APR Presents The BFGoodrich MaxR! -- Build Thread --

[Arin@APR]

Let's change the focus of this build and get to some of the stuff we all really like, POWER!

The engine on the MaxR was removed at the beginning of the build and completely stripped down to the bare bones.













Then the head and a few other parts were taken over to the ultra sonic cleaner to take a nice bath!





This is all to get ready for a stage 4 build.

[JC@DouglasVW]

I need to quit my job and come work for APR, you guys build all the cool stuff.

[Arin@APR]

I need to quit my job and come work for APR, you guys build all the cool stuff.

Hmm, may not be a bad idea.

[FACTORYBOOST]

I need to quit my job and come work for APR, you guys build all the cool stuff.

Where do we sign up?

[Noside]

This is all to get ready for a stage 4 build.

Are you using a Billet GTX28R wheel with this kit? or still on the old school cast stuff?

[Arin@APR]

Are you using a Billet GTX28R wheel with this kit? or still on the old school cast stuff?

Most of our 3+ and 4 builds between FSI and TSI are using a GT3071R. We have a GTX in this puppy. More info on that in a bit.

[Arin@APR]

More than half a decade ago we began working with the basic 2.0T engine found within the new Golf R. There were updates along the way, but some of the basics still hold true. One of the biggest restrictions we found was in the design of the head and intake manifold. The new 2.0 TSI engine found in the Golf MK6 has a great improvement in both of these areas. Firstly, the intake manifold's runner flaps lay flat and out of the way, only leaving the port dividers as a restriction. Secondly, the entire head flows better. This results in less of a restriction meaning higher air flow levels at lower boost pressures. Intake air temperature is lower and ignition advance is far better which is absolutely critical for making big power.

The solution was simple, an APR high flow head for the FSI. Experimentation at APR was on going for years testing different porting options and testing the results. Earlier this year we purchased a Centroid 5 axis Head Porting Machine that allows our engineering team to recreate identically ported heads each and every time we load one onto the machine.



Here's a video showing how awesome the machine is in action!



The machine can move the head around the cutting blade to increase the size of the ports as quickly as possible. It's cut down on development time significantly. Currently APR uses CFD software to test the port design and ultimately testing will take place on our super flow engine dyno and super flow flow bench.

Here are a few shots of the finished product. You'll notice the ports are smooth all the way around with no transition points where the port dividers once sat. After years of testing "upgraded" valve trains, off the shelf upgraded camshafts, and our own grinds, we've opted to stick with the stock hardware.











Next up is the factory intake manifold. As mentioned before the manifold has port flaps which sit directly in the center, blocking airflow. They are extremely restrictive. Proper removal of the flaps is a bit tricky as you're left with holes between the ports so APR's Engineers made intake manifold runner flap deletes to take care of that issue!

Here's a shot showing the flaps removed under the manifold and the flap deletes in silver between each port.

[FACTORYBOOST]

Wow...
This makes me want to quit my job so I can hurry up and finish my engineering degree...
But then I'd lose my car

I would be content just hanging around watching you guys do your thing day after day

[Arin@APR]

Here are the ports in our CAD software.

[Arin@APR]

No engine build would be complete without upgrading the factory rods and pistons. The rod design on the new Golf R and MK6 GTI TSI are much stronger than those found in the original MK5 GTI 2.0T FSI, however they still represent a weak point in the build.

Stock Rods and Pistons:





When going beyond Stage 3 pump fuel power levels, we suggest upgrading the rods. We are currently in development of a new rod design that will have several desirable features we're not seeing in development today. When the time comes, Max will be torn down and upgraded once again, but for now we are using an solution we've used in the past.

Strengthened Rods (Upgraded Rod Bearings not Shown):


With big power goals planed for the future, we've also taken this opportunity to upgrade the pistons with a solution we've used in the past. These pistons don't alter the stock compression ratio found int he Golf R. We've tested different compression ratios in the past, but found the stock compression ratio worked well, so that's what the MaxR will utilize.The pistons are also coated with a heat resistant material that's said to protect against knock however some are skeptical of these claims and analysis on our engine dyno will take place in the future. We are also in the process of testing a new piston design on other internal builds and we plan to test the results against these pistons in the future.

Coated Pistons, Rings and wrist pins:





Installed!



Another item to add to the list of modifications is the APR Balance Shaft Delete. This frees up some of the rotating mass to gain a few more HP and since every bit counts, this is a welcomed addition to the build. We've also seen quite a few of these fail in racing applications, so we've tested their removal with years of continued success.




Also, in the process of upgrading the internals, the entire rotating assembly is balanced to ensure smooth operation for years to come. Here's the crank shaft with material removed for balancing.





And part of our build includes cleaning and honing the original block as well as painting it with our trademark red color. It's all starting to come together nicely!

[GolfRS]

Wow.This makes me want to sell all my stuff and buy from APR....


Naaahhh....Just messing with ya....

Good job though...Too bad only like 1% of the tuning community will ever have the
cash to get all of these goodies....

It's good to know i already have all of the above....and then some...

But yeah, looks good.

EDIT:Come to think of it my setup is pretty close to that (minus the flaps delete)...Do you guys offer custom software by any chance ??

[Arin@APR]

EDIT:Come to think of it my setup is pretty close to that (minus the flaps delete)...Do you guys offer custom software by any chance ??

Maybe I could work something out in the future.

[GolfRS]

Maybe I could work something out in the future.

Interesting...

You haven't yet mentioned anything about the low pressure system....

What is APR planning to do with that ??

[Arin@APR]

Interesting...

You haven't yet mentioned anything about the low pressure system....

What is APR planning to do with that ??

Do you think we honestly skipped anything. I'll get to everything after SOWO... we are showing off the car there, then the build will continue.

[CoNGLoMeRaTeGTi]

engine build looks similar to mine with the exception of the CNCd head. JC and i should go work for APR. you guys would then wouldnt have to worry about Stasis and the tricks up their sleeves.

[Arin@APR]

engine build looks similar to mine with the exception of the CNCd head. JC and i should go work for APR. you guys would then wouldnt have to worry about Stasis and the tricks up their sleeves.

lol, yeah, ughhh nooo to the second part in every possible way imaginable.

[donjuan1jr]

makes me want to rip my **** apart and change a few things up...

would u guys consider selling the flapper delete pieces?

[Arin@APR]

makes me want to rip my **** apart and change a few things up...

would u guys consider selling the flapper delete pieces?

Yes, working on a production kit.

[Arin@APR]

The BFGoodrich MaxR is at SOWO this weekend. Here's a sneak peek of some testing we did on the BFGoodrich Tires G-Force Sport Comp 2s.

[CLestat]

There are many differences.

Can you tellme about it.

Here in Mexico Audi sell the S3 but VW don't going to sell the Golf R. I'm interested in a build like that.

[BETOGLI]

Can you tellme about it.

Here in Mexico Audi sell the S3 but VW don't going to sell the Golf R. I'm interested in a build like that.

You're right man, but if you want to buy an Audi S3 you would have to wait 6 months for it to be delivered... LOL

Also what it sucks it's that here in Mexico the VW Passat and the CC aren't going to be equipped with 4Motion any more.

[CLestat]

You're right man, but if you want to buy an Audi S3 you would have to wait 6 months for it to be delivered... LOL

Also what it sucks it's that here in Mexico the VW Passat and the CC aren't going to be equipped with 4Motion any more.

S3 2008 + APR Stage 3

[BETOGLI]

S3 2008 + APR Stage 3

FTW!

I'm going to be selling my VW Jetta GLI DSG 2007 with APR Stage III (with Garrett 2871R). If you're interested let me know man!

[TBomb]

Mother of god This is a sick, sick build. Basically everything I could think of if I had an "unlimited funds build". You guys have an end goal in mind as far as power goes?

[Arin@APR]

With the motor built with strengthened, lightened and balanced internals, and the transmission upgraded with a new limited slip differential, it’s time to put it’s time to install the flywheel and clutch and put it back together so we can begin installing the APR Turbocharger System!

For this build we went with a DXD Stage III Endurance Clutch System as found here:
http://www.goapr.com/products/dxdclu...id=20tfsitrans



The Stage III Endurance system is designed for road racing. It’s able to hold quite a bit of torque due to the increased clamping force of the pressure plate and the increased coefficient of friction on the Kevlar disc. The pressure plate makes the clutch pretty heavy at these levels, but since this is a racing clutch, the increase was expected and welcomed and will hold more torque than we need.



The flywheel is also upgraded with a DXD single mass steel design that’s made from hot rolled low carbon steel. It’s resistant to warping and perfectly suited for the disc’s friction materials. The lightweight flywheel will eliminate rotating mass attached to the engine, freeing up a little more power. At idle there is an increase in sound from the clutch system that may not sound normal if you’ve never experienced the difference between a dual and single mass flywheel, however there’s not reason to be concerned as it’s completely normal.









We also took this opportunity to begin installing the VWR Short Shifter. The short shifter is not extreme by any means, but it comes with all the parts necessary to install and go and cleans up the shifts just enough to make a good difference without going overboard. You can find out more info about it here: http://www.goapr.com/products/short_...vwr_vaga5.html

[Arin@APR]

The Golf R comes equipped with a Borg Warner K04 turbocharger right from the factory, which happens to be an excellent turbocharger. It’s this turbo which gives the Golf R such a big power boost over the base level 2.0T found in the GTI and GLI MK5 and MK6. During our tuning exercises, it wasn’t difficult to get over 300 HP out of the stock turbo with only software. Adding the necessary bolt-ons such as our RSC turboback exhaust, VWR Intake System, APR High Pressure Fuel Pump and APR Intercooler, we were well on our way to making serious power but ultimately we were limited by the turbocharger unit’s size.

The one thing we really like about the factory turbo is the response it gives in the lower RPM’s. Turbocharger spool is very quick but the power at redline dies off as the small turbo is not able to efficiently produce the airflow numbers necessary for big power. Over the years we’ve tested several different turbocharger systems on the 2.0T from the GT2860RS to the GT3076R Turbocharger. The smaller units offer lightening fast spool while the bigger units offer big top end power. If we were after a car that’s only to be used in a straight line, we’d go with a large turbocharger and call it a day, but this is the MaxR; an AWD beast that’s driven daily. Spool is very important.

Enter the GTX2867R Turbocharger from Garrett Honeywell:



The GTX2867R is a new turbocharger unit from Garrett that offers a lightweight billet compressor wheel with next generation geometry for extremely fast turbocharger spool and high-end airflow numbers. It’s able to spool very quickly while still offering the headroom necessary for top end power as we cross 7000 RPM.



Another key feature to the new turbocharger unit is the use of an anti-surge compressor housing. The anti-surge housing allows us to spool the turbocharger very quickly, running high boost levels at low airflow levels, such as in the lower RPM range, to produce tons of power off the line without worry of running into dangerous levels of compressor surge. It’s truly amazing and the new design allows for this feature in a small and convenient package.




We are using a T25 turbine to manifold connection with a smaller AR to help aid in turbocharger spool. After testing the differences between the larger and smaller AR, we chose to go with the smaller AR as the larger AR seemingly only added turbocharger lag with no measurable top end gains.

We have also opted to use an internally gated wastegate setup. This allows us to use the factory N75 to control boost with the ECU just as if this turbo was intended to be on the engine from the factory. It adds a high level of precision and all the protection necessary to protect the engine should something go wrong.

Now, don’t expect to just bolt one of these turbo on your Golf R and call it a day! The turbocharger unit will not fit without a new manifold, new exhaust, new oil and coolant lines, new turbo inline, new turbo outlet, boost and vacuum references lines, wastegate brackets and modifications to the PCV system. It will also not run correctly without software modifications. We’ll get to all of that in a bit when we discuss our Turbocharger System a little more in depth!

[GolfRS]

Excellent choice on the turbocharger.I see you guys are following my lead...

This should be good for a bit more power than the GT2871R with better spool.

Curious to see what it does.

[Arin@APR]

Excellent choice on the turbocharger.I see you guys are following my lead...

We had a couple of these before they were released to the public.

[GolfRS]

We had a couple of these before they were released to the public.

And who said i have a GTX2867 ?

"Mine is larger".

[Arin@APR]

And who said i have a GTX2867 ?

"Mine is larger".

So, how exactly are we following your lead?

[GolfRS]

So, how exactly are we following your lead?

Well you are going the "engine efficiency way" instead of the huge turbo way.

It contradicts the "American tuning school" theory of GOING BIG.

Most of the U.S. guys tuning their cars just do rods and slap on a HUGE turbo, only
to end up with a tiny powerband, wheel speed issues, hardware failures, and actually
ending up with a SLOWER car all around.

I've always been a firm believer of upgrading the N/A side of the engine thus helping the
turbo side to make some more power more efficiently.

The only disappointing thing is that you dropped out of the cams upgrade which would have helped
the setup even more.And i know you are going to say again you saw no gains, but i don't buy that.
You better than me know of you guys were not into it for the profit (which is understandable) you would be doing things A LOT differently.

In any case, curious to see what this turbo does.Although APR's dynos are not really something you can set you watch to...Let's see how this goes....

[Arin@APR]

The only disappointing thing is that you dropped out of the cams upgrade which would have helped
the setup even more.And i know you are going to say again you saw no gains, but i don't buy that.
You better than me know of you guys were not into it for the profit (which is understandable) you would be doing things A LOT differently.

The cams simply did not make a difference. Could they make a difference with a very large turbo? Maybe? I don't really know, but for all we tested, all of the hours we labored over it, all the back and forth making sets with Schrick, in the end we saw no gains, so we decided not to sell the product.

If it was a matter of money, we would just charge more. The price is set by our costs.

[GolfRS]

The cams simply did not make a difference. Could they make a difference with a very large turbo? Maybe? I don't really know, but for all we tested, all of the hours we labored over it, all the back and forth making sets with Schrick, in the end we saw no gains, so we decided not to sell the product.

If it was a matter of money, we would just charge more. The price is set by our costs.

So what you are saying is that Schrick made and is selling a product that costs 1500$ and makes ZERO power ? How can someone accept that ? Schrick is the TOP cam manufacturer in the world and they don't make stuff that "don't work". But i would be curious to see some of your cam research. Are the OEM cams the same as the Schricks ? Cause if the Schricks are more aggressive (which AFAIK the are) this would be the first time a more flowing camshaft makes that same power as an OEM one....I find that hard to believe.It would be way more believable to say "we (APR) don't want to have the hassle that comes with a modified head+ aftermarket cams, so we prefer to "lose" some power and keep the engine fail proof" than what you are saying now.

Plus, a little birdie told me someone made 90whp on stage 2 cat cams. Dunno what their specs are, but since you worked with Schrick i would hope you went that far too on the profile...The way i see it, i don't want 90whp...Half of that would be awesome...

Btw when i contacted Schrick about the gains from their cams they quoted 15 bhp gain on a STOCK engine...And Schrick isn't known to BS around (as most German companies don't).They would rather stay on the conservative side than to BS with results.

So now you are telling me you made ZERO horsepower on a BT (or even K04) engine ?

I don't buy that sry.

[Arin@APR]

So what you are saying is that Schrick made and is selling a product that costs 1500$ and makes ZERO power ? How can someone accept that ? Schrick is the TOP cam manufacturer in the world and they don't make stuff that "don't work". But i would be curious to see some of your cam research. Are the OEM cams the same as the Schricks ? Cause if the Schricks are more aggressive (which AFAIK the are) this would be the first time a more flowing camshaft makes that same power as an OEM one....I find that hard to believe.It would be way more believable to say "we (APR) don't want to have the hassle that comes with a modified head+ aftermarket cams, so we prefer to "lose" some power and keep the engine fail proof" than what you are saying now.

Shrick sells more aggressive cam profiles. I've yet to see any power claims by them.

Plus, a little birdie told me someone made 90whp on stage 2 cat cams. Dunno what their specs are, but since you worked with Schrick i would hope you went that far too on the profile...The way i see it, i don't want 90whp...Half of that would be awesome...

I had cat cams. They were garbage and I'll never work with cat ever again.

Btw when i contacted Schrick about the gains from their cams they quoted 15 bhp gain on a STOCK engine...And Schrick isn't known to BS around (as most German companies don't).They would rather stay on the conservative side than to BS with results.

So now you are telling me you made ZERO horsepower on a BT (or even K04) engine ?

We tested every profile they had to offer as well as the profiles used by different seat supercopa teams we know and other cams on the market. We did not record a measurable gain with any of the setups, therefor, we canceled the program after over a year of research and development.

After all of the research and development we conducted, all stage 4 builds going forward ran the stock cams.

I don't buy that sry.

Ok, well that's fine by me. I have cams sitting on the shelfs downstairs. Do you want them? I'll sell you a set. They don't make any more power.

[GolfRS]

Shrick sells more aggressive cam profiles. I've yet to see any power claims by them.

So now you are calling Schrick a fraud ? How did they react when you told them their cams make no power, and yet they sell them for an arm and a leg ? I would be really interested to know their answer, and even confront them about it...

I had cat cams. They were garbage and I'll never work with cat ever again.

Garbage or not, these were the gains i was told. I take it you question those gains too ?
We are not discussing "quality of product" here, but rather quoted performance figures.
If you had the cams that means you EXPECTED to see gains. And since Cat has developed these
cams much less than a year ago, why did you go install cams you KNEW did not make any power ?
Doesn't make sense does it ?? Hmmm....

We tested every profile they had to offer as well as the profiles used by different seat supercopa teams we know and other cams on the market. We did not record a measurable gain with any of the setups, therefor, we canceled the program after over a year of research and development.

You are forgetting something VERY important Arin, and that might explain what you are experiencing.
First of all AFAIK the Schick cams are made specifically for the AXX, BWA engines, and not for the BHZ or similar "newer" engines.Even in their latest catalog the TFSI cams are meant for the earlier engines and not for the later ones. Now you may ask...why does that matter ? I'll tell you why.First of all, there is a BIG difference in compression. From old school tuning knowledge, cams (even in a N/A environment) need COMPRESSION to work. The more agressive a cam, the more compression is "needed" to make the same power, and still reap the benefits of a higher flowing cam.Changes in "effective compression" when using the Schricks might even hinder the newer lower compression engines.... On another note, the newer engines are already using a different exhaust camwhich might already give some of the gains the Schricks would. But the fact all of the above also take part, might make the Schricks seem to make the same power as the S3's...But not on the older higher compression engines.

Overall, the cams Schrick makes are for the AXX, BWA and possibly the BPY engines and NOT for the
newer low compression engines.Schrick for some reason hasn't included these engines in their catalog
and there might be a reason for it.

In any case, i will be installing the cams next week and timing them in myself. I will let you know if my finding match yours...

After all of the research and development we conducted, all stage 4 builds going forward ran the stock cams.

I'm sure your customers will be happy you did.

Ok, well that's fine by me. I have cams sitting on the shelfs downstairs. Do you want them? I'll sell you a set. They make 0 HP.

Well if they don't make ANY power, i'll take them off your hands for shipping costs only.How's that ?? I'm game.

Orrrr....you don't really want to SELL ME a product that makes no power? . DO YOU ?
That can't be what APR does....CAN IT ??