Riceburner goes from MK7 to MK6 K04...

[riceburner]

Hey everyone!

Figured I would check in because a lot of you were cool on here and helped me out with my MK7 experiences.

My basic update is as follows:

I had a White MK7 SE fully loaded for just about a year. It was a GREAT experience overall; super fun, nimble, quick car to be in. Very premium car.

I modded it as I can't seem to stay away from, including a slew of upgrades such as apr1, vwr intake, fluidampr, magnaflow exhaust, MK7 R brakes, and a bunch of cosmetic stuff...

When I got it:


Before getting rid of it



At any rate, putting my irresponsible money management toward aftermarket parts aside, the 450/month car payment was really starting to interfere with me making progress toward saving for a home. :/

Additionally, I was frankly a little fed up with the general lack of refinement of the car in terms of road noise and cabin rattling. The front and rear suspension was already showing signs of wear by creaking and rattling at just 25000 miles.

I decided to sell it, which I found a great buyer for out of state to was willing to pay over my trade in amount plus some extra to compensate alot of the parts on it! Good guy and I hope he enjoys the car!


So I gave cars a lot of thought and at the end of the day I couldn't bring myself to any other type of car besides (dun dun dunnn) another GTI! I'm a serious car fanatic at heart and just can't bring myself to get a regular commuter car, my soul would likely disappear.

Well, in indiana I found a PERFECT candidate going for only 10.5K, with 40K Miles on it - a 2012 base model GTI.





This car is a DSG car - something I didn't fully think I would ever go for, being quite a fanatic about manuals.. However upon testing a few MK6 DSG's out I definitely got on board about how fast they shift, how they feel in general, and the shorter gear ratios.

Testing this example out, the MK6 actually feels quite different from the 7, as many may know, it is a different chassis on a different subframe vs the unibody structure that the 7 has. I believe that this actually makes the 6 feel, though a tad heavier, more planted on the road. For a car of its age difference and slight odometer increase I am pleased to say the 6 actually maintains its suspension composure a little longer than my 7 did!

Okay, now onto the mods - mind you, I got a STEAL on this car, and it came with the following upgrades:

APR K04 Turbo kit
Unitronic intake
R8 coil packs, NGK plugs
New water pump
CTS intercooler
SPM Catted downpipe
Pancake/throttle body pipe
Slotted/drilled brakes, SS lines
Diverter valve relocation kit
GFB diverter valve
Full motor mounts from BFI
APR DSG Tune

I think that was it...

So considering the engine is already 'done', I decided to throw a few bucks at making some choice exterior refinements, firstly ditching the unsightly detroit wheels.

MK7 R wheels (18")
Led headlights & taillights
New foglights, tinted lenses
Wrap lower grille surround in candy white vinyl
Full paint polish and corrections
RCD 510 raido upgrade
LEDs interior and exterior
Interior cosmetic trim piece upgrades, various
BFI DSG Knob
Leather armrest from redline goods
Black badges
Rear wiper delete
Window tints
Euro lip spoiler for front
Nitto NT555 G2 tires

Well that happened fast! I'm already about out of stuff to do to this car!

It's a seriously quick car, which I have little doubt would have relatively smoked my stg1 mk7 in a straight line. Very fun to drive and totally worth it all for now only paying less than half on it per month!

Other plans for this car may include lowering it a tad and a few bushing replacements which may or may not quite need it yet
Methanol injection
Timing chain tensioner replacement

Thanks for reading and cheers!

 

[Sandman GTI]

Best to you on the Mk6!

Thanks for checking in an updating us.
Hope you enjoy the new GTI.

 

[riceburner]

Thanks Sandman - youre one of the afformentioned guys from my OP i'm shouting out to! Keep doing your thing man, you can help keep the 7 community thriving with proper application and knowledge about mods & maintenance!

 

[Sandman GTI]

Thanks Sandman - youre one of the afformentioned guys from my OP i'm shouting out to! Keep doing your thing man, you can help keep the 7 community thriving with proper application and knowledge about mods & maintenance!

Thanks.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[sprinks]

Congratulations on the new car! Glad to hear you couldn't be kept out of a GTI for too long. Will you be updating now on golfmk6 as well?

 

[riceburner]

sprinks - yes, I have the same username and even same thread title on MK6, which can be found below. I wanted to share with you guys as well however

It has been a neat opportunity to experience ownership of two generations of the GTI legacy. I dearly love both cars, and certainly prefer portions of both over the other. It is a neat indication that Volkswagen is focused on evolving while not dropping its root cause for a fun hatchback!

A question that some may have in mind or may not, i will answer anyway: If you had to choose between a 6 or 7 again and money wasn't the issue, which would you choose?

The answer is of course two fold (or more folds, haha)

Design: I am slightly partial to the sharp lines of the 7, however the 6 also nailed it in it's own regards. Both in my eyes deserve LED headlights and Taillights and other choice visual mods to bring their character into a more focused perspective.

Ride: MK6 rides both softer and more planted

Handling: The 7 felt slightly sharper and more controlled over corners, and it is hard to argue against the advanced ECS system!

Engine: The 7's updated TSI is amazing and of course got rid of previous generation TSI issues while being able to offer more torque and power easier. Additionally, it sounds a little less like a ticky diesel at idle. The feel of both engines is similar and the power delivery is very impressive on both. The K04 upgrade definitely wakes up the 2nd gen TSI more than a tune on the 3rd gen, but that's apples to oranges isn't it?

Sound: I may prefer sound of the 6 at full throttle

Interior: Both are AWESOME interiors; the 6 has a neat german feel to it while the 7 is a little more updated and refined. Both are very comfortable and ergonomic while establishing a very premium feel. I think we all would die for the euro mk6 r seats However i may swap in MK7 steering wheel and the plaid seats due to a slightly sharper design.

Overall: If i had to make the choice again, I think i may look longer and harder at the 6.

 

[MeltedSolid]

I've mentioned this before, but I came from a Mk6 golf before I moved to my mk7. My mk6 is still in the family, so I still drive it every once in a while. Perhaps it's because I'm still young, but even though my mk6 was the top of the line golf and my mk7 is the lowest of the low end I am happier with my mk7.

The refinement of the mk6 and mk7 is similar, and I definitely know what you're talking about with the mk6 feeling heavier but more planted, but everything in the mk7 performance wise feels like it has been distinctly improved and feels better. From the little things like the resolution and frequency of the digital speedometer to the entire chassis as a whole feeling much more capable with my mk7. The engine is multiple leagues of difference and so much better it's hardly even comparable even before I started tuning and modding it for power, but I'm comparing the 2.5 to the 1.8t and haven't tested mk6 and mk7 GTI 2.0t's compared to each other.

Interior quality wise my mk6 was a bit nicer than my mk7, and with a lot more features, but aside from the center console scraping my knee while driving the mk7's fits me much better. I love the simplicity of my mk7's interior and found the steering wheel buttons of my mk6 very annoying while on track, but that stuff can just as easily vary within generation. The biggest part for me is the seats of the mk7 fit me WAY better than the mk6. It might just be me, but the mk7 seats fit my body perfectly, give me more than enough bolstering even for track use, and are very comfortable. Whenever I get back into the mk6 I feel like I'm crammed in there and supported at all of the wrong places. The worst being the thigh supports which do nothing but dig into me, and I am not a large person.

I know this is maybe a tad bit of a thread jack, but I got distracted by the question you asked yourself above .

 

[Noize1]

I had a mk6 GTI before and now my wife has a mk7 GTI SE.
I realize the mk6 was a Wolfsburg car, but her MQB slays my old mk6 dead in every measurable category.

A huge part of that is because of the LSD and the bigger brakes in the PP. The MQB is lighter, has a better interior, much nicer radio, more modern technology, and better driving dynamics. Even though her car is a DSG and mine was a manual, the 7 is substantially quicker, puts down power better, and more responsive down my favorite backroad.

Edit: I came in here by clicking new posts and just realized this is in the Members Car Journal thread and not a vs. thread. To that end, I apologize for weighing in. Carry on, and hope you enjoy your car.

 

[PLF8593]

No WAY you'd swap the MK7 steering wheel in for the 6. The 6's wheel is like, unanimously agreed to be nicer. I mean, shit. People spend over a thousand dollars getting steering wheels for the 7 that are like the 6. The 6's is thicker, made of nicer material (read: real, perforated leather), is more ergonomic, and the buttons aren't a hard plastic that pivots like a seesaw. Well, maybe the up/down buttons on both sides pivot like seesaws, but they're not hard plastic, and the feedback received when pressing on them is much more "quality" and satisfying than the 7's. Also, the "flat bottom" on the 7's is pathetic.

I too had a 6 before the 7, and the only 2 aspects of the 6 i'd take over the 7 would be the spread between gears 1, 2, and 3, and the steering wheel.

 

[riceburner]

hi all!

figured i would check in with an updated list....

this car has seriously grown on me, and i totally love it. the ride compared to the 7 is just sublime. The power output is just more visceral in general. The look is a little less sharp but all the while pure euro-hatch.

check out my build thread!

http://www.golfmk6.com/forums/showthread.php?t=110051

Engine:
APR K04 kit
SPM Catted DP
SPM 2.5" Midpipe
APR RSC catback
Full unitronic intake
Rev9 intercooler
Upgraded 'pancake pipe' (turbo outlet to intercooler)
BSH Throttle pipe
034 Catch can setup
GFB diverter valve
R8 coils
HP24 spark plugs
Fuel filter upgrade
Magnetic drain plug
Remove hood blanket (for such boost noise!)
Treadstone MAF airflow straightener
PTP Lavaflow downpipe/turbo hot side wrap
DEI gold wrap around intake

Brakes:
Stoptech pads
R1 concept rotors
Braided brake lines
Tyrolsport brake stiffening kit

Drivetrain:
APR DSG Tune
034 Engine mounts
HPA Dogbone mount
Tyrolsport deadset front subframe kit
B-cool 'Coolflow' filter housing

Suspension:
VWR Springs
Adjustable sway bar endlinks
KMD Tuning front stress bar
Powerflex antilift front kit
Aurora spherical control arm bushings and toe arms
Unibrace (main underbody brace)

Wheels:
2016 golf R wheels, center spokes wrapped
Nitto NT555 G2 tires

Interior:
Leather GTI seat swap, restitch accent threads in red
redlinegoods alacantara shift boot w/ red stitch
redlinegoods alacantara e-brake handle w/ red stitch
Alacantara steering wheel wrap
Jetta GLI e-brake BOOT (leather w/ red stitch over the plastic 'boot'
BFI DSG Knob (red leather)
Custom alacantara wrap lower dash (in progress)
Upgraded OEM radio to RCD-510
Carbon fiber trim pieces
'GTI' seat emblems for handles
New floormats
MOJO Mats
Red LED floor 'ambience lighting'
Paddleshifter extentions
LEDs everywhere
Redlinegoods leather armrest
Sound deadening where needed
USB port
Vent mounted boost gauge
APR steering wheel badge
Handmade leather wrap/red stitch shifter console surround
Euro cupholder

Exterior:
Euro front lip, colormatched
Golf R sideskirts
DutchParts front splitter
Maxton designs golf R side skirt extensions/splitters
Maxton designs rear spoiler extension
Wrap lower grille surround from grey to white
Remove splashgaurds
Paint lower grille and foglight grills
New foglights, tinted
3000K fog bulbs
R20 led headlights
5500K hid kit
PS24Y switchback turn signal bulbs
LED R20 tail lights
Smoked side markers
Black VW badges
debage 'gti' emblems
Carbon fiber license plate frame
LED license plate lights
30% window tint
Full polish/paint correction
Rear wiper delete
Towhook license plate bracket
Golf TDI skidtray/aero plate (for full font subframe coverage and air scoop to cool turbo)
G2-Paint kit to repaint red calipers

Weight loss:
Deka ETX16L battery (~40lbs stock to ~6lbs now!)
Remove spare tire, replace with inflator and plugs