6
Mario's Build Thread/Sofia's journey to greatness
- Thread starter TKE Mario
- Start date
TKE Mario
Ready to race!
- HPA Shortshifter (07/27/14)
So being that I was leaving for vacation within the next two weeks, I went with easiest install first from my waterfest shopping spree:
- HPA Shortshifter (07/27/14)
Install was quick and easy since I had an aftermarket intake and I was actually to just remove the bolts that secure the intake in place and move it over instead of removing the intake entirely.
Alright initial impressions at 20% reduction were awesome, haven't tried the s3 SS on a GTI, but I have driven my brothers mk6 R (which is the S3 SS) and it's noticeably shorter than both my stock shifter and the R (or S3) SS. I remember loving the drive after the install and exclaiming to myself while driving that this is how the car should've came, the throw distance and feeling just felt so right.:thumbsup: I still wanted to shorten my shifter rod height tho, which was the first thing I tackled when I came back from vacation.
So being that I was leaving for vacation within the next two weeks, I went with easiest install first from my waterfest shopping spree:
- HPA Shortshifter (07/27/14)
Install was quick and easy since I had an aftermarket intake and I was actually to just remove the bolts that secure the intake in place and move it over instead of removing the intake entirely.
Alright initial impressions at 20% reduction were awesome, haven't tried the s3 SS on a GTI, but I have driven my brothers mk6 R (which is the S3 SS) and it's noticeably shorter than both my stock shifter and the R (or S3) SS. I remember loving the drive after the install and exclaiming to myself while driving that this is how the car should've came, the throw distance and feeling just felt so right.:thumbsup: I still wanted to shorten my shifter rod height tho, which was the first thing I tackled when I came back from vacation.
TKE Mario
Ready to race!
- Shortened Shifter Rod (08/02/14)
So the HPA shortshifter felt great, but the shifter rod itself felt too tall. I wanted to keep the OEM shift knob so I had to find an alternative solution. I remember my cousin had cut down his shifter rod in his mk4 VR6, so I searched to forums and saw some posts about people cutting it down in the mk6 as well. Borrowed a pipe-cutter and went to work :slice:
- Shortened Shifter Rod (08/02/14)
It was insanely easy to cut down with the pipe-cutter and a very clean cut. I took off about an 1-1/4" then filed in a replica of the slot in the rod and smoothed out the top to be completely flat (pipe-cutter made a clean cut but as you can see from the photo, the center of the cut was higher because of the way the pipe-cutter cuts). Unfortunately I wiped the cellphone that had the rest of the photos
But the good news was I loved the new height, it felt right. Also a :thumbsup: for a zero cost mod Maybe I'll just take a new picture tomorrow to show the height.
So the HPA shortshifter felt great, but the shifter rod itself felt too tall. I wanted to keep the OEM shift knob so I had to find an alternative solution. I remember my cousin had cut down his shifter rod in his mk4 VR6, so I searched to forums and saw some posts about people cutting it down in the mk6 as well. Borrowed a pipe-cutter and went to work :slice:
- Shortened Shifter Rod (08/02/14)
It was insanely easy to cut down with the pipe-cutter and a very clean cut. I took off about an 1-1/4" then filed in a replica of the slot in the rod and smoothed out the top to be completely flat (pipe-cutter made a clean cut but as you can see from the photo, the center of the cut was higher because of the way the pipe-cutter cuts). Unfortunately I wiped the cellphone that had the rest of the photos
But the good news was I loved the new height, it felt right. Also a :thumbsup: for a zero cost mod
Maybe I'll just take a new picture tomorrow to show the height.So the HPA shortshifter felt great, but the shifter rod itself felt too tall. I wanted to keep the OEM shift knob so I had to find an alternative solution. I remember my cousin had cut down his shifter rod in his mk4 VR6, so I searched to forums and saw some posts about people cutting it down in the mk6 as well. Borrowed a pipe-cutter and went to work :slice:
- Shortened Shifter Rod (08/02/14)
It was insanely easy to cut down with the pipe-cutter and a very clean cut. I took off about an 1-1/4" then filed in a replica of the slot in the rod and smoothed out the top to be completely flat (pipe-cutter made a clean cut but as you can see from the photo, the center of the cut was higher because of the way the pipe-cutter cuts). Unfortunately I wiped the cellphone that had the rest of the photos
But the good news was I loved the new height, it felt right. Also a :thumbsup: for a zero cost mod
I've been meaning to do this to mine forever, just keep forgetting! How's it feel driving it now?
TKE Mario
Ready to race!
do it, it was sooooooo easy
it just feels "right" now, the stock height of the shifter felt awkwardly tall, at least for me it did
I'll add it to the list lol!
TKE Mario
Ready to race!
- GoFastBits DV+ Diverter Valve kit (09/06/14)
Alright, I really need to speed this up or I'll never catch up to present day...
- GoFastBits DV+ Diverter Valve kit (09/06/14)
I was already impressed with what I had heard from other users about the GFB DV+ and if you have the old diverter valve, upgrading to the revision D or this part is absolutely necessary.
Since I knew the end goal for my car, I felt more comfortable getting this over the rev. D OEM diverter valve. There was a small sale on DeutscheAutoParts and they already have competitive pricing to begin with so I pulled the trigger on this part.
The packaging was very impressive as you can see from the photo collage below and upon inspection this seemed like a simple but well made part.
This was an easy install...basically three screws. The top one is hardest to reach but my arms and hands are pretty slender so I didn't have too difficult of a time.
I'll admit I had purchased this as a proactive move to avoid having the probable issue of not holding boost later on because of the poor design of the old diverter valve, however, upon taking the car for a test drive I definitely noticed its other benefit. I felt like the car behaved more like I wanted it to. I've read other owner comments about it improving throttle response, but I would describe it differently. To me it felt like I was accurately able to regulate boost in a more controlled smooth manner. I was and 2 years later still am happy with the purchase :thumbsup:
Alright, I really need to speed this up or I'll never catch up to present day...
- GoFastBits DV+ Diverter Valve kit (09/06/14)
I was already impressed with what I had heard from other users about the GFB DV+ and if you have the old diverter valve, upgrading to the revision D or this part is absolutely necessary.
Since I knew the end goal for my car, I felt more comfortable getting this over the rev. D OEM diverter valve. There was a small sale on DeutscheAutoParts and they already have competitive pricing to begin with so I pulled the trigger on this part.
The packaging was very impressive as you can see from the photo collage below and upon inspection this seemed like a simple but well made part.
This was an easy install...basically three screws. The top one is hardest to reach but my arms and hands are pretty slender so I didn't have too difficult of a time.
I'll admit I had purchased this as a proactive move to avoid having the probable issue of not holding boost later on because of the poor design of the old diverter valve, however, upon taking the car for a test drive I definitely noticed its other benefit. I felt like the car behaved more like I wanted it to. I've read other owner comments about it improving throttle response, but I would describe it differently. To me it felt like I was accurately able to regulate boost in a more controlled smooth manner. I was and 2 years later still am happy with the purchase :thumbsup:
TKE Mario
Ready to race!
- SPM Custom 3" Turbo back Exhaust + other Waterfest goodies (09/18/14)
Today was the big day when I got to take the rest of my waterfest shopping spree goodies to my friends Dave and Mike at UR Motorsports
- SPM Custom 3" Turbo back Exhaust (09/18/14)
- TyrolSport Deadset Rigid Front Subframe Collar Kit (09/18/14)
- TyrolSport Rear Collar Kit (09/18/14)
- SPM 22mm Rear Sway Bar (09/18/14)
- SPM 26mm Front Sway Bar (09/18/14)
Unfortunately, I don't have many pictures of the Tyrolsport set and SPM sway bars going in, but in regards to the sway bars we installed the SPM 26mm Front Sway Bar to the soft setting and the 22mm Rear Sway Bar to the hard setting since it isn't as stiff of a sway bar (22mm vs 26mm).
Feedback from these mods...all positive baby. Greatest impact being the rear sway bar! Let it rip on my favorite S curve in my town...felt so good not getting that overwhelming feeling of my tail floating away, the car felt planted and "connected". I don't know how much of that was a result of the Tyrolsport deadset collar kits, but no more shifting subframe so :thumbup:
Wouldn't get to appreciate the benefits of the front sway until (teaser for later) I installed my coilovers and tried autocross...this really brought out the best in my sway bars especially the front sway bar... before then, its impact was not as noticeable.
moving on...
Out with the old, in with the new!
Fitment was an issue to say the least...I don't know if SPM just had poor quality control or what, I've read the horror stories about fitment with this TBE/CBE and then others that have had no issue. See picture below of the front peg sections not lining up properly. Tail pipes were lower on one side and pushed of to the left (drivers side) instead of centered at the opening. Although a pain in the ass, all issues were addressed
and here's a photo taken after the centering was complete:
All was worth it tho because I absolutely love the way my exhaust sounds now, it was exactly the sound I was looking for: Deep, non-Raspy, loud but not obnoxious, and No drone.
Will edit the rest tonight, can't keep my eyes open at the moment
Today was the big day when I got to take the rest of my waterfest shopping spree goodies to my friends Dave and Mike at UR Motorsports
- SPM Custom 3" Turbo back Exhaust (09/18/14)
- TyrolSport Deadset Rigid Front Subframe Collar Kit (09/18/14)
- TyrolSport Rear Collar Kit (09/18/14)
- SPM 22mm Rear Sway Bar (09/18/14)
- SPM 26mm Front Sway Bar (09/18/14)
Unfortunately, I don't have many pictures of the Tyrolsport set and SPM sway bars going in, but in regards to the sway bars we installed the SPM 26mm Front Sway Bar to the soft setting and the 22mm Rear Sway Bar to the hard setting since it isn't as stiff of a sway bar (22mm vs 26mm).
Feedback from these mods...all positive baby. Greatest impact being the rear sway bar! Let it rip on my favorite S curve in my town
...felt so good not getting that overwhelming feeling of my tail floating away, the car felt planted and "connected". I don't know how much of that was a result of the Tyrolsport deadset collar kits, but no more shifting subframe so :thumbup: Wouldn't get to appreciate the benefits of the front sway until (teaser for later) I installed my coilovers and tried autocross...this really brought out the best in my sway bars especially the front sway bar... before then, its impact was not as noticeable.
moving on...
Out with the old, in with the new!
Fitment was an issue to say the least...I don't know if SPM just had poor quality control or what, I've read the horror stories about fitment with this TBE/CBE and then others that have had no issue. See picture below of the front peg sections not lining up properly. Tail pipes were lower on one side and pushed of to the left (drivers side) instead of centered at the opening. Although a pain in the ass, all issues were addressed
and here's a photo taken after the centering was complete:
All was worth it tho because I absolutely love the way my exhaust sounds now, it was exactly the sound I was looking for: Deep, non-Raspy, loud but not obnoxious, and No drone.
Will edit the rest tonight, can't keep my eyes open at the moment
Last edited:
deep.mit
Go Kart Champion
^ Ahan! Great updates! A good exhaust really livens up the character of this car :thumbup:
I have only heard good things about how the rear sway bar improves turn-in and handling in general. Just too hesitant to have it on a daily basis. For now, my plan is to install the rear hatch brace and induce some stiffness there.
I have only heard good things about how the rear sway bar improves turn-in and handling in general. Just too hesitant to have it on a daily basis. For now, my plan is to install the rear hatch brace and induce some stiffness there.
TKE Mario
Ready to race!
Alright so now that my eyes arent shutting after every 2 words I type, lemme explain why I went with SPM's exhaust. I actually familiarized myself with them at the previous Waterfest (2013) where they had 2 GTIs at their tent, one set up with their full track TBE installed (hi-flow cat, no resonator, no mid-muffler, and no rear mufflers) and the other with their full street TBE installed and got to hear them both. I liked them both, but loved neither one. I was impressed with the welds and their prices, then I came to find out that you can customize your setup to be a mix of their street and track setups. After looking at the possible combinations, they were looking like a probable candidate because they met all my qualifications:
- full 3" TBE,
- 100% stainless steel,
- No rear muffler, but with a resonator and mid-muffler to reduce drone
- a 200 cell hi-flow cat because I'm somewhat environmentally friendly
combine that with the ridiculous price (seriously an ABSURDLY low price) they offered and the fact that I loved the way this similiar setup sounded on HYDE's car, I was more than willing to wrestle with the fitment issues, and almost 2 years later, the exhaust is looking and sounding better than ever
- full 3" TBE,
- 100% stainless steel,
- No rear muffler, but with a resonator and mid-muffler to reduce drone
- a 200 cell hi-flow cat because I'm somewhat environmentally friendly
combine that with the ridiculous price (seriously an ABSURDLY low price) they offered and the fact that I loved the way this similiar setup sounded on HYDE's car, I was more than willing to wrestle with the fitment issues, and almost 2 years later, the exhaust is looking and sounding better than ever
Last edited:
TKE Mario
Ready to race!
- 3M Di Noc Carbon Fiber Vinyl over rear reflectors (09/04/14)
ahh also forgot to mention something that you wouldn't have noticed in the picture because I posted the black and white version...I put some
- 3M Di Noc Carbon Fiber Vinyl over rear reflectors (09/04/14)
sorry for the crappy cellphone pics:
ahh also forgot to mention something that you wouldn't have noticed in the picture because I posted the black and white version...I put some
- 3M Di Noc Carbon Fiber Vinyl over rear reflectors (09/04/14)
sorry for the crappy cellphone pics:
TKE Mario
Ready to race!
- APR Stage 2 upgraded tune (09/28/14)
Alright, kept the tradition alive and went down to H2Oi 2014 and since I went stage 1 here in 2013, upp'ed it to Stage 2 in 2014
- APR Stage 2 upgraded tune (09/28/14)
This was also definitely the best year going down for me, had a great time (went in 2015 too...big mistake). Here's some pictures from the trip (The white mk6 Golf R is my buddy and he's actually currently selling those wheels if anyone's interested and yes I mean currently as in 2016 lol)
While I was down there I also fell in love with this mk4 r32 and these wheels (OEM 19" Savannahs 2-tone)
You also get a little better view of my rear reflectors that I vinyled over w/ the carbon fiber wrap
And last but not least my favorite photo I took while down there:
Alright, kept the tradition alive and went down to H2Oi 2014 and since I went stage 1 here in 2013, upp'ed it to Stage 2 in 2014
- APR Stage 2 upgraded tune (09/28/14)
This was also definitely the best year going down for me, had a great time (went in 2015 too...big mistake). Here's some pictures from the trip (The white mk6 Golf R is my buddy and he's actually currently selling those wheels if anyone's interested and yes I mean currently as in 2016 lol)
While I was down there I also fell in love with this mk4 r32 and these wheels (OEM 19" Savannahs 2-tone)
You also get a little better view of my rear reflectors that I vinyled over w/ the carbon fiber wrap
And last but not least my favorite photo I took while down there:
TKE Mario
Ready to race!
you got it chief :thumbsup: