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Hi Guys -
Well first track day in the Pirelli, and all in all it was pretty good.
The $15k of mods held up fairly well. The KW suspension was very good, but not as good as the brakes. The brembos were outstanding considering the punishment they got on the track and the skidpan. 3 hours of absolutely hammering the living daylights out of them (and I really do mean hammering the daylights out of them), and they were as strong on the last lap as the first. Amazing.
The GTI is a very different beast to drive hard, compared to all the RWD V8's I've driven in the past. I found it essential to get all the braking done VERY early (no jamming on the brakes going through a corner), otherwise you lose virtually all control (monster understeer). If you get the braking done, and power through a corner, it's just great.
Four wheel drifts were a blast, as was the rush of power through the short straights.
The only criticism I could make, is the whole loss of handling thanks to the FWD. It's difficult to describe.. Go in too hard into a corner, and you can forget any acceleration until you've straightened it up again. Not only that, but if you overcook it the front end starts 'bunny hopping'. Unlike a RWD where you can just apply the power, and you're away. Like I said, get the braking done early and it's fine.
The DSG was also a bit hit and miss. As I was getting used to the track, I just left it in S. Upshifts were occasionally a bit late (lots and lots of redlining going on), and sometimes downshifts were a little too late too. It would have been much better going in full triptronic, but I was focussing too much on corner speed and braking markers to worry about what gear I should have been in. It did pretty well, no doubt better than I would have been if I'd been driving a manual anyway.
I think I still need to tweak the suspension settings quite a bit (had the rear end bouncing around the place at several points under serious braking) but the KWs did an outstanding job.
The pirelli p-zeros were absolutely A1, although now they are absolutely torn to shreds. No joke, they're about as rough as the bitumen I was driving on... Definately be replacing it with more of the same down the track. Very highly recommended - I had to push almost as hard as I could take it before they would let go.. (I was the weak link, not the tyres)...
All in all, it was a blast. Although I'm absolutely 100% sure it was going significantly faster than a RWD v8, it was still a bit of a handful. The trick I reckon, to be quick you have to be smooth smooth, smooth...
Well first track day in the Pirelli, and all in all it was pretty good.
The $15k of mods held up fairly well. The KW suspension was very good, but not as good as the brakes. The brembos were outstanding considering the punishment they got on the track and the skidpan. 3 hours of absolutely hammering the living daylights out of them (and I really do mean hammering the daylights out of them), and they were as strong on the last lap as the first. Amazing.
The GTI is a very different beast to drive hard, compared to all the RWD V8's I've driven in the past. I found it essential to get all the braking done VERY early (no jamming on the brakes going through a corner), otherwise you lose virtually all control (monster understeer). If you get the braking done, and power through a corner, it's just great.
Four wheel drifts were a blast, as was the rush of power through the short straights.
The only criticism I could make, is the whole loss of handling thanks to the FWD. It's difficult to describe.. Go in too hard into a corner, and you can forget any acceleration until you've straightened it up again. Not only that, but if you overcook it the front end starts 'bunny hopping'. Unlike a RWD where you can just apply the power, and you're away. Like I said, get the braking done early and it's fine.
The DSG was also a bit hit and miss. As I was getting used to the track, I just left it in S. Upshifts were occasionally a bit late (lots and lots of redlining going on), and sometimes downshifts were a little too late too. It would have been much better going in full triptronic, but I was focussing too much on corner speed and braking markers to worry about what gear I should have been in. It did pretty well, no doubt better than I would have been if I'd been driving a manual anyway.
I think I still need to tweak the suspension settings quite a bit (had the rear end bouncing around the place at several points under serious braking) but the KWs did an outstanding job.
The pirelli p-zeros were absolutely A1, although now they are absolutely torn to shreds. No joke, they're about as rough as the bitumen I was driving on... Definately be replacing it with more of the same down the track. Very highly recommended - I had to push almost as hard as I could take it before they would let go.. (I was the weak link, not the tyres)...
All in all, it was a blast. Although I'm absolutely 100% sure it was going significantly faster than a RWD v8, it was still a bit of a handful. The trick I reckon, to be quick you have to be smooth smooth, smooth...
sorry for being harsh but it really sounds like a handfull?! when i ran my mk3 vr6 for the 1st time i had none of the above, even with brakeing hard and late and powering out of the corners was fine; you perhaps need to do some serious tweaking; A diff and slicks are your priority also! oh, and switch to manual shift not auto 
(jeez i sound like an ass! i'm not that bad, honest 
)
I know a lot of people say these new engines should be driven hard but I would have thought it was a little too soon to be fanging the hole out of it, even though it has had the original oil changed as well 
Just my .02 cents worth anyway 
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