yeti Beti the K04 Yeti.

[Yeti_Man]

Oh how I laughed when the early Yeti owners seemed to have a weird habit of giving their new cars a name. Oh how others laughed when I started reffering to mine as 'Beti the Yeti' soon after I picked her up!

I thought it would be a nice idea to start a Project thread about Beti. Ive owned her since new and she will be three years in April 2013.

Initially, the real draw towards a 4x4 Yeti was due to the appaling ability of my Stage 2+ Octavia II VRS to put the power down in the slightest bit of wet. Before that I'd had a Mk I Octavia 4x4 Turbo which I loved, especially for its grip and abilities in harsh weather. I figured that a Yeti 4x4 would bring together the solidity and refinement of the MK II and the tractive ability of my MK I 4x4. How right I was. :love:

She's been about a bit too! So far she's been to France, Spain, Germany and Belgium multiple times and this year's summer vacation took us on a 5,500 mile adventure in five weeks, with stays in Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Slovenia and Italy. In her first 12 months on the road she covered around 9,500 miles - 5,000+ miles of which were done outside of the UK.

As an all round car, expected to carry out many different duties, Im not sure she can be beat. She is perfectly happy to sit on the Autobahn at 130mph, tackle the snow in Germany and Switzerland, get us down mountains in Spain after torrential rain caused a mud/rockslide, do 14 hours a day on cruise (whilst returning exceptionally good economy for what she is), nip into town for a bit of tight parking exercise and have the back seats removed for a trip to the local Homebase! Also, and this is where most people scoff, the chassis has hidden depths of talent. As an overall car, ive always said the abilities on offer are greater then the sum of the parts. For us, she is the perfect all rounder.

After test driving in excess of 15 other cars over the last six months, Ive decided to keep her as a longer term ownership prospect.

First snow play at home in Hertfordshire:




Daglan, France 2011: (roofbox kindly loaned by Johann 90000)




Altea Hills, Costa Blanca, Spain 2011:




First time to Austria - 2012:




Best daily fuel average achieved:




First time to Engelburg, Switzerland - 2010:




Punta Sabbioni, Cavalinno, Italy




Tuscany, Italy - 2012



12 - 14 hours behind the wheel in a day arent unusual when doing the euro tours:

[Yeti_Man]

Modifications.

Front Brakes - I was never impressed with the undersized 288mm front setup that the 1.8TSi Yeti got as standard so I decided to do an upgrade. I purchased a set of genuine 312mm Skoda Octavia MKII VRS disks and carrier from the local dealer as well as a set of Ferrodo DS2500 pads. Once fitted, they were bedded in according to the manufacturers recommendations and the braking difference, compared to the original factory setup was like comparing night to day. From cold they are just as good as standard but once they have some heat put into them they are exceptional! Brake fluid stayed the same but as its due a change I may go for something better. ATE Super Blue DOT4 is at the top of my list for performance v's practical reasons ie not having to change it every 12 months.

288mm disks coming off...

312mm ones on...

Decorative door entry plates -

I purchased these from a Skoda Dealer in South Germany soon after I bought the car. I really like the detail and finish they add to the sills. They took ten minutes to fit and still look just as good two years on.

Sill without decorative strip in place:

And the rear door ones:

[Yeti_Man]

Shark Performance Stage 1 ECU remap:

I decided to phone Shark for a quote on an ECU remap, primarily, due to the great things customers were saying about them on various forums. Ive had most of the remaps out there on the previous half a dozen or so cars - Superchips Bluefin (x1), Jabbasport (x2), Revo (x4)... (also Omex 700 replacement engine management) so I feel fairly confident I can give a fair review of the product and service I recieved from Shark Performance. At this point, I think its fair to say I was pretty much a Revo man although I did have reservations about how Revo went about achieving their figures, particulalrly with the noticeable additional strain it seemed to put on the drivetrain.

However, I phoned Revo for a chat to see what was possible with my ECU but I wasnt impressed with some of the information. Also, I really cant be doing with companies that spend as much time knocking the competition's products or abilities as they do trying to sell you the virtues of their own product. :think: That was pretty much decision made for me so I gave Shark Performance a call.

Id heard that Shark Performance concentrated on the quality of the real life drive ie how it performed on the road and didnt go chasing peak figures, (which in my eyes are only good for pub talk purposes). This sounded like a good starting point to me so I made that call and spoke to Ben.

Ben was very honest with me in terms of the overall process (ECU out and bench programmed) and what should be expected. I didnt actually tell him what I wanted but I asked what the basic characteristics of the map would be. He explained that it would basically pull far stronger down low and rev out, holding boost for longer but that he could do whatever was required in reality. He didnt start the conversation off with bare figures. From experience, Ive found that my mapped cars that gave good low down and mid range grunt then seemed to get a little breathless right at the top or if a map allowed good performance to the red line, the torque lower down appeared to be weaker. In essence, Ben was actually suggesting it would be my stage 1 remap utopia!! :wonder:

Having now had it on the car now for 25,000 miles, I can confirm it is indeed the perfect stage 1 map - and Im not known for making general sweeping statements like that either! It pulls well from 1500rpm, building nicely in the mid range with the power pushing it hard and quickly towards the red line. The software has performed absolutely flawlessly whether the car is being used in traffic heavy commuting or doing a 6,000 mile euro trip, in every instance its also bettered the fuel economy gained pre remap (however, I fully appreciate that the engine would also have naturally loosened up in that time to provide some mpg benefits as well). Its also worth noting that my clutch and drivetrain in general, all feel as good as they did when I drve the car for the first time!

If ever there was a worry regarding whether the software needed any real life extended durability testing then I believe its had it on my car; over the last summer trip... (cut and pasted from my trip report post)...

"The car performed brilliantly throughout the trip. It literally didnt miss a beat throughout any of it and this journey was the most testing of any id previously completed in her. Some days the car was driven in excess of 13 hours a day. Some days it was driven at a GPS verified 130+mph. Outside temperatures ranged from 36-43 degrees for the majority of it and the A/C was running and maintaining a perfect 22 degrees whenever the panoramic roof wasnt back. I had around 300kg's of camping and touring gear on board and it tackled everything from the smooth tarmac of German autobahns to light off road duties in Croatia. I really couldnt have asked anymore from the car in any respect. Even fuel economy was exceptionally good - getting a best daily consumption figure of 53mpg and above 40mpg overall."

The car doesnt use any oil between services (although thats done every 5 - 6,000 miles at six month intervals with long life oil) and generally just feels bomb proof on the road. I cant say the same for previous remaps regarding clutch slip and getting the power put down smoothly! Its also worth noting that my car gets slightly better fuel consumption figures than a friends 1.4TSi Yeti on surrounding local trips - which rather put his nose out of joint once proved back to back! Bigger engine, bigger turbo, additional weight and transmission losses of the haldex system compared to his fwd setup, quite an achievement in itself really.

It also seems to really make the most of higher octane fuel. Its only ever run on Shell V-Power over here but on the better European stuff (100-103 octane) it seems to to pull just that little bit harder and run even smoother. On cruise it returns exceptional economy.

I noticed that another ECU remapper also started offered a stage 2 ECU tune for the 1.8TSi but Ben wasnt happy to do this to my car as he believed that the turbo would be getting pushed that little bit too hard - again, quite refreshing that a company would rather do whats best in the customers interests rather than make a quick buck!

In terms of actual power and torque outputs with the map, ive never actually had it on a dyno but Im hoping that I'll do this on the next visit to Shark Performance as I hear they're dyno is known to be pretty accurate. If I had to guess (usually Im good at this game...) I'd say its going to be around 210ps and just shy of 300nm.

So overall I cant recommend the product strongly enough. The quality of the software is simply outstanding, the support and customer service experience exceptional! Well done Shark Performance, you've won a customer for life.

[Yeti_Man]

Future plans:

The difficulty in modifying the Yeti is two fold. Firstly, theres not many that have been 'played with' so despite the car utilising different parts from the VAG group parts bin, primarily the Mk5 Golf platform, many aftermarket performance parts manufacturers dont list the Yeti in Application guides and wont confirm that their parts will fit - mainly as they or anybody else has tried!

The second issue is that unlike some of my previous cars, this car covers a bigger spectrum of duties, mainly the occasional off road duty. Therefore I cant improve the handling further by way of an aftermarket lowering kit. I need it to retain the ground clearance and (admittedly pretty limited) axel articulation it comes from the factory with. Also, as I spend so long behind the wheel, I dont want a more solid ride... or maybe Im just getting old?! :think:

Handling - anti roll bar upgrade, front and rear.

Power - The chassis is capable of utilising more so whats not to like? In actual fact, its ultimately additional torque over power I'd like. The one car I feel I got rid of too early was my Mk1 Octavia 4x4 Turbo hatch. With hindsight, I should have kept it and done a big turbo conversion to it as even with 230+bhp, it never even broke into a sweat. Generation 4 haldex is far better than the comparatively snatchy, lazy haldex 2 controller that was fitted to the Octavia.

Braking - The current brakes would be fine for another 30-40 or so ps and lb/ft torque but if I did do something more serious with the car then I'd naturally look to upgrade these further. I'd be very inclined to concentrate on lowering the unsprung weight with this modification also. On my last VRS, I swapped over to the 345mm S3 setup and regreted it, mainly due to how the handling was affected with the car far more noticeably thumping over and into tarmac joins and bad road surfaces.

Transmission - I'd love a lower geared sixth. High speed cruising would be made quieter and more economical.

Appearance - it has to be kept standard. A non sleeper Yeti just looks wrong in my eyes so anything I did Id try to do within the confines of the standard car ie brakes would have to fit under the standard alloys and wouldnt utilise bright red calipers.

[The Hood]

I like the sill protectors, I will be in Aachen in December were they a Skoda part or a special order? I would like to get some if possible.

[Yeti_Man]

They were a special order part and took two days iirc BUT I'm pretty sure they are now fully available via the uk dealer network :-)

EDIT - try here for example...

http://www.theskodashop.co.uk/product/YETI_09_%3E_Door_Sill_Covers_-_Chrome_KDA630002#

[Rsrob]

One very nice yeti

[Yeti_Man]

The car is now with the guys at Shark performance. I will update this thread with progress of work completed as and when its done.

[BigHusky]

Will you be testing the new power output on a rolling road too? (sorry, just read your previous post) Very interesting reading and impressive mpg for the petrol version!

Edited 30 October, 2012 by BigHusky

[Yeti_Man]

Will you be testing the new power output on a rolling road too? (sorry, just read your previous post) Very interesting reading and impressive mpg for the petrol version!

Indeed I will. MPG is insane on a run - tbh - I dont really see how it does it given the facts of weight, transmission drag, being petrol! I got 46mpg on the run up to Shark yesterday so Im hoping the fueling doesnt go out the window with any changes he makes.

[bahnstormer vrs]

Can't wait to hear progress updates.

[Yeti_Man]

First job.... BRAKES... but will they fit behind my standard 17's without spacer?!

I have to totally commend DaveB at Vagbremtechnic and also Jonny at brakecaliperrefurbs.co.uk for the calipers. Stripped, sprayed and rebuilt at short notice (after Porschecalipers.co.uk totally messed me around and then took a very long time to refund me!). The paint finish on the calipers is as good as ive seen and part of his paint process includes a final coat of a composite ceramic finish which will keep them in 'like new' condition for a long time, protecting from brake fluid and require minimal cleaning when washing the car. :-)

[Yeti_Man]

Thank you VAG for making so many bits from the Audi S3, TTS and VW Golf R bolt compatible with the humble Yeti.

S3 Intercooler.

[bahnstormer vrs]

Wow; this is major improvement.

Will you be able to drive it home? Might be difficult with an arm & a leg missing!

[Yeti_Man]

Wow; this is major improvement.

Will you be able to drive it home? Might be difficult with an arm & a leg missing!

I thought you meant due to the wheel possibly not fitting over them! Lol Well it looks as though my research (which included a high degree of guesswork!) has paid off... The standard OE 17's fit with no need for spacers and have around 3-4mm clearance with the alloys spokes. :-)

[vRS19TD]

Nice write up and good to see what you've done.

[rockhopper]

So you will have to get another set of wheels for winter then..... Your 16" wheels won't fit over those weedy looking brakes. :lol:

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Yeti_Man]

So you will have to get another set of wheels for winter then..... Your 16" wheels won't fit over those weedy looking brakes. :lol:

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Lol - theres a few ideas working around that but its not a problem. Shame if I had to sell them as they havent even done 2000 miles! I really think I got lucky with the OE Spitzberg alloy clearing the brakes as apparently most of the Golf boys on 17's have to resort to a spacer - something I didnt want to do!

[Yeti_Man]

Todays news from Ben @ Shark Performance

New Sach Organic Clutch fitted this morning - good for 550nm of torque.

Full Polybush kit being fitted this afternoon (library pic).

These guys clearly arent messing around!!

[BossFox]

Any difference in clutch pedal pressure?

(when you get it back!)

[Yeti_Man]

Any difference in clutch pedal pressure?

(when you get it back!)

Apparently it's very slightly firmer (they have it on Mikkos Golf) which I'm sure will be fine. I've had my fill of paddle clutches over the years so was determined to stay away from them for this car, this time around. :-)

[Llanigraham]

Be interesting to see how the polybushes work.

I fitted some to the Freelander and took them off withing a 1k miles as it made the ride very harsh and increased the interior noise.

[Yeti_Man]

Be interesting to see how the polybushes work.

I fitted some to the Freelander and took them off withing a 1k miles as it made the ride very harsh and increased the interior noise.

That must have been quite a financial hit if it was a complete set that had to be removed! It depends on what spec of compound you go for. Ive had them fitted to a number of cars now, all with positive results overall. I had a fair increase in nvh on one car but I went for the track/performance compound on them as it was perfect for the application in question. For this setup, ive stipulated to Shark that I don't want that in this instance due to how the vehicle is used and what's expected of it. :-)

[Llanigraham]

Polybush Red, like yours, and I sold them to someone building a Rally Freelander so actually didn't loose a lot, plus he gave me some spare rubber LR ones as well.

[Yeti_Man]

Mine aren't red, mine are orange so softer than what you are comparing to. :-) Then again, it's all relative as what some people call harsh, others prefer for the added feedback. :-)