GOLFMK8
GOLFMK7
GOLFMK6
GOLFMKV

Carbon Steel GTI

Derushi

Go Kart Champion
Location
Rain
Car(s)
Long
There's still a few things I want to accomplish before the tune.

HPA Dog bone w/ puck
Complete exhaust 3"
Lighter wheels w/ better tires
Intercooler (not sure on this one.. WA state is pretty cool and I won't be taking my GTI to the track, needed?)

Dogbone mount feels great, I'm sure the HPA interlocking one feels even better. Highly recommend especially for Manual.

I recommend the Intercooler as well, especially since you said you'll be getting a tune. And while it isn't California/Texas hot, WA still gets hot during summer. And as carchrism5 said, you'll see benefits on any weather.

You'll probably be fine without it if you're still on stock tune but you should highly consider it when you do get tuned.
 

Derushi

Go Kart Champion
Location
Rain
Car(s)
Long
Late update:

  • I've moved on from JB4 to Cobb Protune w/ Stratified! Pretty big difference. Loved the JB4 but it was time to move onto a tune. The throttle response and how linear the power delivery is of the Stratified tune has been amazing. Big difference compared to the piggyback. So far the stock clutch has survived. I'm sure the tune is probably dialed down a little bit even though I told him I'm not too worried about frying the clutch. Hoping to upgrade it soon anyway but I'll hold onto stock as much as I can. I do 2nd/3rd gear pulls at least once a day in my commute lol.

  • 42DD O2 Spacer was removed. Not sure why but it kept throwing codes when I had the JB4. Even after I moved onto Cobb/Stratified, it still threw a code even though the map takes care DP related codes. Since removing, no more random spacer codes.

  • Brisk ER12S Spark plugs are in. Idles much better now

  • Ed's Facelift MK7.5 LED replicas are installed. Complete ROW functionality w/ dynamic amber turn signals and rear fog. Ed's harness was used for this.

  • Dynamic side mirror turn signals are on the way!

  • Rear GTI badges were removed. Might put them back on later, who knows :rolleyes:

Plans: Kinda want to get the IE open intake, DKM clutch/iAbed RMS/Fluidampr, and maybe upgrade suspension to Bilstein B8's. Hopefully sell the beat up Austin wheels, move onto a set of lightweight 18's for the summer set, and put the Pretoria's on All-season/Winter duty.

Already spent lots of $$$ but I've barely scratched the surface... maybe I should've just gotten a used Honda Fit and kept it stock :D

 
Last edited:

nicholam77

Go Kart Champion
Location
Minneapolis
Already spent lots of $$$ but I've barely scratched the surface... maybe I should've just gotten a used Honda Fit and kept it stock :D

LOL! Sometimes I feel the same way. Haven't done much to my car for awhile because I felt like I spent a lot of money on it and other (house) stuff has come up. But I'm kinda itching to get back into it. So much more to do... :D

Your car is looking great. Those Ed's rep tail lights look pretty damn nice actually. How do you like them so far, and compared to the original LEDs? Got any more pics, or any pics with the lights on?

I'm a fan of the original LED tails but the reps and re-using the BEC harness is pretty appealing. Hopefully they hold up long term.

What's your opinion on the 034 motor/trans mounts after using them for awhile? I'm wanting to get some mounts and those seem like a logical choice for a daily driver. I actually wouldn't mind a little bit of extra NVH to make the car feel a bit more raw. Looking back would you get the 034 again or go a different route?
 

Derushi

Go Kart Champion
Location
Rain
Car(s)
Long
LOL! Sometimes I feel the same way. Haven't done much to my car for awhile because I felt like I spent a lot of money on it and other (house) stuff has come up. But I'm kinda itching to get back into it. So much more to do... :D

Your car is looking great. Those Ed's rep tail lights look pretty damn nice actually. How do you like them so far, and compared to the original LEDs? Got any more pics, or any pics with the lights on?

I'm a fan of the original LED tails but the reps and re-using the BEC harness is pretty appealing. Hopefully they hold up long term.

What's your opinion on the 034 motor/trans mounts after using them for awhile? I'm wanting to get some mounts and those seem like a logical choice for a daily driver. I actually wouldn't mind a little bit of extra NVH to make the car feel a bit more raw. Looking back would you get the 034 again or go a different route?

Function-wise, they operate exactly the same as ROW tail lights. The plastic housing doesn't seem to be as good as OEM. My current set actually has some nicks and scratches, don't know if it happened during shipping or if I just got a bad set from the factory. I'm working with Ed to get these replaced by his supplier. Hopefully they do hold up :D. I've only had them for a few days so I've yet to see if there's any issues like condensation.

Other than the cosmetic imperfections, these are a great set. It helps that I get to re-use the old harness :). That said, if I didn't have the old harness in place, I might've spent some more for OEM. If only the old harness worked with the OEM set...

I'll try to get some more pics of the lights.

034 Engine/Trans mount... they feel great! Highly recommend this upgrade. I personally didn't feel any added NVH with this, compared to when I first had the Dogbone mount on. These feel just like stock in terms of NVH, but with the added benefits of better shift feel (especially 1st to 2nd), less wheel hop, reduced drivetrain movement especially in between full throttle shifts.

I'm not sure how they compare to the BFI or ECS as I haven't tried them. I've seen some reviews on the forum for BFI so they're probably solid as well. I would love to try out the BFI Stage 2 mounts some day and if they don't add that much more NVH compared to the 034 or stock, I'd probably run them. All in all, 034 engine/trans mount has been a great upgrade that feels OEM+.
 

nicholam77

Go Kart Champion
Location
Minneapolis
Cool, thanks for the info. I'm sure Ed will get you sorted out with the scratches on the lights.

I have some mounts on order now. Kinda wanted to get the 034 ones but I've heard the CTS ones are basically identical and they had a Memorial day sale. Ended up ordering CTS for the engine mount, and then snagged a lightly used (less than 100 miles) ECS transmission mount for a steal, secondhand. The ECS mount is a bit stiffer and polyurethane so hopefully it's not too much of a mismatch. I've also heard the transmission mount takes more stress so maybe it's not a bad thing to have a slightly stiffer mount on that side. We shall see.
 

Derushi

Go Kart Champion
Location
Rain
Car(s)
Long
Little update:

Dynamic turn signals from Aliexpress are in. Easy install, works and looks exactly like Dynablink. The puddle lights work as well!

I've also splurged on a clutch! I also bought a few things with it: Fluidampr, iAbed RMS, and ECS SS Clutch line.

I decided to go DKM Clutch Stage 2 instead of the Twin Disk, honestly because of the cost and I don't think I'll ever exceed 420WTQ. I've emailed DKM/CompetitionClutch and they've said it can hold up to 450 WTQ. I don't plan on going too crazy on a turbo nor do I plan on maxing out the stock turbo. Maybe a hybrid IS20 or IS38, only if my IS20 dies.

I picked up the ECS SS clutch line as well because I'm interested in deleting the 'swirl valve', it seems that several users here had good results and recommend this deletion.

Can't wait for these to arrive!

--

Also picked up a pressure washer and a foam cannon.



I did some light paint correction back in December and it still looks great! I did get some light scratches in the rear bumper / hatch area, probably due to loading. I'll need to tackle those if I ever get the motivation.



Here's where it sits at the moment. The facelift tail lights really do look nice :)

 
Last edited:

WASTGTI17

Passed Driver's Ed
Location
WA. State USA
Damn, your build is looking pretty solid. Are you doing most of the work yourself?

Can't wait till mine is also completed. Pretty much doing everything you have, except I haven't fully decided which tune to go for, I may go Uni just for the ability to tune myself and also I have read that the Uni DSG tunes are decent.
 

Derushi

Go Kart Champion
Location
Rain
Car(s)
Long
Bought and tested the Gyeon WetCoat spray sealant yesterday. Works quite well! I used it on the wheels and the paint. I read somewhere that it caused some weird hazing when they used it on the glass so I didn't spray any on the windshield and windows.

It beads pretty nicely which makes it much easier to dry the car. I haven't tested other spray sealants so I'll definitely try CarPro HydrO2 when it runs out. Though that might take a while as the 500ml bottle can easily last me over a year...

Oh, and removed the side emblems too.

 

Derushi

Go Kart Champion
Location
Rain
Car(s)
Long
Damn, your build is looking pretty solid. Are you doing most of the work yourself?

Can't wait till mine is also completed. Pretty much doing everything you have, except I haven't fully decided which tune to go for, I may go Uni just for the ability to tune myself and also I have read that the Uni DSG tunes are decent.

Sorry, I somehow missed your post. I don't do the work myself haha. I did some stuff like installing the tail lights and the minor exterior/interior changes, oil changes, wheel swaps... but all the engine/drivetrain installs are done by actual mechanics :p I wish I can do the work myself!

For tunes, if you just want a one and done flash tune... highly recommend APR. If you're interested in getting a custom tune, probably Cobb or Eurodyne. I personally went with Cobb, tuned by Stratified.

If I was to re-do... maybe I would go Eurodyne Maestro.
 

tpellegr

Go Kart Champion
Location
Boston, MA
Car(s)
2016 GTI S 6MT
Got the DKM Stage 2 Clutch installed a week ago along with some other things! I'm almost done with the 500 mile break-in recommended by DKM, but I might just take it easy until 1k. Here's some pics sent by the mechanic :)


Pumped you got your clutch installed! Seems like you are already breezing through the break-in. Let us know what you think once you've had a chance to get on it.

Car's looking great!
 
Top