SkullV's 4Motion Tiguan Build -- Function>Form

[SkullV]

Getting into Tig a little more than I thought I would so I figured I would get a build thread together in case anyone else is interested in going the performance route with their 4Motion Tiguan. My goal for this build is almost exclusively performance.

Vehicle:

2010 Volkswagen Tiguan SE 4Motion Purchased 6/28/12:





Modification History:

7/9/12

APR Stage 1:

Got this a couple weeks after trading in my APR Stage 2 MK6 GTI on this Tiguan. Performance was much better, but still quite a bit slower than the Stage 2 MK6 GTI. Obviously this had everything to do with weight, the standard tiptronic AT, and the 4Motion system. Needless to say, I needed more out of the vehicle to be happy.

7/30/12

Since the entire reason for trading in the GTI was to pull my pair of Yamaha VX Cruiser 1100 Wave Runners (2000lbs w/trailer) I obviously needed a hitch. Purchased and installed the following:

• Curt 56200 PWM-ST Power Converter with Circuit Protection

• Draw-Tite 75658 Hitch for VW Tiguan

Installing the wiring kit may not have been as simple as the VW module, but I get absolutely no bulb out errors, no flickering, and everything works perfectly.

8/1/12

APR K04 Installed

Since I was wanting more out of my Tiguan and I was offered the price of $2500 installed, I went ahead and placed an order for my APR K04 kit. I chose at that point to run it with the OEM intake and downpipe to be 100% stealthy. Even most of the techs at the dealership couldn't tell that there had been a turbo swap done.

At this point I also added a K&N drop in filter and removed the deflector (big restriction) grate in the bottom of the air box.

With the K04 the Tig really moves. Coming from a past of 500whp+ vehicles though I still wanted more. This was a challenge considering my quest to keep things looking 100% OEM. I started running the APR 100oct file with Torco 100oct Race Fuel ($120 at every fill up!). This filled the gap I was feeling for the most part, but I still wanted more. That brings us to today.

[SkullV]

As of today I have the following parts waiting for install:

• Techtonics Tuning Single Cat Downpipe

This will allow me to run the full K04 software without any OEM downpipe restrictions. Even though I have been running 100oct this new file/downpipe should decrease spool time exponentially and also increase HP/TQ significantly. Of course, I'll still likely run 100oct almost exclusively.

• Steve Petty Motorsports Front Mount Intercooler

This is an excellent quality new intercooler in the marketplace. It features a 100% OEM fitment and an enormous Bar and Plate core with tig welded cast aluminum end tanks. It has an extremely dense internal fin structure and should be on par if not better than APRs FMIC. Even though it is late in the season and things are cooling down, this intercooler should allow things to flow a bit better and prevent heat soak. That will decrease spool time, increase throttle response, and prevent any loss of power.

[BIG EYE]

Any details/info on installing the wiring kit for the hitch?
How hard was it/how long did it take?

[budokha]

Im very interested in a Dyno when you get that all installed. I'm interested in a similar route but not until my warranty is done.

[SkullV]

Any details/info on installing the wiring kit for the hitch?
How hard was it/how long did it take?

If you are at all mechanically inclined it will take you about 1hr. You do have to run a power wire all the way back from the underhood fuse box to the hatch area.

Im very interested in a Dyno when you get that all installed. I'm interested in a similar route but not until my warranty is done.

Dyno day is scheduled for 9/29. If you are already planning on going stage 1 there is no point in "waiting for warranty" on any other mods. We have some of the most mod friendly dealers in the country in this area. If anything software is going to be the thing that prevents warranty because that is what VWoA can automatically see as soon as your vehicle is hooked up to the scanner.

[SkullV]

Gotta give props to Techtonics tuning! They had the downpipe built (made to order) and shipped out the same day! It will be on the car Monday which means I should be able to install the intercooler the following Friday.

[SkullV]

Just Ordered:

• APR Carbonio Cold Air Intake

Since I decided to add the downpipe, I figured (based on personal EFI tuning experience) getting rid of the last major bottleneck in the intake/exhaust would be a good idea.

I have a quote floating around the Golfmk6.com forum to describe this:

I said it in another thread, but K04 with the stock intake is like having sex with a condom on. It's great and all, but your still holding back your load.

It's the absolute truth!

[Machete Priest]

Great thread thus far. You are more or less headed in the same direction I went. My tig was stage 2 before I made any visual modifications to it. Keep up the good work!

[SkullV]

The Tiguan has a slightly larger "bolt pattern" than the GTI for the Carbonio. Because of that one of these is needed:



Luckily my local APR vendor, who is also my local VW dealer that is installing the downpipe and does my APR software flashes has one in stock! It's all coming together.

[SkullV]

Just drove by the shop to check out the Techtonics Tuning downpipe since it came in today. The only word to describe it is WOW. The welds are immaculate, the hangers look to match OEM exactly, and the o2 sensor bungs are placed in the exact OEM locations.

Didn't have time to take any photos but I will when I get the car back (one day!). I'm REALLY interested to hear this thing too. It's a 2.5" downpipe (Like AWE) with a 400 cell ceramic cat. Planning on running it with the OEM exhaust so it should be the perfect blend of sportiness and refinement.

[SkullV]

Finally used my Amazon gift card. We'll see how this stuff plays out as they are not as widely used as the AWE/NSP/Etc. stuff:

• Boost tap from Torque Solutions

Specs:

• 6061 Billet Aluminum
• Viton O-rings and Brass Barb
• Lifetime Warranty
• Made in USA

Seems to me that it should work the same as the 42DD product. If not the Amazon return policy is great!

• Mechanical Boost Gauge from Innovate Motorsports

I love Innovate products. Have used their wideband o2 products and datalogging products for years. The white LED is supposed to match the MK6/Audi TT white dash. If not, again, nice Amazon return policy.

I plan to install the gauge like DT EXP installed his:

[Schagephonic]

Newb question: Would the Carbino intake alone provide any noticeable benifits to an otherwise stock Tig?

[SkullV]

Newb question: Would the Carbino intake alone provide any noticeable benifits to an otherwise stock Tig?

No sir it would not. You MAY notice a tiny bit of throttle response improvement, but not nearly enough to justify the cost. I would absolutely, 100% recommend doing a stage 1 tune with an intake though. Stage 1 is an enormous improvement over stock and it is just as safe for the vehicle as the OEM program.

[Preppy]

No sir it would not. You MAY notice a tiny bit of throttle response improvement, but not nearly enough to justify the cost. I would absolutely, 100% recommend doing a stage 1 tune with an intake though. Stage 1 is an enormous improvement over stock and it is just as safe for the vehicle as the OEM program.

You'll get louder induction noise too, and likely some turbo spool noise... whether that's good or bad, is up to the user I guess?

I thought my MK4 GTI sounded neat with the intake.

[SkullV]

Got the car back last night after being in the shop for 5 weeks to deal with the P0507 code. While it was there the tech also installed my Techtonics Tuning Downpipe and APR Carbonio Stage 1 intake.

Not only is the car a whole different animal with the new hardware, but I also had a full tank of 100oct in it when I dropped it off! This thing is very very quick now. The AWD is fantastic too, not a bit of tire slip or torque steer. It also sounds FANTASTIC with the 2.5" ceramic catted downpipe on the OEM cat-back.

While the drive home was great, I did notice the same throttle sticking that caused the P0507 code (reason in the shop for 5 weeks) in the first place. I scanned the car when I got home and found this:



Once the light actually pops back on and the code sets it will go back to the dealership to presumably get a whole new engine harness. There is also some thought that the issue stems from the OEM ECU software since the tech scanned another stock 2010 Tiguan and the same code was stored.

Even though that sucks I did get a chance to procrastinate on my law school work a bit last night and get most of my boost guage install done in the factory vent:



The gauge has a nice smoked face so it just looks like nothing is there when the backlighting is off. Pretty neat!

[SkullV]

Not half bad!

[Mr Roo]

Did I just read that you run 100 octane daily? As in not going to track but burn 100 octane to go to the store?

[geevis]

No sir it would not. You MAY notice a tiny bit of throttle response improvement, but not nearly enough to justify the cost. I would absolutely, 100% recommend doing a stage 1 tune with an intake though. Stage 1 is an enormous improvement over stock and it is just as safe for the vehicle as the OEM program.

I just upgraded to the Stage 1 ECU. Did you notice a noticeable difference from Stage 1 with the stock filter, to Stage 1 with the Carbonio?

I just put a K&N drop in filter in the stock airbox, but would like to increase the performance to go along with the Stage 1 reflash.

[geevis]

Not half bad!

This came out really nice. I was thinking of a Boost Gauge in the same location.

Any pics of it lit up?

[DT EXP]

Looks good, happy it turned out well

[SkullV]

Did I just read that you run 100 octane daily? As in not going to track but burn 100 octane to go to the store?

You better believe it! Won't make any difference on OEM software, but if you have your tuners 100oct file its FANTASTIC. Since the K04 went on I have only run one tank of 93oct.

I just upgraded to the Stage 1 ECU. Did you notice a noticeable difference from Stage 1 with the stock filter, to Stage 1 with the Carbonio?

When I had my GTI the intake made a big difference over stage 1 with stock intake. Definitely worth the money.

This came out really nice. I was thinking of a Boost Gauge in the same location.

Any pics of it lit up?

Haven't wired it in yet. All the wires and boost line are run. Just waiting for my new boost tap to show up and I'll do it all in one shot.

Looks good, happy it turned out well

Thanks man! Wouldn't have even though to try it without a purpose built boost gauge pod if it wasn't for your thread.

I actually went a little further and filled in all the cutting/gaps with RTV Silicone to ensure that it would never degrade.

[elabs75_VW]

Looks Fantastic

[geevis]

When I had my GTI the intake made a big difference over stage 1 with stock intake. Definitely worth the money.

Haven't wired it in yet. All the wires and boost line are run. Just waiting for my new boost tap to show up and I'll do it all in one shot..

Excellent.. I think I might wait until the next APR sale in Dec to order the carbonio, but then again I do have about 2 weeks left on their fall sale!!

Cool, remember to post some pics of the boost gauge once fully installed. I'm interested to see how it looks all lit up.

[cons_30rus]

Excellent build
How many horse power and torque does it have? What programs do you have after apr`s remapping?

[SkullV]

Excellent build
How many horse power and torque does it have? What programs do you have after apr`s remapping?

I have the APR K04 file. I chose the following maps:

• Stock (OEM CAT FILE)
• 91oct
• 93oct
• 100oct

I really only run the 100oct file since there is a 100oct pump a block away from me, but tonight I'll be filling up with 93 As far as HP/TQ, I have a dyno day lined up for 10/20/12 so I'll have numbers. I haven't decided whether I am going to run 100 or 93 octane on the dyno.

[SkullV]

Well now that I finally got around to driving the car with the gauge installed it seems that the actual gauge itself, not the line, tap, etc. is actually leaking. There is a possibility that it is mechanical gauge buzz but it sounds like air today. It only makes the sound at 20+ psi. That is kind of odd to me as it shouldn't be able to hit 20+ PSI if there is a leak. I have a no-buzz fitting coming from ECS so we'll see if that helps.

If not, I also ordered the entire new-south Tiguan Vent Gauge kit. If the fitting fixes the problem then great, if not the new kit goes in. I'm happy either way!

Guage/Pod:



I also decided that I would rep APR and order an APR badge. Still deciding what stage to go with. APR calls K04 stage 3, many call K04 stage 2+ on a TSI. We'll see when it shows up:

[SkullV]

Not the best video, but here is how the Techtonics Tuning single cat downpipe sounds mated to the OEM cat-back:

[SkullV]

Well after the car being in the shop for the P0507 code for 1.5 months, and the problem still not being fully fixed, I though this was a reasonable decal to add:

[SB_GLI]

Running 100oct daily is insane. You should consider water/methanol injection, save some bucks, and gain some ponies.

[SkullV]

Running 100oct daily is insane. You should consider water/methanol injection, save some bucks, and gain some ponies.

Yep, insanely fun! Not going to gain a thing over 100oct on WMI if you aren't tuned for it. You might get some additional cooling but with a proper intercooler it won't be a problem.

[SB_GLI]

Yep, insanely fun! Not going to gain a thing over 100oct on WMI if you aren't tuned for it. You might get some additional cooling but with a proper intercooler it won't be a problem.

You have a 100oct file, so run that with water/meth, without the larger intercooler that will cause pressure drop. And you won't have to pay a gabillion dollhairs to fill up on 100oct all the time. Seems all win, no lose to me.

[SkullV]

You have a 100oct file, so run that with water/meth, without the larger intercooler that will cause pressure drop. And you won't have to pay a gabillion dollhairs to fill up on 100oct all the time. Seems all win, no lose to me.

You ever pull a stock intercooler out of a US spec TSI vehicle? Even OEM IHI equipped cars would benefit from an intercooler upgrade. Not even for the cooling but for the drop in restriction.

[SB_GLI]

Was not aware of restrictiveness of the stock intercooler. My suggestion still stands though, W/M all day.

[ZLEB]

Yep, insanely fun! Not going to gain a thing over 100oct on WMI if you aren't tuned for it. You might get some additional cooling but with a proper intercooler it won't be a problem.

Doesn't it lower combustion temps by 100-200° ? That alone seams worth it for longevity. And i like the sticker its very suitable for your unfortunate situation.

[SkullV]

Doesn't it lower combustion temps by 100-200° ? That alone seams worth it for longevity. And i like the sticker its very suitable for your unfortunate situation.

Keep in mind you are also spraying water in your engine. It's not as big of an issue with direct port setups. Many people have had throttle body issues with spraying it pre-throttle body.

Either way, I have done the WMI thing, the nitrous thing, and the alcohol thing. 100oct is easier and what the tune is actually written for.