Brake Upgrade for Tracking a 2019 Volkswagen Golf R at VIR

[@HumbleMechanic]

It looks like im going SO SLOW HAHAHA!!!! Thanks for all the track recommendations. Also should we get her back for more track days?>

[@Tomd4850]

Yes, more track days! Also, tone down the music a bit on your track shots. It's not bad in the background, but I personally love hearing more of those grumbly engine sounds (and DSG farts) 😆

[@brendanconnelly1835]

Yes, I'd like to see you run it with some 18" track wheels and tires that are suited for track duty.

[@richh9570]

I have a problem with a 2011 Audi A5 Quattro that even the dealership can't figure out... I'd love to email or talk to you and explain the situation to get your opinion.

[@ragnarironspear1791]

Only single piston on the front ? . I thought it would be more

[@HumbleMechanic]

@@Tomd4850 Thanks! We played around with the audio a lot. I think with out some other mic out by the exhaust, its not awesome.

[@Qsandbank]

Gotta love track instructors, so patient and helpful. Brakes look sick!

[@HumbleMechanic]

He was so good!

[@dwang911]

Always good to have an instructor. The correct line (at least for me) is often counter intuitive but once ya nail it it you know it.

[@BiglumpADV]

Those watching from the UK laughing loudly at the fuel price complaints. Yeah, we pay double that!

[@TheEddysGarage]

HumbleMechanic you need to remove those heat trapping caliper covers with the R logo to get some airflow on track days. They look pretty but trap a pocket of super hot air on the pads.

[@DugEphresh]

Hell yes. Handling over horsepower all day long on the TRACK! Well done and really appreciate the awesome video!

[@DugEphresh]

@Humble_mechanic625 Rip off someone else jackass!

[@user-rb1yf4he9q]

I use 355 Stasis rotors w/ Alcon 4 pots on my MkV GTI . Upgraded to R32 rears. Slotted all around. Hawk pads and upgraded SS lines and fluid. My stickies are Falken Azenis. I swap out my pads usually one on track days and tires last for maybe 5 days. I also have heat indicators on my fronts so I have a idea of fluid and pad condition. I suggest people tracking keep a complete set of spare brakes on hand. Easy to swap during breaks in sessions.

[@lucienl9465]

Thank you so much for sharing your experience on the race track

[@karstgeo7290]

Was there the day before with the Audi Club event. So fun in my Sportwagen...love VIR!

[@HumbleMechanic]

Heck yea!!!

[@dasautogt]

Great camera work on the track Charles, well done. A good day had by all, R included. 👍

[@scottday2939]

Love “The Jacket”! Best RQC gift ever!!! Great video!

[@HumbleMechanic]

I feel like the old guy that wears his “hay day” jacket well past its prime. But yea I love it

[@connoroslach4713]

car looks great on the track glad to see you get out there

[@dmanm85]

There is a track where I live called Area27 and there is a Stage 3 Golf R that races there that nobody can touch... not surprised the people there were impressed by how fast it was.

[@derekyam1805]

Ay fellow Canadian!

[@nickpappas4133]

@@derekyam1805 You beat me to it.

[@jeremywhittler8591]

I found when I upgraded my rotor size it really didn't do a whole lot. Hopefully you can turn off all the nanny systems. The porshe 922 I drive always thinks I'm in snap oversteer . All these electronic sytems can really put a damper on the party .

[@nickferraro9226]

The only benefits to bigger rotors is higher thermal capacity, ie they hold up to brake fade better. Pads and fluid made the biggest difference on my car.

[@Brimzal]

Gotta love my ferodos SOLID pads I haven’t even done rotors yet and brake boost a lot. Really good bite and withstands a lot of abuse

[@chriskelvin248]

Noticed any difference in brake dust? Stock pads are sooty devils!

[@tomwhit1982]

My 2009 car with the mk6 gti engine in got upto 266f 130c On track and then the balance shaft gave up with low oil pressure on a corner! Ive since fitted a oil cooler and iABED baffled sump 👍

[@eppyz]

What gets me is, the Porsche Race Team takes the drilled rotors off and puts on solid discs. Now this is before the ceramic discs came out, and in some classes the ceramic rotors are not allowed. In those cases the race team uses solid iron discs as mentioned. Why because of stress cracks in the drilled rotors. Now these rotors are dimpled, and yeah they are supposed to help with off gassing, but realistically a good pad design will do better job of that vs the dimples in my experience. The aluminum hats are where the weight savings is coming from. My option would be to go with this set up but order solid discs, and if you want a good track pad that can also be used on the street I would go with HAWK HP's or Centric HD's. These pads are not track only, but something you can street drive and track occasionally with and not break the bank. If you want a dedicated track pad, that is fine, but do not attempt to use them on a daily driver the noise when they are cold will drive you crazy. Another step would be to use braided brake lines, but some are not DOT approved so if your daily driving your car look for DOT approved lines. Enjoy the ride and have fun👍

[@jpshanuson7192]

one of your best vids. Great job!

[@miamirice6840]

i just did pads on 2021 GLI. it has electronic parking brake but i just spun the piston with large needle nose like any other rear brakes that retract with rotation of the piston.

[@einfelder8262]

I'm thinking the rotors should have been slotted as well, would stop that buildup from the much larger pad contact area.

[@alanburke76]

I’ve done Auto Cross once, great fun, wanna get back in it. I’ve done paced laps around Watkins Glen, also great fun. I really really want to do a track day, anywhere!

[@F.S92]

I'm gonna make sure my next car is any other colour except silver. I would love it to be yellow as yours.

[@davidmurdoch42]

Great to see you at VIR Charles. I'm upgrading my rotors this weekend with the same Ferrodo pads. I put on StopTech slotted w EBC Red and developed horrible hot spots and brake shudder at my October VIR weekend. Really ruined the weekend. Also installing the RS3 brake Air ducts. Fingers crossed for my days up there end of Feb!

[@marcvalme7732]

You skip the tutorial about prepping your epic beard for racing! The wrapped beard under the helmet was great!

[@HumbleMechanic]

Hahaha next time

[@chriskelvin248]

All this KZbin attention your beard is attracting, a Nomex sock may be a good way to head off potential scrutiny from track officials.

[@ty27tp]

Have you got a video on bleeding the brakes using the ABS method? can’t seem to find a decent video explaining the procedure/order

[@2F4R4W4Y]

I love your channel bro! keep it up!

[@GenXContent]

It's a nice video; where is this track? I live in the Charlotte Area. maybe you wan to re-do the track video down the road with all the upgrades you did to her. That engine......

[@matthewguerra5410]

Happy you are on track Charles, be careful its addicting lol

[@RESTORATIONRESCUE]

I can't wait to get my Z down to VIR. It looks beautiful and then someday get my Restoration C 10 down to it.

[@gothicpagan.666]

That looks an awesome track

[@ErikTheVikingMechanic]

That cool noise show have been Never gonna give you up 😉

[@chriskelvin248]

I know the mk7/7.5 R rear brakes are tiny compared to the front’s as would be expected in a front-heavy fwd car, but the WEAR on the rears is....wow! Mine is at 16k and the rears are almost done, fronts are nominal. Factory mismatch for cost-savings? XDS to blame? I’m told even radar-cruise (not as nifty in practice) applies brakes to do its thing- rear only?

[@joopin]

I heard the GTIs brake ratio was favored towards the rear to prevent nose dive when braking, I assume it's the same for the R. But if that's the case your would think the fronts and rears would be the same size.

[@acefighterpilot]

Out of curiosity, what is "really hot" in that last session in terms of oil and coolant temps? Or were you going too fast to notice?

[@MartinBalle7]

On my first trackday I was surprised how often you can retorque the wheels form the heat cycles it goes through. Then again my rotors got over 300c°

[@derekyam1805]

DON'T RETORQUE THE WHEELS AFTER A SESSION!$#!@$ you are basically over torqueing it. Only re-check wheel torque after the car has cooled down or right before your next session.

[@MartinBalle7]

@@derekyam1805 that is also what I did. And you wouldn't be able to retorque them when they are hot do to the explanation. If any thing they would be under torqued when they cool down

[@Psgatlanta]

Great video and love the brakes. Have to stay tuned on this one. What rear spoiler is that? Very clean look sir.

[@jimmy4025]

Those brakes look nice!

[@johnsheppard7809]

When we gonna see an updated tool box tour in the new shop please?

[@Mindseas]

Really cool video Charles, glad to see the R on track! Hoping I'd get to track mine as well but unfortunately it's very difficult to get to one here. One thing I was wondering is what's that rear wing and when did you install it?

[@blainejacob1]

I love your videos!

[@patkelly7999]

Good stuff Charles, looking racy:):)

[@docwyte]

Three things: #1 Why do you have a battery charger on the car for the brake swap? #2 Can you show how to retract the rear brake caliper pistons with VAG-COM? #3 Are you going to do a Macan front brake caliper upgrade? Would love to see a DIY for it...

[@HumbleMechanic]

Maintainer goes on any time the scan tool is connected. Especially when doing rear brakes. The caliper movement is a high draw killing the battery during that makes the caliper super sad. Yep I’ll do a quick video on it. Not sure on upgrades for this car. It’s kinda right, right where it is

[@jamdc2000]

...and just like that, Charles got hooked on Autocrossing hahaha

[@HumbleMechanic]

I love autoX. But I have a Miata for that 😂

[@bradfoster8146]

Charles in here doing hardcore parkour

[@SeanJuan_]

Thanks for yet another great video! I was hoping you might be able to help answer a question about upgrading the breaks on my mk7 GTI. I am looking at doing the performance pack break upgrade. Please forgive my ignorance but when looking at the specs between the non performance pack front brakes and performance pack rear brakes they are very similar. The rear performance pack brakes are actually 2mm smaller but otherwise seem to be basically the same. It would seem to me that by simply moving the non performance pack brakes to the rear and replacing the front with performance pack brakes you could save quite a bit of money. Is there something I’m missing here and there is actually a benefit to fitting the performance pack rear brakes over the base front brakes?

[@thomasteschner2707]

Great clip, would like to see clip with VR cooler and oil cooler

[@AndriusKamarauskas]

i have white rims and hate when brake dust stick to them. So using ceramic pads (from ATE) solved this issue. I wonder if dust from brake pads with "sport" marking also wont stick to to rims?

[@iamtheteddy24]

“ I’m equally strong on both hands” …2 minutes later… “ i’m not strong enough”. Lolz

[@HumbleMechanic]

Hahahhahah how did I not catch that??? So as you may have noticed I hired a video guy, Eli. I’m hoping this lets me do more videos and also be a little more laid back. Even more “being in the shop with me” vibe

[@robina.jensen6114]

I liked how the beard got snuck out as a little ponytail. :-D

[@donbrashsux]

Love the R

[@jimyhemn5292]

Great video as always, keep it up, one question how do you disable / enabled cornering lights on vcds? Mk 7 gti, thank you

[@HumbleMechanic]

Thanks I have not dug deep into cornering light mods. I really dont love messing with factory lighting. I super dont love encouraging anyone else ot do it. LOL

[@jimyhemn5292]

@@HumbleMechanic lol thanks :)

[@BourneMiami]

I’ve always wondered how the Pilot 4s would do on track. Do you feel comfortable running those tires for track days or do you feel you need a more extreme summer tire? Also…Interested in these 2 piece rotors when they come out. Will they be from ShopDap?

[@8gti9]

Looks like a great time! Needing a DSG cooler is news to me. I've ran my car 4x in 1 day on the Nurburgring and didn't feel any changes on the way the trans shifted while on the track. Is this necessary?

[@HumbleMechanic]

Probably not nessessary. Id feel better about it.

[@VuBeClan]

The TTS/S3/R, mostly CJX-> cars have DSG Coolers here in EU.

[@blower1]

@@VuBeClan Yep, i was about to say my UK R has a DSG cooler, US models don't come with them en? - surely not another thing they skimped on (like dual injection)

[@VFYofficial]

Awesome video

[@tylerkrug7719]

Sweet car!

[@michaelblacktree]

I like those driving gloves. 👍

[@jacksoni349]

Still stock exhaust correct? Track time looks amazing, wish we had more around MA.

[@LockzV2]

He has the ie downpipe with a stock cat back

[@Jerebetes]

If nothing has changed, I believe it is an Integrated Engineering Downpipe with the Stock Cat-Back, along with their Stage 2 file.

[@pkt1213]

Great video. What are you humble opinions on wheel stud conversions?

[@tbGTR]

Those gloves are cool. What make are they?

[@drjsantos15able]

Which brake kit is better stoptech or powerstop?

[@rlakhay]

Hey...love your videos ...I have the mk5 gti ed30 and a mk7r dsg too here in the UK.. but you need to change those alloys asap... they look terrible for the car...

[@HumbleMechanic]

I thought that early on too. But I’ve grown to like them

[@rlakhay]

@@HumbleMechanic i think you want to go away from diamond cut wheels, how about flow formed or hybrid forged wheels .. or a light weight set and reduce more unsprung weight.. good for track days too. Some more handling mods would be good too... and a full review of what you would do if you decided to go stage 3 and why?!

[@vtecroadhog2]

Dont you remove the spacers for track days? Sure u obtain a wider track but don't they apply futther stress all other suspension due to changed geometry? 🤔 seemed fun day out nice video 👍🏼

[@spawnandbatman6975]

I have no idea how to use vcds to disengage break wear indicator etc

[@brianpearson2532]

@HumbleMechanic Did your engine run cool enough on the track with the sustained loads and increased horsepower form the Stage II+ tune you did? Also, would/did you consider running the Michelin Sport Cup tires on the car (or is there even a size that’ll fit those wheels?

[@kaurvali]

He was running PS4S's. There are Pilot Sport Cup 2's available in 235/35/19, running them on a Seat Leon Cupra ST 300 4drive with track pack (so basically it is a a Golf R estate/wagon with factory 370mm 4pot brembos) and it is amazing on track.

[@91boris]

An Alfa Romeo Stelvio 🧐😱 Are these SUV diffused in USA? No hate Just been curious since i'm italian

[@chrisdarroch6320]

Love the vids much love but I'm surprised at how many track days they make an instructor sit with you in the states that takes away from the experience...the most sedate track day I've ever seen. Car look great though👍

[@dave8306]

This was a novice group with little or no previous track experience... Even with instructors in the car, there were offs. Charles did exceptionally well for his first time on track.

[@dogchainsaw3923]

3:37 Cv boot is ripped

[@HumbleMechanic]

Lol that’s the r32. Still haven’t fixed it. 😂

[@markbrown6022]

Sorry if I missed it, are the rotors the same size as stock? and would you have the link where we could get these rotors? Cheers.

[@FEESODLAMINI]

VW GOLF TDI 2.0L 2015. Engine dies if you push it to over 3000 revs, but after restarting it runs fine. Diagnostics can't find any fault. What's the problem?

[@richh9570]

I have a problem with a 2011 Audi A5 Quattro that even the dealership can't figure out... I'd love to email or talk to you and explain the situation to get your opinion.

[@joopin]

Can a commoner diy guy change the rear pads without having to put the parking brake in "service position" or do I need to buy a scan tool to do the job?

[@HumbleMechanic]

You can. There are ways to retract without the scanner. However for sub $150 I’d recommend a cheap scannner(OBDeleven brand for vw/Audi) The average DIYer really does need one today

[@nickd2820]

Awesome video! I have the same year … how many miles you have on now? Wondering how many mm is left on my brakes …

[@HumbleMechanic]

Nice. I have about 25k

[@DugEphresh]

Still waiting on the 2022 Golf R that I ordered when you did from Lindsay Volkswagen. Must be nice being an influencer.

[@HumbleMechanic]

Not sure if that’s sarcasm or not. But I put my name in on one the day they got announced. I was first because I put my name in first.

[@DugEphresh]

@@HumbleMechanic Just jealous my dude, keep up the great work.

[@rmetanes]

I like the rims. 19 or 20? Is the car lowered? First time i see 2 parts rotors.

[@matthewhalvorson2225]

Could you do a video possibly on ways to provide cooling to the brakes, I have a stage 2 mk7 golf r that I take to mid Ohio and haven spoken to some other golf people the brakes get HOT! most pad compounds just can’t take the heat and the ones that can will only wear out more.

[@HumbleMechanic]

Part of that is normal brake behavior. Rotor upgrades help too. Im probably going to add RS3 ducts too.

[@JoseGonzalez-hd7gr]

Do you recommeded metal hoses for the brakes??

[@jameshaulenbeek5931]

Typically, if the bumper has blanks for fog lights, you can put intake ports and air ducts in those. Some even have blanks for both. You can buy factory types like he mentions, but there are also companies that make very good quality "universal" intakes and ducts - Pegasus Auto Racing actually has a lot of stuff like that for a great price (I found them by looking around for NACA ducts and related stuff years ago...)

[@carstvme]

Congratulations on the Body Shop magazine piece. Picking up my 1 of 4 in the US 07 Passat sport from the body shop…. Thank you random deer for ruining my car. Picked up the closest magazine and saw your beautiful face!

[@victorchen8484]

The rotor and caliper on the R is simply too small, I changed it to the most aggressive pad I can find which is the pagid rsl2, while the pads are holding up just fine, the brake fluid and the rotor just cannot take the heat. Even though I change my fluid with motul rbf every thing time they still boil on my short local track.

[@HumbleMechanic]

Wow!

[@victorchen8484]

@@HumbleMechanic Love your content on the R😁😁 Even though I own a s3 but they are the same.

[@briancoakley2313]

Hey man what torque wrench you using for wheels

[@stephankaeser8939]

Great fun. Where did you get the amazing yellow rear spoiler? Have been following your 2019 build but that was nowhere :-)

[@HumbleMechanic]

It’s a factory accessory oettinger spoiler with the extensions. Super cool spoiler.

[@miloszbednarz1119]

at 3:36 it looks like your outer cv boot is torn

[@HumbleMechanic]

Old footage from my R32

[@panzerveps]

The repair manual says to replace the brake fluid from front right though ;)

[@HumbleMechanic]

Always follow the repair manual. LOL ;)

[@nickpappas4133]

Was a VW tech for 47 years, always started from the r/r then l/r, r/f , l/f and never had a problem.

[@HumbleMechanic]

That’s how I almost always do flush. For abs bleed you have to follow the scan tool order.

[@nickpappas4133]

@@HumbleMechanic that’s true, but being flat rate I didn’t always use the scan tool as there was not enough for every tech,yeah I know I’m bad, I did it that way on my own car.

[@panzerveps]

@@nickpappas4133 They updated the repair manual in 1998. ;) Also, brake fluid flush with scan tool is only required when doing repairs on the abs module.

[@The_Stick]

Would you recommend adding camber plates before going back to the track? Do you feel that a stock R would have fewer issues with heat, versus a stage 2 car?

[@TheTexican05]

These cars love and need camber. -1.5* minimum when you’re novice; -2.5 to -3.0* (front) when you’re intermediate to advanced. It does wonders for cornering grip, tire wear and general turn in performance. I’ve found this to be true on most McPherson style cars, but it’s especially true on nose heavy FWD cars.

[@joewontwice]

Question, i have about 1/4" of brake pad that doesn't cover the whole rotor. Bad pads?

[@beedub0218]

What do you use to control all the different GoPro cameras? I feel the app sucks. Looks good on track....

[@HumbleMechanic]

The app does suck. Haha I set the up individual and just record

[@deanwinchester2299]

Hey Dude, one question please. Did you recalibrate your ABS system or something like this when you upgrade your brakes? I want to upgrade the from standard brakes of gti (220 PS) to performance brakes. Do I have to concider anything before I do it? Will I match plug and play? Thx very much Micha

[@HumbleMechanic]

Nope just sent it. This was only a pad/rotor upgrade. Now if you go big brakes. You may have to

[@johnpapadopoulos4333]

did you take the wheel spacers out for the track?

[@TheMstwntdLMSV123]

Are you running the factory 0w20 oil? How were oil temps and pressures? I’d love to see an oil analysis after the track day

[@HumbleMechanic]

I did. Everything seemed good. I’m due for a service. So a sample is a great idea

[@tj_offroad]

Did I miss an episode where you replaced the rear spoiler?

[@HumbleMechanic]

Never did a video on it. I had the body shop install it. Since it needed to be painted anyway

[@scotts6702]

Great video Charles. would love to be instructed on how to drive like this. on a side note I have a 17 GTI sport with 84,000 K miles on it. is it time to trade it in? Is there any issues that these cars are prone to after 80 K miles? Love your channel bro…

[@HumbleMechanic]

Thanks dude!!! If you ever plan on trading NOW is the time. Cars are going for $$$$$$$$

[@fuhrerpolizei86]

Very nice..I needed this vid for my brake change too!!!

[@kyleSTI]

how much material was taken off the original oem rotors before it was 15lbs? is it negligible, or is there a difference to note?

[@HumbleMechanic]

I’d guess negligible. There wasn’t much rear rotor wear

[@grant_the_plant]

Do yourself a favor and get some track tyres next time out, Re11s’ or R888s or similar. Every time I refit my daily ps4’s after a track day I am amazed at how much better the car is with semi slick tyres.

[@HumbleMechanic]

Oh no doubt the tires make a world of difference

[@Aleks_Mechanics]

Notification squad!🔥🔥🔥

[@gtileo]

Hey Charles, technical question for you, is it safe to mix DOT3 with DOT4 broke fluid? I want to change the fluid in my GMC Canyon from DOT3 to RedLine RL-600 which claims DOT4 and I have a power bleeder which I'm going to use. If there is any residual DoOT3 left in the lines from the ABS pump would it mix together and cause issues or should I completely flush all the old DOT3 out

[@waterloo123100]

Dot 3 and 4 is very close in the formula so you won’t have a problem switching.

[@gtileo]

@@waterloo123100 But will they mix together and not cause issues. I flushed the fluid in my Golf R but that was already DOT4 so I didn't really need to worry, a little bit of old fluid just would have slightly lowered the boiling point

[@waterloo123100]

@@gtileo Yes you can blend them both. You can actually buy brake fluid that is rated for both dot3 and dot4

[@tomwyant9532]

I was fully prepared to buy an R32 and do stuff like this to it but the prices have gone up so much I can only afford to watch these videos. It’s not quite the same experience but it’ll do. I refuse to buy a four door Golf. Maybe VW will come out with an electric two door dual motor GTI? I can dream, right?

[@HumbleMechanic]

R32 prices are silly now!!!

[@felipe_silve]

Would you typically be replacing those ps4s tires to drive on the street after the track day?

[@TheTexican05]

Rotate them early and often. Inspect tread depths closely in 3 places across the tires. VW’s and Audis running more negative camber generally have more even wear across the tire. I got 4 track days and 12k miles of spirited street use out of my 245/40R18 Michelin PS4S last year in a 3150lb car making 350bhp. Adding a 28mm front sway bar, Bilstein B8 dampers and more negative camber made the biggest improvements for me with no tire changes. The Michelins wear FAST if you do track days, especially if you’re making some power or have a heavier car. I retired my Michelins to street use only this year, and moved to a dedicated 200TW tire on a separate set of 18x8.5” lightweight wheels, but I’m also getting more serious about HPDEs and my lap times this year. When you’re novice, run a good summer tire and just pay attention to wear, and rotate accordingly to prolong their service life. I cross rotated mine after each event since the left front tire takes a BEATING in a FWD-biased car running courses in the CW direction. Like if this info helped you. 👍 🍻

[@mduwhite8177]

Hello humble machenic please help my name is Vincent from south africa I have an obd 1 vr6 car that does not rev I just put in a new petrol pump still the some I don't know what to check now please help me

[@slakka6495]

You said Virginia International Raceway? How's it compare to Road America?

[@HumbleMechanic]

I’ve never been to RA

[@gwcrispi]

BTW, that's not rubber that came off the tire. That's just pickup from the track. Once you got offline on the cool down lap you picked up all the marbles from everyone's tires.

[@thedaredevil1907]

This

[@derekyam1805]

that pattern of marbles are from his tires

[@akshaythakore6688]

What rotors were these?

[@aarondobson7710]

Do you know how much those rotors are going to cost when they get released? I also have a 7.5R and need to get new rotors soon.

[@HumbleMechanic]

I think it was around MSRP $925 Front set MSRP $825 Rear set. What actual retail will be? I’m not sure. I’m also trying to get you guys a killer discount too.

[@michaeldeoliveira7689]

SOS NEED HELP. my mk6 gti 2.0T has a EPC light on and now a check engine light . when taking slightly hard right turn car would lose power which triggered the epc light to come on and battery light to flash on but goes away when I shut off the vehicle and turn it back on .Any clue on what issue may be ?

[@HumbleMechanic]

First step is checking fault codes to see what the ECM is seeing