yeti Beti the K04 Yeti.

[Yeti_Man]

Have you done it yet?

hi John, no, haven't done it yet I'm afraid. I am still awaiting a couple of bushes that didnt ship in time so I spent the day on my other car I'm afraid (bilstein B12's, new front brake setup). As soon as I get to do the Yeti I'll report back here but I'm short of free Saturdays for the next four at least! :(

[j0hn]

At least you got something done!

What do you think you'll have to do to reduce the pad thickness?

 

[flybynite]

Have you done it yet?

 

I'd also be interested to find out how well this works

[bahnstormer vrs]

Right Guy, part numbers are as follows:

 

VAG OE shortened bump stops: 3C0511359B

Rear strut mounts: 3C0513353DS1

Uprated bearing set for top strut mount: VKD 35025 T (BY SKF)

B6 Dampers: 35-158714 / 24-172936

 

Hi Lee - hope you don't mind the following comments in Beti's thread. 

 

Following on from the above I eventually got around to dealing with the shocks for Kevin and he now has a resplendent set of Bilstein B6s fitted (last Thursday) along with the Passat Sport rear bump stops; I decided to leave out changes to top mounts.  Very many thanks for the part numbers.

 

Whilst I have yet to do some proper 'brisk' motoring I have noticed an immediate improvement with the B6s. 

 

I've had eibach springs fitted for the last 18 months or more and with OE shocks I'd always reckoned they were mismatched with the shocks not being strong enough.  Moreover, in recent months Kevin had started pitching around on bumps and M'way undulations; I'm sure therefore the OE shocks were getting weak. Additionally, over minor road surface imperfections (small potholes etc.) the ride had become incredibly harsh and crashy.

 

With the B6s all that has gone. 

 

Yes: I can clearly feel they are a strong shock absorber but they are not stiff (unlike Koni Sport and FSDs I've had in the past on other cars).  Ride comfort is excellent, certainly every bit as good as a Yeti on OE springs (remember I've got Koni lowered ones) and body control is great, having lost all sense of floatiness and pitching; it is now really stable.

 

On the bump stop front, my OE rear bump stops were barely worn; likely a legacy of me rarely driving laden, but I fitted the Passat Sport rear ones.  I bought a pair of OE front bump stops, just for the hell of it, but then found that the piston/shaft of the Bilsteins is so fat they won't fit!  So I've gone without at the front.  Re-looking carefully at your photos it appears you have done the same; is that so?

 

Overall, albeit with a bit more testing to do, I'm already thinking that I've done a really good setup change and one of the better ones I've done over the years; B6s really suit the Yeti.  Thanks again for your comments, advice and acting as Guinea Pig.

 

All I need now are some new summer tyres in a month or so and have pre-bought some Michelin Pilot Super Sports for this.

 

Thanks again.

 

Guy

[Yeti_Man]

Hi Lee - hope you don't mind the following comments in Beti's thread. 

 

Following on from the above I eventually got around to dealing with the shocks for Kevin and he now has a resplendent set of Bilstein B6s fitted (last Thursday) along with the Passat Sport rear bump stops; I decided to leave out changes to top mounts.  Very many thanks for the part numbers.

 

Whilst I have yet to do some proper 'brisk' motoring I have noticed an immediate improvement with the B6s. 

 

I've had eibach springs fitted for the last 18 months or more and with OE shocks I'd always reckoned they were mismatched with the shocks not being strong enough.  Moreover, in recent months Kevin had started pitching around on bumps and M'way undulations; I'm sure therefore the OE shocks were getting weak. Additionally, over minor road surface imperfections (small potholes etc.) the ride had become incredibly harsh and crashy.

 

With the B6s all that has gone. 

 

Yes: I can clearly feel they are a strong shock absorber but they are not stiff (unlike Koni Sport and FSDs I've had in the past on other cars).  Ride comfort is excellent, certainly every bit as good as a Yeti on OE springs (remember I've got Koni lowered ones) and body control is great, having lost all sense of floatiness and pitching; it is now really stable.

 

On the bump stop front, my OE rear bump stops were barely worn; likely a legacy of me rarely driving laden, but I fitted the Passat Sport rear ones.  I bought a pair of OE front bump stops, just for the hell of it, but then found that the piston/shaft of the Bilsteins is so fat they won't fit!  So I've gone without at the front.  Re-looking carefully at your photos it appears you have done the same; is that so?

 

Overall, albeit with a bit more testing to do, I'm already thinking that I've done a really good setup change and one of the better ones I've done over the years; B6s really suit the Yeti.  Thanks again for your comments, advice and acting as Guinea Pig.

 

All I need now are some new summer tyres in a month or so and have pre-bought some Michelin Pilot Super Sports for this.

 

Thanks again.

 

Guy

Good to hear. I'm loving mine I have to say. I've just done B12's on the Fiesta and it feels even more matched ie the B8 -20mm struts and eibach -30mm springs but I think the B6's suit the character or the Yeti better and what's its primarily used for. The shortened Passat rear bumpstops could probably be left as standard but I have a few well laden long euro trips planned in the car in the next 18 months so I did it for the sake of it really although my others had made contact previously. In terms of front bumpstops - you don't use them with either B6 or B8 dampers as they have them built in, internally. However, I certainly would have done the uprated strut mounts. I'm convinced of the benefits and they aren't any noisier etc - my sort of upgrade, improvements with no downsides.

I've certainly found quickened wear on Skoda OE dampers when used with aftermarket lowering springs. IMO shocks are one of the places Skoda save some money so an upgrade of this part makes even more sense. Tyres wise I'll probably go with Michelin PS3's again when the time comes.

[bahnstormer vrs]

Very much appreciate your comments Lee; thanks.

 

I'd read previously of you doing laden, continental trips hence the rear bump stop usage; Kevin rarely has more than me on board.  Mind you, its very comforting to know that bump stops are integral to the B6s. :clap:

 

I'm sure you're correct about the top mounts, I might think about changing mine at some stage although it is now quite a job for a small part.

 

On the tyre front you'll likely be fine with PS3s; its just that STS TyrePros in Stevenage Old Town whom I've used for many years (same group as KwikFit by the way) have the Pilot Super Sports in the 225/45 18 95Y that I use at a very competitive price right now.

 

Keep up the good work with Beti.

 

Guy

[j0hn]

Did you ever fit a set of Cayman S pads to the car?

I ask as I've seen Addiction Motorsport on ebay are selling ready-machined DS2500s to go straight into the calipers for 986 BBK converted VW/Skoda.

 

I'm assuming the discs you used are standard Brembo of the type found in GSF and the like?

[Yeti_Man]

Hi John, I'm afraid not as I've been away enjoying the Greek hospitatility for a few weeks - back on 2nd June when I'll likely start picking up the left over jobs on the Yeti during the following couple of weekends. Good to hear you can buy them ready done though - makes it a far easier mod for more people to do! And yes, the disks are Brembos plain disks - a far better casting quality imo than pagid via ECP etc and no grooves or holes/dimples which is my preference.

[flybynite]

Did you ever fit a set of Cayman S pads to the car?

I ask as I've seen Addiction Motorsport on ebay are selling ready-machined DS2500s to go straight into the calipers for 986 BBK converted VW/Skoda.

 

I'm assuming the discs you used are standard Brembo of the type found in GSF and the like?

Do you have an ebay link for them or an item number, would be interested in them myself, had a look and a search but couldnt find anything?

 

Thanks

[Yeti_Man]

A quick update on the car as an unexpected small miracle occurred... I found myself with a free Saturday afternoon! 

 

I had a set of bushes and set of front and rear brakes sitting in the shed ready to go but I was only going to get time to do one of the other...

 

I'll be heading back off to Snowdonia again in a fortnight and wanted the car to be spot on. The brakes could do with a refresh but the pads still have sufficient material for a good few thousand miles and more importantly, the car still brakes 100% so I turned my attention to the bushes.

 

As readers of the thread will know, i'm not a fan of the Polybush polyurethane bushes. They may claim to be the 'world leaders' in their field but quite frankly, my experience says anything but that. I've had Powerflex bushes on most previous cars and never had so much as a single bush failure. On the Yeti, with the Polybush bushes in place, I've had to replace four bushes already - that's in 20,000 miles - a product the company claims offers "Fit & forget - Excellent longevity"   

 

​In short, I've been modifying cars since I was 21 and I've never before regretted doing a modification as much as these. My gut instinct told me to leave the bushes standard originally as I hadn't had any issue but sadly I didn't go with my gut on this one. (Very unlike me tbh) Not only has the product been well below par in terms of outright quality, the company is absolutely dire to deal with. The one warranty replacement bush took weeks to arrive (so much so, that I've actually paid out myself for the last three that needed replacing rather deal with the added aggravation) and did I mention the actual company are awful to deal with. They appear not to have a clue what the other hand is doing and make promises they cant keep. At telling them how unhappy I was with certain aspects of the product Colin offered me a refund... this was confirmed not once but on three consecutive phone calls by him... (and he's not an easy man to get hold of either!)... but this was withdrawn when I eventually took him up on the offer. So again, not a great company to deal with given my experience of them and their products.

 

So, the bushes had to come off. On Saturday I discovered there was actually so much play in the nearside rear wheel that even the use of the impact gun for removing the wheel bolts made it move fore and aft! After further investigation, it also appeared to be that several of the bushes now had excessive movement, it wasn't down to just one.

 

Going back to standard bushes was the plan but I had to bear in mind that these would have taken longer to do (as they arent split like aftermarket bushes). This time I did a lot of reading up on the topic. Super Pro bushes seemed to be very well rated within the VW community and they are the product range my garage owning mate supplies to clients with no comeback or issues... so I took a punt on them. £400 for the rear kit was a little rich but I bit the bullet. Only time will tell if the product has the longevity promised by the makers but in terms of a visual comparison to the Polybushes, the quality is outstanding.

 

 

Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to take too many photos as we really had to push on and get the job done (properly) in the four hours we had...

 

What was clear though was that there was simply too much wear and movement going on in the (orange) 20,000 mile old (and even newer, replaced) Polybush bushes.

 

 

Out with the old, in with the new...

 

 

 

 

Some of the removed bushes were extremely dry and showed signs of what appeared to be oxidization...

 

 

And into the bin they go... best place for them imo.

 

 

 

As mentioned above, the look and feel of the new Super Pro bushes are incomparable to the Polybush ones. They are firmer without a doubt but there appear to be no compromises on the road. Admittedly I've only covered around 70 miles over the weekend but it feels so well sorted its untrue. It feels far better than it ever has, even compared to when the other bushes were new. There doesn't appear to be any more vibration into the cabin and noise is no worse... in fact, if anything it seems to be quieter and smoother in the back now. Probably helps that all the suspension components are now firmly supported and the wheels pointing in the right direction! 

[Yeti_Man]

So finally, the car will be doing some proper miles over the summer holiday period. She's off to North Wales tomorrow for ten days and then off for a tour of the Alsace region of France for five days and then down to South Germany to the Black Forest area to stay with friends for a further week. Hopefully I'll get a chance to stretch her legs and enjoy some nice roads. Oil, coolant, washer fluid and tyres checked. Full report with photos upon our return.

[Yeti_Man]

Now back from a successful trip to Snowdonia. Weather? Varied. Scenery? Amazing. Beti? In her element!

Around 1000 miles covered. We got to drive on some of the nicest roads I've yet driven in Wales, find some great eateries, meet some lovely people and even take Beti off tarmac on a few occasions. She didn't miss a beat throughout and the family, dog and four friends all had a great time.

The weather was generally ok but pretty wet on two days. This is however when the car shines exceptionally brightly in her abilities!

We base ourselves 15 minutes outside of Betws Y Coed and did lots of driving around Porthmadog, Caernarfon, Bangor and the local area.

Ready for the off...

Mpg was again outstanding throughout the trip. The Maxidot displaying between 36 and 40mpg on different days. The actual tank to tank overall mpg was 35.2 mpg. Pretty amazing considering she was loaded up with four people, a dog and 150kg of luggage and supplies for the longest stretches.

Its the first decently long trip I've done since changing the suspension and replacing those bushes. The car provides the perfect balance between ride comfort and handling. The combination of those Bilstein dampers, Eibach springs and SuperPro bushes are sublime in real world use; smooth and cosseting on the motorway and taut when pushing on. The lower ride height has also improved higher cruising speed mpg. In terms of outright grunt from the engine, you only need the smallest of gaps for a safe overtake and this is applicable no matter what the weather is doing as the haldex takes care of the power and torque without issue. Im still convinced the custom mapping work done by Shark Performance cant be beat - bags of grunt wherever you are in the rev range and in whatever gear you happen to be in.

The next trip takes us around the Alsace region of France for a week before heading into Germany to stay with our friends in the Black Forest in two weeks time.

[Howzer]

When you are in Black Forrest you're not that far away from Nürburgring [emoji4][emoji6]

[Yeti_Man]

When you are in Black Forrest you're not that far away from Nürburgring [emoji4][emoji6]

I have thought about it but it's five hours away from our friends place and not sensible for the planned route. We'll probably be heading back to them for Christmas and we usually stay over for a few Christmas markets whilst journeying to them. I hear Nurburg has a nice one....!

[Yeti_Man]

One thing I did notice over the last weekend in Wales was that the paintwork wasn't beading as well as it did previously. The Collinite has been on there for three months so I thought it time to do a full strip down and reseal of the paint work. Timed with a day off before heading back to work and dry weather over head it made sense to get it done now and before the next road trip.

 

Routine was:

 

Jet washed on a low setting

APC around sills and specific attention to wheelarches/underbody areas

Tar and bug remover on the stubborn spots down low.

Jet washed sills etc on a low setting

2 x washes with G3 Body Prep Shampoo using 2bm + grit guard + Meguiars lambswool mitts

Jet washed on a low setting

G3 Clay Mitt and Sonus Glide (despite what most people say, i'm not as impressed with the mitts compared to the clay bars, mainly for the stubborn bits of debris)

Washed with Meguiars Gold Class Shampoo and mitts

Dried with Sonus Wunder towels and Meguiars Last Touch.

Mer Car Polish

Collinite 915 wax 

Alloys resealed with two coats of Poorboys wheel sealant

 

Pack it all away, collapse on the sofa with a cuppa and a bar of Cadburys jelly bean and popping candy Marvellous Creations chocolate!!! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Job done.

[Macadoodle]

Routine was: Jet washed on a low settingAPC around sills and specific attention to wheelarches/underbody areasTar and bug remover on the stubborn spots down low.Jet washed sills etc on a low setting2 x washes with G3 Body Prep Shampoo using 2bm + grit guard + Meguiars lambswool mittsJet washed on a low settingG3 Clay Mitt and Sonus Glide (despite what most people say, i'm not as impressed with the mitts compared to the clay bars, mainly for the stubborn bits of debris)Washed with Meguiars Gold Class Shampoo and mittsDried with Sonus Wunder towels and Meguiars Last Touch.Mer Car PolishCollinite 915 wax Alloys resealed with two coats of Poorboys wheel sealant Pack it all away, collapse on the sofa with a cuppa and a bar of Cadburys jelly bean and popping candy Marvellous Creations chocolate!!

Jeez, how long does all that take?! I admire your effort, but personally I really couldn't be arsed with all that!

[Yeti_Man]

Pretty much a day but as its only once every 12 months for the above routine, looks great once done and protects the vehicle that I've put a lot of time and money into - it's very much worth it imo

[Wardy]

Great updates Lee - glad to see Beti continues to shine, both in performance and paintwork

[Yeti_Man]

Great updates Lee - glad to see Beti continues to shine, both in performance and paintwork

cheers Steve

[Yeti_Man]

Well, we are back in blighty after a thoroughly enjoyable trip. I'll let the photos do the talking but we really enjoyed our time around the Alsace region. Strasbourg was a wonderful place to explore as was Colmar in particular. This and the trek over to join our friends in the Black Forest made me realise how great this car really is. It now just feels so complete and at its best. The springs and shocks seem to have bedded in to take on just a little further feeling of comfort and fluidity and the performance is just unreal, more noticeable than ever when given the space to use it and 100 ron Shell Super unleaded!

We also had some almost comedic moments with the car on this trip, most memorable was the Swiss registered RS4 driver that just couldn't work out how I was so easily keeping up over a run of a good few kilometres. I do however have to give credit to the RS4 for the amazing sound of that engine when being fully wrung out. It was spine tingling good!


A nice early morning run down to Folkstone. Note the rain, wipers and a desire to leave it all behind!



Onto Le Shuttle, bang on schedule:



Two jobs to do once onboard - set the desired route and set the xenons into continental driving mode or 'Travel' mode:





Journey took just over five hours which included a 15 minute stop for fuel and a visit to the wc. Achieved mpg was 36.8mpg for this stretch. At this point I realised that the car, since having the suspension dropped and alignment redone, is now as economical at 80mph as it was at 70mph previously. Something I really didn't expect.

First proper sight of Strasbourg city centre...



Lots of shops to look in... I especially liked the ones selling chocolate!





Closely followed by the ones selling cakes and biscuits...



First sight of the quite stunning Notre Dame Strasbourg Cathedral:


 

 

 

 

And the inside:






 

 

 

 

 

From what I've read, the best way to see Strasbourg properly is from a boat. So that's what we did:











Evening time and it just gets prettier:




We totally lucked out with the weather; four days of 26-29 degrees with zero rain.

I'll add the remaining photos of Colmar and Germany tomorrow

[Yeti_Man]

So after the four days in Strasbourg we headed to Colmar, A very quaint little place:

Another day gone and time to head across into Germany to stay with our friends. As we were running well ahead of time I took it easy for the following two hours behind the wheel. A quick fill up with more of the good stuff and the result after arrival was just over 42mpg!

Ah, heading into Hohentengen, our second home!

Spot the Yeti! Parked up for a well earned rest.

Beti then spent the next week ferrying us around the gorgeous Black Forest with our friends in their car. We lucked out again with the weather and enjoyed five superb sunny days (temps 26-31c)

And a local Yeti had joined mine by the end of the first day out and about...

Our friends took us to some great picnic spots throughout the week - this one by the Rhine, five minutes away from their house.

Which I'm guessing is under a commonly used flight path!

And finally back on UK soil for what should have been around an hour and a half behind the wheel. It turned into over three hours! The UK's amazing motorway network strike once again! The toll booths being removed were supposed to speed things up a little, were they not? At this rate we wont be home by tomorrow midnight to make the blasted payment!

But as the roads finally cleared we were welcomed back with a wonderful scene as the sun set.

[BATVANVRS]

Absolutely stunning Both the car & Strasbourg (road trip) excellent 

[Wardy]

Great photos. Will have to give Strasbourg a try!

[Yeti_Man]

Great photos. Will have to give Strasbourg a try!

I recommend it. Tbh, France isn't my favourite 'local' country but I'll certainly be heading back to Strasbourg, perhaps for a Christmas market destination. We were all really impressed with it; so much to offer and affordable, good quality dining and accommodation. So many nice towns and villages within an hours drive also so makes a great base to see the Alsace area.

[Yeti_Man]

What a great morning for a bit of brake refurbishment! In readiness for fitting next Saturday I thought I'd give the rear calipers some new seals and a quick rub down and re spray. Three light coats later (and yet to do the final lacquer coats) but the results are really good IMO. At least they won't look out of place alongside the Porsche Calipers on the front, which still look like new.

So next Saturday's todo list:

Fit new Brembo disks and DS2500 Cayman S pads to the front.

Fit these Audi S3 rear calipers + Pagid 310mm disks and pads.

Change the fluid for fresh ATE fluid