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More Feels! MK7 GTI Build for Street and HPDE

Unreal1

Autocross Champion
Location
Pittsburgh
H&R 26mm solid RSB vs stock
 

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hawker800mech

Ready to race!
Location
Concord, NC
Waiting to hear more on your impressions of the front tower bar.

Front tower bar made a gigantic improvement on my MK2 GTI (that body was made of rubber) and a noticeable difference on my 04 WRX. May install one when I change out my springs soon.
 

Lord_Flexington

Drag Racing Champion
Location
Syracuse
Car(s)
15 MK7 GTI LP PP
Well done on the tower bar. I have been thinking about getting one rather than a front sway bar for ease of install. That coupled with a RSB should be just enough for me.
 

Unreal1

Autocross Champion
Location
Pittsburgh
Some quick impressions.

Front strut bar - extremely easy to install. You can even get it on without removing the wipers, but the bolt furthest back was a little difficult to get to. If you have tools that can fit in that small space it shouldn't be an issue, or just remove the wipers for better access.

Definitely a noticeable improvement without any drawbacks so far. Biggest difference is mid-corner, the steering wheel just becomes a scalpel. It reacts precisely and instantly to any fine adjustments you want to make. Steering and feedback through the corners has also improved, the front definitely feels more rigid. Of course with that, you also feel every bump, but it's not bad.
 
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Unreal1

Autocross Champion
Location
Pittsburgh
I'm getting a loud popping noise from the back right anytime I go over a bump or make a sharp turn. Wasn't getting any noises the first time I drove it after the install. I checked all of my bolts and everything seems tight, I'm going to have to take the whole thing off and see what's going on. I'm guessing it might be something with the endlink.
 

nuSchule

Ready to race!
Location
NC
I'm getting a loud popping noise from the back right anytime I go over a bump or make a sharp turn. Wasn't getting any noises the first time I drove it after the install. I checked all of my bolts and everything seems tight, I'm going to have to take the whole thing off and see what's going on. I'm guessing it might be something with the endlink.

Thanks for the reviews! Did you compress the rear suspension before tightening everything? If not, sometimes binding can occur.
 

Unreal1

Autocross Champion
Location
Pittsburgh
Thanks for the reviews! Did you compress the rear suspension before tightening everything? If not, sometimes binding can occur.

Yeah it was definitely a broken endlink unfortunately. I ended up replacing them with Superpro endlinks and everything is fine now.

Haven't drove my GTI much lately, took awhile for the endlinks to arrive and then winter weather hit again :(

But, things are finally starting to clear and warm up so it's almost time for a real set of tires.

Decided I'm going to get the Falken Azenis RT615K+. After rebate they're $417 which is a steal for extreme summer's. From what I've read they don't offer the same performance as the Bridgestone RE71's, but they're not too far off and they're better for daily use. I also read they're easier to drive at the limit which is a plus as well.
 

Sandman GTI

Drag Race Newbie
Location
Tennessee USA



ECS Polyurethane Bushings Review

First off, don’t make the same mistakes I did. Being the overly frugal guy that I am, I tried to save a little money and opted only for the bushings and associated hardware without the ECS supplied control arms. I contacted a shop prior to purchase and they told me they could press the bushings in for about $60 which would have saved me around $80. However, once I took the bushings to them, they asked me for instructions on how to press them in. :eek:

They knew they were polyurethane beforehand. Needless to say they didn’t instill much confidence so I took it to another shop and they pressed them in for $100.

In the end, cheaping it out wasn’t worth the hassle, I should have bought the complete kit with the control arms and bushings pre-installed.

https://www.ecstuning.com/b-ecs-par...hane-bushings-with-hardware/008692ecs01-02kt/

Installation:

Not easy on the DSG! Mistake number two I made was not checking the fine print before purchasing. There’s a footnote within the installation pdf stating the following:

“If your vehicle is equipped with a DSG or Tiptronic transmission, you will need to unbolt the pendulum mount from the subframe and swing the engine forward to remove the LH control arm bolt. This hardware is also “Torque to Yield” hardware, and replacements can be found..."

That’s the only aspect that made this a time consuming install. I wish I could provide in-depth details on the process, however this one was out of my wheelhouse so I had my father install the kit for me. My recommendation, check the installation pdf on their site before moving forward.

Performance:

A few reasons you may want to invest in this kit:

-Eliminate wheel hop. I was not experiencing any prior to install so I cannot personally speak on this aspect, however poly control arm bushings are known to help reduce wheel hop.

-More road feel/feedback through the chassis and steering wheel. This is the main reason, really only reason, I decided to purchase this kit and thankfully it delivered. Stock, the steering wheel has perfect weight in sport mode, but was way too numb for my liking. With these bushings you feel more of the road and overall get more of a mechanical feel from the car.

-Improved response. Very marginal difference here, if you’re solely purchasing this kit in expectations of achieving razor sharp reflexes, you may end up disappointed.

Verdict:

Pros
+ More communicative/sportier feeling through the steering wheel and chassis. Biggest factor.
+ I did not notice any increase in NVH. No squeaking from the bushings either.
+ Good value.

Cons
-I imagine the SuperPro Control Arm kit with anti-lift geometery is probably the better performer. But, it’s $800! If you don’t mind swinging that much for control arms I would suggest going in that direction.
-Don’t go in expecting a night and day difference out of your steering response. It’s very marginal.
-This negative comes down to preference. Of course feeling more of the road also means your car is going to feel less isolated. You will experience more vibrations, bumps, etc. It’s not jarring and still comfortable, but it’s enough of a difference whereas this mod won’t be for someone that wants a plush and luxurious ride.

Overall

I’d rate these a solid 8/10, I’m happy with the purchase as they delivered on my expectations. Remember the theme of this build, more feels, for that the ECS bushing kit was a step in the right direction. I knocked a couple points off for the install and not being as advanced as the SuperPro’s.

Note

After install my car now pulls to the right. On straight roads I have to turn my wheel slightly to the left in order to stay on a straight path. I had my alignment checked at a VW dealership and the front was spot on. Oddly, it was the rear that was slightly out of spec. From what I was told it was the toe and wouldn't be causing the car to pull right. It also wasn't far enough out of spec to warrant fixing. Any thoughts on this?



Just for others to compare.
I had LCA's replaced due to wear and rubbing over bumps.
OE bushing is weak and was torn.

My main goal was long term strength.

3lbs lighter each side. FYI.








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Unreal1

Autocross Champion
Location
Pittsburgh
How's it feel compared to stock? I believe the increase in caster should make the steering even more communicative. But, we have a member here who said his steering is more numb with the Superpro kit, which is pretty odd.
 
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Zacr811

Ready to race!
Location
Toronto
Man thay track looks beautiful. Jealous.

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LeGti

Ready to race!
Location
France
How's it feel compared to stock? I believe the increase in caster should make the steering even more communicative. But, we have a member here who said his steering is more numb with the Superpro kit, which is pretty odd.


Hi, thanks for your review! I was reading it when I saw you referenced a previous statement of mine. Let me add to it:

I did report that after installing the Superpro LCAs (the 6K version, which is the max caster one), the steering felt a little more numb. It's what's to be expected when increasing caster: the self-centering effect makes for more stability, less agility.

However, the increase in caster does wonders for front grip through turns: caster translates into dynamic camber increase (outside wheel gains more camber as steering lock is applied).

Also, the SP LCA's bushings do provide more feel: the tire's grip, the surface of the road, load are all felt with less filtering.

So: a little numb insofar as the self-centering is increased, more feel, more stability, more grip. If bushings alone had been available back when I did the LCAs, I would have had a hard time deciding.

Finally: I felt that doing the rear bushings (all of them), while time-consuming, provided a massive increase in precision, response and grip. At the expense of a little nvh.

Hope this helps, thanks again for your reviews!
PS, that 944 was nice, I still regret selling my old 911SC... C'est la vie!
 
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