Stage 2+ Shopping Trolley - GTI Edition 30 Content
Discussion
Pretty standard thread here I imagine but thought I’d track the progress of this car too.
We have two cars in our household - An Audi S6 V10 (thread here) and what was an 03 model Seat Ibiza. This car was given to me for free by a friend for helping him buy a new car. It had a snapped front coil spring, broken drivers window and was desperately overdue a cam belt. After fixing it up it provided excellent service for nearly 3 years in the end! It was mainly used by my wife for ferrying the kids around locally and it gave valiant service. Since we moved and it was seeing more regular service it was starting to become a bit of a pain day to day - it was just too small (neither of us could fit in the passenger seat when the kids were in the back) and the remote fobs stopped working meaning the alarm kept going off etc. It was also very long in the tooth and rather tatty.
Long story short we decided a new car was what was needed. My wife has always wanted a golf and I have a particular soft spot for MK5 GTI’s after mucking around with a new edition 30 when I was younger. Having a look about we decided to go for the Edition 30 as they seemed to be holding their money well.
I wanted a manual so it could also be a bit of a fun car and must have spec was Xenons, High Line Computer, grey or black, half leather interior (for those tartan seats) and 5 door.
For those of you that don’t know - the edition 30 isn’t just a trim change. It features the tartan seats, golf ball gear knob and (in my eyes) lovely Pescara alloys. But it also has a different engine. It’s essentially the same engine as was in the 8p Audi S3 and MK6 golf R, so strengthened internals and the larger K04 turbo. It was just slightly detuned and FWD.
After looking on the usual sites for a while I decided to post on the edition 30 owners group on Facebook.
Had a couple of PM’s but this particular one caught my eye. It was a 66k mile car with xenons, sat nav, high line clocks, ambient lighting/puddle lights and in black. Pics looked immaculate and it had a full service history and 2 previous owners
Oh - and it was running APR’s Stage 2+ package. Which meant somewhere around 360 - 380 or so bhp.
One of the previous owners was a mechanic at a VAG specialist that were also an APR dealer so this is roughly when the modifications were done.
It includes;
APR Downpipe with sports cat
VWR intake
R8 coil packs
RS4 Fuel Return valve
Scorpion exhaust
VWR springs/dampers
Helix clutch
APR high pressure fuel pump
Anti lift kit
S3 intercooler
Intake runner flap delete
A train up to Leeds was booked. The car was as expected - pretty tidy for what is a 12 year old car. It drove great and pulled exceptionally well. The front end had been resprayed a year or two previously (due to the notorious mk5 rusty arches) so was in excellent condition, the rear was very good for a 12 year old black car. Some swirling in the clear coat and some minor blemishes that would be nearly invisible on any colour other than black! Nothing a good detail wouldn’t resolve.
Money paid and I started the trip back down to Reading. In the best way the trip was uneventful - car ran great, not as quiet as the S6 on a cruise but the seats were excellent. Had a few chances to open it up and I was genuinely shocked at not just how quick it was but also how much like a standard golf it still felt - only the slightly heavier clutch gave it away.
Keen to see what it was actually like a friend and I took it out with the Audi. I knew it felt quick but bum dyno’s can often be fooled by the large surge of torque from a turbo. Without a doubt though the golf is far quicker than S6 when rolling - pulling a number of car lengths on it.
The car is a bit of an animal when it comes on boost - but puts its power down remarkably well considering. I don’t doubt the 365bhp figure at all and suspect it may be slightly healthier.
Plans for the car -
Replace awful black VW badges with original chrome - done!
Replace red GTI grill badge with original chrome - done!
Reinstall rear GTI badge
Replace stereo with either RNS510 or newer VW unit
Remove parrot kit
Car is going to the specialist who I use for my S6 for an inspection service, will get them to check the cam follower at the same time. They are also an APR dealer so will check exactly what map is on the car etc.
Enjoy It!
Couple of pics
We have two cars in our household - An Audi S6 V10 (thread here) and what was an 03 model Seat Ibiza. This car was given to me for free by a friend for helping him buy a new car. It had a snapped front coil spring, broken drivers window and was desperately overdue a cam belt. After fixing it up it provided excellent service for nearly 3 years in the end! It was mainly used by my wife for ferrying the kids around locally and it gave valiant service. Since we moved and it was seeing more regular service it was starting to become a bit of a pain day to day - it was just too small (neither of us could fit in the passenger seat when the kids were in the back) and the remote fobs stopped working meaning the alarm kept going off etc. It was also very long in the tooth and rather tatty.
Long story short we decided a new car was what was needed. My wife has always wanted a golf and I have a particular soft spot for MK5 GTI’s after mucking around with a new edition 30 when I was younger. Having a look about we decided to go for the Edition 30 as they seemed to be holding their money well.
I wanted a manual so it could also be a bit of a fun car and must have spec was Xenons, High Line Computer, grey or black, half leather interior (for those tartan seats) and 5 door.
For those of you that don’t know - the edition 30 isn’t just a trim change. It features the tartan seats, golf ball gear knob and (in my eyes) lovely Pescara alloys. But it also has a different engine. It’s essentially the same engine as was in the 8p Audi S3 and MK6 golf R, so strengthened internals and the larger K04 turbo. It was just slightly detuned and FWD.
After looking on the usual sites for a while I decided to post on the edition 30 owners group on Facebook.
Had a couple of PM’s but this particular one caught my eye. It was a 66k mile car with xenons, sat nav, high line clocks, ambient lighting/puddle lights and in black. Pics looked immaculate and it had a full service history and 2 previous owners
Oh - and it was running APR’s Stage 2+ package. Which meant somewhere around 360 - 380 or so bhp.
One of the previous owners was a mechanic at a VAG specialist that were also an APR dealer so this is roughly when the modifications were done.
It includes;
APR Downpipe with sports cat
VWR intake
R8 coil packs
RS4 Fuel Return valve
Scorpion exhaust
VWR springs/dampers
Helix clutch
APR high pressure fuel pump
Anti lift kit
S3 intercooler
Intake runner flap delete
A train up to Leeds was booked. The car was as expected - pretty tidy for what is a 12 year old car. It drove great and pulled exceptionally well. The front end had been resprayed a year or two previously (due to the notorious mk5 rusty arches) so was in excellent condition, the rear was very good for a 12 year old black car. Some swirling in the clear coat and some minor blemishes that would be nearly invisible on any colour other than black! Nothing a good detail wouldn’t resolve.
Money paid and I started the trip back down to Reading. In the best way the trip was uneventful - car ran great, not as quiet as the S6 on a cruise but the seats were excellent. Had a few chances to open it up and I was genuinely shocked at not just how quick it was but also how much like a standard golf it still felt - only the slightly heavier clutch gave it away.
Keen to see what it was actually like a friend and I took it out with the Audi. I knew it felt quick but bum dyno’s can often be fooled by the large surge of torque from a turbo. Without a doubt though the golf is far quicker than S6 when rolling - pulling a number of car lengths on it.
The car is a bit of an animal when it comes on boost - but puts its power down remarkably well considering. I don’t doubt the 365bhp figure at all and suspect it may be slightly healthier.
Plans for the car -
Replace awful black VW badges with original chrome - done!
Replace red GTI grill badge with original chrome - done!
Reinstall rear GTI badge
Replace stereo with either RNS510 or newer VW unit
Remove parrot kit
Car is going to the specialist who I use for my S6 for an inspection service, will get them to check the cam follower at the same time. They are also an APR dealer so will check exactly what map is on the car etc.
Enjoy It!
Couple of pics
MDMA . said:
Engine block, turbo and injectors are the same part numbers. Camshaft is different and intercooler slightly bigger on the S3 too.
This. From what I understand the rods and bearings are sturdier then the regular GTi, but the main difference is the larger turbo - a K04 instead of K03. Fortunately this one has had the S3 intercooler fitted.Essential an edition 30 GTi will remap to just over 300bhp as opposed to 250 for a regular GTi
I’d probably suggest driving a couple - tuned to the same level the S3 is undoubtedly quicker, just down to how it can actually use the power.
For me - I have a quick 4wd car and wanted something different. I just find the golf hilarious - it wants to be driven and thrown into some bends
For me - I have a quick 4wd car and wanted something different. I just find the golf hilarious - it wants to be driven and thrown into some bends
Thought I’d update this as a it’s been a while.
Car went and had its inspection/service. All seemed pretty good. Confirmed as being APR Stage 2+. Cam follower was replaced and oil/filter change done.
However, coming back from the service the car had a bumper:deer interface. Left it looking rather sorry for itself.
On the plus side it turns out that it does have a rather nice Airtec intercooler which was an unexpected bonus!
Car ended up needing a whole new bumper, grill, passenger wing, xenon light and all the little bits like headlight washer jets etc as I’m super fussy - basically if any clip was broken etc it got replaced. I’m sure it could have been done cheaper with half the parts or by using pattern bits but I wanted to make sure it was sorted properly.
I then broke out the polisher with some Scholl S20 black compound. I think It comes up well for an old car.
After all that it was time for a tasty treat!
Not much to report for a while after that aside from another service, replacing the PCV valve and a rear wheel bearing (easy job if you have a scaffold pole handy to give you the leverage needed on the hub bolt!).
It also got two new Michelin PS4 tyres to replace the worn fronts. I also took this opportunity to remove the wheel spacers. Whilst it did look a bit better with them on - the combination of the slight lowering and large spacer meant that the wheel would rub occasionally on a spirited B road drive. I hate wheel rub so decided they had to go. As a bonus it felt immediately nicer to drive (more likely to be the new tyres though!).
As Covid restrictions started to ease I began to think more about some track days etc. As I’ve mentioned before the brakes have always been a weak point so I decided to do something about it.
Managed to source some R32/S3 callipers and carriers so I sent them off to Bigg Red Brakes for a refurb - they did a cracking job
TTS 340mm Brembo discs, Ferrodo DS2500 pads and HEL lines completed the job
Clearance much
I also got a set of matching rear S3 brakes. They take it from 286mm solid rear discs to a 310mm vented. Again brembo discs, DS2500 pads and HEL lines finished them off.
Not everything was straight forward with the swap. New rear caliper hardlines were needed along with a near side front chassis hardline. Fortunately nothing too difficult and everything was bled through with ATE type 200 fluid.
Brakes now are excellent - pedal feel is brilliant and they are super powerful. I’ve experienced no fade or pedal lengthening yet either. For the price it seems to be an excellent upgrade.
Whilst sorting the near side chassis hardline I noticed the brake booster hose was split along with the VWR filter looking a little worse for wear. Replacements for these were also fitted.
With that now sorted I’m off to a Drive Limits day with a couple of friends on Monday. Gave the car an obligatory clean for the inevitable photos and videos we take on the day.
I’m sure when I remember I will add some here!
Car went and had its inspection/service. All seemed pretty good. Confirmed as being APR Stage 2+. Cam follower was replaced and oil/filter change done.
However, coming back from the service the car had a bumper:deer interface. Left it looking rather sorry for itself.
On the plus side it turns out that it does have a rather nice Airtec intercooler which was an unexpected bonus!
Car ended up needing a whole new bumper, grill, passenger wing, xenon light and all the little bits like headlight washer jets etc as I’m super fussy - basically if any clip was broken etc it got replaced. I’m sure it could have been done cheaper with half the parts or by using pattern bits but I wanted to make sure it was sorted properly.
I then broke out the polisher with some Scholl S20 black compound. I think It comes up well for an old car.
After all that it was time for a tasty treat!
Not much to report for a while after that aside from another service, replacing the PCV valve and a rear wheel bearing (easy job if you have a scaffold pole handy to give you the leverage needed on the hub bolt!).
It also got two new Michelin PS4 tyres to replace the worn fronts. I also took this opportunity to remove the wheel spacers. Whilst it did look a bit better with them on - the combination of the slight lowering and large spacer meant that the wheel would rub occasionally on a spirited B road drive. I hate wheel rub so decided they had to go. As a bonus it felt immediately nicer to drive (more likely to be the new tyres though!).
As Covid restrictions started to ease I began to think more about some track days etc. As I’ve mentioned before the brakes have always been a weak point so I decided to do something about it.
Managed to source some R32/S3 callipers and carriers so I sent them off to Bigg Red Brakes for a refurb - they did a cracking job
TTS 340mm Brembo discs, Ferrodo DS2500 pads and HEL lines completed the job
Clearance much
I also got a set of matching rear S3 brakes. They take it from 286mm solid rear discs to a 310mm vented. Again brembo discs, DS2500 pads and HEL lines finished them off.
Not everything was straight forward with the swap. New rear caliper hardlines were needed along with a near side front chassis hardline. Fortunately nothing too difficult and everything was bled through with ATE type 200 fluid.
Brakes now are excellent - pedal feel is brilliant and they are super powerful. I’ve experienced no fade or pedal lengthening yet either. For the price it seems to be an excellent upgrade.
Whilst sorting the near side chassis hardline I noticed the brake booster hose was split along with the VWR filter looking a little worse for wear. Replacements for these were also fitted.
With that now sorted I’m off to a Drive Limits day with a couple of friends on Monday. Gave the car an obligatory clean for the inevitable photos and videos we take on the day.
I’m sure when I remember I will add some here!
Brakes were more than up to the job in the drive limits day. For anyone who’s ever thought about it - go do it. It’s a great day and I learnt a lot.
Interestingly the chassis loved to oversteer on a neutral throttle. I expect it may have something to do with the Rear anti toll bar that has been fitted. Made it exceptionally flogs fun though…. Even if the tyres weren’t too impressed!
Interestingly the chassis loved to oversteer on a neutral throttle. I expect it may have something to do with the Rear anti toll bar that has been fitted. Made it exceptionally flogs fun though…. Even if the tyres weren’t too impressed!
Haven’t updated this in a while
Golf is still going strong - did a day at Bedford which was great fun. I swapped the wheels round so the older Goodyear eagle tyres were on the front with the newer PS4’s on the rear. Whilst it helped kill the Goodyears - they were definitely passed their best! I now have some PS4’s alround and will ideally pick up a set of Team Dynamics 1.2 or similar with some more track biased rubber for next time.
Prior to the trackday I had an additional resonator fitted to the exhaust just to bring it a bit closer to standard noise levels - I much prefer how it sounds now!
Passed its MOT the other week with no advisories, It has however only covered about 2500 miles since its last MOT - now we have the Tesla it’s not being used as a daily, so it gets taken out occasionally at the weekend for some fun. It’s a relatively low mileage example anyway only sitting on 74k now so it’s more of a toy now.
Quick comparison to the Tesla (Model Y Dual Motor). Tesla is far quicker 0-60. When rolling the golf walks away from it though. Steering feel and just general “fun” factor the golf is far more enjoyable. The Tesla handles great for such a big heavy car and generates a ridiculous amount of lateral grip, but it’s just numb compared to the golf. I also would really miss a manual. Makes a fairly nice pairing though as the Tesla is far more suited to commutes and day to day!
I have a couple of bits I’d like to do to it as well as the wheels;
One of the new RNS car play stereos
Drivers front wing has a very tiny patch of rust starting so need to get that replaced
Wavetrac front diff - this will likely wait till the clutch needs doing though.
Couple of shots of it from Bedford;
Golf is still going strong - did a day at Bedford which was great fun. I swapped the wheels round so the older Goodyear eagle tyres were on the front with the newer PS4’s on the rear. Whilst it helped kill the Goodyears - they were definitely passed their best! I now have some PS4’s alround and will ideally pick up a set of Team Dynamics 1.2 or similar with some more track biased rubber for next time.
Prior to the trackday I had an additional resonator fitted to the exhaust just to bring it a bit closer to standard noise levels - I much prefer how it sounds now!
Passed its MOT the other week with no advisories, It has however only covered about 2500 miles since its last MOT - now we have the Tesla it’s not being used as a daily, so it gets taken out occasionally at the weekend for some fun. It’s a relatively low mileage example anyway only sitting on 74k now so it’s more of a toy now.
Quick comparison to the Tesla (Model Y Dual Motor). Tesla is far quicker 0-60. When rolling the golf walks away from it though. Steering feel and just general “fun” factor the golf is far more enjoyable. The Tesla handles great for such a big heavy car and generates a ridiculous amount of lateral grip, but it’s just numb compared to the golf. I also would really miss a manual. Makes a fairly nice pairing though as the Tesla is far more suited to commutes and day to day!
I have a couple of bits I’d like to do to it as well as the wheels;
One of the new RNS car play stereos
Drivers front wing has a very tiny patch of rust starting so need to get that replaced
Wavetrac front diff - this will likely wait till the clutch needs doing though.
Couple of shots of it from Bedford;
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