I promise you the most safe way of having more fun for $1k usd with this car is to go stage 1 and a rear sway bar. You could leave it with just those 2 mods, and not want more. You could of course be like the most of us, and then proceed to go down the modlife rabbit hole lol.
Yes, def this. Couldn't agree more. After tires, my next mod would be dog bone mount or dog bone plus engine/tranny mount but then u have the whole noise/vibration issue, which I don't care what anyone says, it is noticeable and some people just won't tolerate it
100% yes on dog-bone mount. The car feels like AWD. I drove around on stock mounts with stage 1 for so long and the wheel hop was insane. Adding the 034M Dogbone Full Kit transformed the car’s grip.
yeah man, the wheel hop was pretty bad...felt like I was breaking my car. I went full BFI dog bone mount, engine mount, and tranny mount. I havent felt hop in years. But now I hate putting my car into reverse LOL
You'll feel vibrations around 1k rpm (so letting off the brake and when u start moving ) albeit brief. You will also feel the vibrations when idling and running the air conditioner. You'll feel the most vibrations in reverse. If you are reversing on an incline, it's fairly bad IME
Sure. To me, not having launched a AWD car, going from crazy wheel hop on launch or rolling start to basically zero is a massive improvement. I also have KW V2 Coilovers, which also helped the wheel hop too. For those curious, [here’s the kit](https://www.034motorsport.com/034motorsport-billet-spherical-dogbone-mount-performance-pack-without-dogbone-pucks-audi-8v-a3-s3-8s-tt-tts-and-volkswagen-mkvii-golf-gti-r.html) I bought. Be sure to order version 2, or check under your car for which transmission mount shape you have.
And it gets even worse if you throw on a skid plate. The mount sticks out a tad and transfers vibrations through the rigid alltrack plate
Also, Ive found that traction and launch control have a great effect on it as well. If you arent tracking or autocrossing and don't want the extra nvh, just make ECS OFF an option with obd11 or vcds. Then make sure to have ecs off and do not use LC whenever you launch it.
Finally, the best solution for wheel hop, without completely customising the suspension setup, is going to be some LCAs. They reduce a lot of the play that causes the wheel hop as well as increase castor.
Im stage 1 and have wanted to get a rear sway bar but afraid of suspension noises afterwards. Is there an agreed on setup that is known to not cause noise?
In my experience, suspension clunks/squeaks from a rear sway bar installation is almost always user-install error. People forget to compress/load the suspension before they bolt on the rear sway bar. You can compress/load the suspension by either resting the rear tires on wheel cribs/ramps while doing the work, or even using a jack under the control arm to load it. Also dont forget to grease up the sway bar bushings as well as your endlinks if you are replacing those at the same time. I am 40k+ miles with my rear sway bar and have never had clunks/noises that were not as expected.
I am on an eibach rear sway bar and moog endlinks
They are almost all the same imo. Just figure out the right thickness/diameter you want, and buy the cheapest one. It's just a branded steel bar at the end of the day. I was able to find mine off Craigslist from a guy parting out his car
Yes stage 1 and rear sway bar!! I've owned both stage 1 and stage 2 w/sway bar Mk7's handles so much better with the sway bar. The car was really unenjoyable stock
25mm. Get the cheapest brand name one you can find, even used if it comes off a car that wasn't in an accident. There are factory refurbished ones from eibach on their website right now for an excellent price.
Thanks for this comment I am really contemplating getting a stage 1 tune. With the mods I have people assume my car is tuned so makes sense. Engine lights won’t stop popping up ?
Done a lot of research up it and some say engine like can start coming and going as well as general understanding that I knew it would drain more fuel.
Okay thanks for this, you feel a lot more tempted to speed with the tune ? With all that power I would feel so tempted to floor it something I don’t want to do as I hate driving dangerously. Is the temptation there ?
If I were to buy a manual Mk7.5 GTI and had $600, what should I do? I have $800 but will definitely get a tint, so that leaves me with at least 600 for performance, but can I even go stage 1 with stock clutch/no other purchases??
Is the sway bar necessary for the Performance trims? I have a 2018 SE which should have everything from the 2017! Performance. I believe it comes with a rear sway bar?
I have a 2017 Autobahn with PP. I think I remember reading that the PP sway bar is marginally thicker than the non-pp. I think it's around 21mm. I can tell you that holding my OEM sway bar next to my 25mm eibach is night and day. It's thicker and heavier. I noticed a big difference in the way my car handles after the upgrade. Even daily driving, I used to feel body roll/ centrifugal type forces pulling my car off my line when going as low as 40mph on freeway offramps (e.g. under steer). Now the car turns in much easier. I can take off ramps at much higher speeds confidently...the car feels like it's on rails now. If you let off the throttle in the middle of the turn, and you're going fast enough, you can even get the car to rotate in more, bc the rear end wants to flick out. I can only describe it as the car wants to turn with you at high speeds vs you feeling like you're fighting the car to hold a line
The rabbit hole is alluring. Started out w/these 2 mods exactly & then the dangerous, "what else would make it better" thoughts arrived. Couple of years later, yada yada. Full bolt ons, big turbo, coilovers, 2 separate wheel setups for seasons...
Am considering Seibon carbon fiber hoods. Yikes 😛
Do it! If you have a DSG I would highly recommend getting a tune for that too at the same time.
If you have the 6mt, plan to budget for a new clutch sooner than later.
I have absolutely not budgeted for it other than the fact that my car will maybe need a clutch at some point anyway.
It’s also entirely possible to not be an asshole on the highway.
To counterpoint the other guy, my stock clutch died early due to a service guy killing it, but Stage 1 it slipped in 5th and 6th almost immediately.
Because something many people don’t consider is that torque kills clutches, and leaving it in 6th gear and rolling into full throttle to pass on the highway you might think “I didn’t clutch drop it or anything, I’m being smart!” whereas that will actually kill the clutch just as fast.
Just went stage 2 about a month ago. 2018 40k miles. 6 speed. Was scared as well to go stage 2. I’d be lying if I said it didn’t slip a little already. Still easily drivable. Only slips in the high torque ranges of 2nd gear a little then catches. You can drive around it. Even with that being said wish I would have done it sooner. Cars so much more fun now.
Sorry for the noob questions, but how do I get started on finding a trustworthy shop to do this work and make sure I don’t get ripped off? I’m in Vancouver with a 2016 mk7 pp.
I’ve been stage 1 since new car break in and I’m now at 194,000 miles without one issue at all so far.
Well, I replaced my main power window switch myself because the original one took a few presses to put the driver window down. My oil pan also has a TINY leak and needs new gaskets. But those aren’t big things.
It’s my third GTI and I didn’t have issues with the previous either. Plus I’ve had two Jetta GLI’s in the mix. Those ran great too.
You gotta remember that when things go great, people usually don’t say anything. People here are usually looking for advice which represent a very small portion of GTI owners.
If you’re in the Atlanta area, EuroFed is a great shop. They do top quality work. Maybe call them up and ask if they’re aware of other shops in your area.
Night and day difference. Only caveat is you have to tune to stock to pass inspections, so if a local shop can't easily do it or you can't do it at home it can be annoying.
Mass inspection is all software based, so as long as the software is carb approved it will pass. IIRC they only do an actual tailpipe check for CDL type vehicles.
OP posted an Irish car. My brother has a stage 2 mk7, and only needs the stock downpipe for NCT (our yearly inspection). Stage 1 shouldn't have a problem here
I honestly don't know. I do know though that the car is listed as a Golf 2.0l petrol, so the premium is lower than if you manually specified a GTI
To answer your question: it definitely will affect your premium *if* it's declared. *Wink*
Actually I think this will differ based on regions. I live in CA, APR stage 1 is carb exempt/compliant, so I believe I would pass all emissions when I go to smog. The same with Cobb OTS tunes
Las Vegas, we follow CA for everything, and I don't have to flash back to stock. It's an APR + tune, so idk if that has anything to do with it. Came with the car when I bought it.
The $1/gallon jump to premium fuel has kept me from making the jump to Stage 1 (i know I’m cheap, lol). APR offers an 87 octane tune but makes me wary of it causing any knock issues. Anyone have this tune (I have MK7).
I've got the APR 87 low torque on my MK7. Feels great, plenty of power when you want it, same fuel economy as stock. Only frame of reference is my buddies is20 alltrack with the 93 tune. Both cars have the APR intercooler.
That’s been my experience too but I’ve been running 87 just as required by VW. Even had a rep from ECS Tuning chastise me for using 87 saying I was going ti damage the engine despite being on stock tune and fuel cap saying 87 was min required.
Just was curious if anyone had tried the 87 octane times (specifically APR).
If it’s any consolation, at least with the Cobb system, you can uninstall the tune during winter when mileage suffers the most. Then just pop it back on for the summer.
This is how I’ve been running it.
I went with IE stage 1 (93 octane low-torque) for my MK7 (2015 manual). Very noticeable difference and the way it should’ve come from the factory. The ability to flash back to stock with the app in my driveway was a huge selling point. You also have live gauges to monitor all kinds of things and can activate automatic data logging if you give it more than 50% throttle. Just keep it above 3K RPM if you want to get spicy, for the sake of your clutch. It did just fail emissions (hvap), but I flashed back to stock, put 150 miles on it and it passed with flying colors. 1/2 hour later (in my driveway) it was stage 1 again. It was a little annoying, but honestly nice to have a reminder of why I did it in the first place 😬
It depends, do you like your fuel mileage? :P stage 1 will drop that mileage by a small chunk …
If you don’t care and you want better performance, stage 1 and very worth it :D
It changes the car more than any other stages tbh. I would use the most of the car and spend a little more on the 1+ tune to follow max out what you’ve got
I kinda figure that these cars have enough problems as is and I don’t wanna make it worse. I have a 2010 CC with a 6 speed which has the same drivetrain as a Mk6 GTI and I have 113k miles. It’s fast enough for me, I don’t mind
Absolutely, but it depends on your financial situation. If you have a manual, you’re rolling the dice on whether or not you’ll need a clutch to handle the extra tq. I’ve had mine tuned for almost 20k miles (at 57k atm) on the original clutch and it’s still holding strong. Others have it slip immediately. If you have a dsg you’ll need a tcu tune to go along with it, or you risk a very expensive repair bill
Stage one, get rs3 coil pack, carbon clean it off you've never , upgrade your tires and lower it like 2 inches , sway bar, tons of fun plus reliable even better with high flow fuel pump but that's not needed, just a gate way into stage 2 and eventually 3 wink wink
YES, mate I have ONLY AN INDUCTION KIT, mine is at 320 horsepower. These 2 litre tsi’s run 320 with no stress at all. Driving it you have feel a big difference trust me it’s worth it
Yes, so are better tires. Better tires are always the best idea if you plan on pushing your car. And it just get more important the more power that you add.
I'd recommend tires first before anything for any car that doesn't already have good ones....and from what I've seen, so any serious gearhead would as well.
As someone who has gone stage 1"+" within the past 6 months after owning the car for 7 years, I'm saying do it. I also threw a resonator delete on at the same time, so the performance/sound difference makes the car feel brand new.
Stay stock if its a daily , I use mine for work and drive a shit ton and don't want to take the risk. Had 330e last time got it remapped and had all sorts of issues which put me off getting the gti remapped.
Had a mk6 tuned stage 2 through unconnected with Bolt ons and it was so fun to drive, got lucky didn't need to replace a clutch or anything biggest fix was 02Sensors. Went with reliability And a good power boost at 29psi stock turbo for over 150k then traded the car in with 180k because timing chain lol
Not that I know of. Luckily my car started killing itself before any major issues happened. My timing chain is just loose as can be. But I'll haave to check the pistons when I get my engine out
Before I got my tunes I also ask this question. Trust me, there is pretty much not a single downside of going stage 1. It safely makes your car perform better in almost every aspect. MPG slightly went down for me, tires wear down a little faster (up to how your driving habits are I guess). I say go for it and I’m sure that’s what most people will say
>Trust me, there is pretty much not a single downside of going stage 1
Other than VW flagging the car and potentially causing issues with getting powertrain warranty work done.
Doesn't sound like it's always just the dealer. Having briefly looked into it the scanning software flags it based on the times the ECU was flashed and the warranty coverage comes from VWoA. Obviously YMMV, and I'll be asking both my local VW dealerships how they'd handle stage 1 warranty work b/c I too want to get my car tuned.
Well, I know that tuning your car voids any powertrain warranty. Im not sure how or why, but they still did warranty work on my gti even after it was tuned. I've heard stories of others having similar luck, which is why I said it depends on the dealer/service center.
Totally. I imagine that the dealerships would prefer to accept the warranty work and get paid out by VWoA, so it's in their interests to do the work. I've never had issues w/ warranty work myself, but mainly b/c I haven't kept any sports car long enough to need it. I just picked up a use '21 CPO w/ 40k on the clock and am debating on a stage 1 myself.
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Definitely. Personally went straight to stage 2 since I already had the dp, but if stage 1 is all you want or you need to pass emissions its def worth. Stock to 1 is the biggest jump, then 1 to 2 is smaller
Stage 1 is just an ECU remap, and a TCU one if you want. No hardware needed, but it is recommended to at least upgrade your tires and perhaps get a dogbone mount to put the extra power to the ground. Personally, I'd upgrade brake pads too, but again not necessary.
I have never in my life better spent $1700 bucks. It took my golf GTI and turned it into a true to life sports car. You will easily be peeling out. I got the torque version and preferred that to the high hrsp one, it makes day to day driving better
Stage 1 is a great upgrade. Stage 2 is awesome but I am unwilling to bump up to Stage 3. To me Stage 2 is the sweet spot. My car is a daily driver but I am only going 15 miles roundtrip to work. Plus I have another car if something goes wrong. Stage 3 would be pushing reliability for me.
Yes, it is the largest jump in power.
I would just go straight to stage 2.
I did stage 1 and a few years later stage 2. If I could do it again I would go full stage 2
Yes but with the 2.0T you may as well get a sports cat downpipe and go stage 2 since the 2.0T does benefit more from the increased flow and you will see better gains on a stage 2 as opposed to a stage 2 on the 1.4T
Very happy with APR Stage-1 and DSG tune. Think the jump from Stock —> Stage-1 is best $/hp-tq improvement. After that it’s less incremental with more $$$ spent.
I’ve had eqt stage 1 on my 6 speed for 4 months now, my clutch started slipping in high gears right after the tune but being over 100k defo contributed to that. I can still have fun and even race in lower gears at higher rpm’s but it slips really bad at low revs and in the cold. When it’s warm out, I barely notice it. I’m still gonna swap the clutch asap but you can daily drive just fine with it slipping
Just my take.
At 110,000mi
Stage 1 apr
Apr tune for dsg
Decent tires firehawks
Front / rear swaybars and end links
034 mounts
Decent pads
Hilarious little car and daily it. Super comfy still, then a goofy little egg when I lean into it.
why everyone forget about cooling when they do stage ? Guys, start with bigger brakes, change brake fluid, than cooling and only after that do any stage u want, please
edit: also think about more sticky tires and suspension, power is the last thing u should think about
I have a completely standard car , nothing has been touched on it , I want a stage 1+ DSG map but I want pops and bangs how do I achieve this ? Just a down pipe and muffler delete ?
IMO Stage 1 is most worth it. The car feels great and Ive been driving mine around now for 60,000 miles on Stage 1 and not a single issue. If its manual you will need a better clutch.
I would say so, I have a cobb with the eqt 91 tunes on it but haven't installed it yet (stock clutch). Stock tje car is rated at 220hp 260ft-lb (autobahn) or 210hp for non pp cars, eqt stage 1 91 is rated at 310hp and 360ft-lb. Now these numbers should be taken with a grain of salt, but even if the gains are half of what they claim its still a good increase
I promise you the most safe way of having more fun for $1k usd with this car is to go stage 1 and a rear sway bar. You could leave it with just those 2 mods, and not want more. You could of course be like the most of us, and then proceed to go down the modlife rabbit hole lol.
Wouldn't it be the mod life 'golf hole' in our case?
Be careful how deep you go though... might run into Bugs Bunny and Michael Jordan down there.
Seriously. Just went Stage 2 today. It’s bananas. Stage 1 is how the car should’ve come stock.
Sick, I agree! P.S. Time to update that user flair 😈
Done! 🚗💨
Errr..Or for what ever reason it won’t change. 🤷
hahahahahh
Watch out for Bill Murray
This is solid advice. I’d add a good set of tires.
Yes, def this. Couldn't agree more. After tires, my next mod would be dog bone mount or dog bone plus engine/tranny mount but then u have the whole noise/vibration issue, which I don't care what anyone says, it is noticeable and some people just won't tolerate it
100% yes on dog-bone mount. The car feels like AWD. I drove around on stock mounts with stage 1 for so long and the wheel hop was insane. Adding the 034M Dogbone Full Kit transformed the car’s grip.
yeah man, the wheel hop was pretty bad...felt like I was breaking my car. I went full BFI dog bone mount, engine mount, and tranny mount. I havent felt hop in years. But now I hate putting my car into reverse LOL
U get that loud ass pop sound?
Not so much a pop sound, but like extreme rattling and vibration in the wheel wells that would shake the entire car violently
Edit. oh if youre asking about reverse, and not wheel hop, in reverse, the whole car shakes
I was thinking about going this route
You'll feel vibrations around 1k rpm (so letting off the brake and when u start moving ) albeit brief. You will also feel the vibrations when idling and running the air conditioner. You'll feel the most vibrations in reverse. If you are reversing on an incline, it's fairly bad IME
For me it sounds like a Geiger counter for radiation
Does it spin though? Doesn't wheel hop now but spins?
With stage 1 and good tires, I don't really break traction at all. Only if the road is a little bit wet will I spin
>The car feels like AWD that's quite a stretch there, but it definitely helps.
Sure. To me, not having launched a AWD car, going from crazy wheel hop on launch or rolling start to basically zero is a massive improvement. I also have KW V2 Coilovers, which also helped the wheel hop too. For those curious, [here’s the kit](https://www.034motorsport.com/034motorsport-billet-spherical-dogbone-mount-performance-pack-without-dogbone-pucks-audi-8v-a3-s3-8s-tt-tts-and-volkswagen-mkvii-golf-gti-r.html) I bought. Be sure to order version 2, or check under your car for which transmission mount shape you have.
Good call out. I love my hybrid insert.
And it gets even worse if you throw on a skid plate. The mount sticks out a tad and transfers vibrations through the rigid alltrack plate Also, Ive found that traction and launch control have a great effect on it as well. If you arent tracking or autocrossing and don't want the extra nvh, just make ECS OFF an option with obd11 or vcds. Then make sure to have ecs off and do not use LC whenever you launch it. Finally, the best solution for wheel hop, without completely customising the suspension setup, is going to be some LCAs. They reduce a lot of the play that causes the wheel hop as well as increase castor.
Yup this is the way. Maybe put some better rubber on too cause that stage 1 High output file is gonna spin the wheels even in 3rd.
Im stage 1 and have wanted to get a rear sway bar but afraid of suspension noises afterwards. Is there an agreed on setup that is known to not cause noise?
In my experience, suspension clunks/squeaks from a rear sway bar installation is almost always user-install error. People forget to compress/load the suspension before they bolt on the rear sway bar. You can compress/load the suspension by either resting the rear tires on wheel cribs/ramps while doing the work, or even using a jack under the control arm to load it. Also dont forget to grease up the sway bar bushings as well as your endlinks if you are replacing those at the same time. I am 40k+ miles with my rear sway bar and have never had clunks/noises that were not as expected. I am on an eibach rear sway bar and moog endlinks
Appreciate your response. I guess now I will look into which sway bar to get..
They are almost all the same imo. Just figure out the right thickness/diameter you want, and buy the cheapest one. It's just a branded steel bar at the end of the day. I was able to find mine off Craigslist from a guy parting out his car
Good point. Thanks again
Yes stage 1 and rear sway bar!! I've owned both stage 1 and stage 2 w/sway bar Mk7's handles so much better with the sway bar. The car was really unenjoyable stock
You said "Rabbit".. lol. I like the vw Rabbit.
Add Special Actives if you don’t have DCC and I agree
Any specific sway bar you’d recommend?
25mm. Get the cheapest brand name one you can find, even used if it comes off a car that wasn't in an accident. There are factory refurbished ones from eibach on their website right now for an excellent price.
Sweeet! Thank you!
[https://eibach.com/product/R-E40-85-041-01-01?epsid=1520](https://eibach.com/product/R-E40-85-041-01-01?epsid=1520)
Huge thank you!
Np, you're welcome!
How much would you recommend the rear swaybar? I’m stage 2 E85 with a bigger turbo and still don’t have a sway bar 🤣
Wahhhhhh. If you enjoy making turns, you should def get the sway bar haha
Those upgrades you mentioned and a good set of tires and that’s all you really need to have tons of fun and it be wayy worth it
Do it. That’s all
Thanks for this comment I am really contemplating getting a stage 1 tune. With the mods I have people assume my car is tuned so makes sense. Engine lights won’t stop popping up ? Done a lot of research up it and some say engine like can start coming and going as well as general understanding that I knew it would drain more fuel.
Stage 1 won't trigger any CEL but stage 2 definitely will unless you play around with o2 sensors and/or high quality Cat converters
Okay thanks for this, you feel a lot more tempted to speed with the tune ? With all that power I would feel so tempted to floor it something I don’t want to do as I hate driving dangerously. Is the temptation there ?
Yes, lol. It was there for me for at least a few years.
Don’t forget the dog bone mounts to help with putting traction down
Totally agree! I'd add Michelin Pilot Sport 4S for a complete canyon destroyer.
If I were to buy a manual Mk7.5 GTI and had $600, what should I do? I have $800 but will definitely get a tint, so that leaves me with at least 600 for performance, but can I even go stage 1 with stock clutch/no other purchases??
Is the sway bar necessary for the Performance trims? I have a 2018 SE which should have everything from the 2017! Performance. I believe it comes with a rear sway bar?
I have a 2017 Autobahn with PP. I think I remember reading that the PP sway bar is marginally thicker than the non-pp. I think it's around 21mm. I can tell you that holding my OEM sway bar next to my 25mm eibach is night and day. It's thicker and heavier. I noticed a big difference in the way my car handles after the upgrade. Even daily driving, I used to feel body roll/ centrifugal type forces pulling my car off my line when going as low as 40mph on freeway offramps (e.g. under steer). Now the car turns in much easier. I can take off ramps at much higher speeds confidently...the car feels like it's on rails now. If you let off the throttle in the middle of the turn, and you're going fast enough, you can even get the car to rotate in more, bc the rear end wants to flick out. I can only describe it as the car wants to turn with you at high speeds vs you feeling like you're fighting the car to hold a line
The rabbit hole is alluring. Started out w/these 2 mods exactly & then the dangerous, "what else would make it better" thoughts arrived. Couple of years later, yada yada. Full bolt ons, big turbo, coilovers, 2 separate wheel setups for seasons... Am considering Seibon carbon fiber hoods. Yikes 😛
Do it! If you have a DSG I would highly recommend getting a tune for that too at the same time. If you have the 6mt, plan to budget for a new clutch sooner than later.
the additional $2k+ for the clutch replacement is definitely holding me back.
I’ve had mine tuned for 30k miles and my clutch is doing just fine. If you’re not hard on it it will last a long time.
yeah but you kinda gotta have it already budgeted. plus I'm an asshole on the highway
I have absolutely not budgeted for it other than the fact that my car will maybe need a clutch at some point anyway. It’s also entirely possible to not be an asshole on the highway.
as long as there are left lane cruisers I'll be an asshole
Amen.
If you're patient enough, you can do it when your stock clutch starts wearing out.
To counterpoint the other guy, my stock clutch died early due to a service guy killing it, but Stage 1 it slipped in 5th and 6th almost immediately. Because something many people don’t consider is that torque kills clutches, and leaving it in 6th gear and rolling into full throttle to pass on the highway you might think “I didn’t clutch drop it or anything, I’m being smart!” whereas that will actually kill the clutch just as fast.
IE has a low torque tune that would definitely give you longer life on your current clutch..
Just went stage 2 about a month ago. 2018 40k miles. 6 speed. Was scared as well to go stage 2. I’d be lying if I said it didn’t slip a little already. Still easily drivable. Only slips in the high torque ranges of 2nd gear a little then catches. You can drive around it. Even with that being said wish I would have done it sooner. Cars so much more fun now.
I tuned at 30k and my clutch is still going strong at 85k
I tuned all 3 of my new GTIs over the years at 1,000 miles. I would have never bought a GTI if they didn't respond so well to a tune.
Sorry for the noob questions, but how do I get started on finding a trustworthy shop to do this work and make sure I don’t get ripped off? I’m in Vancouver with a 2016 mk7 pp.
You order a stage 1 tune from EQT along with a Cobb Access port and do it in your driveway in 20 minutes.
Oh shit, didn't realize it could be DIY. I've got some reading to do...
Nearly all my mods have been DIY. Don't be scared; tons of YouTube videos for these exact mods. 👍
Seconding EQT! Stage 2 for 28k miles and knock on wood hasn’t failed me yet
I’ve been stage 1 since new car break in and I’m now at 194,000 miles without one issue at all so far. Well, I replaced my main power window switch myself because the original one took a few presses to put the driver window down. My oil pan also has a TINY leak and needs new gaskets. But those aren’t big things.
Impressive when do you do oil changes?
Every 6-7k since I hit 80,000 miles. Before that I changed it before 8k. LiquiMoly only.
Does that mean you would consider this car reliable? Seems like most stories I read on this forum would prove otherwise…
It’s my third GTI and I didn’t have issues with the previous either. Plus I’ve had two Jetta GLI’s in the mix. Those ran great too. You gotta remember that when things go great, people usually don’t say anything. People here are usually looking for advice which represent a very small portion of GTI owners.
034 Motorsport has a diy kit as well
You can use Eurodyne and their tool/software with your own laptop. I believe the same for Unitronic.
If you’re in the Atlanta area, EuroFed is a great shop. They do top quality work. Maybe call them up and ask if they’re aware of other shops in your area.
Night and day difference. Only caveat is you have to tune to stock to pass inspections, so if a local shop can't easily do it or you can't do it at home it can be annoying.
Love living in Minnesota. No inspections to pass!!
Wishing you luck up there. Our Jetta lasted 6 years in MN and had to be junked cause of the rust.
I’m in Oregon, no inspections AND no rust!
Summer toy. Have a Taco for a winter rig. My old MK3 is still running around town lol.
MA is pretty strict on inspections and I passed the sniffer just fine on stage 1. You'll only fail emissions for a downpipe.
Mass inspection is all software based, so as long as the software is carb approved it will pass. IIRC they only do an actual tailpipe check for CDL type vehicles.
OP posted an Irish car. My brother has a stage 2 mk7, and only needs the stock downpipe for NCT (our yearly inspection). Stage 1 shouldn't have a problem here
Whats the deal with insurance here then? I presume you've got to let them know, but does it affect the premium much?
I honestly don't know. I do know though that the car is listed as a Golf 2.0l petrol, so the premium is lower than if you manually specified a GTI To answer your question: it definitely will affect your premium *if* it's declared. *Wink*
If they have the reg, they have the vin so they know exactly what it is no?
According to their db it is a regular golf. Idk
Actually I think this will differ based on regions. I live in CA, APR stage 1 is carb exempt/compliant, so I believe I would pass all emissions when I go to smog. The same with Cobb OTS tunes
You're correct, NC here.
NY is usually pretty tough but my unitronic 1+ tune with a catback and intake passes fine
Las Vegas, we follow CA for everything, and I don't have to flash back to stock. It's an APR + tune, so idk if that has anything to do with it. Came with the car when I bought it.
Been stage 2, catted downpipe for near 3 yrs now, always passed inspection, Virginia
The $1/gallon jump to premium fuel has kept me from making the jump to Stage 1 (i know I’m cheap, lol). APR offers an 87 octane tune but makes me wary of it causing any knock issues. Anyone have this tune (I have MK7).
I've got the APR 87 low torque on my MK7. Feels great, plenty of power when you want it, same fuel economy as stock. Only frame of reference is my buddies is20 alltrack with the 93 tune. Both cars have the APR intercooler.
So many people on this sub are obsessed with 93 AKI despite driving bone-stock MK7s that specifically mention 87 on the fuel-cap lol.
That’s been my experience too but I’ve been running 87 just as required by VW. Even had a rep from ECS Tuning chastise me for using 87 saying I was going ti damage the engine despite being on stock tune and fuel cap saying 87 was min required. Just was curious if anyone had tried the 87 octane times (specifically APR).
Yeah, sorry, mostly just meant I'm not sure how many people will have experience with it since everyone seems to run 93 lol. Hope you get an answer!
If it’s any consolation, at least with the Cobb system, you can uninstall the tune during winter when mileage suffers the most. Then just pop it back on for the summer. This is how I’ve been running it.
Yes
Yes, but remember to shorten the time for maintenances like oil changes and plugs.
I went with IE stage 1 (93 octane low-torque) for my MK7 (2015 manual). Very noticeable difference and the way it should’ve come from the factory. The ability to flash back to stock with the app in my driveway was a huge selling point. You also have live gauges to monitor all kinds of things and can activate automatic data logging if you give it more than 50% throttle. Just keep it above 3K RPM if you want to get spicy, for the sake of your clutch. It did just fail emissions (hvap), but I flashed back to stock, put 150 miles on it and it passed with flying colors. 1/2 hour later (in my driveway) it was stage 1 again. It was a little annoying, but honestly nice to have a reminder of why I did it in the first place 😬
Totally stage 1 and stage 2. Stock this is a very detuned platform. Been on stage 2 for 49k miles love it.
Stage 1 is the best money I’ve spent on the car.
Hi OP. Mk7 Gti (2013) owner. Can promise you stage 1 (mine is Revo tuned to Ron95) will be the best thing you will ever do in your life.
Wheels tires and suspension first
It depends, do you like your fuel mileage? :P stage 1 will drop that mileage by a small chunk … If you don’t care and you want better performance, stage 1 and very worth it :D
Yes. ECU + DSG tune (if applicable). A sway bar and some decent tires. Oooh-weee what a fun time.
Only if you’re not manual… then you might as well go higher cuz you’ll have to do the clutch and fly wheel first anyway :(
yeah and then water pump...cause they all leak.
227bhp or 327bhp - you do the math It’s awesome
nah man keep it stock and race camrys
Good to see another Irish GTI, welcome friend
🇮🇪🇮🇪🇮🇪
It changes the car more than any other stages tbh. I would use the most of the car and spend a little more on the 1+ tune to follow max out what you’ve got
I kinda figure that these cars have enough problems as is and I don’t wanna make it worse. I have a 2010 CC with a 6 speed which has the same drivetrain as a Mk6 GTI and I have 113k miles. It’s fast enough for me, I don’t mind
Absolutely, but it depends on your financial situation. If you have a manual, you’re rolling the dice on whether or not you’ll need a clutch to handle the extra tq. I’ve had mine tuned for almost 20k miles (at 57k atm) on the original clutch and it’s still holding strong. Others have it slip immediately. If you have a dsg you’ll need a tcu tune to go along with it, or you risk a very expensive repair bill
Stage one, get rs3 coil pack, carbon clean it off you've never , upgrade your tires and lower it like 2 inches , sway bar, tons of fun plus reliable even better with high flow fuel pump but that's not needed, just a gate way into stage 2 and eventually 3 wink wink
YES, mate I have ONLY AN INDUCTION KIT, mine is at 320 horsepower. These 2 litre tsi’s run 320 with no stress at all. Driving it you have feel a big difference trust me it’s worth it
320 is stage 1 btw
When I had my 7.5 I feel like the stage 1 with the DSG tune really woke the car up, so I highly recommend it!
Yes, so are better tires. Better tires are always the best idea if you plan on pushing your car. And it just get more important the more power that you add. I'd recommend tires first before anything for any car that doesn't already have good ones....and from what I've seen, so any serious gearhead would as well.
As someone who has gone stage 1"+" within the past 6 months after owning the car for 7 years, I'm saying do it. I also threw a resonator delete on at the same time, so the performance/sound difference makes the car feel brand new.
How many miles on ur car?
Latelatelate reply, currently like..149k and bought at...45k?
Stay stock if its a daily , I use mine for work and drive a shit ton and don't want to take the risk. Had 330e last time got it remapped and had all sorts of issues which put me off getting the gti remapped.
Had a mk6 tuned stage 2 through unconnected with Bolt ons and it was so fun to drive, got lucky didn't need to replace a clutch or anything biggest fix was 02Sensors. Went with reliability And a good power boost at 29psi stock turbo for over 150k then traded the car in with 180k because timing chain lol
Lucky, my timing chain is fucked and I only have 100k miles. Taking the engine out here soon. I've been pushing high 27-28lbs of boost and here I am
Did the valves hit the pistons? Just curious since you're taking out the motor.
Not that I know of. Luckily my car started killing itself before any major issues happened. My timing chain is just loose as can be. But I'll haave to check the pistons when I get my engine out
Stage 1 is definitely worth it. I would look at getting a EQT tune or IE tune. You can't go wrong with either of those.
Yes
Don't waste your money as the one thing after another will need upgrading, it also depriciates your car.
Before I got my tunes I also ask this question. Trust me, there is pretty much not a single downside of going stage 1. It safely makes your car perform better in almost every aspect. MPG slightly went down for me, tires wear down a little faster (up to how your driving habits are I guess). I say go for it and I’m sure that’s what most people will say
>Trust me, there is pretty much not a single downside of going stage 1 Other than VW flagging the car and potentially causing issues with getting powertrain warranty work done.
Depends on the dealer. I've sent my GTI in for dsg warranty work and didn't have issues.
Doesn't sound like it's always just the dealer. Having briefly looked into it the scanning software flags it based on the times the ECU was flashed and the warranty coverage comes from VWoA. Obviously YMMV, and I'll be asking both my local VW dealerships how they'd handle stage 1 warranty work b/c I too want to get my car tuned.
Well, I know that tuning your car voids any powertrain warranty. Im not sure how or why, but they still did warranty work on my gti even after it was tuned. I've heard stories of others having similar luck, which is why I said it depends on the dealer/service center.
Totally. I imagine that the dealerships would prefer to accept the warranty work and get paid out by VWoA, so it's in their interests to do the work. I've never had issues w/ warranty work myself, but mainly b/c I haven't kept any sports car long enough to need it. I just picked up a use '21 CPO w/ 40k on the clock and am debating on a stage 1 myself.
Skip it and go to two
waste of money; stock gti is plenty fast
C'mon now...It is totally worth it- night and day difference..
well, after reading this entire thread, i am ready to consider going with stage 1
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Definitely. Personally went straight to stage 2 since I already had the dp, but if stage 1 is all you want or you need to pass emissions its def worth. Stock to 1 is the biggest jump, then 1 to 2 is smaller
I love my Stage 1 👍 go for it
yessssssss
I have a GTI noob question. Is stage 1 for an MK8 just software ? Or does it require some hardware as well?
Stage 1 is just an ECU remap, and a TCU one if you want. No hardware needed, but it is recommended to at least upgrade your tires and perhaps get a dogbone mount to put the extra power to the ground. Personally, I'd upgrade brake pads too, but again not necessary.
Yes
I have never in my life better spent $1700 bucks. It took my golf GTI and turned it into a true to life sports car. You will easily be peeling out. I got the torque version and preferred that to the high hrsp one, it makes day to day driving better
It wakes up the engine to a point where the car feels like a completely new vehicle. Do it!
Yes, these cars are way too slow from the factory,IMO
From APR? Absolutely.
Stage 1 is a great upgrade. Stage 2 is awesome but I am unwilling to bump up to Stage 3. To me Stage 2 is the sweet spot. My car is a daily driver but I am only going 15 miles roundtrip to work. Plus I have another car if something goes wrong. Stage 3 would be pushing reliability for me.
I'm running a JB4 on mine. Removable for any inspection or work.
Duh
I’ve read it’s best if you only have two pedals
Yes, it is the largest jump in power. I would just go straight to stage 2. I did stage 1 and a few years later stage 2. If I could do it again I would go full stage 2
Yes, get a stage 2 clutch first tho
Stage 1 is fun, stage 1+ is basically the same just more boost, stage 2 is where the fun starts, and things start breaking
Gotta get an open air box intake too for some cool turbo noises 😁
Yes but with the 2.0T you may as well get a sports cat downpipe and go stage 2 since the 2.0T does benefit more from the increased flow and you will see better gains on a stage 2 as opposed to a stage 2 on the 1.4T
Very happy with APR Stage-1 and DSG tune. Think the jump from Stock —> Stage-1 is best $/hp-tq improvement. After that it’s less incremental with more $$$ spent.
I’ve had eqt stage 1 on my 6 speed for 4 months now, my clutch started slipping in high gears right after the tune but being over 100k defo contributed to that. I can still have fun and even race in lower gears at higher rpm’s but it slips really bad at low revs and in the cold. When it’s warm out, I barely notice it. I’m still gonna swap the clutch asap but you can daily drive just fine with it slipping
Absolutely. Your jaw is gonna drop. Post an update if ya do it!
Definitely check it out with your insurance company first. Our irish insurance companies don’t fuck around with undeclared mods
It’s not even a gti on the logbook so that won’t be happening 😂😳
Fucking hell lol. Better hope you never run out of luck
It’s a jap import so that’s why it comes up as Golf 2.0 Aba auchh on the logbook so it’s not my fault it’s the vrt office😂
Did you find any hassle insuring a jap import?
Nope. Insured with no issue for €1000 and I’m 21 living in bad part of Dublin
Yes
Every penny imo
No. Stage 2. Get on it . You have work to do
lol yes it is
Just my take. At 110,000mi Stage 1 apr Apr tune for dsg Decent tires firehawks Front / rear swaybars and end links 034 mounts Decent pads Hilarious little car and daily it. Super comfy still, then a goofy little egg when I lean into it.
I went from stock to stage 2 directly. I have no say 🤣
Autobay in Drogheda would be my suggestion
why everyone forget about cooling when they do stage ? Guys, start with bigger brakes, change brake fluid, than cooling and only after that do any stage u want, please edit: also think about more sticky tires and suspension, power is the last thing u should think about
I have a completely standard car , nothing has been touched on it , I want a stage 1+ DSG map but I want pops and bangs how do I achieve this ? Just a down pipe and muffler delete ?
I’m in the same boat as you with a mk7 gti really contemplating a stage 1 tune.
Jup, just make sure to change oil every 10-12k km or 7,5k miles.
Can confirm. Stage 1 is best bang for buck
I’m not gonna lie bro I think stage 1 is a better bang for your buck than stage 2
Yup
IMO Stage 1 is most worth it. The car feels great and Ive been driving mine around now for 60,000 miles on Stage 1 and not a single issue. If its manual you will need a better clutch.
Stage 1= Get rid of those wheels
YES!!!
The best mod hands down.
It’s the single best thing you can do. VW was EXTREMELY conservative with the stock tune
Yes yes yes yes yes IE stage 1 + TCU tune and it’s the best car on the streets
Yep lol. It’s night and day difference.
I would say so, I have a cobb with the eqt 91 tunes on it but haven't installed it yet (stock clutch). Stock tje car is rated at 220hp 260ft-lb (autobahn) or 210hp for non pp cars, eqt stage 1 91 is rated at 310hp and 360ft-lb. Now these numbers should be taken with a grain of salt, but even if the gains are half of what they claim its still a good increase