There are now 5,000 trouble-free miles under the belt of our VF-Engineering RS/S GLI and today we scheduled a quick check-up. With the car up in the air, there was nothing unusual to note, and each component is situated properly and free from wear. No leaks, no chafing, no errors.

And as mentioned in the last update, we've been asked by VF to swap out the mechanical fuel pump and return it to them for an examination. This pump is integral to the ability to supply enough fuel to the bigger injectors, and VF wants to check for unusual wear* or anything else that may need to be tended to. If you remember, our RS/S kit is a beta version of the soon-to-be-released production version, and we've partnered with VF as a way of providing valuable feedback and real-world experience that will be incorporated into the production kit. We'd like to take a moment to note that there has been some concern amongst various forum posters regarding the reliability of high-flow fuel pumps. Apparently, there have been a few occurrences of what has been described as "fuel pump failures."

*We want to point out that we have yet to see actual proof that these incidents were caused by the fuel pumps themselves. It's an establish fact that some of the earlier 2.0TFSI cars were manufactured using camshafts with sub par materials. Since the FSI design uses the intake camshaft to operate the mechanical rail fuel pump, any premature wear on the camshaft will prematurely wear the point of contact on the fuel pump and eventually lead to a failure. As far as we're concerned, this scenario is far more likely than a random fuel pump failure and it should be noted that currently there are four RS/S beta cars on the road (including our customer's) with at least 4 months of use, and none has had any issues related to the VF high-flow fuel pump.

We'll keep you updated on the GLI and how the kit is performing with even more miles on the clock. We'll mention here that our customer is currently saving up for VF RS/R version of this kit, with the larger GT2871R turbo and upgraded rods and pistons. I guess at some point we'll be determining if the DSG transmission can handle even more power - right around 400-hp worth.

You'll also be seeing this Imola Yellow GLI in other blogs on our site, since we're using the car as a testbed for future fifteen52 products. First up will be a 1552/Alcon 4-wheel big brake kit.

After more 500 miles, the VF RS/S GLI is performing great, and yes, the DSG transmission is still in one piece.

In actuality, the DSG seems a perfect match for the bigger turbo, as the lightning-fast downshifts keep it spooled and relatively lag-free. The extra power is impressive, but it's not just the peak numbers that impress. Whereas the OE K03 turbo runs out of breath over 6k rpm, the GT28RS makes usable power all the way to redline. GIAC has tuned the DSG version of this kit for a bit less initial torque, so in most situations an RS/S 2.0T accelerates more smoothly than most stock turbo "chipped" cars. And what about all the hand-wringing regarding too much power in a fwd vehicle? Well, we won't kid you and say that traction isn't limited in certain situations, but the more moderate torque curve with the RS/S actually makes it easier to use your right foot as an effective form of traction control. In any situation other than a standing start, this RS/S GLI is extremely quick and very easy to drive. On the highway it's a seriously fast sedan.

We'll let our owner put some more miles on the car and then we'll get him back here for a check-up. We're also going to swap out the VF fuel pump for another and send the original back to VF for a quick exam.