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My ‘98 Jetta TDI

My ‘98 Jetta TDI. Why Is My TDI Special?. It Doesn’t LOOK Special…. Externally, the car appears nearly stock. Less Is More…. Externally, the car appears nearly stock. All modifications and “goodies” are beneath the skin. It Blends In….

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My ‘98 Jetta TDI

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  1. My ‘98 Jetta TDI

  2. Why Is My TDI Special?

  3. It Doesn’t LOOK Special… • Externally, the car appears nearly stock.

  4. Less Is More… • Externally, the car appears nearly stock. • All modifications and “goodies” are beneath the skin.

  5. It Blends In… • This allows me to blend in while in traffic or parked downtown… • It is also less likely to attract thieves, vandals, or police.

  6. But What About INSIDE?

  7. Melt the Hours Away… • I made it a point to make the car enjoyable to drive.

  8. For My Listening Pleasure… • I installed a Pioneer CD/MP3 player (w/16-GB flash drive) and I can stream music from the Internet through my smartphone. I have seemingly endless music available during long road trips.

  9. Communications Suite… • I also installed my two-way radio suite, which includes a VHF ham radio, a VHF/UHF ham radio, and an “all-mode” HF/VHF/UHF ham radio.

  10. Communications Suite… • The VHF/UHF ham radio is a tiny discontinued Yaesu FT-90R mobile radio. • I operate at 10-watts to avoid heat-related issues. Ten watts is sufficient since I use this radio for local contacts.

  11. Communications Suite… • The remote mounted display fits perfectly in the “ashtray.”

  12. Communications Suite… • The crown jewel of my setup is the Yaesu FT-857D. It operates on HF, VHF, and UHF Amateur Radio bands at up to 100-watts. It also operates in all modes, including AM, FM, CW, SSB, and digital modes.

  13. Communications Suite… • Like the FT-90R, the FT-857D has a remote-mountable control panel. I made a mounting tab that allowed me to put the quick release bracket on the front of the ashtray. The position of both radios is nearly perfect.

  14. Communications Suite… • The rest of the FT-857D is mounted in the trunk. A bonding strap along with the antenna wire conduit runs between the trunk lid and trunk. The factory trim piece covers the underside of the trunk lid.

  15. Communications Suite… • My “antenna farm” includes VHF/UHF antennas for the FT-90R (APRS) and FT-857D; plus the ATAS-120A Active Tuning Antenna System for 7-54 MHz (not pictured).

  16. Quickly Removed… • Knowing how easily this stuff can be stolen, my design includes the ability for all equipment to disappear in about 10 seconds.

  17. Almost… • One thing I cannot “stow” is my gauge panel. Wanting a “better” gauge panel, I fabricated this plate to hold my EGT and Boost gauges along with my Scan Gauge II and water-injection status lights.

  18. ScanGauge II • The Scan Gauge II plugs into the OBD port and displays: MPGs, Fuel Rate, Battery Voltage, Coolant Temp, Intake Air Temp, Engine RPM, Speed, Manifold Pressure, Engine Load, and Throttle Position. It also performs the following trip functions: Max Speed, Avg Speed, Max Coolant Temp, Max RPM, Driving Time, Driving Distance, Fuel Used, Trip MPG, Tank MPG, Distance to Empty, Time to Empty, and Fuel to Empty.

  19. Navigation… • I was never a fan of navigation aids until I started driving in Washington DC. Now I’m convinced they’re a great part of driving; if not to get you where you’re going, then to find things when away from a computer or the Yellow Pages. This is a Garmin nuvi 1300LMT.

  20. Hidden Stuff… This is the equipment that’s hidden from sight: APRS position encoder, 300W voltage inverter, FT-90R “brain,” 200W subwoofer amp, ground block, fuse block, relay panel, and remote fuse box.

  21. Where Did You Have the Electronics Work Done? • I installed all aftermarket electronics equipment myself at home. • I was once an electronics technician in the Coast Guard; so it was easy. • Besides, the best way to get exactly what you want is to do it yourself… • And save the money that could’ve been spent on a hack job for something else… like suspension and turbo upgrades! ;-)

  22. Any Mechanical Mods?

  23. Any Mechanical Mods? • Yes… But you wouldn’t know by looking… ;-)

  24. Look, Ma… No Exhaust! • I performed a “mufflerectomy” by replacing the cat-back with a 2.5-inch straight pipe…

  25. Look, Ma… No Exhaust! • I eventually went with a resonator so the car would pass visual inspections. It’s “just enough” to look like a muffler without inhibiting flow. 

  26. New Injectors… • I also added a set of PowerPlus 502 Performance Injection Nozzles by FratelliBosio.

  27. New Engine Programming… • Custom reprogramming transformed the TDI’s driving experience.

  28. New Engine Programming… • My older TDI features a socketed ECU that makes switching programs a snap. • Testing various programs is easy, too.

  29. New Engine Programming… • Chip tuning offers the most dramatic performance upgrade. With all mods combined, I last measured 136-hp and 263-lb/ftat the wheels. That’s 50-whp and 105-lb/ft over stock.

  30. Water Injection… • I installed a water-methanol injection system by Snow Performance. The purpose of injecting water into the intake is to reduce charged air intake temperatures to maintain power.

  31. Water Injection… • In my case, I inject water-only since my SCCA class prohibits methanol injection. I also do not believe injecting methanol is healthy to a small diesel engine in the long run.

  32. Water Injection… • Water injection is essentially “chemical intercooling.” This is attractive on my A3 platform where installing a large FMIC requires cutting the front rebar (undesirable for handling and illegal for SCCA events).

  33. European Intake… • My final performance modification was the installation of an intake manifold from a European Passat PD-130. The gain/effect is small. But it’s good to know I have an improved part. ;-)

  34. Suspension Upgrade…

  35. Suspension Upgrade… • I upgraded the suspension system with a Ground Control coilover system with adjustable height. • The kit features Bilstein HD struts and Eibach Spec springs (430#F/340#R).

  36. Suspension Upgrade… • I maintained the one-inch drop given by my former Shine Racing Service (SRS) kit and kept the SRS rear swaybar. I like the way it hides in the torsion beam; and it works great!

  37. Suspension Upgrade… • Handling is tight and precise; but not rough. The car is fairly neutral with a hint of oversteer at the limit (just the opposite of my SRS kit).

  38. Smoking Tires = Lost Speed… • However, I put down more than enough torque to spin the inside wheel during aggressive cornering.

  39. Extra Traction! • So I installed a Peloquin torque-biasing differential during a Sachs VR6 clutch upgrade.

  40. Extra Traction! • Now ALL torque goes to the ground!

  41. Miscellaneous Mods… • Since I travel a lot, I added a 1 1/4” hitch receiver.

  42. Miscellaneous Mods… • It’s very handy for carrying bulky items, excess cargo, bicycles…

  43. Miscellaneous Mods… • …and even towing an occasional load…

  44. Miscellaneous Mods… • Finally, I added a set of 15x7.5” ACT/Ronal LS alloy wheels. • I have two sets: one with 205/50R15 (summer/street) and one with 225/45R15 (autocross).

  45. Anything Cosmetic? • My current plan is to leave the car’s external appearance basically stock. • This will make it an unlikely “sleeper” • and perhaps allow me to continue showing the car in mild show classes. • Besides, it’s what’s inside that counts.

  46. Isn’t That What We’re Taught As Children?

  47. VISIT at StealthTDI.com

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