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2012 CSG 6MT GTI Jansonchan226

Driver Gear Springs (2dr 6MT)
Bought from KefferVW parts
Price: 200US
I decided to at least learn something out of the whole process of my noise madness, so I went to a friend for help and installed the coils in the garage. It was definitely easier than I thought it was going to be, having the proper tools and a knowledgeable friend definitely helps. I waited the springs to settle before getting an alignment. (500km). It is sitting at 25 ½ inch at the front and 25 ¾ at the rear. I was very happy with the result; I experienced 0 NVH and it made driving enjoyable again. Some are worried about bounce from lower springs and I must say, these are very good in terms of comfort and performance. Paired with RSB and sticky tires, there are really no other combos for the best daily driving (including pot holes and entrances), money and performance. I do not experienced bounce at highway speed of 140km/hr over hills or bumps. The ride is very comfortable, similar to stock. I reused the stock strut mounts and it worked perfectly fine, no noise whatsoever. After 2000kms on the springs, it is still the same. One thing though, it does make spring binding noise when the temp is cold outside, I am estimating anything below 4C it will start making noise. You only hear it going over large speed bumps and it doesn’t bug me enough to do something about it. Overall, great purchase, would definitely recommend it to people for their daily driving.
 
HS Tuning RSR clutch kit
Price: 999USD
Installation hardware: 50 USD


Recently bought the RSR clutch kit from HS tuning and got it installed locally at CTS turbo. I noticed the clutch slipping at 21000kms, I tested it by WOT on 5th gear at about 3500rpm (very slight hesitation). I noticed more slipping when pulling up hill in 4th at about 4000rpm recently and decided to get the clutch replaced.

Why RSR clutch kit?
Well, this is purely a personal preference kind of things. I want to retain the DMFW for comfort and daily driving. I like the idea of using a mixture OEM parts to create something that is suitable and out performs what we already have. As many of you might know, there were only good reviews about the RSR clutch so far and I decided to experiment with them. I consider it a bit experimental because of the lack of high Kms review and this clutch kit is still very new to the market.

CM FX350 w/ DMFW?
I was torn between the fx350 and the RSR clutch for the longest time (hate the fact that I am indecisive). The fx350 to me is a much cheaper option and has been proven (sort of) that it is daily drivable and long lasting (based on the higher kms reviews). I feel that the fx350 (stage 3 clutch) is design to work with a Single Mass Flywheel but I really like the idea that the RSR uses OEM parts. I could be wrong and to be honest, it would still be tough to choose between the two right now. When work is really tough, I tend to do impulsive purchases and that is sort of what happened (no regrets), but honestly, you can’t go wrong with either kits.

Reminder:
Bring your wheel lock when you get your clutch done. I forgot and they had to remove the control arm and hence more expensive due to the alignment afterwards. I am just really glad they were able to get it done, because I live quite far from CTS and I can only drop the car off after work, which is traffic hours and it took me 2 hours to drive there.

Initial impression:
Packaging was really nice; shipping was extremely fast, what more can you ask? If you do get the replacement bolts/installation hardware, they are very nice organized, each and every one of them are marked where they go with tq spec and packaged separately, they made it ridiculously hard to get these wrong.

Installation:
The OEM clutch disk looks brand new, I can honestly clean it up and make a refund and no one would suspect it. I was prepared to have the OEM DMFW resurfaced, but there was no need for that. The DMFW still have the factory machine marks on there. The mechanics did not see any slippage/blue spots. This is my 6th manual car and I have been driving manual cars for 8 years. I am by no mean the most experience driver in the world, and many of you probably were driving manual before I was born, but I can drive manual properly.

0 kms:
I was expecting the clutch to feel different (come on... I spent so much money, something better be different!), and tested it very cautiously. The pedal is much harder than stock GTI. **Something needs to be straighten out here, people often say that this clutch feels very OEM, they don’t mean the clutch kit will feel like the OEM GTI clutch, they meant the clutch is similar to other (probably higher HP) car’s OEM clutch. The OEM GTI clutch is very soft and the engagement point is somewhat vague, making it smooth to drive (some hate, some don’t). This pedal feels heavier and that is a good thing. At first I didn’t like it, I was worried that it will be very stiff and leg will be tired after 30 mins of traffic jam. The engagement point is much lower compare to stock. It did take some getting used to. I wish the disk grabs harder, I really like the drive of a race clutch, but just can’t deal with the noise. It does feel that the clutch grabs more, but I think that is due to the harder pressure plate. To some these traits are a good thing; this really is like an OEM clutch for some other cars. We all have different needs, I personally like the feel of a ceramic clutch, but I just can’t deal with the noise. Because the engagement point is lower and the pedal is heavier, I FEEL that there is less room to run the clutch and more precise. It is easier to find the engagement point and it gets there much quicker. I had to pick up the car after work and guess what; I was stuck in traffic on the way home. I was stuck in traffic for 1.5 hours and surprisingly my leg wasn’t that tired (and this is after 8 hours of work and waking up at 6am). Don’t get me wrong, the pedal is harder, but it’s manageable. And it feels harder just because the difference was huge between the GTI and this. I didn’t stall on the way home, but some shifts could be better and I didn’t get used to it even after 1.5 hours of start and stop traffic. One thing I need to point out, I can hear very slight chatter with the OEM clutch, it’s not loud by any means, but it’s audible. The RSR clutch however, is NOT audible; it’s so quiet that I cannot hear it. You can sort of make out the sound, but really it makes less noise than stock. There is 0 NVH, and if I don’t feel it, you are most likely not going to feel it. Overall, I am satisfied with the clutch and wish it would soften just a bit after breaking into it.

250kms:
I am still going easy on the clutch, but the pedal FEELS a little lighter, I think it’s all psychological. However, I did get used to the feel of the clutch and I no longer need to remind myself that the clutch is different. The engagement point is similar to the height of where the foot rest on the left sits; this is just to give you an idea of how low it engages. The car drives very nice and I shift faster (subconsciously). One thing that’s worth mentioning is that, after driving this clutch on the same car with same mod, I feel that the OEM clutch slips a bit when picking up. The car seems respond much faster with this clutch. I did notice that when I do make a mistake, its less forgiving, which is what it’s suppose to do. I haven’t don’t any pull or WOT on the car yet, I will be testing it out more at 600kms and I will update this when I do. So far, clutch feels great.


Note: Thanks Nate for helping me out, there were some complication due to having different billing and shipping address and he took care of me. For those that are unsure about CTS, you really need to give Nik of Clay a call, they are great with customer service and extremely knowledgable.
 
Keep it up!!
Clean mods = clean gti!

Thanks man, clean is the plan!

I think I commented on your wheels on the other thread already, but that's one of the best you can have for the CSG.
 

Zoomer7

Ready to race!
Thanks man, clean is the plan!

I think I commented on your wheels on the other thread already, but that's one of the best you can have for the CSG.

:wub:
too bad we're litereally on the opposite sides of North America, I'd love to check your CSG out in person :D
 
:wub:
too bad we're litereally on the opposite sides of North America, I'd love to check your CSG out in person :D

lol, I really want to see your CSG too, never seen the BBS on CSG before. no homo..
 

Zoomer7

Ready to race!
lol, I really want to see your CSG too, never seen the BBS on CSG before. no homo..

It was a big bullet to bite, but I'm glad I did.
"Finishing" up my build this week by installing:
VWR big brake kit
UNIbrace XB, UB, RB
front/rear APR sway bars

Then it will be able to handle any beating I throw at it :fighting0030:
 
It was a big bullet to bite, but I'm glad I did.
"Finishing" up my build this week by installing:
VWR big brake kit
UNIbrace XB, UB, RB
front/rear APR sway bars

Then it will be able to handle any beating I throw at it :fighting0030:

Trying to build a track monster?? Wish i have the liquidity to purchase BBK, the brakes on this car is underwhelming.. Had an argument with a VW driving instructor about them too lol. Post pics when you have them installed!!
 
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