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2019 GTI 6MT Performance Issues I'd Like to Correct

GTIfan99

Autocross Champion
Location
FL
You've hit the nail on the head....

Over the past couple of decades they have added more "aids", & encouraged the driver to NOT drive...so they have to add even more aids...to pander to those drivers who can't drive to pander to their poor egos..so that everybody is "a driving god"......much like BMWs ad strap line of "the ultimate driving machine"...which is of no use when 90% of them are driven in 30mph stop start traffic...might as well have a flipping 1lt Nissan Micra..& that in reality is ALL that the idiot behind the wheel is capable of handling...

Basically this is another reason why I have a lower powered car...less aids as less power to then reel in....result is more fun....& you can then have fun as a DRIVER......even then I've still had to whip out VCDS & programme some stuff out/off/etc..

Performance Pack = marketing bullsh1t...

I own both non PP and PP GTI and autocrossed and tracked both
Not marketing BS. The PP car puts power down better out of corners, brakes and tires run much cooler (allowing closer to the limit driving longer) and stock for stock, PP understeers less.

OP, the car needs decent tires, a rear sway, less rear toe in, and a few abs tweaks and it'll drive much less artificially.
 

dosjockey

Go Kart Champion
Location
South
You've hit the nail on the head....

Over the past couple of decades they have added more "aids", & encouraged the driver to NOT drive...so they have to add even more aids...to pander to those drivers who can't drive to pander to their poor egos..so that everybody is "a driving god"......much like BMWs ad strap line of "the ultimate driving machine"...which is of no use when 90% of them are driven in 30mph stop start traffic...might as well have a flipping 1lt Nissan Micra..& that in reality is ALL that the idiot behind the wheel is capable of handling...

Basically this is another reason why I have a lower powered car...less aids as less power to then reel in....result is more fun....& you can then have fun as a DRIVER......even then I've still had to whip out VCDS & programme some stuff out/off/etc..

Performance Pack = marketing bullsh1t...

Well, they certainly got me with the marketing.

Even if the 2019 didn't come with it as standard, I'd have sought out a car with the performance pack; remembering the countless ATBs and limited slips I've used in front axles.

This is kind of like a perpetual case of blue balls. On one hand, it's a damned solid daily driver; but on the other... That last ten percent is hounding me. I know what it won't do, now; and it kind of bothers me... But VW isn't stupid. Oh, no. They've spoiled me at the price point, and they know it. They gave me a gorgeous interior, expensive paint, comfortable cloth seats that are cool enough to bypass leather and deal with being shocked all winter long... The damned thing has more amenities than any Jaguar I've ever owned.

A Golf GTI is indeed a smart purchase; but perhaps I'm not quite as smart as I thought. Perhaps I'm a closet idiot and it just took actually owning one of these to get it through my thick head. ?

I've said it before, I think, but this is kind of like coming up a dollar short at a whorehouse. You're still having fun, but that last little bit; the bit you actually showed up for... Well, it's just not on the table.

This has taught me some valuable lessons, chief of which is that I'll enjoy the Cybertruck. If stuff is this computerized on a Golf GTI, I may as well go all in with technology on my daily driver. I'm no longer worried about all the computers, detachment, or anything of the like in a Tesla. It can't be any worse than this, and the payoff will be a new automotive world to explore.

It also taught me that I'm not ready to settle down in driving, which is where I thought I was. No, being so limited these days means I actually want to go wild more than I did before; not less. Didn't see that one coming.

This was indeed the best car for me to purchase, though. Like Clarkson says, if you don't know what you want, buy a GTI. At the very least, you will know what you want after driving it for a while; or at least what you don't want. It's like an all you can eat buffet of modern features to try out; but the only way it's going to sink in is to actually buy one; and if you still can't make up your mind, you've got a very nice, fast car that's not going to "age" in your eyes.

If you're going to own something that isn't ideal, you can do a hell of a lot worse. It still receives a high recommendation from me. In the pile of performance-minded daily driver options on the market, this is still a safe bet.

It just might be a little too safe for me specifically.
 

dosjockey

Go Kart Champion
Location
South
I own both non PP and PP GTI and autocrossed and tracked both
Not marketing BS. The PP car puts power down better out of corners, brakes and tires run much cooler (allowing closer to the limit driving longer) and stock for stock, PP understeers less.

Indeed; you've got a limited slip instead of not having one, but if one doesn't have the performance pack, he can install whatever front differential he likes; which I personally believe to be a more ideal solution.

I don't really think this system would be particularly pleasant on dirt and gravel, which is where I'm most at home.
 

dosjockey

Go Kart Champion
Location
South
I do want to point out that I'm being so critical because the car is very good; outstanding, even. If it was worse, these issues wouldn't stand out as much.

I do not regret the purchase. It's been a hell of a learning experience, and in the end I've got a very practical car.
 

GTIfan99

Autocross Champion
Location
FL
In stock trim, it's frustrating at 10/10th. With a few minor mods, it's the best handling FWD car I've owned. The path to getting there is short and cheap. Stop complaining and just do it.
 

dosjockey

Go Kart Champion
Location
South
In stock trim, it's frustrating at 10/10th. With a few minor mods, it's the best handling FWD car I've owned. The path to getting there is short and cheap. Stop complaining and just do it.

No. ? ?

I like complaining, or more accurately, I like analyzing stuff like this; it's fun for me, and a big part of how much fun I'm having with the car. I also want to be sure I can post accurate impressions on the first page.

I'm going to try disabling XDS and whatever that straight line stability control function is called to see how much that changes things.

Then, I'll try setting the differential to the "increased traction" mode. This way I can see what the differential does without the rest of the system bothering it. Neither of these alterations should affect warranty issues beyond increased wear on the differential, and decreased wear on the brakes, which I find acceptable. Brakes are a "pay to play" part, and by the time anything happens to that diff, the next owner will have tuned the engine anyway.

Not going to sell it to someone who won't, since I'm increasing wear in some places.

I don't want the vehicle flagged, because the transferable warranty is a selling point, and this wasn't intended to be a long-term (exceeding warranty coverage) purchase. It'll be a while before I decide whether or not I'm going to keep it until it dies. I'll probably make the decision at 20,000 miles unless I'm tempted away by something else.

Once that other stuff is out of the way I'll look into more of the engine settings themselves, and ask the dealer in regard to their experience if they expect any VCDS alterations to cause an issue.

It seems illogical to mess with the engine response (beyond throttle, which I've done) until I get the brakes out of the picture and the differential doing what I want; or close to it. From that point, I can more readily feel the changes in the engine.

Comes down to eliminating a variable, getting used to it, then eliminating another, getting used to it... And so on until I'm at the engine. Once I'm past that, I'll be able to choose appropriate wheels and tires. With each change, I need to put the miles on it, slowly working back up to be sure I fully understand the implications.

At that point, I'll know what the car is capable of without a tune, and how each of these systems affects the others. I'll be done before a thousand miles.

Eventually, someone will happen upon this thread who's really struggling to put the information together with detailed impressions, and by then I'll have updated the original post. It won't be authoritative to any degree, nor will it be presented as such, but it will be helpful; and as they cruise through this process (or just skip to the last page) they'll see what I was thinking the entire time. I know I like it when I come upon threads like that.

Surely others do, as well.
 

GTIfan99

Autocross Champion
Location
FL
Xds isn't noticed if you turn ESC fully off and helps turn in on a PP car.

This thread is rambling, no one will every find anything useful in it.
 

dosjockey

Go Kart Champion
Location
South
Xds isn't noticed if you turn ESC fully off and helps turn in on a PP car.

This thread is rambling, no one will every find anything useful in it.

That's why one should update the original post with conclusions, and link to appropriate later posts. It's just a matter of taking time to do things properly in life, and not rushing.

People won't read more than 240 characters, so one must hold their hand anyway. That being the case, I may as well type what I like.

Just got back in. Unfortunately, I don't seem to have some of these settings. Certainly "Starting vibration reduction" does not seem to be present where it should be or anywhere else. It seems others have encountered this, as well in 2019 vehicles. I'm going to look around some more, but if I can't get rid of some of this, there is a bit of an issue.
 

dosjockey

Go Kart Champion
Location
South
I did set the diff to "increased traction". I'll change the XDS later if I can get out there. Forgot to bring the security code out with me. ?

Once I see what it's like with that turned off for a bit, I may bring it up to "weak", because other people are on the road, too. I've got a perfect driving record, but I ain't perfect. It would be foolish to leave it completely disabled until I'm positive I know how the car will react in different scenarios. Same goes for the straight line stability if I've got the setting. I need to get it to activate a few times to see what's what.

That starting vibration reduction setting being missing is very bothersome, though.

On the bright side, I did turn on the "off road display". It hasn't done much yet beyond show me one impossible angle. The vehicle probably doesn't have the sensors to make it function properly.

EDIT: I guess it needed another restart. Now I'm seeing coolant temperature, oil temperature, and steering angle. That's pretty neat. Not the most useful thing in the world, but it's interesting. It looks like that's all I'll get out of it, but hell... I didn't expect it to even work on my base model "S" infotainment system. It's pretty cool that even though I don't have the same gauges and features as the higher lines, they still allowed something. (y)

I need to look around and find out if the vibration reduction is now tied to a function in the infotainment system. It's still limiting torque, but there might not be anything I can do about it. Might not be fully defeatable in a 2019. It could be I just missed it, or it's called something else now in the VCDS system. Doesn't seem to be too much information about that floating around.
 
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jimlloyd40

Autocross Champion
Location
Phoenix
Car(s)
2018 SE DSG
I did set the diff to "increased traction". I'll change the XDS later if I can get out there. Forgot to bring the security code out with me. ?

Once I see what it's like with that turned off for a bit, I may bring it up to "weak", because other people are on the road, too. I've got a perfect driving record, but I ain't perfect. It would be foolish to leave it completely disabled until I'm positive I know how the car will react in different scenarios. Same goes for the straight line stability if I've got the setting. I need to get it to activate a few times to see what's what.

That starting vibration reduction setting being missing is very bothersome, though.

On the bright side, I did turn on the "off road display". It hasn't done much yet beyond show me one impossible angle. The vehicle probably doesn't have the sensors to make it function properly.

EDIT: I guess it needed another restart. Now I'm seeing coolant temperature, oil temperature, and steering angle. That's pretty neat. Not the most useful thing in the world, but it's interesting. It looks like that's all I'll get out of it, but hell... I didn't expect it to even work on my base model "S" infotainment system. It's pretty cool that even though I don't have the same gauges and features as the higher lines, they still allowed something. (y)

I need to look around and find out if the vibration reduction is now tied to a function in the infotainment system. It's still limiting torque, but there might not be anything I can do about it. Might not be fully defeatable in a 2019. It could be I just missed it, or it's called something else now in the VCDS system. Doesn't seem to be too much information about that floating around.

Just for the heck of it would you please post a one short sentence post please. ?
 

dosjockey

Go Kart Champion
Location
South
Assuming I can't adjust that vibration reduction setting on my 2019, that brings up an interesting question.

If I were to drop in, say, that Neuspeed power module, would the torque reduction drop me to the same level it does now, or would it simply drop the same amount from a higher point; recovering the factory acceleration potential in lower gears; though still reduced in relation to the now higher output?
 

dr_mat

Go Kart Champion
Location
Berkshire
My Corrado didn't understeer when driven correctly. In fact, it's the only factory FWD car I've owned that oversteered. It was glorious. I took it to Italy with me and you could blast up the Amalfie coast all day in a perfect rhythm corner after corner. The back end rotating controllably on lift or under braking and you'd rotate until it pointed at the apex, then pull the car out of the slide with the throttle. If a Corrado is understeering, the suspension or alignment is borked or you're it's being driven like a RWD car.

VAQ does not respond as fast and the xds is there to bridge that gap in response. VAQ works well at factory hp levels and on grippy surfaces, but I'm finding it doesn't like old low grip asphalt or even stg 1 power. Next autocross I'll try a run with VAQ off to see if it's doing more than I'm giving it credit for, but I was getting power on understeer on corner exit last weekend. At stock hp levels, never had that issue.

Re: the Corrado .. so quick to assume something is wrong .. it's dead easy to make it oversteer as you say and it's hugely enjoyable to do so. I'd love to take it somewhere like Amalfi (apart from the buses coming the other way in the middle of the corners), but understeer is also quite possible to provoke though rare unless it's wet and I'm being really, really silly with the throttle. And that's what I mean, you have the choice and no tech of any kind is required to make that totally controllable and safe. This is with a modestly uprated 215bhp. I can't imagine I'd be saying the same thing with turbos attached, given the unpredictability of throttle response that brings.

I suspect that if you were able to tune the VAQ to your taste, it would be everything a mechanical diff could be and a lot more.

I do understand what this is all about and I guess the car pretends like it has its roots in the original Golf GTi, but it really doesn't any more. Buying a modern tech-laden mass market car you just can't expect a raw "driver's" experience (unless you unplug the ABS sensors..)

I just don't like the use of the word "better" when what is closer to the truth is "preferred". I get that people prefer predictable mechanical behaviour, but I suspect that the car with the trick electronic diff is actually better in terms of being able to control the car's attitude and progress in extreme circumstances.
 

dr_mat

Go Kart Champion
Location
Berkshire
It won't be out-drawn by ABS, but the actual differential won't beat an ATB, which doesn't have to respond to an analyzed scenario or, to break from proper definition, it doesn't have to "react".

An ATB is always engaged; always functional. There is no delay in operation, and it always does the same thing, every time.

The VAQ can also pre-act.. because it knows you might have a problem based on current data and it can act to prevent it. The comments I've seen in various threads indicate that it does exactly this, so in fact even this benefit is moot.
 

golfdave

Autocross Champion
Location
Scotland (U.K.)
Car(s)
Mk7 Golf GT Estate
The VAQ can also pre-act.. because it knows you might have a problem based on current data and it can act to prevent it. The comments I've seen in various threads indicate that it does exactly this, so in fact even this benefit is moot.

Most stability systems are "pro-active"..& the VAQ is to an extent...& that's the problem...

It relies on pre-programmed data tables & possible scenarios to compare the current situation to.....& there for it "thinks" you are in "trouble " & intervenes, even thought it cannot "see" the road or the conditions...

8 out 10 times it might get it right...but the other 2 it can balls up....

This is why in many cases a more "advanced" driver actually has to forget to drive & just let the car do its thing as they are ALL dumbed down to the lowest common demominator...ie a thick driver...

P.S. the VAQ unit is used on only the DSG cars in the TCR race series (sequential gearboxes have a different setup)…& they have special programmes written for them...these would be far better for the OP...but you can't get your hands on them...
 
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