Bluefin upgrade, other mods to consider?

[jessv3]

Hi,

I finally took the plunge and purchased a Bluefin unit, I expect delivery of it sometime this week. My question is, because I will be running higher boost and more pressure on the engine should I be proactive and upgrade anything in the engine now? I remember reading somewhere once that one of the valves in the mkv's 2.0tfsi is prone to failure with increased boost, i cant remember which valve it is though?

Cheers,
Jesse

[triode12]

Replace your PCV and DV to the latest revisions.The early PCVs are prone to failure. And the old DV with plastic diaphram is prone to tear under the heavier boost of a tune (the new one is piston based). However, Bluefin is known for their mild tunes. I'd just wait till the PCV or DV fail and then change them.

[Jmac]

Replace your PCV and DV to the latest revisions.The early PCVs are prone to failure. And the old DV with plastic diaphram is prone to tear under the heavier boost of a tune (the new one is piston based). However, Bluefin is known for their mild tunes. I'd just wait till the PCV or DV fail and then change them.

Define mild for us. to answer the original question PCV good idea , i change plenty on non tuned and DV are very prone on Stock. New DV from VW is a cracker.
Cheers
Jmac

[triode12]

Define mild for us. to answer the original question PCV good idea , i change plenty on non tuned and DV are very prone on Stock. New DV from VW is a cracker.
Cheers
Jmac

I have a BF tune on my Pirelli - at the last Dyno day organised by Fuzion, I ran 168kw.
While my friends APR'd Pirelli ran 181kw on the same day.
I have driven his car and it has more torque too.
But my BF tuned engine is noticeably smoother at idle than his car is.
Overall, I'm v.happy with my BF tune - it made the car more responsive and removed the lag.

[Jmac]

Fair enough that, dynos vary but we all know where the thread can go with that. Good feedback though mate
Cheers
Jmac

[triode12]

Fair enough that, dynos vary but we all know where the thread can go with that. Good feedback though mate
Cheers
Jmac

For the price, driveability, plus the ability to upload and remove the tune at will, the BF tunes can't be beat. It is not all about the numbers.

[jessv3]

I would be lying if I said that price didnt have anything to do with my decision but I also liked the idea of starting out on something that isn't too aggressive, although I love the thought of having 410nm with the APR tune, im thinking long term it maybe a higher risk on my car considering it just ticked over to 120k. Also I don't consider the GTI to have any noticeable lag in stock form, so no doubt I will be hugely shocked when people say it takes out the lag, try driving anything turbocharged made by Subaru nothing happens before 3500rpm.

Thanks for the tips on the DV and PCV, what warning signs will my car give if either fails? limp mode?

[triode12]

I would be lying if I said that price didnt have anything to do with my decision but I also liked the idea of starting out on something that isn't too aggressive, although I love the thought of having 410nm with the APR tune, im thinking long term it maybe a higher risk on my car considering it just ticked over to 120k. Also I don't consider the GTI to have any noticeable lag in stock form, so no doubt I will be hugely shocked when people say it takes out the lag, try driving anything turbocharged made by Subaru nothing happens before 3500rpm.

Thanks for the tips on the DV and PCV, what warning signs will my car give if either fails? limp mode?

The Pirelli has a K04 in it so the lag is a bit more noticeable on it than the KO3'd GTI.

The problem is there won't be any obvious signs unless you VAGCOM it but it is usually a loss of boost in both instances. A friend with a GIAC tuned GTI drove around with a busted DV for a long while before being told by another friend (on a test drive) that his car didn't feel like it was tuned . He took it to the dealer who confirmed that the diaphragm on it was torn.

In my case, our GT (the wife's car and our daily) has a boost gauge and I noticed over a few weeks that it no longer moved - it was only after I VAGCOM'd the car did it report that the PCV had failed. Nothing showed up on the dash. If I didn't have the boost gauge in the car or a VAGCOM cable, I would have been none the wiser.

In both cases one gets used to how the car drives over time if one doesn't have another to compare with.

[bwen]

A question regarding the PCV and DV. For the PCV there are two current revisions at the moment right? E and P? what are the differences? Also same goes with the DV, what is the latest and greatest?

[triode12]

A question regarding the PCV and DV. For the PCV there are two current revisions at the moment right? E and P? what are the differences? Also same goes with the DV, what is the latest and greatest?

I don't know what the phyical differences are for the PCV.

But for the DV, the latest version has a piston instead of a diaphragm.

VW GTI • MKV - New Piston Style DV vs. Old Diaphragm Style DV|Volkswagen Golf GTI Forum

[TomC]

I found this info helpful for the PCV - PCV valve failure - Mkvgtiwiki

[NabzGTI]

Definitely change the PCV and DV if you're tuning the car.

There are aftermarket PCV solutions out there which work better than the OEM ones (i.e. BSH stage 1 PCV valve fix, or stage 2 if you want the catch can).

As for DV, the OEM piston type is the way to go. They are good up to 450hp and 30psi, after that you will need to go something after market like Forge DV (still piston type, but make from aluminum instead of plastic). If you want a Forge DV, I have a brand new one that only requires hoses and nipples.

With a blown diaphram DV, your car will sound like a honking goose.

[TomC]

There are aftermarket PCV solutions out there which work better than the OEM ones (i.e. BSH stage 1 PCV valve fix, or stage 2 if you want the catch can).

Would be keen to hear more of your opinion on this. I've heard lots of varied opinions about the PCV. The concerns that I was given about the BSH style one is that it effectively blocks off the upper valve, passing all the pressure through the lower valve (I didn't even realise the system had two until someone wised me up ). Even though the lower valve is vacuum operated it still increases the pressure on the part. Apparently the latest revision OEM one is far better than the original ones and it still maintains both the upper and lower valves (the upper one is what can fail and had apparently been strengthened).

[Jmac]

Yeah without getting too far into it there is a distinct physical difference old to new, i have an old one i might chop and see, first one i found with my smoke machine, actually had one recently screeching, another characteristic of a duff one, they either draw secondary air or howl.
Jmac

[NabzGTI]

Would be keen to hear more of your opinion on this. I've heard lots of varied opinions about the PCV. The concerns that I was given about the BSH style one is that it effectively blocks off the upper valve, passing all the pressure through the lower valve (I didn't even realise the system had two until someone wised me up ). Even though the lower valve is vacuum operated it still increases the pressure on the part. Apparently the latest revision OEM one is far better than the original ones and it still maintains both the upper and lower valves (the upper one is what can fail and had apparently been strengthened).

To be quite honest, I have never seen what the new ones look like or how they perform.. but when you're talking about modifying your car, its better to be safe than sorry. The BSH has been used in plenty of race cars without faulting.. and I'm pretty sure you wont be pushing your car harder than them. I have the BSH and can highly recommend it. Particularly when seeing the crap that comes out of the catch can when I empty it :S