I have been lucky enough to get hold of a Go Faster Bits (GFB) DV+ kit so will be doing some ongoing reporting & reviewing.
What is it?
The GFB Dv+ kit is a kit that has been developed to improve a known possible weakness in the TFSI boost system.
It works by replacing some of the original parts of your DV, whichever revision you may have.
Above the picture clearly illustrates the parts in the kit.
Sales speelLifted from GFB website -
See hereThe solenoid coil itself from the factory-fitted valve is great (the ECU opens it faster than any pneumatic valve so why replace it?), but the weak point however is the valve mechanism itself. So GFB’s DV+ solves this problem by replacing just the valve parts with an anodised billet aluminium housing fitted with a brass piston machined to exacting tolerances.
The end result is sharper throttle response, lightning-fast valve actuation, and it will hold as much boost as you can throw at it. Read all about the DV+ story on the next page.
Other manufacturers’ products involve replacing the entire system with a traditional pneumatic valve, requiring long vacuum hose runs, additional parts for tapping into the intake manifold vacuum, plus either a different solenoid valve to actuate the pneumatic valve or a ballast resistor to plug into the OE wiring loom. All these additional items result in a product that is slower, less responsive, more expensive and takes much longer to install.
GFB’s DV+ solution on the other hand is more responsive, less expensive, easier to install, and doesn’t cause compressor surge/turbo flutter. Oh, and it doesn’t require different springs or frequent re-builds.
Where from?Mine was supplied by Julian at Balance Motorsport
Balance Motorsport Contact PageI have dealt with Balance a couple of times before and Julian has been helpful on the phone and prompt in comms by email.
How Much?The Dv+ Kit is £99 inc Vat
AlternativesRetain OEM standalone DV
Forge DV
Forge Supersize DV
Evoms Dv
and probably quite a few more...
FittingFitting is very straight forward on the Ko4 TFSI. Probably a little more awkward on the Ko3.
Took me a couple of minute max including double checking the O-rings where located correctly and dabbing some oil on the piston with my finger. (Wear gloves)
There is a very clear colour fitting guid in the box.
Just remove this part of your DV and add the DV+ kit as per the picture. (This is the part you would check if you had issues with loss of boost)
Why bother?The rubber diaphragm DVs have been known to split. I have had a Rev C valve split. The ko3 cars might be particularly prone to splitting diaphragms as the DV is nearer the turbo and gets much hotter.
The kit removes the rubber part of the DV and replaces it with a piston, providing a fit and forget reliability upgrade.
Testing With fitting being so easy it will be dead easy to do a back to back at the next track day.
I will be contacting Keith at APR Motorsport this evening about the use of their Dyno for a back to back test also.
So far I have done 10 miles or so (8 Aug). It actually feels like throttle response has picked up a little. The car went very very well. It is a cool evening and there isnt much fuel (read weight) in the car.
On WOT the needle on the boost gauge doesn't quickly flicker as boost climbs like it usually does. The fluttering noise from the engine on WOT seems to have gone too! I have tried my stock and st2+ map.
I have a run to Cheshire and back on Saturday so should give the opportunity for some different driving conditions to feel any noticeable differences.
I am in contact with someone else testing one on a St2+ Cupra too. I will add any of his thoughts and findings ver batum.
Any questions please feel free to ask.