Soupcan-Sam
Passed Driver's Ed
Kids and I named it the "Huckleberry". I am going for subtle presence, but great performance. A car that is clearly a tuner to the trained eye, but otherwise doesn't stick out too much. But also, just doing what I want with a car that I love.
2013, MK6 GTI, DSG (Stage 2)
117K miles
Total Spent: est. $28,000
Exhaust Sound: YouTube video here.
History:
Picked up from Colorado in 2020, already stage 2, for $10.5K with 99K miles on it. My wife allowed me $7500 to get it fixed up. That turned into $10000 quickly. And it has needed a little more love since.
Performance:
- came with: APR Carbino Intake system
- came with: "Frankenstein" Turboback Exhaust (unknown parts except the DP)
- came with: CTS Turbo Downpipe (no-cat)
- came with: CTS Turbo outlet charge pipe kit
- came with: APR Front Intercooler
- 034 motorsports ECU Stage 2
- APR TCU Stage 2
- ECS Tuning Baffled Oil Catch Can System (@116K): my engine started misfiring as oil was getting into the PCV and onto the sparkplugs. This system was the solution. A great review from Hyde16 is out there for those interested. He mentions the positives and negatives.
Handling:
- came with: Motegi MR116 lightweight, matte wheels,
- ECS Aluminum Lower Control Arm Kit - Polyurethane Bushings and Ball Joints. (@102K)
- Solo-werks S1 Coilovers (lowered car by just under an inch) (@102K)
- 034 Motor Sports "Street Density" Motor Mount Kit: engine, transmission, and dogbone mounts. (@102K)
- ECS Front and Rear Subframe Locking Collar Kits (@102K)
- Goodyear Eagle Exhilarate tires (@107k)
Cosmetic:
- came with: MK7.5 headlights (or some aftermarket knockoff?)
- came with: euro spec black cherry taillights
- came with: sequential side mirror lights
- came with: smoked side lights
- came with: red front seat cabin lighting
- came with: Akrapovic carbon fiber quad exhaust tips
- came with: New south Performance AC vent Boost Gauge
- came with: window tint (30%)
- came with: rear-windshield wiper delete
- interior red trim
- badgeless grille.
- Plastidip and Plasti-Gloss for windshield wipers and rear badge
- Klii Motorwerkes: "Sticker Bomb" rear badge sticker
- Various stickers throughout
- Custom Doc Holiday sticker
- "Huckleberry" lettering
- red paddle shifters
- gloss black rear diffuser
- hood was sanded, primed, dents removed, and painted.
- Rockville 10 inch sub, 1000 watt amp
- leather DSG knob shifter cover
- "carbon fiber" door handles
- body restoration by professional detailer
- personal restoration of all external trim
Misc.
- motor for rear d/s window replaced (@101k)
- exhaust leaks fixed and metal j hook added, holes plugged (@101K)
- gasket leak fixed with liquid seal around engine(@101K)
- new Piersburg vacuum pump and gasket (@101K)
- new Piersburg auxiliary water pump (@110K)
- new water pump and temperature gauge (@110k)
- NOICO sound deadening material in trunk floor and wheel well and partially on hatch door.
- new PCV oil separator (AKA Oil breather valve) (@117K).
- new timing chain, complete replacement (@117K)
(Oil and coolant @117.2k)
NOTE: I was going through nearly 2 quarts of oil every 300-400 miles. White smoke was clearly seen, especially in the lower gears, whether downshifting or taking off from a stop. This was an issue that crept up on me, getting worse every 3-4 months in my opinion. I noticed immediate improvement once the part was installed. I recommend having your mechanic do it. Others have reported misfires after trying to replace it themselves, likely because you need to remove the ignition coils during the install.
*** If anyone, especially new MK6 owners, have questions about buying and restoring/modifying their GTI please reach out. I learned a lot of my lessons the hard way.
2013, MK6 GTI, DSG (Stage 2)
117K miles
Total Spent: est. $28,000
*Estimated at the wheels: 285 HP, 310lbs torque
*0-60: 5.8 seconds (with perfect tires)
*Top Speed: est. 158 mph (have yet to surpass 147 mph)
Exhaust Sound: YouTube video here.
History:
Picked up from Colorado in 2020, already stage 2, for $10.5K with 99K miles on it. My wife allowed me $7500 to get it fixed up. That turned into $10000 quickly. And it has needed a little more love since.
Performance:
- came with: APR Carbino Intake system
- came with: "Frankenstein" Turboback Exhaust (unknown parts except the DP)
- came with: CTS Turbo Downpipe (no-cat)
- came with: CTS Turbo outlet charge pipe kit
- came with: APR Front Intercooler
- 034 motorsports ECU Stage 2
- Originally, this car had a custom tune on ECU through a COBB Access Port. It was not running as well as I wanted based on personal feel and OBD readings.
- Received "no crackle" file update from 034. The car is still a little too loud for my liking, but sounds much better without the crackling.
- Max increase: 68 HP @ 4,200 RPM
- Max increase: 88 TQ @ 4,000 RPM
- 93 Oct
- Optimized part throttle drive and sport maps
- Optimized wide open throttle drive and sport maps
- Increased clutch pressure
- Increased clutch torque limits
- Manual downshift lockout limit increased
- Lightning fast paddle response
- Lightning fast shift times and AMAX mode
- Reduced pull-away delay
- Customizable auto up-shift behavior
- Customizable auto down-shift behavior
- Customizable 3-step launch control
- Lightning fast launch control
- Launch control enabled with ESP on
- Launch counter
- Gear display active in drive and sport
- Fluidampr is a torsional vibration damper. Its function is to provide durability by controlling destructive torsional vibration. A side benefit to vibration control is releasing lost torque and horsepower through greater efficiency.
- Check out this thorough review from Hyde16: https://www.golfmk6.com/forums/index.php?threads/hyde16-reviews-fluidampr®-crank-pulley-for-volkswagen-tsi®-applications.286954/
- Strategically positioned 4 chamber baffle system maximizes oil / air separation.
- Engineered to create multiple changes in the direction of airflow within the separator to cause oil droplets to fall out of suspension before exiting the catch can.
- Knurled and black anodized integrated oil dipstick makes inspecting oil volume of the reservoir clean and simple.
- Fully serviceable for routine cleaning and maintenance; Includes 2.5mm allen key to remove baffle plates for cleaning.
- NOTE: This system is at risk of freezing in cold-weather temperatures and ECS tuning recommends a separate hose (sold separately) be installed in place of the catch can system during any winter driving.
- NOTE: This system leaves the original line on, to the PCV system, which means some oil will still be getting through. My mechanic and I estimate that this system will catch about 90% of what was originally getting into the sparkplugs. Either way, seems to be solving my problem of misfires.
- I avoided the upgrade to a Ko4; at this point that is the only thing that could get me a significant increase in power, as some of you already know. I didn't want to re-tune the car to Stage 3 and have to dish out $$$ for an LSD, which I knew I would want after getting the bigger turbo. But, I had problems to sort after installing the new Ko3 turbo. In the end it might have balanced out money wise to just get the Ko4, give or take a $1000. Just my experience if you're ever in a similar situation.
Handling:
- came with: Motegi MR116 lightweight, matte wheels,
- these rims weigh 23 lbs. / wheel (total unsprung weight reduction from stock = 28 lbs.)
- Lightweight Aluminum Control Arms:
- Corrosion resistant aluminum
- Over 9.0 pounds combined weight savings over cast steel arms for faster, more responsive suspension operation
- Enhanced structural rigidity; less deflection over stamped steel arms
- Polyurethane Bushings:
- Higher load bearing capacity
- Less deflection for more stable suspension geometry
- Greater tear strength
- Greater resistance to environmental wear like water, salt and sand
- S1 coilovers are fully height adjustable with fixed rate shock damping. Superb corrosion resistance features heavy gold zinc plated housings, new progressive elastomer bump stops, silver spring perches with double lock ring design.
- All Solo-Werks S1 coilovers come with a 3 year limited warranty.
- reduced drivetrain slop, decreased engine movement under load more direct power transfer, crisper shifting, and reduced wheel hop.
- Causes significant increase in noise, vibration, or harshness (NVH) inside of the cabin at first. Decreasess after 5000km break-in period and the addition of sound-deading material in the trunk. NVH will continue to vary based on local weather.
- These mounts are a completely re-engineered performance solution, not just inserts for use with the factory mounts.
- These collars take up the gap found in between the subframe bolts and subframe bolt holes, effectively eliminating any chances of the subframe to shift and move around. This creates a locked down front subframe, eliminating any noises as a result of "subframe shift" and improves handling and front suspension feedback, maintaining intended suspension geometry.
Cosmetic:
- came with: MK7.5 headlights (or some aftermarket knockoff?)
- came with: euro spec black cherry taillights
- came with: sequential side mirror lights
- came with: smoked side lights
- came with: red front seat cabin lighting
- came with: Akrapovic carbon fiber quad exhaust tips
- came with: New south Performance AC vent Boost Gauge
- came with: window tint (30%)
- came with: rear-windshield wiper delete
- interior red trim
- badgeless grille.
- Plastidip and Plasti-Gloss for windshield wipers and rear badge
- Klii Motorwerkes: "Sticker Bomb" rear badge sticker
- Various stickers throughout
- Custom Doc Holiday sticker
- "Huckleberry" lettering
- red paddle shifters
- gloss black rear diffuser
- hood was sanded, primed, dents removed, and painted.
- Rockville 10 inch sub, 1000 watt amp
- leather DSG knob shifter cover
- "carbon fiber" door handles
- body restoration by professional detailer
- personal restoration of all external trim
Misc.
- motor for rear d/s window replaced (@101k)
- exhaust leaks fixed and metal j hook added, holes plugged (@101K)
- gasket leak fixed with liquid seal around engine(@101K)
- new Piersburg vacuum pump and gasket (@101K)
- new Piersburg auxiliary water pump (@110K)
- new water pump and temperature gauge (@110k)
- NOICO sound deadening material in trunk floor and wheel well and partially on hatch door.
- new PCV oil separator (AKA Oil breather valve) (@117K).
- new timing chain, complete replacement (@117K)
(Oil and coolant @117.2k)
NOTE: I was going through nearly 2 quarts of oil every 300-400 miles. White smoke was clearly seen, especially in the lower gears, whether downshifting or taking off from a stop. This was an issue that crept up on me, getting worse every 3-4 months in my opinion. I noticed immediate improvement once the part was installed. I recommend having your mechanic do it. Others have reported misfires after trying to replace it themselves, likely because you need to remove the ignition coils during the install.
*** If anyone, especially new MK6 owners, have questions about buying and restoring/modifying their GTI please reach out. I learned a lot of my lessons the hard way.
Attachments
-
IMG_20211230_155415.jpg -
IMG_20211230_155035.jpg -
IMG_20211230_161417.jpg -
IMG_20220314_165117.jpg
Last edited:
