P-Flow/Air Bath Discovery LONG BUT WORTH IT!!!!

[Bryan Billings <vwxcross@worldnet.att.net>]

Ok, I know this may be long so bare with me.  I went down and was
looking at the 98 GTI VR6's for my wife. I know that they are a little 
quicker but the range was different than my Jetta VR6.  I have the
P-flow with the air bath setup and the Neuspeed Chip. I was tired of
having such a poor low end. This engine requires a great deal of back
pressure. I did some experiments with the exhaust and came to the
conclusion that free flowing sucks with out back pressure. Can these two
elements exist in the same environment? I dont think so.  There is a
give and take with both. The best setup for a custom modification was to
leave the big muffler in tact.  This is what provides the back pressure
for the exhaust.  I replaced the second muffler with a 12" K&C straight
Stainless Glass pack and ended it off with a dual ANSA tip.  It really
sounds cool. I drove a friends car with the Auto tech setup and I could
not really feel a difference.  I did something interesting tonight that
dramatically improved my low power range. I took the P-flow off and the
upper portion of the air-bath. I took the stock box and removed the
screen inside along with the connecting outer tube that connects to the
side of the car for air.  Then I connected the Airbath Hose to the inlet
hole and clamped it off.  Actually I didn't make any modifications at
all that were permanent. It is like forcing a great deal of fresh air
into the box. To top it off I went down and got a K&N replacement
element. Dam guys, the Low end is back. I now have torque at low RPM's
in 3rd and 4th gear.  I was having to keep up the RPM"S with the p-flow
setup to get and power then it flattened out at 5500 RPM's.  Now it
continues to pull up to 6400k. The engine really feels smooth now. It
was throaty before but the power response when you guned it without
shifting down was really poor. I like it much better this way.
I think the real key here is cheap modifications besides the chip just
dont get results.  If you are going to do something, replace the cams or
get a supercharger. I eventually may get a bolt on exhaust.
Oh and the best part was coming home from the parts store with my new
K&N element. I still waxed a brand new with sticker still intact BMW
328is.  I shit you not!!! We went all the way from 20mph both in 1st
gear to about 110mph he never led the way once.  We slowed and he gave
me the thumbs up with that maybe I should take this 38 thousand dollar
car back and get one of those looks. His woman in the front seat had her
mouth wide open. I had to stop and literally get out of the car to jump
up and down.  If you guys have this setup try it.  It took about 30 min
and you have nothing to loose.  I started with the stock filter and
still noticed a big difference. the VR6 is starved for CO2, so when you
initially put the p-flow on it is a difference. The CPU over time
adjusts to the CO2 and the power gain is gone.  The gradual loss of
power is hard to see.  This also proves that the mapping of the CPU's
can be allot more aggressive. Oh by the way my gas mileage seems to be
back to. 
Six weeks ago I was in Seattle and when I first got there I swear to god
that comming from 6500 feet in Colorado to Sea Level gave me an extra
25-30 hose initially. I raced a simarly modified Jetta Vr6 and tore him
a new asshole.  Two weeks later while still in Seattle the gain was
gone. The CPU adjusted it self.  I wish I could get that gain back. 
With this latest mod I bet it would really be a kick. Any one want to
buy a P-flow Cheap????

Bryan Billings
97 Jetta VR6