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Chicagoland Chat Thread

TimFell

Ready to race!
Location
Chicago
Great, thanks! Wheels are coming first, then I will have to decide on the tune lol


It really depends on personal preference. I was literally torn between Unitronic and COBB.

Side note - I liked Uni vs. APR as I prefer a tune that’s weighted towards top end power vs mid range torque. However I found a dealer that is tune friendly and offered APR so I almost went with APR for convenience & warranty.

APR has a proven tune. It’s very hands off. You take your car in, they flash your ECU, and you’re good to go. Great performance, great reliability. APR is great if you want to follow their modification schedule and use their hardware.

COBB’s Access Port has a few OTS tunes that have somewhat mixed reviews and they make less power than APR.

So why do I like COBB? You have the freedom of pro-tuning to your specific hardware in the future. You also have the features of the Access Port which gives you up to six custom gauges on the screen to monitor boost, AFR, IAT, knock, and a ton of other parameters. If you buy the AP from MAPerformance, you get their OTS tunes for fee. I’m running their Stage 1 93 oct which reportedly put down over 300 hp on the dyno. Ian from MAP is very responsive and will help you with your goals too, so it’s nice knowing you have support if you run into any issues.

My long term plans for this car are a full turbo swap and over 450 whp so the AP will allow me to custom tune (dyno or email) in the future while still giving me a great Stage 1 / Stage 2 option in the present.

I’ve also had to take her in for some warranty work and recalls so I can uninstall the COBB and take her in without having to pay a dealer to reflash every time. I’ve heard the APR stock reflash isn’t true stock- it’s a stock-like map. The COBB AP memorizes your vehicles factory ECU software when you install it so when you uninstall the unit, it reloads your exact factory map.

Hope this helps. I’m super happy with the COBB tho.

I have no other aftermarket engine hardware at the moment. IE IC is my next upgrade.




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eurospek

Just finished watching Fast&Fu
Location
Chicago
Anyone running the the Firestone Firehawk Indy 500?
 

DAS_STIG

Banned
Location
Chicago
Anyone running the the Firestone Firehawk Indy 500?

Just ordered. There's a thread over in the tire forum with good reviews. Can't find anything bad about them and for $350 shipped after mail in rebate too good to pass up.
 

xcvxcvxcv

New member
Location
Chicago
Was wondering if anyone here who drives an R and has downsized wheels from 19" to 18" can offer some insight as to how their experience has been so far.


How's the ride quality now? Much smoother? Less worried about potholes and stuff? Did you end up keeping your 19's around or did you get rid of them?


The ride quality of my R has been pretty solid and I assume dailying on 19's is fine, I just think I may be more comfortable if I switch down to 18's. Looking for any thoughts!
 

RoyB2

Ready to race!
Location
Chicago
Was wondering if anyone here who drives an R and has downsized wheels from 19" to 18" can offer some insight as to how their experience has been so far.


How's the ride quality now? Much smoother? Less worried about potholes and stuff? Did you end up keeping your 19's around or did you get rid of them?


The ride quality of my R has been pretty solid and I assume dailying on 19's is fine, I just think I may be more comfortable if I switch down to 18's. Looking for any thoughts!


I went from 19s to 18s and it made a big difference for me. 19s look great, but just not enough rubber for this vehicle. I kept my oem wheels and tires for when I sell the car.
 

DonTuan

Passed Driver's Ed
Location
Chi-Town
Was wondering if anyone here who drives an R and has downsized wheels from 19" to 18" can offer some insight as to how their experience has been so far.


How's the ride quality now? Much smoother? Less worried about potholes and stuff? Did you end up keeping your 19's around or did you get rid of them?


The ride quality of my R has been pretty solid and I assume dailying on 19's is fine, I just think I may be more comfortable if I switch down to 18's. Looking for any thoughts!

Don't forget previous years R's came with 18's on the non-Navi/DAP trims, so both sizes are fine to use...it's just a personal preference as to street conditions where you normally drive. 18's definitely give you a smidge more sidewall, but I wouldn't say it's a night and day difference and you're still swerving around potholes, etc.

The brand/type of tire used makes more of a difference in ride quality and soaking up bumps imo. For example my stock potenza on 18's was rougher and more jarring than my 19's with Michelin PS4S.

Now I have 17's (winter), 18's (street/track), and 19's (street)
 

xcvxcvxcv

New member
Location
Chicago
Don't forget previous years R's came with 18's on the non-Navi/DAP trims, so both sizes are fine to use...it's just a personal preference as to street conditions where you normally drive. 18's definitely give you a smidge more sidewall, but I wouldn't say it's a night and day difference and you're still swerving around potholes, etc.

The brand/type of tire used makes more of a difference in ride quality and soaking up bumps imo. For example my stock potenza on 18's was rougher and more jarring than my 19's with Michelin PS4S.

Now I have 17's (winter), 18's (street/track), and 19's (street)


Do you feel like there's any substantially different feeling in terms of handling between your three different tire sizes? Similarly, how concerned are you typically with damage to the wheels when you're driving on your 19's? I've only recently moved over to the Golf R from a Toyota Avalon, so this is kind of a headfirst dive into a new world for me.



17's are better in pretty much every way except if you have a big brake kit. I had to do some searching to find wheels that would clear the brakes without spacers but they are out there.


I feel like my biggest qualm with 17's are that I don't find them as aesthetically pleasing. To me, it seems like 18's are a fine middle ground between the harshness, but aesthetic of the 19's and the comfort, but lack of aesthetic of 17's.
 

DonTuan

Passed Driver's Ed
Location
Chi-Town
Do you feel like there's any substantially different feeling in terms of handling between your three different tire sizes? Similarly, how concerned are you typically with damage to the wheels when you're driving on your 19's? I've only recently moved over to the Golf R from a Toyota Avalon, so this is kind of a headfirst dive into a new world for me.

Yes since all 3 tires are different compound there is a difference. The compound on my 18's and 19's are most similar, so they feel much different than my 17's with winter tires on them. Like I was saying earlier...doesn't matter if you're on 18's or 19's, you'll still be dodging potholes and bumps.
 

DAS_STIG

Banned
Location
Chicago
Yes since all 3 tires are different compound there is a difference. The compound on my 18's and 19's are most similar, so they feel much different than my 17's with winter tires on them. Like I was saying earlier...doesn't matter if you're on 18's or 19's, you'll still be dodging potholes and bumps.

This. It sucks that the MK7 only comes with 18s. The 17s on my MK5 were so easy to live with when it came to potholes/curbs/comfort.
 

jay745

What Would Glenn Danzig Do
Location
Slightly Outside Chicago
Car(s)
Mk6 racecar, Tacoma
I feel like my biggest qualm with 17's are that I don't find them as aesthetically pleasing. To me, it seems like 18's are a fine middle ground between the harshness, but aesthetic of the 19's and the comfort, but lack of aesthetic of 17's.

Yeah it's all personal preference when it comes to looks. I really love the way 17's show a lot more sidewall and makes the tire just look meaty. #racecar


 

flymkvi

Ready to race!
Location
Illinois
On the topic of wheels, let me know if anyone has or knows someone who would want to trade wheels with me. Im up for other OEM styles or whatever. (I have stock Austins).
 
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