[Aston Singh]

Originally Posted by Philip.Mathew

Yes you are absolutely right with regard to the Brembo black pads. Several of my friends had similar experiences with the Brembo black pads, also the Brembo Slotted Rotors were troublesome for many.

Hey Philip, any feedback on EBC brake rotors and pads. umparts dot in guy down south is quoting 15k for the rotors. I didn't check about the pads. I did google them and they seem to be quite good but I couldn't find anyone using them out here. They are definitely not cheap and my guess is pads would cost another 5k at least. Attaching a photo he sent me. Any feedback/review you can retrieve on them would be highly appreciated. Thanks!

[Philip.Mathew]

Originally Posted by Alisiddiqui

Hi. I have faced same issues with my brakes on 2016 GT TSI. and I think the only option is to upgrade the brakes. Pls share experience and cost of brembo and if you would recommend something else. Also advise if it has any affect on the ABS or warranty. I am in Pune now and would be looking for the same around here. What should one look out for while evaluating an upgrade.

Well, the Brembo Drilled Rotors and red pads are a good upgrade but I’ve been told that the Brembo red pads aren’t available now. The upgrade will depend on your budget, it won’t have any trouble with your ABS but warranty will depend on the particular dealership and your relationship with your service advisor at the dealership. Generally, they are fine with you using aftermarket brakes, atleast in my case as they say it’s a wearable part. There are several options, tried and tested ones on my list currently are Tarox G88 Rotors + stock pads, Brembo Drilled Rotors + Red Pads. The black diamonds I’ll get a proper feedback this week from my friend who’s using them now. I’ll be doing a brake change soon as my Brembo pads are on their way out now, so will update here what setup I’ll be getting next soon.

Originally Posted by Aston Singh

Hey Philip, any feedback on EBC brake rotors and pads. umparts dot in guy down south is quoting 15k for the rotors. I didn't check about the pads. I did google them and they seem to be quite good but I couldn't find anyone using them out here. They are definitely not cheap and my guess is pads would cost another 5k at least. Attaching a photo he sent me. Any feedback/review you can retrieve on them would be highly appreciated. Thanks!

Hey Aston,

I’m currently taking a look at them as well, Ashish had send them to me as well. EBC is a renowned brand worldwide and they’d be worth a try but stocks will come only in another month or two. My friend has used EBC rotors and pads on his 320d and the setup was good, no complains. The EBC pads won’t fit on our type 2 calipers, so we’ll have to do with black diamond pads or Brembo or stock pads. These Slotted rotors tend to wear down the pads faster so honestly I’d try it with the stock pads first till it’s bed in, followed by an upgrade in pads depending on the wear of the pads on the slotted rotor. I don’t think these EBC Slotted Rotors will wear down pads like the Tarox G88 but we’ll have to try them out and see first. It’s just sad how the Indian polo’s have very few brake pads to choose from because of the type 2 calipers that were primarily designed for the TVS pads.

I’ve picked up Brembo DOT 5.1 brake fluid as my car’s due for a brake fluid change, will update on how they are, luckily I was able to get brand new stock of the DOT 5.1 brake fluid, they’re ‘Made in Italy’ as well. It’s always better to get new stock of brake fluid as the longer these fluids sit around the more moisture they’ll absorb as they’re stored in plastic containers, this moisture will reduce the boiling point temperature of the fluid. Attaching a photo of the Brembo DOT 5.1 Brake Fluid below.

[rageshgr]

Hi Phillips!
Just when you think that the GT TSI mod craze has subdued, up comes a superb thread like yours. Congrats ! Welcome to the club. Enjoy the beauty. May I know how much did the 57s Airbox cost and where did you buy it from? Is it compatible with BMC replacement filter ?

[Philip.Mathew]

Originally Posted by rageshgr

Hi Phillips!
Just when you think that the GT TSI mod craze has subdued, up comes a superb thread like yours. Congrats ! Welcome to the club. Enjoy the beauty. May I know how much did the 57s Airbox cost and where did you buy it from? Is it compatible with BMC replacement filter ?

Hi Rajesh,

Thank you! Have replied to your DM. It's a brilliant little car with a lot of aftermarket support making it simple and straightforward to mod.

[Philip.Mathew]

An Update: MST Performance Short Ram Intake Kit

I have been testing out this Intake kit from MST Performance since January. I came across the intake while browsing the internet and MST had this kit listed for the 122hp 1.4L TFSI engine in the Audi lineup. This engine has the same intake design and mounting as the 1.2L TSI so I dropped MST an email and ordered a set to test out for the 1.2L TSI. It's similar to the Forge short ram intake kit for the 1.2L TSI but unlike the Forge kit, the MST kit comes with a heat shield so its more effective in our climate.

The Kit comprises of:

• Heat Shield: bolts on top of the stock airbox.
• Air Filter: Dry type filter that clamps to the air inlet pipe with the help of the pipe piece provided.

Installation:

It is a simple DIY installation, where the top of the airbox has to be removed and the air filter comes out with the top. In my case the K&N 57s filter comes out with the top of the airbox and the K&N 57s airbox remains below.





Followed by bolting of the MST Heat Shield on top of the airbox. This would bolt on fine on the stock airbox but since I had the K&N 57s airbox already installed I bolted on the heat shield on top of the K&N 57s airbox and it was a perfect fit and all bolts aligned fine.



Next, the MST filter has to be clamped on with the help of the pipe piece provided and the stock intake pipe clamp and has to tightened and positioned inside the heat shield.



That's it, the installation is complete. It's as simple as taking out the air filter for cleaning and I can revert back to the lovely 57s Intake by taking off the heat shield & filter and putting back the top of the airbox and the K&N 57s filter.

Initial Impression:

The MST heat-shield has a rubber beading around the top and this seals shut with the hood to pretty much close up the short ram intake. The heat shield is open to the 57s Airbox sitting below and continue to supply intake air through the stock intake piping upto the front grille via the euro spec air channel guide. So it utilises the stock intake route efficiently as well.

The first thing that went through my mind right after installing it was whether the heat shield would be effective in keeping the IAT down. We revved the car and the intake sounded sweet and it growls when you let off the throttle, I really hoped it wasn't too loud with the hood down though.

My friend and I took the car out for a spin right after the installation, we had some superb ghat roads around us at that time as we had installed the intake while we were in Idukki (a hilly district in Kerala). My friend drove the car first while I was keeping track of the IAT. I really couldn't see it changing much as the weather in Idukki is a lot cooler and temps. remained relatively stable after the engine had warmed up. So, the heat shield seemed like it was working good and that was out of my mind. The initial response I got from my friend was mixed, he loved the intake noise but complained that it had gotten a lot softer courtesy of the hood sealing off the heat shield (I personally found the sound to be just right and not irritating, which was a relief for me). He said the car felt relatively same as before with the 57s intake. Even I felt the same after driving back and we concluded that the ECU would need some time to adjust to the new intake and its airflow. So we stopped thinking about the intake and started enjoying the drive in the ghat roads and we just couldn't get over the go-kart like dynamics coupled with the paddle shifters!

Once I was back home, I slowly started feeling the differences from the intake. I could feel improvements in the top end of the rev band but I felt the lower end throttle response to have reduced when compared to the 57s intake kit. This small reduction in initial throttle response is characteristic to the short ram style intake when it begins to pull in air. I decided to continue using the kit despite the drop in the initial throttle response as I enjoyed the vast improvements in the mid range - top end of the rev band. The initial throttle response did improve over time as the ECU seemed to have adjusted to the intake and when ambient temps are lower but I felt it wasn't as quick as the response with the 57s airbox alone.

Video of the intake sound:
(you can notice clearly the K&N 57s airbox below the MST heat shield)

https://youtu.be/A8Vx2rQUT7o

Impression over the past 5 months:

I pretty much used this intake from end of winter and through summer and now its the beginning of monsoon here in Kerala and I'm still using it. For a fact I'm enjoying it the most right now. Over the past 5 month I felt the difference in ambient temp. seems to have a greater effect on performance with this intake kit, whereas with the 57s intake it was more stable throughout.

I also logged the IAT over the peak summer time and in the afternoons I could see that the heat shield pretty much gives up, or hot air seems to enter via the beading on top of the heat shield as it seals with the hood and the IAT shoots up. But thats only in peak summer afternoons and you can feel a drop in overall performance from the engine. At night and early morning its a completely different story! Oh boy, the car pretty much transforms, throttle feels so much sharper, even the low end improves and the mid-range and high end has a drastic improvement.

More than the winter here in Kerala, its cooler throughout the day during monsoon. Its been raining heavily for the past two weeks and I have been checking for any signs of water around the heat shield or filter and its dry as ever. The intake feels the strongest now in the monsoon and the vast improvement in performance isn't only limited to early mornings or nights like in summer but it lasts the whole day! Only sad part is that the roads aren't dry so you can't fully enjoy it.

I've thoroughly enjoyed using the MST Performance short ram intake and the design is brilliant, making the most of the stock intake routing & piping. I can only dream of how well this intake would perform in a place where the ambient temps are low and stable throughout the day but for typical Indian conditions and for the 1.2L TSI I would prefer using it only over the cooler months. Its much better than the forge short ram intake considering our conditions because of the heat shield and it sounds just perfect with the hood down. The improvement in the mid range and the top end of the rev band have been the highlight and when the ambient temp. drops it performs good in the lower end of the rev band as well.

[rageshgr]

Great mod again Philip! What I like about your mods are that all are performance oriented/functional/mechanical upgrades and none of those creature comfort and looks mods that I am not a big fan of.

[Intelsingh]

Hi Philip,

I have a 1.6 TDI that's got a KSM intercooler and running on a BMC Stock replacement filter. Have been pondering DAI or a bigger filter like yours.

From experience, what would you advice?

Thanks in advance.

[devilwearsprada]

Hey Philip

Got inspired by your build and here's mine, I am only left with the steering mod which I pinged you about. Thanks a ton for the help again

[Nimish anthony]

unfortunately didn't get to read this thread so far. Congratulations just came late but anyways the mods have been executed perfectly with precision with no bling and all class. Would be interested in the white line anti roll bar and any leads to import it would be appreciated. Am also looking for an APR intake but found the 6R with 1.8 engine size only.

[Philip.Mathew]

An Update:

Been drafting this update since July '18 but with the floods in Kerala affecting my farm and home, I had my hands full and was extremely busy getting everything back in order. The Vembanad Lake water level rose to never seen before levels and with the high tide from the sea combined, the flood water was only getting pushed into sea during the low tide cycle and during high tide the lake water level would continue rising until all the flood water had emptied to sea and normal lake water level and tide cycles were restored.

I've parted ways with the car and its been sold in August '19 with 41000 kms on the odomoter and in a semi-stock state. Reason for the sale was because I’m right now in the US pursuing my masters. Ended up selling most of the major mods separately to fellow enthusiasts as I couldn't come across a buyer willing to negotiate sensibly for the car with all the mods. Few parts I got replaced in the recent months were the water pump which I was able to identify just as it started leaking, noticing a slightly lower level in coolant level ( I guess it was courtesy of the Chennai heat) and luckily I was able to diagnose it before any engine overheating or the coolant reservoir running dry and had it replaced under extended warranty. Other parts were the steering rack and couple of ABS/Wheel speed sensors over the monsoon months that had stopped working, got them replaced under the extended warranty as well. If you’re wondering how my extended warranty is still active with all the mods, it was simply by maintaining a good rapport with the service advisors and staff at the service centres, it can be a little troublesome as I had to put back my stock suspension for the steering rack replacement so as to claim the warranty but a good SA can guide you through the process incase the car is modded rather than just flagging the car as modded and voiding all warranty benefits right away. I was anyway removing my suspension to sell it, so it worked out fine and I was able to pass on the warranty to the new owner as well.

June '18 had been an eventful month for my Polo. Got a lot of pending upgrades done and got some de-chroming done to make the car look a little more sportier.

• OEM 288mm Big Brake Kit

VW should have given this car with these 288mm brakes from factory. The Brembo Drilled Rotors and Red Pads that I had been using were good for the daily commute and occasional spirited drives but on a spirited drive on a hot day, these start fading. I was also almost finished with my Brembo Red pads and also got the brake fluid changed to DOT 5.1 in June with pressure bleeding.

I had looked into the 288mm brakes back in 2016 but immediate asking around and reading up on forums, I found that even the bearing housing has to be changed to a carrier separate setup to install the 288mm calipers and carriers. It was only early last year that I figured that UK & Europe Polos still use the FS-III Calipers (type 1 as they call it here in India - upto 2011 polo's in India had these calipers). These FS-III calipers have a wide variety of pad selection but the caliper carrier comes in-built to the bearing housing meaning upgrading the calipers without changing the bearing housing isn't possible. Whereas in India since 2011 we have got the TVS Calipers (Type 2 as they call it here in India) that come with a caliper - carrier separate setup from factory meaning if we get the correct carrier and calipers, upgrading to an OEM big brake kit is possible without changing the wheel bearing housing. With lot of discussion among fellow enthusiasts, it was agreed upon to be a fairly straightforward upgrade and worthy of doing as many around the world have done it and even VW have variants of the Polo with 288mm front and rear drums. Even an OEM 310mm brakes can be done (basically what comes in GTI), with the correct caliper, carrier and the 310mm rotors. But again with the rear drum brakes on the Polo upto 288mm - front is only recommended. For 310mm we'd need to do a rear disc brake conversion as well. Also, 310mm won't clear the 15" wheels whereas the 288mm is a perfect fit.

Size difference between 288mm rotors and 256mm rotor:


The Installation:

Its a straight forward bolt-on installation with the 256mm rotors, calipers, carriers and pads removed and replaced with the 288mm kit.
The dust cover plate can be reused for the 288mm kit, only for a 312mm upgrade would you need new bigger dust cover. I got a small 500ml bottle of Brembo DOT 5.1 brake fluid to top up and bleed the newly installed calipers.



VCDS Coding for the brakes: The ABS Module long code byte 02 & 10 refer to the appropriate brake size combos. The long code edit on the GT TSI is difficult as the module also considers factors like engine code in the long code but the GT TSI comes with the ESP 9.0i module which luckily has the HBA(Hydraulic Brake Assist), changing the adaptation for this HBA to early and also the XDS Adaptation setting is set to strong. The manual Polo's come with the non-ESP 9.0 ABS Module, I'm yet to try the long code edit on this module using VCDS. I've heard that a few have managed to code the change in on Vento DSG's and Rapid's. Anyways changing the HBA & XDS itself provides enough added bite along with the bigger calipers and the caliper piston sizing is proportional to the brake master cylinder and as its used in Polo's from factory in the rest of the world, its a proper retrofit upgrade.

The Performance:

The most important part of newly installed rotors and pads is the BED-IN PROCESS - I usually am very light on them for the first 600kms so as to get them bed-in properly and evenly, so as to prevent any juddering or uneven wear in future. My mother was very helpful with getting them bed in quickly with her daily early morning church commute!
Once they are bed-in, oh boy they are a delight! Such impressive stopping power, no more brake related worries and the icing on the cake is how amazing they look with the 15" wheels. These brakes make the GT TSI an even more fun car to drive! Basically it sorts the biggest trouble any GT TSI owner cribs about - bad brakes & brake fade.

• An upgrade for the OEM calipers - Tyrol Sport Caliper Stiffening Kit:

The caliper stiffening kit from Tyrol Sport is a must do upgrade for any VAG car with the 288mm/312mm calipers. This kit gets rid of the OEM rubber caliper bushing and replaces the guide pins and the bushing with much more stiffer and rigid ones. It helps reduce the caliper flex and reduces any uneven brake pad wear. What I could feel is a much more stiffer and progressive brake pedal feel. Only drawback is that the caliper stiffening kit will definitely increase the brake pad wear, but thats something that I can live with.





I decided to start with the full OEM setup and upgrade to aftermarket rotors and pads later, if the need be. I feel the Big Brake Kit is the upgrade you'd feel the most impact and you'll feel that difference everyday and it makes you enjoy the car more. Recently did a couple of Kochi - Chennai runs (about 700kms each) and these brakes were the highlight, along with the stability and handling provided by the Bilsteins - its a true GT now.

• DEI Titanium Exhaust Wrap for the Magnaflow Racecat Downpipe:

Got the Magnaflow Racecat downpipes wrapped with the Titanium exhaust wrap from DEI. Have used it to wrap the top and bottom portion of the downpipe, leaving the Magnaflow Racecat unwrapped in the middle. Did it to reduce the engine bay temps. and its been holding up well, its meant to improve the exhaust gas flow as well.






Few photos of the car:

The western ghats in the backdrop:

[Philip.Mathew]

Upgrades from July '18:

• TVS Engineering DSG Software:

Got the Stage 2+ TVS Engineering DSG software for the DQ200 DSG Gearbox from Petes in Cochin. Racetech had come down to Cochin and did the DSG tuning for several VAG cars via Petes.

The software is just brilliant and the stage 2+ comes with all the features listed below:


The shifts are much smoother and faster, the paddles feel much more precise and I actually drive in Manual Mode almost always now. Never has the DSG jerked after the software upgrade, also the 1st gear reactivation is nice as it stays put in 1st gear in traffic rather than trying its best to upshift and stay on 2nd. The torque limiters are also raised (as mentioned above), as my car was not pushing torque anywhere close to the initial limiter (250nm) you can’t feel any vast improvements on that but there is an improvement in torque within each gear and improvement in acceleration as well.

• Tyre and Wheels Upgrade:

The 205/55R15 Continental MC5 tyres were 3 years old and at 32k kms, I was almost done with them in terms of the thread left, wet grip had significantly decreased. Thinking of new tyres, I wanted to give the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 a try but they are available in 205/50R16 only, so I’d need to upsize to 16”.

Decided to get the OEM Skoda MK1 Octavia vRS wheels as they are the same 5 x100 PCD and 57.1 Centre Bore, they are 16” 6.5j wheels, Made in Germany. I picked up a good used set and gave it a repaint in a shade of Granite Grey with a matte clear coat. I was able to mix the paint myself to my liking, so got a custom colour with added pearlescent.







The Michelin PS4 tyres are just superb and there has also been a small increase in the ground clearance courtesy of the tyre size and I’m totally enjoying the present setup. The PS4 grips so well, minimal road noise and comfort is good too.

• Headlight Upgrade:

Picked up a used 6R GTI type headlight from a friend who sourced it from VW and it was supplied to VW by VAGTUNE. These headlights had Vag-Tech branding on them and seems like they’re ones customised in house by Vagtune using a Taiwanese shell. Got it for a good deal and swapped the chinese ballasts and 6000k Bi-Xenon bulbs for OEM Made in Japan Mitsubishi Ballasts and Osram 4300k Bulbs. Had them aligned at MRF Tyredome in Cochin and the lighting has been spectacular. The best OEM spec upgrade to the Polo for headlights. Anyday better than the LED Headlights as these perform extremely well in rains as well. Adding an H7 LED to the high beam assist cornering lamps will make things even better with more fun with flashing and you get the best of both worlds, Bi-Xenon + LED’s. This along with a pair of OEM DRL Fog lights and OEM A-Pillar Tweeters were the last upgrades done to the car.



















OEM A-Pillar Tweeters:

• The twin:

Over the years, if you’ve followed the thread from the beginning you must remember my uncle’s Carbon Steel Grey Polo GT TSI which was the initial motivation for me to pick a GT TSI up myself and my uncle started with most of the mods very early. Eventually we were getting similar or same mods and both cars were twinning expect for the exhaust upgrade which I use and the H&R components on my uncle’s car.


Below is the spec of the twin:

Petes Performance Tune • TVS Engineering Stage 2+ DSG Software • K&N Intake Kit • Euro Spec Air Channel Guide• Bilstein B6 Suspension Kit • VW OEM Lowering Springs • H&R Rear Sway Bar • H&R Spacers (10mm front/20mm rear) • OEM 288mm Big Brake Kit • Tyrol Sport Caliper Stiffening Kit • OEM GTI Steering Wheel with Paddles and Extenders • Custom GT Alcantara Steering Wheel Stitching • Muth Signal Mirrors • 16” MK1 vRS Wheels wrapped in 205/50R16 Michelin Pilot Sport 4 Rubber



I do miss my Polo and although I’ve parted ways with mine, the twin lives on and I’ve shifted my GTI Steering wheel (a rare possession now!) and the G-Force Meter to the twin and it keeps a memory of my Polo!

I’ll end the updates on this thread with some photo’s of my Polo and below was the final spec of my Polo before I parted ways with it:

Petes Performance Tune • TVS Engineering Stage 2+ DSG Software • Bilstein B12 Pro Kit Suspension • MST Performance Intake Kit • Euro Spec Air Channel Guide • OEM GTI Steering Wheel with Paddle Shift and Extenders • Magnaflow Turbo-Back Exhaust System with a Magnaflow 200Cell Racecat Downpipe (DEI Titanium Wrapped) • OEM 288mm Big Brake Kit • Tyrol Sport Caliper Stiffening Kit • Whiteline 3-Point Adjustable Rear Sway Bar (24mm) • Muth Signal Mirrors (Amber) • 6R GTi type headlights with OEM Bulbs and Ballast • R340G HU Upgrade with VW AppConnect and OEM A-Pillar Tweeters • Custom GT Alcantara Steering Wheel Stitching • 16" MK1 vRS Wheels wrapped in 205/50R16 Michelin Pilot Sport 4 Rubber

Photo courtesy: Shankhanil Tamuli (@shankhanil17)

Photo courtesy: Aneesh Kashyap (@theaneeshkashyap) - All the photos below:

[Philip.Mathew]

Originally Posted by rageshgr

Great mod again Philip! What I like about your mods are that all are performance oriented/functional/mechanical upgrades and none of those creature comfort and looks mods that I am not a big fan of.

Thank you Ragesh!

Originally Posted by Intelsingh

Hi Philip,

I have a 1.6 TDI that's got a KSM intercooler and running on a BMC Stock replacement filter. Have been pondering DAI or a bigger filter like yours.

From experience, what would you advice?

Thanks in advance.

As long as you're able to guide the DAI with a piping with minimal bends to pull in cold air, its pointless. The stock airflow channel is designed pretty well. You could perhaps try a flap delete inside the stock airbox, sort of like what comes inside the K&N 57s airbox where its got no flaps. It would definitely aid better airflow inside the airbox.

Originally Posted by devilwearsprada

Hey Philip

Got inspired by your build and here's mine, I am only left with the steering mod which I pinged you about. Thanks a ton for the help again

Attachment 1829902

Nice stance on your Polo! You're most welcome.

Originally Posted by Nimish anthony

unfortunately didn't get to read this thread so far. Congratulations just came late but anyways the mods have been executed perfectly with precision with no bling and all class. Would be interested in the white line anti roll bar and any leads to import it would be appreciated. Am also looking for an APR intake but found the 6R with 1.8 engine size only.

Thank you Nimish! Best bet to import whitelines will be from UK or Australia. If packaged well, it fits just within the dimensions for normal check-in baggage and can be checked-in as a separate piece incase you'd want to get it hand carried. Yeah, unfortunately we don't get any APR products for the 1.2L TSI in India, it would have been amazing if we did. Alternative intakes are MST Performance Intake Kit and K&N 57s Intake. Forge also has a short ram intake kit but it's not the ideal intake for our climate in India.

[rana_kirti]

hey buddy , bit confused with the brake upgrade. can 288mm disk+pad be installed directly on to type 2 brake setup ?