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Hammersticks' "Less Is More" MK7 GTI

Treadup

Treadup

Autocross Champion
Location
SE NC
Car(s)
MK7.5 6MT GTI
Hammersticks said:
Yeah looking forward to seeing what each can do in their respective disciplines. Now I wait for wheels...
Click to expand...
What 17” wheel are you going with?

Any more thought into clutch upgrade? I need to put that on my to do as I just went EQT stage 1 also. Man is fun. Keeps on pulling!
 
Hammersticks

Hammersticks

Drag Racing Champion
Location
Bay Area, CA
Car(s)
'16 GTI, '18 e-Golf
Treadup said:
What 17” wheel are you going with?

Any more thought into clutch upgrade? I need to put that on my to do as I just went EQT stage 1 also. Man is fun. Keeps on pulling!
Click to expand...
Going with APEX for wheels. I’ve loved my RSe10’s but looking forward to the next chapter.
As for a clutch, not really, but just stumbled onto this thread of RSR hybrids failing. So maybe FCP or SB? I don’t know...I have other priorities right now so going to see what I can get out of the stock clutch. That said I will be teaching my oldest how to drive here pretty soon so maybe I need to plan on sooner vs later. D’oh!
 
A

arob157

Drag Racing Champion
Location
USA
So. Finally got my suspension installed. OG Hammersticks setup. Koni Yellows + H&R OE Sport springs. Stock settings on the dampers. Installed my Hotchkiss front sway bar, RS3 front LCAs (will do something about the rear bushings soon I suppose), and Whiteline roll center correction ball joints.

Ride is fantastic. Was worried since I have seen a lot of complaints about H&R springs. Was less worried due to the fact that people were running stock/old dampers for the most part. Turns out that is the case for sure.

Front sway bar was a great upgrade I would say. No idea why people say "just do the rear". Car still rotates. I set my front bar to the soft setting.

Drop is actually looking closer to be closer to 0.9-1.0 inches. Still have around 1" fender gap on the front. The rear is pretty flush but I am running a 255/40/17 on the front and 245/45 on the rear. Would have similar gap on the rear. Gotta see how it settles in. I have EMD rear pad springs, but honestly might just do the TT-S/TT-RS rear pads (which ever ones are right).

Any who, thanks a ton. Your feedback led me to this solution 2+ years ago, but I slow roll absolutely slow roll every big install haha.
 
Last edited:
5

510danr

Go Kart Newbie
Location
Oakland, CA
Car(s)
2016 GTI Autobahn
That must handle great. What can I expect by just doing the front sway with my 25 mm Neuspeed rear, no other mods but 200TW tires?
 
Hammersticks

Hammersticks

Drag Racing Champion
Location
Bay Area, CA
Car(s)
'16 GTI, '18 e-Golf
arob157 said:
So. Finally got my suspension installed. OG Hammersticks setup. Koni Yellows + H&R OE Sport springs. Stock settings on the dampers. Installed my Hotchkiss front sway bar, RS3 front LCAs (will do something about the rear bushings soon I suppose), and Whiteline roll center correction ball joints.

Ride is fantastic. Was worried since I have seen a lot of complaints about H&R springs. Was less worried due to the fact that people were running stock/old dampers for the most part. Turns out that is the case for sure.

Front sway bar was a great upgrade I would say. No idea why people say "just do the rear". Car still rotates. I set my front bar to the soft setting.

Drop is actually looking closer to be closer to 0.9-1.0 inches. Still have around 1" fender gap on the front. The rear is pretty flush but I am running a 255/40/17 on the front and 245/45 on the rear. Would have similar gap on the rear. Gotta see how it settles in. I have EMD rear pad springs, but honestly might just do the TT-S/TT-RS rear pads (which ever ones are right).

Any who, thanks a ton. Your feedback led me to this solution 2+ years ago, but I slow roll absolutely slow roll every big install haha.
Click to expand...
Awesome. Glad to hear it. I have loved my front 26mm front sway. People just don’t want to deal with the install. Myself included. It was the only thing I paid to have done. Zero regrets after many years.
510danr said:
That must handle great. What can I expect by just doing the front sway with my 25 mm Neuspeed rear, no other mods but 200TW tires?
Click to expand...
With a 26mm H&R front bar set to the softest setting you can expect a balanced car that eliminates a ton of slop from the stock setup but still maintains stock ride quality.
 
Treadup

Treadup

Autocross Champion
Location
SE NC
Car(s)
MK7.5 6MT GTI
arob157 said:
So. Finally got my suspension installed. OG Hammersticks setup. Koni Yellows + H&R OE Sport springs. Stock settings on the dampers. Installed my Hotchkiss front sway bar, RS3 front LCAs (will do something about the rear bushings soon I suppose), and Whiteline roll center correction ball joints.

Ride is fantastic. Was worried since I have seen a lot of complaints about H&R springs. Was less worried due to the fact that people were running stock/old dampers for the most part. Turns out that is the case for sure.

Front sway bar was a great upgrade I would say. No idea why people say "just do the rear". Car still rotates. I set my front bar to the soft setting.

Drop is actually looking closer to be closer to 0.9-1.0 inches. Still have around 1" fender gap on the front. The rear is pretty flush but I am running a 255/40/17 on the front and 245/45 on the rear. Would have similar gap on the rear. Gotta see how it settles in. I have EMD rear pad springs, but honestly might just do the TT-S/TT-RS rear pads (which ever ones are right).

Any who, thanks a ton. Your feedback led me to this solution 2+ years ago, but I slow roll absolutely slow roll every big install haha.
Click to expand...
I have TT rear spring pads that I did not need for my install if you’re interested pm me.
 
E

El_bigote_AJ

Autocross Champion
Location
Las Vegas
Car(s)
2019 GTI bunny
Rmcnelly said:
Nice!

What did you use to crank down the knockout punch?
Click to expand...
Leverage is what I used,lol. Extend arm ratchet and short jack handle pipe was plenty
06FB2271-9F8E-422D-9B65-3289E52351C1.jpeg
 
B

Bohaha

New member
Location
Minneapolis
Hello fellow Mk7 GTI enthusiasts.
I am about to embark on a "Less is More" journey for my own GTI (2017 Autobahn with PP/DCC). My goals are to sharpen up the handling without ruining the car as a daily driver.

My previous car was an NC Miata, and while I can't expect to get the level of steering feedback I loved on that car, I do want to make the GTI more neutral (get rid of the OEM understeer) and increase the steering response, if that is possible.
I wouldn't mind reducing the ride height a mild amount, ideally 1/2 to 0.75 inch. Anything more would not meet my goals of also continuing to drive the car in winter (in Minnesota, fyi).

The first two changes I plan are:
1. Rear stabilizer bar. Nothing huge, just want to dial out the understeer. But I wonder if that is enough or whether going with a matched RSB+FSB from the same vendor (e.g. H&R or Neuspeed) would be ultimately better as a set developed and tested in conjunction with each other for better roll transition. But on the other hand, is the front subframe procedure such a PITA for me or trusted mechanic that the FSB would not be worth it?
Any advise from the knowledgable?

2. Lighter wheels and a bit wider. Probably 17 x 8 or 17 x 8.5.
Question: Will the 8.5 wide rub with the OEM suspension? Or would it mean I need to add more camber for the 8.5" to fit? (again, I don't want to lower too much)

3. There is no #3 after that until I run with changes #1 and #2 for a while ;-)

Thanks in advance for any advice based on experience!
 
B

Bohaha

New member
Location
Minneapolis
Bohaha said:
Hello fellow Mk7 GTI enthusiasts.
I am about to embark on a "Less is More" journey for my own GTI (2017 Autobahn with PP/DCC). My goals are to sharpen up the handling without ruining the car as a daily driver.

My previous car was an NC Miata, and while I can't expect to get the level of steering feedback I loved on that car, I do want to make the GTI more neutral (get rid of the OEM understeer) and increase the steering response, if that is possible.
I wouldn't mind reducing the ride height a mild amount, ideally 1/2 to 0.75 inch. Anything more would not meet my goals of also continuing to drive the car in winter (in Minnesota, fyi).

The first two changes I plan are:
1. Rear stabilizer bar. Nothing huge, just want to dial out the understeer. But I wonder if that is enough or whether going with a matched RSB+FSB from the same vendor (e.g. H&R or Neuspeed) would be ultimately better as a set developed and tested in conjunction with each other for better roll transition. But on the other hand, is the front subframe procedure such a PITA for me or trusted mechanic that the FSB would not be worth it?
Any advise from the knowledgable?

2. Lighter wheels and a bit wider. Probably 17 x 8 or 17 x 8.5.
Question: Will the 8.5 wide rub with the OEM suspension? Or would it mean I need to add more camber for the 8.5" to fit? (again, I don't want to lower too much)

3. There is no #3 after that until I run with changes #1 and #2 for a while ;-)

Thanks in advance for any advice based on experience!
Click to expand...

Found this cross reference which is good about the H&R OE springs:.
Thread 'H&R OE Sport springs w/ DCC'
https://golfmk7.com/forums/index.php?threads/h-r-oe-sport-springs-w-dcc.384776/

But would still value input on matched FSB+RSB versus RSB single change. Thanks
 
19birel

19birel

Autocross Champion
Location
Pittsburgh
Car(s)
MK7.5 - MK4 - B8.5
Bohaha said:
Found this cross reference which is good about the H&R OE springs:.
Thread 'H&R OE Sport springs w/ DCC'
https://golfmk7.com/forums/index.php?threads/h-r-oe-sport-springs-w-dcc.384776/

But would still value input on matched FSB+RSB versus RSB single change. Thanks
Click to expand...
Welcome to the forum! Rather than bumping someone else's thread, I would advise making a new thread. That way you don't derail someone else's post, and you're also more likely to get a response to your questions
 
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