Single parent has mid-life crisis @ 34; buys dream hatch; gets back into racing after 8-yr hiatus; chases BMW M-cars

[GoatAutomotive]

Quick edit/update (and TOC) since this thread is blowing up like Biggie in the 90s:

-Page 1 is the full build odyssey, neatly divided and organized. Read, laugh, love, learn stuffs.
-Page 2 gets derailed by a member arguing the merits of E85 vs E30. Skip/skim that chit.
-Page 3 is acknowledgments and photo sessions. Get a little misty eyed. It's been a beautiful journey.
-Pages 3-5 are pure awesome. Short, poignant photo sets from specific events/occasions. Little to no writing.

-Page 5, Post #71, I answer the very question I always have for other people who do a long-term build/tribulation:
..."What upgrades/mods would you recommend, and in what sequence, knowing what you do now?"

There is no shortage of information or irreverence anywhere in this thread, so it's worth your time.

@Acadia18 is my spirit animal. I channel him in a few places.

"Feel the Stag, McLeod...."

Below is the actual post/thread. Without further preamble, "Rollllll that beautiful bean footage!"

"Chronicles of the Budget-Friendly Mid-Life Crisis Mobile"
(...voted #1 on the NYT's best seller list 3 days in a row)​

I love writing about all things auto. So why haven't I done a build journal for my beloved hot hatch before now? Who knows. I guess I felt no one would want to read about my journey to greatness with this little FWD throat-puncher.

I'll divide this up into sections for brevity and structure. I'll add pics from my phone when I can come back to this later on.

Everything I've done has been neatly catalogued/written about and photographed as it happened.

These tech write-ups usually make it into the Suspension/Brakes forums, which is my second home.

Get ready to laugh & learn.

Stormy Long Term Build Journal​

[from somewhere in the book of Genesis] –
“In the beginning, the Germans created the auto. And God saw that it was good…”




10/30/17 – I took delivery of my budget-friendly dream car: a 2017 GTI SE w/DSG, in Bright White.

The perfect package, it had absolutely everything I wanted and needed, except DCC. *Sniffles*

I could hardly focus all week at my job just thinking about it.

She was a $33k car, purchased end of year for $27,500 OTD. Thanks, DieselGate incentives!

This is only the second new car I’ve purchased in 21 years of driving. Always pre-owned, always well-timed purchases for great prices.

Storm is also the 2nd VW 2.0L turbo I’ve bought….both from the same dealership, where I started my automotive career many presidencies ago.

I absolutely adored my first V-Dub…a 2006 GLI (Package 2), Shadow Blue w/the 6-spd manual. Selling it was like losing a family member. I put ~23k miles on her in one year of ownership. And they were all amazing.

The GLI experience was so far back in time, that we didn't have cell phones with digital cameras, so very few traditional Kodak photos of Joan Jetta exist today. More *sniffles*

For the GTI, I remember the make-ready department did a half-assed job with the cleaning, which made me sad for how momentous the delivery was for me. But to them it was just another VW sold (I get it). I knew I would have to do it myself to be satisfied.

That late-October delivery was a coronation after 7 years of waiting, researching and dreaming of new car possibilities while I put myself through school, and scraped by on retail management wages.

I cross-shopped a dozen other candidates before I landed on the GTI. My local credit union approved me for the full loan amount with ~2% interest. I put TT&L down and drove her home 10/30/2017.

In short…the planets all aligned, and I was able to afford the very special car I almost couldn’t afford.

Strap in for the path to a 360hp stock-turbo hot hatch that hauls a child, a dog cage, and tools/supplies all over the country...

 

[GoatAutomotive]

Year 1​

My goal was to keep the car completely stock for one full year, to prove to my family that I had the self control not to mod every vehicle, and to prove to other enthusiasts that the car was SO good in stock trim, a man with a high-powered V8 race car could be satisfied with it.

…I made it 9 months. Does that count for anything?


2/9/18 – Drop it like it’s hot…

After months of obsessive compulsive research on the 12-14 different lowering spring options available for our cars, and debating if I should even pursue that route, I scored a killer deal on H&R’s OE Sport springs. And pulled the trigger, despite being only 75% positive I was gonna install them.

Reading through the past threads from Hammersticks, SugarMouth, and others made it clear that of all the spring choices, and my desire for a modest 20mm drop…these were the ticket if retaining stock Sachs dampers. Audi TT pads followed suit to address the excess rear drop (the OE Sports do about a 20mm front drop and a 25mm in the rear, if you didn’t know).

If anyone else if on the fence about which drop springs for stock dampers, I can tell you from endless hours of research and talking to people, that your best options on the GTI & R are:

-Eibach Pro Kit (GTI version is progressive, Golf R is linear like the Euro-spec versions)

-Neuspeed Sport Springs (linear)

-H&R OE Sports (progressive)

These all offer about a 1” drop, but they all have the correct spring rates to work with stock dampers (stiffer than stock to cope with the reduced stroke/travel being sacrificed).

The popular but impractical VWRs & EMDs (by contrast), have significantly less spring rate than stock, which is why so many people report issues of “bottoming out” when encountering dips and bumps on the street after ~3-6 months of driving on them.

…It’s why the OE dampers get fatigued so quickly with the VWRs & EMDs.

…And it’s why you see a half dozen used VWR/EMD spring kits for sale every month in the classifieds.

I digress…

H&R springs arrived, and they’ve sat in the box ever since. I was an indecisive bastard for 4 years… Stay with me on this journey.


Late July, 2018 ~5k miles: First oil change w/dealer fluids & filter (to validate warranty)

APR dogbone/torque arm insert. K&N panel filter – first actual mods/upgrades.

The engine movement from the OE mounts was unbearable for the first year I owned the car. Even at stock power levels. Even with the DSG trans.

First gear take-offs, 1-2 shifts, the whole damned thing clunked like an old work truck with worn out suspension. The engine rotated and twerked like Mylie Cyrus after a dozen Jello shots.

This horrid engine slop is honestly the only thing (ed. - besides the garbage pail Pirelli tires) that prevented me from hitting the 1-yr mark of Stockness.

So I poked around and learned about BMP Tuning, who would become favorite drug dealer for 2018.

I purchased the APR billet torque arm insert after researching all my options: $66

I wanted a smidge more airflow for the motor. Purchased a K&N drop-in filter: $54

Installed both end of that month. Removed snowcatcher. Drilled out the plastic in front of the intake feed for the airbox.

(ed. - why TF did they block the air inlet in front of the airbox!?) #unacceptable

Post-Install Notes: The APR insert did everything it was supposed to and more. Install took all of 15 minutes. The engine slop was gone. Shifts and take-off were proper again.

This was as good or better than the classic Neuspeed poly insert we did on the MkV cars back in 2007. Idle vibrations subsided after a few weeks, and the mount became transparent. A/C on or not, I’ve had no adverse sides from this engine slop vaccine.

The drop-in filter was a cheap power mod and, like democracy in America…an experiment. Folks were stating “the stock airbox is soooo good that you don’t need a…” [insert $600 intake name here]

Well, they were f**kin’ right.

Even on stock boost levels, that little panel filter was a DARLING upgrade. More turbo noises. More throttle response. More “herse-purrs!” As James @ Donut Media says.

The car probably picked up an honest 10-12whp EVERYWHERE. Not huge, but unmistakable. As with dating in America, I had my expectations set to LOW when I went into the deal. But with the outcome, I was thrilled.

For $120 I was off to a great start, and both mods would fly under dealer radar if I needed service or warranty work.


8/18/18 - ~7k miles… “Stance Life”

With my 1-yr vow of automotive celibacy now up in flames like a liberal protest, it was time to mod up. On a budget. Because…car payment, house and child. You know… #dadlife

So I loved the look of the stock Austins on my car. The piano black accents on the spokes looked perfect against the black and white theme of my car. But the offsets…those were as inexcusable as the engine mounts. The wheels sat so far inboard, it made the car look like an accountant’s base model golf. (ed. - sorry CPAs!)

I won’t tell you how many times I looked at pictures of the ECS flush kit for these cars. I absolutely loved the stance and value per dollar. But would it rub in hard corners?...

I eventually placed my order around the first of August, but there was some issue with a backorder at the time...missing wheel bolts for the kits, or a missing set of spacers. Anyway, no one at ECS could give me a realistic timeline of when to expect them.

Well, our boy Bassman (who might not still be active on here) was selling a gently used set of Burger Motorsport spacers w/bolts. Picked them up for $150.

I believe the ECS were $225 new at that time. So it worked out!

And my little car…looked…awesome after those went on. #HappyGoat


10/27/18 – ~9k miles – “I wanna put on…my my my boogie shoes!” – Michelin PS4S Experience

I made it a full year on the stock Pirelli all seasons, a tire that needs to become a wall barrier at some racetrack in the deep south where the sun destroys them, day in and day out. The Cinturatos were unsafe in the wet or dry, like running on a wood floor in socks. Good riddance.

I spent most of my first year of “not modding” …actually researching and reading owner reviews of tires, speed mods, etc.

The Continental ECS were near the top of my list for comfort and grip, but they were so close in price to the Michelin PS4S, it would have been a loss in my mind, as I’m a Michelin man on all my vehicles. And I’d always think to myself…”what if the Michelins were better?”

I timed my purchase around Michelin’s deals and incentives, and double dipped into more rebates from the vendor. My new premium UHP tires were just $722 out the door that day, followed by $120 in rebates. All told, they were considerably cheaper than the $185 Continental ECS this way. #winning

Discount Tire of Bee Caves, TX was the only shop in a 50-mile radius of me that had a touchless mounting machine to avoid damaging my wheels. This was essential to protect the face of my stock wheels from scratches and damage. Other shops still use pry bars to mount tires…

D-T Bee Caves was top shelf with their customer process. They installed my Michelin PS4S, (225/40R18) onto the stock Austins, because I could neither afford nor justify the $1400 for the lighter and wider wheels I wanted. (that comes later)

I remember the Mighty Michelins looked SO nice and wide compared to the weak-sauce Pirellis! …Until they were mounted on that tiny 7.5” wheel, which made them look small again. Like a cold shower in the locker room.

Anyway, the difference driving off the lot and onto the highway was transformative. I was ecstatic.

Best way to describe it:

Remember when you were younger, and you were wearing old @$$ tennis shoes like a scrub, hoping no one would look down at your feet? Then one day, you went to the store and picked out some new shoes, and you felt like a new man who could do anything?

That’s what the Michelins did. And then some. They felt so athletic and connected to the road. I was experiencing a side of the car I always knew was there, but had yet to experience in the first year of ownership.

I then found a local buyer who gave me something ~$400-500 for my old [ultra low mileage] Pirellis, so I made out like a bandit on this whole deal.

A few days later, I had my infant son and his mother with me on a road trip from Austin to NOLA, then to Mississippi. The car was packed to the ceiling with all the cumbersome stuff you need for babies on a road trip.

I remember the tires had a good deal more road noise than I was expecting. Nowhere near as quiet as the Pilot Super Sports I ran on my GTO for so many years. But I could now hook up the GTI from a dig in 1st gear! What did I care about highway noise?

They were also amazing in the rain, which we encountered a couple times on our trip, so I nobly justified the upgrade as “a safety purchase”. It was. But also deeply gratifying for fast driving.

Stop judging me…


10/31/18 – 1 Year Mark! Power mods, BABY!

Downpipe & Tune

MAPerformance had a nice little sale going. I scored my stainless, catted downpipe and Cobb AP tuner, along with two of MAP’s newest 93-octane OTS files, at a bangin’ price of $1145 out the door. $650 for the AP w/tune files, and $495 for the DP. #cheapspeed

I ordered the parts on 10/23 and I had them a week later, just in time for our family road trip to NOLA.

For good measure, I had them shipped to my work so baby mama wouldn’t see them.

“Write that down, gentlemen.” –Van Wilder

 

[GoatAutomotive]

Year 2: Miguel says "F my factory powertrain warranty..."​

11/5/18 - ~10k miles – Stage 1 OTS 93-tune from MAP

While we were abroad, I sent MAP the info from the Cobb AP so they could email me my tune files. I saved them to my laptop and went on about our vacation.

As soon as we got back to central TX from our Gulf States trip, I dropped my son’s mother off at our college in San Marcos so she could take an important exam. I kept our son with me, and all the stuff still in the back. We hadn’t even been home yet.

We stopped at a Shell station for some fresh 93, where I uploaded the new Stage 1 tune.

Ohhhhhh the excitement!

Turns out…uploading a tune is not a 5-minute switch. It took something like 15-18 minutes. Which is a good, long city utilities hold time with a restless child sitting behind you. I was grateful the battery had enough juice to be on standby that long.

Tune loaded, test drive began. Adaptation process took a bit (as expected), but the car was much stronger and happier this way. I drove it this way for many months to enjoy stage 1 power, and eventually installed the DP.


6/23/19 - 12,563mi - MAP Downpipe w/400-cell catalyst installed

This review is important for folks considering their downpipe, so please read closely:

For the money, the DP was great. $500 catted was a steal. The $550 retail was still reasonable.

At the time, APR, HPA, I/E and others were all closer to $900+, but a couple were using a higher quality GESI cat as well, which factored in.

Since they don’t do emissions testing in Texas for OBD-II cars, I ran the budget friendly DP. Because I was cash-poor, and the shamefully-plastic Cobb AP took all my go-fast money…

Fitment of the MAP DP was comparable to a Magnaflow product. It almost fit in most places, and looked amazing, but the damned hangers just weren’t properly oriented. You’d think they accidentally shipped me the AWD version. It should have been a gravy install, but the worst part was getting the new DP hangers to line up and fit properly into the OE rubber isolator and bracket. I was disappointed and a little irritated.

Anyway, it all worked out. I captured some videos for down the line when I start producing videos like the Edgar Wright fanatic I am.

 

[swcrow]

excellent documentation......I perceive the first thing you'll change out is the tune......I've gone through 3 suspensions and 4 tunes alone LOL......

 

[GoatAutomotive]

Year 3: Let's Play A Game Called "Just the Tip(s)..."​

11/22/19 - ~ 17,700mi CTS Turbo inlet pipe, APR 25.4mm RSB

I did it. I broke my promise to myself again. I said I would never install a Chinese Turbo Systems part on my car.

Well, a lot of these TIPs are made in the same Chinese factory (ed. - Leyo, Induct, Neuspeed & CTS all look indistinguishable, if not for their company logos stamped on the side).

They all have about a 66mm inlet and a ~50mm outlet, and the CTS had positive reviews for fitment and performance. Turns out I’m an inverse money whore:

If you put something I want on sale at a good price (to save me money), I will jump on it like two fat women fighting in a WalMart during a toilet paper shortage.

For fun and education to the youth of the Internet, here are some comparative measurements of all your favorite Chinese-made turbo inlet pipes (compiled and measured by Jeff of MyGolfMk7.com):

Brand Inlet / Outlet (mm)

• Stock 61.9 / 47.6
• APR 62.7 / 48.7
• BMS 66.2 / 53.9
• CTS 66.4 / 50.4
• Induct 65.7 / 50.4
• Leyo 65.6 / 53.8
• MST 72.4 / 48.1
• Neuspeed 64.5 / 51.0

Jeff tests all the aftermarket TIPs on a flowbench

Anyway, I got my CTS TIP on sale for ~$80 via ECS Tuning (“just the tip…”). Regularly…$125-150 I believe. The sale allowed me to justify the purchase, which was a want more than a need.

Install was a breeze. Turbo impeller looked and felt great on the stock IS20. Unfortunately, I didn’t capture any notes to indicate if I felt an improvement from this or not. I can say from photos I took that the fitment was excellent, especially the transition from the inside of the TIP (like a tunnel) to the turbo inlet. For the low-cost invested and the stealthy appearance, I was quite pleased.

Now that I was stage 2 with all the big stuff complete, I wanted to do any remaining smaller, cost-effective upgrades that, while stealthy to the dealer, would get as much air in and out of the turbo as possible to maximize my tune and my K04-killing IS20.

(ed. – Intercooler is the best one missing! I didn’t have the funds or the motivation to do that install)

See what other folks had to say about their CTS TIP post-install:

Sasquatch reviews the CTS TIP in 2016 on his Mk7 GTI

MAP Stage 2 tune. I gotta be real. For what I paid, it was good. But compared to more through tuners like APR or EQT, the MAP OTS file left a lot to be desired. It retained this deal where the stock DV stays opened and bleeds off your boost below 3000rpm, then slams shut and overwhelms the car and tires by going full-ret@rd with 24-25psi. This was all verifiable on the AP.

It made the car feel like it had a big turbo on it with tons of lag. And it all could have been handled by more time spent on the tune. Ever turn in a big assignment at the last minute and skip all the proper prep work? It felt like that. But like a bad roommate, I lived with it until I could afford to do better.


11/26/19 - APR rear sway bar install and review

This was installed a few days after the TIP on 11/26. They were in the same shipment together from ECS, installed promptly after receiving them, which is highly atypical for me as a professional mechanic and master procrastinator.

Because of how much info there is to cover about this mod, I’m going to simply include this link to my full write-up I made over in the suspension section:

https://www.golfmk7.com/forums/inde...nks-long-term-mk7-test-results-inside.409725/

It covers the RSB saga in better detail with excellent photos, as well as supplemental material on what sway bars do, and how going bigger or smaller can change the cars handling behaviors.

Somewhere between 20-25k mi – RS7 spark plugs

Smoothed out the idle, performed as part of recommended maintenance from MAP, EQT, etc regarding tuned EA888s. Some folks hate on these, but they were kind and gracious to me, my car, and my wallet.

I experienced a rough idle and misfire issues closer to the 38-40k mile mark. Car would cut out like fuel cut at WOT if the outside temps were colder than 50*. Fuel rail pressures still looked solid, so I replaced the plugs with another set of RS7 igniters “just in case”, and sure enough: the car ran like a porn star on Viagra, once again.

7/23/20 - ~22,900mi – Cobb 3” Catback Review

This is a fun one. A forum member was selling off his $850 polished 3” Cobb CB for a scant $575. HE ended up selling it to me for $550 shipped, and shipping was easily $75. It was just too loud and “boomy” for him.

I had toyed with the idea of just upgrading the exhaust tips, since the stock catback has outstanding flow on these cars for a factory piece, and others have broken 460whp on the stock CB. The stock exhaust makes the GTI look like, as stated earlier, a CPA’s Golf. It’s rubbish! (as my lovable Brits would say). So I took a chance, ordered the exhaust, and it came packaged better than a nuclear missile.

It took me a few months of procrastination to bolt it on. I actually liked the cold start idle of the downpipe with the stock CB, but it just didn’t have the sporty sound I wanted. Yes. 2.0L limitations. I am aware. Stop taking the wind out of my sails. The car sounded like a blender screaming through a suppressor.

The new catback, once installed, was metasexual. Absolutely stunning, fitment was great, and the big, polished Cobb exhaust tips made the rear end look like a proper street fighter.

I will concede, it DID sound super boomy for the first 500 miles. But all exhaust products with fiberglass sound absorption material have a break-in period that’s like meeting your soul mate: it just keeps getting better, if you stick with it and believe.

I would later disconnect the Soundaktor and discover what a twat waffle that feature is on our cars. Most of the drone I was irritated over was a product of the fake noise inducer, and not my 3” pipes.

 

[GoatAutomotive]

excellent documentation......I perceive the first thing you'll change out is the tune......I've gone through 3 suspensions and 4 tunes alone LOL......

Oh just wait, my friend...

I'm still uploading the last 6 years worth of magic.

 

[GoatAutomotive]

Year 4: Ed Susman becomes my drug dealer;
Stormy gets a proper tune and starts f***ing up V8 meatheads​

11/30/20 – EQT Stage 2 OTS tune & DSG tune

If Ed Susman wasn’t living in the wrong state, we would surely be besties. What a phenomenal job he has done with the tuning for these cars, and the pricing to obtain it. I read wonderful things about EQT’s tuninfg approach, and I specifically wanted a tune that could carry power as far out as possible per the IS20’s limitations. APR’s files throw the kitchen sink at the car and feel amazing, but like a hungover lineman doing wind sprints, they teeter out above 5500rpm.

I absolutely love EQT’s tune, because it lets me flash-load the files with my AP, and I can go back to stock if I have any unplanned dealer visits. No driving to an APR dealer and scheduling a tune upload. I did this on my Mk5. I met the APR owners and founders in person in 2006. I can talk all the s**t I want. It’s rooted in facts and data.

Anyway, the issues with turbo lag before 3000, then full-ret@rd on bath salts behavior? GONE. Smooth, predictable power, at all speeds, in all throttle positions. You would never know the car was tuned. It just felt like a IS38 Golf R compared to the old setup. And held 28psi instead of the 24 on MAP’s tune.

I once read that Ed’s files have the unique approach of utilizing with the variable cam timing to achieve a broader, smoother curve, even above 5500rpm. Like Maury Povich’s paternity episode, my manly butt dyno confirms this to be true. As do the dyno curves on their website.

Link for the homies: https://eqtuning.com/collections/vw-audi/products/eqt-ecu-base-map-tune-vw-mk7-gti-golf-r


9/1/21 – Neuspeed RSE10 wheels, Michelin PS4S 245/40R18

Stormy was officially a rock star. Time for some new shoes.

I went into my local DT to have a nail fixed, and they reported that my 225/40 Michelins, which had carried me all over the country, and kept pace with a far-superior GTR in the Smoky Mountains of TN, were beyond saving. The tread was at the minimum mark, and for liability sake, they couldn’t repair them, or even touch them.

I was devastated, but also resourceful. We struck up a deal where I would use my DT 0% credit card, purchase the new tires AND wheels I had been wanting for 4 years, and have full road hazard warranty on all of it.

DT also applied a hugely generous Michelin mileage warranty against my old tires that gave me a $550 credit. I then scored another $75-100 rebate Michelin was running that month on new 4-tire purchases. Triple dipper. Beat THAT, Continental fans! #booya

Anyway, I was soooo excited, nervous and proud when I went to pick the car up. The wheels took a long time to arrive, but when all was said and done, my car looked the way I had envisioned for so many years. I would forever look back at it anytime I parked it and had to walk away somewhere. That’s love.

And to those new to the car scene, weight is paramount. Lighter wheels and tires are transformative. The car was solid before on stock Austins with upgraded tires, but on these lightweight California ballers, it was a proper WEAPON. Steering was lighter. Braking and acceleration were improved. Butt-dyno approved.

 

[GoatAutomotive]

Year 5: Why do I keep modding up at Thanksgiving every year? Oh right. To treat myself...​

11/2021 – Moog HD rear endlinks

I initially ignored this purchase because I thought I could save by retaining the stock phenolic endlinks, and that they would give me some cushion or buffer against any harshness to the ride quality. I also didn’t think they deflected that much. Well, they f**kin do. The Moogs are cheap, and may as well be made of adamanteum. They don’t deflect and crumble under hard use.

When I did the Moogs, I also removed the RSB to inspect the bushings. Sure enough, the MoFo had been binding for some time, and was responsible for my choppy ride and speed bump creaks and squeaks.

Cleaned everything off, relubed it with a thinner, proven, white lithium grease, and the car had never felt BETTER. Body motion control improved, but the previous buttery smooth, German-required ride quality returned. I was doing cartwheels in my mind during and after that first test drive.


Summer 2022 ~35k miles – first brake flush on Stormy, Pentosin Super DOT-4; Haldex/LSD service w/OW VW fluids/filters

I think I did a write-up on these somewhere. I still remember it vividly:

Summer 2022, I did both of these the evening before a fast cruise with my car club on some fine Texas backroads. The car GRIPPED and BIT like never before when applying the power into and out of corners.

Every corner was like an involuntary erection on a roller coaster. Don’t act like you don’t know…

The brake pedal no longer felt squishy and uninspiring. What a friggin’ bargain maintenance item and performance improvement!

I would push for these two services every 30k miles on street cars, and every 15k miles on cars that see track time.

And yes, I pulled the Haldex pump and inspected/cleaned the screen. Everything looked great. Huge relief.

 

[swcrow]

ahahahaha I should have waited!

 

[GoatAutomotive]

Year 6: Truly the best one yet!
(Miguel goes a little bat-chit schizo with car mods…)​

10/2022 – 12/2022:

-Whiteline LCAs w/poly bushings

-Raybestos high carbon, coated rotors

-Powerstop Z23 pads

-H&R OE Sport springs (finally effing installed!)

-Moog HD front SB endlinks

From Nov-Dec 2022, I gathered up my go-fast bits like a soldier stockpiling ammo. In January I attacked. But I was also deeply wounded in battle…

I hadn’t done suspension work on these cars before, but I’d read many a write-up on it, so I was “kind of an expert.” (sarcasm detected)

I encountered a ton of issues during install; had to order more parts than planned; wait for their arrival; and do things to the car that a West Virginian farmer wouldn’t do to his animals when no one was looking…

It was a lot of s**t-f**kery and frustration. But the outcome was worth the anguish.

This was THE most budget-friendly brake and suspension upgrade you can do on a car with factory Golf R brakes. Night and day improvements in all regards.

The LCAs corrected all of the unpleasant slop I was experiencing in light launches and corner entry.

The new brakes gave me a slightly improved brake feel with NONE of the effing brake dust the stock TRWs are famous for.

The H&R springs didn’t slam my car or ruin the ride quality, but they eliminated the gaping fender gap and greatly reduced the body roll.

Also…purple German speed parts. Pass me that Kleenex, because I just came.


March-April 2023 – More budget friendly parts insanity, and a long-overdue track day (8-yrs in the making)

-EuroSport strut tower brace: $130

-EuroSport camber mount pucks: $180

-H&R 28mm sway bar (on sale): $290

-RS3 brake ducts: $99

-Upgraded interior: new floor mats, DSG paddles, start button: $175

-Throat punching BMWs and Mustangs at my local track day…PRICELESS


S&J in the house
I belong to a very special car club, for special kids. Actually, it’s all Gen Xers with years of fast driving experience, many with pro-training experience doing HPDEs. And they drive Porsches and BMWs that almost make me look like a peasant. But I love them anyway.

Every 4-6 weeks, we wake up super early on a Sunday and do high-speed cruises on empty canyon roads through the Texas hill country.

Back in February, one of our founders turned me onto a budget-friendly, all-day track event called SCCA’s Track Night in America. I did my first event 3/15, where I learned more about myself and my car than any amount of forum research could ever dispense.

At the time, I was on the suspension setup I installed in January (explained above), plus the EuroSport strut tower brace, and that’s it.

I spent my first session with fried nerves like a dog in North Korea. I was learning the track, my placement, re-learning the flags, discovering the car’s inherent limitations with insufficient camber, and praying to the gods: “the old and the new.” (GoT)

I wanted to come back to the next event with fire and brimstone. All of the weaknesses in the car and my driving had been shamefully revealed. So the above mods were ordered in March and installed earlier this month.

I did a full write-up on the camber mounts and FSB in a link I’ll include here.

https://www.golfmk7.com/forums/inde...iled-review-fsb-database-inside.420176/page-2

All you need to know, is they f***ing WORK. And in my particular setup, with ZERO adverse effects on ride quality or street manners. (this I was not expecting)

The front sway bar and camber mounts were every bit as dramatic an improvement to the car’s behavior as the LCAs and H&R spring were.

Body roll is kept in check without ever punishing me or making thr front end feel, in any way, “bound up.” The springs, too soft in rate for proper performance work on a track, now get a much-needed assist from the beefier sway bar that, itself, acts as a helper spring in cornering loads.

The car drives beautifully smooth and is quite supple on normal public roads, compared to the stock linear springs and jittery stock damper behavior. Somehow, pushing these dampers down an inch in their travel made them less invasive. But we’re here for the brute honesty:

The stock dampers gotta GO. They cannot control the wheels and suspension motions when you start giving it the beans. Speeds above ~50mph on rough roads, or when you’re going WOT (wide open) with 380wtq and a punchy turbo, the chassis gets unsorted, and the vertical wheel motions start to act like a spider monkey with flailing arms.

The composed car starts to get out of sorts, and even passengers can tell “somethin’ ain’t right here…”


4/2023 - Bought, but not installed: Unitronic stock location intercooler, $550 new in box on FBMP

Rest assured, the install is going to be as bad as Biden’s handling of Afghanistan, but the outcome should be vastly superior to what I have now. The stock IC holds me back from ~April-October in the Texas temps. 28psi of Ed Susman boost doesn’t help the IATs.

Much like my wheels, and the car, and returning to racing…I have waited years for this upgrade. I am glad I’ve been so patient and frugal. I have saved a good $1k on this entire build just by buying “on sale” or “gently used”.

Intercooler upgrade will happen the weekend of 5/26 with help from my hetero-lifemate anmd personal assistant, Ryan H.

Next track day is 5/10. You do the math…


4/24/23 – Powerstop Z23 brake pads update:

I don’t know that I mentioned this here. The Powerstop pads, which survived 3 toasty 20-minute sessions at a Track Night event on 3/15, also revealed their shortcomings:

When you use em hard, with blank rotors, they can and will glaze a little. The condition is temporary, and can be remedied one of two ways:

-Pull the pads out, hit them with some 400-800 grit sandpaper and a flat sanding disc, clean the rotors, and reinstall the pads

-Or run a slotted (not drilled) rotor, where the slots will act as wipers and keep a fresh surface on the pads at all times.

The former is a waste of time and efficiency. The latter will shorten your pad life as the same slotted rotors can and often do act like a cheese grater on your brake pads.

I highly endorse the Powerstop Z23s as a street-worthy upgrade with almost no dust and the same or slightly better bite than the stock VW TRW organic pads.

But once you start making power and really learning car control at higher speeds, you need some type of brake upgrade, and you need to be willing to compromise a little on brake dust.

I am at that crossroads, so I ordered up a set of Hawk HPS 5.0 pads for the front and rear last night. I did and re-did my homework before pulling the trigger. General consensus across multiple lightweight, powerful platforms:

The HPS 5.0 have the same great bite, feel and progression of the famous HPS pads, but with less noise and less dust, two of the most hated qualities of the original HPS pad. These should completely eliminate the need for extended pedal travel to reign the car in at speeds above 80-100.

A good friend and customer has them on the front of her Focus ST, and they have always felt stronger than my car, despite the inherently smaller brakes on the FoST chassis.


4/24/23 – I did a thing, and there will be some judgment…

I’m going on record: Bilstein needs to get their s**t together in the North American market. I’m just gonna say it. There have been FREQUENT product shortages on their stuff going back to 2017, verifiable by reading older threads from the Mk6 and Mk7 communities. And the same problem persists today. Folks want a Bilstein product, but go with a competitor instead because of the product scarcity.

The demand is there. The supply is not. Someone thinks they’re Apple with a huge i-Phone stockpile (overseas) during peak sales season.

Grievances aired, I’ve had access to some spectacular pricing on the B8s through one of my suppliers for many years. I just never knew for sure if that was the route I wanted to go.

I hesitated and researched for hours. Days. Weeks. Months.

Bilstein B8s.

Koni Sports.

Koni Special Actives.

Bilstein B14 coilovers.

Bilstein B16s.

The entire ST product line.

EQT BalanceLine.

Back to BCs with options.

Please Jesus, take the wrench and make it stop…


Final credit for nudging me the right direction goes to @Hammersticks and @tigeo. Hammer has tons of good posts, reviews and feedback on the B8s.

Adam (Tigeo) has actual videos showing how the B8s behave on the street while driving, and at VIR when he’s slapping the car around like it owes him money.

The B8 price point was too good to resist. $575 + tax. I know of two Mk7 GSW guys running IS38 swaps and tracking their cars regularly at VIR with Bilstein B8 monotubes. If they’re satisfied with the damper behavior, it’s probably good enough for me.

So earlier this month I went to pull the trigger, and magically there was a 6-day delay/backorder. FML, Bilstein. FML…

This pushed me back to the Koni Sport adjustables, who’s rears could be argued as “non-adjustable” by virtue of the way you change their damper settings. It’s pretty terrible, but the reviews are solid on them overall.

I just don’t have the budget to be experimenting with suspension parts I haven’t gotten to truly experience prior to buying.

Koni is currently running a 20% off special that all of their vendors can and should honor.

An $855 set of Koni Sport dampers can now be had for just $715 @ TireRack w/free shipping. Get you some! The Special Actives are down to $560 a set if your car only sees commuting duty.

 

[GoatAutomotive]

So what’s to come for the beautiful white Mexi-German street sweeper?​

Well, my 5-years of research is nearly complete, as is the indecision that fueled it.

When my income allows, I’ll invest in a proper coilover setup to secure the stiffer spring rates and superior dampers that compliment my intense driving habits.

I have already “outgrown” the delicious, complaint H&R OE Sport springs I installed 3 months ago, just by returning to HPDEs and probing the outer limits of my driving abilities.

The coilovers will likely be adjustable, since I crave a suspension with split personalities: street friendly in softer damper modes, and Porsche-challenging in the firmer modes (for track days and fast-cruise events).

Around the same time, or a bit later, an IS38 turbo, gently used for $600-700, will make its way into the engine bay; as will an upgraded Autotech HPFP, ethanol sensor, and more OTS files from the EQT fam.

A 93-octane tune for full-time duty, and an E85 tune for cooler combustion temps with V8-killing power. In that scenario, I will never be limited by what gas stations are in my sphere of influence. Car should run low 12s on decent tires and trap 117-120mph. I’m stoked.


This upgrade path upholds the budget-friendly, OEM+ nature of my build, and will spare me from the high costs and frequent headaches that come with going beyond 400whp on these cars.

I don’t need it to gap 10-second V8 cars. I have a 10-second V8 for that role.

I don’t have delusions of outrunning Porsche products.

I just want to see the true balance and potential of this car, maximized and realized.

And I gotta tell you, it’s pretty effing close already. God bless the MQB family.

I absolutely adore this car, its dynamics, and the way it surprises people like a fart in church. They even come and talk to me about it after… ;-)

Thanks for reading if you made it this far. I promise my fearless writing and irreverent analogies will never cease! Just like my love for VWs.

 

[GoatAutomotive]

5/8-5/9/23 – ~43k miles

Pre-track day upgrades – brake flush, Hawk HPS 5.0 pads all around, Bilstein B8s, new strut bearings

Bilstein B8s - The car is doing extremely well, but the OE dampers, while retaining good pressure and resistance to them, are simply not up to controlling the car at the speeds it’s currently capable of.

On smooth roads, they’re wonderful and comfortable. On rough roads, as speed surpasses ~50mph and you’re giving it the beans, they throw in the towel like a French Canadian in a bar fight.

I spent an insane amount of time, research and indecision going back and forth between the Koni Sport adjustables, and the Bilstein B8s. There are truly advantages to both, and Koni’s recent 20% off sale made their Sports affordable (for the first time in a year). In the end, I saw two daily-driven, well-modified, ~3300lb GSWs who regularly track their cars at VIR, running the B8s with nothing but praise for the dampers. Good enough for me.

I like the German engineering, the reputation for retained ride quality, and the “set it and forget it” design that matches my H&R OE Sport springs. This allows me to focus on improving my driving behavior and not having to second guess my car, damper settings, etc.

Also, the Konis are a twin tube damper, great for the street, but on paper, less ideal for track use. The Bilstein monotubes have a reputation for not giving up when sustained to continuous use and heat from track motions and fast-paced driving. The yellow also looks gorgeous against the red calipers & indigo H&R springs.

I went ahead and replaced the front strut mounts, even though there was no issue with mine. I didn’t wanna risk having to do front-end suspension work a FOURTH time. [face palm]

Hawk HPS 5.0 pads – I have driven a friend/customers car with HPS 5.0s on the front and OE Motorcraft pads on the rear. The brake bite is excellent, almost grabby. But willing to slow the car like a set of 4-piston Brembos.

I need more brake power for the speeds my car is currently capable of (and seeing regularly). The Powerstop Z23s up front are a GREAT street pad with VERY little dust output. But you need to hammer on them a bit to get them to reign in the car when it’s cooking the bacon @ 60+ going into a 20mph hairpin.

I decided I am willing to deal with an occasional squeal and some brake dust in order to have big-boy braking again. The HPS 5.0s were on sale for just $192 for all 4 corners. This is about 40% less than what I would normally expect to pay for a true performance brake pad.

My car has the Audi RS3 brake ducts for added cooling, and fresh high-carbon rotors that are, honestly, amazing. They take a punch like McGregor wearing out his opponent before a hard-surprise KO. I think these pads will do perfectly for full time street use and ~6 track days a year (I may only get 3-4, money is tight).

I will report back after a proper bed-in and track-test, + LCR runs at our local canyon oasis of speed.

Brake flush – Flush your brakes before & after every track event. Don’t chance it. The ass you save might be your own.

I use Pentosin Super DOT-4. I stock this in my shop with great pricing for customers with sport/performance-based applications. It just plain works, and it retains the German-loyalty theme of the build. 508* dry boiling point.

Yes, Motul RBF is higher, but I am not standing on my brakes and chasing record lap times at my track. Motul is also ~$25-30/bottle currently (when last I checked).

 

[GoatAutomotive]

https://www.golfmk7.com/forums/inde...down-grab-a-drink-and-lets-get-sloppy.422980/

Full 5/10 Track Night rundown above.

This one is much shorter and sweeter than my 3/15 Cindarella Story, but no less honest or irreverent.

Read it. Laugh your @$$ off. Learn stuffs. #Profit

Every like and view supports my dream of becoming @Acadia18 's understudy.

 

[GoatAutomotive]

5/22/23 State of the Egg Review​

I cannot overstate how happy I am with this year’s upgrades thus far.

The Bilstein B8s seem to react well based on how I drive, almost intuitively:

If I take it slow and easy with the kiddos in the car, it is perfectly compliant and never tries to punish me. It’s like a step up from the OE dampers.

When I am solo (or have a willing passenger), and I want to go bombing down a backroad and chuck it into some corners, the dampers are poised and ready like a mountain lion on HGH. They keep everything tight and controlled, and I’m learning to read the road surface better to avoid sudden drop-offs or bumps. Crappy roads can no longer upset the suspension and chassis when you’re adding in speed, and I cannot put a price on that.

Would I love to try a car with linear Golf R Eibachs and these same dampers? YES. But it doesn’t make me love my H&R OE Sport springs any less.

PS – I have yet to be able to induce wheel-hop since installing these Bilsteins!!! Unexpected improvement. Launching is finally possible. All of the pain and suffering during the compressed install was worth it.


The Hawk HPS 5.0 pads have, thus far, rekindled my relationship with Hawk brake products. After years of disappointment with the original HPS product, which had great feel and bite, but horrendous dust and squeal issues after 6-months of use, I am thoroughly pleased with the HPS 5.0 formula.

These are able to handle anything I ask of them on the streets so far, including some higher speed work, AND I can drive them onto the local track day and keep them alive.

Are they ever gonna supplement a dedicated track pad? No, and I wouldn’t dream of asking them to. I just need a more heat-tolerant performance pad (than the ceramics I removed) that I can drive from the highway onto the track, pound on and drive home on, and these fit the bill nicely. For <$200, plus the cost of a brake flush.

The fact that Harris Hill Raceway (my home track) is very forgiving on brakes (compared to ECR, MSR-C, and COTA) is not lost on me.

The H&R 28mm front sway is an indigo-colored bullet with butterfly wings. It keeps the front end perfectly composed and has yet to give me a “bound-up” feeling when driving. I run it on the softer of the 2 settings. I am so happy I made the leap on this upgrade to balance out the car.

@tigeo & others who actually track their cars, thank you for the inspiration.

The Whiteline [steel] front LCAs w/poly bushings do everything they were designed to do, and then some. They remove the slop that was painfully inherent to the factory design, including the unpleasant “squish” in lateral loads when setting it up for a corner.

I have heard folks complain that the more rigid aluminum versions can be quite harsh compared to stock? These Whiteline steel versions have been fully transparent, but I’ve also only had them on for ~1500 miles. A few people have stated the rear poly bushings didn’t last/survive well. If these ever fail, I will stick some solid RS3 bushings in their place and keep the same LCAs. Definitely lower your subframe in the front to ease the install angles. It’s super safe and easy if you know your way around a car.

Moog HD endlinks all around – just get them. You don’t need adjustables unless you’re seriously corner-weighting and calibrating your car for time trials. I love them for being beefy and affordable, like everything else I have done to this car.

RS3 brake ducts – verdict is still out on these, for 2 reasons:

• I have yet to take my pyrometer with me to measure tire temps, caliper and rotor temps. So I have no before/after readings.
• I had to trim the ever-loving f*** out of these poor things due to the oversized 1-piston PP front calipers. I had no idea how bulky these stock calipers are at full lock. They damn near touch the front of the LCA. I don’t like trimming something that’s supposed to funnel air to my brakes. I want all the direct airflow available, and this is $100 worth of plastic.
• My young son sat in the driver seat and operated the wheel back and forth for me while I clearance everything. Getting the brake ducts properly trimmed and placed, then tightened, was an honest hour of work. Cutting them with a single-blade hacksaw is effortless. It’s the measuring, marking, trimming and retesting that takes some time.

 

[GoatAutomotive]

What lies ahead?
​

I'm about $3-4k away from finishing out the car, which means a year out from being able to do it. Below is what will happen as I find the money/deals to do so:

• -Installing the Unitronic intercooler should be a huge asset and improvement to the engine’s performance and safety. No turbo engine should have to endure southern climates on a sub-par intercooler.
• -Dedicated 17x9” ET45-50 track wheels (something ~$200wheel) with Hankook RS4 tires - 245/40R17 most likely. MonkeyMD knows his stuff. Everything he told me about these has been parroted almost universally by other users across multiple vehicle platforms. I think I’ll love them.
• I ran Nitto NT01 R-compounds on my GTO with lightweight 17x9s and those were as spectacular as they were noisy. They were the only tires (including multiple drag radials who couldn’t cut the mustard) that never slipped, spun, or wheel-hopped on me. I could drive the car with my right foot and the rear never snapped around. It just rotated properly under power like a BMW M-car or a front engine Ferrari.
• An Autotech HPFP and E85 tune from EQT. I really want a gently used IS38 at the same time, but I worry mine could be one of those 10% Mk7s who’s factory LPFP can’t keep up.
• It’s the long-proven “in for a penny, in for a pound” deal. If I’m gonna spend the coin for 2 fresh tunes from EQT + an HPFP and ethanol content gauge, why not spring for $700 on a low-mileage IS38 and rock the 400whp sleeper setup? I deserve power to 6800!
• That’s really it. I’m truly happy with the rest of the car, including the recent interior bits from DSG-paddles.com

Wrap-Up - If you look over my upgrades from the last few years, the build is truly synergistic, start to finish.

Each upgrade compliments the other components, with no compromise to the comfort and civility of the car.

Like Aristotle’s famous caption that summarizes all great engineering outcomes:

“…the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.”

Everything on Storm works together as a system, and I fall deeper in love with it as this journey progresses.

If you own a Mk7/7.5 GTI or Golf R and you take care of it, then you are truly enjoying something special, well-engineered, and budget-friendly. Never forget that.

Thanks for reading this far, friends.

Cheers & beers,

-Michael

My epitaphs in the making:

VW fanatic; LS-motor junky; GTO and coilover whisperer; charmer of broken women; cunning linguist; polyglot; lifetime wordsmith