Basic parts/mods ideas for MK6 GTi

[ferrisb]

Hi all.

I've had my MKVI GTi for about a year and ready to get it serviced. I figured it was as good a time as any to get some parts/mods fitted. While I love cars, I am not super mechanical-minded and am not great with after-market parts/mods.

1) I'm pretty sure I need new brake discs (front and rear) but not pads. Is it worth ordering these myself to get a better brand and/or save some $$$ vs getting mechanic to order them for me. Any recommendations?

2) Wheels/tyres. Car has 18" inch Detroits with some cheap tyres. I figure if I am going to put on some new tyres, I might as well buy a tyre/wheel combo from someone on here and upgrade. Let's say some 18s from a MKVII?…..What do I need to know? Size? Offset? Etc? I want something that my local tyre place can just pop off and on.

3) Let's say I want a little more performance from my car, low end power/torque. What is the best bang for your buck mod? An ECU/mapping upgrade?

I'd love to hear any help you can offer; either explaining what I need or suggestions of brands/products.

Thanks, ferrisb

[jaackyy]

1) Unless you've got experience changing brakes already, I wouldn't do it yourself. These are things that save your life/others, so you want to make sure they're done properly.

However, I would 100% recommend buying your own discs/pads as the cost saving is huge. Most good mechanics will have no issue if you want to supply your own parts, and generally speaking you'll get much better quality ie; durability, less brake dust etc. whilst still saving money.

2) 18's look awesome on MK6 GTI's, I've got a set of MK7 GTI Performance Pack wheels in 18's if you're interested. Shoot me a message and I'll send some pics.

3) ECU tune is easiest bang for buck way to get that smooth low end torque. Nothing else will come close to giving you a performance/driveablity increase. I would avoid custom tunes for now, and just go for a reputable tuning company with good local support. APR is extremely popular and for good reason. Custom tunes (in my opinion) are only worth it if you've got a tonne of mods that you want to extract the most power out of.

Since you've got none, APR or the likes are where you want to go. The 'off the shelf' flash tunes they sell have got 100s/1000s of hours of testing, research and development. Excellent after-sales support and have huge reputation in the VW world. (I'm not some rep or anything, I just know that they've put their money where their mouth is.

[ferrisb]

Thanks for the response, jaackyy. That's super helpful.

Brakes: I didn't intend on fitting the brake pads, but figured I'd be better off buying them myself. Have no idea which ones though.

Wheels: Your wheels interest me. Will PM. Still unsure about how to tell which wheels will fit easily.

ECU: Yeah, that's what I thought. Off the shelf more than fine for my needs and I would prefer a better-known brand/fitter. APR so well known, have also read good stuff about REVO.

[shinjukuthief]

Brakes: I didn't intend on fitting the brake pads, but figured I'd be better off buying them myself. Have no idea which ones though.

By almost all accounts if you are going to change the rotors, you should do the pads at the same time. I got DBA rotors from brakesdirect, along with ATE ceramic pads (better performance and almost no wheel cleaning required!) from eurobahn [their eBay prices are cheaper than their website prices, iirc]. Fitted by my mechanic, all up less than if I got standard rotors + pads fitted for the front alone at a dealer.

[ferrisb]

Thanks all for your advice, all. Quick update:

ECU: Ordered Superchips Stage 1, on its way. Very excited, will report back once uploaded.

Brakes: Found some good deals online, but want to take my car to Audvolks who said they wouldn't let me supply my own parts.

Wheels: Still on the lookout for a 2nd hand wheels/tyre combo

[Dutch77]

Wheels are pretty straight forward on a Mk6 - if you're not being aggressive then pretty much it will be a straight swap.

If you want something really cool, I have a set of amazing OZs for sale - but I suspect that's not what you're after so what I'd be chasing is a set of 18s off a Mk7 like you suggested - these will be either x 7.5 ~ET50 as per Mk6 or x 8 ~ET50. Mk6 doesn't have as much room as a Mk7 for wider, so if you're going x 8.5 I'd aim for an ~ET50 as well, once you pop down to ~ET45 you're starting to poke and will need to lower to tuck the wheels a little (aka camber).

Also be mindful of the style of a Mk6 v Mk7, I don't think some Mk7 wheels will transfer very well back a model.

A set of R Talladegas will look the goods, the equivalent/similar Peelers off an Audi will work, or the mesh look was very popular c.2010-2013 - if you have budget look for something like Enkei Raijin or TSW Nurburgring which are x 8 (as are the Neuspeeds mostly) - the popular VMRs are a more aggressive x 8.5.

[ferrisb]

Thanks Dutch. That's really helpful.

Yeah, I think 18s off a Mk7 are probably the easiest and possibly cheapest option too.

OZ Leggeras sure are sexy though...

[ferrisb]

OK, this is a bit embarrassing. But I don't really understand wheel size/alignment specs.

Tyres I have replaced so I understand. Eg 230/45/18 = width, aspect/profile, rim.

I have never replaced stock wheels so I don't understand the numbers. Dutch77 wrote things like x8 ~50ET above. I think that this impacts whether wheels will fit, but NFI what it means. 50 is the offset? Which I understand to be the distance from the wheel centre to the wheel mount? What is the x8 mean?

Thanks in advance.

[Dutch77]

Thanks Dutch. That's really helpful.

Yeah, I think 18s off a Mk7 are probably the easiest and possibly cheapest option too.

OZ Leggeras sure are sexy though...

If you can find someone selling a set then definitely, otherwise there would be a fair few Talladegas (Mk6 R) floating around in 18 that suit the Mk6, obviously.

I had the Superturismo LMs on my Mk6 and they looked great, but the Leggeras certainly work as well.

[Dutch77]

OK, this is a bit embarrassing. But I don't really understand wheel size/alignment specs.

Tyres I have replaced so I understand. Eg 230/45/18 = width, aspect/profile, rim.

I have never replaced stock wheels so I don't understand the numbers. Dutch77 wrote things like x8 ~50ET above. I think that this impacts whether wheels will fit, but NFI what it means. 50 is the offset? Which I understand to be the distance from the wheel centre to the wheel mount? What is the x8 mean?

Thanks in advance.

Whoops, missed the second post.

Sorry for taking a few short cuts - the 50 is indeed the offset (most commonly referenced as ET50 or +50) and the x 8 was just the wheel width.

Anything around the stock x 7.5 / x 8 width and ~ET45-50 will be fine on a Mk6, start to play with a wider wheel and/or lower offset and you may start to see some poke etc. but sounds like you are after a fairly standard clean fitment so stick with the former.