APR Intake Stage 1 Review

[Abbott Martin]

Quick history: 2-door GTI DSG car built May 2010, purchased it Dec 2012 with 12K miles (over '08 R32 of same price/mileage) from 1st owner via CarMax (boo depreciation, yay warranty, Bluetooth, gas money, power, appearance!!), APR Stage 1 93 (Jan 2014 w/45K. Aug 2015)

+24 hours: since the install I realize my stock mistake was filthy. Upon install my first impressions are: sharper throttle response, revs quicker, a light sucking/vacuum noise (it has been 30-40& rainy since install, will report back after its 65 & sunny next week...yay TN), and MUCH better power delivery after 4K. Stock felt like a clogged straw. In terms of performance, my butt dyno says 5-10 hp.
With the stock in stake my DSG transmission always felt strangled in mode so I use S & M. Now D works much better. The car has a fun turbo lag feeling.
Will update after a period of longer usage.

 

[lilonespaz]

congrats. Glad you are liking the new intake.

 

[Abbott Martin]

Thanks! Finally feels like a proper stage 1 car.

 

[lilonespaz]

Thanks! Finally feels like a proper stage 1 car.

Yeah now lets get you a exhaust :thumbsup:

 

[Abbott Martin]

Yeah now lets get you a exhaust :thumbsup:

Must restrain myself!
Full LED lighting may be the next upgrade

 

[lilonespaz]

Must restrain myself!
Full LED lighting may be the next upgrade

I did the interior LED lighting it defiantly makes walking up and unlocking the car a lot nicer seeing the whole inside light up a nice bright white.

I didnt change the vanity mirror lights as i felt the bright white would be too blinding so i kept the stock lights on those.


I just bought this...
http://belugaracing.com/product/vw-...igh-performance-light-weight-catback-exhaust/

Its the catback exhuast only so you dont have to worry about any codes or anything if you still have stock tune or stage 1. It adds a nice little rumble to the exhaust and if your DSG when you get on it the DSG "farts" are loud and crisp.

Plus its 349.99 shipped to your door(assuming you dont live in Texas where you will need to pay taxes)

But a bunch of people have installed it themselves in under 1 hour there is only 2 bolts to undue on the stock exhaust and then 6 hangers or so to slide in and out of.

I personally took it to a local mechanic next to my work and he installed in for $70 just because i didn't have the time/space to work on it.




Anyways back from the infomercial lol.


The only other LED lighting i want to add is the LED reverse bulb so the reverse will be brighter

 

[Abbott Martin]

Thanks for be link. I've been considering exhausts but only knew about the major ones. That one looks very nice indeed!

 

[lilonespaz]

Thanks for be link. I've been considering exhausts but only knew about the major ones. That one looks very nice indeed!

I was sketched at first too as its a "budget" or replica and people like to throw the word Ebay brand around.

But ill tell you what it was packaged really well everything bubble wrapped with small and large bubble... cardboard cylinders to keep the box from falling in on the products and foam sleeves over the hangers.

The instructions are a little bland
1. Remove stock exhaust you are planning on replacing
2. Replace from the front of car back with new exhaust
3. take a step back before tightening all the way to make sure aligned
4. tighten and enjoy

But welds look good and has a good nice firm feel to it. The guy who installed it was impressed with it saying most aftermarket stuff he has installed usually doenst fit or feels cheap but he commended them saying it went right on with no issue everything was right where it was supposed to be and seemed to be strong.


I have had it on for about a week and its nice imo.


if you're in Texas so you will have to pay tax but its still a great buy. Im in Florida and it took 4 business days for it to be delivered. They use FedEx ground for shipping.

Here is a link for review/install from Robeeerob on the forums
http://www.golfmk6.com/forums/showthread.php?t=92216

That thread is what convinced me to get it.

 

[Abbott Martin]

Is it loud (as in "oh here he comes into the office again" from 200 yards away)

 

[Abbott Martin]

+2 weeks:
This intake is fantastic. Will expand in the future:
- Appearance: nice and shiny, look like a factory piece Porsche would use
- fit: better than OEM and increased space/ access to headlights. Looking at the design of it and other tube-type intakes. It seems to make the most sense. It is a straight shot from the mouth to the filter; a pipe within a case that is very compact. The sound and practical aspects of this are beyond "yeah it ain't sucking it down like a straw".
- Performance: throttle response is sharper, power up top is quite nice. At any given gear/throttle combo the car seems to be several mph faster. Shocked at the improvement in performance by this simple Ram Air deal.
- Competition: all the other intakes supposedly sound more aggressive. Not only are they larger, occupying more space under the hood, they are louder. Personally this intake is as aggressive as I wanted and not a tad more.
-Sound. Oh my. The noise. People commented "Darth Vader". We are having sunny, 65 degree temps: wow. Every touch if the throttle there is a noticeable "whoosh" noise. The sound is very noticeable with the widows down. Every press of the throttle ( 2nd at 20-30 or 3rd at 30-40 are nice) remind me it is a turbo car. It's a very unique sound and car has a new personality. Started driving it in a higher gear.
- Expectations: some nice noises and it'd look cool. Plus it's solid carbon fiber. Results: Success.

Prior to the intake my stage 1's engine was stock (besides brakes, plugs, coils, etc). Our other car for comparison is a stock Mk7 stage 1 low-output (295 HP@6.5K & 335 torque@4K). My '10 has a noise pipe. Time to remove it. My assumption is a Mk6 Soundaktor would be a bigger nuisance.