Project Red XIII: avenali312's OEM+ GTI

[avenali312]

First 10,000-ish mile oil change interval results are in.

Your GTI did really well with this 10,000-mile oil run. Wear metals increased a little, but that's nothing the additional miles of oil use couldn't account for. Metals are still sitting at or even a little below the averages for this type of engine, and those are based on a shorter interval, so your engine is wearing better than expected for its type. The viscosity dipped a little below the should-be range again, but in the absence of fuel, that isn't really an issue. Insolubles tested at 0.3%, so the oil filter still wasn't used up after this longer run. Nice VW!

 

[mrmatto]

Wow, I've really been neglecting this. Not that much has changed, but I have had the Koni Special Active dampers and stock springs installed for a little while now. Really, really enjoy the comfort that they offer. Night and day compared to my EMD springs and clapped out stock dampers haha. Definitely looking more like a rally car these days though (especially the front end riding noticeably higher than the rear, or at least that's the visual I'm seeing). I may reinstall my reverse rake pads I had with the EMD springs to make it a bit more visually level.

Has the ride height settled/leveled since April? I'm very interested in the SA's, but not if they're going to give the car a reverse rake. Were your OEM springs new? Wondering if they just needed some time to settle.

 

[avenali312]

Has the ride height settled/leveled since April? I'm very interested in the SA's, but not if they're going to give the car a reverse rake. Were your OEM springs new? Wondering if they just needed some time to settle.

They never settled to be even, but I don't believe it's the Special Actives fault. Springs generally dictate ride height and the dampers are just there to damper. I don't think the damper could really affect ride height that much, but that's just a general understanding I've always had and could be totally wrong haha. I went back to photos of my car stock and it always had some reverse rake. I found a spec that said factory springs can have a tolerance of up +/- 10mm. I think I just got the short end and my rear springs are -10mm and front are +10mm (maybe an exaggeration, but you get the idea). Stock springs were the ones that came on the car and had been worn in for about 16k miles before they were removed, so they were not new. I think this is just a spring issue my car has had all along. I also have the weight of a Torklift EcoHitch hitch in the rear which could be pulling down a tad as well.

I corrected it by putting my reverse rake pads back in the rear to lift it a bit. It's sitting pretty level now but did take the pads to do it.

 

[mrmatto]

They never settled to be even, but I don't believe it's the Special Actives fault. Springs generally dictate ride height and the dampers are just there to damper. I don't think the damper could really affect ride height that much, but that's just a general understanding I've always had and could be totally wrong haha. I went back to photos of my car stock and it always had some reverse rake. I found a spec that said factory springs can have a tolerance of up +/- 10mm. I think I just got the short end and my rear springs are -10mm and front are +10mm (maybe an exaggeration, but you get the idea). Stock springs were the ones that came on the car and had been worn in for about 16k miles before they were removed, so they were not new. I think this is just a spring issue my car has had all along. I also have the weight of a Torklift EcoHitch hitch in the rear which could be pulling down a tad as well.

I corrected it by putting my reverse rake pads back in the rear to lift it a bit. It's sitting pretty level now but did take the pads to do it.

Ah, that's interesting. I wouldn't be surprised if the hitch was causing some of that too since the OEM rear spring rate is super soft.

 

[avenali312]

Going to have to go tire shopping in the next few months. Did some reading about tread width versus tire width and just wanted to make sure I'm in the clear. I'm keeping the Lagunas I have since I don't feel like dropping cash on wheels at the moment, but I am considering going from 225/40 to 235/40 for a bit more sidewall height without affecting the speedometer too much. I'll probably stick with my pattern of running Continental DWS (whatever the newest gen is) like I have for the past decade plus.

Wheel width = 7.5"
Tread width on the 225/40 = 7.4"
Tread width on the 235/40 = 7.8"

Will that 0.3" of extra tread width cause major sidewall bulge or vague handling? Would I be better off looking at 225/45 to accomplish my sidewall height goals?

 

[avenali312]

Car got its biannual wash this weekend haha. Also, got bored while rotating tires and threw the spacers back in.

 

[avenali312]

Small update that I received as a Christmas gift. Ever since I went back to my stock exhaust and ditched the custom muffler delete, I've missed the larger, black exhaust tips. Mostly because I never had to clean them haha. The slip-on BMS tips were exactly what I was looking for. Quality construction and easy install. A small strip of chrome is visible at certain angles, but that will go away once they get dirty again haha.

Special thanks to @Diggs24 for an old post on where to place the set screws for least visibility.

 

[Diggs24]

Nice. I just swapped out my black V2s for my old black V1s last month on my red GTI too. I like the look of the V1s more just wish they tucked in a bit more like the V2s and were a bit longer like the V2s.

 

[avenali312]

Nice. I just swapped out my black V2s for my old black V1s last month on my red GTI too. I like the look of the V1s more just wish they tucked in a bit more like the V2s and were a bit longer like the V2s.

They made it more noticeable that my passenger side sits a bit higher than the other. Nothing crazy, maybe like 1/4". Might drop that side from the hanger and put a couple of washers up there or something.

 

[avenali312]

Nothing crazy new to report. Had my annual oil change and multipoint inspection. A bit of seepage from the valve cover, but the tech said it wasn't an amount to worry about, and was pretty common on this platform. Installed new wipers all around and have started to look into replacing tires in the next month or so.

Blackstone report below. Seems like since I switched to Liqui Moly Leichtlauf, I'm seeing a bit more thinning of viscosity. Not enough to switch, I don't think, since it's what a lot of my indie shops around me have on hand and is convenient. We are trying some BG MOA this time around just for funsies haha.

There's no indication that you need to shorten your oil change interval at this time. Your Volkswagen continues to produce metals that are low and well balanced, and we're not finding any worrisome contamination that needs to be addressed. The viscosity is a bit thin again, so we had to issue a bold mark for that, but the oil wasn't thinned by any measurable amount of fuel dilution, so that's not a concern. We'll let you know if we think you should shorten your interval following the tune, but from what we can see, your current interval is working well for now. Nice!

 

[19birel]

I really need to do one of these, would love to confirm I'm on the right track with the GTI while the engine is still relatively fresh.

One thing I have noticed in my other 2.0T car (B8.5 A4 with the older EA888.2 engine) is that if I stretch the oil change interval past 5k I start to see increased degradation. The car won't burn a drop up to 5k miles, but from 5-6k it will start to consume, I would hypothesize because the oil has started thinning. As a result I have been making sure to adhere to the 5k on the dot interval as best as I can, I'm also running Liqui Moly in that car, but their Synthoil rather than Leichlauf.

If you're experiencing thinning at 7k mile intervals as well, I'd might consider trying a 5k and seeing what the results yield.

 

[avenali312]

I really need to do one of these, would love to confirm I'm on the right track with the GTI while the engine is still relatively fresh.

One thing I have noticed in my other 2.0T car (B8.5 A4 with the older EA888.2 engine) is that if I stretch the oil change interval past 5k I start to see increased degradation. The car won't burn a drop up to 5k miles, but from 5-6k it will start to consume, I would hypothesize because the oil has started thinning. As a result I have been making sure to adhere to the 5k on the dot interval as best as I can, I'm also running Liqui Moly in that car, but their Synthoil rather than Leichlauf.

If you're experiencing thinning at 7k mile intervals as well, I'd might consider trying a 5k and seeing what the results yield.

Yeah, I actually pushed my last interval out to a full 10k (the MK7 interval per the manual) just for science and curiosity haha. Most have been around that 7k mark though. For the most part, I just do one annually when the car starts to say "maintenance due in 30 days" or whatever. I will be throwing a JB1 on map 1 on once I replace my tires and may shorten the interval closer to 5 to 6k.

 

[E90 Skye]

Going to have to go tire shopping in the next few months. Did some reading about tread width versus tire width and just wanted to make sure I'm in the clear. I'm keeping the Lagunas I have since I don't feel like dropping cash on wheels at the moment, but I am considering going from 225/40 to 235/40 for a bit more sidewall height without affecting the speedometer too much. I'll probably stick with my pattern of running Continental DWS (whatever the newest gen is) like I have for the past decade plus.

Wheel width = 7.5"
Tread width on the 225/40 = 7.4"
Tread width on the 235/40 = 7.8"

Will that 0.3" of extra tread width cause major sidewall bulge or vague handling? Would I be better off looking at 225/45 to accomplish my sidewall height goals?

Haven't been on the forums in a while, but how have you liked the DWS06+? I had 235/40R18 PS4S on there and just switched it for same size DWS06+. I noticed the contact patch/overall width looked a bit smaller than the PS4S.

 

[avenali312]

Haven't been on the forums in a while, but how have you liked the DWS06+? I had 235/40R18 PS4S on there and just switched it for same size DWS06+. I noticed the contact patch/overall width looked a bit smaller than the PS4S.

I like the DWS06 a lot. I've had the regular DWS and the DWS06 over the past decade on a couple of different cars. My next set will be the DWS06+ in the near future. I do think they tend to run a bit skinnier than the Michelins in most cases, but for my daily commute needs, they're totally fine.

 

[avenali312]

Seven years today. I've put about 62k on it with minimal major issues (recall stuff, water pump/thermostat housing, and some minor valve cover seepage).