InfiniteEcho's R32!

[infiniteecho]

This thread is dedicated to the full build of my 2008 Golf .:R36 6MT

Modifications are as follows:

Performance:
Motor swap: 3.6L FSI VR6
Transmission Swap: 6-Speed Manual Transmission
Neuspeed RS07 Lightweight Forged wheels running Nitto Invos
HPA SHS Coils
HPA Haldex controller + switch
One-off Stoptech ST-40 BBK front
Custom 2-piece rear rotors with matching Brembo BBK rear
Custom manifold-back exhaust
UniBrace Interior Stress Brace
UniBrace Under Body Brace
HPA Hockey Puck
VF Engineering Motor mounts

Interior / Misc:
MKVI Golf R Euro Recaros: leather bolsters / Alcantara inserts
Knurled aluminium climate control knobs
Yellow FTP bulbs
DSG paddel extenders
DRLs OFF
Rain sensor ON
4Motion badge
Stainless steel rear scuff plate
IMS TUN3D euro front plate replacement
Gorilla gear rear mat with 4 Velcro blocks
R32 Car cover

Audio:
RNS-510
Epic Series German Maestro 3-way components
Full door dynamat, door skin, door frame, door cards
Dynaudio 10 channel amp
JL 500/1 mono sub amp
JL Stealthbox with 10W6v2-4D

The car was fully built at Innovative Motorsports in Shelton, CT. Software was made possible by United Motorsport. The only MKV Golf R36 6MT in the world.

Images:

[abeR]

nerd.

welcome.

[SKNKWRX]

Hola! Congrats!

[ZPrime]

Skip the rear sway. If you get the haldex controller, get the switch.

C2 > * for R32 flashes... just MHO.

[PSU]

Quote, originally posted by infiniteecho »

I plan on doing something similar to PSU with my R. So I hope to update this thread as time goes on.

Congrats on the car and welcome to the family.

[Stevep67]

I'm a recent GLI convert too. Interested to hear your input/comparison. How would you compare the acceleration in the R vs. the GLI?

Welcome.

[schwung]

oh come on, the R is way better in every sense

Welome and congrats! You're in for a great automotive experience.

[trbochrg]

congrats and welcome...from another fellow Mass .:R owner!

[oldracer]

Welcome to the world or R32s & Wookie noise in the mountains of NC.
As anew member you must attend and bring another r32 friend with you: it's the law!!

My GLI is way faster than the R, just not on wet surfaces or TOD corners!!!
Das Boost is addictive so is ominous white clouds of frt tire smoke...only when the OEMs were being replaced of course...

Today was R day for me, so I am happy and always enjoy it...better highway and sporty driver.
I drive it 2 days or so a week when she wants Das Boost....if I buy her a ML, Cayanne, or X5, I get the R permanently......and we do need a SUV again with dogs & grandkids....hmmmm


Modified by oldracer at 10:14 PM 4-21-2010

[sjc123]

Congrats, and +1 for Boston! See you around!

[infiniteecho]

Quote, originally posted by ZPrime »

Skip the rear sway. If you get the haldex controller, get the switch.

Why do you say skip the RSB?

Quote, originally posted by PSU »

Congrats on the car and welcome to the family.

Thanks! I am really excite!

Quote, originally posted by Stevep67 »

I'm a recent GLI convert too. Interested to hear your input/comparison. How would you compare the acceleration in the R vs. the GLI? Welcome.

Not had enough seat time to really tell yet. The power on tap all the time without building boost is nice. The car feels much tighter more agile on it's feet. AWD is nice though I'm not the biggest fan of Haldex.

Quote, originally posted by sjc123 »

Congrats, and +1 for Boston! See you around!

I look forward to seeing you around. If you see a CW R in fenway, it's probably me!

Unfortunately there is a baseball game going on and there is just too much traffic to even take my car out of the garage. I hope to get some serious seat time this weekend though.

--Jesse

[-jakrbt-]

Congrats on the newish ride and welcome to the club! Enjoy it!

[Nanozic]

Nice another R in Boston, maybe I'll see ya round.

[infiniteecho]

Any of you guys in Boston have VAG-COM? I've done the local search, but none of the people I emailed ever replied.

When I unlock my car, it flicks on the HIDs and that is annoying / wasteful.

[-jakrbt-]

Quote, originally posted by infiniteecho »

Any of you guys in Boston have VAG-COM? I've done the local search, but none of the people I emailed ever replied. When I unlock my car, it flicks on the HIDs and that is annoying / wasteful.

That's the Leaving Home function. Most people actually get that activated when they have their cars VAG-COM'd.


Modified by -jakrbt- at 7:59 AM 4-23-2010

[Be_Liquid10]

congrats on the purchase!

I have some Forgeline wheels for sale and other small bits for the MKV R

[-jakrbt-]

Quote, originally posted by Be_Liquid10 »

congrats on the purchase! I have some Forgeline wheels for sale and other small bits for the MKV R

You should post up pics of your Forgelines in your FS: thread. Don't think I've seen them other than some distance shots on the car.

[infiniteecho]

Just back from the dealer.

Car is all registered and good to go. I have leased my last 3 cars and when I purchased this one it came up at the DMV that almost 1000 dollars in taxes were owed on cars I owed 2+ years ago. WTF?! They never sent me any bills or notices or anything. That was a fun surprise.

The dealer ordered new tires for the R too, so they installed those today as well.

I thought boost was addictive in my S60R and my tuned GLI ... I find my foot deep into the pedal every chance I get to hear that VR6 symphony.

I was managing ~25 on the highway coming home from the dealer today, but as soon as I hit the tunnels on 93 and onto Storrow drive (sorry for those not familiar with Boston, but it's a good couple miles of tunnel) all bets were off. I was down to 22.9 after that.

After doing some pretty serious reading in that thread TechEd posted up, I don't think I am going to bother with the Haldex controller or the sway bars. I think ECU and DSG flashes are the first things to get done.

Also, per Rule #1 of the car lounge I snapped a quick iPhone picture: tucked away nicely in my garage.

Still looking for someone in the Boston area who is willing to VAG-COM. Willing to buy dinner for the fellow who steps up.

--Jesse

[10Ten]

http://vagcomlocator.com
i'm seeing a lot in MA. btw search for MA, not Massachusetts. also i see 7 in Boston.

[10Ten]

Quote, originally posted by infiniteecho »

After doing some pretty serious reading in that thread TechEd posted up, I don't think I am going to bother with the Haldex controller or the sway bars. I think ECU and DSG flashes are the first things to get done.

i like that you have a strategy, however i don't totally agree with all the business in that thread as applied to our R32's in a daily driver context, as that discussion is focused more on handling limits. our R's lend themselves well to modifications, and you can take it in any direction from stock. obviously, if you go far in any direction negative effects in the handling can show. but minor changes can improve other aspects of the car that were not the focus of that discussion... for example: road feel. the theory behind OEM design and setup is based more on safety than anything as it should be. but it is also true -- subjectively speaking -- that your car can be more fun in a close-to-stock setup without negatively impacting safety or drivability.

my experience is that my car drives far better now than when it had the OEM setup. the changes to my geometry are minimal, a 1.2" drop and a little extra camber. but with the coilovers, the RSB, and the Haldex2, it is a much tighter feeling package with a massively improved quality road feel. i have said before that the OEM suspension feels slightly cheesy like a Golf, but after installing my suspension changes, it feels like a much more expensive car with a higher quality of road feel all around. and that, to me, is the gold i seek with my R. some experts somewhere can argue about my car at 9/10's and 10/10th's, but i drive it every day, almost never at 9/10's, so i'm focused on the setup for my driving style. it sticks to the road, rails in the turns, and pushes from the rear like i hoped when i modified it. it is an unquestionable improvement from stock to me. anyone can argue and try to disprove me, but they'll have to take their own car to the track to do it, not mine.

but i should say that i have had to execute some extremely hair-raising emergency maneuvers at high speeds that i would certainly regard as being firmly in the outer limits of handling. and it handling like it was glued to the road. and no other car i have driven, OEM setups included, could have ever pulled off those maneuvers. of this i am certain. safety with my setup is not a concern.

i'm not trying to convince you to do anything to your suspension. i'm only contributing so you don't rule out possibilities.

Modified by cheeebs at 6:44 PM 4-23-2010

[dubnick32]

Nice car dude.

[nord1899]

Quote, originally posted by infiniteecho »

After doing some pretty serious reading in that thread TechEd posted up, I don't think I am going to bother with the Haldex controller or the sway bars. I think ECU and DSG flashes are the first things to get done.

I just got my GIAC ECU and DSG flashes done (chosen due to local shop support). Will have to wait and see how much it improves things.
Even after reading that thread, and agree with much of it, I still plan on the Haldex Gen 2 upgrade. But it did make me rethink the RSB, which I was already doubting on. I plan on waiting for a while to do the RSB, after a few track days and a few months of daily driving with the Haldex Gen 2, to see if I still feel its needed.
Might just be get a stress brace for the track days and leave it alone for DD.

[Jetterooni]

Welcome to the club. Fortunatly and unfortunatly, my car came modded with FK coils, GIAC ecu/dsg, RSB, 18's, EVOMS intake and a GHL catback among other irrelevent-to-handling things, so I to this day do not know the feel between my R32 and a bone stock one.

But let me tell you, it sticks to the road like a MF, a car swerved into my lane accidentally last week and going 80MPH I swerved out of the way just like that. I have taken it around corners at pushing-it speeds and felt in total control the whole time.

Like I said, I dont know the difference between stck and mine, but the setup on this car feels like a dream. And the suspension feels amazing on the interstate while cruizing. Not all hard and bouncy, but stiff and glued-to-the-road feeling. Every performance factor in the car is closley assocciated with the words; responsive, eager, and dont-f***-with-me!

Enjoy that R! I do!

[infiniteecho]

Thanks for the input Cheebs, nord and Jetterooni. I am going to spend some time getting used to the handling characteristics of the chassis as it is now and once I am used to that I will begin with any potential suspension mods.

ECU and DSG are getting done when I can find the time.

I hope the sound of the exhaust is as exciting a year or two from now. My girlfriend hadn't seen my car yet and so I took her out to the covered parking garage that I keep it in. I started it rev'ed it to about 2,000 or so the first couple times and then to about 3500. I guess she wasn't expecting that and jumped . Don't worry I had just been out driving so the motor was still warm.

Later than night I was driving through the city coming down to a stop sign dropped it from 2 into 1 (while in S mode). The motor was rev-matched which of course lead to a fantastic exhaust bark scaring the crap out of a group of girls walking up the street. A couple of them screamed. It was hilarious.

Can't wait to get a chance to properly wash my R. She and I need to get aquatinted over a nice 4 to 5 hour detail session. I told the dealer not to bother, I would take care of it myself. Sadly it is going to rain for the next 3 days.

Thanks to all the others for the welcoming to the club and complements. It's great to be here.

--Jesse

[Nanozic]

Haha nice man, maybe I'll see ya at one of the gtg's around here. I was driving through harvard last night and I have a GHL exhaust which sounds pretty good. It is nice to get looks when people hear the rumble.

[-jakrbt-]

I actually can attest to the way cheeebs' car handles. Rode with him a few months back when I was looking at suspension mods and his car carves corners without even a bobble. Actually even made me a tad nervous in a couple of them, but the .:R never felt like it was out of sorts at any moment. Really help make my decision to run the HPA SHS coilovers. Now I'm waiting to do the RSB and Haldex Gen II.

As for the exhaust, I think I got that one covered pretty well. I've gotten a few thumbs up while driving, so it must be very well received. Even if not, I like it.

[suntaug]

sent im to op

[infiniteecho]

Ordered some new parts!

I know some of you are interested in the paddle shifter extenders. I have ordered a pair so I'll let you know when I get them and of course add some pictures.

Also ordered some yellow FTP bulbs and some aluminum knurled HVAC controls.

Not much, but it's a start to making it mine.

--Jesse

[PSU]

Quote, originally posted by infiniteecho »

Ordered some new parts!

That's what I like to hear!

[10Ten]

paddle shifters... did you get the ones with tape?

[gottaluvvw]

Quote, originally posted by infiniteecho »

Ordered some new parts! I know some of you are interested in the paddle shifter extenders. I have ordered a pair so I'll let you know when I get them and of course add some pictures. Also ordered some yellow FTP bulbs and some aluminum knurled HVAC controls. Not much, but it's a start to making it mine. --Jesse

yes, i am interested about this too...been thinking about this

because unless i'm in a straight line, i prefer to manually shift with the stick---this is because i fumble to find the little shifters

[infiniteecho]

Quote, originally posted by cheeebs »

paddle shifters... did you get the ones with tape?

So far as I know, all the paddle extenders are secured with tape. I couldn't find any that weren't.

But, yes, I ordered the ones from ECS Tuning for 150 bucks.

Quote, originally posted by gottaluvvw »

because unless i'm in a straight line, i prefer to manually shift with the stick---this is because i fumble to find the little shifters

I have that problem too. I am hoping this solves it.

--Jesse


Modified by infiniteecho at 9:16 AM 5-4-2010

[infiniteecho]

Cheebs,

I've seen the VAG-COM locator link and emailed a number of people on there but no one replied. Kind of given up on it. It's easier to ask around here. No luck with that either though it seems.

I am way too impatient to be ordering parts that are backordered! Can't wait to get the parts in and start making her my own!

--Jesse

[infiniteecho]

Hello All,

Long time no see.

I lost my normal job just after I posted I had ordered parts. Well, that order got canceled while I went into extreme money save mode.

Well, I start a new job on Monday and to celebrate I had to get my car a couple things I promised her 2 months ago.

GIAC ECU and DSG flashes were applied today as well as a little VAC-COM coding.

While it's not a kick in the pants the tuning made a noticeable difference in power especially in the mid range like everyone has said and being able to rev to 7200 is interesting. Sure sounded great in a tunnel I blasted through.

The DSG tune is really where it's at though. It really wakes the transmission up. The shifts are *much* better. I never liked down shifting into 2 or 1 as my car was always a little jerky with it, now it's as smooth as me doing it myself! I do wish it held the gear in manual mode vs moving it up to the next gear, how do they expect me to do doughnuts in the snow bouncing off the rev limiter now? (). I haven't had a ton of time to play with it all but I am looking forward to getting to know it. I have the 4300 rev launch control file but not had a chance to play with it. I noticed a caution in the file: *4300 RPM LAUNCHES ARE HARD ON CLUTCH PACKS* so I don't think I'll be using that too often.

R32 getting tuned:


Just after a 4 hours 3 stage wax and polish:



Trying to decide what to get for her next.

[Av.]

Lower it