Dynamic / Adaptive chassis control (DCC / ACC)

[G-rig]

Interesting read WJ.

Would you say if you went from OEM 17" to lightweight 18" there would be almost no compromises to the factory suspension and would you need ACC?

Other advantage of ACC in the longer term is that as the damper wears down, and losses its resistence & effectiveness, you could run ACC in sport all the time to create that new car feeling of firmness & agility.

Is that how it would work or would you need to replace the whole damper anyway? Was also wondering the replacement cost down the track of VW ACC suspension and which parts you'd be locked into using and may not allow you to use after market bits later? Just a though as OEM replacement parts are usually quite hefty.

It's easy to justify each option but could end up ticking every box that way.

[Corey_R]

I've currently got Sungard Eclipse on my R32 and as well as looking stunning with it's slightly reflective properties it rejects 62.6% of solar energy.

A lot of people assume you need very dark to get the interior cool but it's all about rejecting the heat.

Exactly. I didn't include any reflective tints in my '53%' comments above because reflective tints are also illegal. HOWEVER, all tints are reflective to a certain %, and as far as I can see the ADR doesn't give a valid maximum %, therefore you can probably get away with lightly reflective tint, and as you've noted, you'll get even more solar energy reduction, and therefore a cooler interior and lower fuel bills

[G-rig]

Yeah, when i said reflective it's not like full mirror tint that looks cheap and tacky (and which would attract the wrong attention) however it's fairly subtle but in the right light looks amazing, esp when there are heaps of storm clouds rolling in and it hazes up quite reflective. Still varies from different angles but would get it again.

Wont get lower fuel bills with an R32 though

[WhiteJames]

All valid points.

I concede that the aftermarket tints may have a greater range of heat reducing properties, and most likely offer an overall improvement in every aspect of heat reduction. Probably look better to if its like the Street Wise film tint I had on my MKV GTI (front windows of new MK6 - GTI will also have Street Wise Tint).

Whether the benefits of aftermarket tint are substantial or marginal is a bit obscure with no firm comparitive data. Stick on film can be scratched or damaged. It'd be harder for this to occur on the tinted glass.

Given the opportunit to build my own MK6 GTI, similar to building a house. If I was going tint on my home, I'd want the best quality tint in the glass from the factory first & foremost. If this is insufficient for the hot Aus climate in terms of heat reduction, then a film could be applied.

Each to their own on tint. If you work in a hot climate and have your ride outside all day, everyday, then you'd want the best protection. This is not the case with my GTI, which will be garaged most of the time.

Driving the Mark 6 GTI test vehicle for half a day around Sydney, I did notice that I had to have the climate control air-con turned down 2-3 degrees to compensate for no aftermarket tint or privacy glass. Doubt it would affect fuel consumption that much. Having the air-con unit OFF doesn't make much of a difference, I found, in terms of economy.

ACC and Lightweight Wheels:

Forged alloy wheels don't come cheap ... starting price @ $750. Cheaper cast lightweight (not forged) like OZ Racing are available, but probably not up to the job on Aus terra firma. The factory VW Racing wheels ain't cheap either, and don't look bling enough (see BBS-CH-R wheels and you'll know what I mean).

The ACC unit on the Mark 6 GTI would most likely be built by Sachs-Boge suspension makers. Even the Aus Falcon has Sachs-Boge dampers (mono-tube gas).

Aftermarket kits for the Golf may be available for Sachs with ACC in coilover version down the track. Bilstein offer this aftermarket kit. Similar to the Porsche PASM and Nissan GTR factory dampers, which are also made by Bilstein.

For standard coilovers, I can't see any reason why you couldn't eliminate any fault code with VAGCOM and install a set of standard coilovers (Sachs/Tein Euro/HPA KW SHS for comfort/sports).

Cheers.
WJ

[Corey_R]

Whether the benefits of aftermarket tint are substantial or marginal is a bit obscure with no firm comparitive data. Stick on film can be scratched or damaged. It'd be harder for this to occur on the tinted glass.

Two good points there. It's definitely harder to scratch the tint in laminated glass.

Given the opportunit to build my own MK6 GTI, similar to building a house. If I was going tint on my home, I'd want the best quality tint in the glass from the factory first & foremost. If this is insufficient for the hot Aus climate in terms of heat reduction, then a film could be applied.

I've already had both in homes. 'Comfortone Glass' which has a 'bronze' tint laminate inside the glass and is twice the thickness of the usual glass panes used in homes. Awesome, very low internal and external reflectivity which means it's easy to see in and out of, even at night. Also blocked a decent amount of heat.
However, in my apartment it is north facing and on the top floor - so it gets the sun ALL DAY. The comfortone glass just wouldn't be up to the job, so I've gone for a Solargard Solar Bronze 35. It actually rejects 70% of Total Solar Energy - which is over twice that of the Comfortone Glass. The emissivity is also quite good (meaning it retains heat well in winter). But it has the disadvantage of being quite reflective from the outside during the day, and from the inside at night.

The other alternative would have been to get the Comfortone Glass and THEN put the Solargard LX70 'clear tint'. But yeah - just like with the VW privacy glass, this option ends up being about 3 to 4 times the cost of just using a high quality regular tint. LX70 is literally using gold foil. It's SOOOO expensive.

So yeah - until the glass laminate tint gets up to the performance of aftermarket tint film, I'll stick with the film in places which need maximum heat regulation

[WhiteJames]

I did forget to mention that the slight reduction in clear view is another reason I'm going with Privacy Glass. Its was only a minor annoyance on the MKV GTI with Solar Street Wise Blue/Black tint. Looking forward to the clearer view of the natural privacy glass. Prepared to forgo some heat insulation for the clearer view. Still have the issue of a slightly obscured view on the two front windows, which leads me to my next point.

With the front of the GTI having the split grill and lower black portion under the grill making it appear a tad front heavy, I'm looking to compensate, starting off with perhaps a slightly less aggressive tint on the two front windows, darkening rearwards with the privacy glass. Not sure how this will end up or how well the two front windows will match the rear privacy glass. 29% was touted for the front going to 35% for the rear 3 windows. My dealer uses Solar, as they have their workshop directly behind McGraths Sutherland VW. I'll leave it up to Solar to judge the best type & level of tint to match the privacy glass. Dealer did say they would go for the Blue/Black Street Wise tint as this appeared to most closely match the factory privacy glass.

For those looking for options -v- no options, here is a review of a bog standard 3 door manual GTI (no options):

http://www.goauto.com.au/mellor/mell...2576BF007C789D

I like it when they say:

After one especially spirited driving session we checked our fuel consumption figures, and too our amazement we were averaging sub-10L/100km numbers. Speaking of having your cake…

Cheers
WJ

[G-rig]

Different reivew.. they didn't exactly like the steering and sounds like it was a bit firm around town (which is where ACC may be worth it if the chassis is that bit too stiff).

Wonder what they would have thought about the DSG.

[Corey_R]

With the front of the GTI having the split grill and lower black portion under the grill making it appear a tad front heavy, I'm looking to compensate, starting off with perhaps a slightly less aggressive tint on the two front windows, darkening rearwards with the privacy glass. Not sure how this will end up or how well the two front windows will match the rear privacy glass. 29% was touted for the front going to 35% for the rear 3 windows.

Sorry - I may have misunderstood what you are saying, but if you want to go lighter on the front windows, then the tint % will be higher. The lower the % the darker the tint - as the % is refering to VLT (Visible Light Transmittance).

[Pauly]

getting abit off topic arnt we? This thread is about the Adaptive Chassis Control, not window tinting.

I know coreying may not like me saying this, but maybe a new thread is in order for windows tinting?

[Corey_R]

Nah - there's already a thread for it