Gbot's 19R 2.5VR6T Build

[gboticus]

So, brake rebuild is scheduled in August while I wait for the bigger BBK to arrive. Until then nursing the brakes as best I can.

No real update on the 2.5VR swap but hope to soon™.

The interview/product sizzle reel we did at Mission with VADPro is finally posted and you can see my rambly self talk about it and show it off in this vid.

 

[mr wrong]

It's a bit of a long story but tl;dr VW China had to keep a warehouse full of fully dressed and ready to use engines in the case of warranty claims against the Telagon/Terramont for a certain # of years. Once this time elapsed there were literally 100s of these engines which were going to go to the scrap bin.

A few folk banded together and purchased a bunch of them. DM Motorsport out of Quebec bought a handful, along with others out there.

People have started to swap the DDKA/DPKA, and one or two have it running (DM Motorsport specifically) but no one's tuned it beyond OEM+ power levels yet. I saw a mk4 with this swap in it with a mild tune online, and DM's is using a manual transmission in a MK7 TSI body but all the golf R body pieces.

I haven't read the entire thread, so this may have already been addressed, but what happens if you need to source any hard parts, sensors, etc?

 

[gboticus]

I haven't read the entire thread, so this may have already been addressed, but what happens if you need to source any hard parts, sensors, etc?

Yeah that’s a really good question actually. A lot of the hard to find parts for the conversion are stocked by HPA themselves, and what’s also good is that a fair number of the external parts are shared with the other VR engines. Ideally, they’ll ship with a parts list/assembly diagram and you can just give them the parts numbers and have it shpped off.

I am told it will work like that eventually anyways. Being the 2nd one they’re doing I think it’ll take a bit to even out.

 

[gboticus]

Finally got the damage report for my brake failure at the track. At HPA and getting details as they’re working on it.

Good news is that the damage is wholly contained to the braking system + rotors. Wheel bearings are OK, all the sensors and wires are crispy and likely need replacing soon.

The big point of failure was the caliper bolt had stretched enough that the caliper could be forced off the knuckle and that is how it was making contact with the rotor.

The pistons are in fair shape too— a bit of pitting and the pressure seals are all fine. Waiting to hear if any of the pistons need to be replaced. The dust seals are definitely goneso so they’re getting swapped.

Looking forward to being able to trust this brake system again whiel I wait for the bigger BBK to show.

 

[elliotw]

Not a post I am super proud to share. But this is a journal so with the good must come with the bad.

This past Monday we hit up Area 27, a high speed technical track in the Okanagan valley.
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The entire trip up I couldn't shake a sinking feeling that something wasn't gonna go right at this event, and well it materialized itself. The track day started super early and I didn't get any sleep. Gates at 7am, up at 6:30am (I am not a morning person). Advanced group was first on track immediately after the driver's meeting and was in a rush to get the car prepped and all gear sorted.

We got out onto the track and 3 laps in I got an overheating warning and immediately cooled down and exited the track. Oil temps hit 140C despite an ambient temperature of ~20C (it went up to >35C later in the day). Ok, I forgot to take off my tow hook plate and was creating negative pressure, stalling the air around the aux radiator. Removed it, did a few hot laps with the novice group and everything's happy.

I hop on for the 2nd advanced group session. Immediately something felt wrong: the braking was inconsistent and was impossible to threshold brake, or just brake hard in general. The pads I am running, Ferodo DS1.11, brake hard and wear very minimally. I had 70% life on them when I left home to drive to the track. In one hard braking zone I literally felt the pedal drop about 1/2 way with almost no resistance, which I thought was just hot brake fluid but again, not something that really has ever happened given the brand new brake fluid I put in a few days prior. I cooled down, completed the session and parked in the pits.

My friend made a comment that there's a lot of ash/metal flakes falling out of my calipers and piled up under my front right wheel. I joke that yeah, it happens, damn dusty pads. Then looking closer the fucking pad was metal on metal and the rotor was scored/etched in a really nasty way. Not good!!!

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I managed to find a fresh set of street pads at the Lordco down the road, and proceeded to swap the pads. What we found there looks like the pads literally disintegrated, and that the one turn where the pedal just kept dropping was likely the pads completely breaking apart. The pistons are in horrible shape and took try bars and a lot of leverage to retract enough to put the shitty street pads in: they've knackered. The pads I took off look like they were falling apart, and tapered, which was something I've never seen pads on this brake system do before, so that may indicate part of the problem.

Again, these had 70% life before the track day and the current hypothesis is that the pistons were getting stickier and stickier, dragging on the pad and with area 27 being so high speed they just exited chat. Other hypotheses/opinions welcomed.

The rotor also expanded and made contact to the inside of the caliper with metal/paint transfer on the caliper and outside of the ring (no pics). The whole front brake system is getting rebuilt, with fresh rotors and also a thorough inspection of everything that got extra crispy in the wheel wells happening.

So yeah, super anxious the whole way home and any small noise or odd feeling was stress inducing but I made it home safely. Parts are ordered and checking the car in for rebuild/inspection ASAP. Glad to be home in one piece.

I think I was at this track day with you.

No idea the sick build on this R. Love the mods and all the usage you get of this R. Maybe I'll see you again at Area27. I'm going back end of August with velocity motorsports.

 

[gboticus]

I think I was at this track day with you.

Yeah I recognize the driver of the white Subaru and his wife near the top of the photo, the Porsche w/ blue wheels/wing, and the BMW w/ the time attack sticker on it. Was the Rizzo Motorsports event. After the pad swap I had pretty bad heat stroke and just spent the rest of the day in the clubhouse on the couch pretty much. Was parked with my friend in his lightning blue TT RS, and another friend with his Focus ST in the pits.

No idea the sick build on this R. Love the mods and all the usage you get of this R. Maybe I'll see you again at Area27. I'm going back end of August with velocity motorsports.

Yeah thanks man, I try not to do anything to call attention to it on the exterior. I won't be tracking again until September while I am on vacation though, and likely heading to Speed Fanatics Mission season closer, and Rizzo's Mission day in Sept.

 

[elliotw]

Yeah I recognize the driver of the white Subaru and his wife near the top of the photo, the Porsche w/ blue wheels/wing, and the BMW w/ the time attack sticker on it. Was the Rizzo Motorsports event. After the pad swap I had pretty bad heat stroke and just spent the rest of the day in the clubhouse on the couch pretty much. Was parked with my friend in his lightning blue TT RS, and another friend with his Focus ST in the pits.


Yeah thanks man, I try not to do anything to call attention to it on the exterior. I won't be tracking again until September while I am on vacation though, and likely heading to Speed Fanatics Mission season closer, and Rizzo's Mission day in Sept.

Small world. Happy to hear you didnt have any serious accidents that day. I was driving the White/Blue Porsche. I've never done mission. Since Im from Seattle, WA I normally do; The Ridge, Oregon raceway park, and Area27. Sometime I'll have to give mission a go.

 

[gboticus]

Small world. Happy to hear you didnt have any serious accidents that day. I was driving the White/Blue Porsche. I've never done mission. Since Im from Seattle, WA I normally do; The Ridge, Oregon raceway park, and Area27. Sometime I'll have to give mission a go.

TBH, Mission will feel real sad when compared to Area 27. It's a fairly old track in desperate need of repairs and updates. It's also really really hard on brakes and cooling: so many straights into hairpins and no room to cooldown between them. Not to mention concrete walls everywhere with little run-off if you get into trouble.

That being said, it's a good track to learn the basics without having to travel far if you're a local. I do hope the new ownership group improves it in the coming years.

 

[elliotw]

TBH, Mission will feel real sad when compared to Area 27. It's a fairly old track in desperate need of repairs and updates. It's also really really hard on brakes and cooling: so many straights into hairpins and no room to cooldown between them. Not to mention concrete walls everywhere with little run-off if you get into trouble.

That being said, it's a good track to learn the basics without having to travel far if you're a local. I do hope the new ownership group improves it in the coming years.

Ya hopefully they do then I may make the trip up and give it a try.
Went out and did another two days at Area27 last weekend with Velocity motorsports. Really love that track. That caps me off for 3 days in 2022 as a non member.

 

[gboticus]

Another track day, another brake failure. Same caliper this time. I had them rebuilt before this track day but for some reason it seems like a seal gave way as I was entering Turn1 of mission raceway (main straight into hairpin). Lost all brake pressure, eventually all my fluid as I panic slowed down and managed to avoid disaster.

I did a slow limp around the rest of the track into pits where I lapped pits a few times to cool things. Guess it wasn't enough because my brakes then caught fire and my friend had to use my element extinguisher to put it out.

It got toasty in there. Car's at HPA so we can do an autopsy to figure out how it failed after having been rebuilt.

 

[Daks]

Another track day, another brake failure. Same caliper this time. I had them rebuilt before this track day but for some reason it seems like a seal gave way as I was entering Turn1 of mission raceway (main straight into hairpin). Lost all brake pressure, eventually all my fluid as I panic slowed down and managed to avoid disaster.

I did a slow limp around the rest of the track into pits where I lapped pits a few times to cool things. Guess it wasn't enough because my brakes then caught fire and my friend had to use my element extinguisher to put it out.

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It got toasty in there. Car's at HPA so we can do an autopsy to figure out how it failed after having been rebuilt.

That's scary as shit. Glad you're OK.

 

[gboticus]

That's scary as shit. Glad you're OK.

Thanks daks. Very fortunate that there's no irreparable damage. Just a lot more anxiety about trusting brakes to deal with in the new year.

Taking it easy and enjoying the Czech Pilsener I brewed. Calms they nerves good.

 

[scrllock]

Wellp, gonna continue not using HPA brake kits.

 

[gboticus]

Wellp, gonna continue not using HPA brake kits.

I am reserving final judgement until the root cause is identified but yes. My confidence in Baer brakes is deeply, deeply shaken.

 

[MonkeyMD]

Time for some Stoptechs