*Snow Performance Water Methanol Injection! Install, Test & Tune!*

[SAVwKO]

As I walked around the vendor area of H2O, I found at Induktion Motorsports' tent the Snow Performance Boost Cooler kit. This was something I had in mind for my girlfriend's GLI for some time because the car is pretty much maxed out on the stock Ko3S. With future plans of going big turbo, I figured this would prove to be a "healthy" mod for the car.

I had a long discussion with Scott Williams from USRT. Very cool guy, knows what he's talking about...definitely will be getting more of my business. So we talked and I promised him a big thread on here to promote this kit. So, here it is:

We opted for the Stage II MAP-based kit. Scott sells a Stage I kit, but it is better off for those with standalone systems to control the spray. With the Stage II, the spray is variable, and instead of getting a MAF-based kit that reads the MAF voltage, I decided to make use of the Golden Eagle vac manifold we already have on the car and use the MAP controller. We also bought a gallon of Snow Performance's "Boost Juice," which is their own water/methanol mixture, and quoting Scott, "It's 49% methanol, 50% water, and 1% if I told ya I'd have to kill ya." Lastly, an 8oz bottle of Nitro Booster, which is just nitro methane, was included in our purchase. It says +50hp on the bottle, but I'm sure that's engine dependent.

Mod list of the car:
GIAC X+
4.7v Diode
Catch Can
Cranked Wastegate
(27psi Spikes, 15psi @ Redline)
GHL 3” Tb
Lemmiwinks Tuned
Samco TIH
NGK BKR7E Plugs
ECS Ultimate Dog Bone Mount
Golden Eagle Vacuum Manifold
Custom FMIC
ESE CAI
Relocated Forge DV
Bosch 4-bar FPR
ECS Pulleys
Dual Stage MBC
Powergasket Plus
N249 and Secondary Air Injection Deleted

Here's what is all included, minus the fluids:

Reservoir, pump, controller, nozzles, nylon tubing, and hell even wire loom, zip ties, and electrical connectors are all in the kit. There's also a NPT Tap for mounting the nozzle in a hardpipe.

My concern for where to store the fluid began when I looked around and couldn't really find a spot for the extra reservoir. Her engine bay is cluttered with this and that and where there's room, it's either a) not convenient or b) too hot for plastic. So I figured, hell I'll just use the stock reservoir. It has a built in low level sensor which would make it easier to keep the fluid filled.

We drilled a hole at the very bottom of the reservoir, and thanks to VW for having a hole cutout directly below. Put in the threaded piece shown and gorilla glued it for lack of any other goop. Seals perfectly, no leaks!

My next step was figuring out how to mount the pump. It has a bracket with rubber vibration isolators, so I figured it's best to make use of those. Since we aren't running the secondary air injection, I hacked up the bracket for the SAI pump and welded on some flat sheetmetal.

This way, the pump is mounted "correctly" using the bracket it came with, and it's also lower than the reservoir which is a must if you want it to actually pump anything. There was also lots of room infront of the block, the only thing to watch for is the oil filter.

Next I just screwed in the 90 degree fittings to the pump. All the fittings for the nylon hose in this kit are the quick disconnect type like on paintball guns. Just pull back and the hose will slide out.

Here's a below and above shot of the pump mounted using the SAI pump bracket:

Next thing to mount was the MAP controller. This was the most convenient, trouble-free spot to mount it. Just used 3M molding tape.

There's a vacuum port at the bottom, which runs to a boost/vac source, such as the Golden Eagle vac mani we're using. The harness for the power, ground, and pump wires clips in the bottom. The two dials for boost are on top, which shows the convenience. One dial reads Start PSI and the other is Full PSI. You set the PSI you want the pump to BEGIN spraying, and full is your max boost. The controller than makes a graph and signals the pump to spray according to your boost level. At full boost, it sprays at 100%.

Finally, the nozzle. This ended up being my bigget PITA b/c I ended up drilling the tap to big, so the nozzle was wobably. I got an 1/8" cap from work, cut off the end, and welded it to the hole I drilled. I retap died the nozzle to screw in perfectly, and put on some thread sealer.

You have to make sure the spray is perpendicular to the airflow.

For a lil extra , I decided to make use of the green LED in the kit. It's use is to come on when the controller signals the pump to spray. One wire to ground, the other to the controller-pump wire. Well maybe I mixed the wires b/c it hasn't worked for me yet, but here's where I put it.

So now it's all wired up. The instruction manual with the kit is self-explanatory on the wiring and fluid lines and where what goes. What will take you the longest is if you want to make it a clean install. But that's anything right?

---------------------------------------

So with the system installed and working, it's time to head out and make the performance difference. We went out with the harness to the controller unplugged so we could get a baseline run or two in. It was about 60 degrees out during testing.

We started at 0 degrees advance with Lemmiwinks, and well, we couldn't go higher. A second run proved this so we left it at that. Here's the graph:

Pull was up at around 6 so we figured, can't really go higher now.

So pulled into a gas station, plugged the controller harness back in, and off we went. It took us 5 or 6 runs til we got it where we needed to be. What we ended up with was 6.75 degrees of advance!! Here's the final graph:

Notice the difference in the IATs, and also the timing pull is around 3. I'm very comfortable with that, as it gives me some play should it get warmer out.

And a graph logging boost, a/f, and MAF signal.

Overall, the car is pulling very nice. The power delivery is super smooth. All the way to redline it just hauls. I have yet to see what the benefits are compared to a Civic-equipped friend of mine as we are very close matches.

So this testing confirms the "running race gas programming on pump gas" statement I've read before. I'm excited to put in some 100 or 112 and see what I can bump the timing to now.

We did not get a chance to test the Nitro Booster that same night as I was unsure of what blocks to log and also did not want to waste the entire bottle on what was in the tank. Rest assured tho that when I do get some results from it, they'll be posted here for easy access.

The only other thing I plan on doing is getting a small micron filter and seeing how regular old washer fluid works. The screens on the nozzles with the kit are 100 micron, so if the dye from washer fluid can get through 25 or 50, it shouldn't be a problem. I don't want to spray $12.50 washer fluid onto the windshield. Also, I decided that with this extra usage of the reservoir, it's time to upgrade to the Euro spec one, which is 5.3L instead of 3L. The part number for this is 1J0-955-453 L and the plug you'll need is 2D0-955-465 B. Ordered it today, but I don't think I need to give ya guys a write-up on installing that.

If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask. Hope this write-up eases some of your fears of doing this if you are/were considering it. Definitely something to have no matter what turbo you're running. The kit is COMPLETE, and there's even a few options for upgrades, such as a solenoid in case you either mount the nozzle below the tank to keep from gravity feeding or if you mount the nozzle after the throttle body and it will keep from siphoning at idle (vacuum). Also there is a control switch that, if for some reason the pump stops spraying when you need it to, it will send a signal to lower your boost or timing, depending on what you can have it do. It's a failsafe thing for those "just in case's."

If there are tech questions I can't answer for ya, I'm pretty sure Scott will be able to chime in and give ya some feedback. Again, big thanks to USRT and Induktion Motorsports for the kit.

Modified by SAVwKO at 11:25 PM 10-11-2006

[Audi4u]

Is there a low fluid sensor?

[DubGray1.8T]

Quote, originally posted by Audi4u »

Is there a low fluid sensor?

If you read the post you would see he said he used the washerfluid res. So Yes

[lerak2598]

Sweet, can't wait to get mine! Thanks for the writeup!

[cincyTT]

Quote, originally posted by SAVwKO »

_ So this testing confirms the "running race gas programming on pump gas" statement I've read before. I'm excited to put in some 100 or 112 and see what I can bump the timing to now.

i do believe you can run 100 octane programs on just 93 w/ the kit

[Anand@4induktion.com]

And people were calling us crazy when we first started suggesting this!

A Very nice write up!! We just re-did a customer's A4 install utilizing his washer bottle a few days ago (his dealership broke the Snow reservoir while they were doing an oil change, how they did this I don't know, but it ripped the lower fitting out).

Click here for the Stage 2 Kit on our website! Another customer of ours w/ a mk4 1.8T (all bolt ons) dyno'd ~ 10WHP higher than a similarly modified car (same exhaust, software, intake, etc) on the dyno @ H2O simply by running the Stage 2 kit w/ Boostjuice... And this was without any tuning, on regular 93 octane!! This really works!

[SAVwKO]

Quote, originally posted by Anand@4induktion.com »

And people were calling us crazy when we first started suggesting this! A Very nice write up!! We just re-did a customer's A4 install utilizing his washer bottle a few days ago (his dealership broke the Snow reservoir while they were doing an oil change, how they did this I don't know, but it ripped the lower fitting out). Click here for the Stage 2 Kit on our website! Another customer of ours w/ a mk4 1.8T (all bolt ons) dyno'd ~ 10WHP higher than a similarly modified car (same exhaust, software, intake, etc) on the dyno @ H2O simply by running the Stage 2 kit w/ Boostjuice... And this was without any tuning, on regular 93 octane!! This really works!

I also dyno'd at H2O but without the kit. 225whp and 270wtq. I hope to get on the rollers again before winter and see what this setup, + nitro + race gas does.

[zemun2]

Great kit, got one my self.
Make sure the check back on those quick connects every now and then because they tend to leak, or even break.

BTW no need to log knock voltage because VAG-COM is way to slow to catch any spikes.

[SAVwKO]

Quote, originally posted by zemun2 »

BTW no need to log knock voltage because VAG-COM is way to slow to catch any spikes.

lol...the day that thread LA Wolfsburg gets brought back to the dead...I made the logs last night and saw that today. Oh well.

[zemun2]

When you mix with nitro make sure to follow their directions.
What are you gonna be using for the 50/50 mix? Boost Juice is nice but kinda pricey?

[18T_BT]

Quote, originally posted by SAVwKO »

Next thing to mount was the MAP controller. This was the most convenient, trouble-free spot to mount it. Just used 3M molding tape. There's a vacuum port at the bottom, which runs to a boost/vac source, such as the Golden Eagle vac mani we're using. The harness for the power, ground, and pump wires clips in the bottom. The two dials for boost are on top, which shows the convenience. One dial reads Start PSI and the other is Full PSI. You set the PSI you want the pump to BEGIN spraying, and full is your max boost. The controller than makes a graph and signals the pump to spray according to your boost level. At full boost, it sprays at 100%.

Sounds pretty straight forward thanks for the write up! Does it use a HOBBS switch or the controller has an internal brain of some sort? How does it know how much boost you are running? Seems like a pretty straight forward install, good job on the placement!!! I really want to run one of these soon on my car (one project at a time though I guess )

[-Khaos-]

How's the timing pull at partial throttle? (IE: before the meth kicks in)

[18T_BT]

Quote, originally posted by -Khaos- »

How's the timing pull at partial throttle? (IE: before the meth kicks in)

It has 2 settings so he can set 50% nozzle working at psi X and it progressively gets more until you reach the second setting psi Y so PT 'should' be ok...but good point

[-Khaos-]

Quote, originally posted by 18T_BT »

It has 2 settings so he can set 50% nozzle working at psi X and it progressively gets more until you reach the second setting psi Y so PT 'should' be ok...but good point

yeah I noticed that, which is better than some other kits. I knew someone that had this and it was either on or off. He told me he had quite a bit of timing pull before the meth. kicked in, but afterwards it was all smooth sailing.

Just curious if he had a chance to do partial throttle logs and see where the spray needed to start.

[SAVwKO]

Quote, originally posted by zemun2 »

When you mix with nitro make sure to follow their directions. What are you gonna be using for the 50/50 mix? Boost Juice is nice but kinda pricey?

I'll end up testing regular ol washer fluid but I'll be filtering it with a smaller micron pad to get rid of the dye if it's a problem.

Quote, originally posted by 18T_BT »

Sounds pretty straight forward thanks for the write up! Does it use a HOBBS switch or the controller has an internal brain of some sort? How does it know how much boost you are running? Seems like a pretty straight forward install, good job on the placement!!! I really want to run one of these soon on my car (one project at a time though I guess )

The controller does all the work. It has a built-in MAP sensor. So by tapping into a boost/vac source, when you're hitting 20psi, 20psi goes thru the vac line that you connect to the controller and it senses that.

Quote, originally posted by -Khaos- »

How's the timing pull at partial throttle? (IE: before the meth kicks in)

I haven't ever thought to log that. But, since this thing turns on according to boost, it should be fine. I drive around on low boost (dual stage) regularly, but if I'm in high and I have a part throttle surge up to like 18 or so, once it hits 8psi, the pump will kick on and spray.

[SAVwKO]

Also, another tid bit...the dial for the Start PSI goes from 2psi to 8psi. So you can have it start spraying as early as 2psi if you're that worried about high timing pull. But this thing isn't pulling timing on 6-7psi so...I set it for 8psi.

[18T_BT]

Quote, originally posted by SAVwKO »

The controller does all the work. It has a built-in MAP sensor. So by tapping into a boost/vac source, when you're hitting 20psi, 20psi goes thru the vac line that you connect to the controller and it senses that. that's cool! I haven't ever thought to log that. But, since this thing turns on according to boost, it should be fine. I drive around on low boost (dual stage) regularly, but if I'm in high and I have a part throttle surge up to like 18 or so, once it hits 8psi, the pump will kick on and spray. on a smaller turbo application as a k03 sport it's not AS bad, although there is a good amount of timing down low on most 'chips,' but for an upgraded turbo, that's actually a really nice feature, progressive water injection to limit PT timing advance

[18t_QC_GTI]

What did you set the max boost at? Would it be better to set it at 10, or 11... So that at high RPM, when the turbo can't flow all that much, you get the full blast, this would help lower EGT's at higher RPMs.

[SAVwKO]

Just another FYI, ruso has been p/ming me about it and is concerned about the clearance with the oil filter.

The bracket that comes with the pump can be fitted two ways. It has 3 holes in it, and 2 in the pump itself, so you can move the whole bracket like an inch either way, which in turn moves the pump when you bolt it down. Originally when I bolted the pump up, it was in the way of the filter vertically, so I got pissed and adjusted it. So now, the oil filter can unscrew and come off without the pump being in the way. Only thing I do differently is I just unscrew the filter til oil starts dripping out and let it all drain before taking it off. This way I don't get oil all over the water/meth pump.


Modified by SAVwKO at 10:35 PM 10-11-2006

[SAVwKO]

Quote, originally posted by 18t_QC_GTI »

What did you set the max boost at? Would it be better to set it at 10, or 11... So that at high RPM, when the turbo can't flow all that much, you get the full blast, this would help lower EGT's at higher RPMs.

Max boost is set at 25psi as that's the highest the dial goes. If you set the Full setting too low, it won't match the detonation curve. Most of the timing pull people see is at peak boost levels, not at 10-11psi at redline. So it's not a matter of flow of the turbo. If you want to increase the amount of liquid flow at ANY rpm level, just upgrade the nozzle size. They have them in 60, 100, 175, 225, 375, and 625 ml/min. I'm running the 225, and when we go BT, it'll be swapped for the 375.

[18t_QC_GTI]

thanks for the info!

[SAVwKO]

And here's some more tidbits that I guess are share-worthy.

Just found out that most washer fluids are NOT 50/50, more like 80% water and 20% methanol. So, what does this mean? Well, water is the better of the two for detonation control. So I'm guessing this would help with timing pull overall. Water also cools MORE because it takes more energy to vaporize water than methanol. However, it takes longer for water to vaporize than methanol. One way to help with this is to position your nozzle farther from the throttle body. This way, it has more time to cool down the air stream. By using more methanol in the mixture, you get immediate cooling, but not as much as water.

I guess there's no harm in seeing what washer fluid will do. It's not like I'll blow anything up. Also there are some deep freeze versions for harsh winters that are 60/40 mixes so it's closer to 50/50. I'll see what I turn up.

[zemun2]

Quote, originally posted by SAVwKO »

I'll end up testing regular ol washer fluid but I'll be filtering it with a smaller micron pad to get rid of the dye if it's a problem.

No need for that.
Been running washer fluid with few bottles of HEET mix for little over 3 months and no clogging what so ever. Just took out nozzle for re-check yesterday..

[SAVwKO]

Quote, originally posted by zemun2 »

No need for that. Been running washer fluid with few bottles of HEET mix for little over 3 months and no clogging what so ever. Just took out nozzle for re-check yesterday..

Well I figure it can't hurt. Is that the stuff WalMart carries? How much is a bottle?

[cincyTT]

good reading from a old forced induction forum for those that havent read yet

http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=2212397
if need be 27psi has some logs he made with just distilled water
http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=2688048

[zemun2]

Quote, originally posted by SAVwKO »

Well I figure it can't hurt. Is that the stuff WalMart carries? How much is a bottle?

HEET is about $1 a bottle from Walmart

[cincyTT]

Quote, originally posted by SAVwKO »

As I walked around the vendor area of H2O, I found at Induktion Motorsports' tent the Snow Performance Boost Cooler kit. I had a long discussion with Scott Williams from USRT. Very cool guy, knows what he's talking about...definitely will be getting more of my business. So we talked and I promised him a big thread on here to promote this kit. Modified by SAVwKO at 11:25 PM 10-11-2006

nuf said

[SDvDubs]

So how often do you need to refill it?

Great write up BTW I've been very interested in this and just learned a lot!

[livesoundz]

how long is your stock reservior lasting while being daily driven, i.e., how many miles to a full tank of fluid?

[Audi4u]

Quote, originally posted by DubGray1.8T »

If you read the post you would see he said he used the washerfluid res. So Yes

Sorry, I meant the pump. Is there some sort of sensor in the pump to keep it from buring up if you run out of fluid? For the guys that cant use a oem res.

[SAVwKO]

Quote, originally posted by livesoundz »

how long is your stock reservior lasting while being daily driven, i.e., how many miles to a full tank of fluid?

Well that depends on the driving style. See I daily drive on low boost, which spikes at 7psi and after 4krpm will go up to about 15. The pump is set via the controller to start spraying at 8psi. So, it doesn't get used at all unless I'm boosting above 8psi. The nozzle in there is rated at 225ml/min. So if the reservoir is 3L, or 3000ml, that means I'd have 13minutes and 20 seconds of continuous spray, which is a lot. I'm upgrading to the Euro spec reservoir that is 5.3L so it lasts longer.

Quote, originally posted by Audi4u »

Sorry, I meant the pump. Is there some sort of sensor in the pump to keep it from buring up if you run out of fluid? For the guys that cant use a oem res.

Not to sure on that. I think if you do this mod, it should be very critical that you make sure to keep the tank filled up. If you're going to go thru all this time to install it and have the performance gain, when that light comes on...get some more liquid!

[Anand@4induktion.com]

Quote, originally posted by Audi4u »

Sorry, I meant the pump. Is there some sort of sensor in the pump to keep it from buring up if you run out of fluid? For the guys that cant use a oem res.

No sensor in the pump, but you can opt to get the 2qt reservoir w/ a low-level sensor.... $39.95 w/ LED and all!

[turbotuner20V]

could you gut the stock washer reservoir and pull out the sensor elements and reattach them to a seperate bottle? This way you'd still get the light on the cluster?

My throttlebody is now on the driver side and i've got a ton of room where the stock battery/airbox used to be, so i'll be installing it over there if i pick one up.

badass writeup by the way... i'm convinced to try it now

[SAVwKO]

Quote, originally posted by turbotuner20V »

could you gut the stock washer reservoir and pull out the sensor elements and reattach them to a seperate bottle? This way you'd still get the light on the cluster? My throttlebody is now on the driver side and i've got a ton of room where the stock battery/airbox used to be, so i'll be installing it over there if i pick one up. badass writeup by the way... i'm convinced to try it now

I'm sure it's doable. That reservoir is made outa soft plastic. Doesn't take much from a power drill to make a hole thru it.

Glad you liked the write-up. Give my old motor some water/meth love.

P.S. Since you have all that room, I'd suggest getting a nice sized bottle. The one with the kit is smaller than the stock washer reservoir. I'd say find something that is 5L mininum.


Modified by SAVwKO at 10:15 AM 10-12-2006

[under boost]

nice work mike! 2 write ups in a month...you've been busy.

i like the part where it says "timing pull was 3*, and i am totally comfortable with that. just in case it gets warm out, i have some room to play" i just want to clarify for myself, you, and the rest of the forum, you do live in ohio. it will not be warm again til march/april 2007.