Echo
New member
- Location
- Columbus, OH
Intro
Hello! I've been reading around here for quite a while, so hopefully I've done a good job about answering a lot of the basic questions that have been answered before. I've struggled back and forth on if I wanted to mod my GTI or get a 5-10yr old Japanese import and mess around with that - but I've decided. Yesterday I roll-raced a 2017 Corvette Stingray from 70-100 and while I lost, I was very proud of how well mine kept up and now I want it to put down some more power and look great doing it. The car is a manual 2017 Sport with the LSD.
What I use the car for
This car is my all-arounder. I drive it a lot (daily driver status, though I have other cars I switch to sometimes) and can avoid most traffic, with a lot of driving being on the highway. This car is my 'road trip' car so the back seats do get a fair amount of use. I do a lot of tent-camping, encounter a lot of gravel roads, and I do live in a snowy climate. I have tracked and auto-crossed my other car, and eventually I will do the same with the GTI. Never for competition though, just for fun.
What I've done so far
Mostly cosmetic. Little tweaks here and there. I love following the Subtle Cosmetic forum thread here and have been inspired by a lot of it. Tint, subtle references to heritage, license plate frame. The biggest change being a completely upgraded sound system with sound deadening and a (removable) sub in the spare-tire well.
Goals
Mostly, I just want to make the car my own. I do not care about winning anything from a dig as I will rarely if ever launch my car. I love the idea of having a 'highway hero' as I drive through a lot of long and un-populated highways due to the travel.
The kinds of cars I'd love to be able to beat would be performance variants of 'normal' cars (v6 accords, v6 camry's), all other non-AWD hot hatches (Velositers, ST's, Si's, etc), and hopefully lower trim pony cars (non-V8 mustangs, camaro's, challenger's). Also my buddy has a 2007 BMW 325i and I want to be able to crush him lol.
What's important to me
NVH is big. I'll be driving this car for upwards of 10 hours at a time (though on rare occasions. I could put up with it, but I like keeping my passengers comfy.
CEL. I do not want this. If it comes on I want it to be because of an issue and not because of a change I made without the proper supporting mods.
Gas mileage. I don't want to take a giant hit here, preferably. I'm ok if it goes down some, but it would be awesome if mileage went up. Paying for higher octane gas won't bother me, but I don't want to stop at a gas station over and over.
Reliability. I understand you gotta pay to play but I would be more inclined to over-build (stage 2 components with a conservative 300hp tune) than to squeeze as much as possible out of the car. Basically I don't want to blow the engine. If my turbo goes I'll probably upgrade the turbo and internals at that point, but hopefully that's much later in the car's life.
Flexibility. Hopefully adjustable coil overs will solve all of this (raising it up on trips and winter, lowering for day-to-day where I know the roads).
Performance. I want the car to look cool, but I also really want something to be there to back it up.
*The Plan*
Performance, in-order
Performance, any-time
The Questions
Thanks!
Hello! I've been reading around here for quite a while, so hopefully I've done a good job about answering a lot of the basic questions that have been answered before. I've struggled back and forth on if I wanted to mod my GTI or get a 5-10yr old Japanese import and mess around with that - but I've decided. Yesterday I roll-raced a 2017 Corvette Stingray from 70-100 and while I lost, I was very proud of how well mine kept up and now I want it to put down some more power and look great doing it. The car is a manual 2017 Sport with the LSD.
What I use the car for
This car is my all-arounder. I drive it a lot (daily driver status, though I have other cars I switch to sometimes) and can avoid most traffic, with a lot of driving being on the highway. This car is my 'road trip' car so the back seats do get a fair amount of use. I do a lot of tent-camping, encounter a lot of gravel roads, and I do live in a snowy climate. I have tracked and auto-crossed my other car, and eventually I will do the same with the GTI. Never for competition though, just for fun.
What I've done so far
Mostly cosmetic. Little tweaks here and there. I love following the Subtle Cosmetic forum thread here and have been inspired by a lot of it. Tint, subtle references to heritage, license plate frame. The biggest change being a completely upgraded sound system with sound deadening and a (removable) sub in the spare-tire well.
Goals
Mostly, I just want to make the car my own. I do not care about winning anything from a dig as I will rarely if ever launch my car. I love the idea of having a 'highway hero' as I drive through a lot of long and un-populated highways due to the travel.
The kinds of cars I'd love to be able to beat would be performance variants of 'normal' cars (v6 accords, v6 camry's), all other non-AWD hot hatches (Velositers, ST's, Si's, etc), and hopefully lower trim pony cars (non-V8 mustangs, camaro's, challenger's). Also my buddy has a 2007 BMW 325i and I want to be able to crush him lol.
What's important to me
NVH is big. I'll be driving this car for upwards of 10 hours at a time (though on rare occasions. I could put up with it, but I like keeping my passengers comfy.
CEL. I do not want this. If it comes on I want it to be because of an issue and not because of a change I made without the proper supporting mods.
Gas mileage. I don't want to take a giant hit here, preferably. I'm ok if it goes down some, but it would be awesome if mileage went up. Paying for higher octane gas won't bother me, but I don't want to stop at a gas station over and over.
Reliability. I understand you gotta pay to play but I would be more inclined to over-build (stage 2 components with a conservative 300hp tune) than to squeeze as much as possible out of the car. Basically I don't want to blow the engine. If my turbo goes I'll probably upgrade the turbo and internals at that point, but hopefully that's much later in the car's life.
Flexibility. Hopefully adjustable coil overs will solve all of this (raising it up on trips and winter, lowering for day-to-day where I know the roads).
Performance. I want the car to look cool, but I also really want something to be there to back it up.
*The Plan*
Performance, in-order
- Cat-back exhaust, possibly Remus - valve'd if I have to but hopefully not
- 034 Dogbone Engine and transmission mounts
- Clutch upgrade - ideally dual-mass to reduce clutch chatter
- Turbo inlet pipe
- Intake
- Stage 2 tune with downpipe and upgraded spark plugs
Performance, any-time
- Continental Extreme Contact DWS (when current stock tires wear out)
- Golf R Intercooler
- Adjustable Coilovers (SHS KW's) (when current suspension starts to get tired)
- Sigma 6 Short Shifter
- Clutch Assist Spring Removal
- ECS Clutch Bleeder Valve
- Stainless steel clutch and brake lines
- Rear sway bar
The Questions
- Are there any other amazing bang-for-buck or must have mods from what you have done?
- I would love to upgrade the shift-knob, but I really like the style of OEM. Is there anyone that makes an OEM+ version that looks the same but is weightier/made better?
- I love the Nogaro wheels, but I would also love going to 18" with slightly wider wheels to get it more flush. Is it worth all that money if I like the Nogaro's, or should I just get wheel spacers?
- NVH is important, but I really want to hear my turbo. However I've seen people complain about issues with Diverter Valve's and such. Is there anything I can do to increase turbo noises that doesn't effect how the car operates (like the turbo inlet pipe maybe)?
- Is the single-mass flywheel worth the additional chatter? Or can/should I stay with dual mass?
- Is there a better order to do my performance mods, especially to avoid CEL's?
- Any other advice for my mod journey?
Thanks!