mrd8cd
Ready to race!
- Location
- St. Louis, MO
After a ton of searching and reading on the forums, I couldn't find definitive answers to what our VAQ and XDS settings should be for optimum traction and handling. There are so many conflicting answers out there that it's nearly impossible to determine the "right" answer.
A little backstory: when I initially test drove the GTI before buying it, there was a stretch of road on the test drive that was a nice banked 90 degree turn that had a recommended speed of 20 mph. As I approached the turn, the salesman said "downshift into 2nd and floor it through the turn." I remember thinking "you want me to what??" Anyway, I did as instructed and I was almost sure we were going to understeer through the turn and right off the road. Sure enough, we did not, and I could feel the car pulling the outside front of the car through the turn like it was some kind of magic. I was seriously impressed at how a FWD car could take a turn like that and feel almost like a RWD car. I ended up buying a sport trim (the test drive car was an SE), and ever since then, I haven't been able to replicate the feeling of being pulled through turns like that.
So the question I pose to you all is what do our XDS and VAQ settings need to be in order to achieve the best possible handling through turns? Some might call it a feeling that the car is on rails. For reference I have a 2017 GTI sport 6MT with a 24mm H&R sway bar and Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4 tires (not summer tires, but arguably the best all seasons you can buy and definitely better than the Hankooks on the test drive car). Any helpful input would be greatly appreciated!
A little backstory: when I initially test drove the GTI before buying it, there was a stretch of road on the test drive that was a nice banked 90 degree turn that had a recommended speed of 20 mph. As I approached the turn, the salesman said "downshift into 2nd and floor it through the turn." I remember thinking "you want me to what??" Anyway, I did as instructed and I was almost sure we were going to understeer through the turn and right off the road. Sure enough, we did not, and I could feel the car pulling the outside front of the car through the turn like it was some kind of magic. I was seriously impressed at how a FWD car could take a turn like that and feel almost like a RWD car. I ended up buying a sport trim (the test drive car was an SE), and ever since then, I haven't been able to replicate the feeling of being pulled through turns like that.
So the question I pose to you all is what do our XDS and VAQ settings need to be in order to achieve the best possible handling through turns? Some might call it a feeling that the car is on rails. For reference I have a 2017 GTI sport 6MT with a 24mm H&R sway bar and Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4 tires (not summer tires, but arguably the best all seasons you can buy and definitely better than the Hankooks on the test drive car). Any helpful input would be greatly appreciated!