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Intro Dynamometers are a tool at the heart of the tuning and automotive industry. Being able to measure the power an engine produces is the only way to get a good indication of how much difference your new turbo, injectors or remap has really made. The power figures and graphs produced are the source of much speculation, competition and controversy in the industry. This is made worse by a general culture of misunderstanding by the public, which can be taken advantage of by those in the tuni …

Our first ever race since acquiring a National B Licence took place on the 15th of April in our Red (and a bit black) TDi Ibiza We decided to enter the MSV TDC as the rules are fairly relaxed and a diesel car can still give the petrol cars a run for their money. It also works well for 2 driver teams, as it is a 45 minute race with a mandatory 2 minute pit stop, which allows for a driver change. The class structure is based upon Power to Weight ratio which is a very good way of k …

Over the past few years we have tuned a lot of PPD engines and suffered many problems along the way.These share pretty much all of the hard engine components as the BKD, but both engines have totally different issues, especially when we begin to tune them.InjectorsThe PPD engine run on a Siemens / Continental Injection and Management system. When these cars were fairly new, the Siemens injectors failed regularly. As soon as cars were out of warranty customers were faced with £300 per injector fa …

Some of you may already know and hopefully most people wont, this project was purchased by Darkside From Clive ( missingmyvrs - Briskoda Forum) the week before Christmas 2017. He purchased the car from Richard (BossFox - Briskoda Forum), here is the previous thread - https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/243854-citigo-go-a-citigo-with-more-go/. We were alerted to the availability of the car by a random Facebook message and within a couple of days the trip ‘darn sarth’ was schedu …

Imagine a small black box and a couple of cables. You open the bonnet of your car, locate the correct plugs, and plug it in. Secure the box somewhere safe in the engine bay. Instantly you have more power, torque and better fuel economy. There is absolutely no risk to your engine whatsoever, the gains are comparable to a remap, and it’s totally undetectable - if you need to take your car back to the dealer, just unplug the box and it will be like it was never there. Diesel tuning boxes make all t …

Here at Darkside we specialise in diesel vehicles. From a customer point of view, Diesel engines are torquey, strong and respond well to tuning, while maintaining fuel economy that tuned petrol cars can only dream of. So how and why do diesel engines perform in this way?WHAT IS A DIESEL ENGINE?As most people know, a diesel engine runs on diesel fuel. Like petrol, it comes from crude oil, but it is a heavier fuel, and is less volatile (does not form a vapour as easily). Diesel fuel is injected di …

It’s hard to talk about diesel engines and diesel tuning without talking about smoke. Whether you are prepared to tolerate a little smoke for maximum performance or you like to stay under the radar with a smoke free tune, it is a topic of much debate, and there is a lot more to it than you may think.BLACK SMOKEVisible smoke from the exhaust of a vehicle is not exclusive to diesels, but it is the black smoke produced from some tuned diesel vehicles which most of us think of when we talk about smo …

The MAP Sensor is one of many critical sensors the Engine Control Unit (ECU) uses to help run the engine effectively and safely. The MAP Sensor itself is talked about a lot in the aftermarket tuning scene, because it is one of the most common sensors which needs changing when modifying a vehicle. We receive up to 30 phone calls per month regarding these relatively simple sensors - hopefully this article will tell you everything you need to know!The MAP Sensor measures Manifold Absolute Pressure. …

One of the first clues to a big power build is catching a glimpse of a front mounted intercooler through the front bumper. Most people know that any boosted car benefits hugely from being intercooled, with almost all turbocharged engines having some sort of intercooler from the factory. Some factory intercoolers are fairly effective, but even lightly tuned cars can benefit from an aftermarket setup, and as with many modifications, power is only part of the story. In very basic terms, mak …