Pacific German | Mk7 GTI Race Car Build Thread

Here is our build thread, that will document the upgrades and enhancements for our MK7 GTI. This build will be a fun one, as we plan to increase the power output, throw in a roll cage, dial in the suspension/brakes, and take it to the track! Sounds easy enough, right?

With the release of the 2015 MK7 GTI in the United States, we were disappointed Volkswagen only sent the first batch of cars over in a 4-door form. After impatiently waiting several months, our 2 door car was one of the first to hit dealerships in Southern California. We decided to not wait for the performance pack, since we plan to upgrade the power, brakes, and differential anyways.

Go check out the new video review by Wheelie Cool Videos - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09MLJdgDvOg&index=1&list=PLQsqrhdSLg0bkaiAqKmvVIp30gFyNchhh

The car:

Pure White 2015 MK7 GTI
2 Door, no sunroof
DSG transmission


List of upgrades / enhancements:

Engine / Transmission:
Revo TTR 450 Turbo Upgrade
Revo Stage 4 Beta Engine Performance Software
Revo Stage 3 Beta Transmission Software
Revo Carbon Air Intake Upgrade - Front Section
Revo Carbon Air Intake Lid
Revo Air Filter
Revo High Flow Turbo Inlet
Revo Engine, Transmission Mounts
Revo Subframe Mount
Revo Turbo Muffler Delete
Autotech Sport Tuning High Pressure Fuel Pump Upgrade
Autotech Sport Tuning Cat-back Exhaust System
CTS Turbo Cat-less Downpipe
CTS Turbo Lightweight Crankshaft Pulley
CTS Turbo Front Mount Intercooler
CTS Turbo Throttle Pipe
CTS Turbo High Flow Turbo Outlet Pipe
CTS Turbo B-Cool Billet DSG Filter Housing
Air Conditioning Delete
Factory Intercooler Delete
17lb. Odyssey Racing Battery w/ Bracket
Wavetrac Limited Slip Differential
Golf R DSG Breather box
iAbed Industries Oil Cooler Kit
Snow Performance Water/Methanol Injection System
Spulen Coolant Hose Re-Locate
Fluidamper Crankshaft Pulley
APR Boost Tap
APR Turbo Outlet Silicone Hose


Suspension / Brakes:
H&R RSS+ Coilovers
Corner Balanced
Super Pro Supaloy - Alloy front control arms
Super Pro rear poly bushing kit
Brembo Race Front Brake System - Four Piston with 355mm Type III Motorsport Discs
Brembo HTC 64T Brake Fluid
MK6 Golf R Rear Brake System - 310mm Vented Discs
Neuspeed Rear Slotted Discs
EBC Yellow Stuff Rear Brake Pads
Autotech Sport Tuning Rear Stainless Steel Brake lines
TTRS Brake Duct Shields
Neuspeed 25mm Front Anti-Roll Bar
Neuspeed 27mm Rear Race Series Anti-Roll bar
Neuspeed Rear Sway Bar Endlink kit
Audi S3 Aluminum Front Subframe

Exterior / Interior:
Becautoparts LED / Xenon Euro Style Headlights
OEM Red Cherry LED Tail Lights
OEM Lighting Packing Front Grille
Full Vinyl Wrap
Front Clip Clearbra'd
Front Windshield Wiper Delete
Rear Windshield Wiper Delete
Revo RV019 19x8.5 wheels Gloss Bronze (street)
Pirelli Pzero Corsa 235/35/19 (street)
Neuspeed RSe52 18x8 Wheels Refinished High Gloss Blue (track)
Yokohoma Advan Slicks (track)
Sabelt GT-160 Driver Seat
Sabelt GT-130 Passenger Seat
Custom Seat Brackets
Sabelt 6 Point Seatbelts
Custom 6 Point Welded-in Roll Cage
Fully Dripped Interior
Fully Re-Sprayed Interior Body Color
P3Cars VIDI Gauge With TrackPack





-






Wasting no time at all, we sent the car over to our good friends at Autotech Sport Tuning for R&D on new parts for this platform! So far, we have put some miles the GTI testing the intake they have developed, which sounds fantastic. We also have their exhaust system that will be installed with sound clips to follow, an improved high pressure fuel pump, swaybars, stainless steel brake lines, etc. Stay tuned for more information / pictures!

http://www.autotech.com/blog/?p=84


Edward at Becautoparts sent us a set of the OEM LED Cherry Red tail lamps and a set of his LED/Xenon GTI headlamps to install. They look fantastic, deleting the amber reflector inside the headlights completely transforms the look of the car.

The US Spec halogen lights




Old lights removed off the car



LED Tail lights installed



Headlights removed



Headlights installed




We picked up a set of OZ Ultraleggera HLT 19" wrapped in 225/35/19 Michelin Pilot Super Sports as temporary wheels. The standard GTI wheels look good, but the Pirelli tires did not perform as we needed them to. The Michelin tires help keep the power planted to the ground, but we know this alone would not hold up to our goals, let alone to stage 1-2 software!

So, time for the Wavetrac differential install.

On the lift with only 400 miles.



Driver's front wheel, shields, and covers removed exposing the DSG transmission.



Subframe out.



Draining the oil.



Removed the intake, battery, battery tray, and covers.



The flywheel.



DSG Transmission out!



Dissasembly on the bench.. Looking at the mechatronic unit.



Case split, factory differential in the top right of the picture, and Wavetrac below it!





I will keep this thread updated with photos and progress as we go. Should have the transmission re-assembled this weekend!

wow.

good stuff here.

thanks!

Amazing!!!

Keep it updated!!

Awesome !!

Great to see some more people interested in track performance.
I just wonder about Xenons and LEDs being relevant there, dude.

Do you have an idea what suspension kit you'll fit? Bilstein, H&R and
KW already sell their Clubsport coilovers for the Mk.VII chassis, and
Öhlins released their R&T.

You might like to read this:

http://www.golfmk7.com/forums/showthread.php?p=81650#post81650

http://www.golfmk7.com/forums/showthread.php?p=81649#post81649

http://www.golfmk7.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2262


The tracking sections of both the Mk.V and Mk.VII forums should be
very helpfull as well:

http://www.golfmkv.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=46

http://www.golfmk6.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=33

In for updates!

the bruce said:

Awesome !!

Great to see some more people interested in track performance.
I just wonder about Xenons and LEDs being relevant there, dude.

Do you have an idea what suspension kit you'll fit? Bilstein, H&R and
KW already sell their Clubsport coilovers for the Mk.VII chassis, and
Öhlins released their R&T.

Click to expand...

Nice links on the suspension information and the sub forums for the older generations. Good read there!

For the suspension we have a couple of different parts in the works. Instead of using the OEM aluminum arms from a different car, we are looking to change the front control arms completely to an aftermarket solution. I will post pictures once we have them. Coilovers will be going on soon, brand will be shown once they are fitted.

The lights are a must, the Halogen output is poor compared to Xenons. Some of the tracks in our area do special night run events, in that situation we can take all the lighting upgrades we can get!

Here are some progress pictures:


Wavetrac Differential back in the transmission.



Setting up end play is a breeze with the factory tool!



Case back together.. Looking at the Wavetrac through a hole underneath the clutch assembly.




Also we figured while the plastic filter housing was off to replace the filter, we may as well upgrade it! We used a USP Motorsports Cool Flow aluminum oil filter housing.





The car is completely different to drive now with the Wavetrac. The way it is driven through corners, or getting onto the power off the line has tremendously improved. We are taking the car to the local track this up coming weekend to get seat time in as a base line for a car with minimal upgrades. Will be doing a few more things this week, and will post pictures as we go.

Subscribed, thanks for sharing.

A few more changes last week before the track day;

The last few generations of GTIs are known to get hot on the track, keeping an eye on engine temperatures is pretty important, especially on a hot day. The oil temperature display in the DIS is a nice addition to the MK7 platform, but we know the coolant gauge is just an estimate and doesn't seem to move unless the engine is HOT!

Our friends at P3cars have their own vent integrated digital interface which displays boost pressure, coolant temperature, 0-60 times, egt temperatures, etc. We had one sent over and installed it to keep an eye on the engine operations.

Before



Trim removed



P3 in





With that out of the way, we needed a way to securely hold the driver in the seat. The stock belts are okay for city driving, but a harness is a great tool to have on the track. We had some Schroth Quick Fit harnesses in stock and decided to install a driver's kit into the car. For a street car, these are neat since they use the factory seatbelt connection and mounting points, so they can be unclipped and stored while passengers are in the car. This is not a permanent belt solution, since a roll cage and 6 point harness belts are coming up in the future.




And a picture from the garages at Autoclub Speedway! Unfortunately for us, Sunday had some rain so we were not able to collect data to compare dry times with future visits of this year which will most likely all be dry. However, the car definitely held its own out on the track, with consistent lap times and constantly passing higher horsepower all wheel drive cars. Driving like that would not have been possible in this car without the Wavetrac differential!

A couple of cool updates for tonight;


The Autotech Cat-back exhaust system was installed the other day. This is a great sport exhaust system for the individual who does not want something obtrusive. It is not something that will get you into trouble, yet its still deeper at idle versus the stock exhaust, reminding you its there. DSG shifts and wide open throttle sound good, and drone is minimal. I will try to record various sound clips soon. (Cold start, idle, cruising, wot, etc)

Teaser shot!



We had the corner balance scales out tonight and decided to weigh the GTI.

The following may make a difference on weight versus a completely stock base 2 door GTI:

• Half Tank of Fuel
• 19x8.5 OZ Ultraleggera HLTs w/ 225/35/19 Michelin PSS
• Prototype Autotech Intake
• Prototype Autotech Cat-Back Exhaust

Also the corner balancing specs of the stock suspension setup.



3021 lbs.



With driver

with driver** the cross weights are quite fine for a stock suspension,
but it's HEAVY !!




** no surprise at all - the engine is on the passengers side and way
heavier than the gearbox

the bruce said:

with driver** the cross weights are quite fine for a stock suspension,
but it's HEAVY !!




** no surprise at all - the engine is on the passengers side and way
heavier than the gearbox

Click to expand...

Errrrr..??????

When viewing the car from above (birds eye) that is the scales read out.........

USA driver sits on left side...................gearbox is also on left side...........so is the big battery (20kg)................engine on the right side!

I'd prefer to get the axles balanced within them selves before worrying about x-weights............

Sorry, I didn't watch it right. I must have had a lack of coffee.

Commonly, it required the driver in place to get similar weights left and right
on its predecessors (Mk.V and Mk.VI at least), and this is due to the fact, the
engine is heavier than gearbox + battery. Well, on the Mk.VII the engine still
is heavier without question, so I wonder about this output.

Admitted - it's the first Mk.VII I see corner weights from.

It should better with a full tank. Anyway, it's still a bit heavy though.

Pacific German said:

We had the corner balance scales out tonight and decided to weigh the GTI.

The following may make a difference on weight versus a completely stock base 2 door GTI:

• Half Tank of Fuel
• 19x8.5 OZ Ultraleggera HLTs w/ 225/35/19 Michelin PSS
• Prototype Autotech Intake
• Prototype Autotech Cat-Back Exhaust

Also the corner balancing specs of the stock suspension setup.

With driver

Click to expand...

After you weight the vehicle with driver; what do you do to bring everything into balance or do you just leave it as is?