VW Golf 7 R -- Chipped -- 0 to 60 in 4 Seconds...
Discussion
Axionknight said:
My girlfriend had one of those - it was a great little car, properly good fun to hustle down a twisty road, the only fly in the ointment was the driving position which was slightly too high for my liking (I'm 5ft 9" so hardly a towering giant).
Brilliant car.
Glad to hear that! I'm six foot but I have oddly long legs and a short torso so when I test drove it I didn't find that too bad. Actually, I find the driving position in the Golf R rather too high for the type of vehicle. I look forward to what I hope will be some back to basics FWD lightweight hatchback fun :-) Brilliant car.
nickfrog said:
Steve. Nothing silly. People don't choose RWD to drift but for the many advantages abundantly documented in this thread:
- better balance of lat grip
- good weight distribution
- uncorrupted steering
- lower polar moment of inertia as the engine is often behind the front axle, which brings massive handling / turn in benefits.
This may come at a packaging and wet traction penalty but for some that's a small price to pay. Besides, most RWD are set up to understeer or even push understeer under a gentle throttle opening (which is easily fixed with a bit of added front camber).
On the FWD, you have more of a point. But think Megane Cup that deploys 275ps without any trace of torque steer thanks to very sophisticated hub and a GKN diff as std. Since 2008.
All of which doesn't prevent the R from being a superb road car.
I do get all of that and I have always found RWD cars to be the best steers but my point is simply that even keen drivers don't exploit or benefit massively from those advantages on the road and that the Haldex in the R and similar vehicles does provide a reasonable driving experience for general road driving. I've driven the Megane and agree it's a great car - I think the diff is key as you allude to. - better balance of lat grip
- good weight distribution
- uncorrupted steering
- lower polar moment of inertia as the engine is often behind the front axle, which brings massive handling / turn in benefits.
This may come at a packaging and wet traction penalty but for some that's a small price to pay. Besides, most RWD are set up to understeer or even push understeer under a gentle throttle opening (which is easily fixed with a bit of added front camber).
On the FWD, you have more of a point. But think Megane Cup that deploys 275ps without any trace of torque steer thanks to very sophisticated hub and a GKN diff as std. Since 2008.
All of which doesn't prevent the R from being a superb road car.
Edited by nickfrog on Sunday 3rd April 09:18
Kawasicki said:
DocSteve said:
The RWD vs 4WD/Haldex arguments on the road are somewhat silly - nobody really hangs the rear out on a regular basis on the road.
here we go again.rwd is for drifting
I chased a Golf R though parts of the Highlands in the pissing rain in my 650S whilst on holiday last week.
Not a hope of me keeping up in the corners trying to put 650 BHP through RWD, I'd have had the same trouble in my M135i.
On the fast sweepers? Well thats a different story
I LOVE my RWD cars ( I also have an S2000) but for cold/wet weather an AWD car is always going to be better (I also have a Forester Turbo)
BTW I don't do drifting EVER.
mikey k said:
I chased a Golf R though parts of the Highlands in the pissing rain in my 650S whilst on holiday last week.
Not a hope of me keeping up in the corners trying to put 650 BHP through RWD, I'd have had the same trouble in my M135i.
On the fast sweepers? Well thats a different story
I LOVE my RWD cars ( I also have an S2000) but for cold/wet weather an AWD car is always going to be better (I also have a Forester Turbo)
BTW I don't do drifting EVER.
I did it a little tiny bit once, just a tiny little bit of power coming out of an innocuous looking little bend and suddenly I'm staring at a swaying road through the side window. And just my luck I had the OH in the car at the time.
Winter mode in the wet for me from now on.
DELETED: Comment made by a member who's account has been deleted.
Agreed - it's not always about just going loads faster. If it was then AWD and huge power would take care of everyone on the road.In reality I'd prefer more modest power and RWD with the better weight distribution etc that it often brings.
br d said:
mikey k said:
I chased a Golf R though parts of the Highlands in the pissing rain in my 650S whilst on holiday last week.
Not a hope of me keeping up in the corners trying to put 650 BHP through RWD, I'd have had the same trouble in my M135i.
On the fast sweepers? Well thats a different story
I LOVE my RWD cars ( I also have an S2000) but for cold/wet weather an AWD car is always going to be better (I also have a Forester Turbo)
BTW I don't do drifting EVER.
I did it a little tiny bit once, just a tiny little bit of power coming out of an innocuous looking little bend and suddenly I'm staring at a swaying road through the side window. And just my luck I had the OH in the car at the time.
Winter mode in the wet for me from now on.
I know EXACTLY what you mean
I nearly ended up at the bottom of Loch Ness last week! :eek3:
Very easy to overwhelm those P Zero's
ORD said:
Could that not be summarised as "Bad driver with the wrong tyres cannot keep up with much slower car"? 
If a Golf R is giving a 650S the slip, the Macca is not being driven well.
Do you think the 'Macca' owner/driver is really that bothered? If a Golf R is giving a 650S the slip, the Macca is not being driven well.
If I was driving around in a supercar I wouldn't give two sh*ts what a guy on a forum thought about my driving capabilities. I'm sure I'd have way more important stuff to think about ... like what supercar to buy next HJMS123 said:
Do you think the 'Macca' owner/driver is really that bothered? If I was driving around in a supercar I wouldn't give two sh*ts what a guy on a forum thought about my driving capabilities. I'm sure I'd have way more important stuff to think about ... like what supercar to buy next
Quite true. If I was driving around in a supercar I wouldn't give two sh*ts what a guy on a forum thought about my driving capabilities. I'm sure I'd have way more important stuff to think about ... like what supercar to buy next 
I doubt anyone who spends that kind of money on a car with turbos and an automatic gearbox cares too much about driving, either. 
Blown2CV said:
SidewaysSi said:
Blown2CV said:
am i f
k questioning RWD. I am questioning the logic of the arguments used to do down a perfectly decent car, and also the utter tools that use RWD as justification why the Golf must definitely, surely, hopefully be st. You're absolutely right, it is just a golf, so why pray tell do you give a fk? Literally, what difference does it make to your life? If you want to read back (which you won't) my very long post explains that i am very happy with the choice i made, and after 2 years i am on to the next car whilst you are the other whiners continue to gripe on about why you hypothetically think it might not be the best car ever made from your ripped armchair, having never driven the fking thing. Enjoy your utterly pointless argument, because this whole perpetual argument really, really is fking, fking, fking pointless. Just get on with your lives.
I love RWD and feeling the back end move under power. I am no driving god but can easily see the benefits of RWD. Assuming people don't care about which wheels are driven is blatantly wrong.k questioning RWD. I am questioning the logic of the arguments used to do down a perfectly decent car, and also the utter tools that use RWD as justification why the Golf must definitely, surely, hopefully be st. You're absolutely right, it is just a golf, so why pray tell do you give a fk? Literally, what difference does it make to your life? If you want to read back (which you won't) my very long post explains that i am very happy with the choice i made, and after 2 years i am on to the next car whilst you are the other whiners continue to gripe on about why you hypothetically think it might not be the best car ever made from your ripped armchair, having never driven the fking thing. Enjoy your utterly pointless argument, because this whole perpetual argument really, really is fking, fking, fking pointless. Just get on with your lives. k have i said no-one cares about RWD though? This is like arguing with religious people over religion. All I said was most people don't give a fk, and the car drives really well. No-one drifts on a daily basis. Guess what, and this will blow your mind, i've never used the launch control either - and i probably won't use it before i give the car back! I bet you really hate me now?Fast and FWD can be fantastic, as can RWD, 4WD and 1WD.
It's how you drive the thing that matters really if 'pushing on' is the aim.
Torque steer is part of the fun in FWD I think. It's dealt with in seconds and makes you feel more involved. It's not once ever bothered me. It just makes me smile as I fight it and feather.
Sliding the back around on a RWD can be a giggle (despite it saturating almost everything motoring related), but again, it's dealt with and can make you smile.
Nailing the throttle on something fast and 4WD is a great experience. I will never forget my first ride in a tuned evo - that thing went through tight corners like a Scalextric magnatraction car and powered out of them with such aplomb, It made me giggle and grin like a child for quite a time.
If we were all 17 again, I would imagine we would be comparing the Golf to the uber-cool (often 4WD) rally cars of the day and would have jaws wide open after hearing the performance stats. I don't think age should take away the magic of what is essentially a family car that could beat many Super cars away from the lights. It is, regardless of what you desire, an incredible machine.
Digby said:
If it helps, I don't care which wheels are driven. A lot of people I know don't, either.
Fast and FWD can be fantastic, as can RWD, 4WD and 1WD.
It's how you drive the thing that matters really if 'pushing on' is the aim.
Torque steer is part of the fun in FWD I think. It's dealt with in seconds and makes you feel more involved. It's not once ever bothered me. It just makes me smile as I fight it and feather.
Sliding the back around on a RWD can be a giggle (despite it saturating almost everything motoring related), but again, it's dealt with and can make you smile.
Nailing the throttle on something fast and 4WD is a great experience. I will never forget my first ride in a tuned evo - that thing went through tight corners like a Scalextric magnatraction car and powered out of them with such aplomb, It made me giggle and grin like a child for quite a time.
If we were all 17 again, I would imagine we would be comparing the Golf to the uber-cool (often 4WD) rally cars of the day and would have jaws wide open after hearing the performance stats. I don't think age should take away the magic of what is essentially a family car that could beat many Super cars away from the lights. It is, regardless of what you desire, an incredible machine.
Good post.Fast and FWD can be fantastic, as can RWD, 4WD and 1WD.
It's how you drive the thing that matters really if 'pushing on' is the aim.
Torque steer is part of the fun in FWD I think. It's dealt with in seconds and makes you feel more involved. It's not once ever bothered me. It just makes me smile as I fight it and feather.
Sliding the back around on a RWD can be a giggle (despite it saturating almost everything motoring related), but again, it's dealt with and can make you smile.
Nailing the throttle on something fast and 4WD is a great experience. I will never forget my first ride in a tuned evo - that thing went through tight corners like a Scalextric magnatraction car and powered out of them with such aplomb, It made me giggle and grin like a child for quite a time.
If we were all 17 again, I would imagine we would be comparing the Golf to the uber-cool (often 4WD) rally cars of the day and would have jaws wide open after hearing the performance stats. I don't think age should take away the magic of what is essentially a family car that could beat many Super cars away from the lights. It is, regardless of what you desire, an incredible machine.
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