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Missing my GTI

I

iag48st

Ready to race!
Been a long time since I logged on but I've been missing my MK6 GTI that I traded in for my FRS. I love the looks of the mk6 ( can't stand the rear and profile of the mk7)

When I had the gti going K04 was a $4-5000 mod, is it much cheaper today? because I see CTS and Unitronic kits going for $1900 to 2500.
 
B

blingdub

Go Kart Newbie
yes and no.

CTS and SPULEN sell K04 kits that go for around $1700 when they're on sale, but that's without software. K04 kits from big tuners like Unitronic and APR will include the software -- that's where most of the price difference is.

but once you factor in the cost of supporting mods like downpipe, intake, intercooler, clutch, yes -- it's near $5k all in.
 
P

pioneercrazed

Passed Driver's Ed
I'd say the main determining factor is whether you can do the install on your own or not. Also if you have DSG it helps not needing a new clutch like the 6mt needs.

Personally this is how my totals worked out:

APR K04 kit on sale for $2500 (includes software)
Godspeed catless downpipe >$150
Used APR Carbonio intake $200 shipped
Plugs, coolant, etc $100

Labor $0 but a weekend of work.

I later added an intercooler but it isn't completely necessary right off the bat IMO.

So right about 3k without labor. I'm sure it can be done cheaper with a different brand K04 and different software options though.
 
ChrisB1

ChrisB1

Go Kart Champion
Turbocharge or supercharge the FRS! I thought it was an excellent driving car but way down on power. Granted, I forgot how much I hated FWD until after about a week with my GTI, so maybe I am not the best person to be offering advice, lol.
 
I

iag48st

Ready to race!
Yeah I hated my gti in the corners, understeer everywhere but then again I was on stock suspension and tires. I can only imagine k04.

It seems that it would be less to just get a used mk7 for around 20k and slap on a tune and down pipe than buying a 17k mk6 and doing 4K of upgrades.

I would love to boost the 86 but I have friends with boosted FRS that have had issues And that's something I don't want to deal with.
 
dafuture

dafuture

Go Kart Champion
HPA sells their K04 on Black Friday for $1360. A few hundred for a downpipe, a couple hundred for an intake, and a few hundred for an intercooler and you're good to go. You can probably get the parts together for somethign like $2k. Install and transmission needs (clutch?) would be the only other expenses. If you're DSG, you can probably go K04 for $3k out the door. Manual tranny would be something more like $4500 (with a new clutch).
 
N

NorthVan1

Ready to race!
iag48st said:
Yeah I hated my gti in the corners, understeer everywhere but then again I was on stock suspension and tires. I can only imagine k04.

It seems that it would be less to just get a used mk7 for around 20k and slap on a tune and down pipe than buying a 17k mk6 and doing 4K of upgrades.

I would love to boost the 86 but I have friends with boosted FRS that have had issues And that's something I don't want to deal with.
Click to expand...

I would never do Forced Induction on any car that didn't come with it. You end up spending a lot of time and money trying to sort the car out.
 
zrickety

zrickety

The Fixer
Control arm bushes and Unibraces really helped me in the corners. You can snipe some deals on both generations. You might get lucky and find a used K04 GTI for the same money as stock (I did). Mk7 prices are dropping too, it's all how much do you want to spend.
 
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iag48st

Ready to race!
I've seen a few mk7 around 19k. What do you guys think would be the bett and bang per buck? Used mk6 DSG for around 17 plus k04 or mk7 non pp plus tune and downpipe?

I remember reading somewhere that the mk7 stage 2 was producing more powe Than k04.
 
dafuture

dafuture

Go Kart Champion
iag48st said:
I've seen a few mk7 around 19k. What do you guys think would be the bett and bang per buck? Used mk6 DSG for around 17 plus k04 or mk7 non pp plus tune and downpipe?

I remember reading somewhere that the mk7 stage 2 was producing more powe Than k04.
Click to expand...

Bang for buck wise the MK7 is probably a better deal for the same money. But honestly, it's personal preference. I like the MK6 more than I do the MK7, so I'd rather put the extra money into making the MK6 exactly what I want than just making an "eh" (to me) car go faster.
 
ChrisB1

ChrisB1

Go Kart Champion
iag48st said:
Yeah I hated my gti in the corners, understeer everywhere but then again I was on stock suspension and tires. I can only imagine k04.

It seems that it would be less to just get a used mk7 for around 20k and slap on a tune and down pipe than buying a 17k mk6 and doing 4K of upgrades.

I would love to boost the 86 but I have friends with boosted FRS that have had issues And that's something I don't want to deal with.
Click to expand...

Lightweight 17" wheels and Pilot Super Sports help on the stock suspension, but I still decided to forgo the K04 and stop at Stage 2. IMHO the FWD limitation makes it pointless to add more power.

Granted, if my situation changed to where I was spending more time on the interstate versus stop and go traffic, I'd consider the K04. Then again, I'd probably go back to a boring Honda if I were driving 20,000+ miles per year as I have done in the past.
 
ChrisB1

ChrisB1

Go Kart Champion
iag48st said:
I would do the mk7 route but the back of the car is sooo fugly....
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In all honesty the steering and handling are improved on the MK7 platform. You also get a more capable turbo from the factory.

The negative is that you still have to feather the throttle from a dead stop otherwise you get plenty of wheel spin. Granted, that is my gripe about front wheel drive in general.
 
ElectricEye

ElectricEye

Autocross Newbie
iag48st said:
I've seen a few mk7 around 19k. What do you guys think would be the bett and bang per buck? Used mk6 DSG for around 17 plus k04 or mk7 non pp plus tune and downpipe?

I remember reading somewhere that the mk7 stage 2 was producing more powe Than k04.
Click to expand...

If you drive a MK7, you won't want a MK6.
That's no offense to the 6, it's a great car. I loved mine, and still love them.
But since you are mentioning the two of them by comparison - the driving experience is not the same.
And if you want to take it a bit further and find one equipped with the performance pack, you're talking about a different animal.
 
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