Golf R -v- Golf GTI

[Mr_Bob]

Took the R out for a spirited drive yesterday.

I attempted a run down hawkesbury heights, but my plans were foiled by a slow moving vehicle.
For those who aren't familiar with the road, here's a link:
springwood rd, hawkesbury heights - Google Maps

I have had the R through here 2-3 times already (it's one of my favourites)
but whilst running the car in, i haven't had a chance to exceed 6/10ths, so i'll comment further another day.
Fair to say my previous ride was often at 9/10ths on this section, so it's the ultimate proving ground for me.

Next stop was Galston gorge.
Satnav took me through pitt town and via the backroads,
Some of the road surfaces were particularly poor, yet the R retained composure at all times.

Galston Gorge:
Another great piece of road, i'm not particularly familiar with it, as it's been 2-3 years since my last visit.
The beauty of this road, is the vertical rock walls only inches from the car, providing a fantastic reflection of the induction/exhaust sounds.
Galston Gorge, New South Wales 2077, Australia - Google Maps

Even though i'm not familiar with this piece of road, the R inspired alot of confidence.
There are many low-mid speed corners, allowing lots of fun without exceeding the speed limit
(although some may choose to exceed the limit anyway)

The turbo lag in the R was evident, but didn't detract from the experience.
You want to get on the throttle before the apex to ensure you have power on exit, but too early and it will run a little wide.
no margin for error in this section of road, or you'll be getting to know your panel beaters...
I did manage to get it right on a few bends, and the outcome was astonishing.
Incredible grip, and the "sink into the seat" feeling on exit.

During normal driving and high speed corners the car feels "heavy" and planted
However when asked to change directions quickly, the chassis feels nimble and responsive.
The brakes worked well, pulling the car up promptly, and allowing for some late braking
(however i like particularly sharp brakes, so an upgrade is being considered)

The noise from the turbo spooling is much louder than i expected,
it's quite tame during everyday driving, but when there's a cliff for the sound to reflect off, it's hard not to keep your right foot planted.

As per my sig, this is on 18's with no ACC, as i plan aftermarket coilovers and rims
However i'm really happy with the performance as-is for now.

[runningmanz]

Took the R out for a spirited drive yesterday.

I attempted a run down hawkesbury heights, but my plans were foiled by a slow moving vehicle.
For those who aren't familiar with the road, here's a link:
springwood rd, hawkesbury heights - Google Maps

I have had the R through here 2-3 times already (it's one of my favourites)
but whilst running the car in, i haven't had a chance to exceed 6/10ths, so i'll comment further another day.
Fair to say my previous ride was often at 9/10ths on this section, so it's the ultimate proving ground for me.

Next stop was Galston gorge.
Satnav took me through pitt town and via the backroads,
Some of the road surfaces were particularly poor, yet the R retained composure at all times.

Galston Gorge:
Another great piece of road, i'm not particularly familiar with it, as it's been 2-3 years since my last visit.
The beauty of this road, is the vertical rock walls only inches from the car, providing a fantastic reflection of the induction/exhaust sounds.
Galston Gorge, New South Wales 2077, Australia - Google Maps

Even though i'm not familiar with this piece of road, the R inspired alot of confidence.
There are many low-mid speed corners, allowing lots of fun without exceeding the speed limit
(although some may choose to exceed the limit anyway)

The turbo lag in the R was evident, but didn't detract from the experience.
You want to get on the throttle before the apex to ensure you have power on exit, but too early and it will run a little wide.
no margin for error in this section of road, or you'll be getting to know your panel beaters...
I did manage to get it right on a few bends, and the outcome was astonishing.
Incredible grip, and the "sink into the seat" feeling on exit.

During normal driving and high speed corners the car feels "heavy" and planted
However when asked to change directions quickly, the chassis feels nimble and responsive.
The brakes worked well, pulling the car up promptly, and allowing for some late braking
(however i like particularly sharp brakes, so an upgrade is being considered)

The noise from the turbo spooling is much louder than i expected,
it's quite tame during everyday driving, but when there's a cliff for the sound to reflect off, it's hard not to keep your right foot planted.

As per my sig, this is on 18's with no ACC, as i plan aftermarket coilovers and rims
However i'm really happy with the performance as-is for now.

Hey mate thanks for the writeup. Sounds like you are having a hell of alot of fun already and the car isn't even fully run in yet! Just makes me want my R even more reading stuff like this! Hopefully I will get the VIN this week and its on a boat very shortly!

[Mr_Bob]

Yeah loving it,
8 days old and I'm at 1000k's now, not bad for a "weekend only" car

This was the first drive where i've taken it past 4000rpm,
It's a difficult to keep it under as the fun really start to begin at 3000rpm, and 4000rpm comes quite quickly afterwards.

I'm still mostly keeping it under 4500rpm, but i did see the tacho hit 5000rpm once or twice

[Fab_R]

Yeah loving it,
8 days old and I'm at 1000k's now, not bad for a "weekend only" car

This was the first drive where i've taken it past 4000rpm,
It's a difficult to keep it under as the fun really start to begin at 3000rpm, and 4000rpm comes quite quickly afterwards.

I'm still mostly keeping it under 4500rpm, but i did see the tacho hit 5000rpm once or twice

Hey Mr_Bob, wait til you take the sucker past 4000-5000rpm, you will be laughing like a school girl!!!

[Big_Dave]

Took the R out for a spirited drive yesterday.

but whilst running the car in, i haven't had a chance to exceed 6/10ths, so i'll comment further another day.
.

Bob,
Just remember what Guy said couple of weeks ago
"but certainly don't take it to easy, a motor that is run in pretty hard tends to use less oil over the life of the car.

By running in hard - I mean, drive "normal" - but ensure it's fully warmed up before a "fang" and let it cool down for 30 seconds after a fang before key off.

Don't treat a Tiger like a Pussy.
lol.

[MurphyTheElf]

Don't treat a Tiger like a Pussy.

Conversely......

[Mr_Bob]

Hahaha, definately a Tiger

I'm certainly not babying it, frequently using 50-75% throttle, and at times WOT.
From what i understand it's load that beds rings in, moreso than outright RPM.

Just want to limit the revs a bit (as per the manual) to prevent unecessary damage during run-in.

[MkVIGTI]

You’re not necessary going faster, but having fun doing so.

Carsguide seems to agree:
VW Golf GTI DSG: review | carsguide.com.au

With respect to chipping the engine, VW detuned the R's engine due to Oz being classified as a hot climate region, wouldn't chipping the ECU without upgrading the mechanicals bring with it some long term reliability issues?

[Corey_R]

With respect to chipping the engine, VW detuned the R's engine due to Oz being classified as a hot climate region, wouldn't chipping the ECU without upgrading the mechanicals bring with it some long term reliability issues?

There's a few things to comment on here.

Firstly, although VW publically stated that the car had to be detuned in Australia due to heat, was this really the problem, or was it that the Audi S3 is only 188kw / 330NM and having the R exceed that would hurt sales of the S3 even more than it currently is. If heat _is_ the issue, then why did they put the GTI's intercooler on the R rather than the S3's larger intercooler? Due to this, I don't believe heat is the issue. If you do think it's an issue, upgrading to the S3's intercooler or beyond is an option.

Next up, with any car, chipping the ECU is increasing the power beyond that of what the manufacturer set it to. Manufacturers set it to a certain level for numerous reasons. So really you could ask your question of any car/ecu upgrade.

[simonm]

There's a few things to comment on here.

Firstly, although VW publically stated that the car had to be detuned in Australia due to heat, was this really the problem

Especially since the Audi TTS in Australia has the same engine and is tuned to 200kW/350Nm - same as the euro spec R & S3.