GOLFMK8
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GOLFMKV

APR Stage 1 Mk7 - 381TQ and 316HP

neildorrel

Ready to race!
Location
Diamond Bar, CA
Car(s)
2019 GTI Rabbit DSG
APR...and clutch

An endorsement, and a word of warning:

1. I have a 2016 GTI S (gotta have the plaid) PP with a manual transmission. I had the APR Stage I done at Eurocode (good guys, very knowledgeable). It is the best $800 one could possibly spend. It is a completely different car after it is done. They also put on VWR springs and their own very trick aluminum tunnel brace. I've read concerns about mechanical reliability but honestly the EA888 series of engines are so over-built and bullet-proof that I am not concerned.

2. If you have a manual transmission you WILL need a new clutch very soon. IMO, the stock clutch is a weak link in the drivetrain anyway. It has absolutely no feel whatsoever, and is so light it feels like it is from a stock Polo. After about 2,000 miles with the APR tune, the clutch started to slip in higher gears. I have driven a stick for 35 years and also do some (very) amateur racing-- it isn't abuse or driver error to blame. It's just that the stock unit is a completely sh*t clutch, period. I went to AU Tuning (also really incredible guys) and they recommended and installed the clutch from the TT RS for about $1,600. Very stout feeling, great clutch, it feels like a race car. But be ready for a much, much heavier set up. It took me a couple of hundred miles to become accustomed to it, but now it is lovely even in the stop-and-go traffic here in LA.

So be forewarned: you WILL need a new clutch right away.
 

JerseyDrew77

Autocross Champion
Location
Virginia & NC
Car(s)
2016 TR GTI S 6MT
An endorsement, and a word of warning:

1. I have a 2016 GTI S (gotta have the plaid) PP with a manual transmission. I had the APR Stage I done at Eurocode (good guys, very knowledgeable). It is the best $800 one could possibly spend. It is a completely different car after it is done. They also put on VWR springs and their own very trick aluminum tunnel brace. I've read concerns about mechanical reliability but honestly the EA888 series of engines are so over-built and bullet-proof that I am not concerned.

2. If you have a manual transmission you WILL need a new clutch very soon. IMO, the stock clutch is a weak link in the drivetrain anyway. It has absolutely no feel whatsoever, and is so light it feels like it is from a stock Polo. After about 2,000 miles with the APR tune, the clutch started to slip in higher gears. I have driven a stick for 35 years and also do some (very) amateur racing-- it isn't abuse or driver error to blame. It's just that the stock unit is a completely sh*t clutch, period. I went to AU Tuning (also really incredible guys) and they recommended and installed the clutch from the TT RS for about $1,600. Very stout feeling, great clutch, it feels like a race car. But be ready for a much, much heavier set up. It took me a couple of hundred miles to become accustomed to it, but now it is lovely even in the stop-and-go traffic here in LA.

So be forewarned: you WILL need a new clutch right away.

That's nothing new...
 
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