KW V3 Coilovers

I've driven the car for about three months by now. The TT generally handles well, but I didn't feel too comfortable with the bodyrolls during high speeds at bends.

As mentioned previously, I've read and heard good thing about KW and Bilstein. Decided to go with KWV3 because the individual rebound and dampening could be individually adjusted and customized to personal preferences.

This mod also has the effect of lowering the car. It's a nice visual enhancement to have.:)

There were several permutation of settings to pick from. I told the workshop that I wanted street driving comfort setting and left it to them to do the adjustments. They chose the KW V3 stock setting for me.

The improvement to the handling was immediately felt. Sure, ride comfort was sacrificed but it was at a tolerable level. However, there was some underside rubbing of the inner fender when going over speed bumps. I brought the car back to the workshop the next day and they reduced the rebound rate. It made the car firmer, and definitely more planted. The rubbing was also gone.

This mod definitely gave me more confidence in the car handling during bends and at speeds because the ride-feel is so planted.

From the KW website:

KW Variant 3 inox-line – Perfect Street Performance

State-of-the-art technology from motor sports for more performance on the road. The separate and independently adjustable rebound- and compression damping allows for an individual suspension setup for different uses and preferences. The unique patented system with its two-stage valves allows a rebound damping adjustment (comfort) and a compression adjustment (driving dynamics) in the low-speed range while the high-speed range which controls the driving safety, is fixed.

• Damping technology with individually adjustable rebound- and compression technology
• inox-line* stainless steel technology
• Individually height adjustable
• Adjustment parameters approved by the German Technical Control Board (TÜV)
• High-quality components for long durability
• Infinitely variable rebound damping adjustment
• 14-way adjustable compression damping
• Unique, individually working damping force adjustment
• Comprehensive documentation for easy use

Next up, anti roll bars.

MTM Stage 1

This was a no-brainer. MTM Stage 1 for the Audi TT (on paper anyway) brings the horse power to 245 bhp. The was 200 bhp. A simple ECU tune to get a 20% increase seems like great bang for the buck, so this was really my first performance mod. And so, I got it tuned up within the first month of collecting the car.

With the benefit of hindsight, I should have perhaps driven the car for at least 6 months before going for this mod, so that I would really know the "before" and "after" difference.

My Audi TT Performance Mods

Even before I collected the car, I'd made extensive reading on Internet forums about modifications for the Audi TT, and given my limited budget, I've decided to limit the mods to give me the best bang for the buck (in my opinion anyway).

In a nutshell, I'd decided on the following mods:

1. ECU tuning: To unleash the beast, so to speak. Since this is a German car, I decided to go with a German tuner and chose MTM. The fact that the engineers were former Audi engineers sealed the deal for me.
2. Rims: Not exactly a performance mod, but hey, who cares? First impressions count. And it's a fact that wider tires would improve handling during bends. BBS rims work for me.:)
   
3. Coilovers: To reduce body rolls. I've read and heard good thing about KW and Bilstein. Decided to go with KWV3 because the individual rebound and dampening could be individually adjusted and customized to personal preferences.
4. Anti roll bars or anti sway bars: To complement the coilovers and to further enhance handling during turns and corners. It was KW vs H&R. And I picked H&R since they were able to ship the rear bar only. The KW ones come in a set of front and rear.
   
5. Big brake kits: With increased power from the ECU tuning, I need better brakes. It's a decision between Stoptech and Brembo.

Car Cover

My Audi TT car cover was bought from Empires.com

The website car covers for a plethora of cars.

The quality of the cover is excellent and I thought it was great value for money.

KNN Filter

Coming up..... next mod I've got the KNN air filter planned.

Kenwood DNX Navigator Mod

I have just installed the Kenwood DNX 7320 in my car last week at Pin Liang. The GPS is Garmin based. As it didn't come with Bluetooth, I had the Bluetooth module separately installed.

The Kenwood KCA-BT200 Bluetooth module enables the phone functions in the navigation unit to integrate with my iPhone seamlessly, and that includes the phone book. The Bluetooth enabled hands-free function is a life-saver. It allows me to talk through a mic and the opposite party's voice comes through the car audio speakers. There's no echo nor lag on either side.

So far, I'm absolutely delighted with the Kenwood navigation unit. Directions are spot on, and easy to comprehend. The screen resolution is great, and the voice navigation also warns me of traffic cameras and speed cameras. It also alerts me of likely traffic police spots, and speed limits.

Here's what I did:

After extensive online reading and searches mainly on UK sites and this forum, I brought in the following:

1. I brought in the original Kenwood kit (frame) from the UK.
http://www.kenwood-electronics.co.uk.../fitting_kits/

I bought the above from http://www.justkenwood.co.uk/. Wasn't sure if they were a legit business but took the risk anyhow. Glad to say I was not conned. The website says that they only ship within the UK only but I wrote to them about it and they agreed to ship to Singapore. Shipping time was decently fast and it came well packed.

Pin Liang would probably quote you around $200 for a after-market kit. Mine, including shipping cost less, and the colour blended perfectly with the Kenwood HU.

2. Depending on your car make and model, Kenwood does have the stalk control adaptors. But unfortunately they did not have it for mine.

So I bought the Canbus PAC SWI-CAN from the buy.com, and that allows me to retain the steering wheel control functions.

(I had written to Kenwood UK about it and they referred me to connects2).

3. I bought the Kenwood DNX 7320 Navigator from buy.com. The unit was shipped to me within a week in perfect condition.

4. I also bought the bluetooth module Kenwood KCA-BT200 from buy.com. It's way cheaper than buying it from the workshop.