Performance parts

[Rambutter]

I'm currently looking into doing some perfoemance upgrades, im still torn between better fuel mileage or more power, ive looked into kerma and wanted to know some opinions or if y'all have any other places to check out thanks 98 jetta 1.9l turbo

 

[Tdi Junkie]

I also use techtonics tuning, euro parts used tire rack for suspension. Honestly so far Ive just had to search around for each individual part because some sites hve performance parts others dont. I ususally start with kerma though.

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[Mongler98]

diesles have both, if you dont get both, your doing it wrong.
1st question is how much money you want to spend and your DO NOT EXCEED cost
2nd question is how much work are you going to do yourself and what level of skill can you do mechanically?
3rd question is how far down the rabit hole you want to go.
btw, i drove across country in my TDI, making currently 230~ HP and got a grandma driving style MPG of high 50's
if i put rubber down on a track all day long, ill get about 8. its how you drive.
To get more power, best way is to increase the fuel eficency with out adding more fuel. IE better spray/atomization of fuel, better quality low temp air and more flow or less work on the engines side.

get some 502's egt gauge, k03/K04 hybrid or a VTN 17/22 and conversion to boost, new stage 2 clutch , a colt 2 cam, pd150 intake, larger intercooler, and a tune, and spend the rest on suspension and good tires. and a TUNE, GET A TUNE.
you should see 180-200 hp
this is a solid typical build but is going to cost a good $$$ about 4 grand should cover it all.

if your looking for just a bit of a bump, DIY head porting and polish, cam, pd150, some upgrade but relatively small to stock nozzles like 302's and call it good
and if your really on a budget, just get a tune and a set of nozzles

there are countless combinations but rest assured, better MPG is all about how you drive it.
The first major mod i did was a set of 764's with a pd150 intake. if i WOT it i would spike EGT's but normal driving i got 46mpg driving the same as i did stock at 43mpg. its all about how you drive.

scangaugeII is great help in controlling MPG driving habbits.
hope this inspires some work.
cheers.

 

[john.jackson9213]

My suggestion is to get a mid tune first. Cost, about $300 when I did it 12 years ago. That imediately showed me I needed a new clutch. Got a South Bend stage 2 endurance. At the same time as the clutch, I went to a longer 5th gear. Added about 5 mpg on the high IF I could control my right fooot.

Start there and see what happens.

 

[RoseBud68]

First of all, before you start any Performance Updates.....Make Sure All maintenance is up to date. No point in going fast if your suspension is shot. Also make sure all your hose and vacuum lines are in good shape.

 

[Abacus]

get some 502's egt gauge, k03/K04 hybrid or a VTN 17/22 and conversion to boost, new stage 2 clutch , a colt 2 cam, pd150 intake, larger intercooler, and a tune, and spend the rest on suspension and good tires. and a TUNE, GET A TUNE.
you should see 180-200 hp
this is a solid typical build but is going to cost a good $$$ about 4 grand should cover it all.

if your looking for just a bit of a bump, DIY head porting and polish, cam, pd150, some upgrade but relatively small to stock nozzles like 302's and call it good
and if your really on a budget, just get a tune and a set of nozzles

.

Yeah, no.

All that stuff listed will probably get you to 140hp, nowhere near 180 or above. Not happening.

And if you are not familiar with these engines mechanically, DO NOT attempt a DIY (do-it -yourself) port and polish. That is a good way to have to spend a ton of money on a new head.

What are 302 nozzles? I’ve never heard of them.

Rambutter:

Get a tune first and the nozzles second. This will change your boost level and timing, but without the extra fueling of the nozzles the gains will be minimial but noticed. When you add nozzles the difference will be more noticeable. I have many TDI’s running around with just a tune and they are great for their owners, some of which have not expressed an interest for the additional power of nozzles.

As to tunes, I have used Wettenauer (old school), Malone (stage 2 & 3), and Rocketchip (stage 2 &3) with good results. I have seen some issues with Kerma tunes in the past but perhaps they have straightened them out. I have 2 sets of their tunes that are junk; I was asked to test them in my own cars from someone else and they ran like crap, then ran fine once my own tunes were reinstalled. I have seen one other set that ran so poorly the owner decided to just keep it stock instead and swore off tunes. I know others running them with good results so they’ve probably sorted out the issues by now. Installing the tune is very easy, you just pop out the old chips on the ECU and pop in the new ones. Takes about 10 minutes. Injectors can take longer and require you to seat the new heat shields, but it’s not so bad once you’ve done it once and there are procedures on here to follow.

Performance and economy can be had simultaneously with these engines. I am running a hybrid turbo, stage 2 cam, PP520 nozzles, open exhaust, and Stage 3 tune and am just over 130hp and 230 torque, enough so it wakes the car up from the stock 72hp /142 torque. My fuel economy went up slightly even with the extra power and my B4 (sedan) routinely saw over 50 mpg driving it ‘normally’. I get about the same with my wagon with the dual overdrives but it rarely sees high speeds to take advantage of it.

A tune is usually around $300 and the nozzles are around $550 (with the hot swap) installed or $250 by themselves. There is a lot of contention about swapping nozzles yourself or having them flow balanced. I have run them both ways and there is a difference in smoothness and power. My preference is to have them done properly and done once, not worrying about it later. Us mere mortals don’t have access to the injector shims required for balancing the nozzles properly, or a flow measurement device.

Keep in mind most cars of any age will need a new clutch as the stock one usually slips immediately due to the extra power. Rosebud68 has it correct though, make sure the car is up to snuff before doing these mods or you’ll run into problems. I have seen people have torque steer after adding the extra power due to having worn suspension bushings that did not show themselves before the upgrade.