Stage 1 vs stage 2 - cost, gains

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Got it home this morning and it's a different kind of beast now. I'll provide more detail soon (after I've driven it a little more too).

There are a few more RacingLine emblems under there now
I'll try get some photos of the subframe brace, oil cooler and intercooler soon also.




Zircotec-coated Milltek Sports Catted Downpipe:




RacingLine Oil Cooler:

[BO11OS]

Been a while since my last post, sadly my car sat in the shop for a few months waiting for some stuff, In the meantime they fitted the racing line airbox the miltek cat back part of the exhaust & just a stage 1 ARP tune so I could get the car driveable till they sort of what they need too. Took the car to Eastern Creek drags this week to get a time & have to say I was pretty happy for the base mods.
Car ran 12.5 @110 mph then backed it up so I was happy with that & went home, hopefully the rest of the parts & tune will be added sometime soon.
If any of you haven't taken your Arteon to the drags I would highly recommend it these things launch pretty dam well.

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Very happy with Stage 2 so far. You can feel the extra torque and it seems to have bit more urgency to get up to speed (revs up quicker).

The oil cooler is working well, it's slower to heat up and generally ~5-10°C cooler than 'normal'. Rarely reaches/exceeds 100°C, even with 'spirited' street driving. I think the zircotec (ceramic) coated downpipe and larger intercooler also help with heat reduction - will look into ceramic exhaust manifold and turbo coatings when planning Stage 3.

The subframe brace + alignment kit was also a nice addition. It's certainly more taught and my sunroof doesn't seems to pop/rattle as much.

But, was Stage 2 worth the cost vs gains?

Personally, I'd do it again! =) It's not as big of a change as Stage 1 for the pricing (less bang for buck), but I also have no regrets or buyer's remorse.

I'm very happy with the car I currently have for what I've paid overall and will probably enjoy Stage 2 for a little while, before planning out a longer-term Stage 3 path.

[Lucas_R]

will look into ceramic exhaust manifold and turbo coatings when planning Stage 3

Just FYI there is no exhaust manifold on these engines - the exhaust manifold is built into the head so its all internal. A turbo blanket would be the next best thing to control heat. CTS TURBO IS12 / IS20 / IS38 TURBO BLANKET

Otherwise, good to hear you are enjoying the new power.

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Just FYI there is no exhaust manifold on these engines - the exhaust manifold is built into the head so its all internal. A turbo blanket would be the next best thing to control heat. CTS TURBO IS12 / IS20 / IS38 TURBO BLANKET

Otherwise, good to hear you are enjoying the new power.

Thanks! That's a great idea =)

Are they hard to fit? Or is it just reaching under the hood with a bit of hand contortions?

[BO11OS]

The oil cooler is working well, it's slower to heat up and generally ~5-10°C cooler than 'normal'. Rarely reaches/exceeds 100°C, even with 'spirited' street driving.

The subframe brace + alignment kit was also a nice addition. It's certainly more taught and my sunroof doesn't seems to pop/rattle as much.

Hi mate, what oil cooler are you using? My car with a stage 1 sits between 89 to 93 when cruising & giving it some. Would defiantly be interested in the brace you are using I know my car / sunroof makes some noise even when going down a driveway / gutter.

cheers Allan.

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Hi mate, what oil cooler are you using? ... Would defiantly be interested in the brace you are using I know my car / sunroof makes some noise even when going down a driveway / gutter.

cheers Allan.

I went with the RacingLine cooler and brace:

Oil cooler: Racingline Oil Cooler Kit - Universal MQB fitment - Harding Performance

Subframe brace: RACINGLINE SUBFRAME BRACE FOR MQB & MQB EVO FOR GOLF 7 R, 8 R, GTI, AUDI A3, S3, RS3 [VWR810006] - Harding Performance

Subframe alignment kit: Racingline Subframe Alignment Kit - MQB - Harding Performance

I also plan to upgrade the rear brace when I upgrade the exhaust.

My car with a stage 1 sits between 89 to 93 when cruising & giving it some.

Odd, mine would sit around 100-105°C with stage 1 ... I do live in Qld, but that was also during our "winter" ... could there be something making mine run hotter than usual?

[BO11OS]

Not sure why yours would run hotter, I would guess just hotter in QLD then Sydney. I also have the same oil cooler & I bought the gearbox oil cooler but still waiting for then to go in.

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Are they hard to fit? Or is it just reaching under the hood with a bit of hand contortions?

So... to answer my own question - they aren't an easy fit. The video made it look like simply wrapping a cloth around the turbo, but that's with the engine out.

I think I'll need to remove the heat shield first - will try again another time. Also, a word of warning: wear gloves, the woven material appears to be fibreglass and is quite itchy.

[Lucas_R]

So... to answer my own question - they aren't an easy fit. The video made it look like simply wrapping a cloth around the turbo, but that's with the engine out.

I think I'll need to remove the heat shield first - will try again another time. Also, a word of warning: wear gloves, the woven material appears to be fibreglass and is quite itchy.

Sorry i just realised I never replied. Yes the material is very itchy and will itch you for hours after touching it. Wetting it can help, but gloves are essential. There are metal springs/wires used to hold the turbo blanket in place which is fiddly. Ive never fitted one to a Golf, but did years ago fit one to my old Nissan 200sx and yes they are a bid fiddly.