Big Turbo GTI v. R Upgrade

[GTIfan99]

honestly, you can get a 1 or 2 year old RS3 for the cost of a new R. Why wouldn't you?

I'm not a big fan of buying used, especially a performance car. In my experience, it's a crapshoot if there's issues, they beat on it, dumped it, and you inherit their mess. Plus, I love hatches.

 

[The Dude]

I'm not a big fan of buying used, especially a performance car. In my experience, it's a crapshoot if there's issues, they beat on it, dumped it, and you inherit their mess. Plus, I love hatches.

yea, no sportback is a turn off for me. I think my GTI will be plenty of fun once the big kid turbo is on there. It's pretty fun now if I'm being honest, but I can't leave well enough alone.

 

[GTIfan99]

If it wasn't for TT and autocross classing, I'd do an IS38, but in my experience, the closer you keep a car to stock, the less issues you have, so IS38, tune, DP is as far as I'd ever take a street car.

 

[bentin]

honestly, you can get a 1 or 2 year old RS3 for the cost of a new R. Why wouldn't you?

But don't think I haven't looked at low mileage, previous TT-RS's with the manual.

 

[The Dude]

If it wasn't for TT and autocross classing, I'd do an IS38, but in my experience, the closer you keep a car to stock, the less issues you have, so IS38, tune, DP is as far as I'd ever take a street car.

I'd kinda planned to do the same with my car, but even the IS38 is leaving power on the table without upgrading fuel. But you upgrade the pump and lines, then add mpi, then HPFP, then you're just begging for a big hybrid or a big turbo.

 

[GTIfan99]

I'd kinda planned to do the same with my car, but even the IS38 is leaving power on the table without upgrading fuel. But you upgrade the pump and lines, then add mpi, then HPFP, then you're just begging for a big hybrid or a big turbo.

Do you need to upgrade to do a simple IS38 upgrade with a tune and 360 ish hp? Since I'm just tracking the car, I'm not sure I'd want more than that.

 

[The Dude]

nope, APR says it's good for just under 400 hp with stock fuel, but my understanding is your fuel system is just about topped out at that point.

 

[jimlloyd40]

If you're going to BT either car then do it on the R with a DSG, it'll be a missile

Otherwise a tuned GTI (w/ the PP) is plenty quick (faster than stock R), lighter, better styling, more responsive and tossable in corners, has the sunroof, etc

And a center console.

 

[jimlloyd40]

The last thing I want in a VW is a sunroof. I've owned 9 VAG products across 4 decades and all the sunroofs had issues. My wife still laughs about the sunroof literally being sucked off the car at 60mph in the freeway in my 83 GTI.

I have a sunroof on my 18SE and used it once in 80K miles just to see if it worked. ?

 

[jimlloyd40]

I'm not a big fan of buying used, especially a performance car. In my experience, it's a crapshoot if there's issues, they beat on it, dumped it, and you inherit their mess. Plus, I love hatches.

I don't buy used either. I want to be the one who breaks it in.

 

[jimlloyd40]

Do you need to upgrade to do a simple IS38 upgrade with a tune and 360 ish hp? Since I'm just tracking the car, I'm not sure I'd want more than that.

No you don't need fueling and that's exactly what I have. It's at 363HP and 408 torque but the IS38 bearing seals are leaking so I'm actually going to the TPC20 hybrid next week.

 

[deanmarr]

Big Turbo GTI is the answer. is38 perfect power for GTI. stage 2 R only faster from the dig.

 

[El_bigote_AJ]

Big Turbo GTI is the answer. is38 perfect power for GTI. stage 2 R only faster from the dig.

Is38 gti is not a big turbo....

 

[jimlloyd40]

Is38 gti is not a big turbo....

But it is a big (ger) turbo than the stock IS20. But you're right it's not what we think of when someone says big turbo.

 

[deanmarr]

But it is a big (ger) turbo than the stock IS20. But you're right it's not what we think of when someone says big turbo.

Is38 gti is not a big turbo....

It is for a GTI. Run along now.