RE: Hillclimb school in a Golf R
Discussion
pSynrg said:
Well done Golf R & driver.
Shame the car is so interminably f
king dull in every other respect!
I don't find them dull; it's been a hoot so far. As a car for all seasons, for all environments, I don't know what would do a better job, at this price point or more (perhaps a 235i/335/435 BMW, at a push). Perhaps the lack of 'fizz' you get with German cars is what people think makes the current crop of VAG's quicker products a bit dull. Aside from the wheels and tail pipes, they're quite understated really.Shame the car is so interminably f
king dull in every other respect!Certainly they're not designed to set your trousers on fire, but they have the pace to hang onto the coat tails of most quick cars that ordinarily sit at higher price points.
Griffdude, you're certainly a quick learner if you still have L plates on, and I like the little lock up over the line at Shelsley!
The comparison between the Golf and last year's Astra VXR is interesting. The Astra definitely has stronger brakes and a slightly better turn-in, though this could be down to us getting the hang of tyre pressures with that car by the time I drove it at Shelsley. The Golf is much quicker off the line and generally a bit quicker everywhere, as you'd expect given the performance figures. Overall, I think the Golf is probably a mite easier to drive hard, but both were a lot of fun, which is the main reason for taking part for me as I'm not going to win any pots.
Zumbruck, I wish I had been going quicker to make Kennel and Crossing into harder corners. I've just bought a Sylva to compete with next year, so maybe that will have the desired effect.
It would be interesting to compare manual versus DSG at the same hillclimb venue. As I mention in the copy, the reason we went manual in the end was it meant we could change down without the worry of waiting for the gearbox's electronics to decide if it was safe to do so or not. Getting the Golf off the line cleanly with the manual took a little learning but it was certainly very quick and much easier than the front-drive Astra VXR I used last year. That's no criticism of the Astra, just a result of a 276bhp front-drive car trying to accelerate as hard as possible.
Also, a quick word about safety. First off, the marshals and organisers of hillclimbs do a brilliant job, as do all of the others at every UK motorsport event. They are the lifeblood of the sport and always very knowledgeable about all aspects of the sport. I've always felt very safe, so the only real factor is my driving. I've made some mistakes, but walked and driven away from them. Motorsport is dangerous, but it's also invigorating and huge fun and full of great people. Even if you only trundle up the hills like me, you still get to meet all the people.
The comparison between the Golf and last year's Astra VXR is interesting. The Astra definitely has stronger brakes and a slightly better turn-in, though this could be down to us getting the hang of tyre pressures with that car by the time I drove it at Shelsley. The Golf is much quicker off the line and generally a bit quicker everywhere, as you'd expect given the performance figures. Overall, I think the Golf is probably a mite easier to drive hard, but both were a lot of fun, which is the main reason for taking part for me as I'm not going to win any pots.
Zumbruck, I wish I had been going quicker to make Kennel and Crossing into harder corners. I've just bought a Sylva to compete with next year, so maybe that will have the desired effect.
It would be interesting to compare manual versus DSG at the same hillclimb venue. As I mention in the copy, the reason we went manual in the end was it meant we could change down without the worry of waiting for the gearbox's electronics to decide if it was safe to do so or not. Getting the Golf off the line cleanly with the manual took a little learning but it was certainly very quick and much easier than the front-drive Astra VXR I used last year. That's no criticism of the Astra, just a result of a 276bhp front-drive car trying to accelerate as hard as possible.
Also, a quick word about safety. First off, the marshals and organisers of hillclimbs do a brilliant job, as do all of the others at every UK motorsport event. They are the lifeblood of the sport and always very knowledgeable about all aspects of the sport. I've always felt very safe, so the only real factor is my driving. I've made some mistakes, but walked and driven away from them. Motorsport is dangerous, but it's also invigorating and huge fun and full of great people. Even if you only trundle up the hills like me, you still get to meet all the people.
pSynrg said:
Well done Golf R & driver.
Shame the car is so interminably fking dull in every other respect!
In which other respects ?? That story covered quite a good few respects it has to be said. I'm keen to know your views and reason why, other than just a broad statement like that. Or are you just looking for feeding? Lets be having you....Shame the car is so interminably f
king dull in every other respect!pSynrg said:
Well done Golf R & driver.
Shame the car is so interminably fking dull in every other respect!
Love the hillclimbing, but totally agree about the Golf. I wish people would stop posting "starting hillclimbing, Sprinting" posts, as it makes me want to give it a go. I did the Prescott revival last year in the Boxster & really enjoyed it. More than one mate said that as your addicted to it, get a west/cater/dutton/MX5 & do it properly!Shame the car is so interminably f
king dull in every other respect!Loads of different options for hillclimbing road cars, and a great way to get involved in competitive motorsport. I've used the Panda 100HP for a few events. Favourite hill is Wiscombe:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcHXJhN8ELQ
Would love to do Harewood, but it's quite a trek.
It's nothing like driving quickly on the road!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcHXJhN8ELQ
Would love to do Harewood, but it's quite a trek.
It's nothing like driving quickly on the road!
This fills me with a lot of excitement as I've just snapped up one of the cracking lease deals out on them at the moment 
(5 Month+ wait however)
As mentioned, would love to know what the manual is like back to back with the DSG as there doesn't seem to be a comparison anywhere on t'internet.
After much deliberation I've chosen manual as despite the DSG being super-slick, I feel the manual will be more engaging/fun to hoon. I also predict it'll be one of the last high powered hot hatches available in manual over coming years.
(5 Month+ wait however) As mentioned, would love to know what the manual is like back to back with the DSG as there doesn't seem to be a comparison anywhere on t'internet.
After much deliberation I've chosen manual as despite the DSG being super-slick, I feel the manual will be more engaging/fun to hoon. I also predict it'll be one of the last high powered hot hatches available in manual over coming years.
Dan Friel said:
Loads of different options for hillclimbing road cars, and a great way to get involved in competitive motorsport. I've used the Panda 100HP for a few events. Favourite hill is Wiscombe:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcHXJhN8ELQ
Would love to do Harewood, but it's quite a trek.
It's nothing like driving quickly on the road!
There are some great places to stay very near Harewood, or just camp on site.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcHXJhN8ELQ
Would love to do Harewood, but it's quite a trek.
It's nothing like driving quickly on the road!
tr7v8 said:
Love the hillclimbing, but totally agree about the Golf. I wish people would stop posting "starting hillclimbing, Sprinting" posts, as it makes me want to give it a go. I did the Prescott revival last year in the Boxster & really enjoyed it. More than one mate said that as your addicted to it, get a west/cater/dutton/MX5 & do it properly!
And on that note, having done the Shelsley school in 2012, this year I finally bought myself an MX-5 to sort over the winter for next years championship :-)Hi Throttlebender. The overall radius of the tyres is the same with the 18s and 19s, so we were happy to run them with 19s on the front axle and 18s on the rear. Also, this was strictly on the track and not the road. The reason for the mix was the softer compound of the 19s was, we hoped, going to help with turn-in. We swapped back to the standard 18s all round to drive home and the car was perfect.
.Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff