SAC VW Golf MKVI

Volkswagen Citi Golf / VW Polo Performance Engine Tune Ups | Power Cylinder Heads | Uni Q Chip Conversions

Steves Auto Clinic have just released a Stage 1 and 2 upgrade package that is now available from any one of their nine branches conveniently situated countrywide for the Volkswagen Golf MKVI.
But bringing a quicker and more tractable car to the market was no straight forward process as the current 155 kW Volkswagen MK6 is not just a factory ‘chipped’ version of the older 147 kW Mk V.

The engine, and more specifically the cylinder head and valve train are completely different to that of the previous GTI.
This meant that there were new tuning challenges to overcome before being able to completely and safely control the electronics of the car, and for this a state of the art Uni Q Chip was used.
A specially made and fitted 306 polished stainless steel 76 mm down pipe and catalytic converter free, free-flow exhaust system from De Graaf was then fitted.
This bespoke exhaust system now not only looks and sounds the part with the SAC logos professionally engraved on the tail pieces, but is also now available as a bolt on system over the counter, with cheaper mild steel options being available too.
The final puzzle in the Stage 1 upgrade was the fitment of an SAC airbox mod that sees more cold air making its way into the 2.0 litre FSI turbocharged engine for better all round performance.
This upgrade sees the power increase by around 15% and can be done in a single day at any one of our branches situated countrywide.
The cost varies depending on the quality of exhaust system you fit and whether you opt for a removable Power Plug unit over a hard wired Uni Q Chip.
The second stage of this project saw the cylinder head being removed, the rough edges being cleaned up, and the compression ratio dropped from a high 10.3.1 to 9.7.1 by removing a few cc’s from the combustion chambers.
The intake camshaft also received some attention so that it was now similar in lift and duration to the exhaust camshaft.
This option was done more for development sake than outright power, and there is only a marginal further 3% gain in overall power, and most of this gained by being able to add some extra timing due to the reduced compression.
None the less, you can opt to go this route if you want the most reliable horsepower that can be gained from a MK VI GTI without adding bigger turbos and intercoolers.
These upgrades translate into a GTI that makes around 180 kW and 330 Nm, up from 155 and 280 respectively!
Make no mistake; the GTI is already a very quick car in standard trim and gets to 100 km/h in 7 seconds, does the 1km sprint at 196 km/h and goes on to a true top speed of 240 km/h.
This is quick enough to see off Opel’s Astra OPC, Ford’s Focus ST and Mazda 3’s MPS, all substantially more powerful machines.
But the SAC GTI, which we had independently tested, now puts you in a position to tackle the likes of Audi’s mighty all wheel drive 188 kW / 350 Nm S3 Sportback, which by the way is what we put our car up against, and the outcome was nothing short of impressive!