2015 BFI Year In Review

2015 was another banner year for us here at Black Forest Industries. We were fortunate enough to be able to have made great progress on several of our own projects, as well as having been involved with several customers' too. In addition to putting in work on cars, we were proud to have seen the launch of several new products that were received with great success. And, as usual we made the long journeys to visit with all of our favorite friends and customers at several of the shows along the east coast, where we set up shop and also took a little time out to document all of the fun. Take a minute to look back with us as we revisit some of the highlights from this year!

Our very first product release of the year was a collaborative effort between ourselves and ARP. These bolts offer the highest strength possible for those extreme applications and no other bolt on the market is comparable.

With the somewhat recent explosion of the aftermarket wheel industry, a new demand has come for the absolute best, and highest quality parts for today’s complex and exaggerated wheel builds. A wheel is only as strong as its weakest link, and often times with the added stresses imparted by upconverted, and very wide wheel builds, that link is the wheel bolts. Your original hardware was never intended to be used in such extreme circumstances, and for the sake of durability, safety and performance we have joined forces with ARP hardware the leading fastener manufacturer in the industry. ARP is known for producing the strongest bolts possible for various automotive applications, so they were the natural choice for these previously unavailable M7 x 32 mm Stainless Steel wheel bolts. The science and precision behind their hardware is unparalleled. Their quality control is second to none and their advanced techniques cannot be matched by any competitor. Simply put, these are the best bolts money can buy. The bolts are now offered exclusively by Black Forest Industries and can be found in our webstore.

These bolts fit BBS / OZ / RH / ARTEC and many other applications. Next up for us was a very fun customer project that we enjoyed being a part of. William Pitts had already come a long way in his MK6 Global Time Attack race car build, but was still missing a few key components. We went back and forth with Will and eventually settled on a course of action that included: upgrading all engine mounts to BFI Stage 2, as well as installing a BFI Stage 3 Lightweight Flywheel and Clutch Kit, a BFI Clean Catch Oil Separator, and a Peloquin Limited Slip Differential. In addition to all of those parts, we worked out a proper race livery which we produced and installed.

When we put William Pitts’ MK6 Jetta GLI on display at our booth at the NC Auto Expo last week, we got a lot of questions as to why anyone would do such a thing to a Volkswagen Jetta. Obviously the fact that this latest generation 2.0T engine, when chipped, makes close to 400 ft lbs of torque was not common knowledge. The joke is on them though, because we all know what the power plant is capable of, and from our own experience we are well aware of how rigid a chassis the MK6 Jetta can be. Toss in a set of 295 race rubbers all around with widened flares to loom menacingly over them and you have a recipe for a lot of fun on track. So to answer those who skeptically ask, “Why?”- we simply ask “Why not?”

With the MK6 Jetta all wrapped up, we turned out sights towards APR and their distributor conference. APR would ultimately wind up being a major contributor to the MK6 Jetta Time Attack car, going to install a one off big turbo kit, and tweaking our livery to incorporate their own branding. We were impressed with the new products APR had been working on and were eager to get our hands on their new line of downpipes as well as forthcoming intercoolers to install on our own projects, as well as be able to offer for our customers.

All in all it was another informative and impressive trip down south. It’s hard to believe anyone can look at level of quality and planning that goes into these products and question any aspect. There will always be something to nitpick, but it is getting harder and harder to find anything we’d want to change. We have a long history of installing APR products and to date they are the only company who have delivered a product that consistently fits without issue.

Upon returning from APR we were eager to launch a few new products our our own. In the following weeks we rolled out not one, but two new GS2 shift knobs, as well as an all new BBS RS wheel upsize kit, allowing you to enlarge and widen your BBS RS wheels.

Continuing with the development of our heavyweight shift knob line, we have just released this new, all black, option for all VW / Audi / BMW / Porsche customers. The new GS2 Schwarz shift knob gives a more stealthy and menacing look to your interior while still offering the same great feel and performance of the rest! Installation is straight forward and utilizing the 3 substantial set screws, these knobs will look right at home in just about any car. With our proprietary adapters we tailor each fitment to your specific selector shaft to ensure a great fit and prevent any wobble.

We have hit our stride in the creation of what is in our opinion the most refined line of aftermarket shiftknobs available. This latest offering takes the GS2 series to the next level with the addition of red perforated Alcantara. This knob feels as supple as it looks in your hand, but with only 100 ever being produced you may never get the chance to hold one of these. Weighing in at approximately 215 grams the added inertial mass makes shifting effort substantially less while speeding up the process at the same time. Each limited edition knob is shipped in its own red packaging and inside is included a signed and numbered card of authenticity outlining our commitment to quality and innovation. Make one of these yours, before they’re all gone.

Often times you run across that killer deal on a set of multipiece wheels, only to realize the diameter is not ideal for your application. Well now you can score that cheap set of wheels that has a bent barrel, or is just too small and up-convert them 1 full inch into a size that’s more suitable. Currently we are offering complete kits for 15″-16″ 16″-17″ or 17″-18″ BBS wheels (others available via inquiry). This allows you a huge range of options and gives ultimate flexibility.

With a whole slew of new products launched we were eager to show them off to everyone. We were approached by the good people of K&L Motorsports to help promote and expand their show, Volksfest. We contributed by helping to design the logo, as well as some of the collateral used for the event. Overall we were pleased with the turn out for the show, which was held inside at the NC State Fairgrounds. Below is a just a taste of what the show was like.

You’d think given the common badge on the cars that there would be more overlap on the knowledge pool of the air cooled and water cooled enthusiasts, but when the two get together it quickly becomes apparent that both have a lot to learn from each other. We enjoyed the opportunity to share our passion with those who were less familiar, as well as get to know some new faces that had much to teach us. It’s great to interact with our roots and see how much attention to detail and labor that are put into the older cars.

You may have noticed the black Scirocco in our booth from the show. Well there is an interesting backstory to that particular Scirocco barn find, so we decided to cover it in a little more depth on our website. Here's a bit about it

” [The Scirocco] came from a barn in Lillington NC. Original owner bought it in eastern NC in ’79, kept it meticulously clean and well-serviced. Would buy a new car, and park the prior one on the property covered up somewhere. Scirocco got parked in ’99, and the old man died a couple years later. The interior was covered in towels; headrests removed and wrapped in towels, dash covered in towels, seats, etc. Hatch area and under the seats filled with mouse traps, and tucked into the barn. The daughters French husband listed the car for sale with a couple crappy pictures and almost no description, so no one even went to look at it besides me.”

With the spirit of the Scirocco motivating us, we decided it was time for us to embark on a new and updated project that would allow us to gain some real world and first hand knowledge of the MK7 platform. Having a car of our own allowed us to really tear into and experiment even more so that we would be able to do with a customer's car. So the decision was made to pick up a 2015 Golf TSI and see just how great we could make it. 

The question has been asked repeatedly- what’s the better value, a GTI, or its “lesser” counterpart, the Golf ? While the argument definitely varies with the generation we feel that with the MK7 in particular it’s as tough a question to answer as ever. With the entire range of the Golf family receiving high praise from the motoring press, we knew it would be hard to go wrong with whatever choice we made, but with most of the focus being given to the GTI, and with the knowledge that many of the parts would be interchangeable, we decided to see just how much value we could squeeze out of the less expensive Golf.

With our MK7 project looking a little more like a project, we made the trip down to what may possibly be the last Southern Worthersee ever.

For us, the show is a great time to catch up with friends and talk shop. This year, before we even had a chance to do any of that, we got a call on the way down to Helen from Jamie Orr at Orchid Euro. After giving him a hard time about making the trip in his untested MK2 Jetta limousine, his Sprinter van gave out on him instead. Not wanting to leave all of his precious Euro parts in the middle of nowhere, he politely asked us if we’d mind helping him retrieve his trailer. 60 miles later thorough the twisty mountain roads, our F350 was able to deliver the goods to Helen in time for Orchid to vend. We are 100% certain he’d have done the same for us, and it’s a good feeling knowing that there are people like Jamie in this community that are willing to go above and beyond, and who work hard to make it what it is. Despite the chaos, we look forward to coming back again next year (assuming there is one). We just hope that with a little more crowd control, and some general sense of decency things can return to the way they once were.

 

In the process of trying to make our MK7 look more aggressive, we became the exclusive Maxton Design importer for the U.S. Their excellent fitting splitters and spoilers really change the appearance of your car.

Just in from across the pond, these new Maxton Design spoiler / splitters give your car a much more aggressive look by bringing it closer to the earth without compromising suspension travel. With their solid ABS plastic construction they are actually aerodynamically functional, but who are we kidding? You know you just love the way they look on the front of your ride. Installation is very straightforward, and all mounting hardware and optional adhesive is included as well as installation instructions. And with the black OEM textured look, there’s no need to paint or do any additional work, just simply install right out of the box.

In addition to adding a new line of cosmetic upgrades, we also expanded our CTS Turbo offerings as well by including their new MK6 and MK7 exhaust and intake parts.

We are pleased to now be offering a selection of parts from our friends north of the border, CTS Turbo. We’ve known Clay for what seems like ages, and we’ve watched as their company has grown into what it is today. CTS has long since been our leading foreign dealer and we have enjoyed our partnership with them over the years and are looking forward to offering their line of of boost related accessories for these modern VWs.

CTS MK7 GTI FMIC KIT

By then it was time for us to make the trip up to Englishtown, NJ - home of Waterfest. This was the 21st annual show and it was just as eventful as any.

Waterfest is officially of age, legal and fully matured. OK well maybe not everybody is exactly an eagle scout, but overall Waterfest has hit the point where the craziness and the destruction is a thing of the past. While that means for some, the