mk7_bk 2017 6mt S | Rags to Riches build

[mk7_bk]

So I have thought about doing a build thread for a while since my signature was to long to hold all of my build info. Now that I have my cool click-bait title here it is:
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Intro
I bought my 2017 VW GTI after researching for a good month or so. I knew I wanted something sporty with decent room to carry stuff in the back along with being good on gas. I test drove Subie WRX, Focus ST. It really all came down to price of the base GTI was ideal for what I got, vs the other packages WRX limited, Focus ST 2 package, both being about 30/28k which was more than I had to spend. After all was said and done, I was going to get a Deep Pearl GTI 6mt from a local dealer. While at the dealer, I saw a Carbon Sport Grey GTI and I knew that was the color. Very smooth, very me. Went to dealer who had the best price local and got my CSG 6mt with 34miles for 23,500. KBB said a fair purchase price range was 22,500 to 24,500 IICRC. Stalled it getting out of the lot (yes this is my first manual car). Funny side story, when i test drove the Subie it was like something out of a movie, I stalled like 5 or 6 times, the sales agent was ready for me to crash and held a death grip while driving and my GF was laughing her a$$ off in the backseat.
I want to keep this build thread sorta informative along with fun. I need something to keep me coming back to the site after the site update.

Below the Build list will be future items, then timeline, story, pics.
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Current Build List:
2017 GTI S 6MT -Daily Driver
Engine/Trasmission/Exhaust:
JB4 Tune (E30 Blend)
CTS Catted Downpipe
Rev9 Catback Exhaust (4” Tips)
CTS Cold air intake
CTS Turbo inlet pipe
CTS Turbo muffler delete
GFB DV+ diverter valve
Custom Ram Air intake Scoop kit
Dieselgeek Short Shifter Kit
APR Clutch Cable Bracket hanger
Stainless Steel Clutch line
NGK Spark Plugs
Baun Performance FMIC
Clutch Swirl Valve removal
South Bend Stage 3 Daily Clutch
Liquid Moly Oil
Motul Gear 300 Trans Fluid
OEM Euro Manifold cover

Interior/Exterior:
BFI Shift knob
ECS Climate Control Knob Covers
15% Tint
Debadged
WeatherTech Window Deflectors
OEM Monster Matts
Clutch pedal spring removal
BMS Clutch Pedal Stop
Front headlight black eyelid decal
Phillips Xtreme H7 bulbs
Maxton Designs Front Splitter
Maxton Designs Side Splitters
AeroFabb Rear spoiler
LED Trunk Light (deautokey)
LED Plate Lights (deautokey)
Tinted Plate Cover
ECS Hatch-Pop Kit
Strafe Designs Rear Diffuser
Eurocode Rear Hatch Brace
Eurosport Front Strut Brace

Suspension/Wheels/Tires:
Neuspeed 27mm Rear Sway Bar
Moog Endlinks (Rear)
034 Motorsports Dogbone insert
ECS Rear subframe locking collar kit
ECS Rear Support Brace
OpenRoadTuning Coilovers RS series
Racingline Stud Conversion
Konig Hypergram 18x8.5 et43 (Metallic Carbon Finish)
General Gmax RS 235x40x18

Winter Setup:
OEM Austins 18x7.5
Nexen WinGuard Sport 215x45x18

Other:
OBDEleven
OBDEleven glove box holder insert
OEM Mud Flaps (Removed)
Bosch Windshield Wipers (Front/Rear) (Planning to go back to OEM)
ECS Street Shield

OBDeleven Mods:
Mirror Dip on Reverse
Hatch Pop on Key Fob
Windows up/down on Key Fob
Soundaktor off
Needle Sweep on pre-ignition
Urban Joke Tail Lights
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Items for the Future:
Group 1 (Short list):
BFI engine/ Trans Mounts
Tylorsport front deadset kit
Front Sway Bar / endlinks ?

Rep Headlights
Chrome Grill

Group 2 (Medium List):
Big turbo
AP / Custom Tune
Fueling Upgrades

Group 3 (Long List):
Track Wheels/ Tires?
Track Pads /Brake fluid upgrade
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Timeline of build:

So my first mod was tint, hate people seeing me while driving. This was 1 week after I got the car. So I guess I don't have a picture of the car unmodded lol. It was dark got it like friday night at 9pm , I went to shades of grey in Feasterville pa, near philly, they do good work.

I believe the next item I did was window deflector, I was tired of it raining and I would get some condensation on the inside windows, so I added those, they are weathertech and I like them alot. Also makes the car more unique.

During the winter I was bored and figured why not debadge my car. I like the look and was had some clothes get caught on them while washing, so i went for it with a hair dryer and tooth floss / gooGone.

I belive for christmas my girlfriend got my a cts intake which will be pictured later.
Im going to group some of these ad they are still in chronological order but im not going to do 50 pictures 1 by 1.
Next I got a bfi shift knob, went with red to match the interior stich, along with the shift knob I got an 034 dogbone insert, CTS downpipe

Bought these fun climate control knobs, which now never seem to sit perfect with the red indicator from ecs

I believe at this point I bought most of the IS20 bolt on items, GFB DV+ diverter value, CTS inlet tip, CTS turbo muffler delete, and a used Jb4 from another member on this site

 

[mk7_bk]

Timeline:
Next I added some ebay tips and had a shop do a resonator delete, bought an OBDeleven, OBDeleven glove box insert, OEM Mud flaps, and Ram Air scoop mod

Next update Disel Geek Sigma 6 Short shifter, Clutch spring delete, Neuspeed 27mm anti-roll RSB (second hand, I refurbished this, new bushings, lube, nutserts, sanded and coated with antirust spraypaint) Moog endlinks, RS7 plugs, Bosch Wiper blades (trash)

 

[mk7_bk]

Next I went down to New German Performance in Maryland and got
Southbend stg 3 daily clutch, Stainless steel clutch line, APR clutch cable braket hanger, and clutch swirl value removed. (no pics) work was way above my knowledge
After my clutch was settled, I added GTI Jakes FMIC

Shortly After that I added OEM Euro Manifold Cover and Phillips extreme bulbs, and lastly I have Nexen Wintersport tires waiting to get put on in 1-2 weeks

 

[mk7_bk]

Another long overdue update, apologies to anyone that might actually care of follow this... crickets... but here it is. All of these upgrades are not on the same day

So around March this year I sorta got the Coronavirus bug of buying things, locked up in the house I know many people will understand. Well I guess it works out for the better because the car is really in a great spot and im happy with the outcome.

I added Aerofabb rear spoiler. Everyone has seen it. I had a little trouble getting the fin glue to separate from the oem spoiler, it was March so it was probably too cold. Either way I got the spoiler on and it looks great. I did slip with the box cutter and got a lil paint scratch and might have had the heat gun too close but you live and you learn (barley noticeable unless I tell you).

Next I added the Maxton Designs front splitter (gloss black) to go with other gloss black items (window deflectors, tint, A pillar piano finish). The install wasn't too bad, I took the whole bumper off, flipped it over, lined it up, then predilled the holes, and screwed it on. Not super hard, just need patience.

Next I added the Rev9 catback with mufflers. This wasn't too bad either some tinkering. The whole system has good welds (not great), good fitment. My suggestion is to start at the downpipe and go back from there. I did end up taking it to a shop for an adjustment (spacers on the muffler hanger). Wasn't really planning on it but they added some other stuff that will be mentioned later. I'm very happy with the setup, after the spacers for hangers were installed it sounds great. In the future I may add a Vibrant resonator but for now i'm ok with the noise.

Added ECS Hatch pop kit. Wow really like this one. So easy once I programmed the keyfob to just pop the hatch. I golf alot and it comes in handy. It was a super easy install, hardest part was finding the right codes to program.So getting back to being at the shop for adjustments on the rev9 catback. I previously installed the ECS rear subframe locking collar kit and bought the ECS rear brace bar. I followed the instructions but could not get the front portion of the rear subframe to drop (There are 2 bolts way up there not mentioned in the instructions). So I had shop add those 2 collar pieces in front along with adding the ECS rear brace bar (I really just didn't feel like putting it on) I know a little lazy but I hate having to take of the RSB which you need to for this. Overall the rear of the car is very tight and I like those 2 paired together.

So my Maxton Designs side skirts finally came in. They were backordered due to covid for 2 months and when they came in, I installed. They are also gloss black to match the front splitter and other pieces. Honestly at first they seem like they stick out a bit (which looks odd) but once I lowered the car it really looks good. Another easy install but just patience is needed to align it all up correct. It says use glue, I didn't, just drilled it into the oem side skirts as instructions says.

I also bought General Gmax RS tires off Tirerack using the local pickup -40$ and 70$ rebate. I think I got them for like 400$ ish, which is pretty good for a mid pack tire. I did tons of research and it was between these, indy 500 but I ended up going with these based on how they handle a little better in the rain compared to various reviews on Tirerack. So the tires sat in my garage for a bit as I was planning the final part of the 2020 build (can't spend too much in 1 year lol).

So after lots of research and what not, I decided to go with OpenRoadTuning Coilovers, they are a local business (10 min away). I chose the RS series because it fit my budget of around 1000$ coils with adjustable dampening and camber plates. They are Red and Black and I like those colors. It was between these, BC racing and EQT. I think I got these mainly to support local business and we all go the checks from the government and what a better way to spend it haha. Andrew the owner was great to work with.
Andrew also sold me the Racingline stud conversion kit. I wanted to do this for a while as it is annoying to change tires and could be useful in the future for track days (if I get into the track stuff).

Lastly, the crown jewel of the car, The Konig Hypergram wheels. They are 18x8.5et43 in the 2020 finish of metallic carbon grey. They looks so so so good and im really happy with them. They weigh 17.84lbs. Perfect setup for less weight, looking good, and price. I had to wait a little bit to get them shipped from Cali to the shop Euromotive Autohas, but they did finally arrive and it was awesome. They told me it was the first set on the east coast, guess i'm the guinea pig.

Other: I tried to wrap the red portion of the grill in chrome, such a pita I gave up. Never did a wrap before but I really would have needed to take the whole grill apart to get the red stripes out which I wasn't doing. For the wheels, shop did the fender screw mod and it went away. Now i'm just working on figuring out the best setting to try on since i'm very low.
Video of the exhaust (i'm going to update it as soundaktor was still on and quality is bad):

 

[mk7_bk]

A few More pics, 10 attachment limit:

 

[mk7_bk]

save.

 

[mk7_bk]

Updated this today, I Edited previous saved post, so the thread didn't bump, adding a comment so it bumps. Only took like 2.5 hours to update

 

[El_bigote_AJ]

Those wheels really worked out so wheel on your car, looks soo good!

 

[mk7_bk]

Those wheels really worked out so wheel on your car, looks soo good!

Thanks El, I looked a lot and initially liked the hyper silver RSe10, then I learned of konig and wanted hypergrams, then i liked the motig racing mr140s , once I saw the new finish hypergrams I knew it was a done deal, they really looks great. They are also making a wheel called centergeam which has the same finish and less spokes. Another great looking wheel

 

[Ezekiel81923]

Nice build. On paper mine is pretty similar but I'm many months away from done so it'll change 17 more times haha.

Did you need an 02 sensor extension to pass emisisons? We're in the same general area and PA inspection is my one hang up with deciding whether to go with a DP or not and which one.

 

[mk7_bk]

Nice build. On paper mine is pretty similar but I'm many months away from done so it'll change 17 more times haha.

Did you need an 02 sensor extension to pass emisisons? We're in the same general area and PA inspection is my one hang up with deciding whether to go with a DP or not and which one.

For the downpipe, I have a Vibrant o2 spacer, never had a problem with emissions since (3 years)

Do get the occasional cel due to o2 bank 2 low or whatever due to downpipe but I just clear it. I didn't have it for a long time, now it comes and goes

 

[mk7_bk]

Small update. Installed Strafe Design Rear Diffuser V4. Overall, I really like the looks of it, completes my "body kit", which is nice just another thing done on a long list of crap. Install is sorta easy but I did it the hard way. It comes with 2 screws (for the top), and 2 bolts/washers/nylon nuts. So the easy way is to put the bolt down through the top and put the nut on the bottom. I didn't like the look of the bolt end and nut showing so I did it the other way, which was a total pita but worth it for looks as you can only really see the head of the bolt now. Overall looks great, price is cheaper than others, install was a pita the way i did it (easier the way they suggest), quality/fit is good not perfect, without the top screws it would really be off, sorta tight to the exhaust area, small bending/shaping needed.

Also recently did a service (oil/plugs) now on NGK plugs which seem ok. My driving I didn't need the rs7's but I could have stayed on them, just wanted to switch it up/ plus had some odd starts. PICS:

 

[mk7_bk]

Updated mod list on FP, updated little stuff. Installed Eurocode Rear Brace tonight, didn't get a chance to see if it helps with body roll but soon enough
Picked up off classified for a good price from another member, its in a good home now

 

[mk7_bk]

Installed Eurosport Front Strut Brace tonight, pretty easy install, time to see how it feels

 

[daujin_mk7]

Nice build! I'll have to keep an eye out for you on the road.