Tigger73's 125TSI Tiguan Build Thread

[tigger73]

I recently had an off-line discussion with a fellow Tig owner about wheels that I thought was worth posting the content here too as others may potentially find the discussion of interest/useful.

hey, i was just wondering how you are finding your wheels and if you would recommend me to get them. I really like them and i'm considering getting a black set for my wives tig but i need to hear some praise about them before i pull the trigger

things like if you noticed improved handling, and how much i should expect to pay for them if i go the 19x8?

Firstly don't expect that changing rims is going to have a big effect on the handling of your car. Tyres, springs, shocks, sway bars, anti-lift kit will all have a more noticeable effect on handling than rim size.

I went from 18" reps to the 19" Oz Racing Ultraleggeras, however I had worn out tyres on the 18's and fresh rubber on the 19's so it was difficult to compare before/after. New tyres were much grippier and actually had a more supple ride - probably because of the better rubber.

The OZ Racing rims are a light wheel. The guys at the tyre shop were like "wow these are light". Though they are also pretty expensive. My wife has curbed one of them so if you don't mind spending $3-4k for a set of rims for your wife to damage then go for it!

I do like the Oz Racing Ultraleggeras rims on the Tig - though if you're going to do it I'd also seriously considering lowering springs.

Before Lowering:






After Eibach Lowering Springs (35mm drop):






The only negative (if you can call it that) with the wheels is the range of centre-caps that are available. The OZ wheels have their own special centre cap that nothing else fits. So you can't fit a standard VW cap into it and have to run the OZ caps. I did look into getting some VW stickers made up, however as the caps themselves are curved it makes it almost impossible to stick anything on and get it sitting flush.

There are only 2 different OZ caps that fit - a black carbon look (which I have) and a silver carbon with red OZ Racing lettering. If you're thinking of getting black rims then the black carbon cap probably won't look too bad.

Well that's about it. I've driven with these wheels on dirt roads and they have no problems. Though have to say I'd probably be more comfortable with stock springs and 16" rims with a nice high sidewall when hitting pot holes.

OK well that sounds pretty good!

The centre cap issue doesn't really bother me i dont even run centre caps on my Subaru.
I will definitely get it lowed with adjustable coil-overs after i get the wheels, im thinking the OZ's will be worth it as other japanese style rims and imitations of audi or vw rims don't turn me on at all. I think the Tig deserves them... plus it makes your tig look more sophisticated, so was that 3-4 grand with tyres? Also what size tyre do you run and do they comply with the indicated load and speed rating?

First set of tyres I ran were a 245/45R19 Bridgestone S001. Speed/load rating on these are 98Y. These were a good tyre but a bit on the soft side. I only got 30,000km out of them and they're $500 a corner. Though with some discount and 4 for 3 sale I picked them up for ~$1300 fitted from memory.

I bought the 45 profile tyres as they have a slightly larger side-wall and thought they would provide a bit more comfortable ride. The only down-side with the 19" rims and open spoke pattern it does make the stock brakes look small. They're not that tiny - just makes them look that way. Good thing is if you ever do a BBK it will show them off nicely



Second set of tyres that I'm running now are 245/40R19 Goodyear F1 Asymetric 2's. Speed/load rating on these tyres is the same (98Y). I picked this set up for a bit over $800 for the set then had to get them fitted. Again they're a decent performance tyre and no complaints regards noise or handling. I think these should last a bit better than the S001's, so $/km equation will certainly work out in their favour.

There's a bit of history to my OZ wheels. I don't know the entire story, however the manufacture date on these wheels was in 2008 (I bought them in 2012). They are 19x8 ET35 and I'm guessing someone bought them and they didn't fit/changed their mind, held onto them, sold them, new owner didn't fit, sold them and then I picked them up. So they were brand new in the box when I bought them but I'm the third owner. The problem is they won't fit a Golf without doing major work to the guards and I'm guessing that the previous owners bought them and then realised that the offset was all wrong for their car. So let's just say I picked these up for an amazingly good price and certainly didn't pay anywhere near full retail.

I think these rims retail for around $900 each ($3,600 a set of 4). If you're after a set, I'd get in touch with Dutch77 as he has the lowdown on where to get these (direct from the importer) and people he's referring are getting some nice deals

I had to source hub rings and wheel bolts to fit them which turned out OK in the end but if you're getting a set of these make sure you get them with the fitting kit for your car. The hub rings are OZ racing specific and you'll need extra long ball seat wheel bolts as the standard bolts aren't long enough to engage the threads. Both of these items nobody stocks in the country - not even AMG Australia who are the OZ Racing importer

The spec for 19's on a Tig (according to the placard on my car) is 255/40R19 and speed/load is 96V. Note that the standard 19" rim for the Tiguan is a 19x9 which is only available in other markets due to needing to run a body kit/guard extensions to be legal. Hence the wider tyre on the placard. You won't be able to run 255 width tyres on the 19x8 rim anyway as it's too wide for the rim. The other good thing about the 245/40R19 size is that it's a standard Commodore tyre size and you shouldn't have troubles finding tyres at a reasonable price if you're prepared to shop around.

[tigger73]

Tigger73's VW Tiguan 125 TSI Build Thread

Headed along to the VWCSA presentation evening last night and had quite a reaction to my VW laser lights. Created quite a stir in the car park A little surprised that these guys hadn't seen any of these before but think shortly I may not be the only one with this mod....


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[tigger73]

That's funny, I thought you quite liked being married.

Actually she quite liked the sticker bomb wrap. But work may not see it the same way....

I've thought of doing something small like the mirror housings but have heard these are difficult to wrap given the curves.


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[AdamD]

I'm afraid that I'm getting bored and going to do something silly like...

[ATTACH=CONFIG]11439[/ATTACH]
or
[ATTACH=CONFIG]11440[/ATTACH]
...

That's funny, I thought you quite liked being married.

[tigger73]

I'm afraid that I'm getting bored and going to do something silly like...



or



or

But this may be taking things a little too far:

[tigger73]

DON'T DO IT - am yet to find a socalled error free LED for the park lights that is actually error free and given what a PITA it is to get them through the hole in headlight housing I don't think it's really worth it. I would put ordinary globes back in if I could but managed to mangle the holder a bit when trying to get one of earlier LED's back out again and now ordinary one too loose.....

Hmmmm OK maybe I'll just have to get the Phillips white ones when I'm over the blue.

[Tiggy1]

This year i've put in 2 new batches of Fuchs Titan GT1 etc & both times the car has not only appeared to idle smoother, but also run at around 3 degrees cooler than 8 - 10 thousand K old oil.

Will be putting this to the test myself this weekend - scored some of the Fuchs cheap through work and am going to change it on the weekend. Hoping it does drop the temp a few degrees as one thing I've noticed with tune is that it doesn't take much for the temp to climb in short order. Haven't got above 114° and I know these engines and the oil are meant to run that hot but still scares me a bit....

[Tiggy1]

DON'T DO IT - am yet to find a socalled error free LED for the park lights that is actually error free and given what a PITA it is to get them through the hole in headlight housing I don't think it's really worth it. I would put ordinary globes back in if I could but managed to mangle the holder a bit when trying to get one of earlier LED's back out again and now ordinary one too loose.....

[tigger73]

Most of you have probably seen my other post about faulty parker lights: Intermittent Parker lights - faulty connectors???

So after a bit of investigation and intermittent bulb out warnings on the dash I've made the major investment of $10.99 at Autobahn for a set of 2 Navra Ultra Blues. There was the Navras or some Phillips Super White 6000k - probably should have got these as the Navra ones are quite blue (and not that bright).

Here's a couple of photos. First is with headlights on:




Just parkers:




Given the bulbs are cheap I may look at changing these out for something a little less blue and possibly a little brighter at some stage. May even try my luck with some error-free LEDs

[MGV]

Is it just me or does the engine seem to run smoother with fresh oil?

This year i've put in 2 new batches of Fuchs Titan GT1 etc & both times the car has not only appeared to idle smoother, but also run at around 3 degrees cooler than 8 - 10 thousand K old oil.

[brad]

Minor maintenace interval today - changed the oil, filter and sump plug.

Is it just me or does the engine seem to run smoother with fresh oil?

Nope. I reckon they run rough for the first 500-1000km. Oil needs to be broken-in too.

[Ramee]

Minor maintenace interval today - changed the oil, filter and sump plug.

Is it just me or does the engine seem to run smoother with fresh oil?


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Haha.. Yes I change my Tig's engine oil every 7500 km with Motul Specific oil and every time I feel car runs smooth after oil change. It even runs better when I washed it too . My motto is love your car and it will love you right back

Anyway I think if you change oil like 15000 k and car is bit older, you may feel a bigger difference.

[tigger73]

Tigger73's VW Tiguan 125 TSI Build Thread

Minor maintenace interval today - changed the oil, filter and sump plug.

Is it just me or does the engine seem to run smoother with fresh oil?


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[Sharkie]

My 09 125TSI had them from the factory ........ Luck of the draw I suppose

[tigger73]

Tigger73's VW Tiguan 125 TSI Build Thread

I have them from the factory, looks like another difference between mk1 and mk2.

The 125/132TSI gets the plastic covers and the 147/155TSI gets the chrome bag hooks. Crazy thing is that the cost difference is probably not that much especially when you factor in the extra tooling, engineering, parts inventory, production line complexity, etc.

The one thing it does do us give some model differentiation but who would have thought that someone would pay the extra $7k to upgrade from the base model for a couple of $38 bag hooks.

I have missed bag hooks (had them in previous cars). I generally put a single bag of shopping in the rear footwell to stop it sliding around but now I have some nice shiny new bag hooks to use instead


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