Author Topic: What have you done to your mk8 today?  (Read 111797 times)

Offline Exonian

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Re: What have you done to your mk8 today?
« Reply #20 on: 24 December 2020, 23:57 »
Good to see a couple more Clubsports about to hit the road, congrats guys  :smiley:


I won’t clutter this thread up replying to all of the messages above, when I get time I’ll start a dedicated thread.
Thanks for the good wishes.
“Ouch” at some of the comments  :grin: :grin:
(my back is more or less fully recovered now thanks fredgroves but it was the DCC that was the culprit not the passive)

Quickly for reference, there was absolutely nothing wrong with the M135i, it was a step up in almost every area and several steps up in many from the preceding and succeeding Golfs (Looks/styling are a very personal thing on top of that).

My lad is trying to buy a new house but “help to buy” for anything but first time buyers is finished from March and the house won’t be built until summer. Because of this he needs a hand with the deposit and aside from a few copper coins that have been in my jeans pocket since March I don’t have much else these days, so releasing equity in the car which is fully owned is the only viable option. 
I looked at getting a cheap car like an up! GTI on a 0% deal but then a boatload of Clubsports arrived in the UK. The deal needed to be done ASAP as my lad needs to prove he has the deposit funds for mortgage approval.

jv, I’m going to start a patreon fund so you lot can assist me with my selfless public service of running in cars, any chance of forum sponsorship?  :laugh:

The car: it looks very plasticky from the front. Very plasticky inside too.
It’s not as ugly in the flesh as photos would have you believe but the same is true for most of the current generation of that segment of hatches.

The wheels need to go ASAP.
Replica Reifnitz being considered as I think they’ll suit the styling and won’t make me cry if a pothole breaks one.

I’ve only driven 10 or so miles home thus far and been too busy to even look at it since. I literally had an hour and a half mid week free to collect it (or I’d have likely had it at the beginning of the week otherwise). The deal was done and sealed in about 24 hours before I gave myself chance to realise how much it’s bloody costing me as I hate paying interest on things.

I was a massive sceptic of the mk8 like most people and had very low expectations.
Fact of the matter is, bearing in mind the cars I’ve recently owned, they’ve done a crap job on the looks but the driving dynamics are really really really good. Going from that the new R should be amazing.
I was surprised how much better it was to drive at normal running in speeds than the TCR so maybe the DSG has been recalibrated or maybe it was just in a good mood that day, but the ride is very hard on certain surfaces mostly at lower speed. Standout feature: the throttle response doesn’t seem to have that unbearable dead zone like the mk7’s.

For those who thought they’d never look at a mk8 I’d suggest you reconsider if you enjoy driving not just looking at photos and posting stupid comments as per social media sites (thankfully this forum seems above that).
The mk8 is actually surprisingly good.
The M135i is quite a bit better in key areas though and inside is in another league.


Merry Christmas for those that celebrate it 🎄 and Happy Friday to those that don’t :afro:
‘23 8R
Serial white Golf owner


Offline Yusee

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Re: What have you done to your mk8 today?
« Reply #21 on: 25 December 2020, 08:10 »
I'm sure you understand all the comments were in good humour. I know how you enjoy the variety of different driving experiences. As my brother says- " one woman, many cars"
Good to hear you're back in a fast golf- where you belong- and that the driving experience is a step up from mk7.
I'm not too interested in those BMWs, but can I request a full comparison of mk7 v mk8 when you are ready please....
2018 Golf GTI Performance  5dr manual, Isaac blue
1988 Peugeot 205 GTI 1.9, 2022 Triumph Street Triple R, 2016 Seat Alhambra.

Offline king monkey

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Re: What have you done to your mk8 today?
« Reply #22 on: 25 December 2020, 08:57 »
What I’d really like to know Exonian is how does the CS without DCC compare to any of your previous Golfs without DCC, if indeed you had one without which I think you did?

Interesting that you looked at the Up gti too. I’m seriously thinking of moving to one in the future and will hopefully get a test drive soon.

Absolutely brilliant to have you back!
Current: Clubsport45, white, DCC.

Past: Mk5 gti blue graphite, mk6 gti carbon grey, mk6 gti edition 35 candy white, Mk7 pp gti tornado red, 2016 Audi S3 sportback, 2019 7.5 Golf R.

Offline Snoopy

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Re: What have you done to your mk8 today?
« Reply #23 on: 25 December 2020, 10:42 »
Interesting what you said about the ride as i have just watched a review of a passive setup mk8 GTI before reading your coment. He seemed to say similar of the non clubsport too.
https://youtu.be/RKQ8mkQAa3c
Mk6 GTI  &  Mk1 GTI 
34 years of GTI ownership.

Offline fredgroves

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Re: What have you done to your mk8 today?
« Reply #24 on: 25 December 2020, 15:22 »
Yeah definitely once the gti (eighteens no dcc) is moving its absorbing the crap roads just perfectly. Not quite sure why that is but it's true. It doesn't seem to do that thing the mk7 does where the rear end feels light and skips over the bumps either. Feels much more planted. It's really well sorted, not just left to it being a standard setup for a fwd hatchback. I'm just wondering how much that gets compromised with those ninteens though.. Heaviest wheel fitted to a gti ever..
Current: Mk8 GTI DSG, Adelaides, DCC, HUD, HK, Winter Pack, Rear Camera.. Aka "HMS Weasel"

Gone: 2017 Mk7.5 GTD,manual, NavPro
Gone: 2014 Mk7 GTD, manual, NavPro, DCC

Online jv

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Re: What have you done to your mk8 today?
« Reply #25 on: 25 December 2020, 17:06 »
Heaviest wheel fitted to a gti ever..
Wow, that's progress! You have a link to the stats for that Fred?  :nerd:
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Offline fredgroves

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Re: What have you done to your mk8 today?
« Reply #26 on: 25 December 2020, 18:20 »
I've looked but can't find where i saw that but they are cast and 8j's.

Can't find the actual weight of the wheels though.
Current: Mk8 GTI DSG, Adelaides, DCC, HUD, HK, Winter Pack, Rear Camera.. Aka "HMS Weasel"

Gone: 2017 Mk7.5 GTD,manual, NavPro
Gone: 2014 Mk7 GTD, manual, NavPro, DCC

Offline Exonian

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Re: What have you done to your mk8 today?
« Reply #27 on: 25 December 2020, 23:07 »
I'm sure you understand all the comments were in good humour. I know how you enjoy the variety of different driving experiences. As my brother says- " one woman, many cars"
Good to hear you're back in a fast golf- where you belong- and that the driving experience is a step up from mk7.
I'm not too interested in those BMWs, but can I request a full comparison of mk7 v mk8 when you are ready please....

Yes, I took it all in as typically good natured banter and observations but fair points raised too.
I often wonder about my own sanity but if I can work out ways to do these things I will as life is short and I have a curious mind.
As for therapy, I’d leave any therapist needing therapy themselves after an hour or two with me  :laugh:

I like your brother’s thinking and will raise a glass to that.
My wife said not so long ago “the only time I ever get flowers is when you change cars and it seems like I get quite a lot of flowers...” Thankfully the CS came with a bunch in the boot  :whistle:

I’ll start a dedicated thread at some point once I’ve spent a bit of time driving familiar roads and worked out the faffing menu screens.


What I’d really like to know Exonian is how does the CS without DCC compare to any of your previous Golfs without DCC, if indeed you had one without which I think you did?

Interesting that you looked at the Up gti too. I’m seriously thinking of moving to one in the future and will hopefully get a test drive soon.

Absolutely brilliant to have you back!

Thank you Michele  :smiley:

I had five white mk7’s and only one had DCC.
My feeling is the mk8 CS’s ride quality will be significantly harder than any of the previous cars due to the stiff rear springs. I can cope with stiff but dislike crashy immensely.

It’ll be a while before I can get anything significant to report as I’m hibernating for a few days and using my other car for work at the moment as I can’t be dealing with two cars completely sh!tted up with road filth.
Once I can get the other car cleaned I’ll swap them over and get the GTI run in ASAP.
I've looked but can't find where i saw that but they are cast and 8j's.

Can't find the actual weight of the wheels though.

I can also remember seeing that link. It was screenshot from an early European configurator I think where it stated all the dimensions, offsets and weights (possibly a TUV requirement). It’ll be buried in a thread here somewhere.

Interesting what you said about the ride as i have just watched a review of a passive setup mk8 GTI before reading your coment. He seemed to say similar of the non clubsport too.
https://youtu.be/RKQ8mkQAa3c

How cool is that?! A Mk5 versus mk8.
I’ll sit and properly watch that later

‘23 8R
Serial white Golf owner


Offline Guzzle

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Re: What have you done to your mk8 today?
« Reply #28 on: 25 December 2020, 23:19 »
Bit off topic, just wishing everyone a Merry Christmas  :smiley:🎅
7.5 GTD

Offline king monkey

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Re: What have you done to your mk8 today?
« Reply #29 on: 26 December 2020, 07:24 »
Thanks for the reply as always Andy. Looking forward to your thoughts. Don’t know about anyone else, but these real world views by actual normal people rather than journalists are far more important for me.

@Guzzle and everyone else- Merry Christmas. Hope everyone has been able to have some time to relax in what has been a previously unimaginable year.
Current: Clubsport45, white, DCC.

Past: Mk5 gti blue graphite, mk6 gti carbon grey, mk6 gti edition 35 candy white, Mk7 pp gti tornado red, 2016 Audi S3 sportback, 2019 7.5 Golf R.