Author Topic: Clubsport best tyre pressures?  (Read 1778 times)

Offline Exonian

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Clubsport best tyre pressures?
« on: 06 June 2021, 12:11 »
Second only in the dullness stakes to a “here’s a step by step report on everything I did detailing my car and a list of the 50 products I used” it’s a tyre pressure thread. Yay!

Granted we are all familiar with the fact that the mk8 is just a mk7 with a Picasso inspired face and a Lego inspired interior, but the mk8 Clubsport does have a few geometry tweaks to the suspension up front that can make tyre pressures all the more important.

A couple little squirms under hard acceleration recently reminded me that I’d better check the tyre pressures, so after giving the thing a wash this morning I fished the tyre pump out of the back of the garage and... it was as flat as Cambridgeshire.

I didn’t even get as far as checking the tyre pressures label.

But it got me thinking as to what others have experimented with (who care about such things) as to what the best pressures are for a ride and handling balance on the Clubsport? Or does everyone just use the tyre label recommendations?
‘23 8R
Serial white Golf owner


Online fredgroves

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Re: Clubsport best tyre pressures?
« Reply #1 on: 06 June 2021, 12:36 »
So what did the door sticker say for recommended pressure?

This being 2021, it's going to be way too much to try to make the contact patch as small as possible to reduce rolling resistance.

Which clearly is not what most people here want, they want a bigger contact patch.

I did go on a mission to try and find how you do that... But the best i could find involved pieces of paper and paint... Not very scientific.
Current: Mk8 GTI DSG, Adelaides, DCC, HUD, HK, Winter Pack, Rear Camera.. Aka "HMS Weasel"

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Offline Exonian

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Re: Clubsport best tyre pressures?
« Reply #2 on: 06 June 2021, 13:57 »
Some scientific methods are quite simple like that! Doesn’t have to be complex to be effective  :nerd:

From memory it’s 41psi all round for half load and being as nobody likes me I’m normally driving solo so don’t need anything higher than that.
I do run around 38psi front and vary the back a bit depending on if I’m carrying crap around with me or not. I can’t remember what full load pressure at the rear is but it’s bloody high!
The sticker pressures on mine reflect that the car came on 18’s too, 19’s might be even higher PSI recommendations.
‘23 8R
Serial white Golf owner


Online fredgroves

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Re: Clubsport best tyre pressures?
« Reply #3 on: 06 June 2021, 14:22 »
Have they really only supplied a sticker for the factory wheel size? I can't remember when I looked at mine.

You'd have thought a table of different size options and using one sticker for all cars would be a more effective production process, but what do I know about production lines  :rolleyes:
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 Rudedog

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Re: Clubsport best tyre pressures?
« Reply #4 on: 06 June 2021, 17:07 »
VW (not sure of others) seem to have gone to recommending the same pressures front and rear, maybe this is just for the performance cars but I think it's part of the reason my 7.5 seems a bit 'crashy' at the rear, certainly when I have someone in the back or something in the boot it makes things a lot smoother.

If I changed from the sticker pressure of 2.6 all round I guess I would keep the 2.6 up front and maybe reduce the rears slightly.
2019 Golf GTi PP DSG, Isaac Blue.

Offline Exonian

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Re: Clubsport best tyre pressures?
« Reply #5 on: 06 June 2021, 17:27 »



There’s the sticker.

Checked the pressures and they were still at 39psi all round. The car definitely squirms under hard acceleration which isn’t ideal. Worse than light torque steer and I’m wondering if the Lane Assist doesn’t fully deactivate when the Brocky method is applied (which I do religiously after each start up).
‘23 8R
Serial white Golf owner


Online fredgroves

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Re: Clubsport best tyre pressures?
« Reply #6 on: 09 June 2021, 21:01 »
I've just finally got round to looking at the sticker in mine...

Current: Mk8 GTI DSG, Adelaides, DCC, HUD, HK, Winter Pack, Rear Camera.. Aka "HMS Weasel"

Gone: 2017 Mk7.5 GTD,manual, NavPro
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Online fredgroves

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Re: Clubsport best tyre pressures?
« Reply #7 on: 10 June 2021, 19:59 »
Nobody commenting on that.... 38psi on the GTI vs 41 on the Clubby....

According to all of the reviews, the Clubby rides a bit harder than the GTI.... have I just found out why that might be? 3psi different would probably do that.
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 jv

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Re: Clubsport best tyre pressures?
« Reply #8 on: 10 June 2021, 20:56 »
I think the likelihood of the review cars having exactly 38 and then exactly 41 psi all round is zero.
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Offline Brocky_

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Re: Clubsport best tyre pressures?
« Reply #9 on: 11 June 2021, 19:33 »
That's strange.  There's virtually zero (2kg) weight difference between the two.  Surely the greater negative camber and slightly lower stance on the ClubSport isn't worthy of a 3psi difference...?
Mk.8 GTI ClubSport