Gti Performance Pack for daily drive

[oztadpole]

Hi All,

New to the forum here. Have not owned a VW before. However my son got a 90TSI Comfortline some months ago and I had a chance to use it for a few weeks. Really impressed with the car in pretty much all aspects.

I'm in the process of downsizing from a Tarago since my kids are all grown up and driving.

Thought I'd get something different (from what I've been used to) and looking at a GTI.

Test drove a GTI and borrowed one overnight and I was very impressed. Was such a fun drive performance wise but was also very refined in terms of ride and noise. So suitable for daily drive to work as well.

I also had a look at a GTI PP but could not obtain one for an extended test drive. I have an opportunity to pick one up that's available.

I had a very short drive of one the other day and felt it was a little bit stiffer but otherwise not much discernable difference in ride. Maybe a little noiser on the road? However hard to tell for sure from a short drive. And could not compare back to back.

I know the main benefit of the PP is the diff. However the attraction to me was Bi-Xenons plus a few of the other extras, the right colour, and availability. (Plus they do look good)

My concern is whether the 19" wheels will have much of an impact on the ride quality etc. generally.

Also, does anyone know if the suspension setup is the same on both cars. Or is the PP stiffer/lower?

Just wondering what others experiences are who may have owned or driven a GTI PP for a length of time. In terms of ride quality and noise compared to a standard GTI - as a daily drive and long trips.

[aj555]

I have the PP and it rides on 19 inch with 35 profile tyre. These cars (along with the std GTI) have adaptive dampers - normal, comfort, sport. So depending on what you driving habit is, you can change the profile to suit. I leave mine in normal and it rides very well even on those roads that are rough. I sometimes change to comfort and it helps a lot over rougher ground. I previously had an Audi A3 on 18 inch 40 profile tyres and that was very firm.

With the slightly lower profile tyre you might get a slightly firmer ride in all modes over the std GTI, but I find there is no problem as a daily driver - I do try to avoid the manhole covers/potholes though as you will feel them. I haven't taken it on an extended trip so can't comment on tyre noise.

As a daily driver, you can't go wrong with either model, its good to have the power when you need to make that gap in traffic, yet it is just as happy driving along with traffic flow.

[oztadpole]

I have the PP and it rides on 19 inch with 35 profile tyre. These cars (along with the std GTI) have adaptive dampers - normal, comfort, sport. So depending on what you driving habit is, you can change the profile to suit. I leave mine in normal and it rides very well even on those roads that are rough. I sometimes change to comfort and it helps a lot over rougher ground. I previously had an Audi A3 on 18 inch 40 profile tyres and that was very firm.

With the slightly lower profile tyre you might get a slightly firmer ride in all modes over the std GTI, but I find there is no problem as a daily driver - I do try to avoid the manhole covers/potholes though as you will feel them. I haven't taken it on an extended trip so can't comment on tyre noise.

As a daily driver, you can't go wrong with either model, its good to have the power when you need to make that gap in traffic, yet it is just as happy driving along with traffic flow.

Thanks for that.

That's what impressed me the most on the GTI. Performance was great but in normal driving it was very comfortable and refined. Certianly not what I had initially expected.

Problem was reasonable availabity in the right colour at the moment on the std GTI. And you can't get Xenons on the std GTI.

I have the opportunity to secure a PP. Although I doubt if I would ever test the limit of what the PP (or a std GTI for that matter) has to offer it was more the availability and the Xenons would be nice. I do a bit of driving freeway etc. - so I value decent night visibility.

I know it sounds like I'm considering a PP over a std GTI for the wrong reasons. But what the hell.

May I ask why you chose a PP over the std?

[gldgti]

It will depend a lot on the roads you use. I have a friend with a MK6 R that uses it as a daily and he has just downsized the wheels from 19" to 18" because the amount of wheel damage that was occurring was silly - he reported that he had to get the wheels re-rolled and welded several times - no dirt road usage either.

In my own experience (not with a new GTI), if you do considerable km on anything other than highway its better to opt for smaller wheels in the long run.

[aj555]

My previous car was the Audi, which had Xenons and I liked the illumination qualities the provide, so I personally couldn't go back to halogens .
At the time of purchase, I was pricing up the price difference between GTI + Xenons vs GTI PP and figured the for the small extra I would get the benefit of 19" wheels, diff , LED DRL's and LED taillights, alcantara inserts and a small power increase (only offsets the increase weight of the diff). It may be dubious value, but I went for it - I have no regrets.

[brad]

The PP would be my pick.

[turtle]

oztadpole,
I've had a PP for about 3 months now and clocked up about 5000km in it. I drive it everyday to work and back (50km round trip). I find the ride to be quite comfortable and the cabin noise it low. You do get a bit of road noise above 100km/h however its nothing too bad.
Lately I've been leaving mine in Comfort mode because of the rubbish NSW roads and I've found it a bit nicer ride over Normal. It just makes riding over those small bump that bit better.
I drove it to QLD and back last month (approx 1600km all up) and it never missed a beat. 700km+ from each tank of fuel and in comfort mode it was a nice ride. The bolstered seats did sometimes get annoying as they are quite snug but that was mainly when I was the passenger trying to sleep.
When purchasing, the Bi-Xenon's were definitely a selling point over the standard GTI. Not only are they better headlights, but they finish off the front end nicely with the red stripe carrying on from the grille. And the LED tailights/blinkers look really trick at night. The other thing was availability. I was told 6+ months wait for a GTI, however I had my PP within 2 weeks and a pick of any colour. So like you said, by the time you add $2k for Bi-Xenon's to a stadard GTI (which you can no longer option), it was only a bit more for the PP.
I can't speak much for the diff as I've never driven a standard GTI hard, however I've taken mine for a few 'spirited' drives on quiet roads and they way the car pulls out of a corner when accelerating is impressive! No under-steer, no torque-steer. It just points and shoots exactly where you want it to go. And as for the brakes, I made myself car-sick they pull up that hard!
One thing with the 19in wheels though. Be prepared to wash them a lot! they get covered in brake dust (as would the other GTI ones) however due to their design they are a pain in the @ss to clean. I've just brought a brush which should make it a lot easier.

[oztadpole]

It will depend a lot on the roads you use. I have a friend with a MK6 R that uses it as a daily and he has just downsized the wheels from 19" to 18" because the amount of wheel damage that was occurring was silly - he reported that he had to get the wheels re-rolled and welded several times - no dirt road usage either.

In my own experience (not with a new GTI), if you do considerable km on anything other than highway its better to opt for smaller wheels in the long run.

In fact if it was 18" on the PP. I would have signed up by now.

I've considered the option of getting the PP and downsize the wheels to 18" (if the dealer would swap them out).

Sydney roads are OK in my area. But you do get potholes and bad patches. And I do drive up to central coast regularly - Gosford, Central Mangrove, Orimbah, Enterance etc. So practically is important.

[daveee]

I also leave my PP in comfort most of the time as the ride becomes too hard on bad roads. It is a pity the mode selector button is so far out of reach and not something easier to toggle through the modes to suit road surface. I think if you are set on a DSG, then the PP is well worth the extra to get the diff + xenon lights. I am also finding with the firm ride I am constantly steering around pot holes and being extra careful not to damage a rim - I'm sure you would find someone around who would swap your Santiagos if you aren't a fan of the larger rims.

[oztadpole]

I also leave my PP in comfort most of the time as the ride becomes too hard on bad roads. It is a pity the mode selector button is so far out of reach and not something easier to toggle through the modes to suit road surface. I think if you are set on a DSG, then the PP is well worth the extra to get the diff + xenon lights. I am also finding with the firm ride I am constantly steering around pot holes and being extra careful not to damage a rim - I'm sure you would find someone around who would swap your Santiagos if you aren't a fan of the larger rims.

Yep DSG for me.

To be honest. The 19" was the biggest and only negative for me on the PP. For reasons of practicality.

So I guess swapping them out for 18" would be the easy fix. Apart from changing the stock look, a bit of handling, and maybe resale down the track - there's no other downside is there?