Discussion
epom said:
Wheels are spot on for the car, I might have them a bit darker if I was ever in the position. Excellent choice though. What's your view on the 4 exhaust tips? Still can't believe there hasn't been something aftermarket with just two exits ala Audi RS models or the GTI.
Yeah I had initially wanted to do the Speedlines in a similar shade as my BBS' and have the silver/brushed metal bits on the car wrapped gloss black, but really liked them when they were test fitted to the car so they've remained silver. 
The exhaust is ridiculous, one of the very few things that I don't like about the car. It's not sporty sounding and although I'm used to seeing the 4 tips now, I still don't think it's very acceptable... IF there comes a point where I bite the bullet and get an exhaust made for the R then it'll definitely have two large oval tailpipes like the Audi RS models have, no doubt about it.
Cheers,
Grant
Ok, this thread has been a wee bit neglected, although there’s not been much happening on the Golf front really. However it has just ticked over the 10,000 mile mark so I thought it might be nice to do a wee write up about the past (almost) 2 years and thousands of miles that I’ve enjoyed in the car. It’s a long post, it’s a wordy post, but if you’re interested in these cars or would like a more real-world review of them then I hope it’ll be useful for you.
Engine/Performance:
I’ve got no real issues with either of these things. As standard, the car performed well and impressed me on a level that I was not expecting a 300ps car to do. It felt brisk and responsive with only a little lag to be found lower down the rev range, but pulled willingly to the top of the revs. I know it’s probably complete overkill on a modern car produced with a generic 2.0T 4-pot, I know it probably got a full Italian tune up by the technician who did the PDI before I collected it; but regardless of that I always allow the oil to warm up to at least 85c before giving it any kind of meaningful boost and normal operating temperature of ~100c before I’d consider going over to the opposite side of the rev counter. This, as well as allowing it to sit for ~30secs after driving it, is just good practice in my opinion and could be argued that as a result, it’s not used any oil with me either pre/post interim oil change.
After doing a lot of reading on the VW R Owners Club and other places, I decided to fit a couple of small bits to the car and beef up the performance which I had become used to and less impressed by, as is the norm when you live with a car I suppose. In particular the mid-range performance seemed to take well to modifications, however, I’ve got a manual gearbox and as such the clutch is known to be a bit of a weak point after sustained hard work (even standard), so I had to be careful that I didn’t push things too far as I didn’t really fancy being stung for a replacement at VW and the aftermarket/uprated parts shelf was still rather sparse given that the car was still fairly new out at the time. The car made 362bhp and 331lb/ft with these modifications and even though that was a torque-limited map (should produce ~360lb/ft) the car was transformed but is still very smooth, just giving ‘more’ everywhere and a very impressive turn of pace.
Something which I thought might loosen up with age but hasn’t done so is the gearchange, it’s a great gearbox with short throw and a positive movement/engagement between gears 2-6. But the change from 1st to 2nd gear more when ‘pootling’ around can be a bit sticky/awkward, it’s more apparent when the car is cold and can result in a little bit of jerky progress until the car clears it’s throat and gets on with things. I’m not sure why it happens, but when the time comes to change the gearbox fluid, it may be worth sticking in an additive to aid smooth operation to see if it eliminates this.
I’ve got to bring up throttle response, which in my car is good. I’ve fitted a pedal box, which alters the throttle mapping slightly, but I’ve had to put it on the softest setting otherwise it was too sensitive. I wouldn’t miss it if I had to remove it. However, my sister has a completely standard DSG-equipped MK7 R and the throttle response in that is absolutely abysmal, to the point of being dangerous in my opinion. A typical scenario we all deal with regularly is driving up to a roundabout, you spot a gap and put your foot down slightly to move onto the roundabout but her DSG R takes a moment to think about it before giving you forward motion.. meaning that the gap you were aiming for has now gone and you’re free wheeling onto the roundabout, but now there is a car coming round to meet you. Great. So you can either stab the throttle and take off like your pubes are on fire, looking like a complete tit; or you can wait for the car to pick its skirt up and just meekly apologise to the person on the roundabout for your error, looking like a complete tit.
The sound of the engine is a bit of a funny one. From the outside, with ‘Race’ mode selected and the exhaust valves open the car is quite throaty and has a wee bit of a burble about it I’m told. I’d be wary about fitting an exhaust to the car because any of the aftermarket systems which I’ve heard, have sounded pretty poor (tinny and raspy) and in my opinion have really not suited the subtle nature of the R. The flipside of being in ‘Race’ mode is that the interior of the car gets what sounds like a blend of ‘6-cyl R32 rumble’ and ‘5-pot Audi Quattro warble’ piped in via a ‘Soundaktor’ gizmo designed to make the car sound far sportier than it actually does (or ever will!) outside. There are plenty of people who disable this ‘Soundaktor’, or turn the volume of it up/down via VAGCOM to suit their taste, however, I must say that even though it’s a bit of a gimmick in my opinion.. it’s something that I’ve never been annoyed by or felt the need to change. Sure; it’s not authentic which is bad, but it’s not as bad as the new RenaultSport Clio for example, which can change interior engine noise to a twin-turbo milk float or whatever the ridiculous options are.
Interior:
At the risk of sounding like a bloody advert, it’s a Golf. Close the door and it thuds like a Golf. Sit behind the wheel and it feels like a Golf.
Ok there are certain ‘R-specific’ features in the car, like the blue ambient lighting on the doors/sill trims/gauge needles along with the ‘R-only’ upholstery. But apart from that, the dashboard finish is the same, the seat design is the same as a GTi/GTD (bit sad they don’t offer a Recaro wingback option like they did in the MK6R and MK7 Clubsport models?!) seats and all the switchgear is lifted straight from the generic Golf parts bin. This will not be enough for some people who want to spend that kind of money and feel like they’re sitting in something special, the small differences in an R do NOT make you feel like you’re in something special. It’s a very nice comfortable place to be and I’ve spent many hours behind the wheel in one sitting, feeling fresh and fine when I get out at the other end, but I’m sure that the same could be said if I’d got out of a Golf GTD.
Over the past two years the car has been loaded with dogs, friends, camping gear, etc and at no point have I ever thought; ‘wow, this car is so spacious’ I’m afraid. The loadspace is really pretty poor for what is still meant as an every day hatchback car, I assume it’s because they’ve fitted a rear diff for the 4WD system, but it’s robbed space from the boot and the result isn’t great and was a bit of a surprise to me.
The equipment levels even in a ‘base spec’ car like mine are very good and provides a lot of features you have to pay for with other manufacturers. In no particular order my highlights are; adaptive xenon lights, adaptive cruise control, touchscreen media (BT, USB, SD), feature-laden on board computer, hill hold assist (didn’t think I’d need/use/feel it.. but I do!) and park assist front and rear with distance display. Interior fit and finish is great, everything still works as it should and there are zero squeaks or rattles in the car (a reeeal pet hate of mine!) at all. The only time that I thought I heard a bit of a rattle was dipping into the ploughed tarmac of Karousel on The Ring, but think that was my GoPro mount rather than the car.
Ride/Handling:
This is an area which I was absolutely blown away by the R if I’m honest, worth saying that I got a car without the active Dynamic Chassis Control option and on the standard 18” wheels with Bridgestone tyres and despite regretting not going for the 19” Pretoria wheel option from a visual point of view, I cannot complain about the way the car drove on the standard wheels at all.
I live in East/North East Scotland and I’m lucky enough to have access to some amazing roads just a short drive from my house, they are phenomenally fun but also phenomenally bumpy/tight as well and really test the handling of any car. After I’d given the Golf a chance to bed in, I took it for a blast along one of my favourite stretches of road and couldn’t believe how well it coped. The R actually reminded me of my original Impreza UK Turbo which had the Prodrive Handling Pack, something designed specifically to cope with a British B-road. The R had enough suspension travel to soak up the lumps and bumps, but was still stiff enough so that it didn’t hit the bump stops or wallow around; it really provides you with a lot of confidence to stick it into the bends. Even when I switched to the 19” BBS wheels that I bought for the car, the ride quality never changed and the composure it showed on a twisty road was unaltered.
Despite the composure it showed on the road, when I took the car on a track day, the amount of body roll was a bit too much for me. So I did some more reading about suspension kits/springs/coilovers but again because the cars were still quite new, the depth of knowledge was quite light and it was a bit of a struggle to get some real world feedback from owners rather than sales guff from people selling the products. I’ve posted a wee bit about my suspension woes, going from KW V1 Coilovers to Koni Adjustable Shocks with H&R Springs which have been fantastic and I really love the way the car rides on both road and track now. However despite this being meant/sold as a MK7 R kit, it required removal of the front ARB to stop knocking on my car; so if I had my time over again, I’d probably fit a spring kit and be done with it rather than going through all the hassle and irritation again.. either that or spend considerably more money on an expensive fully adjustable coilover kit like the KW V3 or KW Clubsport kits.
As far as being 4WD goes, this car isn’t like the 4WD cars which I’ve owned before (Imprezas, GT4s, etc) which have permanent 4WD. The MK7 R has the most up to date Haldex system which as I understand it is still more of a reactive system which will sense slip at the front and engage the rear wheels to provide 4WD to help out until the front regains grip again; rather than an active system where the rear wheels are engaged and providing 4WD assistance at all times. This assistance from the rear is something which I’ve only EVER felt happening on the recent snow/ice that we’ve had, up until that point, there have been no broadside drifts out of junctions or 4-wheel slides on roundabouts to report.. you can adjust the car on the throttle, bringing the rear into play a little, but I think you’d have to be going very hard (with a considerable amount of space to play with) and be very harsh with steering/throttle inputs to get it to slide around like a more traditional 4WD car would… however while I don’t want to drive like a hooligan on the road, I’d like it to play back a little bit more when I’m in the mood; especially when on track.
Looks/Design:
I like it, which isn’t surprising since it’s sitting on my driveway I suppose. But I like that it looks just like a regular Golf to 90-95% of the population, I can leave it in town and not worry that its spoiler is going to get ripped off or some jealous scrote is going to run a key along the side of it. Ok, those are still risks with any car, but it’s less of a risk on a car which blends in so well. After all it’s only those ‘in the know’ who will be able to identify the small details which are ‘R-specific’ on the exterior, like the calipers/R-badges/wheels and ‘that’ exhaust… I can’t really ignore the exhaust any longer can I?? Well for the record, I don’t like it. I think it’s ridiculous that a VW Golf has 4 tailpipes, completely unnecessary and I’m not entirely sure why they moved away from the twin exit of the current GTi or previous R model which looks a LOT better to me. In fact, if I were ever to change the exhaust and get a custom system made (with acceptable noise levels/tone) then I’d ditch the four tailpipes and have two decent sized oval tailpipes, along the lines of the design seen on Audi RS models.
One of my regrets when I got the car was not ordering the 19” Pretoria wheels, the 18” wheels aren’t offensive and I think the Tornado Red actually pulls them off better than most other colours, but they’re nowhere near as attractive as the upgraded alloys are in my opinion and if I was ordering another R then the 19” wheels would be the first box I’d tick.
Running Costs:
The car is or isn’t as expensive to run as you would like it to be really, when driving on track I’ve seen the MPG down to 11-12mpg average but on the road I can also achieve 36-38mpg average without driving like I’m an 80-yr old in a daydream or on a Top Gear Economy Challenge. Not that I think the figures would be any different if I didn’t but I only ever use Shell V-Power in my cars out of choice, premium fuel was obviously required after I tuned the car to its current level anyway.
In addition to the mileage covered on the road, the car has done 4 track days at Knockhill and a trip to The Nurburgring in Germany where I did 5 laps in the car at fairly brisk pace (8:33 best BTG). I typically run the car with the TC/ESC completely turned off on the road and without fail on track, but the speed at which it has chewed through the rear brake pads has been astonishing. I was under the impression that turning the electronic aids off would stop the car interfering and braking wheels of its own accord when the car was being thrown around, however it needed rear pads replacing within 9k miles and the amount of brake dust on my REAR wheels after being on track is high, probably more so than the fronts, so I can only assume (since I don’t feel it happening) that the car still interferes and introduces braking when pushing very hard. While the rear pads have been changed, the front pads are going to require changing within the next 2-3k probably, so I’ll have got 12-13k miles from them, which given the use the car has had, I think is absolutely fine.
I’ve done two oil changes myself, again due to the use the car gets, but it is due for its first scheduled service at VW in the coming month or so, although I’m running a slightly better quality of oil than they will use, so I’ll supply that for them to use instead of the OEM oil.
Summary:
I’m very well known for changing my cars at regular intervals, sometimes because I don’t gel with them and others because I just want to try something new. Well I’m in the unfamiliar situation where I can’t really think of another car which I could replace the Golf with which would give me such a great combination of performance, practicality, equipment and sensible running costs for the same kind of money. Sure there are a couple of wee downsides with it, but they’re very minor and I’m being quite picky when I mention them.
I’ve rambled on a LOT more than I had planned to do, I hope it’s been a decent enough read for you and informative enough for those who were hoping to gain something from it.
Cheers,
Grant
Engine/Performance:
I’ve got no real issues with either of these things. As standard, the car performed well and impressed me on a level that I was not expecting a 300ps car to do. It felt brisk and responsive with only a little lag to be found lower down the rev range, but pulled willingly to the top of the revs. I know it’s probably complete overkill on a modern car produced with a generic 2.0T 4-pot, I know it probably got a full Italian tune up by the technician who did the PDI before I collected it; but regardless of that I always allow the oil to warm up to at least 85c before giving it any kind of meaningful boost and normal operating temperature of ~100c before I’d consider going over to the opposite side of the rev counter. This, as well as allowing it to sit for ~30secs after driving it, is just good practice in my opinion and could be argued that as a result, it’s not used any oil with me either pre/post interim oil change.
After doing a lot of reading on the VW R Owners Club and other places, I decided to fit a couple of small bits to the car and beef up the performance which I had become used to and less impressed by, as is the norm when you live with a car I suppose. In particular the mid-range performance seemed to take well to modifications, however, I’ve got a manual gearbox and as such the clutch is known to be a bit of a weak point after sustained hard work (even standard), so I had to be careful that I didn’t push things too far as I didn’t really fancy being stung for a replacement at VW and the aftermarket/uprated parts shelf was still rather sparse given that the car was still fairly new out at the time. The car made 362bhp and 331lb/ft with these modifications and even though that was a torque-limited map (should produce ~360lb/ft) the car was transformed but is still very smooth, just giving ‘more’ everywhere and a very impressive turn of pace.
Something which I thought might loosen up with age but hasn’t done so is the gearchange, it’s a great gearbox with short throw and a positive movement/engagement between gears 2-6. But the change from 1st to 2nd gear more when ‘pootling’ around can be a bit sticky/awkward, it’s more apparent when the car is cold and can result in a little bit of jerky progress until the car clears it’s throat and gets on with things. I’m not sure why it happens, but when the time comes to change the gearbox fluid, it may be worth sticking in an additive to aid smooth operation to see if it eliminates this.
I’ve got to bring up throttle response, which in my car is good. I’ve fitted a pedal box, which alters the throttle mapping slightly, but I’ve had to put it on the softest setting otherwise it was too sensitive. I wouldn’t miss it if I had to remove it. However, my sister has a completely standard DSG-equipped MK7 R and the throttle response in that is absolutely abysmal, to the point of being dangerous in my opinion. A typical scenario we all deal with regularly is driving up to a roundabout, you spot a gap and put your foot down slightly to move onto the roundabout but her DSG R takes a moment to think about it before giving you forward motion.. meaning that the gap you were aiming for has now gone and you’re free wheeling onto the roundabout, but now there is a car coming round to meet you. Great. So you can either stab the throttle and take off like your pubes are on fire, looking like a complete tit; or you can wait for the car to pick its skirt up and just meekly apologise to the person on the roundabout for your error, looking like a complete tit.
The sound of the engine is a bit of a funny one. From the outside, with ‘Race’ mode selected and the exhaust valves open the car is quite throaty and has a wee bit of a burble about it I’m told. I’d be wary about fitting an exhaust to the car because any of the aftermarket systems which I’ve heard, have sounded pretty poor (tinny and raspy) and in my opinion have really not suited the subtle nature of the R. The flipside of being in ‘Race’ mode is that the interior of the car gets what sounds like a blend of ‘6-cyl R32 rumble’ and ‘5-pot Audi Quattro warble’ piped in via a ‘Soundaktor’ gizmo designed to make the car sound far sportier than it actually does (or ever will!) outside. There are plenty of people who disable this ‘Soundaktor’, or turn the volume of it up/down via VAGCOM to suit their taste, however, I must say that even though it’s a bit of a gimmick in my opinion.. it’s something that I’ve never been annoyed by or felt the need to change. Sure; it’s not authentic which is bad, but it’s not as bad as the new RenaultSport Clio for example, which can change interior engine noise to a twin-turbo milk float or whatever the ridiculous options are.
Interior:
At the risk of sounding like a bloody advert, it’s a Golf. Close the door and it thuds like a Golf. Sit behind the wheel and it feels like a Golf.
Ok there are certain ‘R-specific’ features in the car, like the blue ambient lighting on the doors/sill trims/gauge needles along with the ‘R-only’ upholstery. But apart from that, the dashboard finish is the same, the seat design is the same as a GTi/GTD (bit sad they don’t offer a Recaro wingback option like they did in the MK6R and MK7 Clubsport models?!) seats and all the switchgear is lifted straight from the generic Golf parts bin. This will not be enough for some people who want to spend that kind of money and feel like they’re sitting in something special, the small differences in an R do NOT make you feel like you’re in something special. It’s a very nice comfortable place to be and I’ve spent many hours behind the wheel in one sitting, feeling fresh and fine when I get out at the other end, but I’m sure that the same could be said if I’d got out of a Golf GTD.
Over the past two years the car has been loaded with dogs, friends, camping gear, etc and at no point have I ever thought; ‘wow, this car is so spacious’ I’m afraid. The loadspace is really pretty poor for what is still meant as an every day hatchback car, I assume it’s because they’ve fitted a rear diff for the 4WD system, but it’s robbed space from the boot and the result isn’t great and was a bit of a surprise to me.
The equipment levels even in a ‘base spec’ car like mine are very good and provides a lot of features you have to pay for with other manufacturers. In no particular order my highlights are; adaptive xenon lights, adaptive cruise control, touchscreen media (BT, USB, SD), feature-laden on board computer, hill hold assist (didn’t think I’d need/use/feel it.. but I do!) and park assist front and rear with distance display. Interior fit and finish is great, everything still works as it should and there are zero squeaks or rattles in the car (a reeeal pet hate of mine!) at all. The only time that I thought I heard a bit of a rattle was dipping into the ploughed tarmac of Karousel on The Ring, but think that was my GoPro mount rather than the car.
Ride/Handling:
This is an area which I was absolutely blown away by the R if I’m honest, worth saying that I got a car without the active Dynamic Chassis Control option and on the standard 18” wheels with Bridgestone tyres and despite regretting not going for the 19” Pretoria wheel option from a visual point of view, I cannot complain about the way the car drove on the standard wheels at all.
I live in East/North East Scotland and I’m lucky enough to have access to some amazing roads just a short drive from my house, they are phenomenally fun but also phenomenally bumpy/tight as well and really test the handling of any car. After I’d given the Golf a chance to bed in, I took it for a blast along one of my favourite stretches of road and couldn’t believe how well it coped. The R actually reminded me of my original Impreza UK Turbo which had the Prodrive Handling Pack, something designed specifically to cope with a British B-road. The R had enough suspension travel to soak up the lumps and bumps, but was still stiff enough so that it didn’t hit the bump stops or wallow around; it really provides you with a lot of confidence to stick it into the bends. Even when I switched to the 19” BBS wheels that I bought for the car, the ride quality never changed and the composure it showed on a twisty road was unaltered.
Despite the composure it showed on the road, when I took the car on a track day, the amount of body roll was a bit too much for me. So I did some more reading about suspension kits/springs/coilovers but again because the cars were still quite new, the depth of knowledge was quite light and it was a bit of a struggle to get some real world feedback from owners rather than sales guff from people selling the products. I’ve posted a wee bit about my suspension woes, going from KW V1 Coilovers to Koni Adjustable Shocks with H&R Springs which have been fantastic and I really love the way the car rides on both road and track now. However despite this being meant/sold as a MK7 R kit, it required removal of the front ARB to stop knocking on my car; so if I had my time over again, I’d probably fit a spring kit and be done with it rather than going through all the hassle and irritation again.. either that or spend considerably more money on an expensive fully adjustable coilover kit like the KW V3 or KW Clubsport kits.
As far as being 4WD goes, this car isn’t like the 4WD cars which I’ve owned before (Imprezas, GT4s, etc) which have permanent 4WD. The MK7 R has the most up to date Haldex system which as I understand it is still more of a reactive system which will sense slip at the front and engage the rear wheels to provide 4WD to help out until the front regains grip again; rather than an active system where the rear wheels are engaged and providing 4WD assistance at all times. This assistance from the rear is something which I’ve only EVER felt happening on the recent snow/ice that we’ve had, up until that point, there have been no broadside drifts out of junctions or 4-wheel slides on roundabouts to report.. you can adjust the car on the throttle, bringing the rear into play a little, but I think you’d have to be going very hard (with a considerable amount of space to play with) and be very harsh with steering/throttle inputs to get it to slide around like a more traditional 4WD car would… however while I don’t want to drive like a hooligan on the road, I’d like it to play back a little bit more when I’m in the mood; especially when on track.
Looks/Design:
I like it, which isn’t surprising since it’s sitting on my driveway I suppose. But I like that it looks just like a regular Golf to 90-95% of the population, I can leave it in town and not worry that its spoiler is going to get ripped off or some jealous scrote is going to run a key along the side of it. Ok, those are still risks with any car, but it’s less of a risk on a car which blends in so well. After all it’s only those ‘in the know’ who will be able to identify the small details which are ‘R-specific’ on the exterior, like the calipers/R-badges/wheels and ‘that’ exhaust… I can’t really ignore the exhaust any longer can I?? Well for the record, I don’t like it. I think it’s ridiculous that a VW Golf has 4 tailpipes, completely unnecessary and I’m not entirely sure why they moved away from the twin exit of the current GTi or previous R model which looks a LOT better to me. In fact, if I were ever to change the exhaust and get a custom system made (with acceptable noise levels/tone) then I’d ditch the four tailpipes and have two decent sized oval tailpipes, along the lines of the design seen on Audi RS models.
One of my regrets when I got the car was not ordering the 19” Pretoria wheels, the 18” wheels aren’t offensive and I think the Tornado Red actually pulls them off better than most other colours, but they’re nowhere near as attractive as the upgraded alloys are in my opinion and if I was ordering another R then the 19” wheels would be the first box I’d tick.
Running Costs:
The car is or isn’t as expensive to run as you would like it to be really, when driving on track I’ve seen the MPG down to 11-12mpg average but on the road I can also achieve 36-38mpg average without driving like I’m an 80-yr old in a daydream or on a Top Gear Economy Challenge. Not that I think the figures would be any different if I didn’t but I only ever use Shell V-Power in my cars out of choice, premium fuel was obviously required after I tuned the car to its current level anyway.
In addition to the mileage covered on the road, the car has done 4 track days at Knockhill and a trip to The Nurburgring in Germany where I did 5 laps in the car at fairly brisk pace (8:33 best BTG). I typically run the car with the TC/ESC completely turned off on the road and without fail on track, but the speed at which it has chewed through the rear brake pads has been astonishing. I was under the impression that turning the electronic aids off would stop the car interfering and braking wheels of its own accord when the car was being thrown around, however it needed rear pads replacing within 9k miles and the amount of brake dust on my REAR wheels after being on track is high, probably more so than the fronts, so I can only assume (since I don’t feel it happening) that the car still interferes and introduces braking when pushing very hard. While the rear pads have been changed, the front pads are going to require changing within the next 2-3k probably, so I’ll have got 12-13k miles from them, which given the use the car has had, I think is absolutely fine.
I’ve done two oil changes myself, again due to the use the car gets, but it is due for its first scheduled service at VW in the coming month or so, although I’m running a slightly better quality of oil than they will use, so I’ll supply that for them to use instead of the OEM oil.
Summary:
I’m very well known for changing my cars at regular intervals, sometimes because I don’t gel with them and others because I just want to try something new. Well I’m in the unfamiliar situation where I can’t really think of another car which I could replace the Golf with which would give me such a great combination of performance, practicality, equipment and sensible running costs for the same kind of money. Sure there are a couple of wee downsides with it, but they’re very minor and I’m being quite picky when I mention them.
I’ve rambled on a LOT more than I had planned to do, I hope it’s been a decent enough read for you and informative enough for those who were hoping to gain something from it.
Cheers,
Grant
That's a fantastic looking car! I don't think I have seen a Golf R in Tornado Red, let alone modified with 3dr. The Speedlines really suit it.
Two questions, both genuine:
- what are you going to do peformance wise? Are you going to go for a big power build at any time?
(Please don't get offended at this question)
- Do you ever worry about the car security wise? Just asking, since all the spate of R thefts recently. I am actually looking to purchase one outright, like you did. However, I am buying used, and a lot of cars are "Cat D" which I am assuming is "stolen recovered"? And the infamous double Toerag/Golf R theft thread on here has scared me off a little bit, so I am considering a GTI instead..
What's the peformance like compred to your previous cars (TT RS etc..)
Again, nice car! Watching with interest.
Two questions, both genuine:
- what are you going to do peformance wise? Are you going to go for a big power build at any time?
(Please don't get offended at this question)
- Do you ever worry about the car security wise? Just asking, since all the spate of R thefts recently. I am actually looking to purchase one outright, like you did. However, I am buying used, and a lot of cars are "Cat D" which I am assuming is "stolen recovered"? And the infamous double Toerag/Golf R theft thread on here has scared me off a little bit, so I am considering a GTI instead..
What's the peformance like compred to your previous cars (TT RS etc..)
Again, nice car! Watching with interest.
RS Grant said:
After doing a lot of reading on the VW R Owners Club and other places, I decided to fit a couple of small bits to the car and beef up the performance which I had become used to and less impressed by, as is the norm when you live with a car I suppose. In particular the mid-range performance seemed to take well to modifications, however, I’ve got a manual gearbox and as such the clutch is known to be a bit of a weak point after sustained hard work (even standard), so I had to be careful that I didn’t push things too far as I didn’t really fancy being stung for a replacement at VW and the aftermarket/uprated parts shelf was still rather sparse given that the car was still fairly new out at the time. The car made 362bhp and 331lb/ft with these modifications and even though that was a torque-limited map (should produce ~360lb/ft) the car was transformed but is still very smooth, just giving ‘more’ everywhere and a very impressive turn of pace.
I have a manual Golf R myself and enjoyed reading your update What map did you go for? and does it affect warranty?
Thanks for all the positive comments, I didn't intend it being quite such a long read when I started but I'm glad it's been appreciated. 
Regarding the power level, it's a tough one really. The car is very driveable the way it is, very smooth and as I say it's just as it was when it was standard but there's just 'more' of it. So I'd have to be very careful that I didn't push things too far and create a car which was less flexible or less driveable, so things like big power 500+bhp builds are unlikely to happen on this thread.
If I was to go to the next level with the car it'd be getting an intercooler, free-flowing downpipe and a custom map; the problem with doing this is that I would put money on the clutch deciding that it's work is done and giving up on me once it's got over 400lbft going through it. Which means that I'd require an uprated clutch for 000's or 0000's of pounds, that isn't the end of the world financially but from the brief scan of the available options there doesn't seem to be much real-world feedback on exactly how these clutches feel and operate, I've seen some people mention a paddle clutch and my only experience of those is back in my RS Turbo days and I did not like the on/off nature of them one little bit. I'd need to do a lot more reading before I bit that particular bullet because like I found when researching parts before, the majority of feedback I've seen is from parts sellers feeding people the info they want to hear.
Security is always a worry when you've got a nice car, the R is no different. I've got a few pros on my side;
- My location, the crime rate is low and even the closest city isn't bad by modern standards.
- It's 3dr, so isn't as practical as 5dr/Estate cars for bad lads to keep their shooters and bags of cash.
- The car spends a fair amount of time in storage, so out of sight/out of mind.
...despite those pros, I believe that if someone wants your car then they'll find a way to get your car. So the keys are never hidden in the house because I'd rather be fast asleep and undisturbed should any dodgy characters let themselves in to get the keys and survive the dogs licking them to death.
Performance is strong, very strong actually. The TTRS was a bit of an anomaly as well, fairly certain it had been mapped before we bought it as it made 374bhp and 415lbft when on a dyno with me but it pulled from almost idle and continued pulling very hard right into three figures, I saw 174mph in that car before I had to lift. As yet the maximum I've seen in the Golf is 164mph before I had to lift, but it was still pulling at that speed so there's not likely a great deal in it. I am yet to give it a run against the F80 M3 (a big downside with living in Scotland is aligning free time with good weather! ), but I've a sneaking suspicion that the BMW won't have it all it's own way until speeds start to get more serious. Certainly to drive, the Golf feels more punchy than the M3 does, so will be interesting to see the result of a side by side pull and some in-gear tests too... I could be completely wrong in my suspicions, haha, but I'll update the thread once that happens anyway.
Cheers,
Grant
sleepera6 said:
That's a fantastic looking car! I don't think I have seen a Golf R in Tornado Red, let alone modified with 3dr. The Speedlines really suit it.
Two questions, both genuine:
- what are you going to do peformance wise? Are you going to go for a big power build at any time?
(Please don't get offended at this question)
- Do you ever worry about the car security wise? Just asking, since all the spate of R thefts recently. I am actually looking to purchase one outright, like you did. However, I am buying used, and a lot of cars are "Cat D" which I am assuming is "stolen recovered"? And the infamous double Toerag/Golf R theft thread on here has scared me off a little bit, so I am considering a GTI instead..
What's the peformance like compred to your previous cars (TT RS etc..)
Again, nice car! Watching with interest.
Thanks mate, red is still the poor relation compared to the Blue/White from what I've seen. I'm happier that way though, wee bit more exclusivity is never a bad thing. Two questions, both genuine:
- what are you going to do peformance wise? Are you going to go for a big power build at any time?
(Please don't get offended at this question)
- Do you ever worry about the car security wise? Just asking, since all the spate of R thefts recently. I am actually looking to purchase one outright, like you did. However, I am buying used, and a lot of cars are "Cat D" which I am assuming is "stolen recovered"? And the infamous double Toerag/Golf R theft thread on here has scared me off a little bit, so I am considering a GTI instead..
What's the peformance like compred to your previous cars (TT RS etc..)
Again, nice car! Watching with interest.
Regarding the power level, it's a tough one really. The car is very driveable the way it is, very smooth and as I say it's just as it was when it was standard but there's just 'more' of it. So I'd have to be very careful that I didn't push things too far and create a car which was less flexible or less driveable, so things like big power 500+bhp builds are unlikely to happen on this thread.
If I was to go to the next level with the car it'd be getting an intercooler, free-flowing downpipe and a custom map; the problem with doing this is that I would put money on the clutch deciding that it's work is done and giving up on me once it's got over 400lbft going through it. Which means that I'd require an uprated clutch for 000's or 0000's of pounds, that isn't the end of the world financially but from the brief scan of the available options there doesn't seem to be much real-world feedback on exactly how these clutches feel and operate, I've seen some people mention a paddle clutch and my only experience of those is back in my RS Turbo days and I did not like the on/off nature of them one little bit. I'd need to do a lot more reading before I bit that particular bullet because like I found when researching parts before, the majority of feedback I've seen is from parts sellers feeding people the info they want to hear.
Security is always a worry when you've got a nice car, the R is no different. I've got a few pros on my side;
- My location, the crime rate is low and even the closest city isn't bad by modern standards.
- It's 3dr, so isn't as practical as 5dr/Estate cars for bad lads to keep their shooters and bags of cash.
- The car spends a fair amount of time in storage, so out of sight/out of mind.
...despite those pros, I believe that if someone wants your car then they'll find a way to get your car. So the keys are never hidden in the house because I'd rather be fast asleep and undisturbed should any dodgy characters let themselves in to get the keys and survive the dogs licking them to death.
Performance is strong, very strong actually. The TTRS was a bit of an anomaly as well, fairly certain it had been mapped before we bought it as it made 374bhp and 415lbft when on a dyno with me but it pulled from almost idle and continued pulling very hard right into three figures, I saw 174mph in that car before I had to lift. As yet the maximum I've seen in the Golf is 164mph before I had to lift, but it was still pulling at that speed so there's not likely a great deal in it. I am yet to give it a run against the F80 M3 (a big downside with living in Scotland is aligning free time with good weather!
), but I've a sneaking suspicion that the BMW won't have it all it's own way until speeds start to get more serious. Certainly to drive, the Golf feels more punchy than the M3 does, so will be interesting to see the result of a side by side pull and some in-gear tests too... I could be completely wrong in my suspicions, haha, but I'll update the thread once that happens anyway. Cheers,
Grant
AGK said:
Good write up Grant.
Did you get round to using the DS2500?
Not got round to using them yet, the standard pads are still holding on amazingly?! I'll likely give the DS2500's a whirl once I finally kill off the originals though. Did you get round to using the DS2500?
Hows the Clio coming along? You planning any KH days in near future?
KarlS said:
RS Grant said:
After doing a lot of reading on the VW R Owners Club and other places, I decided to fit a couple of small bits to the car and beef up the performance which I had become used to and less impressed by, as is the norm when you live with a car I suppose. In particular the mid-range performance seemed to take well to modifications, however, I’ve got a manual gearbox and as such the clutch is known to be a bit of a weak point after sustained hard work (even standard), so I had to be careful that I didn’t push things too far as I didn’t really fancy being stung for a replacement at VW and the aftermarket/uprated parts shelf was still rather sparse given that the car was still fairly new out at the time. The car made 362bhp and 331lb/ft with these modifications and even though that was a torque-limited map (should produce ~360lb/ft) the car was transformed but is still very smooth, just giving ‘more’ everywhere and a very impressive turn of pace.
I have a manual Golf R myself and enjoyed reading your update What map did you go for? and does it affect warranty?
http://www.burgertuning.com/volkswagen_vw.html
That's the link to the company who make the JB1 box for the R. They have recently released a JB4 box (what BMW guys have raved about for years!) for the R which opens up a LOT of new options and features, you can also upgrade a JB1 box to JB4 spec which is something which I'm seriously considering at the moment.
Cheers,
Grant
Edited by RS Grant on Wednesday 18th January 18:22
Grant,
If you're debating the clutch upgrade but want to feel it out, you're more than welcome to try mine, based in North East Yorkshire if that's of help. Best description I can give you is - stiff, but not too stiff, tonnes of feel, more responsive and smoother change. It also got rid of that god forsaken "delay" between giving you your full beans when shifting up
Definitely get the Wagner and the TT intake man!
If you're debating the clutch upgrade but want to feel it out, you're more than welcome to try mine, based in North East Yorkshire if that's of help. Best description I can give you is - stiff, but not too stiff, tonnes of feel, more responsive and smoother change. It also got rid of that god forsaken "delay" between giving you your full beans when shifting up
Definitely get the Wagner and the TT intake man!
Thanks for taking the time to compose such a detailed review of your R. Stumbled upon this rather fortunately.
Potentially in the market to buy one in the not so distant future and coming from similar part of the UK, it's great to hear positive feedback on usage around the roads of NE Scotland. Particularly given that I'd also select one without DCC if choice allows.
Also having been an Impreza owner in years gone by, I enjoyed the similarities your drew between them. I still find myself dribbling over Impreza's however a Golf might be a more suitable all around vehicle for me and the family.
Potentially in the market to buy one in the not so distant future and coming from similar part of the UK, it's great to hear positive feedback on usage around the roads of NE Scotland. Particularly given that I'd also select one without DCC if choice allows.
Also having been an Impreza owner in years gone by, I enjoyed the similarities your drew between them. I still find myself dribbling over Impreza's however a Golf might be a more suitable all around vehicle for me and the family.
RS Grant said:
Glad you enjoyed the update Karl, have you done anything to your Golf just now? I've got a JB1 Box fitted to mine, it's essentially a tuning box although it's a bit more than your average tuning box. Produces some good figures and keeps the car driving as per standard, just makes it a bit more muscular. If ultimate performance is your goal then it's not quite as good as a custom map, however, you would then run the risk of warranty issues should something go wrong and they discovered your car had been remapped; which the JB1 box wouldn't do as it can be removed very easily, leaving no trace for the dealership.
http://www.burgertuning.com/volkswagen_vw.html
That's the link to the company who make the JB1 box for the R. They have recently released a JB4 box (what BMW guys have raved about for years!) for the R which opens up a LOT of new options and features, you can also upgrade a JB1 box to JB4 spec which is something which I'm seriously considering at the moment.
Cheers,
Grant
My Golf is completely standard. I have it on a 3 year personal lease, and it's only about 8 months old so I'm only just getting to that point now where i'm thinking about a little more power, but, with concerns about the warranty. I have read that the clutch on the manuals is worse than the DSG's so that worries me a bit too.http://www.burgertuning.com/volkswagen_vw.html
That's the link to the company who make the JB1 box for the R. They have recently released a JB4 box (what BMW guys have raved about for years!) for the R which opens up a LOT of new options and features, you can also upgrade a JB1 box to JB4 spec which is something which I'm seriously considering at the moment.
Cheers,
Grant
Edited by RS Grant on Wednesday 18th January 18:22
Regarding the JB!, funny enough my research had directed me towards that as being the best of the tuning box type maps, although a friend of a friend has a DTUK box for sale soon which is going cheap (any experience of those?).
I too have really enjoyed reading through the thread and thank you for giving such concise detail throughout your ownership.
Are you still running no front anti roll bar? The car looks to lean a lot in the pictures at the ring, although i appreciate you don't have a full track orientated setup. It is interesting that you draw the comparison to the AWD Imprezas and i am assuming GT4 being Celicas (If so, do you have any pictures?). After watching your video it did appear that the car behaves very much like a FWD car and it is interesting to hear that, my 306 actually benefited with a stiffer rear ARB and disconnected front ARB. Very pointy and precise, whereas the Celica must be coerced and balanced in to corners or will understeer dramatically. Especially under power.
Also, if you were to want to put the front ARB back on, drop links are surprisingly simple to construct yourself if you were needing to make them slightly longer.
Are you still running no front anti roll bar? The car looks to lean a lot in the pictures at the ring, although i appreciate you don't have a full track orientated setup. It is interesting that you draw the comparison to the AWD Imprezas and i am assuming GT4 being Celicas (If so, do you have any pictures?). After watching your video it did appear that the car behaves very much like a FWD car and it is interesting to hear that, my 306 actually benefited with a stiffer rear ARB and disconnected front ARB. Very pointy and precise, whereas the Celica must be coerced and balanced in to corners or will understeer dramatically. Especially under power.
Also, if you were to want to put the front ARB back on, drop links are surprisingly simple to construct yourself if you were needing to make them slightly longer.
axel1990chp said:
Grant,
If you're debating the clutch upgrade but want to feel it out, you're more than welcome to try mine, based in North East Yorkshire if that's of help. Best description I can give you is - stiff, but not too stiff, tonnes of feel, more responsive and smoother change. It also got rid of that god forsaken "delay" between giving you your full beans when shifting up
Definitely get the Wagner and the TT intake man!
Sounds good, that'd be very helpful! There is a chance that I'll be driving down to visit friends in Bedford in the next couple of months so if that happens then a small stop off in NE Yorks shouldn't be a problem. So I'll fire you a PM closer to the time. If you're debating the clutch upgrade but want to feel it out, you're more than welcome to try mine, based in North East Yorkshire if that's of help. Best description I can give you is - stiff, but not too stiff, tonnes of feel, more responsive and smoother change. It also got rid of that god forsaken "delay" between giving you your full beans when shifting up
Definitely get the Wagner and the TT intake man!
What is the spec of your R now then? What clutch did you go for in the end and if you don't mind me asking, how much did it sting you?
I've got the TT intake pipe fitted, I could see the logic behind getting rid of the restrictive plastic intake elbow and decided that it was worth the expense so swapped out the Forge pipe. The Wagner IC would be the one I'd go for going by what I've read and results I've seen so far.
DuncB7 said:
Thanks for taking the time to compose such a detailed review of your R. Stumbled upon this rather fortunately.
Potentially in the market to buy one in the not so distant future and coming from similar part of the UK, it's great to hear positive feedback on usage around the roads of NE Scotland. Particularly given that I'd also select one without DCC if choice allows.
Also having been an Impreza owner in years gone by, I enjoyed the similarities your drew between them. I still find myself dribbling over Impreza's however a Golf might be a more suitable all around vehicle for me and the family.
Glad you've found the thread and it's been of use Dunc... completely random I know, but I remember a Dunc from NE Scotland being on the Impreza Owners Club who owned an Impreza Catalunya that he either bought or sold to a guy called Chris Groves. You wouldn't happen to be the same person?Potentially in the market to buy one in the not so distant future and coming from similar part of the UK, it's great to hear positive feedback on usage around the roads of NE Scotland. Particularly given that I'd also select one without DCC if choice allows.
Also having been an Impreza owner in years gone by, I enjoyed the similarities your drew between them. I still find myself dribbling over Impreza's however a Golf might be a more suitable all around vehicle for me and the family.
I looked into the new Impreza STi but if I'm honest, while I could probably accept and live with the fact the interior quality wasn't up with the German stuff; I was a bit disappointed by the fact they're still using the 500+ year a tax, soft and uneconomical 2.5 engine in the UK cars.
That said, I'm absolutely certain that an Impreza would play back far more than the R does given it's 4WD set up and adjustable centre diff.. so it's really a trade off and deciding what is more important. Another area I think the Subaru would beat the VW is the boot space, which if you're buying as a family car, may be something you investigate and think seriously about.
Cheers,
Grant
KarlS said:
My Golf is completely standard. I have it on a 3 year personal lease, and it's only about 8 months old so I'm only just getting to that point now where i'm thinking about a little more power, but, with concerns about the warranty. I have read that the clutch on the manuals is worse than the DSG's so that worries me a bit too.
Regarding the JB!, funny enough my research had directed me towards that as being the best of the tuning box type maps, although a friend of a friend has a DTUK box for sale soon which is going cheap (any experience of those?).
Yep the manual clutches are a known weak point unfortunately, which makes it extra important that you don't push things too far on the tuning front unless you're ready to lay down some cash on an uprated clutch.. something that nobody on a lease and very few people in a new car want to do!Regarding the JB!, funny enough my research had directed me towards that as being the best of the tuning box type maps, although a friend of a friend has a DTUK box for sale soon which is going cheap (any experience of those?).
The DTUK box was the first one out there from memory, so they sold a LOT of them and they do produce decent enough figures when dyno tested. The reason I went for the JB1 box over the DTUK box was the fact that the JB1 has an extra connection which plugs into the fuel system as well, where as the DTUK box relies on the standard set up to notice an anomaly and compensate for it. We're talking fractions, of fractions of a second here, but I didn't want to run any risk that the car was runing lean or anything. There have been posts with more technical explanations and data about this on the VWROC forum, but that's the bare bones of it and in addition to the JB1 having a pre-loaded ('manual clutch friendly' map on it) is the reason I decided to stay away from the DTUK tuning box.
Cheers,
Grant
Mij91 said:
I too have really enjoyed reading through the thread and thank you for giving such concise detail throughout your ownership.
Are you still running no front anti roll bar? The car looks to lean a lot in the pictures at the ring, although i appreciate you don't have a full track orientated setup. It is interesting that you draw the comparison to the AWD Imprezas and i am assuming GT4 being Celicas (If so, do you have any pictures?). After watching your video it did appear that the car behaves very much like a FWD car and it is interesting to hear that, my 306 actually benefited with a stiffer rear ARB and disconnected front ARB. Very pointy and precise, whereas the Celica must be coerced and balanced in to corners or will understeer dramatically. Especially under power.
Also, if you were to want to put the front ARB back on, drop links are surprisingly simple to construct yourself if you were needing to make them slightly longer.
Yep the car is still running no front ARB and will likely continue to do so because I'm buggered if I'm away to start messing with more suspension kits for the car... three different setups within a few months was enough to sicken me! Are you still running no front anti roll bar? The car looks to lean a lot in the pictures at the ring, although i appreciate you don't have a full track orientated setup. It is interesting that you draw the comparison to the AWD Imprezas and i am assuming GT4 being Celicas (If so, do you have any pictures?). After watching your video it did appear that the car behaves very much like a FWD car and it is interesting to hear that, my 306 actually benefited with a stiffer rear ARB and disconnected front ARB. Very pointy and precise, whereas the Celica must be coerced and balanced in to corners or will understeer dramatically. Especially under power.
Also, if you were to want to put the front ARB back on, drop links are surprisingly simple to construct yourself if you were needing to make them slightly longer.
Suspension-wise, if I was to go 'all-in' on the car then I'd have a fully adjustable coilover kit with camber adjustment and a stiffer rear ARB with a re-fitted front ARB. However as I said, I've sickened myself with suspension on this car so for the time being all I'd consider would be some kind of camber adjustment and possibly a stiffer rear ARB in an attempt to make the rear a little more lively for me. But I should say the car handles amazingly well as it is and I'm a bit unsure if I should fiddle too much with it.
I was Celica GT4s that I've had previously, I've owned two.. one of which I liked so much that I owned it twice!
1994 White WRC:
Untitled by RS Grant, on Flickr
Untitled by RS Grant, on Flickr1997 Storm Grey:
Untitled by RS Grant, on Flickr
Untitled by RS Grant, on Flickr1994 White WRC (Part 2):
Untitled by RS Grant, on Flickr
Untitled by RS Grant, on FlickrI found them to be a bit soft on a proper back road, touched the bump stops a few times on an Impreza Owners Club run in the Highlands in my White WRC model! Fitted a set of Tein Springs and a Whiteline Rear ARB to my Grey car though and it was much better than the standard set up, handled well even on track.
Untitled by RS Grant, on FlickrCheers,
Grant
Edited by RS Grant on Wednesday 4th April 18:49
RS Grant said:
Yep the manual clutches are a known weak point unfortunately, which makes it extra important that you don't push things too far on the tuning front unless you're ready to lay down some cash on an uprated clutch.. something that nobody on a lease and very few people in a new car want to do!
The DTUK box was the first one out there from memory, so they sold a LOT of them and they do produce decent enough figures when dyno tested. The reason I went for the JB1 box over the DTUK box was the fact that the JB1 has an extra connection which plugs into the fuel system as well, where as the DTUK box relies on the standard set up to notice an anomaly and compensate for it. We're talking fractions, of fractions of a second here, but I didn't want to run any risk that the car was runing lean or anything. There have been posts with more technical explanations and data about this on the VWROC forum, but that's the bare bones of it and in addition to the JB1 having a pre-loaded ('manual clutch friendly' map on it) is the reason I decided to stay away from the DTUK tuning box.
Cheers,
Grant
I'm thinking maybe I'll leave it alone a little longer. I've done a bit more research this morning and the clutch thing has me worrying. There are reports from people that haven't even tuned their cars having clutch problems as low as 6k miles in. Why did they put a GTI clutch in a car with so much more power, crazy!The DTUK box was the first one out there from memory, so they sold a LOT of them and they do produce decent enough figures when dyno tested. The reason I went for the JB1 box over the DTUK box was the fact that the JB1 has an extra connection which plugs into the fuel system as well, where as the DTUK box relies on the standard set up to notice an anomaly and compensate for it. We're talking fractions, of fractions of a second here, but I didn't want to run any risk that the car was runing lean or anything. There have been posts with more technical explanations and data about this on the VWROC forum, but that's the bare bones of it and in addition to the JB1 having a pre-loaded ('manual clutch friendly' map on it) is the reason I decided to stay away from the DTUK tuning box.
Cheers,
Grant
Anyway good luck with your car, mine is Lapiz (predictably) but I really do like the red ones - especially 3 door
Cheers,
Karl
lewis87 said:
Car looks great on the speedlines, would I have seen this car parked up on Bank Street in Kirrie?
Yep, you would have seen it parked there occasionally. I'll keep an eye out for you when I'm up there, what do you drive?KarlS said:
RS Grant said:
Yep the manual clutches are a known weak point unfortunately, which makes it extra important that you don't push things too far on the tuning front unless you're ready to lay down some cash on an uprated clutch.. something that nobody on a lease and very few people in a new car want to do!
The DTUK box was the first one out there from memory, so they sold a LOT of them and they do produce decent enough figures when dyno tested. The reason I went for the JB1 box over the DTUK box was the fact that the JB1 has an extra connection which plugs into the fuel system as well, where as the DTUK box relies on the standard set up to notice an anomaly and compensate for it. We're talking fractions, of fractions of a second here, but I didn't want to run any risk that the car was runing lean or anything. There have been posts with more technical explanations and data about this on the VWROC forum, but that's the bare bones of it and in addition to the JB1 having a pre-loaded ('manual clutch friendly' map on it) is the reason I decided to stay away from the DTUK tuning box.
Cheers,
Grant
I'm thinking maybe I'll leave it alone a little longer. I've done a bit more research this morning and the clutch thing has me worrying. There are reports from people that haven't even tuned their cars having clutch problems as low as 6k miles in. Why did they put a GTI clutch in a car with so much more power, crazy!The DTUK box was the first one out there from memory, so they sold a LOT of them and they do produce decent enough figures when dyno tested. The reason I went for the JB1 box over the DTUK box was the fact that the JB1 has an extra connection which plugs into the fuel system as well, where as the DTUK box relies on the standard set up to notice an anomaly and compensate for it. We're talking fractions, of fractions of a second here, but I didn't want to run any risk that the car was runing lean or anything. There have been posts with more technical explanations and data about this on the VWROC forum, but that's the bare bones of it and in addition to the JB1 having a pre-loaded ('manual clutch friendly' map on it) is the reason I decided to stay away from the DTUK tuning box.
Cheers,
Grant
Anyway good luck with your car, mine is Lapiz (predictably) but I really do like the red ones - especially 3 door
Cheers,
Karl
Thanks Karl, I love the Lapiz.. specially when it's taken care of well and the sun is out, it's a stunning colour. If I'd ordered another R (which I had considered) then I was going with Lapiz Blue, although I did consider Limestone Grey as a more subtle left-field option.
RS Grant said:
1994 White WRC:
DELETED: Comment made by a member who's account has been deleted.Sadly looking at MOT and Tax history on the car would suggest it's either been stripped (it had a big turbo, fully forged engine etc) and gone to the scrapyard in the sky or is lying in a driveway/barn somewhere. No MOT or Tax since the end of 2012 and I suppose it could be a track car, but I'm quite a regular visitor to Knockhill and I've not seen/heard of it being up there.
Cheers,
Grant
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