Sub-to-Dub's 2017 GTI Sport

Sub-to-Dub · Feb 4, 2024

Dual hatch lights

Inspired by this thread, I spent a little time Saturday morning adding a second light to the hatch area. I had already added an LED bulb to the original light which was reasonably bright but for about $35 this felt like a why not kinda project. Others have done some really cool mods by adding lights to the hatch door, along the cargo cover, etc. but I opted for a basic approach.

I picked up a used light and a third party footwell harness on eBay plus a matching LED bulb. These Ziza bulbs from ECS work pretty well. The one in the original light has been going strong for about 5 years with no issues.

I opted to run the harness underneath the lower hatch trim vs up and under the headliner. You'll need to remove the middle lower hatch trim, remove a T25 Torx screw from the bottom of each side trim piece and then just peel it back enough to run the harness. My particular harness was JUST long for this approach.

To give the light the best chance of staying in place, trim the grill so the light wedges in snuggly. That wasn't quite secure enough so I added a dab of hot glue on each end of the light where it makes contact with the grill. Maybe not the best adhesive method and I'll have to see how well it holds up but it feels plenty secure and is invisible.

I tried to mount the second light roughly where its counterpart sits but you'll never really see it so it's not huge deal. Regardless of the final placement, I'd recommend having one side of the light rest flush with a grill slat that runs perpendicular. There are a few different models of light (I think some have a metal tab) so be sure to test fit often and trim just a little plastic off at a at a time.

Since this mounts pointing straight down vs the factory light which is angled, I twisted the bulb so it pointed more towards the cargo area. Not sure if that made any difference but seemed logical to try.

The setup does add some good light especially with the LED bulbs and is certainly worth doing for the small investment of time and money.

AzteCypher · Feb 4, 2024

I'm really liking this as the older my eyes get the more light I can use. Brilliant!

Do you have a link to that harness?

Sub-to-Dub · Feb 5, 2024

AzteCypher said:
I'm really liking this as the older my eyes get the more light I can use. Brilliant!

Do you have a link to that harness?

Here's the harness I used: https://www.ebay.com/itm/145270328626 (shipped from China)

It came with two harnesses and I'm happy to send you the second one if you want. Just PM me if you're interested.

Otherwise, there seem to be a ton on eBay, AliExpress, etc.

mrmatto · Feb 14, 2024

Sub-to-Dub said:
I wanted to take a minute and post some thoughts on a new set of tires. I don't expect anyone to read this wall of text but hey, maybe somebody will find it useful

During my last tire purchase I decided that since I spend 95% of my time in the GTI commuting, running errands, and driving family around that I would find tires with a greater focus on comfort. I typically shop in the performance all-season category since that has best suited my needs in the past (yes, I've heard all the arguments against this approach) so I started my search there.

While browsing Tirerack and watching a few videos I noticed they included an unknown to me brand call Vredestein in one of tests. I'd never heard of Vredestein before and some quick Googling revealed they've been around in Europe for a long time but only recently started selling tires in North America. They seemed to hold up well against the big boys (DWS06+, PSAS4, etc.) and the reviews are pretty positive.

For some insight into my frame of reference, these are the tires I've had on the GTI in the past:

Continental Extremecontact DWS06

Continental Extremecontact DWS06+

Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3

BF Goodrich Comp-2 A/S+

Unsurprisingly, each has pros and cons but strangely the BF Goodrich have been my favorite. Very responsive, grippy, and predicable. A really fun tire but very loud and they wore down too quickly. I know the DWS06+ is an enthusiast favorite and while they had some bright spots I really didn't like the feel. Despite playing with the pressures, I found them both vague feeling and not that comfortable. The Michelin PSAS4 are another logical option but were pretty pricey and based on reviews and my experience with their predecessor would be too far in the sport direction for me. I also looked at the Bridgestone, Goodyear, and Pirelli offerings but ultimately decided to try something new and rolled the dice on the Vredestein Hypertracs. I had them installed a few months ago using the Tirerack mobile service (which is awesome BTW).

So far I have put about 1,500 miles on these and am really liking the Hypertracs. Here are some more detailed impressions:

The good:

Comfort - these aren't a full blown touring tire but are pretty comfortable on rough pavement. Big, sharp impacts are still rough but over broken pavement and smaller imperfections they're noticeably more comfortable. The slightly taller sidewall over stock (235/40 vs 225/40) no doubt helps as well.

Quiet and smooth-definitely the quietest set of tires I've had on the car to date. They're very nice on the highway and on smooth pavement. Again, this speaks to their more touring-focused nature.

Solid traction in the dry - aound town and on backroads these have plenty of grip. I don't drive super aggressively but keep your expectations in check and they're great.

Good traction in the wet - maybe slightly lower overall grip levels versus the DWS06+ but feel very predictable.

Minimal tramlining - these don't seem to follow imperfections in the road as much as others have.

Cost - these aren't a premium brand and the price reflects that. The price to performance is strong.

The meh:

As a direct tradeoff for the increased comport, the response is definitely lazier.

As a new brand (at least in the US), the warranty, support, and overall reputation is an unknown.

These seem to brown/discolor more quickly than other tires I've had in the past. Not a big deal as all tires do this to a degree but will certainly need a stronger tire cleaner.

Other observations:

These in the 235/40 size look beefier and have a squarer shoulder profile than the DWS06+ in the same size. Not a reason to choose one tire over another but it does look nicer to my eye.

Balanced perfectly first time (had some issues with the Continentals in the past) but these are super smooth at highway speeds using very few weights.

MPG seem to be up slightly from the BFGs but nothing conclusive yet. Not really surprising given the tread patterns of each.

I can't comment on snow/ice performance but my expectations are that they'll be fine (and nothing more) for the rare snow events we get in the DC area.

Using a tire pressure conversion calculator (for the slightly larger size) I started at the recommended 34 psi and bumped that up to 35 psi which works well.

Overall, I'm very satisfied with these. They have the more comfort focused nature I was looking for while still being grippy in the dry and wet. They are a more appropriate choice for how I use the car but still allow me to have fun. I'd never take them on track but, of course they're not made for that. I'm about to head out on a 4,000 mile road trip which will really put these to the test!

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You still liking these tires?

Sub-to-Dub · Feb 14, 2024

mrmatto said:
You still liking these tires?

Yeah, I am! I've put about 6k miles on them so far and they're a solid choice for a daily driver.

Decent dry and wet grip, quiet and pretty comfy on the highway. Definitely don't have the raw performance of some others in the category but I wanted to try the other end of the spectrum this time around. They even handled some light snow without drama.

If I lived in a more rural area or drove more for fun I'd probably opt for something sportier but for my use I'm very satisfied.

Sub-to-Dub · Mar 3, 2024

Ground Kit

Installed the SC SkunkWerks ground kit this weekend. Start to finish took about half and hour with the most difficult part being the plastic harness cover tabs. The factory ground connections were totally fine but I know they have a tendency to get brittle, plus the two bolt method is a silly thing to have to deal with. The kit is really well made and installed without a hitch. The price is also reasonable given the quality and time involved to produce. The included de-pinning tools are also a nice touch.

Obviously this is not a necessity but I'm sure my future self will be thankful. The car runs exactly the same but I couldn't pass up the chance to replace a weak part with something simpler and more robust.

I could probably have routed the wiring more cleanly but it's really too bad this is all hidden under the engine cover.