Background:
A Fluidampr has been sitting on a shelf in my garage for a while waiting for me to become motivated enough to install it.
I’ve used a Fluidampr previously on an Audi B5 S4 and back-to-back dyno pulls didn’t show much of an improvement in terms of power and torque when swapping from the stock damper to the Fluidampr.
I didn’t have high expectations for the Fluidampr for the Mk7, but I have it and am interested in seeing if it would do anything for in-cabin vibrations with BFI Stage 1 mounts installed on the GTI.
Install & Results:
Installation went fairly quickly, I think it took as long to torque the bolt as it did to swap the dampers. Getting good leverage on the torque wrench beneath the car was challenging.
Before installing the Fluidampr I had used an Accelerometer App on my phone to record the vibration of the dashboard by placing the phone in the center of the dashboard.
The “total acceleration” is the sum of x, y, and z-axis accelerations.
After installing the Fluidampr I repeated this measurement.
I was pleasantly surprised to find that it did seem to cause a beneficial change reducing the magnitude of the acceleration variation at the dashboard.
Sound:
Another application I use with the phone measures sound level.
A similar process is followed as with the acceleration measurement, measuring the sound level inside the cabin with the windows closed.
Again benefits of the Fluidampr are evident, shown as a reduction in the sound level.
Conclusions:
The Fluidampr installation was beneficial for reducing vibration and sound levels inside the cabin.
I would not describe the change as transformational, but with the BFI Stage 1 mounts making the car slightly louder and vibrations more noticeable, it’s nice to install a part that helps to counter those adverse effects.
Seems like motoiq found some hp increase with it.
https://motoiq.com/project-golf-r-mkvii-fluidampr-test/3/
I remember reading that a while back. Too bad they compared one pull for each setup and didn’t do a few more to gain confidence for the results.
I’ve had my fluidampr prior to installing my BFI stage 1 mounts, deadset kit, and before going stage 2 tune. I didn’t expect much out of it and couldn’t really compare a before and after. I installed it as a supporting mod and not so much looking for much gain out of it. I am glad I installed it as the car still feels enjoyable driving. I do plan on changing out the clutch for a performance clutch and more than likely upgrade the turbo.