K04 time!

[VRado6]

Re: K04 time!

Explain to me how its not an upgrade. It costs less than a good exhaust and makes more power. Sounds like a decent upgrade to me.

[turbomeyers]

Re: K04 time!

the guy above was right, dont post this on vortex cause you will get flamed.

i wont waste my time with the "speach" of this is a waste of money, you've already dont it and made up your mind.

For others planning to do this mod, spend some time on the vortex or other sites in the 1.8T and Forced induction tech forums reading of the articles of what you can get out of your stock K03, and the better choices than the K04 for turbo upgrades. The K04 isn't really an "upgrade" at all once you do some reading.

what you and the tex people don't realize is most people don't want to find the limits of stock drive train components
so its not just the cost of the turbo , its the big turbo tune (most chip companies have a cheap k04 flash) clutch,sometimes rods and pistons , and then you find the limit of the transmission , so if what you want is huge fwd tire spinning power than yes go big but then deal with the lag and added expense, otherwise the k04 is a great inexpensive choice for an extra 10-15 hp and an overall greater driving experience, good choice for people not wanting to drop 6k or more on necessary mods . imo

[Duby T]

Re: K04 time!

As I mentioned before, the K04-001 is a good replacement for a dead K03 sport. Personally, I wouldnt be able to justify taking out a perfectly good K03 sport for a K04-001 just for its minor performance gains.

[nordex]

Re: K04 time!

I remember back in the summer of 06 when I joined, no one use to flame or ask searchable questions...

[Duby T]

Re: K04 time!

I remember back in the summer of 06 when I joined, no one use to flame or ask searchable questions...

This coming from one of the biggest $hit disturbers on the forum : )

[Burley]

Re: K04 time!

It's okay Mike, I'll still think you are cool(maybe) for doing the K04 upgrade......

Let me know when you get this all done.....I mean when Richard finishes it...... :P

And Mike's points are very valid, it will be a very reliable car with some great pep. It isn't going to push the internals and drive train to its limits which will cost way more to upgrade when you shoot a rod or fry the clutch or anything else for that matter.

[Kordain]

Re: K04 time!

I was considering this route with my 2000 GTI which is only the ko3 not the sport. decent return for not much cash.

Trouble is, we bought another house and decided to get married
no more money for ever!

[Kor]

Re: K04 time!

Arguably if you are planning on running 24psi on a K04 you are pushing limits as much or more than running a bigger turbo. Smaller turbo outside the most efficient range of operation, more likely to fail, and it runs hotter. You're also pushing limits of your fueling system, running your injectors at max duty cycle, needing more fuel than your fuel pump can provide, going to tax that system way faster and possibly lead to failure. Running stock software instead of proven BT software? Even more pushing limits. Lots of torque lower in the rev band means more likely to burn out your clutch or stress drivetrain, right? Etc etc.

Don't necessarily believe all this, I am just playing devil's advocate here and giving you a different perspective. You are maybe safer and closer to a daily driver with a proven kit and a bigger turbo, intercooler, software, fuel system that is not all running at the edge of or beyond what its designed for.

Personally something like APR Stage 3 while expensive is a bolt on system that runs right in the sweet spot of all the components on the car, and is proven over hundreds of thousands if not millions of miles. It has been tested with all kinds of tools in the lab setting and on real cars, they have measured it and run it on the track and so on and so on to make sure that they have proper fueling and proper programming and everything under all possible conditions.

[Mefro]

Re: K04 time!

One way to end all the opinions is just do it get the data!

[Duby T]

Re: K04 time!

Mike, please get a before and after dyno

butt dynos just don't cut it

[DeanerF]

Re: K04 time!

its already in... so there will be no before dyno..

and i seriously doubt he would waste his time and money to dyno it just for some people on the internet.

I know I wouldnt. . . haha

[VRado6]

Re: K04 time!

Well, the K04 and manifold are installed! Firstly, a HUGE thanks goes out to Lanny and Richard (Dubsport) for helping me out with this, and everyone else that was there until the wee hours of the morning last night.

Now, onto the test drive. Anyone who says this is not an upgrade has not driven one. Obviously its not OMG fast, but its definitely very noticable. It takes just a touch longer to spool than the K03, but the power comes on much more smoothly. Its not so on/off like the K03 is. It holds boost considerably higher into the RPM range and is holding roughly 5psi (according to the boost gauge) more than my K03 did at 6000rpm. Triple digit speeds are where the difference becomes much more noticable and the car pulls considerably harder up top. Overall I'm very happy with my decision, and the car performs exactly how I expected; an all around stronger version of stock.

[R_Ethug]

Re: K04 time!

awesome mike.. you have revo k04 software for it then?

[Burley]

Re: K04 time!

I believe Mike has revo stg 1, now you just need to get a new DP since the GHL one is cracked.

[DeanerF]

Re: K04 time!

Or get Dean to fix the shitty weld on the flange