Big turbo mk7s?

johnnloki

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 24, 2007
Location
bowmanville ON
TDI
04 Golf TDI
Just curious here. I've got a 2016 GTI with PP and a BMS tuning box a couple years back. It was as fast out of the box as my modded TDI, and with the tune.... well, it's not close. I still have my Silver BEW, now my winter ride, named Hilda.


Some mods have gone better than others over the years, my steel oil pan and skid plate combined with Shine Racing springs, Slightly taller tires, Curpa mounts and Koni FSDs make this car tough to beat in the snow, and I've taken it places that a small FWD hatchback has absolutely no business being.



As time's gone on Hilda's getting to the point where fixes aren't sticking (hatch door fixed and then refailed in under a year, rear wiper and sprayers replaced and failed, serpentine belt was replaced and squawking at me again in under a year, VW's warranty rust paint in less than a year had 3x the stone chips that the original 12 year old paint, a very slow leak of coolant over the summer left me with a nearly completely locked shifter and almost an immobile car...)



I'm wondering how many more great years I'll get from the diesel, and if I'm not just better off letting someone with more time, youth and lower expectations enjoy those years.


The thing is, I just know that the GTI would be way worse in the winter, and while it's pretty good fuel economy when you keep your foot out of it.... well.... I just generally don't keep my foot out of it. Driving a modded TDI broke my expectations a bit....


So the question becomes this: While they're still fairly new cars, am I better to get a 2015 TDI, probably Wagon, and mod it to where I would choose those keys rather than my GTI? Could one even get a 2015 that point?


I'm not having any luck finding anyone with a North American 2015 with a big turbo on it who has done any dyno days or quarter mile runs (or fuel economy tracking either) Are there any examples?



(I also almost wonder if the price of diesel is negating the savings at the pump..... but that's another discussion altogether.... oh, how I miss the first couple years of TDI ownership for me- diesel was SOOO cheap)
 

jtree

Active member
Joined
Jun 30, 2017
Location
Mexico, DF and Tepoz
TDI
2016 sportwagen TDI SE
I had a tuned 2016 Golf R. I now have a 2016 TDI wagon with a Kerma tune, not yet a big turbo yet.. I have H&R springs, a rear sway bar, GTI brakes and sticky 235/18 tires. I have grown to love the car's ability to slice thru traffic and pass on the highway but I do miss the noise and drama of the R. The fuel mileage I now get is double what I got in the R at the same speeds but do miss the nutty acceleration. Anyway.. a tuned MK7 TDI makes a very good commuter and daily driver that will cover ground almost as quickly as the R but without as much excitement. I was shopping used Audi S3's when VW began selling 2016 TDI's here in Mexico for half price, I once owned a MK6 TDI wagon and the MK7 much better from a handling and daily driving perspective, especially with the drivers assistance package. I'm now shopping used ND Miata's to turbo and track.
 

740GLE

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 19, 2009
Location
NH
TDI
2015 Passat SEL, 2017 Alltrack SE; BB 2010 Sedan Man; 2012 Passat,
Remember just a stg 1 tuned EA288 TDI will make more "usable torque" than an R, a bigger turbo TDI will just move that torque band higher in the RPM range, you still won't win any 1/4 mile trap speeds with a TDI. EA288 and MQB platform is world of difference from a 2004, even if heavily tuned.

For those TSI its all about life above 4,000 RPMS, for a tuned TDI it's between 1,800-3,500.

There is a guy who installed a larger turbo on his '15, i forget if it was the BMW 328d turbo or the exact size, do a search in the power enhancement folder, it seemed he ran into other drive line issues when pushing the limit (lost syncros). There is also a CR190 turbo that has slowly been getting support for tuning without boost creep.
 

turbobrick240

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Nov 18, 2014
Location
maine
TDI
2011 vw golf tdi(gone to greener pastures), 2001 ford f250 powerstroke
It would take a whole lot of cash to get an ea288 to the point where it's more fun to drive than your tuned gti. You could mod your gti into a 400+ hp monster with the same investment. I'm going to test drive an '18 gti this afternoon- my '11 golf tdi is going back Dec. 28. I'd really like a BRZ/86, but they aren't nearly as versatile or practical as a daily for me.
 

GreenLantern_TDI

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 27, 2014
Location
Iowa
TDI
2015 GOLF SEL
It would take a whole lot of cash to get an ea288 to the point where it's more fun to drive than your tuned gti. You could mod your gti into a 400+ hp monster with the same investment. I'm going to test drive an '18 gti this afternoon- my '11 golf tdi is going back Dec. 28. I'd really like a BRZ/86, but they aren't nearly as versatile or practical as a daily for me.
The new R is pretty sweet. Would love one of those.
 

740GLE

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 19, 2009
Location
NH
TDI
2015 Passat SEL, 2017 Alltrack SE; BB 2010 Sedan Man; 2012 Passat,
It would take a whole lot of cash to get an ea288 to the point where it's more fun to drive than your tuned gti. You could mod your gti into a 400+ hp monster with the same investment. I'm going to test drive an '18 gti this afternoon- my '11 golf tdi is going back Dec. 28. I'd really like a BRZ/86, but they aren't nearly as versatile or practical as a daily for me.
Love to see a 400HP BRZ/86, while I think that platform doesn't need that kind of power to "make it fun", it is tough to put substantial boogie into them.

btw here's a good link for a nice build, well documented as well

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=475589
 

johnnloki

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 24, 2007
Location
bowmanville ON
TDI
04 Golf TDI
It would take a whole lot of cash to get an ea288 to the point where it's more fun to drive than your tuned gti. You could mod your gti into a 400+ hp monster with the same investment. I'm going to test drive an '18 gti this afternoon- my '11 golf tdi is going back Dec. 28. I'd really like a BRZ/86, but they aren't nearly as versatile or practical as a daily for me.

I always took pride in knowing that my TDI kept pace/surpassed the GTIs of her day. The GTIs came a long way over 12 years, though.



Yeah, 6 or 7k USD puts the Mk7 GTI north of 400HP. So, I guess that much would not put the 2015 TDI up to ~300HP range.


Side note, did you fall in love with the GTI that you test drove?
 

turbobrick240

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Nov 18, 2014
Location
maine
TDI
2011 vw golf tdi(gone to greener pastures), 2001 ford f250 powerstroke
Yeah, and it's not just the powertrain that would need a cash infusion. Your gti has much sportier suspension and brakes. The ea288 golf and gsw don't have independent rear suspension if that sort of thing matters to you.

The gti I test drove was very nice. I do prefer the longer bank vault like doors of my 2 door tdi, but that's a minor thing. It returned much better fuel mileage over the ~5 miles after I reset the mfd than I was expecting. My tdi is highly modded and definitely makes more torque. No doubt I'd modify/tune the gti too if I get one.
 
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adjat84th

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 13, 2008
Location
Virginia Beach, VA
TDI
'01 Jetta TDI/'15 Golf TDI
I'll have a dyno for a GTD1752vrk (not really a "big" turbo) sometime soon. The tuning has taken quite a lot of finesse. The 2260 likely would have been easier to dial in, as the 1752 is incredibly boost happy down low. The 1752 however does make enough high end power to run into fuel rail pressure drop that involves even more tweaking in the tune, and that's running a CP3 pump at 2k bar (stock is 1800bar). That's where I'm at with the tune, just finishing touches from Mark. EGT is right at ~930C so I know it's close :)

Darkside is working on a MK7 guinea pig right now as well. Seeing how far they can take it before maxing out the injectors. I believe they're starting with a 2260. The hardest part about upgrading the turbo on the MK7 platform to me was the oil return. It requires a custom piece to be made unlike any of the previous platforms. The rest is straight forward really.
 

PHAT-DUB

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Joined
Apr 30, 2006
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Markham
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