Noobie just saying hi and a couple of Q's reguarding GTI.

[BLN355]

Hey guys im new in here and just wanted to say hi.

Im currently in talks with my financial adviser and bank about getting a loan against my house for a new Polo GTI.
Im used to driving V8's but due to the never ending rise of fuel its time to get a nice daily driver (and keep the 8 in the garage) that still packs some punch and wont kill me in repayments and give me all the thrills i need on my daily 15minute trips to work and back

I have a couple of Q's if you guys dont mind regarding warranty with mods.
Would i be able to get 18-19inch wheels and lowered suspension factory fitted and still be under warranty (Sorry never bought a new car before).
Also i have seen ads for the AVR ecu upgrade,would service time be a problem with this mod done and how do the polo GTI's handle the extra power and torque the ecu mod gives??

Thanks in advance for any advice and insights.

A hopefull fellow GTI owner
Nick

[jasn78]

Welcome BLN355

as for ur questions i wouldnt recommned 18's some pple have them but u have to watch for rubbing etc 17's on 205/40 work fine and with the car dumped look great (this wouldnt be covered under warranty) but i have had mine lowered for 30000 kms and no probs so i wouldnt worry bout it as for avr chip are u meaning apr? the chassis can handle it but i would def go for new suspension and maybe even decents pads at the same time as you will enjoy the extra oomph even more with a bit of extra confidence some handling mods will give u.

hope u enjoy ur new ride as much as i still do

[VW GTI]

I'm not sure you'll get 19s under the wheel arch. The most the Polo can handle width wise is 205/40R17 which would be a 205/35R18? (I have heard of some go to 215s but I think it would scrape having had 225s on very briefly).

They can't void your warranty unless they prove the damage was caused by something you've modified.

The APR (or other brands) re-flash is definitely something you'll want to do if you've come from a V8. Guy_H will be able to tell you more, he's the main APR man in Australia. It is undetectable to any dealer diagnostics, but not if you leave it switched on and take it for a drive (they'll definitely notice that). The engine has been around since 1994 I think and has been getting tuned like this for a long time.

[PeterHBne]

Hey BLN355 - welcome.

If you are used to an 8 I would suggest an APR chip upgrade or similar would be what you would want to still feel that kick in the back.

Those who have one (unlike me) could advise you better in this area - speak to GT3 - he's a V8 loving bogan!

Having said that the standard poke is very, very adequate and surprisingly torquey.

Forget 18's or 19's - they are not doable and would only ruin the dynamics.

Keep the standard 16's and spend the $2,000 on getting a suspension upgrade. Far better way to spend the $$$ for a result that improves the car rather than takes it backwards.

It is a great little car and a very accomplished all rounder with great potential for relatively few bucks (chip, suspension, brakes).

[VW GTI]

Forget 18's or 19's - they are not doable and would only ruin the dynamics.

Keep the standard 16's and spend the $2,000 on getting a suspension upgrade. Far better way to spend the $$$ for a result that improves the car rather than takes it backwards.

Whilst I agree with the first comment, having 17s, I would definitely recommend them.

[Flaps]

19's are possible, some people have them in europe but it looks gay. 18's are doable with 215/35/18.

[BL33SU]

i recon try 19's.. and then tuck the rear

[PeterHBne]

Or you could even try 22's - just cut the crap out of the guards and remove worrisome things like the suspension then sit back and bask in the glory of large wheels - who cares how it drives?

My suggestion would be improve the standard suspension.

I don't really get why people want to impress complete strangers of whom 99.999999% are totally uninterested in you or your car in the first place let alone be bedazzled by the extra 2 - 3 inches of diameter in your wheels.

But maybe that's just me

[DaveMack]

Or you could even try 22's - just cut the crap out of the guards and remove worrisome things like the suspension then sit back and bask in the glory of large wheels - who cares how it drives?

My suggestion would be improve the standard suspension.

I don't really get why people want to impress complete strangers of whom 99.999999% are totally uninterested in you or your car in the first place let alone be bedazzled by the extra 2 - 3 inches of diameter in your wheels.

But maybe that's just me

No ... it's not just you, Pete.

Dave

[Sharkie]

Unless you plan to take the GTI to a track, you can leave everything as stock excluding the ECU.

Even with some power mods lifting power to around 165kw, stock brakes and suspension is fine for everyday use. For track use some upgrades are a requirement.....

The power mods will let you keep up to the V8s with no problem....

I happily run with HSV VE R8 Clubsports ....... Depending on your V8, the GTI might even be quicker....

[BLN355]

Thanks for all the welcomes and reply's.
Suspension and brakes will definately be upgraded and it'll need some power mods as i wouldn't mind taking it to the track every now and again.
After all the coments on the wheels i think i'll keep the stocky wheels for now and just wrap them in some semi race rubber.


Sharkie: As for it keeping up with my V8 thats highly unlikely

[Sharkie]

As for it keeping up with my V8 thats highly unlikely

Depends on what V8 it is ...... After driving a modded GTI your perception might change...

We have medium modded Polo GTIs on here doing 13.9 quarters, which is quicker than what any of the magazines have been able to get a current model Ford V8 (BA, BF & FG all slower than that) ..... The only Holdens quicker than that are the VEs. VZs down are all slower.....

Power to weight and more importantly Torque to weight (and specifically between 2000-4500rpm) means a modded Polo GTI will actually quite easily drop any std V8 bar the latest VEs in rolling runs. Obviously modded V8s can be a different story..... but then traction comes into play and the whole equation changes again. I have more easily dusted off a supercharged VZ SS than a std VZ V8 purely beacuse of traction of the line.....

At the end of the day though, you have German engineering in a small powerful hatch that uses 6.5l/100km on the highway and 9l/100km in the city. No V8 can even touch that ....

[RhysQ]

At the end of the day though, you have German engineering in a small powerful hatch that uses 6.5l/100km on the highway and 9l/100km in the city. No V8 can even touch that ....

are you serious....i would pray for my car to be able to produce that!

i drove to QR on the weekend (1hr 15min drive) and the lowest my car got on the hwy (with cruise control on)... was 7.5L/100km. around town it sits somewhere between 10.5 and 11 (and that is being spirited...not thrashing it).

as for you nick...upgrade with a chip first and watch the smile on your face....it will surprise you. You have the option of APR, REVO, GIAC, Oettinger. There is not much difference between them, just the way they are installed and function (do not start a debate as always please people). i have the APR and absolutely love it, it can be switched on/off by your cruise control stalk and is undetectable to VW servicing.

as for V8's.....i have dumped many whilst driving this car (much to their dissapointment and anger....several abusive coments have been hurled...but hey, i'd be upset too if it was me), along with those virgins in jap turbos who think they are in supercars. your car, however, judging by your comment, is probably not standard, so the story changes.

as for wheels, i have a set of 17's and like the feel of the car on the road as opposed to the 16's with the standard Conti's. It feels a little more stable as the Conti's have soft side walls. see my image gallery for what 17's look like on the Polo.

all the best with it anyway, keep us updated on what you decide...

Cheers,

Rhys

[BLN355]

Yeah in stock form i have no doubts the modded little dub will hand many a v8 its arse (thats what im looking forward to).
My other car is a bit more potent than a stocker though if my user name didn't allude to that.
1996 HSV GTS forged motor and a turbo strapped to the side,should be good for 10's when she's done

RHYS: Yeah mate i've seen a few shots of your ride already,it's actually made my colour choice real hard now.I was going to go black or blue but seeing yours with the black on the bonnet has really made the decision alot harder

[Sharkie]

that uses 6.5l/100km on the highway and 9l/100km in the city....

True, on the way back from Morgan Park (Warwick, 2hr drive for me) on Sunday after the track day, average consumption varied between 6.4&6.5l/100km with cruise set to 118km/h.

This morning on the way in to work averaged 8.6l/100km, the traffic was light though at 6:30am, but normal morning runs return around 9. Not racing anywhere, but using a bit of power every now and then to gain a gap or merge in front ...

Did use 29.6l/100km during the day on the track at Warwick though .......