GoatAutomotive
Drag Racing Champion
- Location
- Austin, TX
TOC - Rundown:
Post #1 - the important facts from 5/10's track night
Post #2 - everything NOT to do when preparing for a vacation, track day, wedding, or anything important. It's riveting and educational, and frankly, doesn't make me look too great.
Posts #3, #19-22 (2nd page) - absolutely EPIC photos of Stormy skirting some fast cars on track like a white Rabbit on bath salts.
Is it better than porn? Only if you love MQB-on-BMW action...
Begin first post:
Well gents, I finally have a few minutes to throw up some incriminating, anecdotal info regarding the most recent SCCA Track Night event @ HHR from 5/10.
As usual, my experience was a little…”different”, but also infinitely illuminating and educational. We all know my posts can get longer than John Holmes, so I’m intentionally keeping this one under 2 pages (MS Word). Whatever I can fit…goes to print.
SHORT RECAP
My first TNIA event was 3/15. Me getting to race on track was a true miracle (wasn't supposed to happen), and I’d never had the GTI on track before.
We both got smacked around a bit. Investigate that adventure here at your leisure: https://www.golfmk7.com/forums/index.php?threads/track-night-hhr-3-15-a-cinderella-story.419653
The NY Times called my 3/15 Cindarella Story “a riveting, heart-stopping thrill ride to the very end.”
They said the same for 1994’s Speed with Keanu Reeves, but I digress…
HHR...IT'S ALIVE
Let’s start with the track, how it delights and surprises its guests like a moving castle:
HHR, while short on straightaways, has a lot of surface changes and a few off-camber corners that realllly challenge a car and its driver.
The back “straight” between turns 5 and 7 is choppier than the editing on a Marvel movie. Packing the road surface of a Bosnian minefield, it does everything possible to upset the car as you’re flying through at 90+ before squeezing the fat pedal to set yourself up for turn 7: a hard, 180* right hander that shifts all the weight and inertia of the car to the two driver side tires.
If you’re gonna lift some inside tires like the Stig or Clarkson, you get to do it in Turn 7.
That back part of the track is truly a love-hate deal. In my case, I hated it so much that I went out and bought myself some high quality dampers to soak up the shotgun blast posing as asphalt.
People mess up turns 5 and 7. A lot. Pick the right line and you can get on power earlier than the guy riding your bumper to rocket into the next corner. Choose wrong and you get to mow some grass for Rod & the HHR track owners, while understeering in a squealing-pig display of novice shame and tire shriek.
"Just 2 more laps! I've almost got it..."
YOUR WEAKNESSES…GET TO KNOW THEM
In general, I needed more brake, more camber, and more cowbell for HHR at the 3/15 event. My driving was also sloppy enough that I’m amazed @MonkeyMD still talks to me…
There’s also a fella named Graham in our group who is, frankly, really effing good. His M235 is mostly stock with Michelin PS4S tires, stock wheels, and a fistful of #DriverMod.
Quiet, reserved, and always purposeful, he wiped the floor with me and half the Intermediate group on 3/15, so I was hellbent on being more competitive when I came out to the 5/10 event. Fewer point-bys or DIE TRYING!!!
The dude also inspired me a bit, if we’re honest. He turned that 3500lb Bimmer into an apex-slaying cruise missile and ran a 1:32 on 3/15. With almost zero drama the whole lap. So what might be possible in my FWD V-Dub?
Sooooo…I modded up. I wanted all of Storm’s major weaknesses addressed for the 5/10 event without wasting a single dollar. FedEx and UPS packages began pouring in late-March, almost ALL of their contents snagged at insanely low, buy-me-now prices:
-H&R 28mm front sway bar ($290 on sale)
-Eurosport street camber mounts ($180 normal pricing)
-Bilstein B8 dampers (on sale – woot! $586 + tax)
-Fresh strut bearings from VW (mine were fine, this is preventative: $39 x2)
-Hawk HPS 5.0 brake pads all around ($192 total, on sale)
-Unitronic Intercooler ($550 local, new in box)
-Pentosin Super DOT-4 (shop stock)
...The IATs and engine power would now be tamed.
...The insane body roll would be minimized.
...The front tires could tuck and clear the front fenders in hard corners.
...The brakes would finally have BMW-esque grab and pull.
...And the dampers would finally be, well, properly German.
HHR is [for me] one continuous turn that explores grip and steering angles. I found myself unable to use throttle half the time, instead using momentum and trying to carry as much speed around corners while finding better lines each successive lap. These cars tuck in nicely at low-throttle… Go full-ham and the front tires might fight before they bite.
DID IT WORK?
The new parts I’ve installed this year, thus far, are amazing. You couldn’t ask for a more tastefully executed chassis setup for about $1k. Corners where I had to do ~40mph before, I was doing 45-50 and holding like a boss.
-The 28mm FSB (+25mm RSB from 2020) keeps the body roll in check 100% of the time and acts like a stiffer set of coil springs when you turn the wheel.
(Full write-up here): https://www.golfmk7.com/forums/inde...iled-review-fsb-database-inside.420176/page-2
-The increased front camber from the springs and strut mounts gives me front-end grip for days and keeps my tires happy.
-The Bilsteins are damn-near magical compared to the stock Sachs twin tubes. All of my body motions are controlled and composed. Squat and nose dive are almost non-existent.
...All told, this $33k escape hatch now feels like a $75k BMW or 911 in terms of chassis dynamics. And that is high praise to all 3 pedigrees. Come ride with me down LCR if you don’t believe me. Hustling this car down a curvy road is like eating dark chocolate with sea salt: complex, rewarding, and never boring.
Everything I’ve done works together harmoniously as a system, and sends happy tingles up your spine when you nail a line and power out of an apex in 3rd gear under full-torque send. The Cure’s “Just Like Heaven” starts jamming in your frontal lobe and you bury your foot until the next braking zone, wishing you had just a little more runway for speed...
My best time 5/10 that I actually captured was a 1:38.49 in the 2nd session. But for my 3rd session, I changed the soundtrack in the car, relaxed my sphincter to calm, and I was REALLY cooking and booking in Storm. So I wouldn’t be surprised if I shaved 1.5-2 seconds during one of those runs. Not exaggerating.
Any who, we’re @ 2-pages, and I’m a man of my word. Check out the 2nd post for a behind-the-scenes look @ the s**t show preceding 5/10’s event…
faste
Post #1 - the important facts from 5/10's track night
Post #2 - everything NOT to do when preparing for a vacation, track day, wedding, or anything important. It's riveting and educational, and frankly, doesn't make me look too great.
Posts #3, #19-22 (2nd page) - absolutely EPIC photos of Stormy skirting some fast cars on track like a white Rabbit on bath salts.
Is it better than porn? Only if you love MQB-on-BMW action...
Begin first post:
Well gents, I finally have a few minutes to throw up some incriminating, anecdotal info regarding the most recent SCCA Track Night event @ HHR from 5/10.
As usual, my experience was a little…”different”, but also infinitely illuminating and educational. We all know my posts can get longer than John Holmes, so I’m intentionally keeping this one under 2 pages (MS Word). Whatever I can fit…goes to print.
SHORT RECAP
My first TNIA event was 3/15. Me getting to race on track was a true miracle (wasn't supposed to happen), and I’d never had the GTI on track before.
We both got smacked around a bit. Investigate that adventure here at your leisure: https://www.golfmk7.com/forums/index.php?threads/track-night-hhr-3-15-a-cinderella-story.419653
The NY Times called my 3/15 Cindarella Story “a riveting, heart-stopping thrill ride to the very end.”
They said the same for 1994’s Speed with Keanu Reeves, but I digress…
HHR...IT'S ALIVE
Let’s start with the track, how it delights and surprises its guests like a moving castle:
HHR, while short on straightaways, has a lot of surface changes and a few off-camber corners that realllly challenge a car and its driver.
The back “straight” between turns 5 and 7 is choppier than the editing on a Marvel movie. Packing the road surface of a Bosnian minefield, it does everything possible to upset the car as you’re flying through at 90+ before squeezing the fat pedal to set yourself up for turn 7: a hard, 180* right hander that shifts all the weight and inertia of the car to the two driver side tires.
If you’re gonna lift some inside tires like the Stig or Clarkson, you get to do it in Turn 7.
That back part of the track is truly a love-hate deal. In my case, I hated it so much that I went out and bought myself some high quality dampers to soak up the shotgun blast posing as asphalt.
People mess up turns 5 and 7. A lot. Pick the right line and you can get on power earlier than the guy riding your bumper to rocket into the next corner. Choose wrong and you get to mow some grass for Rod & the HHR track owners, while understeering in a squealing-pig display of novice shame and tire shriek.
"Just 2 more laps! I've almost got it..."
YOUR WEAKNESSES…GET TO KNOW THEM
In general, I needed more brake, more camber, and more cowbell for HHR at the 3/15 event. My driving was also sloppy enough that I’m amazed @MonkeyMD still talks to me…
There’s also a fella named Graham in our group who is, frankly, really effing good. His M235 is mostly stock with Michelin PS4S tires, stock wheels, and a fistful of #DriverMod.
Quiet, reserved, and always purposeful, he wiped the floor with me and half the Intermediate group on 3/15, so I was hellbent on being more competitive when I came out to the 5/10 event. Fewer point-bys or DIE TRYING!!!
The dude also inspired me a bit, if we’re honest. He turned that 3500lb Bimmer into an apex-slaying cruise missile and ran a 1:32 on 3/15. With almost zero drama the whole lap. So what might be possible in my FWD V-Dub?
Sooooo…I modded up. I wanted all of Storm’s major weaknesses addressed for the 5/10 event without wasting a single dollar. FedEx and UPS packages began pouring in late-March, almost ALL of their contents snagged at insanely low, buy-me-now prices:
-H&R 28mm front sway bar ($290 on sale)
-Eurosport street camber mounts ($180 normal pricing)
-Bilstein B8 dampers (on sale – woot! $586 + tax)
-Fresh strut bearings from VW (mine were fine, this is preventative: $39 x2)
-Hawk HPS 5.0 brake pads all around ($192 total, on sale)
-Unitronic Intercooler ($550 local, new in box)
-Pentosin Super DOT-4 (shop stock)
...The IATs and engine power would now be tamed.
...The insane body roll would be minimized.
...The front tires could tuck and clear the front fenders in hard corners.
...The brakes would finally have BMW-esque grab and pull.
...And the dampers would finally be, well, properly German.
HHR is [for me] one continuous turn that explores grip and steering angles. I found myself unable to use throttle half the time, instead using momentum and trying to carry as much speed around corners while finding better lines each successive lap. These cars tuck in nicely at low-throttle… Go full-ham and the front tires might fight before they bite.
DID IT WORK?
The new parts I’ve installed this year, thus far, are amazing. You couldn’t ask for a more tastefully executed chassis setup for about $1k. Corners where I had to do ~40mph before, I was doing 45-50 and holding like a boss.
-The 28mm FSB (+25mm RSB from 2020) keeps the body roll in check 100% of the time and acts like a stiffer set of coil springs when you turn the wheel.
(Full write-up here): https://www.golfmk7.com/forums/inde...iled-review-fsb-database-inside.420176/page-2
-The increased front camber from the springs and strut mounts gives me front-end grip for days and keeps my tires happy.
-The Bilsteins are damn-near magical compared to the stock Sachs twin tubes. All of my body motions are controlled and composed. Squat and nose dive are almost non-existent.
...All told, this $33k escape hatch now feels like a $75k BMW or 911 in terms of chassis dynamics. And that is high praise to all 3 pedigrees. Come ride with me down LCR if you don’t believe me. Hustling this car down a curvy road is like eating dark chocolate with sea salt: complex, rewarding, and never boring.
Everything I’ve done works together harmoniously as a system, and sends happy tingles up your spine when you nail a line and power out of an apex in 3rd gear under full-torque send. The Cure’s “Just Like Heaven” starts jamming in your frontal lobe and you bury your foot until the next braking zone, wishing you had just a little more runway for speed...
My best time 5/10 that I actually captured was a 1:38.49 in the 2nd session. But for my 3rd session, I changed the soundtrack in the car, relaxed my sphincter to calm, and I was REALLY cooking and booking in Storm. So I wouldn’t be surprised if I shaved 1.5-2 seconds during one of those runs. Not exaggerating.
Any who, we’re @ 2-pages, and I’m a man of my word. Check out the 2nd post for a behind-the-scenes look @ the s**t show preceding 5/10’s event…
faste
Last edited:
(Michelin rebate)
🏎
