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Considering chipping your MkV GTI? (poll)


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Am also changing rear valance to Abt to accommodate Milltek Quads plus side valances by Caractere for aesthetic balance.

I know that the poll is for chipping but it might add further interest to include for body mods.

As a semi-retired professional designer I feel that the standard rear valance treatment on our beloved Mk5 GTI looks as if VW didn't bother to finish their design process. Hence quite a few people considering body mods for rear and then you may need sides to complete the look, depending on the rear you choose.

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Andy w...that looks sweet!obviously a cheaper alternative to a body kit and it looks just as good!My car will be pearl black and i think it will look good!! cool.gifCan i ask...where and how did you get it done?also..how much did it set you back ,if i may ask smashfreakB.gif!?..can i have it done anywhere!(when i actually get my gti)!thanx 1.gif <font color="red"> </font>

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Nice one Andy! I didn't realise you could colour code/paint the upper part of the standard rear cos I saw it all as a granulated finish but obviously it can be done and it makes all the difference visually. I'm showing the Caractere rears to show the similarity with yours (upper image).

I'm getting a Quad (two pairs of jets) Milltek Resonated Catback (+10bhp-ish) which is exclusively made for and only supplied by Awesome in Manchester. This needs an appropriate rear valance and so Awesome can also supply the Abt....pic uploaded here (I hope!!). I guess you could additionally cut the standard rear for the additional jet pair and colour code the top as you have done but wouldn't the extra labour costs make it not worthwhile (assuming you had an ace bodyshop who would get it absolutely right).

If anyone is further interested Awesome's web addy is as follows and please mention my name (Robin) to Andy who is a real helpful guy:

http://www.awesome-gti.co.uk/vw%20golfmk5/vwgolfmk5.html

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You should be able to get it done 'anywhere' but I would very strongly advise that you ONLY go to a bodyshop whose work you have either experienced as good or via a trusted recommendation and inspect their premises and work. Not worth screwing up such a beautiful car, eh?

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Don't want to go too far off topic of the thread but basically the colour coding was done by my dealer prior to picking it up (so I didn't have to be apart from it once I got it!).

Looks very OEM, you can't tell the difference. They flatted it down and smoothed with some kind of plastic spray before painting.

I had the rear, sides and front bit (except the splitter) done for £285+vat so not bad considering.

I do like the look of the Caractere kit, especially the twin pipe one.

Agree with other comments, some of the flatter colours don't lend themselves to colour coding, they need the contrast with the black of the skirts. Saying that, my dealer had colour coded their red demo car, it looked too red in the pictures I took but much better in reality.

On the subject of chipping/tuning is it only ABT that supply Miltek exhausts or can you get them anywhere?

Aparently Awesome yesterday had their GTI demo APR remapped and it's switchable via the cruise control stalk! confused.gif

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Hi Andy....Looks like a good job at a good price - surprisingly cheap for a stealer-dealer!

Yeah, there's something really 'mean' looking about two separate exhausts....Reminiscent of V8 dragsters etc....Quads look even meaner!!

No, it's ONLY Awesome who supply the Milltek Special Quads by their private arrangement with Milltek....These quads are usually Resonated but can be supplied Non-Resonated (noisier when M'way cruising). And Awesome can also supply Abt valance guaranteed to fit the quads. You may be able to get the Abt rear elsewhere but what's the point.

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Hi, noticed a company you didn't have in your list for chipping the Golf GTi. I was browsing online the other day cos I take delivery of my Golf soon, and what with that new Atsra VXR having more power fekr.gif set about finding a company that could get some serious power from the 2.0 lump in our GTi's.

Came across this site here

and although they have no listing for the GTi, they do have a listing for the Audi A4 with the same engine as the Golf's with same power figures and the figures are impressive so they say!!!

BHP up from 200 to 270BHP and.... more importantly

Torque up from 280Nm to 360Nm!!!

All for £560, so what you think people? Reckon they could be offering a similar upgrade for us GTi owners? I have emailed to find out, will keep you all posted

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Hi Andy,

I agree....those bigger step ups sound a bit scary but I have had conversations with people far more experienced than me who say that the GTI is a particularly "stable platform". I think though that you need plenty of dosh available if your VW agent wrongly or rightly trashes your warranty. A cool pro card player is always able to afford to lose what he/she gambles. But with the well established mod shops the risks are low....the problem is more with the VW agent trying to get out of costs.

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Milltek tell me that they had an MTM remap by QST Tuning on their GTI and they "got an extra 50bhp without any problem".

QST are the sole British outlet for the famed German tuning house MTM which was founded in 1990 by ex-Audi design engineer Roland Meyer. Sounds to me that MTM are worthy of being listed in the poll.

http://www.qstuning.com

Whatever the chipping/mapping, Milltek seem to be the favoured exhausts.

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RedRobin - you sound pretty clued up about the modifications scene for the MK V GTI - what do you intend to do when you finally get your hands on your vehicle? Do you have any concerns about your warranty - or are you confident that the 'big' tuning companies will provide you with sufficient cover?

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[ QUOTE ]

RedRobin - you sound pretty clued up about the modifications scene for the MK V GTI - what do you intend to do when you finally get your hands on your vehicle? Do you have any concerns about your warranty - or are you confident that the 'big' tuning companies will provide you with sufficient cover?

[/ QUOTE ]

....I'm not at all experienced with either driving chipped/mapped cars or the technical side - I don't know one end of a graph from another in this context. BUT, I happen to listen to what others say, research and read, and am on friendly chatting terms with guys at Milltek, AMD, and Awesome. Obviously I'm here in TSN both to learn from and help others. So....

Basically the standard GTI is proving to be a stable platform for modifications in that its whole setup supports its engine performance more than adequately. Sorry, but this is where it REALLY scores over VXRs etc in my opinion.

Whatever is done to modify the engine/ECU, the exhaust system plays an important part as well as suspension, grip etc etc. It is very clear to me that one company in particular is the leader in this field....Milltek. I know that Milltek work very closely with both AMD and MTM and also via Awesome and QST. The pooling of such specialist expertise is important to achieve the best results....NOT just the highest bhp numbers but reliability is extremely important (ask Kimi Raikkinen or whatever that cold robot's name is!!).

I expect there are other mod companies equally good but these are the ones I know. They care about what they do and will help and advise you....Contact them if you are serious about having mods done....even just an exhaust.

Warranty? ....Obviously cars are complex machines and it is totally reasonable to expect VW to guarantee and support what they have supplied you but they cannot be fairly expected to support what you or others subsequently do to the car. Having said that, the organisations I have mentioned are very professional and cannot afford to get it wrong. I can report that both Milltek and AMD have had no warranty effected cases whatsoever and I haven't heard of any other cases either but it would be best to ask them. I have also had conversations with VW UK's warranty staff and feel that everyone on all sides would only act fairly regards any problem under warranty. For what it's worth, I believe that someone very senior in VW UK has been to Milltek but I don't want to unintentionally misrepresent anyone.

The more you push the envelope, the more other factors come into play. I'm not a track driver (other than when I'm testing pre-release motor racing sims/games for the Mac!!) so personally I'm happy to be planning to fit a Milltek Resonated Catback Special Quad exhaust with an Abt rear valance. This will only add about 10bhp but increase the throttle response, give me a stainless steel life guaranteed exhaust and complete the unfinished VW design of the GTI's rear end. A 5-door true all-rounder and a very stable car with an "awesome" but "not too flashy" number plate (others' words, not mine)....What more could I personally want?....Only for her to arrive!!

I hope this helps smile.gif

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RedRobin - before you go for the Caractere rear valance, check out the quality and fit first.

I have just been looking at the Awesome Website, the Caractere range in particular.

If you look closely at this "Caractere Rear Valance" the valance doesn't seem to fit flush with the top left hand side of the rear bumper - and thats on their promotional material!

The last thing you want to do is spend money and make the car look cheaper, like a VXR! suicide.gif

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Thanks Yahoo for the heads-up but I wrote I was going for the Abt rear valance and possibly only Caractere on the sides. I've seen other Abt products and feel confident about them. Thanks to your post I will double check with Awesome on Monday about Caractere's quality, even on sides.

No VXR, or anything else, lookalikes for me!! No way Hosay!!

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I can see everyone's concerns about such a high power boost on the GTi, but having had a look through chiptuninguk's site again and the FAQ section, seems their work doesn't affect the warranty from a car manufacturer at all?

So I would assume this means they more or less guarantee their work, I have emailed them anyway enquiring about their chipping for the GTi, am currently waiting for a reply, but as they're local, I may be looking to get my car chipped as soon as poss (around September time).

Will keep everyone updated anyway, I do agree with peoples opinions though, AMD and Milltek are excellent companies with a lot of experience with these cars, so they'd be the 'safe' choice I'd imagine.

Oh and as I'm thinking of fitting a Milltek system, is it worth having this done before I chip the car? I assume the remap would take into account a higher flowing exhaust?

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Hi VeeDub....That's my assessment too - that VW warranty isn't effected. As VW UK warranty staff actually said to me last week: The warranty is only effected if your car modification is found to be the CAUSE of a problem.

The best people to answer your question about chipping before or after exhaust fitting is Milltek rather than me. The ideal is to do both together and, if you can't, then I imagine it would be best to fit the exhaust first but knowing what you'll do later. Again, I'm not an expert on this. Both Milltek and your tuner will advise you. It seems to me that exhaust and chipping should work hand-in-hand if you want to achieve the best.

Something very important which we haven't mentioned....INSURANCE!

It's entirely up to you but imo it's simply not worth it not to fully inform your insurer of any and all modifications. It will effect your premium according to the extent of mods but, if you tell them nothing, you risk losing everything regards an insurance claim and even difficulty getting future car insurance anywhere. Although the insurance companies are in competition they can still network info on 'bad risk' customers.

Hope this helps, smile.gif

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Just a thought..anyone consider what the increased bhp from a re-map may affect the handling of the GTi? VXR has 237 bhp and Clarkson slated it for its torque steer (due the the car being front wheel drive and subsequently having to steer and deal with all the horses being piled on through the wheels)..

In my opinion hot hatches are about a good balance of power, speed and handling..

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Someone please correct me if they think or know I'm wrong but....

The Mk5 GTI is very well designed and consequently is proving to be a stable platform for modifications (I think I said this in an earlier post above!). I have had chats with various people such as Milltek, Awesome, and AMD and understand that, for example, if you remap/chip a GTI to say 237bhp to match the VXR's 237bhp you will NOT get torque steer etc and the GTI will handle much better than the VXR. I have been recently told by Milltek that when adding the MTM remap by QST Tuning "We got an extra 50bhp without a single problem".

The GTI appears to have already been designed by VW to have a healthy margin of safety in balance of power, speed, and handling. Obviously the more you push the envelope the more risk of problems there are, so there will be limitations (so far undiscovered!).

It's best to talk to Milltek etc yourself if you need more specific info.

Now, wo ist mein Auto?! Is she still on a boat?

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The simple truth is if you don't want torque steer then buy a rear wheel drive car.

I reckon with another 40+ bhp there will at least be some noticable difference in torque steer, whether it's the same as the VXR's as demonstrated on Top Gear then you would only be able to tell by driving both.

I'm going to get my car remapped at some point and am expecting it to have some adverse affect elsewhere even if it's minor, and I will be taking it a lot more easy in wet conditions!

I've pushed my GTI to the limits a few times now and been surprised how well it handles certain situations, but have also noticed how hard it is to put down any power in damp/wet conditions. Should be interesting to find out what extra bhp does to that.

Also by all reports the VXR is the more "sporty" of the two cars so probably has slightly stiffer suspension and better turn in so I don't think the GTI will handle the extra power any better than the VXR does.

If you were to add a limited slip diff to your list of mods then it would be a whole different story!

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