Golf R Observations and Questions

[SilvrFoxX]

Well I have to say I don't get all the lag chatter.. really it has to come down to peoples previous experience and expectations.. I found the R to be both excellent in traffic and open road.. if the rumour is true that it only gets better with use I am a happy camper

[zbeasty]

I'm sure it has been covered before but couldn't find exactly what i was after so i'll ask anyways.

When exactly does the flap in the R's exhaust open and shut? I was under the impression once warmed up the flap was shut at idle to keep the noise levels down and opened under acceleration. Every time i've checked mine while in P the flap always seems to be open. People have also mentioned having one pipe dirtier than the other, i have never had that.

I believe it only closes between certain revs (2000 to 3500 rpm?) on steady or light throttle as that is where the drive by noise test is done. Should be open the rest of the time or if you are up it for the rent.

[zbeasty]

Well I have to say I don't get all the lag chatter.. really it has to come down to peoples previous experience and expectations.. I found the R to be both excellent in traffic and open road.. if the rumour is true that it only gets better with use I am a happy camper

I came out of a 1.6l Ford Fiesta so definitely didn't notice any lag. First couple of months I was loving the power increase over the Fiesta but I did get used to it after a while and it was starting to get a bit boring. Then I got the DP and tune and woohoo, never going back.

[dave_r]

I don't get the lag thing (and had an XR6T prior) nor do I understand why the car is pointless unless you modify it. Opinions are like arseholes and a lot of people probably think the car is more than quick enough as is.

Anyway, hit the track yesterday at Sandown along with Fab and Adzy. Love the car even more, it really is a jack of all trades which is exactly why I bought it! Morning started with damp track, dried out after a few hours and then raining in the arvo. ACC was in sport for dry and normal for rain, DSG left in sport mode and TC remained on. Probably only twice in the rain where I felt the TC/DSC intrude but probably for my own good. Never had any real inclination to play with the paddles even. It changed gears at the right time, never mid corner or anything to unsettle the car which meant I could focus on getting my lines right and learning the track.

Ended up doing around 60 laps or nearly 200km's, car didn't miss a beat. I had ****loads of fun, actually more so in the rain where you had to be so much more precise with your lines and corner entry/exit. But really only backed off the speed by about 10%, the car really has a heap of grip.

For the numbers people.... used 70L of fuel including getting to/from the track (~60kms) so the ave consumption for the day was 27L/100km. I reckon that's pretty bloody good given how hard it was being driven. Oil temps were around 114 by the end of the session.

I'd like to get a few things done before I go back out there. Sway bars and Unibrace across the hatch area. Maybe some brake pads/fluid though with the 20min sessions we had, the stockers held up very well.

Oh and anyone who thinks you need to have AWD with any form of power or even wet road needs to talk to Adzy. If it was the case, nobody told him! His Mk5 GTI got around Sandown well enough. He definitely had to work harder for it compared to Fab and myself in the R's but was damn quick.

[Corey_R]

Yeah - I guess it does really depend on where you come from. Many of you guys are coming from big heavy cars anyway.

I have been avoiding using the word "lag" because I don't like it. The best way I describe it would be, the stock R feels too heavy and lethargic compared to the lighter more agile cars I've come from (Polo GTI, Golf GTI).


Sounds like an AWESOME day you had there dave_r. Don't forget to do your oil change now! It's important after a track day I'm told.
The Unibrace across the hatch seems like a cool idea - except for the fact you have to drill holes into the car, and also for the fact that it then somewhere defeats the purpose of having a hatchback, because it renders the seat folding useless. Have you considered the Unibrace UB (Underbody). I know they don't do exactly the same thing, more compliment each other, but the UB would be a good first step without ruining the hatch quality or requiring drilling... (unless you have no need for carting anything which won't fit in the boot).

[Ryan_R]

I'm curious to know how much a day at the track set you back - it's one thing I'd like to try one day.

[dave_r]

I'm slightly hesitant to drill holes in the car so want to make sure I find someone good to have it fitted but not worried about the hatch area being rendered less usable. I didn't buy a hatchback because I wanted to be able to load crap in the car with the seats folded down hehe. But if you've seen photos of Justin Fox's GTI, he still got his pushy in the back no problems. Only thing I've ever had in the back was a set of 4 wheels and I reckon I could still do that just with a bit more "effort". I have to double check Justin's photos, guessing I'll have to cut the carpet etc so might just remove the trims.

I'll have to get around to swinging past the dealer to have them drop the oil, I'm sure it looks fairly nasty after my 8100km run in lol.

Ryan, you'd want to budget around $1000 for a day in your own car. Entry and fuel cost half that alone. Then factor in tyre/brake wear as the obvious items, oil change and that is assuming you don't break anything. The VW half days around $170 after the discount coupon is really the best way to get out there and experience it without spending a great deal of money.

[Corey_R]

Yeah - don't forget that tyre wear!

Depending on your driving style, you can literally go through a set of tyres on a track day! Some people I know used to by the Federal 595RS-R semi-slick tyres for the track days on their skylines and stuff. They used to be far cheaper than a new set of "brand name road tyres" like we use on our R's. (no idea if that's still the case, and the tyre has changed since then, so...)

You've also need a helmet and other items (depending on regulations).

[Ryan_R]

Yeah, looks like I'll stick to GoKarts and iRacing then

[Fab_R]

a few pics from the day

Best fun i have in the R since owning it

The instructors they had there were V8 supercar drivers;Tony D'Alberto, Nathan Pretty, and a couple of guys from the Carera Cup.

Tony D'Alberto had a drive for 4 laps and drove it proper!
Really showed me what its capable of.

He was quite impressed with the stock brakes - they did not fade or go away in his laps, nor did they in my laps.

And BTW, the KW's & H&R Sway Bars were amazing under track conditions!!!!