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Hammersticks' "Less Is More" MK7 GTI

honestabe1

New member
Location
MD
Great feedback on your newest setup, looks really good. I might have missed it, but how do you adjust the dampers? Are there extenders that allow you to do it easily? My understanding is the Bilsteins are nearly impossible to adjust (rears)
 

Hammersticks

Drag Racing Champion
Location
Bay Area, CA
Car(s)
'16 GTI, '18 e-Golf
Great feedback on your newest setup, looks really good. I might have missed it, but how do you adjust the dampers? Are there extenders that allow you to do it easily? My understanding is the Bilsteins are nearly impossible to adjust (rears)


Here you go: https://youtu.be/ksekDSo3Dbc

The fronts use a knob (0:40) and the rears are internal (3:18). The video makes it seem the rear piston is easily compressed. It’s not THAT hard to compress but you have to put your weight into it and keep it held down. While you turn. It’s not hard once you know what you are doing.

As for Bilsteins the B6/B8’s aren’t adjustable. Check this out:
https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?sh...om/forums/showthread.php?t=46423&share_type=t


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

ReadTheBook

Autocross Newbie
Location
Bay Area Smoke Hell
Car(s)
DVP Spektrm, MK4 R32
Interested in your input on the new contis

I’ve had them almost as long as him and he and I both like them and drive the same/similar roads. My initial impression was “wow these are WAY more grippy, comfortable and quiet than my Conti DW ever were.” A few K later that remains my quick and dirty round up. I like them and I’m not sure how you’d beat them for the price, especially when they can be had via eBay sales and such.
 

Hammersticks

Drag Racing Champion
Location
Bay Area, CA
Car(s)
'16 GTI, '18 e-Golf
AR1, meet Readthebook. Readthebook, meet AR1. I have bought/sold from both of you, and you are both good dudes. :)

Funny you ask about the tires. I was thinking the other day I probably won't have to worry about finding another tire. I'll keep getting the same thing, especially if I can get them on sale, or "double sale" when Conti has a rebate coinciding with a holiday rebate from Discount tire (and then get mounted for free at America's tire). Overall, there's a lot to like: Inexpensive on sale, low noise, good ride quality, and good traction/grip. I'm sure there are tackier Michelins out there, but I can't justify the price.

The only question marks for me at this point are wet traction, because it never rains here anymore...and longevity. As previously posted the DW's wore out ridiculously quickly down the center, even at proper inflation. The ECS's have a 30K mile warranty though which I feel is appropriate. So, unless they are horrible in the wet (which I'm not expecting) or wear out prematurely, I really don't know where else you get this much value out of a tire. Just wait for the double discount and it's a no-brainer.
 

Hammersticks

Drag Racing Champion
Location
Bay Area, CA
Car(s)
'16 GTI, '18 e-Golf
Superpro trailing arm bushings

The 034 trailing arms have great reviews, but I didn’t want spherical bushings, and I didn’t want to spend $400. Instead I opted for the Superpro bushings, and sourced a set of used trailing arms from a donor car. I then had a local machine shop remove the stock bushings and press in the SP ones for $25. I don’t have a press and didn’t want to get stuck mid-install.

I followed the 034 trailing arm installation instructions. Overall it was pretty straight forward. The little pins holding the brake lines are kind of a pain, but overall the install was okay.

I unfortunately installed these at the same time as I added the rear spring pads which added some more travel and float. However, any previous concern I had about these introducing NVH was quickly laid to rest. If anything, I just want more SP bushings. They ooze quality and no impact to NVH.

One thing I noticed upon removal of the stock arms/brackets was the arm barely moved within the bracket, whereas the SP-fitted arm moved freely (torqued to spec). Probably doesn't mean anything once it’s under load, but I thought it was interesting. The other thing to note is SP mentioned the bushings should never need re-greasing. I guess we’ll see, but happy to hear it.


 
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Hammersticks

Drag Racing Champion
Location
Bay Area, CA
Car(s)
'16 GTI, '18 e-Golf
WAR ON OFF-KILTER JACKING!
I learned to jack up the MK7 a while ago using this DAP video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCZEq7pAHUE. It works, but I will never use it again. After using this method dozens of times, the coating on the pinch welds was pretty beat up, leaving the bottom edge exposed (and slippery). One night I didn’t have the rear wheels chocked and the car nearly slipped all the way back off of the front pinch weld…so that was it, no more f’ing around.

I bought:

1.OE jack mount kit from our Lithuanian friends at e-acca.
2.ESCO 10499 low profile jack stands (2) from Amazon
3.Another HF jack (one for each side)
4.Wheel chocks from HF

More to come on the use of two jacks.( I initially bought another 3 ton jack, but I think I’m going to return it for the 1.5 ton version for track purposes.) I LOVE LOVE LOVE the ESCO stands though. They are built like a tank and instill confidence. They work well, have a small footprint, and the feet fit under the HF 3 ton jack. This combo allows me to jack up the car using the OE jack kit locations and the ESCO stands in the pinch weld locations. I haven’t tried using them under the subframe yet.

 
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Hammersticks

Drag Racing Champion
Location
Bay Area, CA
Car(s)
'16 GTI, '18 e-Golf
H&R 24mm “new to me” RSB

I first bought my Neuspeed RSB, then later picked up the H&R 26 FSB from a local member. I have wanted a H&R set for a while but never gave it much energy. I put a feeler out and got a bite pretty quickly from a member selling one. The bar was an older model and painted black. I decided to give her a new paint job. Unfortunately I forgot how much you bang the bar during the reinstall and my perfect paint job was scratched within seconds. I put some painter’s tape on to try to minimize further carnage but oh well. It’s on now. And in case you’re wondering, no, the H&R solid isn’t radically different than the Neuspeed 25mm tubular bar. It seems the H&R is a hair stiffer, but some of it’s probably in my head too.

I also picked up some Moog endlinks from RockAuto. $42 shipped, plus a grease gun and grease which set me back another $25…so $67. Still half of the SP links. So far so good, and if they end up failing down the road, they are cheap to replace. Hopefully it doesn’t come to that (quickly) though.



 
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Hammersticks

Drag Racing Champion
Location
Bay Area, CA
Car(s)
'16 GTI, '18 e-Golf
SuperPro 7Ks (vintage!)
I bought them BNIB from a member over a year ago. I have had buyer’s remorse for having spent a small fortune on them, and also got cold feet about potentially impacting the ride quality, particularly with too much steering weight. That and the SuperPro sales pitch also wasn’t overly convincing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHerLYp3TC4
•More precise steering
•Better turn in
•Increase in caster
•“Instantly noticeable performance upgrade”
•“Big improvements over standard”

The install went okay. I followed the ECS tuning instructions, but given the added caster, I had to install the ball joint nuts before doing the front bushing (rear bushing, ball joint, front bushing) unlike the standard arms where they have you do the ball joint bolts last. I also found getting the rear bushings in was a little finicky as the caps that cover the greased bushings kept popping off when trying to fit the arms in by hand. I ended up using a rubber mallet to gently knock the arms into place which made it much simpler. Overall, it was pretty straight forward. (Thankfully I didn’t have to drop the subframe which I understand is required for DSG cars.)

After all of the internal debate, I’m really happy with these arms! There’s no noticeable increase to NVH and there is some added steering weight but it’s not burdensome in every day driving. They don’t add as much weight as Sport mode does (which is a good thing for me). After a few days I was completely used to the added weight. From a handling perspective, the added grip is absolutely noticeable. It’s a “big improvement over standard!” ;) To add more detail, the added caster makes the car more stable at speed and the front tires no longer feel like they’re being shoved through turns. This isn’t just perceived/wishing…you CAN actually feel the difference, but more importantly, it’s a positive difference. The turn in is better and the front tires absolutely have more grip. I turn the wheel and the car follows the path I want it to go. Yes!

Now, are they worth $700? I can’t deny the improvement, and I am really happy to have them, but that’s pretty steep. However, SP just lowered the price of their 18Ks (same part covers a wider range of vehicles), and at $540 I would definitely recommend these arms to anyone who is serious about their car’s handling. They are fantastic. I had also considered getting the SP strut mounts which add another 1.4 degrees of negative camber, but Brett from SP said they introduced some “sharpness” on bigger impacts which was a deal-breaker for me. Maybe they aren’t bad, but after having the 034 mounts I’ve learned I don’t like that sharpness that non-OE mounts produce.

My alignment specs are now 8-8.5 degrees caster, and -1.1 -1.2 degrees camber in the front with the arms and my H&R OE sport springs. Sure I wish there was a bit more negative camber, but I really like where my suspension is at now and don’t want to mess with it.

I also added the RS3 brake air ducts while I was at it. I just had to cut/file the two tabs closest to the center of the car since the SP arms are wider than stock.



 
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Hammersticks

Drag Racing Champion
Location
Bay Area, CA
Car(s)
'16 GTI, '18 e-Golf
Laguna Seca!

I signed up for an HPDE course with one of the regional PCA groups here in California for a day at Laguna Seca. I had been there once before, but it was a long time ago, and obviously never in this car. There were quite a few amazing Porsches, a couple Mustangs, a Golf R, and little old me. Oh, and a POS McClaren and another POS Lambo. Trash.

Since it was my first time, I was naturally in the beginner group and assigned a fantastic instructor. He has instructed for years and also did some work for Car & Driver back in the day. Great guy. Helpful, friendly, and really supportive. Anyway, there were four sessions. My first session was sensory overload. So much to think about, and I apparently did not point-by people that I should have (in my defense, my instructor didn’t feel they were close enough but I heard about it in the debriefing). The 2nd time I let everyone by, and just focused on my line, and still slow as hell. After lunch, my instructor took me for a ride along in his 2014 Cayman S. HOLY COW could this guy drive, and HOLY COW his car was AMAZING. It felt like there was grip for DAYS. He was very controlled, very smooth, and VERY FAST (with the late braking and my pucker meter was at a solid 9.5). It was amazing to see him work the track the way he did, and I seemed to have picked things up through osmosis. My 3rd time out was like a light switch. Still slow from a race perspective, but I was now passing instead of being passed. Better lines and way more confident. My 4th run picked up where my 3rd left off. Still slow from a race perspective, but fast for me and was able to push the car harder than I ever have before. SO MUCH FUN.

The hardest turn isn’t the corkscrew, but rather the turn right after that…turn 9. It’s downhill and off-camber. I definitely want some more time to get better at that one.

Other things to remember for next time…TIRE PRESSURE. Take it as soon as you come back from your run, and scrub off pressure as needed. My first times through I was actually too low and I had to add air to bring it up to 35 psi hot..which was probably still too low for the Contis as the sidewalls got hammered.

The driver of the Golf R parked next to me and was VERY helpful all day. He lent me his (better) gauge and air compressor. He had a complete setup with a 1.5ton HF jack, a bin of tools/fluids and a nice set of RSe11’s with Toyo R888’s. Would be nice having a dedicated set of track wheels/tires rather than beating up on street tires.

In preparation for the day I also installed Ferodo DS2500 front brake pads, and Motul RBF600. SO GLAD I DID. Firm pedal and strong stopping power all day…Again, I’m not an expert driver, but I was absolutely pushing harder than I ever would on the street, and they didn’t let me down. Good to have that confidence out there!



 
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Sc629

Go Kart Newbie
Location
IN
Getting the Konis and OE sport installed next week! I know what most people recommend for trimming on the rear bump stops when running Koni Yellows, but did you trim the fronts at all?

Also, I saw in another thread that you hit the track on your current setup, would love to know your thoughts on this setup
 
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