Beginner here, no clue where to start.

[GTIfan99]

Cost efficient? I hate to say it, but with tires you get what you pay for, really.

Michelin's pilot sport 4s are probably the best option overall, Pilot sport A/S are very good, and I've heard good things about Firehawk's Indy 500 set. Those are reasonably priced

Falken FK510 are all around better than Indy500 and cost the same.

 

[jimlloyd40]

Welcome to the forum and congrats on your car purchase. I wouldn't do anything until you get to know your car better and learn more from reading the forum. The more that you learn the better the decisions you'll make to minimize mistakes and cost.

 

[It's Sam]

Falken FK510 are all around better than Indy500 and cost the same.

Thank you, I forgot about those. Continental ContiSports are another decent option, a lot of people sell them with wheels they're selling if you go that route.

 

[Sumfuncomet]

Fire hawk 500 tires and a rear sway bar. Then take a breath, do some research. Realize every penny you spend on mods is NOT any kind of investment. If you are fully funding your 401k and have money left over then go ago head and mod. You will get NO return on what you spend!

 

[therealslimhazy]

Thank you, I forgot about those. Continental ContiSports are another decent option, a lot of people sell them with wheels they're selling if you got hat route.

awesome! thank you all for the advice! <3

 

[hopelessfish]

For a bit more exhaust sound, look at getting a resonator delete. This removes the centre resonator from the exhaust and replaces it with a section of straight through pipe, giving you a little bit more noise without being obnoxiously loud. Best of luck, and as others have said do as much research as possible, trawling through the threads on this forum is such a great way to learn about the car and potential mods.

 

[Hotsky]

i was originally thinking of getting my golf tuned but the more i read about these engines the less i liked the idea. I want my car to last as long as possible (should i choose to keep it long term).

I would recommend:
Tints
Wheels & tires
Rear sway bar
Hitch and roof rack lol

 

[shovelhd]

Also General GMax RS.

JB1 is plug and play, JB4 is capable of custom tuning. You don't have to custom tune, though, if you don't want to. Map 2 is pretty good right out of the box.

Tires (lighter/wider wheels help as well), rear sway bar, JB4. None of them will make the exhaust or turbo louder, though.

 

[ElectricEye]

Sound: Clubsport Muffler. Keep your entire exhaust system otherwise stock and just bolt on a Clubsport Muffler.
Performance (speed) without warranty issues: JB1 or JB4.

 

[cb1111]

I think that the beginning of any modifications should start with the questions: (1) how rich are you or how much in debt do you want to go? and (2) how many of these modifications that everyone on here will tell you about CAN you do yourself? Do you plan to track the car at all or is this just a daily driver with spirited weekend drives? Does your model have the Performance Package? I went with a rear sway bar (as mentioned) and light weight wheels with summer tires (Continental Extreme Contact Sport) and winters (Continental DWS 06), here there are many options. As for a daily driver I think it has sufficient power but that is me and I don't care to pay the piper. You could do the clutch delay delete that will be mentioned. I also changed the front calipers to a 4 piston unit. these are some I did to my 17 GTI Sport. Good Luck

Actually, the first question should be "what don't I like about my new car?"

The OP should put his wallet away and drive the car for a week (regardless of how long he has had the car) and keep a notepad in the car. On that pad, he should write all the things he likes and the things he doesn't like.

He should then post the list here. Only then can we give him rational suggestions that work for him (not what all the lemmings want).

If he follows that advice, then he'll save money AND get a car that fits his needs.

 

[therealslimhazy]

Actually, the first question should be "what don't I like about my new car?"

The OP should put his wallet away and drive the car for a week (regardless of how long he has had the car) and keep a notepad in the car. On that pad, he should write all the things he likes and the things he doesn't like.

He should then post the list here. Only then can we give him rational suggestions that work for him (not what all the lemmings want).

If he follows that advice, then he'll save money AND get a car that fits his needs.

Thank you for the advice. I will be putting a notepad and pen in my car today and do that as i drive. i will get back to you after a week or so(or a couple of days) since ive been driving it for a week already and have only a couple of complaints. but i'll take the next few days devising a list for you

 

[Navi]

first question, how much do you care about warranty? Is it important to you or not?

 

[imthanick_a]

If you want more boost sound you have a few options. Intake is easiest and least annoying. You'll get a nice turbo whoosh when you let off the throttle. You could also go with an aftermarket diverter valve or a blow off valve but those can get annoyingly loud. Don't expect power gains from any of those mods even though they are advertised as power adders. The others have had great advice with upgraded tires/wheels, clutch mods, and JB1/JB4 piggybacks.

Welcome to the dub club and the forums. There's plenty of info on here, just read around and do your research before buying anything or doing installs. Google searching in this format "site:golfmk7.com *insert your search term here without asterisks*" will return only results from this site and is much more useful than the site search function.

This is a good thread for "wasteful" mods. Theres a couple like it with good mods. if oyu don't want to mod, then don't. definitely don't feel like you have to just cuz of what you read online or what other people tell you
https://www.golfmk7.com/forums/index.php?threads/mods-youre-wasting-money-on.338972/

 

[cb1111]

Thank you for the advice. I will be putting a notepad and pen in my car today and do that as i drive. i will get back to you after a week or so(or a couple of days) since ive been driving it for a week already and have only a couple of complaints. but i'll take the next few days devising a list for you

Thanks - we all have the temptation to ask "what should I mod first" especially when we come to a forum and are slapped in the face by pages and pages of "must have" mods.

You can spend thousands to get lots of mods that you might not need.

Much, for example, depends on what you are used to driving. If you were driving a 1980's Yugo (or a Camry/Corolla or the like), then the GTI is overkill as it is and you'll drive it for 5 years before you say "I want to mod something". If you're coming from a Ferrari, then you might want to add mods now.

My point is that you should mod to what YOU see as shortcomings - not what some faceless people n the internet suggest because it is the mod of the day.

 

[Strange Mud]

agree with others in waiting to mod to see what you like/want to change. I'll tell you a few things I really like:

OBD11
Helix Sub-woofer
I swapped out the blk mirror caps on my blk car for red ones.

I find the GTI has such a really good balance of power to economy and handling to ride comfort that I don't need to change much.

enjoy the ride and newbies are expected to post pics

Mud