Real World MKV r32 Performance

[rjc]

I am looking at purchasing a MKV r32 (2008 or 2009) for my next car and was looking for some info on the performance of these cars & how well they respond to basic mods such as intake, exhaust & tune.

My questions are -

What times & mph do they run over the 1/4 mile? (actual times people have run would be good, i know that they are quoted to run around 14.4's)

Will the above mods make a noticeable difference to this? I know that they don't seem to make much more outright power, but what about low down and in the middle of the rev range?

Will i regret buying this over say a gti or pirelli with the same mods?

Cheers.

R

[thezoneR32]

I am looking at purchasing a MKV r32 (2008 or 2009) for my next car and was looking for some info on the performance of these cars & how well they respond to basic mods such as intake, exhaust & tune.

My questions are -

What times & mph do they run over the 1/4 mile? (actual times people have run would be good, i know that they are quoted to run around 14.4's)

Will the above mods make a noticeable difference to this? I know that they don't seem to make much more outright power, but what about low down and in the middle of the rev range?

Will i regret buying this over say a gti or pirelli with the same mods?

Cheers.

R

Welcome to the froum rjc,

If you do a search here you will find a huge amount of info on this. There are lots of mods you can do to improve the drivabaillity of the R32, smoother torque curve, better handling etc but you wont get the kw gains you would in a gti or pirelli but who cares they are fwd and have torque steer and turbo lag and dont sound like the r32, so depends on what sort of drive you are after. It's all relative.

In short if you drive the r32 and dont think it has enough power then either 1) dont buy it because it aint gonna get much better without 2) getting it turboed or s/charged which cost $20k.

Good luck!

[bwen]

Intake, headers and exhaust will give you the best gains and even then it wouldn't be so much. It's not a high compression engine like some other NA cars out there so to extract extra power from it would be quite costly. It was the top end MKV so it should still hold value very well. As others have said the sound is quite hypnotic, besides for the haldex and sound there's not much going for it (in my opinion, without spending big bucks), as a stock car it's close to perfect.

If you're looking for more fun, chasing times down the quarter or on the track a well setup gti would be the far better choice, lighter, easier to extract power and FWD is not a problem if you have well dailed suspension, tires, brakes and weight distribution.

[MariusGT]

OR option 3

buy a GT SPORT TSI which is a wheezy cast iron block 1.4 (timing chain - no timing belt change..) - with both s/c AND t/c hooked in.

[Blu32]

If you're really focused on quarter mile times, the R32 won't give you the same gains you can get from a turbo car - once you've worked out how to get a FWD car off the line right, it'll be quicker - presuming you stay NA with the R32.

If you're into really enjoying a car down a winding piece of road or around a full lap of a track, then you can get plenty out of the R - upgrading the Haldex is a big improvement by itself, then there's suspension upgrades and most of the engine mods such as exhaust, intake, ECU tend to improve mid range and response, which you'll really feel through and out of corners.

They really are a nice car and once you've played with it a little to suit your individual taste, they are pretty hard to let go of - I'm like that with mine, hanging onto it long term which is unusual for me but there is something just a little bit special about them.

[schoona]

Intake, headers and exhaust will give you the best gains and even then it wouldn't be so much. It's not a high compression engine like some other NA cars out there so to extract extra power from it would be quite costly. It was the top end MKV so it should still hold value very well. As others have said the sound is quite hypnotic, besides for the haldex and sound there's not much going for it (in my opinion, without spending big bucks), as a stock car it's close to perfect.

If you're looking for more fun, chasing times down the quarter or on the track a well setup gti would be the far better choice, lighter, easier to extract power and FWD is not a problem if you have well dailed suspension, tires, brakes and weight distribution.

Have you looked at the 3.2 cr Brendan? 11.3
A k20a is 11.5

Gti is 10.5 with a snail (tiny) helping 'off boost droveability' and response.

They aren't a quarter mile monster Na no.
If you like your cars with character though, gti ftl.

Mk4 r32 came second in Australian gt production championship in 04 I think compared with sti, Evo etc so not always needed to be called slow.

[kai_h]

Bone stock, I'd go for the R32 every time. As an everyday car, it's better. Better interior, lots of options as standard, AWD and the buttery smooth torque curve you get from a NA narrow-angle V6. Oh, and the sound!

If you're looking for cheap gains in power, chipping a car that already has a turbo - you'll get a lot more gains than you will chipping a NA car.

If you're looking to spend big $$$ in power gains ($10-20k) then you'll come out on top spending that kind of coin on an R32 over a GTI.

The VR6 is an incredibly strong base engine - even the original 12V 2.8l VR6 has timing chains and forged internals.

A chipped GTI or Pirelli is going to be a lot more "on the edge" and give you more of that hanging on for dear life feeling as you're punting it around. The R32 is a more refined tourer with a more effortless feel to it's handling and power delivery.

They're both quick cars, the GTI will subjectively feel quicker than the R32, however the clock will show them to be a lot closer than that.

[thezoneR32]

I think the OP has buggered off!

[bwen]

Have you looked at the 3.2 cr Brendan? 11.3
A k20a is 11.5

Gti is 10.5 with a snail (tiny) helping 'off boost droveability' and response.

They aren't a quarter mile monster Na no.
If you like your cars with character though, gti ftl.

Mk4 r32 came second in Australian gt production championship in 04 I think compared with sti, Evo etc so not always needed to be called slow.

Ah I did not know that. I do agree the R32 is much better than the GTI though stock for stock. Only reason why I talked up the GTI was I gathered the OP mentioned about quarter mile times etc so the GTI was a better base platform to start on to pull faster traps (bang for back in comparison to the R32 of course)