Polo piping 101

[Cygnus]

A noobie question here. Having never modded my car before the Polo, I was hoping someone here can give a run down on all the piping and plumbing options for the Polo. So if someone can tell me what each of these mean, what do they do, how they connect to eachother, what performance improvement can be expected, and what brands/models/options do we have for the Polo, I'd be very grateful. Also, which of these overlap, and any parts people may want to upgrade that I have missed. Thanks heaps!

FMIC
TIP
CAI
Air filters
Downpipe
Catback exhaust
Full exhaust system

[VW GTI]

FMIC - brings intake temperatures down (cold air is more dense, so you get more air in - therefore more power) 3 options currently... APR, sharkie's sale in another thread here and making a custom one.

TIP - Pipe from airbox to turbo, original one can collapse under boost, no power increase, you just might not lose some at top end - Forge and some others make these.

CAI - Again, for colder air coming into the turbo, requires lots of plumbing and a smaller battery in the Polo - the part you would want is a BMC CDA

Air Filter - The filter in the airbox in your engine bay, higher the flow, the more air gets to the turbo.

Downpipe - Allows higher flow from the turbo out the back of the car, the first half of the exhaust. APR make one, or get a custom one. Slight increase in power, the first half is the most restrictive in a Polo

Catback exhaust - The 2nd half of the exhaust, not really necessary by itself in a Polo since the back half is pretty good.

Full exhaust - All the way from the turbo back, more gains than the 2 above (cos it is both), but obviously more expensive. APR makes this, so do a few others (or a custom one again).

[DaveMack]

FMIC = Front Mounted Intercooler

TIP = Turbo Inlet Pipe

CAI = Cold Air Intake

And the rest are as Sam described.

Dave

[RhysQ]

another option for the CAI is the SEAT intake which directly replaces the Polo GTI one and allows a lot more air flow (as the diameter is significantly larger). also, you do not have to replace the battery to a smaller size. if you want to see installation instructions (and difference in size between the SEAT and Polo intake) go to this link - http://www.vwwatercooled.org.au/newf...ead.php?t=6160

to get one of these, speak to Tim on this site. go to the 'business home pages' section on this site and you will find his business 'Dub Addiction' on there. i think they are about $165 + postage but members from this site get a small discount....worth having a look as the BMC CDA's are quite expensive. also, i think Tim's ones have a pre-fabricated intake trumpet so no extra cutting is needed (as seen in the installation link).

Cheers,

Rhys

[VW GTI]

That's actually 'Tim', not 'Timbo'.

Another option is Shaneth, a fellow Polo owner. He's also the guy that wrote that installation instructions.

He has 3 available at the moment, for $160 including shipping.

See http://www.vwwatercooled.org.au/newf...ad.php?t=16410