I didn't load the new wheels pic at first.
That said, I really like them. I'd give them some more time, the mesh and color works great for me but I understand and spoke design.
I wouldn't bother changing them due to that though, it'll grow.
i think they fit the car GREAT. But I do see your point about the spokes sticking out. I do love the mesh style on the car with the color!
i would say do the window tint first before you change the wheels.......
i love the wheels btw
RIP JESSE GERARD.....Youll always be in my thoughts and prayers...
Not my favorite wheel but I think they look pretty awesome on the car, and I love the color of them
I totally forgot to take a pic of my next part and it's already installed. I got a BSH torque mount insert. Basically the motor mount setup is similar to a manual trans J but there's rear trans mount. There's a mount Passenger side to the engine, on the drivers side to the trans then right in the middle under neither is the torque arm mount that keeps the engine from torqueing back and forth. The mount bolts solid to the trans and then goes into the subframe and bolts into a big rubber pressed in bushing. You can either pay $200 for a new mount and drop the subframe, press a bushing out with a harder one in and install a shiny black anodized metal arm.... Or you can spend $35 on an insert, a specifically formed piece of hardened plastic that's slides right up into the factory rubber bushing filling in all the holes it has to allow movement in the bushing. I opted for the $35 solution that takes roughly a minute start to finish to install.
I stole someone else's pic of the insert
Love the rims, color looks good against that blue!
Flaps saved them! Amazing!
I talked to 42 Draft Designs about my downpipe today, they said it's at the ceramic coating place and will get shipped out next week.
Damn you're on a spending spree! lol It is worth it though, it's perfect!
I bought the downpipe a week and half ago, it's already paid for, just slow to get it since they are made to order since there are options (with or without high flow cat, with or without a resonator, with or without ceramic coating, with end to bolt up to stock catback or aftermarket (stock is very free flowing, supposedly the cat back is mainly for sound not power)
im curious once you get the downpipe install....if it also helps MPGs as well as HP
RIP JESSE GERARD.....Youll always be in my thoughts and prayers...
So after dicking with the suspension over and over and finally getting the height and everything where I want it I figured time for an alignment. I didn't want to do one because the car drove straight, steering wheel was straight.... I was shocked when I saw how messed up it was lol
On the rack
before and after
After the alignment I could feel how much it really was needed, bumps and stuff were less jarring, the handling was hugely improved, it just road smother.
as far as down pipe benfits, it benefits everywhere. Here's a pic I found online. It has a very very VERY restrictive brick wall of a cat directly at the turbo outlet. In all reality the cat is the only real restriction in the factory exhaust but it's a bad one, lose the cat and the rest is fine.
There is no pic, broski.
On the other hand....you have other fingers.
"You really need to staple your face shut"-THE Joey Baggs.
Damn it, I thought j posted the link first.... Soon to be inlaws were knocking at the door so I just hit post and assumed it was there lol. I'll fix it when I'm not on my phone.
Updates for today
Stock downpipe
Exhaust comes directly out of the turbo and hits this brick wall bolted straight to the turbo outlet.
42 Draft Designs 3" downpipe with a 200 cell high flow cat and resonator all ceramic coated in Jet Hot Extreme Sterling. I've never seen such high quality in a mass produced exhaust component, this stuff is top notch!
looking into a 200 cell high flow cat
cat pipe
installed
installed, also you can see the torque mount insert installed huge gold washer holds it in
APR stage 2 software requires a downpipe, (I already did the stage 2 software before the down pipe) I'm really impressed at the difference from the down pipe. As soon as I started it I was presently surprised that it was indeed about as quiet as stock. When you revved it the new found ability to breath was instantly noticeable, the throttle response was better, it revved quicker, it just seemed less stressed. Driving it completely confirmed those thoughts, not only was is quicker reacting with more response but the power is there. I can punch the from a 40 mph roll and the front end will wander a bit as it lights up the tires. Under heavy load you get just a little bit of extra noise, no droaning, it's not load, it' just has a very slight deep tone, the DSG exhaust fart is alot more pronounced (under boost while shifting you get a quick "braaap" noise from the exhaust as the DSG shifts. I personally like the DSG fart because it's a specific characteristic unique to this setup (2.0T DSG), so making that specific thing louder as the only real side effect is perfectly fine by me. It's kinda like how the sound of a VR6 is unmistakable. It wasn't cheap but overall I'm very happy with the purchase, only thing I'd like to see different is V bands instead of 3 bolt flanges.
And one more update. I found a guy who bought a 2011 Golf and is trying to buy all the GTI exterior parts to make it look like one. He was super excited when I offered to swap grills with him. My GTI grill (honeycomb with a red stripe along the top and bottom, with the chrome VW emblem in the center and the offset chrome GTI lettering on the passenger side) for his Golf grill (2 plain black bars going across with just the VW emblem). I was happy to swap, it looks MUCH cleaner.
That downpipe sure looks very well made!
Good call on the grill I never really liked honeycomb grills, looks so much cleaner! Awesome progress, what are your next plans for it?
Thats a really good looking piece. But I thought the exact same thing as soon as you did. Thats a lot of joints where it could possibly leak. It it was all one piece or v-bands like you said, it would greatly reduce the chance of leaks. Either way, I think thats one of the best upgrades you have done so far.
MyKoup_owns_theZ wrote:That downpipe sure looks very well made!
Good call on the grill I never really liked honeycomb grills, looks so much cleaner! Awesome progress, what are your next plans for it?
Thanks, next thing will probably be window tint
gtpsunfire wrote:Thats a really good looking piece. But I thought the exact same thing as soon as you did. Thats a lot of joints where it could possibly leak. It it was all one piece or v-bands like you said, it would greatly reduce the chance of leaks. Either way, I think thats one of the best upgrades you have done so far.
the reason for all the pieces is the exhaust has lots of options, it's all 3" but you can pick with or without a cat, with or without a resonator, with or without a 3rd 02 bung for a wideband, with or without a resonator, with or without ceramic coating, and with 2.5" catback or 3" catback.
Darkstars wrote:gtpsunfire wrote:Thats a really good looking piece. But I thought the exact same thing as soon as you did. Thats a lot of joints where it could possibly leak. It it was all one piece or v-bands like you said, it would greatly reduce the chance of leaks. Either way, I think thats one of the best upgrades you have done so far.
the reason for all the pieces is the exhaust has lots of options, it's all 3" but you can pick with or without a cat, with or without a resonator, with or without a 3rd 02 bung for a wideband, with or without a resonator, with or without ceramic coating, and with 2.5" catback or 3" catback.
Brilliance. I wish there were systems designed like this for the jbody - plenty of options and all easily installed by end user.
