Front Mount or not to Front Mount?

[jk_s3]

hi guys, ive got an AMK s3, 92,000 on the clock, the mods are as follows; jetex air filter with heatshield, badger 5 tip, forge dv, AMD remap, milltek cat back and an xs power downpipe with 200 cell sports cat.

Ive been driving the car with the above spec for a while and fancy a little more power now. I think the next thing to do would be an FMIC but im worried about the power level and my standard rods. I had the car rolling roaded at 258 hp and 273 lbs/ft before i had the downpipe and sports cat fitted so im guessing the power might have gone up slightly now.

I know no one car really answer this directly so this is sort of a poll/question i guess. How many of you have similar spec to me plus a front mount on standard rods? do i take the gamble or do i stick as i am for a while??

Thanks

 

[Jpd89]

From what I've heard the fmic will reduce your chances of damage to the rods as it will have to work less hard due to the lower ait? I could be wrong though but im sure someone will correct me shortly if I am talking out of my ****!

 

[<tuffty/>]

Won't do anything to save the rods, when its their time to go its their time to go but will lower intake air temps (IAT's) so the ECU will pull less timing when the temps rise, have less heatsoak than the OEM side mounts and give you most of your power for longer... check out the FMIC thread in the stickies for more info

<tuffty/>

 

[jk_s3]

So tuffty, i know its pretty much impossible to say if the power increase of the fmic will finish of my rods or not, but if you were in my position, what would you do? pay the ££££ for rods and fitting? or gamble with the fmic and see what happens??

 

[superkarl]

bolting a fmic on and it just coincidentally bending a rod is very unlikely. (there have been exceptions that i wont scare you with).

putting a fmic on now wont just give you an increase in peak power straight away. yes the car will feel stronger and pull harder for longer, but to get the most out of it you'l need a new map, a 'stage 2' map, designed for use with a fmic.

whether or not you risk the rods is a big gamble, but dont think that your current setup is safe, you are gambling with them now.

the safety of your rods if youre worried about them can be taken into account when mapping. how its mapped and how the power/torque behaves can increae/decrease rod failures. just speak to a good tuner and tell him your requests

 

[Westy]

Rods have been known to bend after a FMIC has been fitted! Welly bent a rod on his test run after fitting his cooler. Stacey bent a rod after soaking his cooler with the hosepipe and going for a blast.

Nobody can tell how long a rod will last. 9 out of 10 times you'll be ok but it's just a lottery. I was running 275bhp and 307lbft torque on standard rods.

 

[Paradox1]

I would recommend getting a fmic.even if not mapped straight away you will notice a difference.I guess I was safer with rods as I'm on a k03s turbo and no where near rod bending figures. I think if you do get a fmic you should consider rods soon after if your after more power.

 

[s3dave]

I know how you feel mate 20 to 30 bhp V Rods is a bitter pill to swallow without doubt....

I would say, make the map linear and you should be ok...ahh ahh,, if thinking of a bigger picture get the rods done first...IMO

And i must say go on different sites ...it may be a bit conservative on here,,,,,,

 

[cjsuk]

Fmic breaking rods? Have I been reading right? Should I be retracting my letter to santa?

 

[<tuffty/>]

Jeez... lets not get hung up on what can or can't break rods... bending a rod after fitting a FMIC, a TIP or changing the oil is potentially possible but subjective at best... yes welly has bent a rod after fitting a FMIC but its not enough evidence to say that it will happen every time...

Facts are that rods do bend and its happening more often on these cars due to mileage and age... same as the rubber hoses that split and cause vac leaks... almost every car I see these days leaks like a sieve...

Had a TT (180 quattro) in at the weekend that was untouched by tuning hands... completely original, clean inside and out... shock horror... split hoses (it was in for a potential remap and fault finding)

Point I am trying to make is you cannot point the finger at any particular component in regards to rod failure... it has happened to unmapped engines before now... Don't get too hung up on what may or may not bend rods... if you are that bothered and plan to keep the car then get them done...

<tuffty/>

 

[Westy]

If someone asks this kind of question, they will get these kind of answers.

I didn't bother asking, I just went for it. I do remember saying that would t even go to a stage 2 map without getting the rods done, but I did.

It's the owners risk whether to tune without changing the rods. Personally I'd run stage 2 on standard rods again but only because I now know how to rebuild a 1.8t.

Nobody's trying to scaremonger we're just putting some examples out there.