Hi,
thinking about making some tuning mods to my mrk3, nothing too serious. Has anyone upgraded their ECUs and also installed bigger fuel jets and if so was there a noticeable difference in performance?
Also open to other ideas/suggestions on how to obtain other performance gains without involving bigger cams etc.
Tuning mods for the mrk3
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Re: Tuning mods for the mrk3
Bigger injectors are useless unless you're going to turbo the engine.
Leave the intake system alone (it makes as much power with the stock filter as without one at all!), change the exhaust manifold for a freer-flowing one, likewise with the exhaust as the OEM one is silly heavy. A'Pexi Power FC will give the best results if you're planning on engine remapping but is a bit overkill for an NA application: A regular E-Manage or Unichip will suffice, it's mainly down to the tuner.
That should net you in the region of 150-160bhp, if you want anything else you'll be needing cams or forced induction. If you really want to make the most of the car then get some lightweight wheels on there, some Advan Neova tyres, a decent set of dampers and springs and as much chassis bracing as you can afford, the minimum being a front strut brace + TTE-style underbody X-brace. The mk3 is all about how the car handles as opposed to how quick it is in straight line, so play to it's strengths and you'll have a wonderfully balanced car.
Leave the intake system alone (it makes as much power with the stock filter as without one at all!), change the exhaust manifold for a freer-flowing one, likewise with the exhaust as the OEM one is silly heavy. A'Pexi Power FC will give the best results if you're planning on engine remapping but is a bit overkill for an NA application: A regular E-Manage or Unichip will suffice, it's mainly down to the tuner.
That should net you in the region of 150-160bhp, if you want anything else you'll be needing cams or forced induction. If you really want to make the most of the car then get some lightweight wheels on there, some Advan Neova tyres, a decent set of dampers and springs and as much chassis bracing as you can afford, the minimum being a front strut brace + TTE-style underbody X-brace. The mk3 is all about how the car handles as opposed to how quick it is in straight line, so play to it's strengths and you'll have a wonderfully balanced car.
Re: Tuning mods for the mrk3
ekona, thanks for your advice and help with locating an owners manual - much appreciated
Re: Tuning mods for the mrk3
No worries matey
Re: Tuning mods for the mrk3
ekona wrote:
................. change the exhaust manifold for a freer-flowing one, likewise with the exhaust as the OEM one is silly heavy. A'Pexi Power FC will give the best results if you're planning on engine remapping but is a bit overkill for an NA application: A regular E-Manage or Unichip will suffice, it's mainly down to the tuner.
Hi ekona, which performance manifiold would you recommend please and also by changing the manifold and exhaust how would this effect the emissions when it comes to MOT time, would it still pass?
Regards
Paul
Re: Tuning mods for the mrk3
I'd probably go for the PPE manifold if it were my car. Solid performance increases have been proven both over here and in the US where PPE are based. PPE website
By changing the manifold you're also getting rid of the pre-cats which can kill an engine, and are only used for cold start emissions in California. The main cat is more than enough to cope with the emissions by itself after the engine is warm, and you're not removing that at all by changing the manifold or exhaust (as long as we're talking about cat-back exhausts or backboxes only). That said, PPE do make their own high-flow cat along with an exhaust and you'd be hard pushed to find better quality items than them.
Personally I used to run the TTE/Remus exhaust on my old car before I turbocharged it, and I just gutted the pre-cats manually. The best performance mod I ever made was swapping to an RPS lightweight flywheel: Strictly speaking, it won't gain you any power, but it will mean you'll lose less via the transmission and so it'll feel like it! It'll make the whole thing rev a load easier and it'll feel more 'alive'. Worth doing in conjunction with a clutch change to save on the labour costs too.
By changing the manifold you're also getting rid of the pre-cats which can kill an engine, and are only used for cold start emissions in California. The main cat is more than enough to cope with the emissions by itself after the engine is warm, and you're not removing that at all by changing the manifold or exhaust (as long as we're talking about cat-back exhausts or backboxes only). That said, PPE do make their own high-flow cat along with an exhaust and you'd be hard pushed to find better quality items than them.
Personally I used to run the TTE/Remus exhaust on my old car before I turbocharged it, and I just gutted the pre-cats manually. The best performance mod I ever made was swapping to an RPS lightweight flywheel: Strictly speaking, it won't gain you any power, but it will mean you'll lose less via the transmission and so it'll feel like it! It'll make the whole thing rev a load easier and it'll feel more 'alive'. Worth doing in conjunction with a clutch change to save on the labour costs too.
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- Posts: 2764
- Joined: Wed Jul 31, 2013 11:05 am
Word
Info noted and liked
Would this be the one
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/TRUST-GREDDY-E-MA ... 33651e7751
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Dastek-Piggyback- ... 19c33d0805
Would this be the one
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/TRUST-GREDDY-E-MA ... 33651e7751
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Dastek-Piggyback- ... 19c33d0805
Re: Tuning mods for the mrk3
Basically yes, however you'll need the mk3-specific Unichip. I believe the EMB is universal as it has various dip switches on it to set it up for the correct engine type, but for both piggybacks you'll need the correct wiring looms unless you fancy hacking into the stock loom (do-able, but a PITA to put back when it comes to sell the car).
This is what you really want before you start hacking anything: I had one myself and they're brilliant.
This is what you really want before you start hacking anything: I had one myself and they're brilliant.
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- Posts: 2764
- Joined: Wed Jul 31, 2013 11:05 am
Word
I suppose it's never that easy
Harness
piggyback ecu
fitting
tune
££££
Harness
piggyback ecu
fitting
tune
££££
Re: Tuning mods for the mrk3
Ultimately worth it though, just make sure you're done with all the oily bits first before doing it else you'll end up paying for two tuning sessions.