Engine

Cobb Stage 1 (91 oct) Feb 2023

ECS Inlet Hose Jul 2023

ECS Dry High Flow Air Filter Jul 2023

Wheels/Tires

Apex 17x8.5 SM-10 Sep 2022

Apex VW/Audi Stud Conversion Kit Apr 2023

Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect 240 (225/45/17) Jul 2023

Suspension/Handling

H&R 26mm Rear Sway Bar Aug 2022

H&R OE Sport Spings (Audi RS3 Rear Spring Insulators) Feb 2023

034 Fixed Camber Plates Feb 2023

Track Alignment (-2.0 F/R, zero toe) Feb 2023

Brakes

Cobalt XR2 Front Pads Jul 2023

Girodisc front rotors Feb 2023

Ferodo DS 2500 Rear Pads Mar 2023

RS3 Brake Ducts Jul 2023

Transmission

ECS Clutch Stop Apr 2023

ECS Clutch Bleeder Block Apr 2023

Clutch Spring Delete Apr 2023

Past

Toyo Proxxes R1R (245/40/17)

Kumho V730 (245/40/17)

Ferodo 3.12 Front Pads 

After owning my GTI for a good amount of time, I thought it would be a fun idea to share my story of what it has been like to track the car, coming from absolutely zero track day experience. I loved motorcycles and raced motocross as a kid, but my personal background in motorsports is near zero. My dad has been an invaluable resource as he helps me with both my driving and build of the car.

Before I bought the car, I knew I wanted an entry level track car that would still make sense as my daily driver (and could afford), so after researching, I settled on the MK 7.5 GTI. When I had decided to trade in my SUV for a 6 speed GTI, I truthfully did not know much of what I was doing. This is my first manual transmission car, so I essentially learned how to drive the car on my way home from the dealership. The original goal of my project GTI was to slowly build it into a track capable car to learn the fundamentals of track driving.

In prep for the first track day, we ran the car relatively bone stock. We changed the brake fluid and put in the Ferodo DS2500 pads in the front brakes. The other change we made was adding a H&R 26mm rear sway bar, which livened up the handling of the car tremendously. For my first track day in the car, it was a success, although it did identify some changes to be made (e.g. tires). At this point, I was completely obsessed with track driving.

08/31/2022 GTI Ridge 2:07:76 - YouTube

Some big changes at this point with the car in the form of Apex 17x8.5 SM10 Wheels and Toyo Proxes R1Rs. The thought process behind the R1Rs was to have something that was decent for dry lapping, but also ok in the wet in anticipation of typical PNW rain days. Upgrading from the stock wheels and tires made a huge difference and I was starting to feel at home on track. Car started to feel very pointed and easy to throw into corners. Something I noticed with the Toyos was that my best laps with them were while they were still colder, and I’d usually do my best lap times 2-3 laps into a session.

09 30 2022 Ridge GTI - YouTube

Other than a fresh oil change, no big changes with the car for this day. First solo track day, which was a good and daunting step to take. Purely a day to focus on refinement and to get comfortable on track. Toyos were wearing nicely at this point and due for a tire rotation. From here, we were about ready to upgrade brakes, suspension and considering the stage 1 tune.

11/19/2022 Session 2 - lap 5 - YouTube

Lots to talk about here, front tires were smoked and rears were like-new, so we rotated the tires, surprised at the longevity of the Toyos. Suspension upgrade in the form of lowering springs - didn’t want to go crazy low, so we went with the H&R OE Sport Springs. Further, also went with 034 Fixed Camber Plates, -2.0 track alignment. The difference was astonishing, for a FWD car, how easy it is to get it to rotate was a massive upgrade. Also went with the Stage 1 Cobb tune, which we flashed on the lunch break (thank you Mark!). It was all coming together at this point, I saw a near 10 mph upgrade in top speed on the front straight and a 2 second drop in lap time. The car felt really lively at this point and I had to get used to the faster speeds the car was producing. Front pads and rotors were completely smoked for this day.

11/19/2022 Session 2 - lap 5 - YouTube

Fresh Girodisc front rotors and Ferodo 3.12 front pads for this day. Although there were a couple of dry-ish sessions, primarily a rainy day. No new revelations for today, but driving on my first wet track day was a good experience. Played with the TC settings and decided just to leave it fully on. Toyo R1Rs felt like they had good mid corner grip in the wet, but struggled with traction accelerating out of corners. Sort of on the last legs for the R1Rs at this point, but they had been a great tire thus far.

02/18/2023 - Turn2 @ the Ridge GTI - Session 6 Rain - YouTube

Another fresh oil change and fresh tires, this time we went with the Kumo V730s (245/40/17). Definitely not as good as a rain tire as the Toyo R1Rs, but the dry grip was allegedly an improvement. We were able to also update the rear brake setup with fresh pads and rotors. Half of the day was relatively wet and getting used to the new tires. Slow build and getting faster each session, but ran out of track time to progress further lap time wise. Something I appreciated about the Toyos was how audible they were, something I felt was missing from the Kumos. The Kumos definitely tend to run hot and I was constantly adjusting tire pressure after each session. Although they definitely have more dry grip, they are a bit numb, which I will have to adjust to.

VW GTI - The Ridge 04/07/2023 - YouTube 

04/08/2023 - Ridge Motorsports Park - Shelton, WA - 2:26.09 (wet)

Unfortunately no dry lapping, but it was a good experience to get more wet track time. Definitely noticed the downgrade from the R1Rs in the rain, but that was expected and not a big deal. Focusing on smoother and deliberate inputs (steering, throttle, brake, etc.) to be more efficient in the rain.

Side note - I really appreciate the OEM windshield wipers in this car

VW GTI - The Ridge 04/08/2023 - YouTube 

Getting to the point where upgrades are limited without changing the car fundamentally, so clutch upgrade just makes sense at this point for the amount of track driving I’m doing. Had some issues with it earlier in the year with it sticking around the engagement point, but fixed it by removing the clutch spring. Currently have an audi ttrs clutch kit sitting for when the current clutch starts to give away. It’s starting to look like I’ll have the car for much longer than originally intended, and might as well start to make big changes. Coilovers are another consideration, but that might be evaluated at some point later in the year. Happy with where the car is at now and I have a lot of refinement to work on with my driving. 

Back out on track with some dry lapping, performance wise, same set up as last track day, this entry is a bit more driving focused - goal was to keep working on the fundamentals. My main problem in the last few track days was holding the roll speed in the faster sections of the track (T1 and 6). Both are easy for me to over slow for, especially T1, because the back half of the car gets a little unstable with large weight transfer at high speed (also noticeable in T10). In T6, I trusted the grip of the Kumhos a bit more. Room for improvement, but great progress!

My corner entry/turn in has gotten a bit sharper, probably attributed to driving in the wet the last couple of track days. Kumhos have been wearing great, happy with that, love these tires. All in all, very satisfied with a sub 2 minute lap time, and motivated to improve further. Will be back out this weekend (after I do more overtime…)! 

Picking up where I left off last Sunday, fortunate to have another (mostly) dry day out on track. Started out the day with a new PB of 1:58.54 to build off of. Looked at the AIM data and identified room for improvement in T7 and T10-11 to focus on (thanks Mark!). Rain made its way in the day and took the opportunity to work on fundamentals, but by the time the final session rolled around, track had dried up. For the last session, I focused on deliberate inputs and even did some limit testing (within reason) - turned out to be an amazing session. Nice string of 1:56s and 1:57s and I cannot express how happy I am with those lap times. Room to improve still; but made good efforts with slowly building confidence in some sections throughout the day.

Nothing but good things to say about the V730s, this was the first day with these tires that I truly felt like I was pushing them properly. Tires probably have 1-2 days left in them, the extra wear is probably the result of going faster, a good problem to have! Only change car-wise was very slightly lowering hot pressure in the rear to 30. That seems to help keep the rear end in line, probably going to stick with that going forward for these tires. Not much else to say about the car itself, the present day build feels very complete and the current power is perfect for the chassis. With that said, I am not sure when I’ll be on track again before GTA, but thinking about a trip over to Pacific Raceways. 

With a fully dry day, it was time for the last day on this set of V730s. Zero expectations lap time wise, I just wanted to get back out and drive.

In the morning, the car was great as always. When I threw down the 1:56.58 (new pb) the grip from the tires was less than ideal. I was having difficulty with grip exiting T15 (final corner) in that lap specifically. Following session was solid, matching my previous PB time, but from there, the tires progressively lost grip and the warmer weather did not do me any favors either. Most noticeable losing grip mid corner and exiting T6 (the carousel) and T15. For the rest of the day on my other clear hotlaps, I still was able to run PB pace with consistent high 1:56s and 1:57s.

Periodically checking the tires through the day, I knew I would be cutting it close to running the full day on these tires. When I came in on the last session, I corded a tire for the first time (front right for reference); blown away I was able to do three 1:57s that session. Even with me driving the tires into the ground, pressures were predictable and stable throughout the day, on average tires were around 34 hot when I came in. The value from these tires has been crazy and will definitely get another set in the future. Front pads are also probably due for a change, I’ve gotten a lot of use out of them, so I cannot complain. Track days are scarce leading up to GTA, but I am stoked to get some fresh consumables on the car and get back on track. 

Had a very successful outing today testing out the new Michelin tires and Cobalt pads. Today was the warmest track day I’ve done so far in this car, 83F, which is relatively warm in PNW standards; up to this point, weather has not been much of a hindering factor on dry days.

Although I only had two clean laps in the morning, I spent the morning sessions adjusting to the new pads and tires. Immediately I noticed the Cobalt's initial bite is less aggressive than the 3.12 Ferodos, but made up for it in excellent stability deep in braking zones; it made braking very predictable and was easy to manage weight transfer under braking. Probably a mix of driving improvement and new pads, but I was confident on the brakes and found myself able to brake later than I was with the Ferodos. Brakes got pretty hot, which was expected for this weather; getting a set of Audi RS3 brake ducts to see if it helps a little.

Started out with 26 pressures cold and ended up settling on 32F/31R. Turn in was light and easy with the Michelins and the rear end of the car was very planted. I was having to be extremely patient on the longer radius turns, as these tires struggled with mid corner grip (probably due to the width). The pace of the Michelins starts to fade as the session goes on, I found the best performance came in the first 1-2 hot laps. Tires held pressure where I needed them throughout the day and they seem to like lower pressures, but I will not go lower than 32F/31R.

My best on the day was a 1:56.72 and followed up the next session with a 1:56.84. I am stoked with those times considering the best laps I did were done in the last two sessions when it was hot and the track was greasy. Proud of the driving I did today and learned a ton of great information regarding the new tires and pads on the car, I’ll be out again next weekend! 

Over the week, cross rotated the tires, and with some help, had the RS3 Brake Ducts installed. The goals of this day were to try to work on some driving refinement and see how the cup2 240s perform on their second day.

Weather was promising in the low 60s in the morning and mid-high 70s in the afternoon. Started with the same cold pressures and the car felt very good the first two sessions. As for hot pressures, I struggled to get the rears (mainly L/R) any heat and had to pump them up a couple of times. In the late morning and afternoon sessions they held just fine. I tried to address the small amount of rollover I had last day and decided to raise the hot pressure in the front slightly from 32 to 33, which seemed to help.

As far as driving, these tires felt great in the morning sessions and I put down a 1.55.43 in the second session. Even though these tires have not worn well, I love some of the handling characteristics of this tire, especially how easy turn in is. Every other session was great as I put down many low 1.56s. The tires started to get greasy as the day got warmer and took the opportunity to polish my technique in some sections. Brake ducts seem to work well and brakes felt consistent in the duration of each session; I did not have to adjust my braking zones even in the afternoon sessions. Other than that, I had some fun driving with a GR86 in my group who was running at a quicker pace and enjoyed chatting with him about the GTI.

In short, it was an awesome day of lapping and looking forward to GTA in two weeks!

VW GTI Global Time Attack Speed Summit - 1:56.01 (Enthusiast Class) - YouTube

First time attack event under my belt and I have a ton to say regarding this event; I’ll try not to get too crazy. To start with, this was one of the coolest things I have ever participated in. It was sort of nerve wracking the morning of, I of course had a rough idea, but had no idea what the event was going to be like. Tech was super easy, granted my car is still relatively stock with easy modifications, especially compared to some of the other cars in the Enthusiast class. All in all, super smooth and great running event.

Only car changes made before the event was adding an ECS inlet hose, ECS High Flow Air filter, and of course fresh tires (same 225/45/17 Cup 2 240s). The mini power mods did not make a massive difference, but it was great as the car never was losing power, even when the weather got into the low-mid 80s. The challenge in the setup was just the Cup 2s being that they were so skinny. Ran slightly lower pressures in the R/F, but pretty close to what I typically ran for these tires in the previous two days (32-31 F, 30-29 R). As far as how the tires did - most noticeable in the afternoon sessions, but the grip just was not there when I needed it in some sections (most apparent exiting turns 8b, 15).

Driving wise, I put down my fastest lap in the first session of the weekend with a 1:56.01. It was a slightly conservative lap not trying to kill the tires and was not my best driving, but the conditions were good and the time stuck P3 all the way until Sunday afternoon. First and second were very well sorted cars who have competed in previous GTA events. First was a Nismo 370Z that did a high 1:48, pretty nuts for this class. Second was an S2000 not too far off doing a 1:54. A stockish type r was able to improve four seconds on their previous best to nudge me into 4th by a tenth of a second in the second to last session. We cross rotated the front tires and had a go to take it back, but lack of grip in T8B and 15 bit me. I was still able to do a 1:56.5 in not ideal conditions and the poor stock calipers were at their limit, but the engine performed amazingly. Did not record that last session unfortunately as I didn't want the distraction of the Garmin. It was the best driving I’ve done, very proud of that session’s effort.

To summarize, the event was outstanding and it was nice to see some payoff from the many hours of hard work, not just from me, but from many people who have helped me along the way in preparation. Thank you to Mark for giving me direction on improving my driving, Phil for sim practice & data advice, and my dad for being my pit crew and biggest supporter. Many other names deserve to be mentioned here. It’s been nearly a year with this car and I am not sure what the next steps are (6k miles and counting). Definitely looking forward to doing more events like this in the future and I will be back next year, I recommend GTA for anyone thinking about it who is serious about their track days.