nicholam77's PP GTI thread

tknj99 said:

Lookin good! I had VWR springs on my previous MK6.. how do you like the VWR's on the MK7.. did they help out much in the handling department?
I have an RSB already which helped quite a bit but want to round out the handling as much as possible without dropping the car much.. thanks

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Thanks! I would say they helped handling a bit. To be honest I don't remember what stock felt like, or what they felt like when new, but I do remember being pleased when first installed that they tightened it up a bit.

I do like them on the MK7, particularly for aesthetics. As far as ride quality... it's passable. On first install, they felt great. But after several years on stock dampers you can notice the decline. The fronts especially crash over bumps, more so when it's really cold out.

I'm sure with aftermarket dampers they'd be great, but a lot of people get springs to save money and just run with the stock dampers.

I'd say for the money they are great, just don't expect perfection. If you're really after handling, you might want to consider adding some aftermarket dampers to your setup. I know there are some threads on here about what works well with the VWR springs.

I don't have a rear sway bar upgrade but I would expect that does more for roll control and steering than the springs would.

034 Lower Replacement + Upper Insert

I've been getting excessive engine rocking on shifts and when on and off the throttle pretty much ever since I installed the CTS engine and trans mounts. I thought it might be my 034 insert so I pulled it and sure enough it was a bit bent:



I figure it was already shot and the CTS mounts just brought it out / made the situation worse.

I warrantied it through 034 and they sent me a new one.

What I did not know is that they have since revised the part. It is now beefier all around. See below for comparison (Orig V2 is on left, and new V2 is on right).







As you can see the whole base and the smaller "arm" are thicker.

In addition, they recommend all lower insert users also install the new upper insert part to avoid bending in the future. I ordered the upper piece as well as new bolts.



Just a word of caution to anyone doing this install -- 034's installation instructions recommend removing the sway bar bushing brackets (disconnect it from the subframe), slide the sway bar out of the way, and insert the upper piece from the top of the dogbone bush.

This turned into an ugly situation for me, and it was NOT necessary. Once I had the sway bar disconnected, I could not get it to move enough out of the way to push the insert in from the top. So I just pushed it up through the bottom with some grease and carefully pried with a screwdriver. It went in fairly easily.

After reattaching the torque arm, I attempted to get the sway bar back in place but I could not get it to line up no matter what. It was twisted. I was on jack stands in my garage so the suspension was hanging down. As far as I can tell and others have pointed out to me, the endlinks were putting too much tension on the sway bar ends to get it back into place. I tried using my floor jack to carefully jack up the control arm and compress the suspension, and still could not get it. I thought about disconnecting the end links, but I ran out of time and it's my DD so sadly I had it towed to a nearby shop for them to sort it out.

I probably could have gotten it figured out eventually, but it was freezing cold and I needed my car to get to work.

Keep in mind I have the V2 style insert, so not sure if pushing up from the bottom works with V1 as well. But if you're an amateur enthusiast like myself and not a mechanic, I wouldn't waste any time disconnecting the sway bar, it's overcomplicating what is a very simple install!

Thoughts on the parts:

It definitely firmed things up from where it was at. No more crazy rocking. Shifts are smoother and easier. Seems like a good match for the CTS mounts. I have no idea what stock used to feel like anymore, at this point. I can say that the NVH is very low in combo with my CTS mounts. Only felt on 1st gear take offs, and I would call it mild. You can also hear exhaust note better.

What I am disappointed in is I am still getting a squeak/clunk and some movement when shifting or when there is a change in momentum like getting off the throttle. It sound like it's coming from the transmission area, but doesn't only happen on clutch actuation. Seems to get better as the car warms up. Freezing cold temps here, currently. I am stumped on what it could be but it's kinda driving me crazy.

I think I'm going to try and record a video and see if anyone has thoughts.

Location: Minneapolis

That looks like awful working conditions and you should talk to management.

Can confirm. Was -5 F that day and had the garage door fully open because my garage isn't big enough to get on ramps and stands and have enough room in the front to maneuver.

Was wearing an old hoodie and no jacket most of the time due to the sloppy floor. Pro Tip: concrete gets very cold. Could barely feel my fingers after struggling with the sway bar for 3 hours I gave up and called the tow truck.

Wife was not thrilled I started a car project on a Sunday afternoon on my DD.

I don't know, I must be crazy.

Pretty much a lesson in how NOT to do a parts install.

A pic of the tow truck coming to claim it:

Now that it's stopped snowing and around 40 F I went back to summer wheels this weekend.

Pressure washed inside the wheel well to get all the nasty winter gunk off.









It's good to be back in the summer mode. The BBS are noticeably heavier, but I far prefer the look.

Man, it's already time for summer wheels in Minneapolis? It's been between around 45-60º here in Delaware the last week or so and I might swap on my new springs and wheels this weekend. I just want the rain to stop. Anyway, cool thread!

AlxMK7 said:

Man, it's already time for summer wheels in Minneapolis? It's been between around 45-60º here in Delaware the last week or so and I might swap on my new springs and wheels this weekend. I just want the rain to stop. Anyway, cool thread!

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Thanks!

Yeah I jump on it as soon as it's consistently 35-40º or above and no snow. With limited season for summer wheels, gotta start early and take 'em off late! It's funny, as soon as it warms up to about 40º you start seeing all the sports cars come out of hiding. Already seen a few 911s and an R8 this season, even some motorcycles. Even though 40º isn't warm, it feels like it when it's been around 0º for a long time! I've even cracked the sunroof a few times

Have fun with the springs and wheels, it's a nice way to give your car a unique look.

Installed BFI stage 1 motor and trans mounts this afternoon.

@nicholam77 Any chance to get the led bulbs kit in europe mate?

Mr.Robot said:

@nicholam77 Any chance to get the led bulbs kit in europe mate?

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Sorry I didn't see this earlier. For which lights? I had used deAutoKey for my LED bulbs. Looks like they have an international shipping request form:

http://deautokey.com/international-shipping-quote

Otherwise, I'm sure there are similar LED bulbs for the mk7 to be found on eBay.

Minor update on the car / build.

BFI motor and trans mounts are great.

I still have a rocking/bucking on acceleration and deceleration in the lower, torque-ier gears (mostly 1st and 2nd), and a slight hesitation or hiccup in the higher gears (3,4,5). I don't think it's the mounts anymore, having brand new motor and trans mounts, and brand new dogbone lower and upper insert. Unless my dogbone bushing itself is trashed, but it seems unlikely to me after only 3 years and 23k miles of casual city driving. No launches, no track days, no tune. It's just a daily driver.

My latest inclination is it could be the dual-mass flywheel somehow, or something with the clutch. I'd love a different clutch setup anyways as I've never been very fond of the OEM one, so I'm debating on whether or not it's worth it to save up for that. But in any case the lurching is kind of driving me nuts and ruining the driving experience in a way.

On another negative note my VWR + stock dampers setup is for sure deteriorating. Suspension feels crashy over any little bump.

Over the weekend I made some small coding tweaks.

Removed Direct Acceleration Tweak.

I did this to attempt to put things back to stock to see if it would help the engine rocking. It didn't, really.

Then I coded my tail lights to ROW settings so only the outers light up on braking. Previously I had inner and outer light on braking, but there was a slight delay from outer to inner that I couldn't figure out how to get rid of and thought it would be cleaner without.



Other than that I haven't paid the car too much attention in the way of mods lately. Had a kid 8 months ago and it has worked well for baby duty. It actually has more rear seat room for the car seat than my wife's CX-5. Was pleasantly surprised about that.



On that note I scored some OEM pop-in shades for the rear windows and hatch, locally, for free! They work great.





There's lot's of things I'd still like to do to the car, ideally:

- minimal looking front splitter
- proper summer tires
- clutch (probably DIY ttrs)
- ECU tune
- coilovers or better shocks

I don't know if or when these things will happen, but probably not anytime soon.

Awesome thread man! Love the info on the jack pad kit. Gonna order that this weekend from one of the euro vendors. Extra meticulous. Definitely seem like the engineer type, lol.

GTIdre said:

Awesome thread man! Love the info on the jack pad kit. Gonna order that this weekend from one of the euro vendors. Extra meticulous. Definitely seem like the engineer type, lol.

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Thanks!

If it's not too late... the jack pad parts are considerably cheaper from e-acca.com than the preassembled kits from DAP or ECS. And then you can pick which pieces for the fronts.

Either way, though, I think it's well worth it if you're going to be floor-jacking your car often.

I am not an engineer (actually in a "creative" field, professionally), but I guess my brain's always been drawn to the details.

As a DIY'er enthusiast with no technical background in cars, I've relied hugely on forums over the years for information and how-to's. Pretty much all of the info in my thread I discovered from others on the forums, and is just regurgitated here as another hit in the search engine or for someone to stumble upon. I like documenting it for other people just in case it helps someone down the line.

Totally biting your style sir. I just ordered the "fancy" jack pad kit from cars245 (ordered a CSS muffler too!) and Im about to order some BBS CO's as well. I struggled long and hard on what wheels to get.. Do I go lightweight RPF1s?? But I want the flat-face and that only comes in 18x9 et35 which are HARD to fit.. Or do I go with the BBS's that are iconic, but kinda heavy compared to other options? Or do I go with what everyone else goes with (and for a good reason) RSe10s??

Im drunk enough now that I'll actually order them lol.

Lol, nice! Drinking and browsing parts sites is a dangerous thing

If I had to do exhaust again I think I'd take a good look at the CSS muffler instead of the AWE Track. Seems like a solid option for a daily driver.

The CO's are definitely heavy, can't remember exactly what they weigh but I think it's slightly more than the Austins even. Of course BBS has lighter options (CH and CH-R) in similar style for more $$$$. I originally wanted CH in 19" but I just couldn't justify the cost. Plus I don't have a tune so the car isn't super fast to start with, and I don't track it or anything, so it was more about looks for me.

But any of the options you listed are solid choices and would look great.