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moarhosepower's 2017 Golf R Build

moarhorsepower

Ready to race!
Location
New Jersey
Car(s)
Mustang GT, Golf R
My fiance and I were in the market for a new car for her. She's coming from a tired but still sound 2013 Dodge Journey (at least it had the 6 cyl) w/ 110k miles. We were back and forth on a Focus RS and decided to take a look at the Golf R. Once she test drove one - she liked it a bit more than the Focus RS. Don't get me wrong...it's a great car. Fast, handles well, looks awesome. But the suspension is a bit rough, the interior leaves a bit to be desired, and overall fit/finish is a step below or two.

We found one down in Virginia with 10k miles with some modifications. I was thinking of getting the DSG but this one is a 6M. We drove the 4 hours down to take a look and potentially buy it and found that the modifications were a bit more extensive than mentioned. But the price was killer and the trade in value for the Journey was what we wanted. So even though we were a bit hesitant - we decided to take her home.

She's a 2017 Lapiz Blue R and 10k miles on it when we bought it. She's currently sitting at 14k miles.

PO installed:

Suspension/Brakes/Wheels/Chassis:
Air Lift Performance Suspension
Rolloface front BBK
034 Dogbone insert
Rear wheel spacers

Engine/Engine Bay/Exhaust
VWR Racingline R600 Intake
VWR Catch Can
VWR Oil Filler cap
VWR Oil Filter housing
VWR Remote washer kit
VWR Turbo Inlet Piping
Neuspeed charge pipes/turbo muffler delete
Armytrix catless TBE
Upgraded Intercooler (not sure brand)
Unknown tune

Drivetrain
Upgraded Clutch (probably Stage 3 w/ SMF based on pedal effort and chatter)

Exterior
ECS hatch pop kit
Oettinger grill

Interior
BFI shift knob
EZT CF steering wheel w/ blue trim

Currently Installed/Replaced
AWE Turboback Switchpath (resonated/catted)
AWE Switchpath remotes
BFI shift knob adapter
OEM DCC shocks/struts
Eibach Pro kit springs
Superpro adjustable front sway bar end links


First thing we did was remove the Armytrix exhaust. She found it too much for daily use and didn't like the gas smell being catless. So that was replaced with a full TBE from AWE (resonated and catted) Switchpath with the remotes. HUGE difference in sound level. We travel with our dog frequently and didn't want him to be uncomfortable as well.

I also found that the subwoofer was removed. Found one on the forums for a reasonable price and installed it back into it's OEM spot.

The shift knob was installed without the height adapter. We found it too short to be comfortable and installed the BFI adapter to get it to almost stock height.

There were a couple holes cut out for what looked like some kind of roll cage in the rear into the wheelhouse trim and floor. I took some time to seal the open holes up and lay down some sound deadening on the wheel wells and trunk floor. Noico 80mm sound material off Amazon works wonders.

Next was to tackle the suspension. We have no use for air suspension. Plus there was no tank, compressor, or management. I hunted down all the OEM parts I needed. Found front struts with less than 3k miles on them for a great price. The rest of the hardware is brand new OEM. Also had to change out the rear control arms since the Air Lift ones are specific for the bags. I took the opportunity to install Eibach Pro kit springs and Superpro front sway bar end links.

Lastly - I reapplied all the "R" badging. They aren't ridiculously large and I kinda like how they look.

Upcoming

Retune/new tune - since I have no idea what the tune is, I'm not comfortable running it long term. We hit all the major tuning companies to see if the VIN was in their database but it wasn't. Most likely will be going Unitronic or do a Cobb AP with EQT maps shortly.

Install second resonator - the AWE still has a bit of drone at 2800-3500 RPM. Not unliveable but still could be better. Most likely looking at the Billy Boat resonator or do a Vibrant in the midpipe.

The fenders need a little love in a couple spots. It looks like they were rolled poorly and could use a little body work.

The plastic shifter trim has broken clips. Need to get a new one so it stays in place.

Replace the wheelhouse trim - since there's holes cut in them it looks kinda ghetto. But luckily they aren't that expensive.

Winter wheels/tires. Just have to figure out what wheels will fit over the BBK. The Pretoria's on the car fit so might just be on the hunt for another set.

Pics coming soon
 
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moarhorsepower

Ready to race!
Location
New Jersey
Car(s)
Mustang GT, Golf R
Pictures from when we bought her

IMG_1989.jpg
IMG_1990.jpg
IMG_1991.jpg
 
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moarhorsepower

Ready to race!
Location
New Jersey
Car(s)
Mustang GT, Golf R
Reserved for future
 

MonkeyMD

Autocross Champion
Hopefully you recouped some of your cost by selling the aftermarket stuff. And who the hell serious am airbag cat without all the supporting parts. Must have been a steal.

Kudos to all the work you've done and the 17 with the Prets in blue is probably the best year and color combo (right there with limestone grey)
Congrats and subbed for future mods
 

moarhorsepower

Ready to race!
Location
New Jersey
Car(s)
Mustang GT, Golf R
Hopefully you recouped some of your cost by selling the aftermarket stuff. And who the hell serious am airbag cat without all the supporting parts. Must have been a steal.

Kudos to all the work you've done and the 17 with the Prets in blue is probably the best year and color combo (right there with limestone grey)
Congrats and subbed for future mods

Thanks! She loved the color combo and didn't want any other color. We have recouped some of it (enough to not have the fiance kill me for spending a few more thousand after the sale). I knew we weren't going to recoup all of it (that would be naive of me to think so). Plus she realized that a lot of the mods I was going to do anyhow we didn't have to spend on since they were already installed.

I have a feeling there was the supporting parts but they were ripped out before the car was sold. Not a huge issue and anyone who wants to go bags in the future can pick up the supporting pieces a la carte.
 
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