Introducing TD Tuning

[vwmike]

I thought I might start by introducing myself to some of you who don't know me.

My name is Mike and I run http://www.tdtuning.com. The site has been up and running for a while now, but is still suffering from a lack of products. I hope to change that soon. I've done insane amounts of research and amassed quite the wealth of knowledge and specifics when it comes to VW's and Audi's. I've been involved in the tuning of gas cars for the last 10 years and successfully doubled and tripled engine output on several occasions. I spent some time doing a lot of custom work including show cars for SEMA and other automotive aftermarket showcases.

In persuing parts to make my own car faster and improve economy I came across some good sources and have the skills and resources to see new ideas through from inception to the finished product. The vast uncharted territory has inspired me to change my heading as far as business goes. So, now I'm moving further forward into the business of diesel tuning. I ran a side business in college called European performance Solutions which dealt with the standard performance parts for gas cars but it has more or less now morphed into TD Tuning. I'm looking to stick around for a while and a plethora of new products will be coming soon.

Currently under development:

-Front mount intercooler kit for MK4 TDI cars
-10,11, and 12mm pump upgrades for IDI cars
-11 and 12mm pump upgrades for TDI cars
-more variety in TDI nozzles including a new proprietary design
-new CNC machined replacement LDA pins
-CNC machined timing covers to extend the advance range of injection pumps
-Pop valve block off plugs
-higher flowing IDI nozzles

Future planned products:

-1.6TD front mount intercooler kit
-IDI and TDI downpipes and exhaust systems
-A compound twin turbo "kit" for the 1.6TD
-cold air intakes

These are just new products and not counting the standard off the shelf products which will be available in the future. I'm sure there are other things I'm forgetting, but that should give you an idea of where things are headed.

[DVST8R]

Good to see! Competition only means better products, and more devolpment for the diesel community!

Best of luck.

[vwmike]

Good to see! Competition only means better products, and more devolpment for the diesel community!

Best of luck.

Thanks for the friendly response. It's nice to see we can all be good sports about this.

I have received a prototype of the pop valve plug. A production run will likely be done soon. It is spun out of a chunk of solid aluminum and a very nice peice if I do say so myself.

Here's a fancy shot of it:


And installation is pretty easy - just put the o-ring on and drop it in where the pop valve goes.


And put the clamp back on:


So far it has held close to 30 psi. I'm quite confident that it can take just about anything most people would be looking to throw at it.

[malone]

I agree with DVST8R; competition means better development for the diesel community!

I'm particularly interested in the CNC machined LDA pins and CNC machined timing covers. Can you tell me more about the LDA pin?

Cheers,
Mark

[vwmike]

I agree with DVST8R; competition means better development for the diesel community!

I'm particularly interested in the CNC machined LDA pins and CNC machined timing covers. Can you tell me more about the LDA pin?

Cheers,
Mark

What would you like to know? I haven't gotten too far on that yet, but the timing cover is drawn up in solid works and the paths should be written soon.

[malone]

Well, LDA pins are really simple so I mostly wanted to see a picture of the CNC machined pin. CNC machined bits are so pretty  :lol: I understand there isn't a production run yet. I also wonder what your goal is with the pin, is it going to be as aggressive as possible? Are you going to offer variations?

[vwmike]

Different versions of the pin may come along eventually, but my hopes are to allow more variation in the fueling. The way the stock pin is shaped you can either have more or less fuel all the time rather than less fuel off boost and more fuel under boost which would promote better mileage without compromising performance.

To get the max enrichment on my car I have to deal with low speed smoke. That's something I think most people would rather not deal with and pay for.

[malone]

Different versions of the pin may come along eventually, but my hopes are to allow more variation in the fueling. The way the stock pin is shaped you can either have more or less fuel all the time rather than less fuel off boost and more fuel under boost which would promote better mileage without compromising performance.

To get the max enrichment on my car I have to deal with low speed smoke. That's something I think most people would rather not deal with and pay for.

So the taper on the pin will be curved instead of straight? That would be interesting.

I'm not sure about the "more or less fuel all the time" comment on the stock pin, to an extent. Adjusting the starwheel will change fueling at low boost effectively while minimizing the fueling change at high boost (more than 10 PSI stock). Different LDA springs will help too.

I'm not trying to be negative, I just find this really interesting (and I might buy one of your CNC machined pins depending on how it looks). For my application I'd want the smallest diameter of the pin to be SMALL for max. fueling and it would sit right at the outer diameter edge. It'd resemble a standing tree hacked 90% by an axe, just about to fall over. Not the hourglass form that a stock 1.6TD pin has.

Quality metal + CNC will be less likely to snap so the thinner diameter could be achieved more safely.

[vwmike]

Different versions of the pin may come along eventually, but my hopes are to allow more variation in the fueling. The way the stock pin is shaped you can either have more or less fuel all the time rather than less fuel off boost and more fuel under boost which would promote better mileage without compromising performance.

To get the max enrichment on my car I have to deal with low speed smoke. That's something I think most people would rather not deal with and pay for.

So the taper on the pin will be curved instead of straight? That would be interesting.

I'm not sure about the "more or less fuel all the time" comment on the stock pin, to an extent. Adjusting the starwheel will change fueling at low boost effectively while minimizing the fueling change at high boost (more than 10 PSI stock). Different LDA springs will help too.

I'm not trying to be negative, I just find this really interesting (and I might buy one of your CNC machined pins depending on how it looks). For my application I'd want the smallest diameter of the pin to be SMALL for max. fueling and it would sit right at the outer diameter edge. It'd resemble a standing tree hacked 90% by an axe, just about to fall over. Not the hourglass form that a stock 1.6TD pin has.

Quality metal + CNC will be less likely to snap so the thinner diameter could be achieved more safely.

Rotating the pin does not change the onset of fuel (curve) so much as it just determines where the minimum and maximum  points are located in relation to the throttle linkage. By rotating the pin in the direction to increase fueling you are not only affecting the maximum fueling, but also the point in which the LDA begins to limit fuel when not in boost. This can be adjusted a bit through the starwheel as you said and through the smoke screw on the top. However, the fact remains that the limiting point can only be changed so much. I would like the new pin to restore the more conservative off boost limiting while exhibiting an even more aggressive maximum fuel rate. This way smoke will be less when you're driving around town and it will improve your mileage, but when you need the fuel it's there with immediate and aggressive fueling under boost.

[malone]

I'm aware that rotating most stock TD pins do not change the curve, I was referring to the starwheel. I also agree that it is limited. A vertically curved taper on the pin will also alter the fueling curve but I realize it's unneeded.

Perhaps you can offer a set of springs with the LDA pin, each having different tension. The LDA pin can have the most aggressive taper as physically possible and then the user will swap springs until it suits his/her setup best. It can go from smoke-free in a stock IDI (stiff spring) to max fueling possible (light spring), if desired. This might be a complete package that appeals to everyone.

If a max LDA pin travel stop is needed then thicker washers could be offered (and it's cheap).

In my setup I have 2 LDA springs, one tall and one short. The LDA pin is quite aggressive. It works extremely well (stock fuel off boost, 100% fuel under boost unless the spring is stiffer). The reason why I have two springs is because they're OEM (AFAIK), combined for more stiffness to compensate for the shorter and more aggressive taper. A single custom spring will do the same job.

Perhaps I'm nit-picking..  :oops:

[vwmike]

Offering a replacement spring has definitely crossed my mind, but I have yet to measure the rate of the stock spring or seek a replacement for it. One thing is that adjusting the starwheel up or down also affects the spring rate in a sense because it preloads the spring. This allows some adjustment, but a couple of spring options wouldn't be a bad idea.

[malone]

Cool, I have another question if you don't mind:

-more variety in TDI nozzles including a new proprietary design

8-hole? Custom name/part# engraving?

[vwmike]

Cool, I have another question if you don't mind:

-more variety in TDI nozzles including a new proprietary design

8-hole? Custom name/part# engraving?

I already offer nozzles with my own custom engraving on them. There is a 6 hole coming down the pike right now which I will be testing soon.

[malone]

Sweet! I wonder how well that'll work concerning the TDI piston combustion bowl design.

[vwmike]

GTD nozzles are now (finally) back in stock!



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