Golf R Mods I REGRET Buying

[@MisterMonsieur]

I'm still amazed how wheel makers don't advertise their weights. It's hard to find that kind of data. Unsprung weight is a legit concern of mine.

[@zounds13]

VW wheels are notoriously heavy.

[@jameshaulenbeek5931]

A lot of manufacturers of flow formed and fully forged wheels do list the weights. And why most stock VW wheels are so heavy is due to being cast. If I'm not mistaken, I think only the Pretoria and Rotary styles are flow formed - I may be mistaken about the Rotary, but it weighs only about 1-2 lbs more than the Pretoria of the same size.

[@MichaelBalicki]

Totally agree on the 19” wheels. I have a 2015 R and had the stock 19” and I’m sure you know, driving around New England was aweful. Those things hardly hold air anymore they are so bent up. I ended up switching to 17” OZ rally racing rims. Absolute perfection on the road

[@roquesolorio8842]

California isn't much better haha. Think I'll go with 18"

[@jordancromwell7047]

When I switched to 18s from the 19s the car felt so much better ride quality wise, I went with H and R springs and I have no complaints about the ride quality race mode is stiff but thats what I like, I chose catless downpipe didn’t have to go in for inspection yet so we will see how that goes lol but the spacer is supposed to work to take that code away

[@Zorrolord]

I am glad they fixed that with the 8R

[@adam88099]

Same. Putting 18's on mine was the best change I made. Saved me so much money too. Denting and cracking rims every other day was driving me insane.

[@brandonroebuck504]

18 inch konigs on eibach pro kit and bilstien damptronic b6's perfect blend of better suspension and daily comfort for me

[@DaJoJomason]

To fix the inspection problem you need a O2 sensor spacer. I have the same downpipe and tune, and had the same readiness monitor problem. I used the straight Vibrant O2 sensor spacer (19021) and the medium insert from the Vibrant fitting kit (19999). I flash the ecu back to stock and after about maybe 35 miles ill have enough monitors ready to pass, then after the inspection I flash it back to stage 2.

[@NewEnglandPete]

That's definitely something I will try. I appreciate the feedback!

[@jevoncoleman5149]

Don’t need that a good tuning company can tune that out where it tricks the ecu into thinking there’s a cat still there I’m catless and can still pass a inspection

[@DaJoJomason]

@@jevoncoleman5149 He is already tuned, so he probably does not want to buy another tune. And yes other tuners might be able to do that, my old evo x was tuned like that, its readiness monitor was set to "not available" so I didn't have to deal with this readiness monitor nonsense, but it seems all the major otd tunes for this car will encounter this same readiness monitor problem he is dealing with. So he can either spend like $40 on an O2 sensor spacer with inserts and keep his tune he already paid for, or he can buy and gamble on another tune that hopefully sets it to "not available" instead of the "not ready" like the IE tune does. For his situation and mine, it was much more worth while to buy the spacer and flash it back to stock once a year.

[@DaJoJomason]

@@jevoncoleman5149 And just to clarify, the problem is multiple readiness monitors are set to "not ready"/"incomplete" with the IE stage 2 tune. You can only have a certain amount of these monitors not ready to pass emissions, and too many are set to not ready with this tune. The IE tune does this because of the high flow cat, it will throw a check engine light otherwise. Now some tuners can set this to "not available" which bypasses all this, because "not available" will not cause you to fail like "not ready" will. To make those monitors ready, he needs to flash the tune back to stock and drive for a bit, but then the system will notice the high flow cat and throw a check engine light or fail the monitor, so to trick the system into thinking he still has an oem cat, he needs a O2 sensor spacer. The spacer will restrict the amount of exhaust gases reaching the O2 sensor, and with the right combination of spacer and insert, you can trick the O2 sensor into thinking the system has a good cat. This combination of the O2 sensor spacer and stock tune will allow him to drive long enough for the needed monitors to come online without any failing/throwing a check engine light so he can pass inspection/emissions.

[@orlandosantiago6398]

If you did springs and you didnt do the DCC adaptation for the system to re-learn the new ride height “zero value” theb the DCC is going to feel the way it should. It probably feels crashy near the rebound limit and its because of that.

[@lFrontal]

You say there are a few brands that have DCC coilovers for this car, while in reality there’s really only KW and Bilstein as far as I know. The first having reliability issues all over the internet and the second being known for riding really stiff. There’s a reason most people run springs with DCC or disable DCC and go non DCC coilovers.

[@loustath1583]

Also tractive suspension but very pricey

[@gianstevens7918]

I would love a nice front splitter and diffuser splitter on there, the car looks good in my opinion!

[@GTI_CHHA]

18 inch is the way to go bro. Visually on the edge of bearable, but they make the ride so much better due to more sidewall. I am running the OEM+ 'Belverdere' alloys on my 7.0 GTI PP (VW alloy no. 5G0 601 025 CF FZZ) that were a factory option on the Mk7.0 GTI Clubsport model here in Germany. Super light at 7.6kg (

[@NewEnglandPete]

Thanks for the kind words! I am definitely looking into a wheel like those!

[@JacesOwnWorld]

How much sidewall are you using on your 18’s, to make you think it’s “more sidewall” in that 19’s don’t give enough? I currently went back to stock suspension (after being on coilovers for 5 years), and run Rotiform KPS 19x8.5 ET45 wheels (29lbs/each) with 245/40 19 tires (Barum Bravuris all-seasons they’re actually pretty dang good for cheap tires!). It’s plenty of sidewall. 98mm to be exact. Definitely has the meaty look to it. I’ve been on 19’s for almost 6 years now, and am ready to go back to 18’s, so I literally just bought Konig Hypergrams (17lbs/each) 18x8.5 ET43 with 235/45 18 tires (PS4S’s super excited!). These tires sidewall are 105.75mm tall, so a little meatier, but the 245/40 19 looks still looks meaty. I wouldn’t say it isn’t enough sidewall. Can’t wait for my new setup to arrive. I’m sure between the lighter wheels, smaller diameter, and much grippier tires, that my MK7 GTI will feel transformed.

[@jameshaulenbeek5931]

​@@JacesOwnWorldif you're not familiar, check out the Tyre Reviews KZbin channel. He did a back to back test on a golf with 17, 18, and 19 inch wheels using the same tire model. Cool video - I definitely learned a lot from it. The short of it: 17 was the softest ride, but least steering response; 19 was the harshest ride, most steering response; 18 was a great middle ground, and it also produced less noise in the car than *either* the 17 or 19. Hope that helps.

[@volosin13]

The DCC suspension is not that great, I switched to the Bilstein PSS10 coilovers and the ride is so much better, even with the 19” Pretorias. I hated the ride before and now it’s fantastic.

[@McR45]

When I used to help people with their mk7/7.5 builds at the shop I worked at. One of the first things I would suggest was no 19s and coilovers over springs if it was in the budget

[@NewEnglandPete]

Yes!

[@ThatBlack7.5]

So what about the popular rotiform rse they do offer them in 18s but most VW guys get the 19s

[@McR45]

@@ThatBlack7.5 depends, does it look good ? Yes. If you a daily driving the car with 19’s you only have so many tire side wall choices. With and 18 there is more. Not only for comfort but performance performance. Seen to many 19” wheels exploded , from both high dollar and low dollar brands.

[@MikeBaloga]

The issue is likely that the shop that did your tires didn't use proper techniques. Plastic wrapped lug bolt adapters will help dinging up the lug areas of the wheels. If they messed up the rim on the outside, then they didn't mount the tires properly. There is nothing worse than shops that do not WTF they are doing. I trusted my local costco to mount my Neuspeeds and they did a killer job, not a mark anywhere, not even bead adhesive anywhere....Better luck next time, BTW, Neuspeed wheels are so good!

[@enigma.b9]

Man im glad youve been so transparent throughout your vlogs. Definitely one of the reasons i went IE and remus for mine. Sadly i dont have it anymore, but it was such a great introduction to the vw audi group. Great job with your channel brotha

[@NewEnglandPete]

I appreciate this so much! Thanks for the kind words.

[@enigma.b9]

@NewEnglandPete of course brotha, keep slaying these videos. I always enjoy them my dude

[@jacksmyth7624]

18x8.5 et43 Wedsport tc105x looks great on these cars. Meaty 18 tire setup, 245/45/18

[@user-ul4wy2lx2m]

His problems are his choice 😂 but this car is on my list to own . Now i learn to do the right shocks for this car 😊

[@tyranic1]

Did you guy's know your suppose to have the dcc recalibrated after fitting lowering springs. Also mss lowering springs ride way better than even Eibach which are the bench mark springs for giving ride comfort but poorer handling. Other than that you need to spend way more money on dcc compatible coil overs. I have the vw racing on mine and i'm happy with the ride considering what you gain handling wise.

[@RichsRantMMAofficialchannel]

Sounds like your falling out of love with your car… 😢

[@Joose]

Sure, other than that, "man, I frickin' love this thing, guys" line... 😂

[@MisterMonsieur]

Your gas problem is why I'm only planning to go for APR's 87 tune. I'll be happy with the 47 HP, 73 FT-LBS gains for a daily.

[@NewEnglandPete]

Stage 1?

[@FN4EVER.]

47 HP lol might as well go IE for 310HP

[@MisterMonsieur]

@@NewEnglandPete Honestly, I don't even think it's Stage 1. It's just an 87 Tune that gives you a modest bump. All the reviews say it's enough to notice and responsive. No support mods needed, no cooling issues, no worries about overloading the transmission. I just want to be quick off the line at the light, you know? ✌😎

[@MisterMonsieur]

@@FN4EVER. Mo' power, Mo' problems, 'ya know? 😁

[@juicecity77]

I'm running same springs on my GTI, but I'm also running upgraded struts, and I'm quite happy with them

[@vlenhoff]

From experience glossy wheels are better than matte wheels. You may think you know what's best until you have to live with them.

[@hellaflushhonda]

Mines stock for now but I’m at 148k miles so my money goes towards a saving for when somthing finally goes out and I do a small rebuild and slap a Vortex XL on it at that point, I’ll be going 17s with a 245/45 tire, 19s are a nightmare when you’re going for a performance feel

[@jimbrown5605]

Altho wheel size 100% matters tires do also. Just grabbed some all season hankooks with foam lined inner and WOW are they quiet. Ride far better than my dws06 which has been my favorite all season. Hankook ventus S1 AS.

[@Hardsend]

$180 to fill my truck up. I can’t wait to get my golf r

[@zounds13]

I tried the VWR springs and they SUCKED. Their spring rate was so high that the stock DCC shocks couldn't control them, even though they were supposed to have been designed to be compatible with it. Bouncy bouncy! They didn't stay on the car for very long. So then I tried the Eibach Pro Kit springs and they were perfect. Oh, and I also replaced the stock 19" wheels with 18" Forgestars.

[@ethanhaynes777]

lol I went lowering springs first on my mk7.5 gti, blew the struts and tons of noise. Did KW coils so id get good ride quality(is very soft and nice), now 15k miles later they're showing the age and starting to make noises and back to the thought of... I should've left it stock haha

[@scottiemcknight1632]

You need to recalibrate the dcc I just did it with mine and it rides so much better I also experienced the noisy springs after I installed springs I switched brands and that’s fixed that

[@jevoncoleman5149]

It should pass inspection my Jetta is Catless and I got a custom tune and he went into the ecu with the tune and told the ecu there is a cat there. Change your tune to unitronic tune

[@Tom-fn8xc]

So you don't pass inspection with stage 2 because of a CEL or because of emissions? I thought the tunes removed the CEL. Also highly recommend 18s over the 19s, great upgrade.

[@NewEnglandPete]

CEL and emissions. Stage 2 defeats the CEL code, but won’t pass readiness.

[@MrZyLeXx]

@@NewEnglandPete cant u just put in 3-5 liter of E85?

[@BDtechnical]

my gti has 18” oversteer konigs great replacement if you like the spoke look i get what you mean on the rougher ride with Lp’s itll always be that way with most low-ered cars.

[@mattg768]

18" all day. run 19" on my scirocco R and its not comfy at all. got 18" on my golf R and its very nice. you can buy 18" pretoria's in the uk could prob ship them to the US if you cant get them there

[@Gizmosis_]

How long did the APR packs last before the misfires and going back to stock? Currently running APR coil packs and I am about to tune stage one with my 2019 GTI. I still have the stock coil packs on hand, just curious how your car handled it since you mentioned IE tunes don't like them. *Edit* I’ve since updated to stage one, my Coil-packs are fine and happy so far!

[@drakestuh9748]

I’ve been running them for the past 4 months on stage 1+ no complaints!

[@MitchL85]

Been using for over 2 years in my stage 1 APR tuned vehicle with no issues.

[@tristenemilio6852]

Anything you recommend for under $1000? I have a 2019 fully stock. Not looking to do anything over the top as it’s my daily driver

[@lysy16solo]

ECU +TCU. You won't be regret.

[@righteousinphillthy9483]

apr stage 1 ecu and tcu tune

[@brazibeatz5187]

I thought Ie tunes erased the cel for stage 2

[@stonebeck838]

you wont pass emmisions with a tune installed flash back to stock drive a feww days let the ecu learn stock again and you should still pass emmisions

[@Golfr2020]

It took you a 1/3 of this video to get to the points?

[@NewEnglandPete]

Thanks for watching

[@GordonWhite]

O2 spacer should fix you up for inspection.

[@NewEnglandPete]

Trying that route first. I'll report back the results.

[@GordonWhite]

In Vermont you can have 2 "not ready" flags I think, which can happen even if the CEL is not on. The O2 sensor clears this up and should keep the CEL off. That was my experience with a stage 2 high flo cat /Downpipe setup on my GTI a few years back. Good luck!

[@Dazaboy5]

What’s wrong with running the apr coils with IE tune?

[@nolimitnerm8702]

IE recommends using OEM coils for the tune.

[@Trusty_Steed]

I think thats my work commute. If I’m right and thats pease

[@skaterboi8922]

17s on 10k coilovers ride aint much better

[@IsaakMK7]

Buy a B8.5 Audi S4

[@shortvidz9576]

Cause you don't appreciate cars

[@NewEnglandPete]

Right.

[@eliasfloresramirez4004]

Regalameo entonces.

[@karstgeo7290]

Are you stoned?

[@NewEnglandPete]

No, are you?

[@karstgeo7290]

@NewEnglandPete nope but man at the beginning of your video...haha. DP is fine. Flash to stock. Run a spacer. Set readiness. I have the 18" version of those wheels with 235/40s...nice setup.

[@TheDsantander]

You need to do more homework

[@NewEnglandPete]

Homework is for sally’s

[@BurekSaSirom5]

Think you was gready when you buy parts.. so you will pay it double now..

[@NewEnglandPete]

super gready