at work but never really look at the classifieds section, so I'll start keeping any eye out! Cheers.

downtothebone said:
Noticed there have been a significant number of autotech failures reported on some US forums ... Something to check out.
Click to expand...

I'll be getting all of the work done at Storm Devs who are a reputable tuner, so I'd trust them to do the Autotech internals. For sake of mind though, I'm most likely going to get the Loba instead as I personally prefer the idea of a whole unit being replaced rather than just the internals, especially on a 56K car.
 
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HHS3 said:
I check this forum most days whilst I'm at work but never really look at the classifieds section, so I'll start keeping any eye out! Cheers.



I'll be getting all of the work done at Storm Devs who are a reputable tuner, so I'd trust them to do the Autotech internals. For sake of mind though, I'm most likely going to get the Loba instead as I personally prefer the idea of a whole unit being replaced rather than just the internals, especially on a 56K car.
Click to expand...

Storm are the people who fitted and programmed the ECU on my car,and along with AMDTuning,who built the engine,are the go-to guys for me.
 
S3Alex said:
Storm are the people who fitted and programmed the ECU on my car,and along with AMDTuning,who built the engine,are the go-to guys for me.
Click to expand...

It's thanks to you that I'm going to Storm after reading the work they've done on your Syvics ECU and having them so close to home is ideal as well. Plus I want custom mapping for stage 2 as I know I'll be underwhelmed if I go to Revo for it like many others have been, despite them being the cheaper option as I've already got their stage 1 map.

I've let Andy know that he can thank you when I come in for stage 2 later this year and then stage 2+ when the time finally comes :)
 
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audi upgrades
I've got a BCS sports cat and down pipe mated to a Milltek non-resonated system. I had to cut off about 3/4 inches from the sports cat as it was too long so just be aware of this. If you have an angle grinder or a metal saw it's easy enough to measure up and cut it to size.
 
XFi said:
I've got a BCS sports cat and down pipe mated to a Milltek non-resonated system. I had to cut off about 3/4 inches from the sports cat as it was too long so just be aware of this. If you have an angle grinder or a metal saw it's easy enough to measure up and cut it to size.
Click to expand...

Cool, thanks for the heads up.

After changing my mind four times I think I've finally come to a conclusion on what I'll go for. I'm going to get a Pipewerx De-Cat downpipe (as this is half the price and of similar build quality to the BCS) and go stage 2, then when the day comes for stage 2+, I'll get a BCS Powervalve Cat-Back exhaust to go with it.
 
Just to say that the decat pipe will not pass the MOT.
A downpipe on its own is still good enough for stage 2+. The cat back is not essential. The downpipe is the most restrictive part of the system.
 
prt57 said:
Just to say that the decat pipe will not pass the MOT.
A downpipe on its own is still good enough for stage 2+. The cat back is not essential. The downpipe is the most restrictive part of the system.
Click to expand...

My brother works at a garage and so he can get them to pass anything in the MOT luckily.

True and looking at the Milltek Cat-Back, there's hardly any difference between that and the OEM exhaust, it's only the BCS which is really beneficial. It was more for the noise why I wanted the Cat-Back but posing will definitely have to come last when money is tight haha. The De-Cat will still sound good, just not full rasp but I have done the butterfly valve delete in the OEM exhaust as well, so this will help a little off boost.
 
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