Mk7 Golf GTI Discussion Thread

[Dutch77]

So is it just me, of do people not like the steering wheel of the Mk7 GTI as much as the old one? My Polo 6R GTI had a wonderful chunky little steering wheel with punched leather, it was a great little bit of kit. The Mk7 GTI's wheel feels too much like the TSI & TDI models to me. A little thing, sure, but this is my feeling.

Yeah overall I'd say I prefer the Mk6 one over the Mk7 but I don't mind the feel of either. The thicker wheel emphasised the flat bottom nature of it, but like you said, a little thing overall. The additional buttons, while handy also clutter it a little more too.

[Jimi]

Does anyone hear a very faint rattle from the engine from 2000-3000rpm? It's nothing like a wastegate rattle so I don't think it's that. It's very faint and doesn't affect performance. It kicks in under throttle before being overwhelmed by the engine/soundaktor and the hissing of the turbo

It might just even be the turbo spooling up (I've never owned a turbo before)

[zardoz]

So is it just me, of do people not like the steering wheel of the Mk7 GTI as much as the old one? My Polo 6R GTI had a wonderful chunky little steering wheel with punched leather, it was a great little bit of kit. The Mk7 GTI's wheel feels too much like the TSI & TDI models to me. A little thing, sure, but this is my feeling.

Same on the TSI mark 6 - much thicker steering wheel vs. the mark 7. I found little difference between the GTI and Highline TSI steering wheels with the mark 7 models, too. Curious to know why they made this change!

[wasabiz]

Looking at the price of DDC of KW I'm now thinking VWR springs might be an option seeing it's literally 5 times cheaper than the coilovers. Those who has experience with VWR springs, how were they ( Dutch I'm looking at you >=] ) I know you said it wasn't bad on previous post but, did it give alot of scrubs on bumps?

[Dutch77]

Does anyone hear a very faint rattle from the engine from 2000-3000rpm? It's nothing like a wastegate rattle so I don't think it's that. It's very faint and doesn't affect performance. It kicks in under throttle before being overwhelmed by the engine/soundaktor and the hissing of the turbo

It might just even be the turbo spooling up (I've never owned a turbo before)

Is it a very quiet slightly tinny rattle that seems to come and go a little?

[Dutch77]

Looking at the price of DDC of KW I'm now thinking VWR springs might be an option seeing it's literally 5 times cheaper than the coilovers. Those who has experience with VWR springs, how were they ( Dutch I'm looking at you >=] ) I know you said it wasn't bad on previous post but, did it give alot of scrubs on bumps?

They were definitely firmer than stock (so don't buy the blurb that it rides like stock). They were more than acceptable on smooth roads, but they did relay any imperfections more (as you'd expect) and on rougher roads you definitely felt it wasn't stock.

Unfortunately I think everyone is going to judge the feel a little differently depending on their personal definitions. Coming from a background of cheap Commodore modifications growing up with Pedders springs it was definitely more comfortable than that!

The only scrub I ever got running the springs in combination with the OZ ST LMs which gave 9mm more poke than the stock Detroits was on sharp left cambered corners (I'm assuming the wider apex on a right hand turn was enough to avoid the issue) driving aggressively. I believe this was the fender screw, which on the Mk6 was subject to removal to eliminate this issue (in fact the Rs didn't have the screw in the first place for this reason). I never got around to doing the mod before I moved the car on so cannot 100% confirm this was the issue, but would be very surprised if it wasn't. Ergo VWR + stock or close to stock wheels = fine.

I'm not sure what the go is on the Mk7s yet spring wise, but your other choices are SPM (read Lucas Rs threads), Eibach and probably H&R, subject to availability (although per my wheel thread there are H&R Mk7s running suspension mods so assume yes). FWIW I spend a long time reading threads on Mk6 springs and H&R were always considered quite hard, the Eibachs were mixed and the Yanks loved the VWRs. The SPMs are a relatively newer product.

One last alternative on the Mk6 was the Driver Gear springs which were apparently more compliant again over VWR but with less of a drop - however they came in manual and DSG versions, and people were using manual springs on DSG cars to gain a bigger drop (more equivalent to VWR). No idea if VW are making something similar on the Mk7 though.

[Brendan_A]

Is it a very quiet slightly tinny rattle that seems to come and go a little?

That sounds like it's coming from the bottom of windscreen center dash area?

[Dutch77]

That sounds like it's coming from the bottom of windscreen center dash area?

Haha, out of the woodwork.. I heard the faintest of tinny rattles only when I had my window open to be honest, and it didn't hang around, so possibly I was hearing things. Otherwise running faultless, and definitely no infamous Mk6 wastegate rattle.

[Jimi]

Is it a very quiet slightly tinny rattle that seems to come and go a little?

Pretty much. It's only under load and it could very well be just a normal engine sound. The car has only done 250km (I haven't been thrashing it) so I'll see how it evolves.

[Brendan_A]

Haha, out of the woodwork.. I heard the faintest of tinny rattles only when I had my window open to be honest, and it didn't hang around, so possibly I was hearing things. Otherwise running faultless, and definitely no infamous Mk6 wastegate rattle.

Ours had this faint rattle that would happen from about 1900rpm. It would come and go for the first 3 weeks of ownership and now it's gone and it's very quiet inside.

[Dutch77]

Pretty much. It's only under load and it could very well be just a normal engine sound. The car has only done 250km (I haven't been thrashing it) so I'll see how it evolves.

I get the impression we might be describing the same thing, although I've barely heard it / it was with windows open / and it isn't there mostly. The only reason I noticed anything was I specifically wanted to here the external sound via an open window and to see if there were any major variances in sound compared to Mk6. I suspect it's a non-issue/non-event and I have not replicated it since, albeit I've only travelled about 6km since.

[Jimi]

I can hear it with the windows closed and I don't think it's the soundaktor either. I'm reasonably confident that Brendan A is describing the same noise. Hopefully like him (and yours), mine disappears soon. The car is only a week old.

I'm loving it by the way. The biggest adjustment was back to manual after 10 years with an auto (my rationale was that at 28, this is the last manual I may ever own!).

[Dutch77]

I'm a DSG guy for a number of reasons, including a dodgy left ankle, but I'd read the manual was particularly sweet on the Mk7s.

I'm trying to think whether I've heard the noise with the windows up - perhaps I have - but I like the fade away and forget option.

[Dutch77]

They were definitely firmer than stock (so don't buy the blurb that it rides like stock). They were more than acceptable on smooth roads, but they did relay any imperfections more (as you'd expect) and on rougher roads you definitely felt it wasn't stock.

For anyone interested Guy has posted a pic of his Mk7 GTI running VWR springs with VWR Racing wheels:

http://www.vwwatercooled.com/forums/f197/official-mk7-wheel-thread-96140-post1054362.html#post1054362

[wasabiz]

They were definitely firmer than stock (so don't buy the blurb that it rides like stock). They were more than acceptable on smooth roads, but they did relay any imperfections more (as you'd expect) and on rougher roads you definitely felt it wasn't stock.

Unfortunately I think everyone is going to judge the feel a little differently depending on their personal definitions. Coming from a background of cheap Commodore modifications growing up with Pedders springs it was definitely more comfortable than that!

The only scrub I ever got running the springs in combination with the OZ ST LMs which gave 9mm more poke than the stock Detroits was on sharp left cambered corners (I'm assuming the wider apex on a right hand turn was enough to avoid the issue) driving aggressively. I believe this was the fender screw, which on the Mk6 was subject to removal to eliminate this issue (in fact the Rs didn't have the screw in the first place for this reason). I never got around to doing the mod before I moved the car on so cannot 100% confirm this was the issue, but would be very surprised if it wasn't. Ergo VWR + stock or close to stock wheels = fine.

I'm not sure what the go is on the Mk7s yet spring wise, but your other choices are SPM (read Lucas Rs threads), Eibach and probably H&R, subject to availability (although per my wheel thread there are H&R Mk7s running suspension mods so assume yes). FWIW I spend a long time reading threads on Mk6 springs and H&R were always considered quite hard, the Eibachs were mixed and the Yanks loved the VWRs. The SPMs are a relatively newer product.

One last alternative on the Mk6 was the Driver Gear springs which were apparently more compliant again over VWR but with less of a drop - however they came in manual and DSG versions, and people were using manual springs on DSG cars to gain a bigger drop (more equivalent to VWR). No idea if VW are making something similar on the Mk7 though.

I've been told today by colleagues and people around me that if I change the spring on a magnetic damper, it could lead to detrimental outcomes to the damper itself in the long run as the damper was designed for a certain spring rate and certain size and changing it would just destroy it. After a long and hard discussion they've finally convinced me to stay stock with the springs or change it out fully with KW. (Go hard or go home)

Now the question is, can I live with the gap between the body and the tyres

*segway*

I've just recently contacted my local dealer for Milltek and asked for a quote price on their catback+muffler and turboback, if the price is within reasonable I think I might go for the catback+muffler as my dealer said it doesn't void my warranty if those are the only thing that's changed. Can anyone back me up on this? or is he just saying crap.