You two still run standard console bushes? 
Get a TTE420 
All this forging stuff is a nice idea, but it's not an infallible suit of armor. It just stops the engine from blowing quite as easily as it would with cast pistons and rods. There is a lot of scaremongery on the TFSI tuning group from members who push things too far by running standard KO4s at 2 bar, mapped in hard cut limiters, anti-lag flames and bangs........and they wonder why they get smoke from their exhausts and break their ring lands.
You don't need to run 400lbft. For one thing the manual box is only rated to 320lbft (by VW themselves) and secondly, sometimes less is more. More traction! 350lbft is mechanically safer but also gives less wheelspin than 400lbft. I've seen people blowing rear diffs on S3s on, surprise surprise, the TFSI group running that kind of torque. So I suppose what I'm rattling on about is, yeah, get a hybrid but don't run it flat out. Keep some headroom there. 
The TTE420 is a decent turbo but im not willing to spend the money on it tbh. there are other people who can rebuild a k04 that is a decent spec for less money. not saying more power that TTE but you get my drift.
I wouldnt want 400+ everyday, id like it keep this below the limit just incase. You alwasy hear of people getting mapped with XXX turbo then end up selling or or breaking it as it develops problems. for me I want the power(not flat out) but more so I want the reliability. All a compromise.
Like you said 350bhp/tq would put a smile on our faces, its just people get a bit greedy for power knowing you can gain more. If I can get 380ish from a rebuild k04, a TTE420 hardly seems worth the cost for an extra 40bhp
I was just being blasé about the TTE420, I know there are plenty of decent alternatives
I chose that turbo mainly because I got it £600 cheaper on Awesome's black Friday, and my KO4 is on it's way out. There's a fair bit of shaft play and it's getting noisy.
It also addresses all of the standard KO4's shortcomings (surging, crap bearings, limited top end etc) whilst spooling just as early and being built to run those kind of shaft speeds. Given a standard turbo is £1000+VAT from VW, £1500 for a 420 is comparatively good value for such a big upgrade, both in terms of build quality and flow. Well, that's how I justify the expense to myself at least
I certainly wouldn't pay the full £2K+ whack for one. I'm with you there.
Yeah I am always suspicious of people spending £1000s on big upgrades and then selling the car a week after completion. What are they not telling us?
I hear that a lot. "What's the point of a TTE420 when a KO4 can do 380-400?". Similarly, why did VW bother with a KO4 on the Edition 30 to make 30hp more than the GTI? It's the garden hose vs fire truck hose flow analogy again. It's all about flow.
Those bigger turbine/compressor wheels kick like a mule, and I would rather make 380hp from less pressure, which doesn't heat the intercooler up as much and is friendlier to the engine. Again, less is more
