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12-19-2024, 11:41 AM
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#402 | |
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Tri-State Post Whore
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Quote:
The only thing I’d really love to do yet would be getting a pair of mk6 golf R wingback seats from Europe. That’s arguably more challenging than the Akrapovic!
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12-27-2024, 02:46 PM
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#404 | |
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Tri-State Post Whore
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Quote:
I agree! Car only has 36k miles on it and is going to be six years old in April haha.
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02-21-2025, 01:01 PM
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#405 |
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Tri-State Post Whore
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GMP Performance turned over the majority of their shop staff and entiriety of shop management over the last year. The owner of GMP emailed a few of us previous customers to let us know we should give them a try again.
With the new parts in hand, I decided to do just that out of ease of travel time and the quote provided. Installed the APR intercooler and boost hose kit upgrade on the R. Also had the Racingline stage 3 brakes installed. This kit includes new stainless lines, lightweight two-piece front rotors, street pads and their CNC'd 6-piston brake caliper. I also picked up the matching stage 3 rear brake rotors. Total weight savings vs. factory irons with this kit are a little over 20lbs of unsprung weight. You may remember the Clubsport S/Performance Pack rotors saving about 6lbs of weight before. This kit is even lighter than that - substantially. I chose these brakes after years of internal debate for their weight savings, pad choices, lack of needing spacers and design. Turns out the wheel spacer part was false - even with their product descriptions saying that these will fit with OEM wheels and their extra 5mm spacer, we found that to be incorrect with the 18" Pretorias from the GTI that I run in the winter. Quick thinking got us to ShopDAP in Cornelius (about 25 minutes away) to snag the 15mm and 11mm spacers the car needed. Side benefit is that the wheels are now flush to the fenders. The new Racingline stage 3 brakes now installed are just sick. They look incredible on the car. The Racingline brake kit is running their street pad which is closer to the OEM R pads in terms of bite. The Clubsport S/Performance Pack pads are a little more aggressive but that’s ok. Track use will be on different pads. The power band is smoother with the APR parts. A bit more boost threshold delay but it’s ok thanks to the amazing EQT stage 1 tune. It really likes the new plugs too. Odds and ends that were also put on the car (while you’re in there): - EQT Grounding Kit - NGK one step colder plugs gapped to 0.24” - Racingline coolant hose - Oil change. - Replaced some bumper trim my wife scratched up awhile back. - Deutsche Auto wheel spacers. Next up will be a paint correction detail, then off to Wookies in the Woods. I'll be swapping on the OEM 19" Pretorias with PS4S tires for that event. I'm curious if the 5mm spacer will fit those wheels. This car doesn't feel like a factory Golf R anymore - it has definitely evolved into something much better, without the drawbacks of "race car". Future plans include the MK6 Scirocco R wingback seats and a DAZA swap. Maybe some Ohlins when these OEM DCC shocks finally tire out. In the meantime... WEEEEEEEE  ✖️MOD LIST✖️ - OEM 3 year old son in backseat - Clubsport S Front Subframe - Clubsport S Front LCA Bushings - Clubsport S Front Knuckles - Clubsport S Front Wheel Bearings - Racingline Stage 3 BBK 355mm - Racingline Stage 3 Rear Brake Rotors - VW Performance Pack Akrapovic Axleback Exhaust - VW Performance Pack Rear Lip Spoiler - Audi RS3 Brake Air Ducts - Castrol SRF Brake Fluid - Racingline R600 - Racingline Coolant Hose - Racingline Turbo Inlet - Racingline Turbo Inlet Pipe - EQT Stage 1 (93 octane) - EQT DSG Tune - APR Intercooler - APR Boost Hose Kit - Eurocode Front Strut Bar - SuperPro 26mm Front Swaybar - SuperPro Front Endlinks - Racingline Rear Body Brace - SuperPro 24mm Rear Swaybar - SuperPro Rear Endlinks - VW MK8 Rear LCA Aero Covers - Black Pretoria Daily/Summer Wheels (18”/19”) - Conti DWS06 (18”) - Michelin Pilot PS4S (19”) - Euro Folding Side Mirrors - Euro Dynamic Taillights - VW Dynamic Side Markers - VW MK6 DSG Shift Knob - Audi 12v Plug - Euro Rear Headrests - Homelink Rearview Mirror Photos on my instagram @19_lapiz_r
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02-23-2025, 12:37 PM
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#406 |
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Tri-State Post Whore
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Took the finished R up to do some mountain runs out by Little Switzerland. The impact from Hurricane Helene is still very apparent, with multiple roads closed and some lanes still missing, very glad to see new work crews up there helping.
For the rest of the run, I was able to put some heat into the new brakes and found that where the Clubsport S OEM brakes would start to get mushy, the Racingline started to bite harder. A nice and welcomed change! With the new spark plugs and intercooler, the engine was also smoother than before and was consistent in power delivery the entire time. While still riding on the 18" wheels and Conti all-seasons, the suspension, even in Race mode, is definitely that puzzle piece which could be flipped to turn this car into a track car. A set of coilovers would transform the car around the track, but would hurt the streetability of this car. Right now it is truly on that line of dual purpose thanks to no other glaring weaknesses. As I rode around with the factory shocks at their stiffest setting, it was truly a moment where the car felt like it was meant to be this way. Bumps and creases were absorbed with a minimal thud, steering response is spot on, grip and traction with the clubsport chassis parts and swaybars is flat for street rubber grip and the powerband builds in a smooth rush of turbo boost. I could see adding a Wavetrac LSD up front to help with pulling out of the apex and of course the wingback seats so that i'm not touching the door panel from the amount of grip. Wonderful car. Incredibly happy with this build.
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02-24-2025, 10:25 AM
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#407 |
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Tri-State Post Whore
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Man, sounds like a hell of a lot of fun and one hell of an OEM+ build too
 I *love* so much that you're still refining this and making it better and better without compromising it. |
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04-10-2025, 02:00 PM
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#408 | |
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Tri-State Post Whore
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Quote:
 I do miss my ZL1 and 911, but the R has been a nice stand-in given it's total flexibility as a daily driver. This car's going to be around for a long time. Heading to Wookies in the Woods this weekend for the first time with it - haven't driven the Dragon since my STi days - when I cooked the front BC Racing coilover shocks haha. (32 way adjustment became like 8). All the prep for this trip on the R was done when the brakes were installed, my only decision was to keep the 18" Pretorias w/ Continental All seasons on the car since the temps are going to be chilly, the roads wet at times and I don't know how rough some of the roads still are after Helene. Last thing I need is to bend or break another 19" Pretoria again in the middle of the no-cell-reception NC mountains. Let's see how the car does up there - my main goal is to get the R there and home in one piece so I'll be avoiding anything beyond 7/10ths. I do really wish the DSC controller had worked out, this would be the perfect environment for it.
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Member Journals: To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 signatures. / To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 signatures. / To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 signatures. / To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 signatures. / To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 signatures. / To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 signatures. Last edited by DaveSTi; 04-10-2025 at 02:06 PM. |
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05-09-2025, 09:34 AM
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#409 |
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Tri-State Post Whore
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Back from Wookies in the Woods - Rookie Wookie Report!
Due to the weather and road conditions, I kept the car on the 18's with the all-seasons (Conti DWS06). On Friday when heading up there, it was the perfect choice due to all of the rain. On Saturday when conditions dried up, I was missing the PS4S tires. (Can't win them all). Saturday I spent time on HellBender before moving over to the Dragon. I ended up behind ECS Tuning's RS3 project giveaway car and frankly, thought I held my own vs. a car on B16s and tons of other stuff. However, the front tires overheated and the car started to understeer more and more as the drives went on. I took a break for lunch to relax the car and driver, then headed back out and leaned into trusting the car more - and using the throttle more out of the turns. This resulted in a much quicker experience and showed how high the limits of this R truly are. Previously, I was overbraking into the hard turns and just dumping heat into the front tires, but I was able to learn to brake less and then trust in the grip more. My cornering speeds climbed as a result and I had to slow myself down at times since this isn't a race track. Pleased to report there is no photographic evidence of me crossing the mustard either (no public shaming - big goal of mine checked off). The R was phenomenal - the scenery and driving experience was as good as it gets. I got to see the new 8.5R up close at Jaime Orr's garage night and it made me want to hold onto mine that much more. I averaged 12-14 mpg in the mountains, holding 3rd and 4th gear mainly, then dumping into 2nd. DSG handled it perfectly. I even got out and did a launch control attempt, first time with the EQT tune. It roasted all 4 tires into 2nd, then nailed 3rd gear when it slammed the limiter. I backed out at that point, but need to follow up on why it didn't go into 4th. No overheating issues with the new brakes and i'm not sure how the OEM brakes could have survived this type of driving. Very grateful to not have to worry about braking fade anymore. Power was spot on the entire time, yes i wish the car had more low-end torque, but the 7 speed and tune help me work around that. The top end was great and some run-ins helped me see that it's much quicker than I had thought. It is a 4 banger after all. 32-33mpg on the highway on the way there and home. No hiccups or breakdowns, just tons of hard driving and some great photos. Now the downsides - - I now have a persistent rolling clunk/clicking noise coming from the front of the car at lower speeds. I'm 99.9% sure it's the front swaybar endlinks and have a replacement set from SuperPro under their generous warranty to install to see if that fixes it. It sounds like binding at times too, so my thought is one or more of the joints is toast. - After driving this hard, going to rotate the tires and have the Haldex flushed. Other than that, this car continues to shine. The OEM dampers are wonderful for dual-purpose, even if they don't have much travel before bumpstops. I'd run the roads in Normal mode taking it easy, then get another VW on my tail, so then I'd put the car back into Race mode and drop the hammer. Transformative on smooth roads. Now - do I risk bending the 19's again (would be the 5th time) and swapping to summer rubber?
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05-18-2025, 11:47 AM
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#411 | |
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Tri-State Post Whore
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Quote:
Yeah, for what the car is, hard time finding faults with it now. I wish it had more low-end torque, but it’s a 2 liter. I wish it had more rear steer with the throttle, but it’s a Haldex. More bolstered seats, some bushing refreshes, and I might give the DSC controller another run before opting for coilovers or updated shocks.
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