« Reply #5 on: 24 October 2016, 08:54 »
Normally with VW's you'll go to stage 1 tune first as this requires no additional bolt on's and will provide the lions share of gains you'll get from the off. Most owners leave it at that point.
Induction kits might add a few ponies but you'll not really notice them aside from the additional noise and extra engine bay bling at this level of tune.
Same with the exhaust if you're going cat back only.
Next up is stage 2 which will require a downpipe, possibly an intercooler in summer, and then your induction kit might earn its keep too. This will give you an extra bit of mid range shove and a bit more top end too as the stage 2 map is optimised for the bolt on bits.
At stage 2 you'll almost certainly need a new clutch.
The GTI comes with almost Diesel levels of torque from the factory and the turbo spins up really quickly so you get peak torque at really low revs hence why the clutch can't really cope. It was never VW's intention that owners would shove another 100lb ft of torque through the front wheels.
Having said that, there are reports of standard clutches slipping, especially on R's (which seem to share the same clutch) where you have a little bit more torque to deal with and lots of additional transmission drag when under full load.
Even with the PP Diff the GTI struggles to put down stage 1 power at times. It's not so much the BHP but the huge amount of torque the engine puts out a low revs that causes the wheels to spin hence why there's a huge tuning scene with R owners but much less so with GTI's nowadays which is a shame.
My advice for what it's worth:
Get GTI home.
Immediately fit a pedal box as this alone gives you a better impression of how good the standard engine is, particularly in the torque department.
Shove some spacers on so the car looks better.
Once you've got a few miles under your belt and are familiar with the car and what it can do as standard (quite a lot, it's a very accomplished bit of kit) go for stage 1.
After that the next thing I'd recommend is another driven axle and a better flowing turbo which means you'll lose the incredible sharpness of the PP Diff but gain traction to cope with all the torque coming out of bends so you don't spin away all your power.
Logged
‘25 8.5R, ‘23 8R, ‘20 8CS, ‘19 135iX, ‘19 TCR, ‘17 Ed40, ‘17 GTD, ‘15 7R, ‘13 GTI PP, ‘11 GTI, ‘09 GTI, ‘98 Ibiza Cupra, ‘05 GTI, ‘06 Polo GTI, ‘04 GT TDI, ‘05 Fabia vRS, ‘02 GTI T, ‘03 Ibiza TDI 130, ‘01 Leon 180, ‘89 mk2 16v, ‘99 Ibiza TDI, ‘96 VR6, ‘98 Ibiza TDI, ‘92 VR6, ‘88 mk2 8v, ‘92 Polo G40, ‘91 mk2 8v, ‘89 mk2 8v, 205 GTI 1.9, ‘83 mk1 GTI, ‘80 Scirocco GTI, plus some others I’ve forgotten
