After fannying about for ages I finally made the round trip to Chesterfield where Nino at JBS Auto's had sourced me some KMD fuel pump internals. I'd given up hope of seeing any Autotech internals, so resigned myself to testing out KMD's offering. I'd never been to JBS before despite seeing them at GTi international a few times. The office was tidy, comfortable and the addition of a PS2 with GT3 was pretty welcome! Service received was very good.
The guys at JBS had it fitted within an hour, and it wasn't long before I was rolling back down the M1 towards Daventry in Northants to Revo HQ.
Initial impressions were pretty mixed. Whilst the car felt slightly less sluggish at the top end, it was a mixed bag across the rev range, with moments of inspiration in parts, and then areas where there was something lacking in others. There is that feeling where after you spent some cash you try to convince yourself it was worth the money, and initially that warm feeling was lacking a little. Mindful the car would need to adapt, I rode with it and waited for Revo's input.
As usual the guys at Revo (Kev & Carl) were on top form with customer service. I even got to see the new premises which look as though they will offer fantastic facilties. Coffees and a catch up, whilst Carl went to work on the car. I've recently dropped the DV from my list of options, and reverted to OE unit, so the Carbonia filter and intake / NGK Iridiums are the only mods. I don't have an aftermarket exhaust / downpipe, and with the possibility that the car may go back in 9 months I wasn't going to bung out £1,100 on one as it would be a poor return. Objective of the day was to get the most fun for the remaining 9 months of ownership for a fair outlay.
Kev suggested we try stage 2+ despite the lack of the Milltek / downpipe, and I'm pleased to say that the results are unbelievable. It's no secret that I've always been grossly underwhelmed by the stock power of the S3, and although Revo's excellent stage 1 map provided a great interim solution, the stage 2+ with fuel pump is a revelation. To me there always seemed to be a slight malaise when accelerating hard under load from mid range speeds, particularly accentuated in warm weather where the inlet temps were noticeably higher (in standard mode). Whilst stage 1 optimised the situation available from the OE kit, the new fuel pump with stage 2+ map pulls so much harder to the redline. Gone is the slightly lazy and laboured progress with in gear acceleration, replaced with a sharp raspy surge which just keeps going. Fuel consumption is pretty much like for like, and it's only if you gun it constantly that you see any marked change. The general around town ride remains absolutely composed and well mannered. Overtaking is no longer an activity with any residual fear, instead you'll just shreak with pleasure as the car continues to surprise you with its relentless shove.
Just as a point of note, the OE pump internals showed a slight sign of wear on the tip, but nothing significant or as severe as some internet sites suggest (car is MY07 EA888).
So often, and particularly more recently, I have found than in some cases the cost of modifications can be very high against the benefits you actually get in return. In fact sometimes you can be left wondering whether you are getting any benefit at all. Hand on heart, I can honestly say that this KMD pump with the Stage 2+ map are a match made in heaven. Even minus the full exhaust system it feels every bit the real article, and I'd be fascinated to see what kind of gains I get at the next RWYB (0-100 is unbelievable).
For anyone on the stage 1 set up who wants a great upgrade that is well under £400* (for mere mortals without APR money
), you won't be disappointed. I was very dubious, but a tank full of Optimax later and I feel very pleased that the car will see us out for a great last 9 months. Also got the new Revo Select Switch and was pleased to find it works on Vista (32 bit). In a year when money is less plentiful it was REALLY uplifting to feel that the money had been very well spent.
*Requires Revo Stage 1 at full RRP before Stage 2+ addition can be added.
The guys at JBS had it fitted within an hour, and it wasn't long before I was rolling back down the M1 towards Daventry in Northants to Revo HQ.
Initial impressions were pretty mixed. Whilst the car felt slightly less sluggish at the top end, it was a mixed bag across the rev range, with moments of inspiration in parts, and then areas where there was something lacking in others. There is that feeling where after you spent some cash you try to convince yourself it was worth the money, and initially that warm feeling was lacking a little. Mindful the car would need to adapt, I rode with it and waited for Revo's input.
As usual the guys at Revo (Kev & Carl) were on top form with customer service. I even got to see the new premises which look as though they will offer fantastic facilties. Coffees and a catch up, whilst Carl went to work on the car. I've recently dropped the DV from my list of options, and reverted to OE unit, so the Carbonia filter and intake / NGK Iridiums are the only mods. I don't have an aftermarket exhaust / downpipe, and with the possibility that the car may go back in 9 months I wasn't going to bung out £1,100 on one as it would be a poor return. Objective of the day was to get the most fun for the remaining 9 months of ownership for a fair outlay.
Kev suggested we try stage 2+ despite the lack of the Milltek / downpipe, and I'm pleased to say that the results are unbelievable. It's no secret that I've always been grossly underwhelmed by the stock power of the S3, and although Revo's excellent stage 1 map provided a great interim solution, the stage 2+ with fuel pump is a revelation. To me there always seemed to be a slight malaise when accelerating hard under load from mid range speeds, particularly accentuated in warm weather where the inlet temps were noticeably higher (in standard mode). Whilst stage 1 optimised the situation available from the OE kit, the new fuel pump with stage 2+ map pulls so much harder to the redline. Gone is the slightly lazy and laboured progress with in gear acceleration, replaced with a sharp raspy surge which just keeps going. Fuel consumption is pretty much like for like, and it's only if you gun it constantly that you see any marked change. The general around town ride remains absolutely composed and well mannered. Overtaking is no longer an activity with any residual fear, instead you'll just shreak with pleasure as the car continues to surprise you with its relentless shove.
Just as a point of note, the OE pump internals showed a slight sign of wear on the tip, but nothing significant or as severe as some internet sites suggest (car is MY07 EA888).
So often, and particularly more recently, I have found than in some cases the cost of modifications can be very high against the benefits you actually get in return. In fact sometimes you can be left wondering whether you are getting any benefit at all. Hand on heart, I can honestly say that this KMD pump with the Stage 2+ map are a match made in heaven. Even minus the full exhaust system it feels every bit the real article, and I'd be fascinated to see what kind of gains I get at the next RWYB (0-100 is unbelievable).
For anyone on the stage 1 set up who wants a great upgrade that is well under £400* (for mere mortals without APR money
), you won't be disappointed. I was very dubious, but a tank full of Optimax later and I feel very pleased that the car will see us out for a great last 9 months. Also got the new Revo Select Switch and was pleased to find it works on Vista (32 bit). In a year when money is less plentiful it was REALLY uplifting to feel that the money had been very well spent.*Requires Revo Stage 1 at full RRP before Stage 2+ addition can be added.
Last edited:
