VW Jetta TDI Performance & Economy Upgrades - Part V

People often ask us if it's worth their money and their time installing performance diesel parts like cold air intakes, programmers and exhaust systems.  We wanted to help newcomers and skeptics alike see that there really is money to be saved and a better driving experience waiting for them with just a few easy to install aftermarket upgrades.  Obviously for many VW TDI owners, diesel fuel economy is a primary motivation.

This is the 5th and concluding blog post about installing an AFE intake into a 2012 VW Jetta TDI Sedan.   If you haven't read them yet, we recommend starting at the beginning with the 1st Post.  If you've already viewed parts 1 through 4, read on.

In part 4, we measured an increase in fuel economy of 2.48 MPG on a mostly uphill trip of 217 miles from St. George Utah to Ely Nevada.  While in Ely the car was used so little that we didn't put more fuel into it after our fill up with the odometer at 1141 miles.  Here's a picture again of that odometer reading with a full tank of fuel.

On the trip back to St. George we again drove normally, averaging about 72 mph.  Temperatures were very nice, with about 55 degrees in Ely and 85 degrees when we arrived in St. George.  We didn't fill the tank up until the next day, and when we did the odometer was now at 1363 miles.

So the total trip distance was 1361 minus 1141, or 222 miles.  On our original test trip with the stock Jetta TDI, we had driven 220 miles.  The difference in trips was due to a very small amount of around town driving while in Ely.  Now let's check out the amount of fuel pumped.

With 222 miles driven on 5.012 gallons of diesel fuel, the return trip with the AFE 2.0L TDI intake installed works out to 44.29 miles per gallon.  In blog post 2 of this series, we reported fuel mileage of 41.30 mpg with the stock Jetta sedan.  So with the AFE intake our fuel mileage increase by 2.99 mpg on this trip.  

Just like before, we decided to figure out a combined mpg trip average.  439 total miles traveled (217 going, 222 coming) with 10.646 gallons of diesel used (5.634 going + 5.012 returning) equates to a trip average of 41.23 mpg.  The original trip average was 38.50 mpg, meaning with the AFE cold air intake we improved our overall fuel economy by 2.73 mpg.  And, we had better power and improved turbo spool.  

With results like these, we're convinced that adding an AFE cold air intake is one of the easiest and best ways to get improved VW TDI performance.

Next up, we're excited to test this car out on the soon to be released all new Diesel Power modules for 2012 & 2013 2.0L TDI's.  We're being told a pre-Christmas release date is likely, and since just like many of you we've been waiting over a year for this exciting upgrade, we can't wait!   The new Diesel Power modules for 2011 2.0L TDI's should be available in limited quantities by the 10th of December.  And all preliminary testing shows great driving characteristics, 20% torque gains, and fuel economy improvements too!

S.E.M.A. 2012 Award Winning Vehicles

One of the best things about being involved in the aftermarket performance diesel parts business is being able to participate in exciting industry conventions where we get to see all of the latest and greatest gadgets and inventions from all of the top manufacturers.  The pinnacle of these get-togethers is the SEMA or Specialty Equipment Market Association convention in Las Vegas each fall.  What better way to spend a week than meeting with old friends and making new ones, all while getting to eyeball literally 1000's of show trucks, muscle cars, off road beasts, you name it. From Ferrari's to F-350's it's all at S.E.M.A.

Each year we like to post pictures of some of our favorites from the S.E.M.A. convention, but to start we thought we would first show you which vehicles took home the coveted SEMA Awards.

Check out our blog in the coming months to see a bunch of pictures of our personal favorites from S.E.M.A.  Now we have to get back to work, and dream about next fall when we get to go to Vegas again.  Until then, give us a call or check out our website for a great selection of diesel tuners, cold air intakes, diesel exhaust systems, and all your diesel performance needs.

VW Jetta TDI Performance & Economy Upgrades - Part III

In order to determine what kind of fuel economy gain, if any, would be achieved by adding different performance diesel parts to our 2012 VW Jetta TDI, we first established a baseline MPG reading of  38.5 MPG on a stock diesel with an automatic transmission.  (See previous blog posts parts 1 & 2).  Now it was time to add a cold air intake, and we went with one of the best.  We've had consistent success over the years with cold air intakes from Advanced Flow Engineering, or AFE, and their intake for 2009-2013 2.0L TDI's is no exception.

The first thing that really stands out when looking at the stock air filter, is the almost shocking thickness.  Measuring a whopping 3 inches thick and made from a pleated paper filtering topped off with a thin (about 1/4" inch) layer of gauze, it's no wonder optimal airflow just isn't there with the OE filter.

In contrast, the AFE intake filter itself is of course conical in shape, allowing for a bigger surface area.  It also isn't nearly so thick, approximately 1/4 to 3/8 of an inch, and the pleats are more open than on the original VW filter.  AFE offers multiple filter material choices, both oiled and dry.  We went with their Pro Guard 7 oiled filter.  Here's what the filter looks like.

And here's what the filter would look like installed.

With high filtration rates (high 98% for the 5 layer oiled cotton Pro 5 R filter, 99.2% for the 2 layer synthetic oil-free Pro Dry S, and 99.7% for the Pro Guard 7), and up to a 56% increase in airflow, it stands to reason that AFE cold air intakes will deliver power and fuel economy gains.  In our next post, we'll take another trip back to Ely Nevada.  With this 2.0L VW TDI intake installed we hope to see some kind of fuel economy gain.

Just one quick note; the addition of the AFE intake made a noticeable difference in reducing turbo lag off the line.  The car just drives better, both at lower speeds, and on the freeway.  Throttle response is improved, and the car is already more fun to drive!  

For all your VW TDI performance needs, shop Parleys Diesel Performance.

VW Jetta TDI Performance & Economy Upgrades

"What fuel economy gains can I expect from this upgrade on my diesel?"  That's a question we hear many times every day, so we've decided to do some rudimentary tests for some of our most popular aftermarket diesel performance parts and report the results back to you via this blog.  

Let's start by looking at a 2012 VW Jetta 2.0L TDI Sedan with an automatic transmission.  Our test car is basically brand new, with less than 250 miles on it.  The first thing we wanted to do is establish a baseline mileage reading on the bone stock vehicle.  To do this we used a trip of approximately 217 miles from St. George Utah (elevation 2941) to Ely Nevada (elevation 6427).  On August 9th 2012, we filled the fuel tank and took a picture of the odometer.

With 244 miles on the odometer, we hit the road with a full tank of diesel with no additives.  Temperature that day was about 100 degrees Fahrenheit in southern Utah.  With 3 people and luggage for a weekend trip, we had about 800 pounds in the car.  The drive is mostly in rural, farmland, or even high Great Basin desert terrain, with minimal traffic and only a handful of stops.  The average speed on the trip was about 70-75 mph, and it seemed that if we had kept to about 65-70 mph our rpm's would have been in a better fuel economy "sweet spot."  However, we just wanted to get where we were going, so mileage wasn't worried about - we just went the speed limit, or maybe a little over. 

After getting to central Nevada, we refilled the tank.

The odometer was now showing 461 miles.  

The receipt from our fill up in Ely showed that we had used 6.022 gallons of diesel.

So the math works like this; 461 miles on the odometer minus 244 miles on the odometer at the start of the trip equals 217 miles traveled on 6.022 gallons of diesel fuel.  Dividing 217 miles by 6.022 gives us a final trip average of 36.03 miles per gallon.

Since this trip takes you up over 3000 feet in elevation we were interested to see what fuel mileage it would get on the return trip with lots of downhill stretches of road.  We're also curious to see what effect "breaking in the engine" over the next year will have on fuel economy.  

Join us for our next blog post where we show you the numbers from our return "downhill" trip with the stock Jetta TDI sedan at the end of the weekend drive.  Thank you.  And don't forget to shop Parleys Diesel Performance for all your VW TDI performance needs.

Banks Ram-Air Intake System for 2010-2012 Dodge Ram 6.7L Cummins

If you own a 2010-2012 Dodge Ram truck with a 6.7L Cummins Diesel engine and have been looking for a sweet deal on a new intake system - Parleys Diesel Performance has one (1) Banks Ram-Air Intake System (Part #42180) available as an "Open Box Item" at the heavily discounted price of $299.00!

Banks Ram-Air Intake System #42180 - $299.00

The intake system is in "New/Like New" condition and includes Free shipping to the Continental U.S. This intake system normally sells for $410.97 which means you save almost $112 off of retail pricing!  To order this open box item, call our sales staff during during our business hours (9am - 5pm M-F MST) at 801-938-4891 Option 1.

Be sure to shop Parleys Diesel Performance for your Cummins performance parts and any other diesel performance part needs.

Smarty Tuning Now Available For 2010-2012 6.7L Cummins Diesel Trucks

Parleys Diesel Performance is pleased to now offer 2010-2012 6.7L Cummins diesel owners the Smarty and Smarty Jr. Programmers from MADS Electronics.

For all you 2010-2012 6.7L Cummins Diesel owners that have been waiting for a Smarty to get the most power and torque while increasing your fuel economy, your wait is finally over - MADS Electronics has recently released the Smarty Programmer S-67.

Smarty S-67 Key Features:

• Comes with MADS’ famous CaTCHER software
• Ten different performance levels
• Fuel economy improved by up to 15%
• Not traceable in stock setting. Smarty leaves no footprint.
• Reads Diagnostic Trouble Codes in plain text
• Fastest tune download times in the industry
• Programmable parameters for fine tuning
• ABS tire height updates in just seconds
• Manual High-Idle is enabled in all softwares
• Easy installation, with no tools required, no fuses to pull
• USB built in for simple updates from internet
• Programmable Speed Limiter from 25 to 250 mph

MADS Electronics also recently updated the Smarty Jr. Programmer J-67 with tuning for all 2012 Ram trucks with the 6.7L Cummins diesel engine.

Smarty Junior J-67 Key Features:

• Comes with MADS’ famous CaTCHER software
• Three different performance levels: 40HP / 70HP / 100HP
• Fuel economy improved by up to 15%
• Power on Demand function – change your hp on the fly!
• Reads Diagnostic Trouble Codes in plain text
• Fastest tune download times in the industry
• ABS tire height updates in just seconds
• Manual High-Idle is enabled in all softwares
• Easy installation, with no tools required, no fuses to pull
• USB built in for simple updates from internet
• Programmable parameters for fine tuning

If you own a Dodge Ram truck with a Cummins Diesel, you need a Smarty Programmer!  Just ask any true Cummins diesel enthusiast which available programmer makes the most power, has the best tunes, and gives the biggest increases in fuel economy, and they will all tell you the same thing - Smarty!

To get your own Smarty Programmer and for all your diesel performance upgrades, shop Parleys Diesel Performance.

More SEMA 2011 Trucks...

We can't wait to see what SEMA 2012 has to offer in the way of new diesel performance parts!  Until then, each week we'll post a few more of our favorite diesel truck photos taken at SEMA 2011.

We love the clean look of this Ram truck.  Judging by the H&S Performance sticker on the back, this is probably a real sleeper with tons of Cummins performance upgrades under the hood.

Parleys Diesel Performance also carries Powerstroke performance upgrades that will take your Ford truck to great heights!

The owner of this truck loves Duramax performance parts.  That's a super sick lift and suspension system he's got there. 


You can check out more SEMA photos on our Facebook page.


Visit Parleys Diesel Performance for all your diesel performance upgrades!

Diesel Vehicle Sales On The Rise

We love diesels. We love the power, the torque, that sweet diesel sound, and the potential for great fuel economy - potential that can be realized simply by installing diesel performance parts on our vehicles. That being said...we came across this interesting article and video yesterday regarding diesel fuel mileage and vehicle sales:

Fox News - Energy In America: Diesel Fueled Cars Making Comeback

Parleys Diesel Performance carries a large selection of diesel performance products to help you increase your diesel fuel mileage. We highly recommend installing a performance diesel cold air intake, diesel exhaust system, and a diesel tuner or programmer to help you get the most out of your diesel!

Visit us today for all your diesel performance upgrades and maximize your vehicle's fuel economy potential.