Nineeightyone
Autocross Champion
- Location
- Pennsylvania
- Car(s)
- Scooty Puff Jr
I'm jealous of that taillight lamp and I'm about to go do some sketchy stuff to make a mk4 wagon taillight work. Great video!
7
Boosting on a Budget- 19birel's MK7.5 Build
- Thread starter 19birel
- Start date
19birel
Autocross Champion
- Location
- Pittsburgh
- Car(s)
- MK7.5 - MK4 - B8.5
Thanks man! And do itttt! It was surprisingly easy to make (wiring is not my forte either) and makes for a fun saturday afternoon project!
I’m scheduled to pop mine in next weekend. Expect to hear from me to pick your brain a bit on your experience with OS tuning as I’ll be slipping into that rabbit hole. Reviewing all the docs now.I'll start with the slight bummer that I've decided to postpone the start of my track season, too much going on at the moment unfortunately, but hey more time to dial the car in!
Anyways, I wasn't planning on picking up a downpipe for a while, but Cobb threw some left over stock of their discontinued Gesi downpipes on their site for 50% off. $600 for a Gesi downpipe is crazy cheap- so I pounced on it. I figured even if I had to mess with spacers (it's a little unknown as to which Gesi core is used) I'd know I had something better than I otherwise would've ended up with. It arrived this morning
They even included the ABS module heat-shield which was nice! Quality looked amazing and fitment is fantastic, it took maybe 2hrs start to finish and most of that was spent removing the stock dp.
Sound is fantastic, no drone but sounds more aggressive when you want it to. Turbo feels more responsive which is a nice plus, and to top it off 84 miles off driving quite spiritedly today, and no CEL! Guess that's the benefit of a fed compliant cat haha. Overall really happy with the purchase! Keen to do some dragy testing soon, hoping to find some time tomorrow
daujin_mk7
Go Kart Champion
- Location
- PA
- Car(s)
- 2016 GTI DSG
Glad to see you hopped on the deal!
COBB told me the GESI cat they use is the Vibrant GESI 50230. Same one Baun uses.
COBB told me the GESI cat they use is the Vibrant GESI 50230. Same one Baun uses.
19birel
Autocross Champion
- Location
- Pittsburgh
- Car(s)
- MK7.5 - MK4 - B8.5
Nice! Happy to offer any insight and advice I can with OS, theres definitely a learning curve but it's worth it!
It was too good to pass up, I was bummed when I missed out the first time so when I saw I had a second chance I had to cop one haha. Good to know it's a quality core, I still do not have a CEL with mine and I'm not running any spacers
19birel
Autocross Champion
- Location
- Pittsburgh
- Car(s)
- MK7.5 - MK4 - B8.5
Long time no update- theres not a whole lot to say unfortunately, some travel plans snatched most of the car budget and my daily, which has been the neglected middle child since the GTI showed up, has required some attention as it started feeling slightly long in the tooth so I've been focused on that.
Daily has had repainted side blades, refinished grill, brand new second hand front fenders, fresh engine mounts, and new trans mount, still a little more to go haha but she's looking and feeling solid for an 11 y/o 130k mile rep-mobile
The GTI has gotten some attention though, I finally ordered two more engine cover posts so I could remount the Porsche cover without it causing false knock readings
Another oil change just before cresting 33k- Still using the LM Synthoil, I want to get a sample of the Synthoil with track time on it to send to black stone before I switch to ester based Motul. Love the vacuum pump, I was grilling a steak whilst I did this haha
Next I wanted to put the Apex SM10s back on- they threw a couple wheel weights towards the end of last year and the tyres are too worn to justify paying for a rebalance but have just enough tread that i want to use them. Harbor freight to the rescue with wheel weights! Just stuck them on there the old ones clearly were and smooth sailing. The tyres were slightly cupped from driving them on unbalanced wheels, but this has mostly corrected itself with "normal" driving over a tank and a half of fuel. Eventhough they're mostly spent, the Toyos are far better than the Bridgestones on the street
Then i played chop chop with my intake- I did this just for some more noise but flow improved to the point that in my lower boost map I started getting a boost oscilation as the wastegate settings were no longer within range. The DTR spool makes this thing sound like a little diesel truck now, I quite like it. At some point I'll eventually get a proper aftermarket intake
Then the other night I snapped some pics
Can u tell I like MF Ghost?
Stock clutch is still holding and the car still feels fast/has never seen another set of tail lights so I'm in no rush to upgrade the clutch to run more boost. I took my buddy for a spin the other day and he said "this feels like it pulls harder than the GT500 I was just in" lol it 100% cannot outrun a GT500, but she moves well. next on the list is tyres, I've been waiting for the Accelera Sport Xtra's (100TW) to come back in stock which should be soon. Then brakes, my current ones are kinda clapped so I'm thinking EBC yellows for street (the blues I have in the front aren't terrible street friendly) and possibly Carbotech XB10s for track. Then lastly a new clutch. On the non-performance front, I think I figured out how to properly mount the Rocketbunny V1 rep splitter i had so that might make a reappearance in the near future.
Daily has had repainted side blades, refinished grill, brand new second hand front fenders, fresh engine mounts, and new trans mount, still a little more to go haha but she's looking and feeling solid for an 11 y/o 130k mile rep-mobile
The GTI has gotten some attention though, I finally ordered two more engine cover posts so I could remount the Porsche cover without it causing false knock readings
Another oil change just before cresting 33k- Still using the LM Synthoil, I want to get a sample of the Synthoil with track time on it to send to black stone before I switch to ester based Motul. Love the vacuum pump, I was grilling a steak whilst I did this haha
Next I wanted to put the Apex SM10s back on- they threw a couple wheel weights towards the end of last year and the tyres are too worn to justify paying for a rebalance but have just enough tread that i want to use them. Harbor freight to the rescue with wheel weights! Just stuck them on there the old ones clearly were and smooth sailing. The tyres were slightly cupped from driving them on unbalanced wheels, but this has mostly corrected itself with "normal" driving over a tank and a half of fuel. Eventhough they're mostly spent, the Toyos are far better than the Bridgestones on the street
Then i played chop chop with my intake- I did this just for some more noise but flow improved to the point that in my lower boost map I started getting a boost oscilation as the wastegate settings were no longer within range. The DTR spool makes this thing sound like a little diesel truck now, I quite like it. At some point I'll eventually get a proper aftermarket intake
Then the other night I snapped some pics
Can u tell I like MF Ghost?
Stock clutch is still holding and the car still feels fast/has never seen another set of tail lights so I'm in no rush to upgrade the clutch to run more boost. I took my buddy for a spin the other day and he said "this feels like it pulls harder than the GT500 I was just in" lol it 100% cannot outrun a GT500, but she moves well. next on the list is tyres, I've been waiting for the Accelera Sport Xtra's (100TW) to come back in stock which should be soon. Then brakes, my current ones are kinda clapped so I'm thinking EBC yellows for street (the blues I have in the front aren't terrible street friendly) and possibly Carbotech XB10s for track. Then lastly a new clutch. On the non-performance front, I think I figured out how to properly mount the Rocketbunny V1 rep splitter i had so that might make a reappearance in the near future.
19birel
Autocross Champion
- Location
- Pittsburgh
- Car(s)
- MK7.5 - MK4 - B8.5
Not terribly pertinent to the car, but VW related so I'll share- I just got back from a week and a half in Germany with my dad, we toured all the car manufactuer museums (Audi Forum Ingolstadt, BMW Welt Munich, Porsche Platz and Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, and Volkswagen Museum in Wolfsburg as well as the Nurburgring. We also went to GTI Fest Treffen in Wolfsburg which is basically VW's replacement for the Worthersee show that got cancelled. Not nearly the same vibe as Worthersee, but it was really cool.
Volkswagen Museum Wolfsburg
I grew up watching Dakar every year so this was beyond special to see in the metal
The Touran from Tokyo Drift
Golf .:R Police car with full Oettinger kit
This T6 was in the parking lot of the museum for the little GTI Fest Pre-meet, call me crazy but I'm a sucker for a Transporter. If I could get one of these with a 2.0 bi-TDI 6MT in the states I'd drop my A4 like a hot potato and have that as my ultimate daily road tripper haha.
GTI Fest treffen
I think this is the only MK8 TCR in existence
Engine bay of this Clubsport was full of ECS Tuning carbon bits, so cool to see all the way in Germany when ECS is only about an hour from my house haha
Much want for its bbk
This was unreal to see in person, when I was in middle school "Dahlback Golf" was probably amidst my top 3 Youtube searches along with "E60 M5 Eissenmann Race Exhaust" and "Xmods r/c" For those who don't know it has an Audi 5-pot mounted longitudinally mated to an Audi IMSA gearbox sending up to 1,000bhp to all four wheels via Quattro awd. When this thing was fresh in the early-mid 2000s it was nutty and that hasn't changed today.
For the event Volkswagen made the special floormats to commemorate the occasion. Rare OEM+ goodness? I had to bring a set home haha
Nurburgring
In the excitement I forgot to setup my camera mount so my lap footage isn't quite youtube worthy, but I have a couple pics to share. Original plan was to rent a MK7 GTI but they were all DSG and when I read "VLN/NLS spec E90 BMW racecar" and it was cheaper than the GTIs, I was hooked haha
I had an absolute blast on the Ring, top tier bucket list stuff and it was every bit as cool as I imagined, 10/10 recommend.
The car was amazing as well, a few takeaways- KW V3s wow, you could really tell how sophisticated the damping is, it took the bumps in carousel like they were nothing and even felt amazing on the half hour street drive to the track. Bucket seats, I need them, I knew this before but this experience affirmed my suspicions. CAE shifter, again I need it, I wanted one or similar (Coolerworx or SB Parts) before but driving with one has shot it towards the top of my mod priorities. Nankang AR-1 tyres, seriously impressive levels of grip- if the cheap rubber doesn't satisfy me then I just might go for a set of these haha.
EDIT: Not sure why some pics aren't displaying but if you click the icon that sits in place of the images it'll take you to the pic on Flickr
Volkswagen Museum Wolfsburg
I grew up watching Dakar every year so this was beyond special to see in the metal
The Touran from Tokyo Drift
Golf .:R Police car with full Oettinger kit
This T6 was in the parking lot of the museum for the little GTI Fest Pre-meet, call me crazy but I'm a sucker for a Transporter. If I could get one of these with a 2.0 bi-TDI 6MT in the states I'd drop my A4 like a hot potato and have that as my ultimate daily road tripper haha.
GTI Fest treffen
I think this is the only MK8 TCR in existence
Engine bay of this Clubsport was full of ECS Tuning carbon bits, so cool to see all the way in Germany when ECS is only about an hour from my house haha
Much want for its bbk
This was unreal to see in person, when I was in middle school "Dahlback Golf" was probably amidst my top 3 Youtube searches along with "E60 M5 Eissenmann Race Exhaust" and "Xmods r/c" For those who don't know it has an Audi 5-pot mounted longitudinally mated to an Audi IMSA gearbox sending up to 1,000bhp to all four wheels via Quattro awd. When this thing was fresh in the early-mid 2000s it was nutty and that hasn't changed today.
For the event Volkswagen made the special floormats to commemorate the occasion. Rare OEM+ goodness? I had to bring a set home haha
Nurburgring
In the excitement I forgot to setup my camera mount so my lap footage isn't quite youtube worthy, but I have a couple pics to share. Original plan was to rent a MK7 GTI but they were all DSG and when I read "VLN/NLS spec E90 BMW racecar" and it was cheaper than the GTIs, I was hooked haha
I had an absolute blast on the Ring, top tier bucket list stuff and it was every bit as cool as I imagined, 10/10 recommend.
The car was amazing as well, a few takeaways- KW V3s wow, you could really tell how sophisticated the damping is, it took the bumps in carousel like they were nothing and even felt amazing on the half hour street drive to the track. Bucket seats, I need them, I knew this before but this experience affirmed my suspicions. CAE shifter, again I need it, I wanted one or similar (Coolerworx or SB Parts) before but driving with one has shot it towards the top of my mod priorities. Nankang AR-1 tyres, seriously impressive levels of grip- if the cheap rubber doesn't satisfy me then I just might go for a set of these haha.
EDIT: Not sure why some pics aren't displaying but if you click the icon that sits in place of the images it'll take you to the pic on Flickr
reverend_sean
Go Kart Champion
- Location
- Pittsburgh
Wow...what a trip!!!
19birel
Autocross Champion
- Location
- Pittsburgh
- Car(s)
- MK7.5 - MK4 - B8.5
Definitely my favorite trip I've been on by far!
FWIW, the US market ProKit springs are the same between MK7 GTI and MK8 GTI. The MK8 kit is a different part number but only because the MK8 kit comes with a set of rear bump stops. The front and rear springs in the part lists are the same.FINALLY, I installed the suspension bits that have been on my garage floor for the past few months
Excuse the garbage pictures, but I'm pretty stoked with the result so far. The height is just about perfect, sure lower would look cool, but any more than this and it probably wouldn't be conducive to hard driving. Took the car for a quick spin last night and it rides pretty well, the springs are definitely stiffer but the damping feels more advanced so overall comfort is arguably slightly better. The initial harshness felt with the stock suspension when hitting a road imperfection has been softened dramatically. The 034 plates are said to make noise, mine seem to as well, but it's not bad and only really noticeable at very low speeds (like pulling into the driveway) with the radio off. Turn-in feels very sharp, likely on account of the caster, but I'll reserve my comments on handling until I get an alignment and take it for a jaunt on my favorite roads
Also, I removed my mudflaps, dirt get trapped between them and the paintwork and I have a feeling that it would do a little damage over time and I prefer the look without them.
I copied the links to Eibach's info sheets for each kit below:
MK7
MK8
As for the Special Actives, the fronts are the same between MK7 and MK8. The rears are a different part number according to the latest Koni application guide, but I've seen places listing the MK7 part for MK8 so take that with a grain of salt. They are definitely physically compatible and the MK7 part lists for standard Golfs in Europe. Maybe the MK8 has slightly different valving for the GTI? You could probably ask Koni. Their customer service is pretty responsive in my experience.
19birel
Autocross Champion
- Location
- Pittsburgh
- Car(s)
- MK7.5 - MK4 - B8.5
Good info, thanks for sharing! I just might shoot Koni an email to see what they say about the rear dampers- would be interesting to see if there are any differences.
Bizarrely, I just checked on Koni North America and they seem to be listing the MK7 and MK8 as the same now. But the ROW catalog still lists different rear dampers for both the SA and the Sport The rear SA on MK7 is 8245-1327 and 8245-1432 on MK8. The rear Yellow is 8240-1297 on MK7 and 8240-1328 on MK8. Weird...
19birel
Autocross Champion
- Location
- Pittsburgh
- Car(s)
- MK7.5 - MK4 - B8.5
Interesting...I mean it would make sense if they were the same, iirc most of the MK8 suspension is derived from the MK7 Clubsport (Shop DAP did a video cross referencing part #s) so unless they came up with a revision, a copy paste job would make a lot of sense
19birel
Autocross Champion
- Location
- Pittsburgh
- Car(s)
- MK7.5 - MK4 - B8.5
So it looks like I'm going to be going to L'OE Show as GTI Fan Fest in Germany was quite fun and reminded why I used to dream of going to such shows as a kid. The entire time I was wishing I had my car to cruise with everyone and be in the mix, and L'OE show isn't terribly far so I figured that was my chance to live out my middle school dream of going to a show in my VW, even if I wasn't entered in the event.
This makes me want to stop goofing and get a splitter and skirt extensions on asap, there are some seemingly viable options on aliexpress these days for under $100 so I think I'm going to retire the idea of resurrecting the rocket bunny rep and give one of those a try.
Next on the docket before the show is installing the dash cam and radar hardwire kit I bought over a year ago and forgot about And then remember to put my spare tire back in the trunk lol
To get myself a little excited I pulled the trigger on a cheap and cheerful mod I've had on my mind for a while, eyelids. I went with some cheap amazon ones and color matched them in white silver metallic and I'm quite happy with them!
Some office parking lot pics bc I haven't had time to go out for a shoot since installing them
Fitment is pretty good considering they were under $20. They are for a MK7 not a 7.5 so they don't perfectly meet the end of the headlight and the fender, but it creates a sort of winged eyeliner look that I actually dig, so no complaints here!
Some office parking lot pics bc I haven't had time to go out for a shoot since installing them
Fitment is pretty good considering they were under $20. They are for a MK7 not a 7.5 so they don't perfectly meet the end of the headlight and the fender, but it creates a sort of winged eyeliner look that I actually dig, so no complaints here!
This makes me want to stop goofing and get a splitter and skirt extensions on asap, there are some seemingly viable options on aliexpress these days for under $100 so I think I'm going to retire the idea of resurrecting the rocket bunny rep and give one of those a try.
Here's some shots from a photoshoot I did the day before I installed the eyelids with my friend's GLI Edition 30
The GLI just went Unitronic Stage 2 with a Unitronic dp, and is breaking in a new DKM clutch to hold the power. It's an early EA888.3 car so it should rip! On stage 1+ it kept up with my A4 pretty well ( 50roll Audi won by 1 car) , but I think the heavy EA888.2 Audi won't be able to stave it off anymore haha
Next on the docket before the show is installing the dash cam and radar hardwire kit I bought over a year ago and forgot about
And then remember to put my spare tire back in the trunk lol
19birel
Autocross Champion
- Location
- Pittsburgh
- Car(s)
- MK7.5 - MK4 - B8.5
So L'OE Show! Started with finishing up my prep, after screwing with fuses for far too long I realized that I didn't have the right fuse tap on hand to hardwire the dashcam to one of the remaining ignition powered fuses so I stuck to the essentials and hardwired the radar. The 3M dual lock I used to affix it to the windshield has a tight grip so I think I'm going to order another mount so I don't have to pry the detector off when I switch between cars.
I also relocated my BMS Pedal tuner- I was curious to see what fuel economy I could get as it was my first roadtrip with the big turbo so I wanted to be able to adjust throttle response without digging under my seat for the dangling pedal tuner haha
With the pedal tuner disabled and the car in eco mode driving at the speed limit, I was astonished at the economy... 39mpg in a 400+hp car with no hybridity!? hell yeah! My buddy tried to flex that his new 1.5T Jetta got 47mpg (damn near TDI territory) on a trip this weekend but given that the GTI makes nearly 3x the hp I'm amped, my A4 would've struggled to do 25mpg
I arrived Saturday afternoon and hit high street as I hear there was stuff going on. I got to check out the popup shops which were busy but not nearly as crowded as show day, and see a ton of cars. They basically let anyone park in the show area as the main event was sunday only so you got a nice mix of VAG cars, other euros, JDM, and even some old school american stuff which is probably the popular choice for the locals in Pottstown.
I will unashamedly admit that the R34 (pretty sure this is a GTS-T but still rad) has been GOAT'd in mind since I got 2 Fast 2 Furious on DVD for christmas as a kid lol
Somewhere inbetween me taking those pics I left and came back- when I returned the second time I parked up at the MQB meet which had kinda died down by the time I arrived. Neverless there was still a ton of heat in the parking lot including this group of Spektrum Rs!
Once I left the high street, I headed over to a cool photo spot I clocked on my way in and snapped some pics
Then a dude in a MKV pulled up while I was taking pics and asked if he could shoot some of my car as well, I told him to pull his up so we could grab some shots of the pair! It was giving Need For Speed Most Wanted vibes a little bit haha
It started drizzling a bit, but I finished out the day by driving to "The Pagoda". Everyone I know who lives out this way snaps pics here so I figured it would be cool to get a shot of the GTI there
There were a bunch of overland Touaregs and Cayennes here that I was drooling over too
The views here were pretty sweet, and I kept driving up the mountain for more
I ended up having a little touge run with a group of bikes that followed me back down the other side of the mtn. The roads here were a ton of fun!
I then made my way back to the high street for a cruise to see who was out before grabbing dinner! One nice thing to point out, from what I've heard lots of shows have ppl terrorizing the town at this hour, and this was not one of them. One dude in a MK7 Jetta launched from a stop sign and got boo'd, but other than that and some random BMWs with burble tunes (who still weren't speeding) it was very lowkey!
Sunday brought some rain so my coverage of the actual show was minimal haha (half the photos have no watermark bc they are iphone pics lmao). Totally different vibe to Saturday and 100% worth staying for.
Got to see arguably my two favorite builds from the internet
Matt aka Randomhero on AZ/ibuildavants on IG's Audi Exclusive Nogaro Blue A4 Avant, with a 6MT S4 drivetrain swap and Noggy S4 interior- my dream daily, if I wasn't so attached to my A4 sedan I would do this swap in an Allroad asap
And a car I'm sure you all know, Humble Mechanic's Daza powered ABT TCR Widebody Spektrum R! (shoutout to the ShopDAP MK3 next to it)
Got to chat with the man himself for a minute and he's a chill dude!
Another internet build that's cool
Others from Sunday
The parking lots where all us spectators posted up were full of talent too- it was cool as even leaving the show you were still seeing some sweet builds, giving kudos and even recieving some thumbs up from ppl that thought my baesic looking MK7.5 was cool haha
Naturally I hit up a bunch of vendors for free merch (most were sunday only)
Some of the spoils
Literally the comfiest hat I've ever worn lol
I kinda want to be that geed to keep the APR glasses in the GTI with an APR turbo and the Integrated Engineering glasses in the A4 with the IE dp and tune lol
Not pictured a metric truckload of stickers, some keychains, and other posters, typical show merch haha
The drive back saw me give up on economy after having some fun with a modded B8.5 S4 (the GTI had it by a small bit on the top end for inquiring minds haha) although the presence of the constabulary kept my speed limiter set conservatively afterwards and I returned just shy of 32mpg on the way back which I'm still quite happy about. I put the car back into Eco, but had the pedal tuner set to "Stage 1 -3" so it didn't feel totally lethargic
Overall the show was great and I'm glad I went! I left with so many ideas for my own cars and overall there was a great atmosphere! It fulfilled the middle school dream of showing up at a VW show for a weekend in my own modified GTI so from that end it was special. It was also cool to compare to GTI Fest in Germany the differences in which we modify the same cars.
Only thing car specific to report is that I have been noticing an occasional puff of smoke on startup over the past month or two. No oil has been consumed so I think it's PCV related. A BMS catchcan might be in order to keep that from getting dumped back into the intake, though I'll have to look into the MK8 upgrade too.
EDIT: if some pics don't show up (that's how it looks in the preview) clicking on one that does appear will take you to the flickr stream so you can see them all. Hopefully this self corrects like my last post with this issue lol
Detector (Uniden R3 for the nerds)
Button module- same as I have it in my A4 to make switching between cars as easy as possible
Button module- same as I have it in my A4 to make switching between cars as easy as possible
I also relocated my BMS Pedal tuner- I was curious to see what fuel economy I could get as it was my first roadtrip with the big turbo so I wanted to be able to adjust throttle response without digging under my seat for the dangling pedal tuner haha
With the pedal tuner disabled and the car in eco mode driving at the speed limit, I was astonished at the economy... 39mpg in a 400+hp car with no hybridity!? hell yeah! My buddy tried to flex that his new 1.5T Jetta got 47mpg (damn near TDI territory) on a trip this weekend but given that the GTI makes nearly 3x the hp I'm amped, my A4 would've struggled to do 25mpg
I arrived Saturday afternoon and hit high street as I hear there was stuff going on. I got to check out the popup shops which were busy but not nearly as crowded as show day, and see a ton of cars. They basically let anyone park in the show area as the main event was sunday only so you got a nice mix of VAG cars, other euros, JDM, and even some old school american stuff which is probably the popular choice for the locals in Pottstown.
I will unashamedly admit that the R34 (pretty sure this is a GTS-T but still rad) has been GOAT'd in mind since I got 2 Fast 2 Furious on DVD for christmas as a kid lol
Somewhere inbetween me taking those pics I left and came back- when I returned the second time I parked up at the MQB meet which had kinda died down by the time I arrived. Neverless there was still a ton of heat in the parking lot including this group of Spektrum Rs!
Once I left the high street, I headed over to a cool photo spot I clocked on my way in and snapped some pics
Then a dude in a MKV pulled up while I was taking pics and asked if he could shoot some of my car as well, I told him to pull his up so we could grab some shots of the pair! It was giving Need For Speed Most Wanted vibes a little bit haha
It started drizzling a bit, but I finished out the day by driving to "The Pagoda". Everyone I know who lives out this way snaps pics here so I figured it would be cool to get a shot of the GTI there
There were a bunch of overland Touaregs and Cayennes here that I was drooling over too
The views here were pretty sweet, and I kept driving up the mountain for more
I ended up having a little touge run with a group of bikes that followed me back down the other side of the mtn. The roads here were a ton of fun!
I then made my way back to the high street for a cruise to see who was out before grabbing dinner! One nice thing to point out, from what I've heard lots of shows have ppl terrorizing the town at this hour, and this was not one of them. One dude in a MK7 Jetta launched from a stop sign and got boo'd, but other than that and some random BMWs with burble tunes (who still weren't speeding) it was very lowkey!
Sunday brought some rain so my coverage of the actual show was minimal haha (half the photos have no watermark bc they are iphone pics lmao). Totally different vibe to Saturday and 100% worth staying for.
Got to see arguably my two favorite builds from the internet
Matt aka Randomhero on AZ/ibuildavants on IG's Audi Exclusive Nogaro Blue A4 Avant, with a 6MT S4 drivetrain swap and Noggy S4 interior- my dream daily, if I wasn't so attached to my A4 sedan I would do this swap in an Allroad asap
And a car I'm sure you all know, Humble Mechanic's Daza powered ABT TCR Widebody Spektrum R! (shoutout to the ShopDAP MK3 next to it)
Got to chat with the man himself for a minute and he's a chill dude!
Another internet build that's cool
Others from Sunday
The parking lots where all us spectators posted up were full of talent too- it was cool as even leaving the show you were still seeing some sweet builds, giving kudos and even recieving some thumbs up from ppl that thought my baesic looking MK7.5 was cool haha
Naturally I hit up a bunch of vendors for free merch (most were sunday only)
Some of the spoils
Literally the comfiest hat I've ever worn lol
I kinda want to be that geed to keep the APR glasses in the GTI with an APR turbo and the Integrated Engineering glasses in the A4 with the IE dp and tune lol
Not pictured a metric truckload of stickers, some keychains, and other posters, typical show merch haha
The drive back saw me give up on economy after having some fun with a modded B8.5 S4 (the GTI had it by a small bit on the top end for inquiring minds haha) although the presence of the constabulary kept my speed limiter set conservatively afterwards and I returned just shy of 32mpg on the way back which I'm still quite happy about. I put the car back into Eco, but had the pedal tuner set to "Stage 1 -3" so it didn't feel totally lethargic
Overall the show was great and I'm glad I went! I left with so many ideas for my own cars and overall there was a great atmosphere! It fulfilled the middle school dream of showing up at a VW show for a weekend in my own modified GTI so from that end it was special. It was also cool to compare to GTI Fest in Germany the differences in which we modify the same cars.
Only thing car specific to report is that I have been noticing an occasional puff of smoke on startup over the past month or two. No oil has been consumed so I think it's PCV related. A BMS catchcan might be in order to keep that from getting dumped back into the intake, though I'll have to look into the MK8 upgrade too.
EDIT: if some pics don't show up (that's how it looks in the preview) clicking on one that does appear will take you to the flickr stream so you can see them all. Hopefully this self corrects like my last post with this issue lol