RedRobin Posted October 18, 2005 Report Share Posted October 18, 2005 Drove East today to West Tuning at Thruxton Race Circuit (Pioneer SatNav was brilliant). Had a chat with Ray West about tuning. He basically prides himself on personalised tuning as opposed to anything more general and 'interviews' you to give himself an idea about what you are after. Not quite like Count Bugatti, I'm glad to say, who insisted you were a house guest and then wouldn't build you a car if he didn't like your table manners!! That doesn't mean that he can give you what you think is possible but what is possible within the dark art of digital tuning. Tuning for the track is more involved but he said he could give me a road driveable re-map with emphasis on having progressively smooth performance in all gears and which would be transparent to VW diagnostics but obviously suspected if driven! Their rolling road can also take 4WD cars and they have extensive fans positioned low to better simulate air flow to the car. Nobles, Porsches, Ferraris, BMWs, etc etc all catered for. They are a small team....A couple of sheds and three guys and very busy. Very straight forward people who love what they do. I'm not sure I need it....I had great fun driving 165m in all sorts of conditions today with 210 bhp and my Turbo-back will increase my car to 215-220. But if I was going to re-map I would seriously consider going to West Tuning. http://www.west-tuning.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GTiMK5 Posted October 18, 2005 Report Share Posted October 18, 2005 Cheers Red, gives me confidence in going there. I am thinking about having a remap too with the turbo back but will see how I get on with the cat back first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedRobin Posted October 18, 2005 Author Report Share Posted October 18, 2005 Their place is just a couple of non-descript looking sheds....Nothing smart like a stealer's!....With loads of interesting cars outside. I was impressed that Ray West was keen to 'personalise' a re-map as much as is practical - What I call 'Horses for Courses'. He's a 'driver' and understands how drivers can be different and what they want. I think he's seriously considering getting a GTI!! He seemed fascinated by my quads...."Where did you get those?" Like you, I'm going to see how I get on with one mod before jumping into another. My Cat-back Non-Resonated seemed especially loud today! Not sure I want it much louder! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanH Posted October 18, 2005 Report Share Posted October 18, 2005 It's probably reached max dB by now. With 7.5k on the clock, and around 3k of those with the Milltek, mine has reached full maturity and is now settling into comfortable middle age. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedRobin Posted October 21, 2005 Author Report Share Posted October 21, 2005 Cupramax posted yet some more good advice in the other tuners thread here: Good tuners "....should really check for any fault codes before even considering remapping the car. If they dont, walk away." - Am glad to report that West Tuning diagnose/check every single car beforehand. I'm not saying that these guys are better than anyone else but they are clearly up to the standard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tunner Posted October 21, 2005 Report Share Posted October 21, 2005 Red, exactly what re-map do they use, is it one bread in-house, or one they import from other tuners? When considering any major performance enhancing mod, you really must be so careful as to the origins of the codes used to improve the performance. Do not get me wrong, I am not saying that the Thruxton lot are no good, but what after sales care do they offer? Take it from me, an exhaust after market system might make you feel good with a few extra BHP, but a proper re-map done professionally and with after sales care and back up is.......Staggering! Not done it with the GTI yet, it has not been out long enough. I will be looking for 250 lb's of torque delivered low down the rev range, just like the stock performance. Once released, I will take the Revo free trial, then assess its credentials against others. I do think that Revo thrive on BIG numbers and their re-map seems a bit gruesome, but their free trial will convince me, or otherwise? Another consideration and one that is most important, do your insurance company recognise mods from....Joe Bloggs, for if they don't, you will either be illegal, or have to change insurance companies? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedRobin Posted October 21, 2005 Author Report Share Posted October 21, 2005 Hi Tunner, I don't know exactly what re-map they use or if "imported". My impression from my visit was that Ray West is inclined to ascertain what you wish to achieve, diagnose the individual car, and tune accordingly with regard to what would be practical. They re-map such cars as Ferraris and Porsches and have done so for many years, so I deduce that they wouldn't still be in business without customer satisfaction. If you own something like a Ferrari you aren't going to let just anyone fine-tune it. Personally I am not going to re-map in the foreseeable future (doubtless Jennifer is taking notes!!) and I'm only curious and interested in learning. I found Ray West to be very friendly and helpful and he could answer any questions far better than myself. The points you make are good advice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GTiMK5 Posted October 22, 2005 Report Share Posted October 22, 2005 West Tuning is also an official Noble service centre. I dont think Noble would have any old Joe Bloggs affiliated to them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedRobin Posted October 22, 2005 Author Report Share Posted October 22, 2005 For more info about West Tuning's re-mapped GTI check out the November issue of 'Volkswagen DRIVER' magazine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedRobin Posted October 24, 2005 Author Report Share Posted October 24, 2005 Having met and chatted with Ray West and Darren of West Tuning a couple of times I was both very pleasantly surprised and delighted when Ray offered me to visit them at Thruxton again but this time to drive their road and track Mk5 GTI. My ears had pricked up when I learnt that the car I was going to drive was re-mapped to 270 bhp but I then felt reassured when I learnt that the car also had suspension and brake mods. As I drove the 80 or so miles to their Thruxton premises, it was very wet and very windy and with loads of wet leaves blowing around, so I began to feel a little nervous about what it would be like controlling 270 neddies in the wet, plus the last time I drove a manual GTI I embarrassingly stalled it, not once but twice, at the dealers and that was only a standard car! On the other hand I thought that perhaps driving in this foul weather was the ideal opportunity to expose such a beast's practical limitations as a road ride....How wrong I was!! After a cuppa and a chat we set off on local roads with Ray driving. Now this car is fitted with very tasty looking 19s and is also lowered about 1 inch from standard, so my first expectation was a hard ride. If you want good handling it usually comes with the territory....Wrong! I felt hardly any difference at all to the ride on my Monza 17s. What I was conscious of was that my Interlagos cloth seats are far more 'grippy' than this car's leather. From the front passenger seat I felt totally but totally comfortable, just in the same way that I feel comfortable in my standard car. Ray demonstrated the car's power but all within the safety margins of the foul road conditions. The words "smooooothly progressive power surge" immediately came to mind and I began to feel very eager for Ray to pull over and let me have a go. My first thought was "please don't let me stall it" and please Miss Gorgeous Laser Blue GTI be gentle with me. I need not have worried....Everything was as smooth as my Throbbin' Red DSG ride but with subtley more power throughout the range though the wet road conditions limited my fuller exploration of this. The car feels wider and lower, though the actual measurement comparisons are very small, and consequently this Laser Blue missy feels extremely well planted on the road. Even when I changed into the wrong gears a couple of times her behaviour was utterly forgiving and no problem was encountered whatsoever. The brakes were also smooth, even when I prodded them; Though I could feel that they could be quite severe if not used sensitively. On the road I could feel hints of what she would be capable of on a track when pushed to her limits in the hands of those more track experienced than myself. But all was unbelievably smooth and tactile without a hint of a fight. Going through a small viallage she was as comfortable as my own car - 30mph at 1,500 revs in 6th. So how has this been achieved?.... It starts with the experience and expertise of one man - Ray West. It's not just about re-mapping and big bhp numbers that sound impressive amongst the lads down at the local. It's about diagnosing the individual engine and custom re-mapping on an individual basis also taking into account the owner/driver's use of the car. This car has been modded to be both comfortably driveable on the so-called Queen's Highway and highly competitive on the track in full song. A tall order you might think. Having achieved good performance graph shapes the car has been fitted with big brakes which don't fade. Namely something typical of Ray's dedication to achieving the best he can: 380mm drilled and slotted discs from Performance Friction with custom-made billet aluminium bells milled in Ray's workshop and clamped with Porsche GT3 four-pot calipers and stainless steel hoses. Next, wheels and tyres: 8.5 x 19-inch ET 45 River rims with 235/35 size tyres. Then, suspension: Bilstein PSS-9 height-adjustable coil-over plus Eibach anti-roll bars front and back and subtle tweaks to the geometry. Ray's tweaking throughout is what makes this car what it is. Oh, and let's not forget one of my favourites....Milltek Turbo-back exhaust system. I'm neither a professional racing driver nor journalist but just a mature (some say) guy who enjoys driving performance cars but always safely. I've got nothing I need to prove to anyone. I found no fault with this car except I'd rather have had cloth than leather seats! None of the qualities of the standard car were compromised....The West Tuned car simply had more grunt but with everything else perfectly balanced to match it. Still smooooth. Yet when I drove off to go home I was thankfully not at all dissatisfied with my own car. For me it's all about how driving a car FEELS and it feels very good indeed to know that I've met someone in Ray West who I can totally trust to advise me and individually custom mod my GTI should I ever decide to do so. What a Slippery Slope modding can be!! Addendum: In view of reaction from some TSN members about what may be sometimes described as my over enthusiastic posts about various products (did I mention Millteks again?!) I would only like to say that I am only offering an honest opinion about how I found this car to drive in foul conditions in a relatively short session. I cannot help the fact that I enjoyed the feel of this car immensely. In the latest issue of Volkswagen Driver Neil Birkett describes this same car as "what must be the country's fastest road and track Mk5 GTI"....Wow! I just had a very comfortable drive in that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simonl Posted October 25, 2005 Report Share Posted October 25, 2005 ...how much faster was it Red, because an extra 70hp on tap should feel amazing in comparism, not just livelier (did i spell that right?). 270hp with no extra weight should be sub 6 seconds to 60. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silentandy Posted October 25, 2005 Report Share Posted October 25, 2005 ...senses Red getting his cheque book out again. Actually all that sounds impressive, once my (next) car has done a few miles I might look at doing some stuff but it's a slippery and expensive slope. Would like to know how much the brake upgrade was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
activa Posted October 25, 2005 Report Share Posted October 25, 2005 [ QUOTE ] ...how much faster was it Red, because an extra 70hp on tap should feel amazing in comparism, not just livelier [/ QUOTE ] That's what I thought after reading Reds excellent write up. Getting back in your standard example after experiencing 35% more power and torque and brakes that must have been awesome with the Porsche calipers etc.,I would have guessed seemed a bit mediocre by comparison. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simonl Posted October 25, 2005 Report Share Posted October 25, 2005 especially when you consider the difference between a 180 and 225 TT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R32North Posted October 25, 2005 Report Share Posted October 25, 2005 The only comment I'm going to make is...... Don't believe the figures from RR's (not aimed at anyone or any tuner). RR figures are really only vaild on that day, in those conditions (not real IMO), and should be taken as indicative. Your much better off choosing a remap that 'feels' best to you and not necessarily the highest / most powerful. Plus what one Tuner will quote as a remapped figures may well differ (same car) from another - eg, a well known tuner reammped an R32 with 278hp / 273lbs and when said car was on the rollers at another garage it was putting out 258hp / 255lbs!!! No names mentioned, but please don't get hung up on numbers, names, highest output..... go by how the car drives in ALL conditions!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedRobin Posted October 25, 2005 Author Report Share Posted October 25, 2005 To try to answer some quezzies: ?) How much faster? - Defo a bigger power surge of acceleration but I would have to have another drive in the dry and open road to answer this more fully. Power on tap in every gear I was able to try but really need another drive to experience it more fully. No idea about numbers and can only report how it felt in very poor road conditions - Extremely and unexpectedly smooooth. ?) Cost of brakes? - Best to contact Ray at West Tuning. I don't want to inadvertantly misrepresent/misinform. The brakes were defo much keener but not a problem if you use them carefully....Very reassuring given the extra power. Strangely enough, although my standard (210bhp max) car felt less well 'planted' and not as 'get up and go', the standard car is no slouch and no way am I disappointed. For someone who drives both road AND track the West Tuning GTI would be an excellent choice imo. There's more detail in Volkswagen Driver mag. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedRobin Posted October 25, 2005 Author Report Share Posted October 25, 2005 [ QUOTE ] Your much better off choosing a remap that 'feels' best to you and not necessarily the highest / most powerful. No names mentioned, but please don't get hung up on numbers, names, highest output..... go by how the car drives in ALL conditions!! [/ QUOTE ] ....I couldn't agree more! And that's why I keep emphasising the FEEL of the car and why I was actually happy to be driving it in very poor conditions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R32North Posted October 25, 2005 Report Share Posted October 25, 2005 Aye, totally the 'feel' of the car is more important than any figures you'll hear from X, Y and Z tuners! From what I've heard a lot of people like Ottinger for that reason. Not the highest numbers, but a great drive and 'feel' from their upgrades! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedRobin Posted October 25, 2005 Author Report Share Posted October 25, 2005 Those bhp numbers are hard stats but only numbers and get used to jazz up the tuner's marketing. For what it's worth, West Tuning offer a 242 bhp re-map, but so do most tuners offer different stages. I must say that having now met and chatted to Ray West three times I have much respect for his attitude and experience and trust his judgement. Irrespective of re-mapping or any other mods whatsoever, I personally believe that being comfortable and enjoying ANY vehicle (including bikes and bicycles etc) is down to 'feel'. You clearly think the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R32North Posted October 25, 2005 Report Share Posted October 25, 2005 [ QUOTE ] Those bhp numbers are hard stats but only numbers and get used to jazz up the tuner's marketing. For what it's worth, West Tuning offer a 242 bhp re-map, but so do most tuners offer different stages. I must say that having now met and chatted to Ray West three times I have much respect for his attitude and experience and trust his judgement. Irrespective of re-mapping or any other mods whatsoever, I personally believe that being comfortable and enjoying ANY vehicle (including bikes and bicycles etc) is down to 'feel'. You clearly think the same. [/ QUOTE ] Absolutely!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simkna Posted October 25, 2005 Report Share Posted October 25, 2005 I haven't been able to track a copy of that magazine down. Any chance of you emailing me a pdf of the article Robin? Si. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedRobin Posted October 25, 2005 Author Report Share Posted October 25, 2005 Hi Si Unfortunately the mag's web site doesn't have a downloadable file....They want us to buy the mag. I've been lent my copy by West Tuning as I'll be seeing them again soon (NOT for a re-map I hasten to add!). I'm going to try and get a copy from WHSmith, otherwise directly from the publisher. Robin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simkna Posted October 26, 2005 Report Share Posted October 26, 2005 Just thought you... ahem.. might have a scanner . Si. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedRobin Posted October 26, 2005 Author Report Share Posted October 26, 2005 I don't have a scanner....I used to have a scanner....ex-wife has it!! Sorry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silentandy Posted October 26, 2005 Report Share Posted October 26, 2005 Send it to me, I'll scan it for you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now