Hi all!
Here's a warning! The word, COOL will be repeated, record number of times in this post!
6 months ago, a weird guy from Hong Kong pinged me on my mobile through a popular internet messenger. He wanted me to try some of his products. He had come across my Crio and Polo GT TSI threads on Team-Bhp, and contacted me after reading how enthusiastic I was, in trying new things.
Initially, I was a bit wary, as I didn't want to try the products. They were a little 'out of the blue' and 'unconventional,' even for my adventurous self, but I have done outlandish things before, and this person just didn't relent. I remember his words, "TRY once. Don't pay for it if you don't like it. And even if you like it, KEEP IT!" Narry (Naresh Virkar, owner of TTS Auto) was very persistent and I finally agreed to try the 'safest' product in their portfolio.
So much confidence was unheard of, and I decided to take TTS Auto's first product, the PedalTune, for a spin. The single highlight of his products was their simplicity and plug-and-play nature. CLIP-TO-CLIP: NO JUGAAD is his motto. If anything needs to be modified to fit a product, it's reliability goes down. Fine, then! We were definitely on the same page on that aspect.
The details are in the threads below.
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/modifi...-response.html http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/modifi...-response.html
Very soon, I realized that this man was a treasure trove of knowledge and he was sitting on a gold mine of information. His knowledge of latest cars and modern electronics shocked me. I bit the bullet, and HOW!
The products kept coming in!
PedalTune, T-Box, 4 channel tuning box, Beru Spark Plugs, TTS Auto ECU Remap, Racecat, Downpipe, ALL tried in my cars. These things worked so well and had such good build quality, that I realized that TTS Auto meant business and their quality and service spoke volumes of their understanding of the Indian market. I am stoked by their service and love the fact that every modification I want to make on my car comes with pre- and post- instructions to make the best out of it.
The latest in their line of products deserves its own thread. It's something that has turned me into a believer of the mantra: KEEP IT COOL!
My Polo GT TSI is running a fairly high list of drivetrain mods:
1. TTS Auto remap
2. PedalTune
3. T-Box DSG remap
4. TTS Auto 15w-60 fully synthetic oil (more on this in another thread)
5. Beru UXT-12 Performance Spark Plugs
6. BMC CD-Dia Carbon Fibre Air Intake
7. Borla Spitfire Non-resonated Exhaust
I was super happy with all these mods, and the car is performing LEAGUES better than it did in stock form. I was so happy that I thought there is nothing else I could do, to make this 'puny' 1.2 litre TSI engine and DQ200 DSG combination to perform any better.
Enter NARRY.
"Frank, I have ONE product that will blow your socks off. You won't even know what gave, but you will thank me for it. DON'T PAY FOR IT if it doesn't work!"
I was shocked at this man's confidence (bordering on arrogance) about the 'efficiency' of this product.
Note the word EFFICIENCY!
I present to you, India's FIRST Coolant Cooled Liquid Intercooler Cooling System!!!!!
This contraption is a 'radiator' of sorts that 'cools' the coolant that passes through a lot of components of the engine, cooling them in the process. This nifty little intercooler sits just next to the Coolant Reservoir and has fins on both sides that help 'radiates' the heat that the coolant has gathered while passing through crucial drivetrain components. Mind you, this thing DOESN'T LOWER the coolant temperature. It just dissipates the heat faster and better, and hence increases thermal efficiency of the engine. And THAT is where the magic begins.. More on that later.
Narry has studied the VW TSI engine family closely. His mumbo-jumbo about the cooling system of the engine was always confusing. I never quite believed how much 'keeping it cool' meant to the drivetrain until it was actually installed in my Polo.
Mind you, most turbo-charged cars, before they enter the big league (of mods) warrant a larger intercooler, which operates on the same principle of thermal efficiency, and there are two different types of intercoolers available, air cooled and liquid cooled.
The air-cooled intercooler has zero or negative effect on the 1.2 TSI, and it has been tried by a few to no avail. I was very skeptical of Narry's explanation but has proven his prowess in this field, time and again. And this meant, giving this a whirl.
Anyway, some photos of it when it arrived.
Great Build quality:
TTS Auto branding:
Comes with all clamps, clips and high quality Silicone tube for installation:
iPhone 7 Plus for scale. This thing is DAINTY!
Anyway, he had told me that the volume of extra coolant required for this intercooler would be 325 ml, which would mean that I would have to pour around 325 ml of coolant extra, in the reservoir. I didn't have coolant that day, so used filtered water to top up, and sure as hell, the volume of coolant required to be topped up was 325 ml, as much as one can of Coke!
He was not happy with the concept of adding water, and urged me to procure G13 coolant that VW puts in all it's cars. I will do the same, as the extra water I have added is bound to evaporate through the fins of the coolant intercooler (Actual coolant doesn't!
)
He had even predicted that the coolant level would fall quite a bit as I would drive and told me to carry water or coolant, and sure it did, just like his other practical suggestions with all mods.
Anyway, the moment that we all are waiting for, while scrolling down.
HOW DOES SHE DRIVE!? Because that's the only thing that matters.
Please don't mind me using this terminology, but MASHALLAH! This thing WORKS. And HOW!!!!!!@!@@@
Fired her up nervously, after installation (which took just 10 mins) and the engine was ticking inconspicuously. The first finding came to the fore. Where's my ENGINE SOUND!? I was amazed at how silent and vibe-free the engine had become. My exhaust note had remarkably changed, and the sound from the Borla had changed to something I can only describe as, HEALTHY and at the peak of it's health.
Reversed the car out of the crowded compound, and was still wary of the difference this thing would make. Took the car out to an empty road, and floored it in 'D' mode. I had 'TEARS' in my eyes. My car was a totally different animal.
1. HIGHLY perceptible improvement in throttle response. Part-throttle response has totally changed. The 1.2 doesn't really feel like it's 1.2. This has added the BIG-engine feel. Improvement in this aspect is by leaps and bounds, and driveability of this highly tractable drive-train has dramatically and tremendously taken a huge leap.
2. SHOCKING Mid-range shove. This is something I just can't get enough of. The car jumps like a scalded tigress, and this feeling MUST be experienced.
3. Refinement: Again, HUGE difference. The 1.2 tsi has a slightly gravelly note to it. This thing has made a big change there too. The engine is purring.
4. In-Gear Acceleration and Pick-up: My car has been transformed totally. The alacrity with which this thing picks up speed in any gear at any RPM just dazzles me. I have tears and a stupid smile plastered on my face, both at the same time!
5. Definite Increase in torque produced by engine at lower revs.
6. INSANELY quick and smooth gearshifts.
Now, some theory. I have always been weak at this, so pardon my technical knowledge (or the lack of it)
In the Polo GT TSI, the coolant circulates through the following components:
1. Engine, of course
2. Intake Manifold (cooling the hot air generated when the wastegate of the turbo opens)
3. Turbo
4. Gearbox (DQ200): This COULD be a grey area, and I don't know if the DQ200 has it's own oil cooler, or is cooled by the coolant line. Someone please correct me here.
The coolant is supposed to stay at 90 degrees centigrade, but engine gases and temperatures may touch 135 degrees centigrade. The hotter the gases in the manifold, the warmer the air the turbo pulls into the throttle body, hence cooling these components, through which the air passes, and the components themselves, QUICKLY (very important here), is the principle on which this Coolant Intercooler thrives on. The larger surface area of the auxiliary radiator (the intercooler) helps radiate that heat faster, hence increasing thermal efficiency of the coolant massively, and in the process, improving thermal efficiency and performance of all the crucial components cooled by the coolant. (remember my warning? The terms, Cool and coolant will be used abundantly)
A few advantages of this coolant intercooler will also spill over to the following:
1. Coolant water pump (one of the components of the cooling system notoriously susceptible to failure in Indian VWs)
2. Turbo and engine life (Cooler the better, ALWAYS)
3. DSG Gearbox Reliability (again, a big ghost of VW's past)
Anyway, THIS upgrade is one of the BEST and MOST SUPREME additions after all the mods, in my quest to make my Polo a fast and reliable car, along with increasing it's ability to increase the smiles per miles quotient.
The best part about the mod is it's ability to be attached in ANY CAR running in India at this point. The results will only vary, from car to car, but you just can't go wrong with this.
I bow down to the Great Narry and TTS Auto and thank them for giving me the opportunity to try what could be the single, most capable and efficient game-changer for Indian cars. This works!!!!
Signing off!
Some installation pictures
Coolant level after a day's drive. EVEN after top-up. Levels have stabilized after this top-up.
Now stabilized after 200 km of driving