RedRobin Posted April 7, 2007 Report Share Posted April 7, 2007 It all started with Top Gear and the infamous Jeremy Clarkson's review - A motorcar which would sedately cruise like a big limo on the school-run but drive like a screaming rally car on the way home, and carry a 12-drawer cabinet whenever needed. At the time I had a faithful 2-door straight-six BMW and also a bog standard 5-door Golf Mk4, so I knew how practical any Golf would be for my needs but it had no performance and handled like a marshmellow when faced with roundabouts. I wasn't at all sure about DSG, but fortunately the VW salesman had raced go-karts and knew how to drive enthusiastically, so I had an informed demonstration. I also test drove the Mk5 2.0 TDI and was very impressed. Captain Sensible kept urging me to order the diesel and I even did so! But after a very sleepless night I knew I would regret it every single time I saw even a picture of a GTI, so I locked a screaming Captain Sensible in the garden shed and changed my order. I decided on the DSG version and was going for the 3-door until my then 14yo daughter, being far more mature than her 58yo father, started explaining why a 5-door was much more practical for me (and her jailbait teenage friends I would be giving regular lifts to!). She was right (of course!) and every time I load and unload my heavy music gear I'm glad about her powers of persuasion. When I took delivery of my Mk5 GTI I had no plans to modify it at all. In fact, I loved the car as it was and I'm sure I would still love it just as much if I hadn't carried out any mods whatsoever. After I had test driven and ordered my car in May 2005 I naturally, like most others here, set about searching the internet and everywhere else to find out absolutely everything I could. I landed here on Tyresmoke - Fatal !! The wealth of knowledge here is awesome and people are always willing to help each other, when they're not taking the p!ss. My E30 Beemer wasn't modified at all but had a wonderful exhaust note and, being someone who doesn't enjoy driving any vehicle in which he can't hear the engine, I quickly felt disappointed that the GTI's cabin was so well soundproofed. Call me old-fashioned but my opinion is that hearing an engine is a valuable driving aid. EXHAUST: I quickly learnt from other TSNers that Milltek made top quality stainless steel exhausts which didn't sound baked-bean-can boy-racer-ish. I was also told that performance would be very slightly improved. So, more audible sound + stainless steel + performance gain = no-brainer. I got a deal from AwesomeGTI on some Milltek quads and then had to look at ways of accommodating the four pipes in my rear valance. Cutting the OEM plastic was never going to look professionally done and, on a red GTI, I never really liked that big black plastic rear. In the Summer of 2005 there were far fewer options. In fact OSIR have only just now in 2007 released a very sexy rear bum with carbonfibre section for quads. AwesomeGTI were as usual very helpful and suggested a quad rear from Abt. I spoke to my VW dealer and he was happy to fit the Milltek and rear without automatically compromising my warranty. I went through what everyone else goes through in trying to decide between Resonated and Non-Resonated system - Was the Non-Res version going to be too loud? The answer is obviously highly subjective and sound clips don't really deliver the sound accurately enough. This is further complicated by the fact that such exhaust pipes mature as the miles roll by. I chose the Non-Resonated exhaust. My first Milltek was the Cat-back version and someone there, who subsequently doesn't work there anymore, totally misinformed me by claiming that I would gain about 10-15 bhp from a Turbo-back even without a remap. This seemed an attractively simple way of gaining just a little more power, not that I needed it. Ray West duly fitted the Turbo-back, aka High-flow, section and I immediately felt improved throttle response. My thoughts then turned towards a remap but I had witnessed one go pear-shaped on a DSG GTI and didn't want to compromise my VW warranty. At this time I began to research my remapping options and, appropriately or not, I proceeded with extreme caution. SUSPENSION: In introducing another GTI driving Tyresmoker to Ray West for suspension modifications, I drove his car and was impressed by the KoniFSD+Eibach springs and Anti-roll bars. I had also driven Ray's 270 bhp, Bilstein with Porsche brakes, road 'n track GTI as featured in Volkswagen Driver magazine but we decided that Bilstein was overkill for a road car. The Mk5 GTI has an excellent chassis and is well known for its unexpectedly good handling, but adding ARBs takes it that extra mile and passengers are invariably impressed by how well planted my car feels. The KoniFSD system smartly and instantly adapts to the road surface and so is perfect for road use. Okay, the setup only allows a drop of 5-10mm but slammed down on the deck might look very cool but it isn't always very practical. I would now say that Anti-roll bars are probably the best mod anyone can buy regarding return for money or bang for your buck. COLD AIR INTAKE: Whereas one is glad that good modern turbos have solved the lag, it's disappointing that they are so silent. Thinking that I could add some subtle turbo sounds while also improving the engine's breathing, I decided to fit a Carbonio Cold Air Intake. During my remap research I spoke to so many tuners and it was Revo who told me that a CAI would compliment my High-flow exhaust regardless of a remap. Carbonio's CAI looks pretty sexy in carbonfibre but let's face it, anything looks sexy in carbonfibre. The 'sexy' appearance didn't seem to pass unnoticed by Her Majesty's Customs & Excise or whatever they call themselves nowadays, because it was held up by them for weeks and weeks. What did they think it is? - A miniaturised stealth spy plane!? Eventually it arrived and was fitted by my VW dealer. This event coincided with my first tankful of V-Power and so it became very difficult to assess what any improvements were. Even better throttle response and a very subtle increase in torque but, disappointingly, very little audibly except a soft whistle up to about 1,200 revs. This has probably the least felt benefit of any of my mods but it's good to know that my engine breathes more freely. I'm now considering a louder and beefier intake, almost certainly EVOMS having researched what's available. BRAKES: Apart from the remap, this is the most dramatically felt of my mods so far. These brakes are totally awesome - Performance Tuner magazine described them: "Some mods, like the absolutely incredible AP Racing brakes are perfect. Totally fade free. 100% confidence inspiring. Pure class. These stoppers alone made for a rapid lap time, proving power is not everything". The day after they were fitted I crossed the Channel and drove 2,000 miles on hassle free autobahns with no speed restrictions and no middle lane hoggers....Utter joy!! AP's Senior Race Engineer installed mine with myself in attendance as an 'oily rag' and I now know what has gone into their design and production. The OEM brakes are very good but don't have as good pedal feedback or quite the performance of the APs. Ultimately, staying out of trouble is down to the driver, tyres, and road surface conditions, but I've tested these brakes at 130mph and have much confidence in them. I've never driven my car on the track though and want to keep it as a fast and enjoyable road car. REMAP: The 2.0T FSI engine with DSG is still relatively new and I have been very cautious about remapping and have done much research. That doesn't make me an expert on tuning but I have learnt that generally VW builds in about 140% 'headroom' and, like all car manufacturers, has to accommodate a variety of lowest common denominator factors in different international markets. Also, differing fuel grades. I have also learnt that it is very wise to limit the torque for the DSG gearbox to 300 ft lb. The OEM car will easily handle 280 bhp, but do you want so many neddies pulling at your front wheels for road use? So I decided to go for a Stage1 remap still leaving me some headroom. Revo impressed me on every occasion I spoke to them and I was particularly attracted by their switchability feature - Something which other tuners are now offering. I was further impressed by one of their agents JKM of Portsmouth - A keen family business of genuine enthusiasts. The remap has brought everything together and makes the car exciting to drive without being a handful. The extra performance actually makes the car feel safer. Next mod is to remap myself and I've booked a course with Drivetrain. COSMETICS: Having the Milltek Quads forced me to replace the stock rear valance, which I don't like the appearance of anyway - too much black plastic imo but each to their own. But it left me with one day needing to deal with the black side skirts. There was an old spider who swallowed a fly, and so on, and so I would also have to consider what to do about the black front spoiler one day too. Having done performance mods it seemed appropriate to pay attention to the exterior cosmetics so I checked out the road clearance of the OSIR front spoiler and had it fitted along with colour coded R32 side skirts. I am about to have a carbonfibre nosepiece to match the centre section of the new front splitter and also black carbonfibre wing mirror casings to relieve all the red-ness. SUNDRY MODS: Things such as anti-theft dustcaps, aerial, Alpine SatNav+Audio, McGards wheel locknuts, blue graded windscreen strip. WHAT'S NEXT? Who knows? This whole journey for me has been simply one of evolution and with no previous long term planning. I now want to do what I think will preserve my car's durability and reliability - Definitely change the Diverter Valve to the new Forge when it's launched soon, as the OEM DV is a known weak link in the chain. Quaiffe diff? Hopefully some of this info will help others who are on the slippery slope of modding, though I think I'm the one who needs professional help! In conclusion, I'm very glad to have done my 'hardware' mods before the remap and I have learnt much both from other Tyresmokers and from taking my time and modding bit by bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oxfordlad Posted April 7, 2007 Report Share Posted April 7, 2007 One excellent story there, One thing I ask (I know this as others will ask), it could be good to put some guide prices in? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chungster Posted April 7, 2007 Report Share Posted April 7, 2007 Didn't realise you were that old RR LOL but good to see you're enjoying the world of modding at least. I'm doing a track day at Castle Combe in Wiltshire on Monday 16th so if you wanna see how a GTI does on track come on down and I'll happily show you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snoopy Posted April 7, 2007 Report Share Posted April 7, 2007 Someone must have been bored lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SINGH Posted April 7, 2007 Report Share Posted April 7, 2007 Great write up mate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedRobin Posted April 7, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 7, 2007 [ QUOTE ] I'm doing a track day at Castle Combe in Wiltshire on Monday 16th so if you wanna see how a GTI does on track come on down and I'll happily show you. [/ QUOTE ] ....I'm probably up for that . What time etc? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke Posted April 7, 2007 Report Share Posted April 7, 2007 [ QUOTE ] Someone must have been bored lol. [/ QUOTE ] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedRobin Posted April 7, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 7, 2007 [ QUOTE ] One excellent story there, One thing I ask (I know this as others will ask), it could be good to put some guide prices in? [/ QUOTE ] ....The trouble is that either I can't remember (though I'll have some paperwork somewhere) or I got 'deals' which wouldn't be the usual price. I'm not very good at recording what I spend. I might have a shot at some very rough ballpark prices. On the other hand I'm not sure I want to know what I've spent! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedRobin Posted April 7, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 7, 2007 [ QUOTE ] Someone must have been bored lol. [/ QUOTE ] ....No, I've been compiling this post bit by bit for some time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chungster Posted April 8, 2007 Report Share Posted April 8, 2007 [ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] I'm doing a track day at Castle Combe in Wiltshire on Monday 16th so if you wanna see how a GTI does on track come on down and I'll happily show you. [/ QUOTE ] ....I'm probably up for that . What time etc? [/ QUOTE ] I'll be there hopefully from 10am onwards. The day starts at 9am but I gotta go to Heathrow Airport first! Grrrr. It's a privately organised day by a friend and we only have 30 odd cars so plenty of track time for everyone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarmac_Terrorist Posted April 8, 2007 Report Share Posted April 8, 2007 A great story RR I kind of think that there will be more chapters to add in due course Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedRobin Posted April 8, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 8, 2007 ....The next 'chapter' is already unfolding next week! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarmac_Terrorist Posted April 8, 2007 Report Share Posted April 8, 2007 /cough/ carbon fibre... /cough/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedRobin Posted April 9, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 9, 2007 [ QUOTE ] One excellent story there, One thing I ask (I know this as others will ask), it could be good to put some guide prices in? [/ QUOTE ] ....These can only be rough guide prices - There are deals to be had sometimes and prices and labour fluctuates. There's not much point posting suppliers because there are suppliers all over the country probably local to you. It also depends on variants such as exactly which exhaust system you choose. But here goes: - EXHAUST: £1,000 (Milltek Hi-flow+Downpipe) - SUSPENSION: £1,200 (KoniFSD+Eibach springs+ARBs) - AIR INTAKE: £200 (Carbonio) - BRAKES: £2,000 (AP Racing fronts only) - REMAP: £600 (Revo incl rolling road sessions) - BODY: £2,000 (Abt, R32, OSIR Carbonfibre) I emphasise these are just budget figures but they do include typical labour - HTH. AwesomeGTI have supplied many of my mods and are particularly helpful. Feel free to mention my name to Andy or Dean - 0161 776 0777. [Yes, I know! I could have simply bought a fully loaded OEM Mk5 R32 for the same money....But that would be without Millteks and ARBs and I'd doubtless want to visit APS] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedRobin Posted April 9, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 9, 2007 [ QUOTE ] /cough/ carbon fibre... /cough/ [/ QUOTE ] .... I've told you before that eating breakfast cereals with carbon fibre makes you cough Well, I was hinting at a chapter other than cosmetic carbonfibre bits (wing mirrors and nosepiece). BTW, what's up with fecking Customs&Excise!!? Anything made of carbonfibre takes forever to get through! The next chapter is a performance mod . All will be revealed in due course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spot Posted April 9, 2007 Report Share Posted April 9, 2007 Forging ahead Robin? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedRobin Posted April 9, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 9, 2007 .... ^^ ^^ - Yes, I'm still waiting for the Forge diverter valve as a preventative measure but the DV is not a performance mod. My next performance mod isn't a Forge product. I'm preparing a post on my next mod generally - So GTI owners can gain info on what's available. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rigsby Posted April 9, 2007 Report Share Posted April 9, 2007 Really enjoyed reading that RR With my ED30, I going to kept it standard(exhaust, body etc) but one thing I'm seriously tempted with is the AP racing brakes. I'm not having a go at the standard set up but upgrading them would make the car a lot more complete IMO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedRobin Posted April 9, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 9, 2007 .... I'm not trying to encourage you to mod but imo the AP, or similar, brakes (only fronts necessary) would better balance the extra power the Ed30 has. Also, the pedal feedback and braking response is excellent. The other mod which wouldn't 'spoil' your car's originality imo would be simply Anti-roll bars. Keep the OEM shocks but ARBs aren't that expensive and again handling the extra power would be improved. Brakes and suspension work together imo. Just an idea (worm to plant in your brain ). It is a slippery slope though! If I understood him correctly, Dean at AwesomeGTI was telling me the other day that they were going to supply the AP brakes as they had heard such good reports. Of course, I told him I thought they were awful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oli Posted April 9, 2007 Report Share Posted April 9, 2007 Good write up RR - no mention of the wheels upgrade though? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chungster Posted April 9, 2007 Report Share Posted April 9, 2007 I reckon RR is going for the Forge TWINtercooler mod next. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedRobin Posted April 9, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 9, 2007 [ QUOTE ] Good write up RR - no mention of the wheels upgrade though? [/ QUOTE ] ....I didn't think that the info would be useful enough to those considering mods. But to put it right: Courtesy of fine fellow Tyresmoker OliH, and after much teasing and badgering by LeMan and others, I changed my stock Monza 17" to 18" and found no appreciable difference in the ride - No harshness. I have driven the 17s absolutely on the limit, and beyond, when on the CarLimits airfield course, but haven't driven my 18s as hard as that on the road. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oli Posted April 9, 2007 Report Share Posted April 9, 2007 Very good Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedRobin Posted April 9, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 9, 2007 [ QUOTE ] I reckon RR is going for the Forge TWINtercooler mod next. [/ QUOTE ] ....Nope - as I posted earlier: "My next performance mod isn't a Forge product". I investigated the Twincooler just out of interest and even got offered free fitting costs, but imo it would be overkill for road use in the current UK climate. All reports I hear say that the OEM Mk5 GTI intercooler is excellent and far better than previous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petsy Posted April 9, 2007 Report Share Posted April 9, 2007 I recon it'll be the Quaife ATB differential... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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