If lowered below what the R is it would still perform better than the other knuckles?
Almost a night and day difference imo. Made note of how crappy the roads were driving out to the shop, and didn't think they were bad at all driving home.
Would imagine it would have to be the knuckles. Thought those roads were bad before I had the whiteline bushings put on, so the super pro stuff can't be that much softer / if at all.
Arin: If I wanted to go full APR Stage II+ on my stock 2013 R, would I have to worry about stock driveline and transmission issues? Or am I well within the functional parameters for these items?
With upgraded pads, the R brakes are not as prone to fade. VW put the big 345's on the R and they stop quite well. The only real issue with these brakes is pad selection isn't as good as the smaller GTI's. You can upgrade to Yellowstuff pads (about $150 a set) and have excellent fade free braking at the track without spending thousands.
Today’s aftermarket wheel scene is absolutely littered with every design and style one could imagine. Much like a set of self-adhesive fender vents from Pep Boys, it seems most wheels are chosen based on looks, rather than performance and functionality.
For the BFGMaxR, performance and styling were critical, so we worked with ADV.1 to customize a set of 5.01SL’s. The wheels are strong and up to the demands of the MaxR as they are a 6061 T6 heat-treated forged aluminum Monoblocks manufactured completely in the USA.
ADV.1’s SL line is lightweight with only 19.8 lbs per side, reducing total weight by nearly 25 lbs. We chose a set of 18”x8.5” wheels as it afforded us the ability to run a very meaty set of BFGoodrich tires with a large contact patch. We’ll touch upon in our exciting next update!
Jon at ADV.1 was able to pull out all stops to ensure we could receive the wheels in time for testing at the Michelin Laurence Proving Grounds. ADV.1 custom painted the wheels to our specifications and arrived with a flawless finish, mating perfectly to the MaxR.
The inspiration of the BFGoodrich MaxR project is all in the name. Our goal was to get the maximum out of a Golf R. Achieving this and still maintaining an enjoyable daily driver meant we had to completely modify Max to reliably make above 500HP. With more than double the factory 256 HP there was a new concern. If that power wasn’t transferred to the earth efficiently then it wouldn’t really amount to much.
A key component in the success of the project was a strategic partnership with BFGoodrich. They provided a tire solution capable of putting this new power to the ground in both wet and dry conditions. At the launch of the new BFGoodrich Tires G-Force Sport Comp-2, APR was invited to test the tire on BFGoodrich supplied vehicles. After measuring the performance on our own fleet of vehicles on the track and daily driving, the partnership was born. This was the missing piece to the MaxR project.
When considering performance upgrades for acceleration, handling, and braking most never consider tires. Choosing the wrong tire will completely alter all three of these categories. Arguably, tires are the most important performance component. Tires are your only connection to the road. They are the only objects that translate your input to the asphalt. With the MaxR strapped to a set of the BFGoodrich Tires G-Force Sport Comp-2, we were able to accelerate faster, lower our lap times and stop shorter than the OEM tires supplied with the Golf R.
The MaxR was taken to Michelin’s Laurens Proving Grounds to conduct a battery of tests in dry and wet conditions to see how the tires stacked up to their OEM counterparts. Michelin’s Laurens Proving Grounds consist of 9 privately owned tracks designed to test tires in many different conditions. With dry and wet conditions, on and off road conditions, everything in order to push tires to the limits of handling, braking, acceleration, cornering, drifting, pulling, noise and so on.
Michelin’s test engineers were responsible for running Max through each test as they have thousands of times before with different tires. Multiple tests were conducted on the 93-octane calibration, and stock wheels were installed so all tire sizes would be identical. In braking the MaxR was able to stop an amazing 15.5 feet sooner in 60 - 0 MPH tests. In autocross testing, Max was .5 seconds faster in the dry and 1.8 seconds faster in the wet. All wheel drive acceleration tests resulted in a .9 second reduction up to 140 MPH. Reviewing the data and tapes we begged the test engineer to conduct brutal high RPM launches however he was hesitant to do so. He was new to the project and unaware how built max truly was.
An unexpected benefit of the Comp-2 compared to other high-end tires, including the Comp-2’s predecessor, the KDW, was sound. Our professional driver, Ian Baas put it best saying, “The tire offered the best of both worlds. I was amazed that a high performance tire could be so composed on both the track and street, offering great grip and accuracy while still providing a quiet and comfortable ride.”
The improvements to the Comp-2 over the previous design come thanks to several design changes from BFGoodrich. The Silica-infused compounds improve wet traction. The high-tech elastomer system improves maximum control during spirited driving. The new tread compound rigidity increases responsiveness. The new tread pattern provides proven stability and maximum cornering power while g-Hooks provide biting edges for grip at any cornering angle. Internal structure features a reinforced construction that delivers increased responsiveness, control and durability as well as serious control in hard cornering. This new technology resulted in a 30% / 8% improvement in wet/dry grip conditions for precise control.
Words and pictures can only say so much about the performance of a tire, so we’ve prepared a video to show case the days testing. Enjoy!
