Rotrex powered R32
Discussion
I found a nice picture my car from the track day in the September issue of the VW driver magazine.
Shortly after the track day I took the car back to the Phirm to get some bits done, and we found this
Bank 1 cat
Bank 2 cat
The cats were only replaced a year ago under warranty after one of the welds’s in the pipe cracked.
Not sure what caused the damage as the last set of cat’s survived a trip to the Nurburg ring and 2 Vmax events.
The car has been of the road for nearly 3 months whilst I get it sorted. The good thing is that Milltek have agreed to replace the damaged cat, the damaged core is going to be cut out and replaced. These will probably become my MOT cat’s as it is likely the car will be running a de-cat.
In the meantime The Phrim have started building the 3” exhaust to remove the last few restrictions to help the engine breathe better which might also help it reach 500hp!
Milltek system removed
The OE manifolds are going to be put back on because they have square ports which are an exact match to the ports on the head. This will allow for a smoother gas flow when compared with the round ports on the Milltek manifolds.
The OE manifolds have been opened out to 2” and will attach to 2.5” down pipes which will merge into a single 3”pipe.
OE manifold before opening out (I pinched these pictures from the Phirm’s Facebook page from a similar build)
OE manifold after opening out
The new 2.5” down pipes have been welded up
Just as a comparison we put a set of OE down pipes next to the new down pipes, 1.5” vs 2.5”
Hopefully it shouldn’t be too much longer until it’s finished; I can’t wait to get it back as I haven’t driven it for nearly 3 months.
Shortly after the track day I took the car back to the Phirm to get some bits done, and we found this
Bank 1 cat
Bank 2 cat
The cats were only replaced a year ago under warranty after one of the welds’s in the pipe cracked.
Not sure what caused the damage as the last set of cat’s survived a trip to the Nurburg ring and 2 Vmax events.
The car has been of the road for nearly 3 months whilst I get it sorted. The good thing is that Milltek have agreed to replace the damaged cat, the damaged core is going to be cut out and replaced. These will probably become my MOT cat’s as it is likely the car will be running a de-cat.
In the meantime The Phrim have started building the 3” exhaust to remove the last few restrictions to help the engine breathe better which might also help it reach 500hp!
Milltek system removed
The OE manifolds are going to be put back on because they have square ports which are an exact match to the ports on the head. This will allow for a smoother gas flow when compared with the round ports on the Milltek manifolds.
The OE manifolds have been opened out to 2” and will attach to 2.5” down pipes which will merge into a single 3”pipe.
OE manifold before opening out (I pinched these pictures from the Phirm’s Facebook page from a similar build)
OE manifold after opening out
The new 2.5” down pipes have been welded up
Just as a comparison we put a set of OE down pipes next to the new down pipes, 1.5” vs 2.5”
Hopefully it shouldn’t be too much longer until it’s finished; I can’t wait to get it back as I haven’t driven it for nearly 3 months.
Anakin said:
Yes its still alive and well, still on the orgional stock clutch and has about 33k miles on it now. The reports of it breaking valves etc are not true, when my friend bought it the first owner had melted the Cats which cause him some problems. Storm fixed the Car for him.
It's currently running about 475 bhp.
its had lots done to it since, lots of carbon fiber Recaro seats etc
Sweet!!!It's currently running about 475 bhp.
its had lots done to it since, lots of carbon fiber Recaro seats etc
@OP. car looks awesome!!!!
It’s nearly done
The build stalled for a while due to delays sourcing a suitable rear silencer, in the end a custom silencer had to be built.
The guys at The Phirm sent me some pictures on Thursday showing how the build has progressed
Custom rear silencer with Milltek jet tips
I decided to stick with the jet tips as it keeps the standard (ish) look of the car. The tips have been fitted with clamps so they are adjustable and can be easily changed to a different style if I decide to.
Centre silencer
There are no baffles inside, it just has a perforated pipe wrapped with steel wool running through the middle.
System fitted
Think I need to get the metal polish out to get a shine on the new rear silencer.
The system has been built with a removable section so a cat can be added for MOT time, the rest of the time it will run without any restrictions. Just in case it’s too loud there is provision to add a smaller silencer to the system.
I have also managed to get hold of a set of full FIS clocks from ebay
I have been after these for ages as they don’t come up for sale very often
I spoke to The Phirm on Friday, the exhaust build was pretty much finished, it just needs road testing which should happen on Monday. Hopefully I should get the car back sometime next week.
I can’t wait as it’s been a long 6 months
The build stalled for a while due to delays sourcing a suitable rear silencer, in the end a custom silencer had to be built.
The guys at The Phirm sent me some pictures on Thursday showing how the build has progressed
Custom rear silencer with Milltek jet tips
I decided to stick with the jet tips as it keeps the standard (ish) look of the car. The tips have been fitted with clamps so they are adjustable and can be easily changed to a different style if I decide to.
Centre silencer
There are no baffles inside, it just has a perforated pipe wrapped with steel wool running through the middle.
System fitted
Think I need to get the metal polish out to get a shine on the new rear silencer.
The system has been built with a removable section so a cat can be added for MOT time, the rest of the time it will run without any restrictions. Just in case it’s too loud there is provision to add a smaller silencer to the system.
I have also managed to get hold of a set of full FIS clocks from ebay
I have been after these for ages as they don’t come up for sale very often
I spoke to The Phirm on Friday, the exhaust build was pretty much finished, it just needs road testing which should happen on Monday. Hopefully I should get the car back sometime next week.
I can’t wait as it’s been a long 6 months
broster said:
Looks good! What's different with the clocks?
ThanksThe difference is the digital display in the middle, the standard clocks have a half height digital display which just show the outside temp and trip computer info (mpg etc…). The “full FIS” display is a full height digital display which shows the radio station and satnav directions as well as the trip computer info.
Shenanigans said:
I can see the flames spitting out from the exhaust already :P
It probably will There are two maps the ECU can use, clean or dirty. Up until now it has been running the “clean” map (due to still having cats), however now due to the de-cat it can run the dirty map.
The dirty map adds a bit of extra fuel and cuts the spark when using the launch control and no lift shift so it will pop and bang a bit like this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5U3RPJ509Q
Finally got the car back Wednesday, pickup was delayed due to a resonance in the rear silencer which needed resolving.
Tim added a stainless steel plate to stretch the skin of the silencer as it was flexing which caused the resonance
And their logo for good measure.
The system has a nice deep sound at idle, it’s a bit harsh when pulling away which should go once it’s got a few miles on it and the stainless wadding in the silencers is sooted up.
Once on the move it pops and gurgles nicely especially when lifting off the gas and is possibly quieter then the Milltek when on the motorway. There is still a bit of resonance at 40-50mph which hopefully should go once it is run in.
Overall I’m really happy with how it has come out Worst bit was the 2 page itemised bill that came with it
Next step is to stick it on the rollers to see what gains/losses (hopefully none) there are. Initial road test results where MAF readings were taken suggest it is around 496hp so it’s probably gained around 20hp by ditching the cats and improving the flow.
I’ll get some sound clips/videos up when the weather improves.
Tim added a stainless steel plate to stretch the skin of the silencer as it was flexing which caused the resonance
And their logo for good measure.
The system has a nice deep sound at idle, it’s a bit harsh when pulling away which should go once it’s got a few miles on it and the stainless wadding in the silencers is sooted up.
Once on the move it pops and gurgles nicely especially when lifting off the gas and is possibly quieter then the Milltek when on the motorway. There is still a bit of resonance at 40-50mph which hopefully should go once it is run in.
Overall I’m really happy with how it has come out Worst bit was the 2 page itemised bill that came with it
Next step is to stick it on the rollers to see what gains/losses (hopefully none) there are. Initial road test results where MAF readings were taken suggest it is around 496hp so it’s probably gained around 20hp by ditching the cats and improving the flow.
I’ll get some sound clips/videos up when the weather improves.
After getting the full fis clocks fitted, I noticed they weren’t working properly.
At the top of the display it should show the radio station and when switched to navigation the display should show directions from the satnav.
No radio display
No navigation
After seeking advice, I found out that because my car didn’t come with the satnav from the factory it is missing the 3 wires between J285 and J503 that link the satnav to the clocks.
To get the display working I purchased some repair wires complete with pins to push into the connectors, the correct colour wires and some fabric loom tape to keep everything neat.
Connector built up to plug into the radio
New wiring taped up
More to follow…
At the top of the display it should show the radio station and when switched to navigation the display should show directions from the satnav.
No radio display
No navigation
After seeking advice, I found out that because my car didn’t come with the satnav from the factory it is missing the 3 wires between J285 and J503 that link the satnav to the clocks.
To get the display working I purchased some repair wires complete with pins to push into the connectors, the correct colour wires and some fabric loom tape to keep everything neat.
Connector built up to plug into the radio
New wiring taped up
More to follow…
Well after 1 broken and 1 damaged trim piece I have got nowhere still can’t get the nav or radio on the display. Looks like I’m going to have to do a bit more reading….
I now have some before/after videos for the exhaust. They are only slow drives round the block, however they give a good idea of the differences between the Milltek system and the new custom system.
Milltek:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQIK0nwo00A
New 3” custom system
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UROQx9yTWMo
I forgot to add a bit of foam to stop the GoPro rattling in it’s case.
When the weather improves I’ll do better video and stretch it’s legs a bit
gtrstill said:
I had a golf like this running 354hp... Totally built car
Probably (besides the 550hp Mines r32) my favourite car.
How yours goes with another 100hp is beyond me. Incredible mate.
Thanks, was yours supercharged or turbo? Probably (besides the 550hp Mines r32) my favourite car.
How yours goes with another 100hp is beyond me. Incredible mate.
I now have some before/after videos for the exhaust. They are only slow drives round the block, however they give a good idea of the differences between the Milltek system and the new custom system.
Milltek:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQIK0nwo00A
New 3” custom system
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UROQx9yTWMo
I forgot to add a bit of foam to stop the GoPro rattling in it’s case.
When the weather improves I’ll do better video and stretch it’s legs a bit
Rgm racer said:
Shortly after the track day I took the car back to the Phirm to get some bits done, and we found this
Bank 1 cat
Bank 2 cat
Out of interest how did you discover this, was there an issue or certain symptoms that caused you to look and then you found it??
We found it when the cats were removed to start the install of the new exhaust. It wasn’t showing any problems at the time, but it wouldn’t have been long until it started showing emissions faults.Bank 1 cat
Bank 2 cat
Out of interest how did you discover this, was there an issue or certain symptoms that caused you to look and then you found it??
The gearbox broke on the way to work today. With the engine running it won’t go into gear, the clutch is working fine as once in gear the biting point is where it was before. It looks like something has gone internally
Had to get the care recovered, it is currently sitting at the Phirm so they can diagnose the problem.
It turns out I was wrong, the gearbox is fine (thankfully) the problem is with the clutch even though it appears to be working properly.
Yesterday I paid a visit to Surrey Rolling Road with Tim from The Phirm (built the exhaust) to see what improvements have been made.
The car ran really well with a nice clean power curve, however to be honest we were a little bit disappointed as the power was about the same as previously seen before when running with the smaller bore exhaust and the restriction of cats.
The torque was up by around 10lb/ft across the rev range though so there were some gains. Unfortunately I don’t have the graphs to show as they are in the car which is in the workshop awaiting a new clutch.
We thought we had run into the flow limit of what the supercharger can deliver. To prove this, on the way back to the workshop we did some 3rd and 4th gear pulls whilst logging the airflow. The rev limiter was upped to 7500 as this would allow the SC to be driven faster and create more airflow. We went out and did more 3rd and 4th gear pulls, the result was a gain of 9hp! So there might be more in there yet….
Anyway, here are the videos from yesterday
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUz5zP2BpcY&li...
Gopro mounded on the back, was hopping to capture some flames!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1d1NwALsBY&li...
There is a small flash at lift off from the rh exhaust @ 1:35 and again @ 2:12. I’m just waiting fro a friend to upload a video which has captured the flames.
Yesterday I paid a visit to Surrey Rolling Road with Tim from The Phirm (built the exhaust) to see what improvements have been made.
The car ran really well with a nice clean power curve, however to be honest we were a little bit disappointed as the power was about the same as previously seen before when running with the smaller bore exhaust and the restriction of cats.
The torque was up by around 10lb/ft across the rev range though so there were some gains. Unfortunately I don’t have the graphs to show as they are in the car which is in the workshop awaiting a new clutch.
We thought we had run into the flow limit of what the supercharger can deliver. To prove this, on the way back to the workshop we did some 3rd and 4th gear pulls whilst logging the airflow. The rev limiter was upped to 7500 as this would allow the SC to be driven faster and create more airflow. We went out and did more 3rd and 4th gear pulls, the result was a gain of 9hp! So there might be more in there yet….
Anyway, here are the videos from yesterday
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUz5zP2BpcY&li...
Gopro mounded on the back, was hopping to capture some flames!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1d1NwALsBY&li...
There is a small flash at lift off from the rh exhaust @ 1:35 and again @ 2:12. I’m just waiting fro a friend to upload a video which has captured the flames.
A fair bit has happened since the last update,
The clutch was replaced back in April as one of the metal straps, which support the cover plate broke which put the cover plate out of balance. The broken strap was the cause of trouble with getting it in gear.
Broken strap
This photo shows the marks on the cover plate where it was out of balance.
A couple of weeks later there was a bit of a rattle coming from the rear silencer, on removing the plate which was attached to stop the resonance we found a few cracks.
The rattle was worse when car was idling as the skin of the silencer was behaving like a drum. I guess the flexing fatigued the metal by the welds causing the cracks. The damaged section was replaced and the silencer was re skinned with thicker stainless and has been fine since.
The biggest change is the Rotrex C30 has been changed to a C38
Old C30
New C38
The main difference between the two chargers is the airflow each can deliver. The C30 is 0.37kg/s, the C38 is 0.55kg/s. The increase in air flow means it now gets to the 500hp which has eluded me for a while. The poor little C30 was unfortunately never going to get there.
Rest of the install
Apart from the hardware changes, only minor tweaks were needed on the ECU map. The rev limiter has been reduced to limit the boost as the engine still has stock rods, this has limited the power to around 500hp. With stronger rods 600hp would be achievable.
Less than 12 hours after the installation was completed I set off for a week in France, where I covered around 1160 miles.
Over the trip car was absolutely faultless, it happily trickled along at low speed in the Paris traffic in 35c+ temperatures and cruised on the AutoRoute’s happily at 130kph and returned a respectable 25mpg!
On the road, it’s a bit weird as the car doesn’t feel as fast, but it is quicker as there is more low down torque. The power delivery is a lot smoother and makes it feel like the engine is twice the size.
I have made a quick video to give an idea what the new exhaust and supercharger sound like.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhoh4MdByh4&fea...
I set the launch control to show what it sounds like, but didn’t use it. I’m going to make another video with the camera mounted on the front to show how it sounds, as all I can hear with the windows open is the air hissing through the DV when cruising which makes it sound quite angry.
The car should be paying a visit to SRR for a power run in the next couple of weeks, cant wait to see the results
The clutch was replaced back in April as one of the metal straps, which support the cover plate broke which put the cover plate out of balance. The broken strap was the cause of trouble with getting it in gear.
Broken strap
This photo shows the marks on the cover plate where it was out of balance.
A couple of weeks later there was a bit of a rattle coming from the rear silencer, on removing the plate which was attached to stop the resonance we found a few cracks.
The rattle was worse when car was idling as the skin of the silencer was behaving like a drum. I guess the flexing fatigued the metal by the welds causing the cracks. The damaged section was replaced and the silencer was re skinned with thicker stainless and has been fine since.
The biggest change is the Rotrex C30 has been changed to a C38
Old C30
New C38
The main difference between the two chargers is the airflow each can deliver. The C30 is 0.37kg/s, the C38 is 0.55kg/s. The increase in air flow means it now gets to the 500hp which has eluded me for a while. The poor little C30 was unfortunately never going to get there.
Rest of the install
Apart from the hardware changes, only minor tweaks were needed on the ECU map. The rev limiter has been reduced to limit the boost as the engine still has stock rods, this has limited the power to around 500hp. With stronger rods 600hp would be achievable.
Less than 12 hours after the installation was completed I set off for a week in France, where I covered around 1160 miles.
Over the trip car was absolutely faultless, it happily trickled along at low speed in the Paris traffic in 35c+ temperatures and cruised on the AutoRoute’s happily at 130kph and returned a respectable 25mpg!
On the road, it’s a bit weird as the car doesn’t feel as fast, but it is quicker as there is more low down torque. The power delivery is a lot smoother and makes it feel like the engine is twice the size.
I have made a quick video to give an idea what the new exhaust and supercharger sound like.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhoh4MdByh4&fea...
I set the launch control to show what it sounds like, but didn’t use it. I’m going to make another video with the camera mounted on the front to show how it sounds, as all I can hear with the windows open is the air hissing through the DV when cruising which makes it sound quite angry.
The car should be paying a visit to SRR for a power run in the next couple of weeks, cant wait to see the results
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