Blog
2023+ 3.0 V6 VW Amarok / Ford Ranger Tuning Guide
The all new Volkswagen Amarok (T1A, T1B) is built on the new Ford Ranger platform meaning that both vehicles are identical under the body. We have recently developed bolt-on upgrades to increase power to ~350bhp / 660 FtLbs (895Nm).
Tuning:
On the new Amaroks and Rangers with the 3.0 V6 diesel engines, we can now max out the stock turbos with a custom dyno tune and some bolt-on hardware upgrades.
With all the stock hardware, we would expect to see around 280–290 BHP with a custom dyn
…
27 10 2026
SDI Cam vs PD Cam vs Race Cam on the 1.9 TDI PD
If you’ve spent any time around 1.9 PD engines, you’ll have heard it: "just fit an SDI cam, it’s a cheap upgrade". It’s one of those bits of advice that gets passed around so often it starts to sound like fact. But when you actually look at the camshaft data and how these engines work, it’s not quite that clear cut.This is a straightforward look at the stock PD cam, the commonly used SDI cam, and a proper performance cam, based on what the numbers actually tell us a
…
24 09 2026
Failed High-Pressure Fuel Pump (HPFP) - Checklist: What to Do After a Pump Failure
We commonly see failed High-Pressure Fuel Pump (HPFP) on modern Common Rail Diesel Engines resulting in a tangled web of issues, expensive repairs and headaches. The most common symptons are poor startup or a lack of power (especially under hard acceleration).99% of the time HPFP failure is most likely due to internal wear or metal-on-metal contact which often sends metal particles/shavings, also known as "swarf" throughout the entire fuel system. If these contaminants are not removed completely
…
10 12 2025
Passat CKRA Tuning Guide
The CKRA engine is a 140ps 2.0 TDI found in the US & Canadian VW Passats. We get a lot of enquires for modifiying these so we thought we would put together a definiative tuning guide. The first step, as for most modern diesel is a custom remap. The CKRA will make around +30 BHP with a custom tune, retaining all of the stock hardware. See the "Powergate Remote Tuning Section" below for more information about tuning.
Emissions Control Removal:
Before removing any of the emissions control
…
21 01 2023
750MC Birkett Relay - Silverstone GP - 23rd October 2021
With a a hectic season of racing almost to a close, we were back for the 750 Motor Club Birkett 6 Hour Relay Race after skipping it in 2020. The event takes place every year at the end of October on the Silverstone GP Circuit. You can read about our exploits in the race last time on 26th October 2019 HERE .
Instead of a straight race or normal endurance format, the relay element is for the driver AND car. Basically, a car and driver goes out, does their stint (which can be anything from 1 lap
…
05 11 2021
Brands Hatch Indy - MSV SuperCup - 12th September
The next round of the SuperCup, took us all the way down South to Brands Hatch, on the short Indy Circuit.
With a busy schedule outside of racing, we were not able to do any testing before the race, which wouldn't have been much of a problem had we not being having the usual Golf nightmares!
The DSG box started causing issues on Wednesday night, sticking in gears. We figured it was a wiring or solenoid issue, both of which we had lost interest in trying to diagnose after countless hours trying
…
16 09 2020
Silverstone GP - MSV SuperCup and Focus Cup - 15th-16th August
With only one week between our MSV Trackday Championship and EnduroKA success at Oulton Park (which you can read about here) and the next round of the SuperCup, we needed to get the car ready quickly, especially after we found a few niggles that we know would haunt us if we didn't get them sorted.
As the circuit is so big (and expensive to rent for over an hour), MSV decided to combine the SuperCup Grid with that of the TDC and Trackday Trophy. This meant we had a grid of over 50 cars, so it
…
25 08 2020
Oulton Park - MSV Trackday Championship / EnduroKA - 8th August 2020
The first round of the MSV Trackday Championship was a proper stinker at Snetterton, with 2 DNFs in the Golf due to various issues (which you can read about here). Not to let this dampen our spirits, we came back to base and worked like crazy to iron out as many issues as possible before round 2 at Oulton Park in Cheshire, which comprised of a 45 minute Race in the Golf, then a 5 hour race in the EnduroKA. We did plan to also enter the Trackday Trophy in the Golf, but once bitten twice shy, we d
…
13 08 2020