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Old 21st November 2017, 21:40   #1
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Pete's Tuned VW Polo GT TSI - A Little Hot Hatch! Sold in - August '19

A small introduction:

I got my VW Polo GT TSI in June ’15, kept her bone stock for a year except for a few upgrades, anticipating the Polo GTI launch. The pricing of the GTI and a hope for the manual trim GTI weren't going my way, and also we had picked up the new Toyota Innova Crysta (replacing our old Innova, here’s the link to my old Innova’s ownership thread) in May ’16, so I had to completely drop the GTI plan. On the plus side, I was growing fonder of the TSI + DSG setup on the Polo and having run the car stock for over a year I finally felt the urge for some upgrades.

There are many good ownership reports and detailed reviews on this forum for the GT TSI, so I’ll be focusing more on my personal experience with the car so far and the upgrades done. Throughout the years we have also seen many tastefully done Polo GT TSI's like Robimahanta's GT TSI which was one of the first ownership reports here on team bhp and a really helpful guide into VCDS, Prithwi's GT TSI which was a track weapon, Mudit's GT TSI which is another track weapon, Frank's (frankmehta) GT TSI which is done up well,
Ganesh's(Graaja) GT TSI which has many excellent DIY's and finally Vik's (The Saint) Mamba which had set and now crossed the epitome of a Modified GT TSI and I'd say its the best one in the country, literally a 4-door GTi! A big shoutout to our VW Polo GT TSI Club India, thank you guys for all the support so far!

A Timeline of events to date:

I still remember my first drive in a Polo GT TSI, it was my Uncle’s car. He had picked one up as his second car and it joined his MK5 VW Jetta 1.9L TDI Manual (Jetta now sold & replaced with a F30 320d M Sport in Estoril Blue). I was so impressed by the quick shifting DSG and having the TipTronic option you had so much more control over the car. This coupled with the 1.2L TSI engine made sure you had a wide grin on your face every time you have to downshift. The car felt solid and a lot more upmarket than its competitors and size wise it was the ideal car for the city and a fun car for the weekends.

That year (2015) we were planning for a small automatic hatch to add to the pack of the reliable Toyota’s and the Polo GT TSI ticked all the boxes. It was a fun, good-looking, little hot-hatch that fulfilled my eagerness for a powerful petrol hatchback for all the tinkering in future and my Mom’s desire for an easy to use automatic. Since my Uncle also owned one it was pretty much a no-brainer to pick and the car was booked in no time. My Uncle has his in “Carbon Steel Grey” and we picked up ours in “Candy White”.

As you read on you will see how my Uncle and his GT TSI guided me through the years even with the smallest of upgrades, and how his Polo set the benchmark in terms of upgrades and also the upkeep of the car! My Uncle maintains his cars in an immaculate condition, he waxes and polishes the cars himself and is a pro at detailing. He is a doctor by profession and true auto enthusiast by passion.

The Delivery and the Tyre Upgrade: (June ’15)

The car was delivered well within the time frame specified by the dealer (VW EVM Kottayam), the buying experience was good and the car was 9.7 Lakhs On-Road. On the same day of delivery, we upsized the tyres to the 205/55R15 Continental MC5’s. I was offered a good buyback on the stock Apollo’s and it worked out to be a great deal. As usual the tyre change was carried out at Global Tyres in Cochin. My Uncle uses the 205/55R15 Yokohama S-Drive’s on his car and we were not happy with the road noise from the Yokohama’s, although the grip from them are excellent. So I made up my mind for the Conti’s and they were luckily in stock during that time. I am really pleased with them so far. They are way more comfortable than the Yokohama’s, offers equal amounts of grip and also the road noise is minimal.

Pete's Tuned VW Polo GT TSI - A Little Hot Hatch! Sold in - August '19-new1min.jpg

The Headlight Issue: (Same night of delivery)

Returning back home from Cochin after the tyre upsize, I noticed an alignment issue with my right side headlight. The low beam lighting was fair enough but it was when you flash the high beam that you notice the problem. The throw from the right side headlight in high beam was literally pointed down and to the left. The left side headlight was perfect in terms of alignment. It was like driving with a single headlight on the left. All that happened when I engaged bright was the dim portion of the beam became brighter on the right side and only the left high beam had the throw and it lit the top left portion of the total light beam. I tried adjusting the levelling of the lights from the inside and it was no solution to the problem since the right side headlight was completely off the alignment and adjustments from the inside levelled both the headlights together. The only solution was to open the hood and try to adjust the individual headlight level. (Perhaps a defective headlight unit??) I know how VAG cars have the different alignments for LHD vs. RHD headlights but the alignment on the right headlights were way off.

I quickly dialled the SA at VW Kottayam the same night and told him the issue. I was back at the dealership first thing next morning and we had the problem thoroughly examined. Luckily they had a place in the paint and body repair section that was pretty dark and had a perfect wall to compare the headlight beams. They understood the problem, tried to manually sort out the right side headlight but even after the small adjustments it wasn’t levelling properly so they went ahead and replaced the right headlight. We compared the beams again and finally they were well aligned and perfectly level. Drove the car at night and the right side headlight finally felt functional in high beam! Now I could feel the lack of throw in the bulbs to light up the road and my Uncle suggested a bulb upgrade in the future which even he was planning to do soon on his car. A big thanks to the dealership for understanding the problem and sorting it out without any fuss, good thing the car was just a day old!

Smartwax, Muth Signal Mirrors, K&N Replacement Filter, Horn and Headlight Bulb Upgrade & VCDS Tweaks: (July ’15)

The vehicle registration and the RTO inspection were all finished with no hassles. Next up was to take the car in for the detailing at Petes, Cochin. Almost all cars in my family are detailed by Pete’s. Its a totally different experience to see and feel the change brought to the whole car post the quality detailing done with utmost care and perfection. The Smartwax and Chemical Guys products used by Pete’s are excellent and my Uncle too stocks up on these for his detailing done at home. The regular interval of the detailing program is also nice as it maintains the car in the best of shines and you always have the new car feel on the inside. Its a lot easier to wash the car at home too and quickly have the shine back, thanks to the waxing and polishing.

Since I had to drop the car in for two days for the first detailing, I also got a new set of Bosch horns to replace the stock single horn and got the K&N Replacement Filter. The headlight bulbs were also upgraded to Philips Xtreme Vision Plus and Osram LED park lights. I had also bought a set of Muth Signal Mirrors(Amber) from Muth USA and I had them installed at Petes. The Signal Mirrors compensate for the mirror indicators that are absent in my model of the Polo and the little convex mirror helps with the blind spot too.

Muth Signal Mirror:
Pete's Tuned VW Polo GT TSI - A Little Hot Hatch! Sold in - August '19-muth.jpg

VCDS Tweaks:- Indicator Celebration, Tear Drop Wiping, Rear Wipers Activated automatically when in Reverse Gear and front Wipers are ON, Lane Changing Indicator clicks upped from 3 clicks to 4.

Brought the car home after two days and installed the Star 3D mats I had ordered via Amazon India and a VW Silicon key cover (good scratch prevention act) & VW Polo Interior Groove Mats bought via Ebay India (they glow in the dark), a cool little addition to have in the car. The horn upgrade made sure my Polo sounded like a true VAG car, with the K&N Replacement Filter the car felt a little more lively revving through the gears though the real difference is actually very difficult to notice. The filter also needs to be cleaned and oiled at regular intervals depending on your driving conditions to maintain optimum airflow. I have cleaned them once so far at 8000kms and the next one is scheduled very soon. The headlights with the Philips bulbs feel a lot better compared to the stock setup and I’m currently happy with them and will recommend this to anyone having the Polo with the new ‘double barrel’ type headlights. If you want the road lit, Xenon’s are the way to go but I personally don’t like the idea of opening up and resealing the headlights.

Pete's Tuned VW Polo GT TSI - A Little Hot Hatch! Sold in - August '19-wellinton.jpg

This was it for 2015, nothing more was done on my car, both the Polo GT TSI’s in the family were now equally equipped and were basically twins in two different shades! I paused with the upgrades for over a year anticipating the Polo GTI. As I had mentioned in the opening post, this one year gap got me hooked to the TSI + DSG combo in all terms. During this period we had our focus on my Uncle’s Polo and it got the Bilstein B6 Struts on stock springs followed by the Petes Remap and H&R Spacers to align the front and rear tyres to the wheel well. My Uncle wanted stock ground clearance and the B6 were the best option out there (although the GC actually went up courtesy of the gas struts), body roll was minimised and the car felt so well mannered compared to the stock suspension. The Remap helped with eliminating the "slower car feeling" we were experiencing as the Bilsteins mask speed really well and the car was now a lot more eager in the lower rpms and would rev all the way to redline without hesitation. The Spacers helped with improving the stance and since the H&R Spacers come with longer wheel bolts it was a worry free application. The car has 20mm spacers in the rear and 10mm upfront. Watching my Uncle’s Polo transform one step at a time, I was also eager to get started on mine but it was only until September ’16 did I finally start with mine.

Easy to wash thanks to the waxing:
Pete's Tuned VW Polo GT TSI - A Little Hot Hatch! Sold in - August '19-wash.jpg

Interiors:
Pete's Tuned VW Polo GT TSI - A Little Hot Hatch! Sold in - August '19-interiorcleaned.jpg

GT TSI twin's in the family!
Pete's Tuned VW Polo GT TSI - A Little Hot Hatch! Sold in - August '19-tsitwins.jpg

The Brake Issue & First Service: [May ’16]

Shortly before my first oil change and service which took place at the year mark in May ’16 (odometer reading 8000kms), I started experiencing Brake Shudder on the steering wheel and the whole front end of the car would have a small vibration when braking at highway speeds. I knew they were my rotors, since I started noticing some groove lines in them like they were getting scratched. I had the car booked in for the yearly service as soon as possible and the car was taken in. The SA informed me that there was also a new DSG firmware update available and I was excited about the same. I had my assumptions right about the brakes, my rotors were scratched and had to be skimmed on a lathe and the pads were replaced too. Thankfully my dealer did all this under goodwill. I couldn’t enjoy the drive home to check the changes with the DSG since I had new pads on and had to wait for them to bed in properly. Braking is very poor during this bed in period. A few days down the line my brakes were bed in and the bite was good with no shudder or vibrations. The DSG firmware update was nice and I felt Engine Braking kick in more vigorously when the DSG downshifts to 2nd gear during braking. That jerk that used to occur at times during downshifts from 3rd to 2nd seemed to have vanished too. Repainted the stock 15" Estrada alloys to Carbon Steel Grey!

Pete's Tuned VW Polo GT TSI - A Little Hot Hatch! Sold in - August '19-after-waxing.jpg

Pete's Tuned VW Polo GT TSI - A Little Hot Hatch! Sold in - August '19-csgwheels.jpg

The Upgrades:

Towards the end of 2016 the GTI was scheduled to launch with the same DQ200 7-spd DSG and priced horrendously, my decision to drop the GTI was official.

P.S. Got to confess that the 2017 Clearance sale on the GTI was attractive but with the vRS priced not further away it's a tough call for me personally.

The Remap: Petes Performance Remap [Sep '16]

I was hooked onto the Petes Remap from my Uncle's GT TSI and their customer service from the time of our old Innova and my Uncle's Jetta, so my choice was obvious for the remap. The remap felt brilliant and I could feel the need for better suspension and brakes. There was great improvement in the low rev band and the mid range, throttle response had also improved significantly but the high end region of the rev band still felt somewhat similar to stock although the car happily rev'ed to redline. The dead spot between 80-100 kmph was also gone. I was getting so used to the tiptronic via the DSG in manual mode, I was hesitant to get paddles on the car back then.

Later on in July '17 I got another update for the remap from Petes and this I felt was the perfect map that complemented the Magnaflow exhaust and downpipe. The DSG gearshifts felt quicker and sharper as well and the TCS light as usual would go on a frenzy in 1,2 and 3 gears if you were to put your foot down. The car felt a lot stronger higher up in the rev band as well. The acceleration is just brutal and I've clocked 6-7sec. rolling sprints from 20-100kmph. With the DSG thats got no launch control enabled from factory, the GT TSI is not the right car to be looking at 0-100 timings for but rather look at real life roll on timings and kick down accelerations. The car is this enjoyable only because of the stock 15" wheels and 205/55R15 Continental tyres, 17" wheels and tyres would ruin all the fun!

A Forest Drive via Pollachi-Valparai-Athirapilly
Pete's Tuned VW Polo GT TSI - A Little Hot Hatch! Sold in - August '19-forest.jpg
Pete's Tuned VW Polo GT TSI - A Little Hot Hatch! Sold in - August '19-athirapilly.jpg

Exhaust Upgrade: Magnaflow Catback Exhaust System [Oct '16]

This was one of the toughest decisions to make, deciding on what exhaust to choose. There are infinite options right now in the market from custom valvetronic kits to full turbo-back decat kits and it all comes down to personal preference for the exhaust note, the workmanship of the piping and the overall support from the dealer. I went with the Magnaflow Catback Exhaust System from N1 Racing Equipments Mumbai. The Magnaflow has a really nice note and the DSG farts are much more civilised!

Pete's Tuned VW Polo GT TSI - A Little Hot Hatch! Sold in - August '19-catback.jpg

I went with the 1.75" Stainless Steel Piping Non-Resonated catback exhaust with a double walled single tip Magnaflow Muffler. The performance got a noticeable bump and the higher end rev band felt much better with the exhaust and the note from the Magnaflow is just amazing!

Pete's Tuned VW Polo GT TSI - A Little Hot Hatch! Sold in - August '19-exhaust.jpg


Update: Magnaflow 200Cell Racecat Downpipe [April 2017]

Added the Magnaflow 200Cell Racecat Downpipe. Now the exhaust is a Magnaflow Turbo-back Exhaust System with a Magnaflow 200Cell Racecat Downpipe. Again, chose the racecat downpipe over the decat as many cars with the decat's were having their Lamba/O2 sensors failing and the two sensors on the downpipe together make an expensive affair and you're better off investing in a Racecat Downpipe rather than ending up paying more for the sensor replacements. Also, the Racecat produces much better low end torque and is much more environment friendly than the decat and also the exhaust note remains good and the turbo whistle now is real nice! With a decat the exhaust note just becomes too wild and irritating. Also, the whole exhaust system including the racecat downpipe comes with a limited lifetime warranty! Both the catback exhaust and the downpipe were installed at Petes itself.

Pete's Tuned VW Polo GT TSI - A Little Hot Hatch! Sold in - August '19-racecat.jpg

Here's the exhaust note:



A big thanks to Anant at N1 Performance Equipment who has been very helpful and supportive, N1 is one of those genuine places on my personal list of car performance shops, along with Petes here in Cochin. It's places like these and the customer service they offer that keeps you going as an enthusiast and you can trust your car and the upgrades you get done with them.

Brake Upgrade: Brembo Xtra Rotors (Drilled) and Brembo Red Pads [Nov '16]

The stock brakes again started giving me trouble after the first skimming on the lathe, I again had to get it skimmed and didn't have any goodwill from VW this time, few month down the line I could feel that they were slowly beginning to shudder again and my SA told that the rotors would have to be replaced as it cannot take another skim because of minimum thickness required on the rotor. So I decided to get new rotors and pads as anyways the stock brakes felt inadequate. The car had just over 14000kms on the odometer. Decided on the Brembo Xtra Rotors and Brembo Red Pads. These were the new line of drilled rotors from Brembo, I have heard bad experiences about the Slotted Brembo Rotors so I was skeptical on getting the Brembo Drilled. Anyways, I bit the bullet and went for the drilled rotors and red pads. I was left with no option as Tarox G88 rotors was my preferred choice but they were too expensive back then.

Pete's Tuned VW Polo GT TSI - A Little Hot Hatch! Sold in - August '19-brembo.jpg

The Brembo Drilled Rotors and Pads were sourced from Galaxy in Cochin and installed at Petes. I made sure the bedding in was done properly and took utmost care for the first 400kms. As they were bedding in, the bite slowly improved and I'm happy to say that I've run over 10000kms with the Brembo's so far and they have been trouble-free and precise. The initial bite is what improved significantly compared to stock and the brakes feel a lot more progressive and the bite improves rapidly along with pedal travel. The stock brakes on the other hand felt lifeless in the initial part of the pedal travel. I'm yet to make any brake tweaks via the VCDS but setting the XDS to 'Strong' and Brake Assist to Early has helped a lot of friends improve pedal feel and braking with stock brakes. I'll be trying the Brake Assist and XDS tweaks via the VCDS soon, will update here about the same. The Brembo's are also performing well in the rains thanks to the drilled design and the quicker heat dissipation. So for my next change I'm actually confused whether to get the 'brake pad munching' Tarox G88 or continue with the Brembo Drilled Rotor Setup (the brembo's are definitely much more affordable). Will mostly give the Tarox G88 a go for the next set as the reviews from friends who are using them are just surreal.

Pete's Tuned VW Polo GT TSI - A Little Hot Hatch! Sold in - August '19-brembo-installed.jpg

[Dec '16] - Christmas Eve:

Pete's Tuned VW Polo GT TSI - A Little Hot Hatch! Sold in - August '19-christmas.jpg

Head Unit Upgrade: RCD 330G Plus [Jan '17]

Ordered the Desay RCD 330G Plus from Aliexpress and it was a simple DIY installation. The 6.5" LED Touch Screen Unit was much better compared to the stock RCD320 I had which at times used to be faulty when bluetooth and USB were connected at the same time. The RCD330G Plus also improved the sound quality and gave the interiors an overall facelift. This particular Desay Unit is the simple one that only supports Android Mirror-Link.

RCD 330G Plus:
Pete's Tuned VW Polo GT TSI - A Little Hot Hatch! Sold in - August '19-rcd330gplus.jpg

Stock RCD320G:
Pete's Tuned VW Polo GT TSI - A Little Hot Hatch! Sold in - August '19-oldhu.jpg

The All-Red Backlighting:
(Stock MK7 Steering with an Alcantara Wrap)
Pete's Tuned VW Polo GT TSI - A Little Hot Hatch! Sold in - August '19-huinstalled.jpg

Last edited by Aditya : 17th December 2017 at 13:20. Reason: Fixing broken links
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Old 21st November 2017, 21:41   #2
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Pete's Tuned Polo GT TSI - A Little Hot-Hatch!

Suspension Upgrade: [Feb '17]

A much needed upgrade, got the Bilstein B12 Pro Kit!

The Stance with the B12 ProKit:
Pete's Tuned VW Polo GT TSI - A Little Hot Hatch! Sold in - August '19-stance.jpg

The Suspension upgrade was on the top of my list for the upgrades planned on the car and ironically I got it done pretty late but given the fact that I could research a lot more and pick the suspension that suits my priorities, I feel the delay was alright. Since I had the stock setup for so long I was able to experience the drastic change when I finally switched over to the Bilsteins and I have no words to express how happy I am with the B12 Pro Kit.

So what were the options?
  • KW: V1, V2 or Street Comfort Coilovers
  • Bilstein: B6 Struts, B12 Pro Kit or B14 Coilovers
  • ST by KW: STX Coilovers

The ST Coilovers are basically KW's itself but are cheaper than the KW's as they use galvanised steel instead of stainless steel. The KW's using stainless steel was a better choice as they will remain rust-free in the long run, whereas the galvanised steel ST coilovers have a tendency to rust in the long run. Also, I've not been too happy with the galvanised steel used on my boat's trailer at home as it needs too much of maintenance in the long run to keep the trailer in good condition. So I didn't want to risk it with the galvanised steel on the ST Coilovers.

As I was researching I couldn't find any reviews for the B12 Pro Kit on Polo's, all I could find were reviews on Audi's and Bimmers(M3's). All were great reviews and I knew it would be a great kit for the Polo. The Bilstein B6 was eliminated as I wanted a lower stance and a full suspension kit rather than just struts, my uncle got the B6 as he never wanted the lower GC. Towards the end I narrowed down between the KW Street Comfort and the Bilstein B12 Pro Kit, both being totally different setups! The KW Street Comfort are coilovers and the Bilstein B12 Pro kit is a strut+spring combo with fixed height lowering. I picked the B12 over the coilovers as it's basically a "fit it and forget it" setup and you got nothing to adjust and don't have bother trying to get the perfect setup like in the case of coilovers.

B12 Pro Kit:
Pete's Tuned VW Polo GT TSI - A Little Hot Hatch! Sold in - August '19-b12-prokit.jpg

The B12 Pro Kit is the combination of Bilstein B8 struts that are matched to Eibach Springs. The lowering from the Eibach Springs is just perfect (25mm drop upfront & 30mm drop in the rear) and its really comfortable on good tarmac although things get a bit harsh on bad patches as the ride is stiff (overall not anywhere as comfortable as the KW Street Comfort) but when it comes to the handling department, the B12 Pro Kit has been the best setup I've driven on a Polo by far. Body Roll is minimal and the car is a lot more composed and masks speed really well. It has transformed the Polo into a more nimble corner craving hatch with hints of a go-kart feeling slowly taking shape. The stock polo's bouncy rear (on uneven tarmac) also disappeared along with the suspension upgrade and the ride is now a lot more flat and very stable & predictable.

Pete's Tuned VW Polo GT TSI - A Little Hot Hatch! Sold in - August '19-frontb12.jpg

The B12 ProKit was ordered from TDC Automotive UK and installed at Petes, even got new Febi-Bilstein front strut top mounts - Courtesy Petes. But not all things go according to plan and after the lowering the exhaust piping was scrubbing the rear axle when the rear was loaded and this needed to be sorted as the noise was irritating and it felt like something bad was happening to the car each time although it was a just a small scrub and a light 'ting' sound. I couldn't bear it even for a few days so the car was back at Petes and they did their magic. The piping was realigned and the rear exhaust hanger bushing was replaced, the piping was no longer scrubbing the axle even with full load of 3 passengers in the rear.

At Global Tyres to get the Alignment done after the suspension upgrade:
Pete's Tuned VW Polo GT TSI - A Little Hot Hatch! Sold in - August '19-allignment.jpg

Stock vs. Lowered:
Pete's Tuned VW Polo GT TSI - A Little Hot Hatch! Sold in - August '19-dropcomparo.jpg

Side Profile:
Pete's Tuned VW Polo GT TSI - A Little Hot Hatch! Sold in - August '19-sidefeature.jpg
Pete's Tuned VW Polo GT TSI - A Little Hot Hatch! Sold in - August '19-dropped2.jpg

Intake Kit: [March '17]

Replaced the K&N replacement filter with the K&N 57s Performance Airbox with a VW Euro Spec Air Intake Channel Guide.

Pete's Tuned VW Polo GT TSI - A Little Hot Hatch! Sold in - August '19-57sdiy.jpg

The K&N replacement filter was doing its job perfectly but still when I used to log data via the OBD2 and the DashCMD app on my iPhone I noticed the intake air temps to be extremely high - close to 60*C. I tried reading up online, even here on team bhp and it was BHPian Sankar's post from his Polo 1.5L TDI where he experienced a similar problem and it was simply the air intake channel guide being the indian spec one. I quickly checked up on mine and it was the Indian spec one that is closed to the front grille and pulls in hot air from the headlight side of the engine bay! But, it was too late and I had already ordered the K&N 57s Performance Airbox with a bigger filter than the stock replacement, the 57s airbox is a lot bigger than the factory airbox and also doesn't have any of the restrictive flaps like in the factory airbox.

Stock Airbox vs. 57s Airbox:
Pete's Tuned VW Polo GT TSI - A Little Hot Hatch! Sold in - August '19-airboxcomparo.jpg

The part number for the Euro Spec Air Channel guide is: 1T0805971

Euro Spec Air Channel Guide:
Pete's Tuned VW Polo GT TSI - A Little Hot Hatch! Sold in - August '19-eurospec.jpg

As you can see the Euro Spec air channel guide opens straight to the grille and when the car is moving air is pretty much force fed through the grille into the intake piping sort of like a induction kit. I knew this was going to help drop IAT's and also improve throttle response further! It is also manufactured in Italy and its designed really well with a rectangular drain in the rear portion of the air channel guide which opens into the engine bay, so as to avoid any water from entering directly into the intake piping. The air is sucked only from the top half of the air channel guide.

The Assembly:(Part 15 is the Euro Spec Air Channel Guide which opens to front grille)
Pete's Tuned VW Polo GT TSI - A Little Hot Hatch! Sold in - August '19-airguideassembly.png

First place I looked for the Euro Spec air channel guide was on ebay and aliexpress following what Sankar did but I couldn't get hold of any, then all of a sudden I thought of checking in VW itself and Bingo my SA was able to source it for me from the VW Spares in a weeks time and it costed hardly 1.2k, I believe the old 1.2L TDI's had this from factory and it was later switched to the Indian Spec one considering our dusty conditions and the long 15000km service interval put forth by VW.

Indian Spec Air channel guide(notice the closed front):
Pete's Tuned VW Polo GT TSI - A Little Hot Hatch! Sold in - August '19-indian-spec.jpg

***Warning: if you pry open the front of the Indian Spec Air Channel Guide and close the side opening in an attempt to convert it into a euro spec air channel guide, it would leave no room for water to drain and kindly avoid tampering with the Indian Spec Air Channel Guide. The Euro Spec Air Channel Guide is well designed with a drain and taking all parameters into consideration. The only reason for it to be replaced with a newly designed Indian Spec one in India must have been our dusty conditions and long 15000km service interval by VW. So if you plan to use the Euro Spec Air Channel Guide, do get ready for slightly shorter cleaning intervals for the air filter and keep a check of air filter condition.

Side opening into engine bay for Indian Spec Air Channel Guide:
Pete's Tuned VW Polo GT TSI - A Little Hot Hatch! Sold in - August '19-indianspec-side-opening.jpg

Here is a good illustration of what the Euro-Spec Air Channel Guide does to the intake air routing by opening to the front grille:
Pete's Tuned VW Polo GT TSI - A Little Hot Hatch! Sold in - August '19-airflow.jpg

The 57s Kit vs. stock e2997 replacement filter:
Pete's Tuned VW Polo GT TSI - A Little Hot Hatch! Sold in - August '19-57skit.jpg

The 57s Intake kit was a DIY Installation done at home, being a mechanical engineer - this is the kind of stuff I enjoy, tinkering around in the garage!

Intake Air Temps with Indian Spec Air Channel Guide:
Pete's Tuned VW Polo GT TSI - A Little Hot Hatch! Sold in - August '19-iatbefore.jpg

I first installed the 57s intake kit and retained the indian spec air channel guide for a few days to get a feel of the difference when I switch to the euro spec air channel guide. With just the 57s intake kit I could feel a good improvement in the lower end and in the throttle response but the huge difference came after I swapped the air channel guide for the euro spec one! It was like a night and day difference literally, the car felt much more responsive and as I had imagined the IAT also dropped and remained in between the high 40's and low 50's.

Intake Air Temps with Euro Spec Air Channel Guide:
Pete's Tuned VW Polo GT TSI - A Little Hot Hatch! Sold in - August '19-iatafter.jpg

***Don't worry it is not a GTR This is the GTR Gauge Template which is a downloadable Dashboard for the DashCMD App on the iPhone for OBD2 Access via an ELM327 Wifi Module.

A Note: The stock Intake routing on the 1.2L TSI is pretty good, so a replacement filter from K&N or BMC and maybe getting rid of those flaps inside the stock airbox along with the Euro Spec air channel guide should give a good setup. The open short ram filters like the Forge Intake kit for the 1.2L TSI that sits open in the hot engine bay doesn't give any gains except for the intake noise, my friend had it on his GT TSI and he switched to the K&N 57s now. So, unless we can get a short ram intake kit with a good heat-shield setup and test it, the stock airbox + replacement filter/K&N 57s kit remains the safest bet. Another interesting thing is how the 1.2L TDI, 1.2L TSI, 1.5L TDI and the 1.6L TDI all share the same air intake design upto the airbox from factory.

The Rear Anti Roll/Sway Bar: [July '17]

Whiteline 3-Point Adjustable Rear Sway Bar(BWR23Z) - The Ultimate Upgrade!!!

Both my Uncle and I were looking for rear sway bar's and my uncle got the H&R Non-adjustable Rear Sway Bar from Petes. I was about to go with the H&R's when I heard great things about the Whiteline's from Sahil and Prithwi, and as the whitelines were adjustable I decided to get the Whitelines instead of the H&R since the B12 Pro Kit was already pretty stiff and I didn't want an extremely stiff rear that cannot be adjusted. It was fine for my uncle to get the non-adjustable H&R's since he uses the B6 sturts + stock springs which wasn't as stiff as the B12 Pro Kit. By then my Uncle's H&R's had gotten stuck in customs, so I decided to hand carry my Whiteline's as I was going to Europe soon. I ordered them from KAM Racing UK and flew back home with it. The packaging of the sway bar was long and luckily just correct for the maximum permitted dimensions for check-in luggage. Around the same time my Uncle's H&R's also arrived at Petes so we had both of them installed one after another!

The rear sway bar further stiffens the rear torsion beam axle and in the case of the Whitelines we have 3-Points of adjustability Low - Med - Hard. Whereas the H&R's are simply non-adjustable and 25mm in thickness. The Whiteline's are 24mm in thickness. I started with the Medium setting. The car feels extremely responsive to steering inputs and has a much better turn-in. The stiff rear can actually be felt and the whole car feels a lot grippier. Lane changing on highways are crisp and body roll is non-existent. After a few weeks on the medium setting I went ahead and switched to the hard setting. Now the sway bar in the hard setting coupled with the B12 Pro-kit is the perfectly balanced setup for the car, handles like a Go-kart!

With the Rear Sway Bar Installed: (the underbody is a mess thanks to the monsoon)
Pete's Tuned VW Polo GT TSI - A Little Hot Hatch! Sold in - August '19-rearswaybar.jpg

So what exactly happens with a Rear Sway Bar in a FWD Car?

With a FWD Car which has a setup for understeer we have to stiffen the rear to reduce this understeer. The Polo already comes with a front anti-roll/sway bar from factory. Stiffening the front further in a FWD will only further increase understeer which is something we don't want. So on a GT TSI a simple rear sway bar can significantly improve the grip & handling characteristics, and reduce the understeer. Whereas on a Stage 2 Polo GTI, other than a rear sway bar you'll also need a slightly stiffer front sway bar. So on extremely powerful FWD Car's like a K04 Laura, Stage 2 GTI which has so much power going into the Front Wheels, we'll need to get both upgraded front and rear anti-roll bars to make sure that the rear doesn't get too stiff compared to the front, although we still want the rear to be slightly stiffer than the front to reduce the understeer and have a hint of oversteer. If the rear gets too stiff compared to the front it can lead to lift-off oversteer if you brake mid corner or in some really powerful FWD cars a simple lift off the throttle mid corner can send the weight balance forward(FWD cars are already front heavy) and as you take the turn the stiff and light rear comes loose and goes into a slide, the only way to correct this is by resetting the weight balance to normal by accelerating which will straighten out the car.

With my friend's TT:(Blending in with the stock attire)
Pete's Tuned VW Polo GT TSI - A Little Hot Hatch! Sold in - August '19-withtt.jpg

Dyno Run: [Sept '17]

Did a Dyno Run in AutoSure Coimbatore and was able to compare the stock 1.2L TSI figures to mine on the same dyno. All I wanted to know from the dyno run was an approximate figure compared to stock, just to understand the % increase in power from all the upgrades done so far. A big shoutout to BHPian Dr.Naren for all the fun comparos and conversations!

Pete's Tuned VW Polo GT TSI - A Little Hot Hatch! Sold in - August '19-dyno2.jpg

So, the figures: Stock showed around 89hp/147nm and mine showed around 118hp/191nm on the dyno. There's about 32% increase in power and 30% increase in torque from stock which puts us at around 138hp/225nm at crank.

Dyno figures vary from dyno to dyno and some dynos show ridiculously high figures. So, as BHPian Dr.Naren mentioned the best way to compare is to run stock vs. tuned on the same dyno so as to calculate the % increase and then add those figures to company claimed figures for a healthy comparison. Another thing to note is that DSG's are very tricky to get a good in gear run on the dyno as they are eager to upshift at redline and you need precise throttle control to get a clean run in same gear.

Another interesting way of calculating the approx. power the engine is producing is by logging the Mass Air Flow (MAF) via the OBD2 in g/s. Dividing the MAF by 0.8 gives the approx. hp at crank at that given rpm & time. It is a handy way of checking the gains from upgrades done.

Below is an example from a data-log screenshot for my Polo at 4626rpm in 3rd gear*:

Pete's Tuned VW Polo GT TSI - A Little Hot Hatch! Sold in - August '19-image1.jpg
-> MAF reading of 105g/s at 4626rpm in 3rd gear.
-> Dividing 105/0.8 = 131 hp at crank at 4626rpm

(*peak power comes in at around 5400rpm in the present tune)
Another thing the 1.2L TSI is sensitive to is fuel quality, the car performs much better on higher Octane fuel (sadly 97 octane isn't available in Kerala at the moment). Octane boosters like Oxy Pro 91 by Proctane offers a good alternative, to mix with regular petrol to up the octane number. I've used Proctane and have been happy with the results, you won't feel the gains instantly but only once the ECU adjusts the ignition timing for the higher octane fuel, its truly a magical experience to feel what higher octane fuel does to this small engine!

Photo Courtesy - Gautam Jana (these were taken in Coimbatore)
Pete's Tuned VW Polo GT TSI - A Little Hot Hatch! Sold in - August '19-img_0215.jpg
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Pete's Tuned VW Polo GT TSI - A Little Hot Hatch! Sold in - August '19-img_2312min.jpg


Future Upgrades:

The car presently has around 24000kms on the odometer and have also got the ceramic coating done from Petes recently. For all those wondering about the fuel consumption & mileage with all the upgrades, the mileage purely depends on the driving style and I usually get an average of 11-12kmpl and it drops to 7-8kmpl during spirited drives. If you drive focusing purely on mileage, I've seen the car give 17+kmpl but of course at a very low smile-per mile! I'm not too keen of any fancy cosmetic or aesthetic upgrades and prefer the subtle stock attire along with the performance, more sort of a sleeper! Here are a few upgrades I've planned for the future.

GTI Steering with Paddles: I'm actually more than happy with the tiptronic in the manual mode of the DSG but as I was in Edinburgh, UK I thought I'd give the GTI steering a search, and I managed to source the MK7 GTI Steering Wheel without an airbag for a good deal. The new web design airbag was ordered from Raul at GCP Tuning Mexico and it has already been delivered home. Will update here once the steering is installed and there's a little surprise in store for this steering!

GTI Steering and new web-design Airbag:
Pete's Tuned VW Polo GT TSI - A Little Hot Hatch! Sold in - August '19-airbag.jpg

VCDS Brake Tweaks: Setting the Brake Assist to Early and XDS to Strong. I was initially hesitant to try it as setting the XDS to Strong would mean more brake pad wear because of the braking done on the inside wheel during a corner, didn't want to try the setting straight off with the new Brembo Brake setup. Since I've run so much with the Brembo's I'll give these tweaks a go now.

R340G HeadUnit: Will be switching the RCD330G Plus for the R340G, ordered a set from Aliexpress(here's the link) during their sale on the 11th of Nov, worked out to be a sweet deal and the seller is Alex the same 'Yatch Science' seller who sold me the RCD 330G Plus last time. He's a very helpful guy. I'll post an update here soon, looking forward to using Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

DSG Remap: Still haven't decided whether to get one, its meant to further quicken shifts and also enables launch control. I'm not too keen on "launching" the DQ200 gearbox into any sort of Mechatronics troubles but the other gains from the DSG Remap definitely sound promising. N1 provides a DSG remap from Superchips UK and there are other custom tuners providing the DSG tweaks in India as well. I honestly don't feel that the DSG Remap is a necessity as the car is well within the torque limits of the DQ200 and a DSG Remap would be required only if you exceed the torque limit and want to optimise the transmission for the same.

New Intake Kit: Have plans on data logging a Short Ram Intake Kit with a heat shield, also incorporating the 57s airbox and the stock intake routing for airflow from the front grille. Will share updates here soon.

Wheel Upgrade: Mostly for the next tyre change. Want to switch to lightweight 16" wheels and use the Michelin PS4 tyres in 205/50R16. Will do this upgrade only if I'm able to get 16" wheels which are lighter than the stock 15" wheels as I can't compromise on the practicality and performance the stock 15" wheels are offering right now. The Michelin PS4 tyres is the main attraction to get this upgrade done, lets see how things work out.

You can follow me on my blog on Instagram(philip.mathew) for most of the updates on the car.

Some Photos:

With the fellow Germans in the family:
Pete's Tuned VW Polo GT TSI - A Little Hot Hatch! Sold in - August '19-family.jpg

Photo Courtesy: Gokul S (From Independence Day Ride with Triumph Kochi)
Pete's Tuned VW Polo GT TSI - A Little Hot Hatch! Sold in - August '19-rolling.jpg

The Monsoon Rains:
Pete's Tuned VW Polo GT TSI - A Little Hot Hatch! Sold in - August '19-img_9436.jpg

GoPro shot:
Pete's Tuned VW Polo GT TSI - A Little Hot Hatch! Sold in - August '19-gopro.jpg

The little Polo R WRC scale model that sits in the cabin:
Pete's Tuned VW Polo GT TSI - A Little Hot Hatch! Sold in - August '19-littlerline.jpg

Last edited by Philip.Mathew : 15th December 2017 at 05:56.
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Old 15th December 2017, 14:17   #3
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re: Pete's Tuned VW Polo GT TSI - A Little Hot Hatch! Sold in - August '19

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!
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Old 15th December 2017, 15:04   #4
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re: Pete's Tuned VW Polo GT TSI - A Little Hot Hatch! Sold in - August '19

Well written and detailed review buddy. The car is now complete. Remap, intake, exhaust, suspension, brakes and what not.. Appreciate your passion.

I am happy that you posted logs and also did proper dyno comparison. Few tuners just dyno the car on tuned file and claim very high figures. Stock vs Remap on the same dyno is the right method. I was actually very interested in remap of GT TSI because the gains claimed by tuners and what you get by logging was totally different. I saw few VCDS logs posted by NASA group. They have logged Pete's(V1 & V2), TOT and Revo remaps. The gains were less in Pete's V1 and TOT remaps (hardly 5-6 hp). Pete's V2 map and Revo had maximum gains. I had not seen the log of Pete's V3 map before and from what you had sent me.. It's the best and most impressive. You have got 131 HP even on regular fuel

Stock Map(110 HP)
Pete's Tuned VW Polo GT TSI - A Little Hot Hatch! Sold in - August '19-img_20171215_145019.jpg
Pete's V1 (114 HP)
Pete's Tuned VW Polo GT TSI - A Little Hot Hatch! Sold in - August '19-fb_img_1513329032139.jpg
TOT (~118 HP)
Pete's Tuned VW Polo GT TSI - A Little Hot Hatch! Sold in - August '19-fb_img_1513329176413.jpg
Pete's V2 (120 HP)
Pete's Tuned VW Polo GT TSI - A Little Hot Hatch! Sold in - August '19-fb_img_1513329166730.jpg
Revo (122 HP)
Pete's Tuned VW Polo GT TSI - A Little Hot Hatch! Sold in - August '19-fb_img_1513329077299.jpg
Check for MAF based dyno graphs album in NASA FB page
https://www.facebook.com/NorthernAutoSportsIndia/

Pete's V3 (your car) has maximum gains. Do try to log again with 97 octane fuel, it would be around 135 HP for sure.

Quote:
Dyno figures vary from dyno to dyno and some dynos show ridiculously high figures.
BHPian graaja has dynoed his GT TSI at spitfire dyno. The car was stock and it showed very high figures like 130 HP. Code 6 tuned GT TSI has done 137 HP on this dyno, but they won't show the stock graph. So the real gains even with code 6 map was just 7 HP.
Pete's Tuned VW Polo GT TSI - A Little Hot Hatch! Sold in - August '19-power-plot.jpg

What Next : JBS Hybrid turbo?

Last edited by Dr.Naren : 15th December 2017 at 15:29.
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Old 15th December 2017, 15:52   #5
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re: Pete's Tuned VW Polo GT TSI - A Little Hot Hatch! Sold in - August '19

god, the amount of work that has gone into your car means its technically a new polo now !

Can you inform me as to where you got the alcantara steering wrap done in cochin?

desperately want to find a decent guy who does it in kerala as i don't have the time to take my cars down to bangalore karlssons or others.

Thanks !
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Old 15th December 2017, 18:31   #6
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re: Pete's Tuned VW Polo GT TSI - A Little Hot Hatch! Sold in - August '19

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dr.Naren View Post
Well written and detailed review buddy. The car is now complete. Remap, intake, exhaust, suspension, brakes and what not.. Appreciate your passion.
Thank you! The car has changed to a little hot-hatch at-least from the performance - handling balance and it is this enjoyable only because of the stock 15" wheels and the 205/55R15 tyres.

Quote:
Do try to log again with 97 octane fuel, it would be around 135 HP for sure.
Yes, I'm looking forward to logging the car once I return from UK. The example log I posted was from the data logged for checking the IAT, I never intended to log the MAF. Really wish we'd gotten 97 Octane in Kerala. It's actually high time it should be made available in Kerala considering the huge number of cars that require it.

Quote:
What Next : JBS Hybrid turbo?
The car is in perfect balance at the moment, throw that hybrid turbo into the equation and I'll need to again sort out everything from bigger brakes to a better cooling system as the factory charge air cooling system ins't enough to keep the temperature down. It's the step from daily driven car to a project car in which all the snags need to be sorted out for it to be a daily again. I had contacted JBS and they told that are working on a uprated charge air cooling system for the 1.2L TSI engine to support this hybrid turbo.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Nanolover View Post
god, the amount of work that has gone into your car means its technically a new polo now !

Can you inform me as to where you got the alcantara steering wrap done in cochin?
Thank you! Sure, the wrap was customised and purchased via Aliexpress seller "Shining Wheat" and it was stitched up by Binu's Car Boutique in Kolenchery, Kerala. They were actually planning to start selling exclusive steering wraps but I'm not sure whether its started yet.
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Old 15th December 2017, 18:40   #7
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re: Pete's Tuned VW Polo GT TSI - A Little Hot Hatch! Sold in - August '19

Great review man! Spotted you a few times around kumarakom earlier this year. Nice sleeper you've built. Mind telling us where you got your steering wheel done?
Cheers!
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Old 16th December 2017, 16:34   #8
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re: Pete's Tuned VW Polo GT TSI - A Little Hot Hatch! Sold in - August '19

Good stuff. Lovingly done and passionately driven

Enjoy your ride. Wish i had the time and monies to get my tjet onto something like this. [Just excuses :P]

Been talking to N1 for sometime now and really wanted them to work on my tjet but unfortunately they dont have a bolt on for the jet. The magnaflow exhaust system for my swift from them was just brutally good.

Next up was code6 at kochi. would have visited their garage couple of times talking to them. An exhaust and remap package works out to 50k+. Holding back for now.

Last edited by deathwalkr : 16th December 2017 at 16:39.
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Old 17th December 2017, 12:28   #9
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re: Pete's Tuned VW Polo GT TSI - A Little Hot Hatch! Sold in - August '19

You could call this a Polo GT TSI Sport, a true sport variant this is. Your passion is just of the charts I must admit. WAG should take a cue from this & launch a new GT TSI.
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Old 17th December 2017, 13:56   #10
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re: Pete's Tuned VW Polo GT TSI - A Little Hot Hatch! Sold in - August '19

Great set of mods you have on your GT there. I especially like the work you have done on the airflow, suspension and exhaust. Lots of ideas for anyone planning to mod even a stock TSI.

Having had headlamp issues with my diesel GT, I was surprised to know that it was impossible to get a proper headlamp adjustment. I am not sure whether it is a problem with the adjustment on the dual barrel headlamps though. With the single relector headlamp that my car had the two adjustments on the headlamp unit proved enough to get a decent beam.

Any plans for a rear disc upgrade. I did notice that there was an improvement in braking when I used stiffer rear shocks on my car. Was that your experience as well?

Drive on,
Shibu.
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Old 17th December 2017, 16:19   #11
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re: Pete's Tuned VW Polo GT TSI - A Little Hot Hatch! Sold in - August '19

Quote:
Originally Posted by TSIboy View Post
Great review man! Spotted you a few times around kumarakom earlier this year. Nice sleeper you've built. Mind telling us where you got your steering wheel done?
Cheers!
Thank you! It's the stock steering wheel itself with an alcantara wrap, details on the same is there in the reply to 'Nanolover'. I take the Kumarakom route often for getting to Kottayam from my place in Vechoor.

Quote:
Originally Posted by deathwalkr View Post
Good stuff. Lovingly done and passionately driven
Thank you! Hope you're able to start work on your TJet soon!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Venkat_Figo View Post
You could call this a Polo GT TSI Sport, a true sport variant this is. Your passion is just of the charts I must admit. WAG should take a cue from this & launch a new GT TSI.
Thank you Venkat! How much we all wish VAG gave us something like this straight from factory but got to appreciate them for launching the GT TSI here in India. The GTI was a much more welcoming move but the initial pricing was off and they should have offered the 6-speed manual spec as well.

Quote:
Originally Posted by shibujp View Post
Great set of mods you have on your GT there. I especially like the work you have done on the airflow, suspension and exhaust. Lots of ideas for anyone planning to mod even a stock TSI.

Having had headlamp issues with my diesel GT, I was surprised to know that it was impossible to get a proper headlamp adjustment. I am not sure whether it is a problem with the adjustment on the dual barrel headlamps though. With the single relector headlamp that my car had the two adjustments on the headlamp unit proved enough to get a decent beam.

Any plans for a rear disc upgrade. I did notice that there was an improvement in braking when I used stiffer rear shocks on my car. Was that your experience as well?

Drive on,
Shibu.
Thank you Shibu! Yes the double barrel headlights have two separate bulbs for low and high beam. The left headlight was perfectly fine and we didn't touch it. The trouble was with the high beam on the right headlight which can be adjusted only up/down and the mechanics at the SC tried their best but couldn't adjust it to a satisfactory level. They did mention it was something to do with sideways adjustment but the high beam can't be adjusted sideways. Anyways, I was happy with the replacement headlight as it sorted all the issues.

The rear disc brake kit for the Indian Polo requires a rear axle swap with either the first model Polo launched in India or the present GTI, both of which have the European rear axle which has the extensions for bolting the rear callipers. The rear axle on the Indian Polo misses out on this simple extension for bolting the callipers, if the extensions were there its just a matter of sourcing the OEM rear disc brake kit which is available as a full kit and is a simple bolt on upgrade. (Here's a link to the kit.)

This is my Polo's Indian Rear Axle: notice the missing extensions (at the mouse pointer) on the end of the rear axle.
Pete's Tuned VW Polo GT TSI - A Little Hot Hatch! Sold in - August '19-img_0808.jpg

This is my friend's 2010 Polo 1.2L TDI: notice the extensions for calliper bolting on the end of the rear axle.
Pete's Tuned VW Polo GT TSI - A Little Hot Hatch! Sold in - August '19-img_0809.jpg

It's just a matter of swapping the rear axle from either an old polo or picking up a brand new European rear axle from VW Spares which is an expensive affair. The Indian rear axle is just around 15k whereas the European rear axle is priced around 65k, last time I checked.

I haven't felt the need for rear discs just yet and yes the stiffer Bilstein B12 kit has helped with improving the braking as well. Since the stiffer suspension helps reduce the forward/backward, dive/motion during acceleration/braking and the car rides flat & at a lower centre of gravity thanks to the lowering. All of this helps with reducing the weight transfer and the rear brakes actually work better.

Last edited by Aditya : 17th December 2017 at 22:47. Reason: As requested
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Old 18th December 2017, 08:19   #12
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Re: Pete's Tuned Polo GT TSI - A Little Hot-Hatch!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Philip.Mathew View Post
I have cleaned them once so far at 8000kms and the next one is scheduled very soon.
How dirty was the filter at this stage?
I ask as I had a conical filter on my Ford Ikon and it was actually more effective as it got dirty. Cleaning it too soon did not really make a difference.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Philip.Mathew View Post
I quickly checked up on mine and it was the Indian spec one that is closed to the front grille and pulls in hot air from the headlight side of the engine bay!
Looks like a lot of manufacturers seem to be getting the placement wrong. My Linea T Jet had the same problem and I bet this applies for the Fiat Abarth too. The intake snorkel is right behind the head lamp assembly. The only air circulating here is hot air radiated from the engine itself. It was so bad on my car that on a 38-40 degree day, it felt as if the turbo had died and there would be a noticeable increase in fuel consumption.

I guess its a bit much to keep doing dyno runs. Do you have a stage by stage improvement scale in terms of horse power and torque? I am keen to know what improvements were gained from the intake and exhaust upgrade versus just a remap.

Is the front edge of the bonnet, above the left headlamp, to the fender in correct alignment?

Brilliant step by step modifications I must say. This car now fits the GT tag more than how it came out from the factory.
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Old 18th December 2017, 11:47   #13
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Re: Pete's Tuned Polo GT TSI - A Little Hot-Hatch!

Quote:
Originally Posted by sandeepmohan View Post
How dirty was the filter at this stage?
I ask as I had a conical filter on my Ford Ikon and it was actually more effective as it got dirty. Cleaning it too soon did not really make a difference.
The filter was at its 1-year mark and was in definite need for cleaning. There was dust, it had lost the characteristic purple colour and it looked a lot like the state in the comparison picture (e2997) along with the 57s Intake Kit. The cleaning interval depends a lot on the driving conditions and the filter itself. We've used the Green Cotton Replacement Filter on the Jetta and that used to pretty much clog up in 4000kms and needed cleaning much earlier unlike the K&N's that generally lasted longer before cleaning. So the cleaning interval is dependent on the filter and how well it filters as well. As these filters get to its dirtiest stages you can feel a drop in throttle response. A cleaner filter is always more effective for better airflow than a dirty one, so why risk it, just get it cleaned at an appropriate interval depending on the condition.


Quote:
Looks like a lot of manufacturers seem to be getting the placement wrong. My Linea T Jet had the same problem and I bet this applies for the Fiat Abarth too. The intake snorkel is right behind the head lamp assembly. The only air circulating here is hot air radiated from the engine itself. It was so bad on my car that on a 38-40 degree day, it felt as if the turbo had died and there would be a noticeable increase in fuel consumption.
Yes, taking the generally dusty Indian driving conditions into consideration, most manufacturers play it safe with a hotter intake setup from within the engine bay itself rather than having an open one to the front which will surely shorten the service interval for the air filter.

Quote:
I guess its a bit much to keep doing dyno runs. Do you have a stage by stage improvement scale in terms of horse power and torque? I am keen to know what improvements were gained from the intake and exhaust upgrade versus just a remap.

Is the front edge of the bonnet, above the left headlamp, to the fender in correct alignment?

Brilliant step by step modifications I must say. This car now fits the GT tag more than how it came out from the factory.
Thank you Sandeep! I don't have data for each upgrade as the remap was one of the first major upgrades done. A remap will surely have better gains compared to intake and exhaust upgrades individually but at the same time we can maximise the benefits of the remap by optimising it for the hardware upgrades like the intake and exhaust. With respect to the GT TSI I would rate the improvements gained in performance as remap > turboback exhaust with the racecat downpipe > eurospec air channel guide > airbox/air filter. You've got a good eye for detail for spotting that misalignment between the headlight - bonnet. It bugs me as well. This is a common misalignment on all Polo's although the intensity of the gap varies from Polo to Polo. It's a small gap between the bonnet, top headlight and the top edge of the front quarter panel.
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Old 19th December 2017, 05:00   #14
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Re: Pete's Tuned Polo GT TSI - A Little Hot-Hatch!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Philip.Mathew View Post
There was dust, it had lost the characteristic purple colour and it looked a lot like the state in the comparison along with the 57s Intake Kit. A cleaner filter is always more effective for better airflow than a dirty one, so why risk it, just get it cleaned at an appropriate interval depending on the condition.
Off course.

I gave up using K&N as it ended up twisting itself as a result of the service folks wrapping it with a plastic bag while they were servicing the car. They forgot to remove the plastic bag, started the car and that was the end of the filters structural stability.

On top of that, I found the phase of cleaning it rather annoying as the car could not be used when the filter was kept aside to dry and oil. Some disadvantages of using an exposed conical filter not really suited to the car. In stock replacement, you can put back the manufacturer filter while you prepare your K&N.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Philip.Mathew View Post
Yes, taking the generally dusty Indian driving conditions into consideration, most manufacturers play it safe with a hotter intake setup from within the engine bay itself rather than having an open one to the front which will surely shorten the service interval for the air filter.
I rather have the engine breathe cooler air. The filter is generally easy to access on most cars and does not take much time to clean or replace. Off course, this probably applies to a few folks who care so much about these things.

As much as it was a headache to do it, I used to blow the engine bay with an industrial air blower every Friday evening after the engine cooled down. I did this every week for 5 years while I had the Linea T Jet. 5 days was all it took for a dust cloud to come out of the engine bay so I can imagine the state of the air filter after 5000-8000km! Interestingly; the air filter never ever got so dirty on my car. Probably because of the isolated intake location and the engine bay being cleaned so frequently.
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Old 19th December 2017, 12:45   #15
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re: Pete's Tuned VW Polo GT TSI - A Little Hot Hatch! Sold in - August '19

I'm not as regular on these forums as I'd like to be, but just had to login and tell you how envious I am of your sleeper hot hatch. I own a 2015 GT TSI (Carbon Steel) too, and have been mulling over a suspension upgrade, remap, and new brake pads. I already have a catback but that's a FFE from a local guy. Would you recommend lowering springs or coilovers for Delhi where the roads go from great to terrible?

Also, how much will a remap affect the longevity of the DSG etc. Would be great if you could PM me a break up of how much you spent on the individual parts.

P.S. Have you considered wrapping the roof in black? Would complement the wheels nicely.

Cheers
hatlessgovi is offline  
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