In recent years, the popularity of the EA113 2.0 TFSI engine has increased tenfold. Similarly to how the 1.8T 20vt did a decade ago, but more.
Not only are the engines more tuneable, but the quality and amount of parts available are far greater.
As we are very knowledgeable with this platform, we feel it is best we start with outlining some basic hardware upgrades that we feel are most beneficial, especially to those who have just purchased a 2.0 TFSI. Considering the best bang for buck, performance gains and severity of the problem it may resolve.
10. A good service
This may seem obvious to some, but we have experienced some neglected vehicles in our workshop and cannot stress the importance of this enough. If the engine has been neglected, you can't expect your car to thank you.
5w40 Oil
From factory, the TFSI comes with 5w30 oil. Over time, after the engine has some miles on it or if it has been tuned, they are prone to burning oil which can often appear in the form of smoke from the exhaust when driven hard. We recommend using Quantum Platinum 5w40, Millers Motorsport 5w40 CFS or Millers Motorsport 5w40 CFS NT+ to prevent this issue from occurring.
Spark plugs
We recommend one set of plugs for your TFSI, and it's the NGK BKR7EIX's. They come pre-gapped, are a high quality product and a direct fit.
These spark plugs are a far superior product to standard nickel spark plugs. They are one step colder than the OEM spark plugs and are ideal for cars up to stage 2+(~400bhp)
Many TFSI owners often fit these along with the Red Top R8 coilpacks but we don't think they are a requirement for most applications because a good set of OEM coilpacks will work just as well, but if you want to add a bit of colour to your engine bay, they do look great.
OEM Oil Filter
In our experience, we have encountered non-branded oil filters break up inside the oil filter housing, so we will only advise using an OEM oil filter.
9. 99RON Fuel
Good quality fuel is a must for us, it's not just cleaner but it is also what the manufacturer recommends. All vehicles are designed to run within certain parameters, low octane fuel will make the engine under perform because the ECU will detect knock and will result will pull timing as a result. The engine tuner will be able to tune your engine to its fullest potential due to the knock resistant properties of high octane fuel.
This is especially important when tuning a vehicle, it will dramatically increase the amount of timing the tuner can allow the ECU to request.
High octane fuel is one of the most important things that you as the owner can use for your TFSI engine. Whilst we highly recommend using 99RON from Tesco, Shell or Esso it’s important to use the fuel that’s available to you where you live. It’s no good just running 99 for the tuning session if you’re unable to use this going forward, and could potentially damage your engine. If you are chasing numbers and cannot get 99RON fuel locally, it might be worth considering running a water/meth kit such as the AEM V3 Water/Meth Injection Kit.
8. Diverter Valve upgrade
Most of the time when we are doing a health check on a car, there are common problems we find, one of the most common being a faulty diverter valve. Often these leak from the diaphragm and release the compressed air produced from the turbo when it shouldn't, it should be containing it unless told otherwise by the ECU.
There are two main options when upgrading or replacing your diverter valve, both are good options, it's more down to personal preference.
- Replace the entire unit with an OEM Revision G unit
- Fit a GFB DV+ to your existing diverter valve.
Personally, I wanted something that was specifically built for performance and allowed me to feel like I wouldn't ever have to replace it, whether it be in terms of durability or my own performance goals. As such I went for the DV+ option.
7. Intercooler
To maintain a cool intake temperature all year round, an aftermarket intercooler such as the AIRTEC Stage 2 Intercooler Upgrade will keep your intake air temperature close to ambient consistently.
Below are graphs comparing a summer tuned run to a winter run on the same tune.
The graph labelled 'Summer' shows our final tuned run in orange, vs either of the lines on the "Winter" graph showing us the increase in power with no hardware or software alterations in cooler temperatures.
Having an upgraded intercooler would allow you to keep your intake temperatures low and consistent all year round. With a difference of 40bhp from summer to winter, this has to be one of the most beneficial and underrated mods for power.
6. Exhaust
We recommend a good quality exhaust system with least restriction possible, and suggest opting for a Cobra Sport system direct to your door. Find our Cobra Sport turbo-back systems available on our store here.
Pictured is one of our custom exhaust systems on a customers S3 8P, however in store, we can also supply a Trackslag 3.5" downpipe along with a 3" cat-back system, available upon request.
The key to a good exhaust system on your TFSI is efficiency. The easier the exhaust gas is allowed to escape, the more power will be available as the back pressure builds up in the manifold.
5. Walnut Blasting
If you haven't heard of walnut blasting, it's kind of a big deal. It's a service we've always been keen on doing, most commonly with injector cleaning, especially while the inlet manifold is off, it just makes sense since the injectors performance are such a vital part of the TFSI engine.
One of the downsides to GDI (Gasoline Direct Injection) is not having fuel pass through your inlet manifold. The result of this is a tremendous amount of carbon build up in your inlet ports of your cylinder head, reducing the efficiency of your engine which means a reduction in power, fuel economy and a rough running engine.
We also offer this service with injector cleaning and various other options. See the Specialist Services section of our website for pricing information.
4. PCV Valve
Another issue often found during a health check while smoke testing, is the PCV valve. This can also manifest itself as rough running on idle and jerky on/off throttle. A tuner may also be able to pick this up by seeing the idle fuel trims higher than expected.
It's a pretty easy installation, only 4 screws and is essentially great preventative maintenance. Just be careful when removing or refitting that you don't strip the thread with the screws or it won't tighten correctly leaving you with a larger air leak than before and needing a new rocker cover.
To check which revision you have, it will be easiest to remove it as the part number is located on the underside of the part. It's the last letter on the part number you are looking for. 06F129101R
To view this on our shop, click here.
3. Cam Follower
If you have just purchased your TFSI vehicle or haven't checked your cam follower in a while, I strongly recommend that you do. Unfortunately for us EA113 owners, cam followers are a wear and tear item. Due to the nature of their function, they will need checking at least every 12 months or 10,000 miles. If your car is track orientated, or driven hard regularly, you should be checking this more frequently. We supply a kit which includes the cam follower, new HPFP bolts and a new HPFP o-ring, all genuine VW items here.
Failure of the cam follower will result in damage to your cam lobe, HPFP internals and potential for further damage to your engine.
2. Induction Kit
On my own GTI, I opted for an Integrated Engineering 2.0T FSI Cold Air Intake Kit. It easily has the best heat shield and intake design in comparison to the dozens of other products available. It has a massive 5" cone filter into a velocity stack which is built into the heat shield design and has perfect MAF sensor placement to ensure the MAF scaling is uninterrupted, meaning you don't need a tune for your car to run as it should with this product.
1. Balance Shaft Delete
There are two main faults with the balance shaft assembly.
- The OEM dual mass pulley can break up which will throw the chain off the oil pump and lead to loss of oil pressure, which can quickly destroy an engine.
- The balance shafts themselves can seize, especially when frequently driven at high RPM.
The best option to prevent these issues is to fit a replacement sprocket that is far more durable than the OEM sprocket and that disengages the balance shaft assembly. By far the most purchased product from us is the Balance Shaft Freewheel Package.
We have fitted many VIS Motorsport upgrades to customers vehicles and we haven't encountered a single issue or failure. We strongly recommend their products.
Whilst fitting the balance shaft delete unit, we always supply and fit the customer with a new oil pickup pipe. We do this as a discounted package along with fresh oil, new genuine oil filter and sump clean. See the Specialist Services section of our website or enquire about this when booking.
It is very important the pickup pipe is replaced because the original sump sealant can break up and get sucked into the pickup pipe. Below is an image of my own pickup pipe after removal.
If you have any further questions about your TFSI or would like a fitting quote, please do not hesitate to call us on: 0114 276 8193 or email us at: info@jbmperformance.co.uk
