Newmk5 GTi buyer witha few questions please.

[Antj]

Ok, first off, i'm not new to VW's and Vag as have had tuned Ibiza's ( 1.8T and Tdi) and a Golf Tdi in the past.

My last 4 yrs have been in Mini ownership with two Supercharged ones and new new shape JCW .

But now i need something bigger due to moving house etc, so i have looked at all the usuall suspects.  My price range once the Mini is sold ( if anyone is interested in a minit 260Bhp, porsche braked fully specced Mini let me know) will be 10k, and as i am skint from this house buying lark my modding money is going to be tight for the first year really.

But heres my questions, if i were to buy a GTi and say whack on a Full turbo back exhaust and cat, Remap and some form of induction kit could i expect anything near 270bhp.

Clutches, with remapping i note the torque climbs quite a bit, so is there any need to upgrade the clutches at all to handle the torque or are they pretty good if not hammered too hard.

DSG or not to DSG.  This option i understand adds cost tot he car and as i have seen at the level i am buying most DSG cars seem to be higher milage or 5 dr( which i don;t want) so is it worth it and am i still able to remap as normal etc.  also on the subject of DSG, clutch changes on these, do they need doing at a particular milage, whasts the cost etc.

Handling, obviously coming from one of the best handling cars ont he road (mini) this is why have turned to the mk5 gti as it seems to have the VXR, ST, and megane licked.  But people who regularly track theres, how do you find them, are the brakes up to the job etc and does the weight get int he way.  I do about 8 trips a year to the Nurburging and althought the golf is not going to be my main Ring car as i have a Track car i am leaving in Germany, it will get put round a few times itself.  So whats it like.


Sorry for all the questions, but done the usuall searching to get info but as usual its a mixed bag.  Just wanting to makesure i don;t sell the mini to be more practical and then end up in a car that does'nt fit my needs.....lol

Cheers in advance for replies

[ifti]

Not sure on most of your questions, but I do know that I havent heard of clutch changes on the DSG - just a DSG oil change every 40k miles.

Sorry I couldnt be of more help!

[Antj]

Not sure on most of your questions, but I do know that I havent heard of clutch changes on the DSG - just a DSG oil change every 40k miles.

Sorry I couldnt be of more help!

cheers,

Any other answers guys,

[Saint Steve]

With reference to which gearbox, best bet is to go test drive both at your local dealer.

I wouldnt be without DSG, and im on my 4th Vw with DSG (3rd Mk5 GTi) and wouldnt be without it.

The GTi to go for is either the Pirelli or Edition30 imo, or you go for a high spec Standard GTi with lots of toys.(Xenons, Sat Nav,Sunroof etc)

Styling is body colour coded, trim has both Leather and Tartan or swade tyre tread on seats in Pirelli, Bigger Turbo fitted to the 2 mentioned models, and Tuning side of it,

with give you bigger Gains over the smaller K03 GTi (Model that has Black plastic back bumper).

There are only around 230 Pirelli's in the Uk as against 2200 Edition 30's left.

Pirelli is much Rarer and given another 20k, would be my choice because of its interia design.

[Schuey]

Ok, first off, i'm not new to VW's and Vag as have had tuned Ibiza's ( 1.8T and Tdi) and a Golf Tdi in the past.

My last 4 yrs have been in Mini ownership with two Supercharged ones and new new shape JCW .

But now i need something bigger due to moving house etc, so i have looked at all the usuall suspects.  My price range once the Mini is sold ( if anyone is interested in a minit 260Bhp, porsche braked fully specced Mini let me know) will be 10k, and as i am skint from this house buying lark my modding money is going to be tight for the first year really.

But heres my questions, if i were to buy a GTi and say whack on a Full turbo back exhaust and cat, Remap and some form of induction kit could i expect anything near 270bhp.

Clutches, with remapping i note the torque climbs quite a bit, so is there any need to upgrade the clutches at all to handle the torque or are they pretty good if not hammered too hard.

DSG or not to DSG.  This option i understand adds cost tot he car and as i have seen at the level i am buying most DSG cars seem to be higher milage or 5 dr( which i don;t want) so is it worth it and am i still able to remap as normal etc.  also on the subject of DSG, clutch changes on these, do they need doing at a particular milage, whasts the cost etc.

Handling, obviously coming from one of the best handling cars ont he road (mini) this is why have turned to the mk5 gti as it seems to have the VXR, ST, and megane licked.  But people who regularly track theres, how do you find them, are the brakes up to the job etc and does the weight get int he way.  I do about 8 trips a year to the Nurburging and althought the golf is not going to be my main Ring car as i have a Track car i am leaving in Germany, it will get put round a few times itself.  So whats it like.


Sorry for all the questions, but done the usuall searching to get info but as usual its a mixed bag.  Just wanting to makesure i don;t sell the mini to be more practical and then end up in a car that does'nt fit my needs.....lol

Cheers in advance for replies

R32 every time, prefer it to my ED30 & Standard MKV GTI 

[WhiteGTI]

Well considering his budget, then it is only going to be a normal GTI that he will be looking for.....

To answer your questions....

Q1 - TBE, remap, Induction is realistically going to give you around 240-250hp and 290-300ft/lb torque.

Q2 - Clutches - on a normal GTI you should be fine. I've been running stage 2 for a year now, and have not yet experienced any clutch slip. Its only when the ED30's are remapped and are producing around 320+ lb/ft that the clutch gets a bit irritated! Having said that, I have known a couple of people that have experienced clutch slip on normal GTI's, but i'd say that it is a rarity.

Q3 - Drive them both, make up your own mind. Thats the best advice.

Q4 - The handling is really well described by most reviews of the car. Its an all rounder. Its not the sharpest car, but it will do everything that you ask of it to a pretty good standard. A few cheap modifications and you can get the handling really well sorted! Brakes I would say are not up to the job once you've fettled with the power, so if you are planning on tracking it then I would think some modifications to the brakes would be needed. A lot of people put R32/S3 brakes on them, and are more than pleased with the results.

Hope that helps, I would have gone into a bit more detail, but am just on my way out! If you mention where you are based, then I'm sure someone local will help you out with a drive! 

[Teutonic_Tamer]

Pirelli is much Rarer and given another 20k, would be my choice because of its interia design.

You ought to keep that quiet! 

Or have you just started the South Coast branch of PILA?

















Pirelli Interior Lovers Anonymous? 

[Teutonic_Tamer]

Q4 - The handling is really well described by most reviews of the car. Its an all rounder. Its not the sharpest car, but it will do everything that you ask of it to a pretty good standard. A few cheap modifications and you can get the handling really well sorted!

And tyres are the most overlooked 'handling' item.  The difference between top-notch tyres, and fair-to-middling tyres on a GTI is really noticeable.

Brakes I would say are not up to the job once you've fettled with the power, so if you are planning on tracking it then I would think some modifications to the brakes would be needed. A lot of people put R32/S3 brakes on them, and are more than pleased with the results.

Even on a completely standard 200PS GTI - if driven 'enthusiastically', then the brakes are a weak point.

The S3/R32 brakes are a slight improvement - but are still only suitable for road use.  They are heavier than the standard GTI items, and therefore if you are tracking the car, not only will the S3/R32s not be up to the job, but you will also suffer from the heavier unsprung masses.

If anyone is seriously considering tracking a GTI (whilst maintaining full 'road trim' ie, carpets, seats etc - and not as a stripped out track car), then aftermarket brakes really are very important.

And for the 'ulitimate' in brakes on a GTI - well I can't say too much at the mo - but just follow my 'big brakes' thread! 

[Teutonic_Tamer]

Ok, first off, i'm not new to VW's and Vag as have had tuned Ibiza's ( 1.8T and Tdi) and a Golf Tdi in the past.

Welcome to the mad world that is the GolfGTIforum.   

But heres my questions, if i were to buy a GTi and say whack on a Full turbo back exhaust and cat, Remap and some form of induction kit could i expect anything near 270bhp.

I'd strongly AVOID induction kits - especially on the direct injection engines as used in the Mk5 GTI.  By all means, TBE, remap, fuel pump, and any other hardware upgrades - especially uprated intercoolers - but not induction kits.

Clutches, with remapping i note the torque climbs quite a bit, so is there any need to upgrade the clutches at all to handle the torque or are they pretty good if not hammered too hard.

Just like ANY car, remaped or not - the fundamental deciding factor on clutch life is simply how you treat it.

DSG or not to DSG.  This option i understand adds cost tot he car and as i have seen at the level i am buying most DSG cars seem to be higher milage or 5 dr( which i don;t want) so is it worth it and am i still able to remap as normal etc.  also on the subject of DSG, clutch changes on these, do they need doing at a particular milage, whasts the cost etc.

DSG is very much a 'Marmite' issue - you either love em or detest em.  But do NOT worry about long term reliability - the DSG is just two manual gearboxes in one housing, and controlled/operated by a mechatronics unit.  Read the Wikipedia article on Direct-Shift Gearbox (which I wrote!  ) for more info.

Manual gearboxes have been out since Noah parked his boat in a dry dock - and are not known to be troublesome.  And mechatronics units have been out for nearly as long.  Mechatronics units are used on ALL modern auto transmissions, and have also been used for donkies years in engineering applications, such as engineering production lines.

Hurdy has DSG in his, and is arguably one of the most highly tuned GTI DSGs around.  OK, ages ago, he did have clutch slip issues, but these were cured by an oil and filter change, and has been purfect ever since - and he aint 'shy' of taking it down the strip. 

DSG 'clutch changes' - personally can't actually recall anyone who has needed one.

Final piece of DSG advice - they MUST, without fail, have an oil and filter change every 4years or 40k miles - and ideally halve that interval if heavily modified.  If you are buying a 2nd hand DSG, it is vital that proof of DSG oil change is there.


Hope the above helps.

[ifti]

I thoughtt the DSG oil change was every 40k miles - not every 4 years?
I guess its whichever comes first then?