The Ringer
Passed Driver's Ed
- Location
- Duluth, MN
- Car(s)
- 2007 GTI
Why do you say “it wasn’t for you?”
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7
Official MN Thread
- Thread starter supadupac
- Start date
nicholam77
Go Kart Champion
- Location
- Minneapolis
In short, too much NVH. A bit of background, I also installed a CTS engine mount at the same time. The CTS was rated at 60 durometer and the ECS at 70 durometer. I figured they would be similar enough and it couldn't hurt to have a little extra tightness on the transmission side, as I've heard that mount takes more of a beating.
Well... I don't know if I didn't quite have the ECS mount aligned properly, or if it was just a mis-match with the CTS mount (the CTS has a rubber bushing and the ECS is poly), but the NVH was very intense.
On light throttle in low RPMs my rear view mirror would shake so much I couldn't see anything in it. The steering wheel and pedals had vibration in them, even at idle. I could hear everything from the engine bay in the cabin. The gears spinning and clacking, the shift linkage, the pressure plate. Everything. There were also some nice engine sounds that were much, much louder than stock. But it was all the extra gear noise that annoyed me, combined with the vibrations. It made the car feel cheap to me. Not tight and refined, but loud and rattling.
I have to believe that maybe with the full ECS kit (poly everywhere) or with a dogbone replacement, things might have been better. ECS claims low NVH and I think it's considered a "stage 1" mount system suitable for a daily driver. Which is why I was so surprised at how harsh it was. I know the poly is harsher, but wow. This is why I think there may have been a mis-alignment as well. But the problem is the bolts are 1-time use and each set costs $25, so I wasn't going to keep tweaking it until I get it right at $25 a pop. Not taking any chances I just ordered a matching CTS mount for the transmission side.
Well... it turns out CTS on both sides is PERFECT (for me). You can feel a definitive improvement in shifting and engine movement, with none of the side effects. No extra NVH at all. It was like night and day.
Another benefit of the CTS is it uses the OEM housing for the bushing, which has two locating pins on the bottom that ensure correct alignment on the body side. The ECS piece is a brand new design of their own creation and does not have these pins, meaning it's easy to not install perfectly. I followed their instructions very carefully but at the end of the day that's what I think happened -- it was slightly misaligned and that made the NVH way more pronounced.
So... long story short, I'm not really bashing the ECS product, as it was well made and looked good, and I do believe that it might work better under different conditions (better install and/or ECS mounts on both sides + dogbone), but it just didn't work out for me.
That being said, I am VERY happy with the dual CTS configuration and would recommend it to anyone looking for a mount upgrade.
Big Morgan
New member
- Location
- Minneapolis
Was the white GTI with black wheels and a Lyft sticker in the back window I saw on Dean Pkwy (between Isles and Calhoun in Minneapolis) driven by a member?
just an FYI for my MN folks, I have some 17" winter tires for sale from my old MK7R ... 215/50/17s. Hit me up if interested.
Also, 17s all the way for people with Golf R and GTI with PP. Unfortunately my new car can only use 18s as the smallest wheel
Also, 17s all the way for people with Golf R and GTI with PP. Unfortunately my new car can only use 18s as the smallest wheel
The Ringer
Passed Driver's Ed
- Location
- Duluth, MN
- Car(s)
- 2007 GTI
What did you trade the R for?
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The Ringer
Passed Driver's Ed
- Location
- Duluth, MN
- Car(s)
- 2007 GTI
Awesome. I would love to hear more about it. Sent you a PM.
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Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
nicholam77
Go Kart Champion
- Location
- Minneapolis
I did the old style (pre-facelift) w/BEC autoparts harness.
I know there are others in the Twin Cities area as I've seen multiple 7 and 7.5 style retrofits at Cars + Coffee as well as on the road.
Which lights are you looking at specifically? I believe the 7.5 style is a similar process to install, just with a more complicated harness. I would say the install is a bit of a PITA, mostly just routing the harness -- the lights themselves are quite easy. The whole thing is more tedious than difficult. But there are good instructional videos out there showing what to do step-by-step. Having some plastic trim removal tools on hand is helpful but not a necessity.
If you want to unlock the features like amber blinker etc you'll need a coding too as well, such as VCDS or OBD11.
Do you need a harness for amber blinkers? I’ve seen some non-harness wiring that people have done on different threads that looks pretty simple. I’m looking at the pre-facelift. I prefer it and it’s so much cheaper. I’d love to avoid paying $150+ for a wiring harness if it’s not necessary
nicholam77
Go Kart Champion
- Location
- Minneapolis
Yeah, the wiring harness and coding is required to make the amber blinker work. The BEC one also lets you use the rear fog light feature simply by installing a euro switch without the need to run wire from the headlight switch to the tail light.
If you don’t use a wiring harness or coding, the lights just plug into the same plugs as the stock ones and will function the same way (outer lights tail lights function as brake lights and signal). No amber blinker and no rear fog capability.
You could always get the lights and run the harness later if you decide to. To me it’s well worth the $150 bucks because aside from the looks, the amber blinker and rear fog are both useful features.
Also I don’t know if all harnesses (DAP and a few others offer them) allow for rear fog light use with no additional wiring, so if that’s something you want, either go with BEC or make sure it’s supported.
Lmk if you have any other questions!
I'm relocating to Minneapolis early Jan '19. I'm coming from a non-winter climate so I'm hoping to get some pointers on golf specific things to winterize my '17 golf se. I don't have the budget for winter tires this year but I want to make sure I get the right anti-freeze and washer fluid plus anything else that I haven't thought of.