Noone's Polo

[noone]

Whilst my Polo GTI is far from the most tuned, I've spent a lot of time working on some aspects of my car and thought I'd start a thread on my Polo as it has been my love affair since purchase early last year.

I'll update this further but as a summary:

- Purchased Feb / Mar 2009: 2nd hand 2006 Red GTI (no options). Only 10k kms on the clock.
- APR, Dogbone and H&R springs installed early 2009.

From there it got a bit out of control... The following mods were done (vaguely chronological):

Seat intake
BMC Filter
Rear Sway Bar
Custom 2.5" dump pipe
New (larger) Muffler tips
Forge front brace
Front Sway Bar
312 Rotors and Brake upgrade on front end
Whiteline rear control arm bushes
Dash lid then center console repainted to make all match)
Stubby antenna
Blacked VW badges
Forge FMIC
Dual Port diverter
Cupra (i think) front lip
Honeycomb grills (dremmel'd to match)
Rear Toe Kit
Drop links (Mondeo and Whiteline)
Silicone TIP and throttle body hose
N75J (removed, bypassed, coupled with MBC) - currently stock
42DD and Verdict gear shift bushes
Eyelids

Currently I have removed the SAI, N249, N112 and VAC systems. a Forge blanking plate on the engine and a custom cover for the airbox connection make the removal complete (along with a few resistors).

I've grown interested in fluids and replace my oil every 7000kms and have changed my gearbox oil to Redline and recently bled the brakes (JMac's order works well).

During my time I've had stock rims, then Siata's, then Audi TT rims, now Enkei's.

Loved the look of the TT rims for the stance:





Currently working on hopefully the end of the catch can install.

The brakes have been the biggest issue noise wise, they have been problematic since day 1 and I've tried quite a few things, recently breaking them down and installing new seals. About to make some shimms.

Suspension and handling have been big interest items for me, I've had a lot of fun experimenting with different wheels, swaybar settings and the difference has been amazing.

For a period I was looking at other tuning options and was logging (Vagcom) frequently. Lemmiwinks was fun to play with, but other than adding a little timing, was not overly useful.

There is plenty more to add including some pictures, but I really wanted to get a start on this thread as it is a different crowd around here to when I signed up.

If anyone is in Sydney and wants to see what you get for what you pay (either as a car purchase or in relation to tuning options I've installed), feel free to hit me up.

Ben



----History-------

I used to drive a Toyota Corolla Seca (well, 2 of them after I wrote off the first one)... They were cheap and reliable cars but didn't perform. As I was into audio at the time, I dropped more cash on the stereo system than the car was worth. Sounded awesome.

I lost my boot to a tuned box and some insulation with a pair of 15" subs and mids


From there I got a better paying job and decided it was time to get something better. I didn't want anything too powerfull as I had a rough history of doing stupid things as a youngster and wanted something I couldn't get into too much throuble with. Allong came the 2003 Impreza RS (2.5l non turbo). It didn't take me long to realise whilst my intentions had been practical that the car was pretty boring. It handled OK, really wasn't powerfull enough with the 2.5l engine and used to understeer horribly in the wet. Around this time I started to become interested in cars and started researching my next buy...

I wanted something small, fast and fun to drive. As I was spending around $20K, there were quite a few options, but really noting seemed to have the same power (post chip) for the weight and size (other than the old Clio sport, but that thing is ugly). When I got around to driving the Polo, I was happy with the stock power, handling and even the tartain seats with the red exterior colour). I wanted to try out the leather seats, but with the overall price difference and having had a family car with sticky seats in summer, was not fussed.

I started looking seriously and found an add which seemed dodgy as it was poorly advertised, no picture and very little info. Turned out to be an older lady who had kept it in pristine condition and barely used the car for the first 2 1/4 years of its life.

Sold! (Well, bought for me)

It only took a few weeks before I had it chipped, on lowered springs and had the dogbone done. The rest I will leave for another chapter.

-------Continued Below-------------

[schoona]

Nice writing Ben

[Plautos]

I´m a follower!

[flat6]

Pics for those who live over the Mexican border?

[walkerchan]

Would love to see how ur red polo looks with the different rims and lowered. Might push me into addiction xD

[noone]

Thanks guys. Def pics coming and filling in the gaps as to what mods have been done.

Here is a crap one taken today, no prep and poor quality but that's how it looks...



These were my old rims after they were made as new:

Looked lovely but weighed too much for the K03 to get rolling

The old rims (Siata's)

[VWindahouse]

Awesome work mate. Keep it coming!

[flat6]

Nice clean look, i like it, cool thing with these cars is you don't see them much at all, you can make them so much more personal

[noone]

----Let the Modding begin----

As I'm sure many enthusiasts start out, I had a short list of what I wanted to do to the Polo to make it mine and that was going to be all. How I have learned...

I was not a motoring enthusiast and really didn't know the first thing about cars until I started to research the Polo and since owning the Polo I have used VWW, Vortex and many other sites to expand on my mechanical understanding. Props to those who do detailed write-ups, if it were not for the guides, I would probably have a mostly stock Polo today (and quite a few more bucks spent on some other hobby).

So after the Chip (APR), H&R springs and Dogbone mount, I started reading up on what everyone else was doing. For the time I was happy with the handing the lowering springs was yielding. The Seat intake pipe and panel filter was a good progression to me opening the bonnet catch and starting to really look at what was under there...

Chip: Well, its a chip. I don't think APR is the most aggressive tune and if I had my time again, I would go with the GIAC as it is said to be a little more aggressive and cheaper. I liked the switching feature allowing the tune to be turned on and off as the car was under warranty when I bought it.

Springs: When I got the new springs, I thought they were great. It took me a while and some long fun drives to get sick of the undulating effect of mismatched springs / shocks but the worst part was the suspension crashing onto the bump-stops when you hit a big pothole. There were a few times I hit a bad bit of road in Sydney and pulled over to see what had broken. The last time it took out a tyre, not sure that better suspension could have fixed that one...

Dogbone: As I had this done at the same time as the chip, I can't really comment. If it limits the engine kick, then thats more torque to the wheels so it can only be good. I have not had any vibration issues.

Seat intake pipe: (post chip) is a great breathing mod. I love these cheap mods as they helped me understand my car a little better and were achievable for someone with my level of experience. The outcome of the 2 intake parts was better spooling, but it also changed the boost and power curve. In stock form, there was a lovely lump of power a little after 3k that was a lot of fun to feel kick in. As per the intake DIY, I opened up the mouth of the intake to assist the breathing. As there are a number of places any little bits of crap can be caught pre-turbo, i think its safe.

Rear sway bar (Whiteline): This is worthwhile on the Polo, regardless of the suspension setup IMO. it was fairly cheap and took away a lot of the body roll during cornering. at the same time I had the Whiteline rear camber shims installed. I can't say much about the shims as I didn't get a clear impression of the effect other than helping later rims to fit and look phat. I've had the RSB on all 3 settings, generally on Medium but with the FSB installed I tend to run it on soft (more on that later)...

Muffler Tips: One day I decided the rear end needed to look a little more tough, but I didn't want to draw attention to the exhaust being modified. I picked some new tips that are a little larger and look nice and on they went. Worth the money IMO as I don't expect to change the exhaust (its pretty good from what I've read).

Dump Pipe: So the first section of the exhaust off the turbo outlet is restrictive. There were a number of off the shelf options, none of which seemed to be worth the investment as I couldn't understand why their product was going to be better than a custom one banged out by a reputable exhaust shop. The main option was to go 2.5" or 3". I had a great suggestion of 2 3/4" as a midpoint, but a few shops i asked said they would make the pipe if I supplied 2 3/4" section (i.e. it was not common). There were some concerns about the 3" pipe being noisy (truck like) and loosing Torque at lower RPM. I don't really believe that if the part was properly made that a 3" was going to cause a loss of torque, but I went the conservative route and had a shop (Castle Hill Exhaust from memory) make the part up for me. The result was a little more power from down low, a lower exhaust note and more burble when off throttle at low speed / rpm. a good result for not much spend.

Front strut brace (Forge): The brace between the suspension towers made a difference that really surprised me. The added stability really helped the front end to stay planted around cambered corners. Easy to fit but costly to get here due to the expensive shipping from the UK and awkward size, its definitely worth the spend for those looking to address all the aspects of the Polo's handling and stock limitations. I've always made sure the car was on level surface and the wheels straight when removing the brace so to limit the chances of the struts slipping and the holes not aligning, unfortunately getting the airbox open with the brace installed is not something I've managed, but apparently not impossible.

Forge Splitter (Diverter): I liked the idea of the splitter being partial BOV or just diverter. Since owning the unit I have had it set to external venting for a week or so, can't say its a great sound. As the ECU is expecting the air to be routed back I think its best left closed. The adjustable pressure seems to be able to dial in the boost well but I have not tried the other options. If you can get more generic unit with the same size connections, you may well save a few $$$ and get the same results. Not cheap for the Forge one, but for a part that can limit boost if not functioning properly, worth a look at once the car's chipped.

Coilovers: I went down the coilover path so I could dial in my desired ride height. I picked AP Coilovers after reading up on the Polo UK site and seeing positive feedback. With their pricing well below the main options (Weitec & KW) I decided to have a go. The shipping was slow and the addition of one part being deliverd damaged added to the wait. I didn't tackle the install as I was concerned about the results of getting it wrong. The install was done at the same time as the FSB and the rear control arm bushes. When the old suspension bearings and hats came out they needed some attention / replacing.

This was the better looking of the bearings:



As seems to be an ongoing theme with the Polo, the parts were not in stock close by. After the overhaul the car was hunkered down. The ride was tight and somewhat uncomfortable. After some settling in time and some adjustment to the sways, ride height and driving style, the results are impressive. the full handling potential was not unveiled until the new shoes went on some months later.

Front Sway: For those willing to go for traction over comfort. On the stiffer setting (and with my other setup) the ride is stiff over bumps but helps greatly when powering out of corners. As I did this at the same time as the Coilovers and bushes, hard for me to comment on the improvement as much as the difference between the 2 torsion settings.

[flat6]

nice writeup mate, gave me some inspiration to do my first mod

Was having a bastard of a time getting it off with the side cutters


so i got the trusty old solder iron out and smoothed it out nicely


It maybe placebo but driving out to docklands earlier, it did feel a little more jumpier...

[Jmac]

Good work with the write up mate, and nice to see another pog getting the royal treatment, they are a fun car to work on, i love em.
Jmac

[ssman]

Ben I think your car looks better now with those wheels, even better that mine.

Great write up, cant wait until we meet.

Cheers Van

[TazzyVR6]

I didn't realise you had a Forge intercooler as well. How do you find it?

PS you still need a bigger turbo

Cheers,
Al

[noone]

Thanks. Forge cooler did not help the boost, but the cooler flow is worth it for summer.

I know (about the turbo), but I don't want a K04 unless it's cheap and something bigger means real bucks...

Ive been dreaming too much recently, Mk4 R32 supercharged.... Mmmmm...

Plenty more writing to go up, just finding the time...

[walkerchan]

Dam! Wish u lived in Melbourne just so I could perv on ur beautiful car haha. Would love to see what the larger exhaust tips look like.