The Volkswagen CC, produced from 2009 to 2017, offers a fantastic foundation for automotive enthusiasts looking to personalize and enhance their vehicles. Whether your goal is to boost performance, refine handling, or simply amplify your car’s aesthetic appeal, a range of modifications are available to transform your CC. This guide explores key areas for Vw Cc Modifications, providing direction for your upgrade journey.
Enhancing Drivetrain Performance
For drivers seeking more power and a more engaging driving experience, drivetrain modifications are a great starting point. These upgrades range from software enhancements to physical component replacements, each contributing to improved engine output and responsiveness.
ECU Tuning (Chipping)
ECU tuning, often referred to as “chipping,” is a software-based modification that optimizes your engine’s control unit for increased performance. By adjusting parameters like fuel delivery, ignition timing, and boost pressure, tuners can unlock hidden horsepower and torque. Reputable companies such as APR, Unitronic, GIAC, and Revo offer various stages of tuning, each designed for different levels of modification and performance gains. A stage 1 tune on a stock VW CC can potentially add up to 50 horsepower, making it a significant power boost with just a software flash, typically completed within an hour by a certified dealer. As you further modify your car with hardware upgrades, you can opt for higher-stage tunes to maximize the benefits of those parts.
Turbo Back and Cat Back Exhaust Systems
Upgrading your exhaust system is a popular modification for both performance and sound enhancement. An aftermarket exhaust reduces backpressure, allowing the engine to breathe more freely, resulting in slight horsepower gains and a more aggressive exhaust note.
- Turbo back exhausts replace the entire exhaust system from the turbocharger outlet rearward. These systems may include a high-flow catalytic converter or a catless option (intended for track use only). Turbo back exhausts offer the most significant performance and sound improvements, often requiring an ECU tune to fully realize their potential.
- Cat-back exhausts replace the exhaust system from the factory catalytic converter back. While offering less power gain compared to turbo backs, they still deliver a noticeable increase in exhaust sound and a sportier tone.
Motor Mounts
Worn or soft factory motor mounts can diminish performance by allowing excessive engine movement, leading to power loss and wheel hop. Upgrading to performance motor mounts, typically made from stiffer rubber or polyurethane, reduces engine movement, ensuring more power is transferred to the wheels. The VW CC utilizes both an engine mount and a transmission mount, and replacing these can restore a tighter, more responsive feel to your car, especially beneficial in higher mileage vehicles.
Turbo Outlet Pipe (TOP)
The turbo outlet pipe, also known as the charge pipe or discharge pipe, connects the turbocharger to the intercooler. The factory pipe, often called the “pancake pipe” due to its flattened shape, is restrictive. Upgrading to an aftermarket turbo outlet pipe with a less restrictive design improves airflow and can yield a modest power increase of around 4-5 horsepower.
View VW CC Charge & Discharge Pipes
Intercooler/Front Mount Intercooler (FMIC)
The intercooler’s role is to cool the compressed air from the turbocharger before it enters the engine. A factory intercooler can become heat-soaked under demanding conditions, meaning it loses efficiency in cooling the intake air. Hotter intake air is less dense, reducing engine power. While the stock intercooler is generally sufficient for stock or stage 1 tuned cars, vehicles with stage 2 or higher modifications benefit significantly from an upgraded intercooler, especially a front mount intercooler (FMIC). Aftermarket FMICs feature larger cores and improved piping, providing superior cooling capacity and preventing heat soak, which is crucial for maintaining consistent power output.
Intake Systems
Aftermarket intake systems, when paired with ECU tuning, enhance engine performance by increasing airflow into the turbocharger. They typically feature larger diameter piping and less restrictive filters, allowing for a greater volume of air to reach the engine. Some intake systems incorporate heat shields or enclosed boxes to minimize the intake of hot engine bay air, further improving performance by ensuring cooler, denser air reaches the engine.
See VW CC Intakes & Air Filters
Clutch Upgrades
The factory clutch in a VW CC is designed for stock power levels. When increasing engine output through modifications, the stock clutch may struggle to handle the added torque, leading to slippage and premature wear. Upgrading to a performance clutch ensures reliability and longevity, especially in modified vehicles, providing improved clamping force and durability.
View Volkswagen CC Clutch Options
Diverter Valve
The diverter valve (DV) protects the turbocharger from compressor surge, a phenomenon that occurs when excess air is forced back towards the turbo when the throttle closes. A malfunctioning or weak stock diverter valve can cause boost leaks, hindering performance. Upgrading to an aftermarket diverter valve, often constructed from metal instead of plastic, enhances reliability and boost holding capability, particularly important for tuned cars running higher boost pressures. Many aftermarket DVs can handle pressures up to 30 lbs of boost.
Explore VW CC Blow Off Valves and Diverter Valves
Suspension Modifications for Enhanced Handling and Stance
Improving the suspension of your VW CC can dramatically alter its handling characteristics and visual appeal. From subtle lowering springs to advanced air ride systems, various options cater to different driving styles and preferences.
Lowering Springs
Lowering springs are a straightforward and cost-effective way to lower your VW CC’s ride height, typically by 1 to 2 inches. They replace the stock springs while utilizing the factory struts and shocks. Lowering springs improve the car’s stance, reduce body roll, and sharpen handling without requiring a complete suspension overhaul.
Coilovers
Coilovers are a complete suspension solution, replacing both the springs and shocks with adjustable units. They offer ride height adjustability, allowing you to fine-tune your car’s stance. Many coilovers also feature adjustable dampening, enabling you to customize the ride firmness and handling characteristics. While height-adjustable coilovers are more budget-friendly, kits with both height and dampening adjustability provide the ultimate in suspension customization.
Air Ride Suspension
Air ride suspension systems offer the ultimate in adjustability and customization. These systems replace traditional springs with air bags, allowing you to raise or lower the car’s ride height at the touch of a button using air pressure. Air ride provides a wide range of ride height adjustment and can also improve ride comfort. These systems require additional components like an air compressor and air tank.
Explore VW CC Air Bag Suspension Kits
Bushings
Similar to motor mounts, suspension bushings play a crucial role in handling and power delivery. Factory bushings are typically made from soft rubber, which can flex excessively under stress, leading to imprecise handling and reduced traction. Upgrading to stiffer bushings made from polyurethane or firmer rubber minimizes bushing deflection, resulting in improved suspension response, enhanced handling, and better traction.
View VW CC Suspension Bushings & Mounts
Sway Bars
Sway bars, also known as stabilizer bars, enhance a car’s roll stiffness, reducing body roll during cornering. Excessive body roll decreases traction and can make handling unpredictable. Upgrading to aftermarket sway bars, available for both the front and rear of the VW CC, minimizes body roll, improving cornering grip and stability.
See VW CC Sway Bars and End Links
Chassis Braces
Chassis braces stiffen the car’s chassis, reducing chassis flex and twist. This improvement enhances handling precision, traction, and overall vehicle stability. By reinforcing the chassis, braces contribute to a more solid and responsive feel, particularly during spirited driving.
Explore VW CC Chassis Braces and Supports
Brake System Upgrades for Enhanced Stopping Power
Upgrading your VW CC’s brakes is crucial for improved safety and performance, especially after increasing engine power. Options range from simple OEM enhancements to comprehensive aftermarket big brake kits.
OEM Brake Enhancements
- Stainless Steel Brake Lines: Replacing the factory rubber brake lines with stainless steel lines reduces flex under pressure, providing a firmer pedal feel and improved braking modulation.
- Performance Brake Pads: Upgrading to more aggressive brake pads increases friction between the pads and rotors, resulting in enhanced stopping power with the stock brake calipers and rotors.
- High-Temperature Brake Fluid: Using high-temperature brake fluid with a higher boiling point prevents brake fade during hard use, such as track days or spirited driving, maintaining consistent braking performance.
Aftermarket Big Brake Kits
Big brake kits represent a significant brake system upgrade. They typically include larger rotors, calipers with more pistons, and performance brake pads. Larger rotors increase braking leverage and heat dissipation, while multi-piston calipers provide greater clamping force. These kits deliver substantial improvements in stopping power, pedal feel, and heat management, making them ideal for drivers who frequently drive aggressively or participate in performance driving events (HPDEs).
Modifying your VW CC offers numerous paths to personalize your vehicle and elevate its performance and style. Whether you prioritize drivetrain enhancements, suspension upgrades, or braking improvements, the modifications outlined in this guide provide a solid starting point for your automotive journey.
