bcelliott
New member
- Location
- South Carolina
Hello everyone, just wanted to introduce myself. Joined recently after I bought a new Night Blue Metallic 2017 GTI Sport PP DSG. I previously drove a 2014 Sportwagen TDI which VW bought back, and before that, a 2002 Audi Allroad. I've lurked around the forum for a while, but finally joined.
After reaching 1000 miles on the GTI, I wanted to begin mods for handling and power. After reading all the forum opinions I could find, the majority of you agreed that tires and/or suspension improvements should happen before a tune on a GTI. Yesterday, my shop finished installing ECS flush spacers, Michelin PS A/S 3+ tires (replacing the Pirellis), and a front and rear adjustable MSS Sport spring kit. Most of the reviews of the MSS Sport kits were for DCC or Audi adjustable struts, but my GTI doesn't have DCC, so I took a chance. Had the car lowered from 4 fingers gap between the fenders and tires stock down to 2 fingers, with slight reverse rake for front settling. I should also mention that I had noticed that the driver's side hit potholes awfully hard, and my mechanic found three blue suspension pucks still on the strut. Nice.
Since all mods were done at the same time, it's difficult to separate their different contributions, but I will just say this: THIS IS EXACTLY THE WAY THIS CAR SHOULD HAVE COME FROM THE FACTORY!!! WOW! These are my observations:
1) The ride is just as comfortable as stock (really!) but the damping rate is much more closely matched to the springs. It is much tighter-feeling, and there is no bounce over a bump, just one compression and back most of the time. There is no noise either! I've had cars with lowering springs, and the reduced travel of the struts and stiffness help cornering, but don't feel anywhere near as good as the MSS system. It's like having your cake and eating it too. I was hoping for this!
2) The majority of squat and dive is gone--the car just accelerates without tires chirping and it brakes in a turn without understeer or too heavy of a steering feel. This should greatly help putting more power to the ground later after a tune.
3) Handling in corners is ridiculously predictable. There is little body roll, but not too little. Most of the understeer is gone, but the rear does not feel like it will break loose. It feels about as balanced as a FWD car can be without a track setup.
4) Perhaps due to the wheels being moved out more to the corners, and possibly partly due to lowering as well, the car feels so much more planted. I haven't driven a Golf R, but I imagine even it would struggle to match this suspension in stock form.
5) Road feel is much better. No doubt the Michelins are responsible for this.
6) The car looks awesome! Way more aggressive but not overdone.
Total cost was $1100 for MSS, $200 for spacers, and $620 for Michelins plus labor, so for a little over $2000, I have a completely different car. Seriously. I cannot believe how easy it is to push this FWD car hard in the corners. This is how I always imagined a GTI would feel like before I got one. It's my daily driver, and it still feels comfortable on harsh roads. I had been salivating over the prospect of a tune, but the way this car drives, I've almost forgotten about my need for speed for now. I would heartily recommend tires, good spacers, and the MSS kit as a package. If I had known what I know now, and these mods had been an optional package from the factory, I would not have bought the car without it.
Thanks for all that all of you contribute to the forum, and I've enjoyed being a part of it already.
After reaching 1000 miles on the GTI, I wanted to begin mods for handling and power. After reading all the forum opinions I could find, the majority of you agreed that tires and/or suspension improvements should happen before a tune on a GTI. Yesterday, my shop finished installing ECS flush spacers, Michelin PS A/S 3+ tires (replacing the Pirellis), and a front and rear adjustable MSS Sport spring kit. Most of the reviews of the MSS Sport kits were for DCC or Audi adjustable struts, but my GTI doesn't have DCC, so I took a chance. Had the car lowered from 4 fingers gap between the fenders and tires stock down to 2 fingers, with slight reverse rake for front settling. I should also mention that I had noticed that the driver's side hit potholes awfully hard, and my mechanic found three blue suspension pucks still on the strut. Nice.
Since all mods were done at the same time, it's difficult to separate their different contributions, but I will just say this: THIS IS EXACTLY THE WAY THIS CAR SHOULD HAVE COME FROM THE FACTORY!!! WOW! These are my observations:
1) The ride is just as comfortable as stock (really!) but the damping rate is much more closely matched to the springs. It is much tighter-feeling, and there is no bounce over a bump, just one compression and back most of the time. There is no noise either! I've had cars with lowering springs, and the reduced travel of the struts and stiffness help cornering, but don't feel anywhere near as good as the MSS system. It's like having your cake and eating it too. I was hoping for this!
2) The majority of squat and dive is gone--the car just accelerates without tires chirping and it brakes in a turn without understeer or too heavy of a steering feel. This should greatly help putting more power to the ground later after a tune.
3) Handling in corners is ridiculously predictable. There is little body roll, but not too little. Most of the understeer is gone, but the rear does not feel like it will break loose. It feels about as balanced as a FWD car can be without a track setup.
4) Perhaps due to the wheels being moved out more to the corners, and possibly partly due to lowering as well, the car feels so much more planted. I haven't driven a Golf R, but I imagine even it would struggle to match this suspension in stock form.
5) Road feel is much better. No doubt the Michelins are responsible for this.
6) The car looks awesome! Way more aggressive but not overdone.
Total cost was $1100 for MSS, $200 for spacers, and $620 for Michelins plus labor, so for a little over $2000, I have a completely different car. Seriously. I cannot believe how easy it is to push this FWD car hard in the corners. This is how I always imagined a GTI would feel like before I got one. It's my daily driver, and it still feels comfortable on harsh roads. I had been salivating over the prospect of a tune, but the way this car drives, I've almost forgotten about my need for speed for now. I would heartily recommend tires, good spacers, and the MSS kit as a package. If I had known what I know now, and these mods had been an optional package from the factory, I would not have bought the car without it.
Thanks for all that all of you contribute to the forum, and I've enjoyed being a part of it already.
Or does it feel with the
