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What are Swirl Flaps? Swirl flaps are small butterfly valves fitted to the intake manifold just before the cylinder head inlet ports of many modern automotive engines, that unfortunately includes a lot of VAG and BMW Diesel Engines too. What do they do? The Swirl Flap position is adjusted by an electrical or vacuum-actuated servo mechanism, controlled by the ECU. In a typical implementation the flaps will be closed at idle speed, creating additional turbulence in the intake. As engine …

This blog attempts to explain the VW Group part number system. The system used dates back to the 1930s and the original designs created by Ferdinand Porsche. It may look scary, but once you learn the basics, you’ll find that the system is quite consistent and makes things easier to understand. In addition to VW, this part numbering system is applicable to the entire Volkswagen Group, which includes SEAT, Skoda and Audi, as well as other brands such as Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini and Po …

T5.1 2.0 Common RailVW Transporters make up a high percentage of the vehicles we deal with. We tune many 2.0 TDI CR 84 / 102 / 140 bhp models. All of these models have pretty much the same hardware and are capable of similar results, however the limiting factor on the 84 / 102 variants is the 5 speed gearbox.From prior testing we have found the 02Z 5 speed gearbox is not much use over 200bhp / 330lb/ft on these vehicles. This is providing you can find a clutch and flywheel to handle the power.Th …

You may find yourself reading this because you are in the unfortunate position of having con-rod failure on a Mk5 Platform vehicle such as 1.9 Caddy BLS or the 1.9 BXE Engine. This issue is proving to be very common, we receive multiple phone calls and emails per day in relation to this. Other engines affected are the BJB Engine found in the Caddy and the BKC / BXF found in many Mk5 Platform vehicles. We refer to them all as the PD105 engine as for most of them, the power output from the fact …

After carrying out extensive testing on Road, Track and Dyno with AEM and Snow Performance W/M injection kits We concluded this kit is the best performing, value for money and user friendly. https://www.darksidedevelopments.co.uk/products/sn...1. What are the benefits of Water/Methanol injection?Greatly reduced EGTs - Decreases of 121°c are common using a 50/50 water/methanol mix. Increased EGTs are an engine killer in today's performance diesel world. Low cost power - Beyond a remap, where …

Round 6 of the MSV Trackday Trophy on Sunday 30th September 2018 in our Ibiza took us to Rockingham in Corby, Northamptonshire We were testing on the Friday, which I wrote about here.After scratching our heads trying to work out why tyre temps were so crazy, we decided to remove the Gurneys on the front bumper. These were fitted to reduce airflow over the tyres, as the turbulence is bad for Aerodynamics. However, we thought that the benefit of getting air over the tyres would be greater tha …

With the success of Round 5 of the MSV Trackday Championship a distant memory, and us ineligible to enter Round 6 as it requires an MSA National A licence (we are still a couple away from the 6 signatures to upgrade our B to an A), we decided to enter the Rockingham round of the MSV Trackday Trophy instead. The rules are pretty much the same as the TDC, so our Ibiza was in Class B again. The main difference are the allowed Tyres. The TDC requires everyone to be on the same Toyo R888R GG Compoun …

OIL CONTAMINATION What causes oil contamination? If the oil filter is blocked/damaged or a poor quality oil filter is used Excess moisture can lead to premature oil degradation High carbon build up in the engine can quickly contaminate new oil Alternatively, if oil levels are too low or if the wrong grade of oil is used, the turbocharger can prematurely fail. Turbo failure prevention: Using new oil and filters helps to reduce the risk Replacement oil must be the correct grade …

The end of the summer brought us to one of the biggest VAG Shows at Santa Pod Raceway in Northampton, VW Action 2018. VW Action has always been a great show for us, both from a spectator perspective and for results. It was where we did our best time in the Arosa last year, a 9.7224s @ 146.74mph and Jerome also set his quickest time of 11.183 @ 121.88mph in his Ibiza, so we had high hopes for both cars performing well this year. Saturday The day started out in th …