Rabbit hole

Before I get to my rabbit hole, here's my situation:

I have a 98 Jetta, purchased in 2012 from a forum member. Current setup is:
Sprint nozzles--I assume that means 520 sprints
K03/04 turbo
Tune of unknown origin.

The above upgrades were done previous to me purchasing the car. Through my research on this site and talking to Rich at fix-um-house who did the work, I don't know who did the actual tune. It may be Alligator or Rocketchip??? I do know the tuner went through a few iterations to get it the way the OP wanted it.

Whatever the origin, it's a fun little car. It's pretty quick and pulls hard all the way to redline. It still gets low 50's on long drives. Bottom line--I like it the way it is.

Every two years since 2015 I've struggled to get it to pass smog because of egr readiness issues. Matt, my favorite guru and I think the tune is the culprit.

Here's the Rabbit hole--I will be getting a new tune. I'll be going with Malone. Initially I was thinking stage 3, but discussing my situation with Owain at Malone, he says that my current nozzles are a choke point for the potential of the turbo. Here are his words:

"These nozzles max out around 130hp, the turbo is capable of flowing more but you're limited by fueling"

he suggested DLC1019 and a stage 4 tune if I wanted to max out the turbo.

I'd like to go with just the stage 3 for minimal cost, but stage 4 and bigger nozzles sounds more fun

I'd like some feedback on the stage 3 tune with my current setup. Anyone out there have a similar setup? How do you like it?

Is there anyone out there with a stage 4, DLC1019 and a k03/04? How do you like it?

Thanks
Mike

I only have the 1019 nozzles on a BW S7 turbo with a stage 3 or 4 kerma tune...it was the 165 hp kit and I added the 3 inch exhaust, Colt cam, taco intercooler, bigger charge pipe and an 11mm IP and the tune wasn't listed as a stage on my ALH but it's fun and still gets close to 50 mpg at 75-80 on the highway on stock gear ratio. It'll haze a little but it scoots. Can't speak on the K03/04 turbo setup though.

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Got your PM Mike. I don’t think very highly of the k03/K04 after having it for a while. If maxing it out is dlc1019 and a stage 4, go for it. Can’t really throw that much fuel at that. Turbo, it’s pretty close to stock.

kooyajerms said:

Got your PM Mike. I don’t think very highly of the k03/K04 after having it for a while. If maxing it out is dlc1019 and a stage 4, go for it. Can’t really throw that much fuel at that. Turbo, it’s pretty close to stock.

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Thanks for the input Jeremy. What would you recommend if I were to upgrade the turbo too?

Swapping to a VNT would be ideal, the GT2052s aren't bad either. How deep is this rabbit hole going to be though?


Mark used to daily a mk3 with one of these @ 22 psi with fairly aggressive fueling (216s + 11mm), it was a good fun. Definitely pushing the turbo at that boost, was looking for an excuse to replace it but it never gave up the ghost.

Owain@malonetuning said:

Swapping to a VNT would be ideal, the GT2052s aren't bad either. How deep is this rabbit hole going to be though?
Mark used to daily a mk3 with one of these @ 22 psi with fairly aggressive fueling (216s + 11mm), it was a good fun. Definitely pushing the turbo at that boost, was looking for an excuse to replace it but it never gave up the ghost.

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Hey Owain, that is the eternal question ��. I would be very happy if your stage 4 tune would give me your torque/hp numbers with my current turbo. I just pulled the ic connector at the bottom and not one drop of oil. Virtually no play either, so I’d say the turbo has lots of life still.

How much better is the vnt15 than my current setup? Could I run the vnt17, like your stage 4 is designed for? How much work goes into swapping the gt2052?

Thanks for the input

Im running the gt2052, its fantastic. was running at 30PSI. With my 764's and a laundry list of things like cam and springs, pd150 and so on, it rockets.
the lag on the 2052 is a bit much, never got any power until i get to 2400 rpms, thats a bit high for my taste but i rev to 6200 now, 5600 is about where the curve tapers off, or so it feels.

If you're having so much trouble with your readiness, I don't think you want to try any non bolt on turbo that would remove your EGR/EGR cooler.

Keep the turbo, go with PP764's and then tune it for them. If you want to have more fun with more smoke, adjust your IQ later on without having to redo the tune.

PP764's work with a k0/k04 even if DLC1019 will be cleaner. You aren't passing smog because of readiness, the smoke test you can fudge with a brick under your pedal.

My mk2 GTI was very responsive with a 2052s, but it's also a fair bit lighter than a mk3.

kooyajerms said:

If you're having so much trouble with your readiness, I don't think you want to try any non bolt on turbo that would remove your EGR/EGR cooler.

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My egr readiness finally set after about 600 miles. It appears my current tune is not an egr delete.

kooyajerms said:

Keep the turbo, go with PP764's and then tune it for them. If you want to have more fun with more smoke, adjust your IQ later on without having to redo the tune.

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Yeah, I think I’m gonna stick with the current turbo for now and upgrade injectors and tune. At this point the k03/04 is still in good shape.

kooyajerms said:

PP764's work with a k0/k04 even if DLC1019 will be cleaner. You aren't passing smog because of readiness, the smoke test you can fudge with a brick under your pedal.

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So are you saying place a block under the go pedal so they can’t mash it to the floor? Ingenious!

BTW I’m down in your neck of the woods right now. In Temecula visiting my wife’s sister.

Mongler98 said:

Im running the gt2052, its fantastic. was running at 30PSI. With my 764's and a laundry list of things like cam and springs, pd150 and so on, it rockets.
the lag on the 2052 is a bit much, never got any power until i get to 2400 rpms, thats a bit high for my taste but i rev to 6200 now, 5600 is about where the curve tapers off, or so it feels.

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GTiTDi said:

My mk2 GTI was very responsive with a 2052s, but it's also a fair bit lighter than a mk3.

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Thanks for your input gentle, I appreciate you sharing your knowledge and experience.

So gentlemen,

Are there upgraded turbo options other than what I already have, that retain my egr equipment and are substantially better than what I already have?