4DRZ

iTrader: (7)

I hear you on the piggyback. APR tunes and Cobb tunes are supposed to be undetectable too, but our equipment in VW can detect any tampering with the ECU. That's why it pays to be friends with your service advisor/techs. Fortunately, I get along really well with those guys at our store if I ever get a VW. (VW and Audi are two other brands we have at my work.)

You were talking about outright handling before. Having driven my G and the Golf R many times on the same roads I can easily tell you the G out handles the Golf R because of it's near 50/50 weight balance and RWD. Car and Driver even makes note of the understeer and all the weight on the nose of the Golf R in their lightning lap. They also mention the G37 being well-balanced and having a responsive rear-drive chassis- exactly what I was getting at.

Again acceleration out of a corner and handling in the snow- the Golf R waves buh bye to the G. Also in a straight line with a good tune due to all the extra torque you can get with a turbo vs. having to wind up the G to high RPM's.

Now if you talk about lap times at VIR for a 2015 Golf R with the DSG transmission and adaptive dampers vs. a 2008 G37S that struggled with heat in the engine, brakes and tires on the day it tested (both on different days with different drivers), then yes, the results will be quite different.

The Nismo Z you mention is also from 2009- the first year with different suspension, tires, aero, and brake fluid and pads. Not that all of that would make a huge difference in lap times. But running the Golf R with a stick shift on the same day with the same driver is the only way to truly compare lap times.

Lego_Maniac

iTrader: (3)

I'd still be cautious of that. Any warranty claim like a engine/turbo or transmissions is going to have to go through VOA, and there isn't any way to fake a TD1 code, unless you're good enough friends to get good will warranty work on a big ticket item like that.


Good points

I agree, but a same day-same driver-same track comparison is difficult, and the times should still be relevant to a some degree, in that they are at least the same track and presumably professional driver. If anything, I take away that the R is at least fun to drive.

It's certainly not a knock on the G. I follow your track thread, and know you think highly of the platform. I do too, and I have no complaints about the handling of my setup for a street driven car.

I really need to track down a R to drive and see if it's a worthy replacement or if I should be more prudent and follow Rochester's advice. But hey, it's been 5 years with the G, a guy's eye starts to wander

qmantran

Would love to eventually own a 2015 M3/M4 some day when they come down in price.

Never owned a German vehicle before so I'm still kind of on the fence about actually following through with it, however I've been itching for a faster straight-line car that also handles well and is somewhat luxurious and sporty.

I just really want a boosted vehicle. The aftermarket support and performance gains from simple tunes and bolt-ons is awesome.

I considered a Lexus IS-F also but there really isn't a whole lot of power left on the table to be made with them. Full bolt-ons they sit right around 400whp. The 2015 M3/M4 stock makes a little north of 400whp stock. Add mods and a tune and it's a little monster that handles well.

4DRZ

iTrader: (7)

Agreed- I would be shocked if you could get past a major issue with a tune.

I agree- You really need a direct comparison test to compare two vehicles for the numbers to be accurate. I was trying to point out (1) that it was obviously a lot warmer out the day they tested the G as it had issues with heat in the much larger BBK, oil (common) and tires. I was also trying to show (2) that the Golf R was 7 years newer with a DSG transmission, adaptive suspension, and 7 years newer tire tech. Hard to compare. My last point (3) was that you and I were originally talking about handling and then you switched to lap times. The Golf R would still be a great car and I think you would not have any regrets. Just be aware that if true, purist, at the limit handling is important to you, the Golf R will drive very differently than the G.

Haha! That's funny. But seriously, go get an R. I think you will really like it.

The M3 is on my short list too. Great choice! If 2dr. is practical for me in the future- the M2 is pretty sweet too.

future62

Wow, I'm kind of sad to say it but I think I'm bored with the G already. Now that the wheels and suspension are done there's nothing really left I want to do. Not going to do any engine mods aside from a tune if it can help gas mileage. Just want to clean up the paint. Gas mileage is a real bugaboo right now... 18-19MPG consistently 50/50 since I got the new wheels/tires. I also want something boosted mainly to get the same performance with like 10 more MPG. It's fun to drive and nice to look at.... but I feel like I'm at a point where I'm over project cars. I think all I need is something that can trap over 100, get ~25+ MPG on my commute, and have a decent aftermarket (mainly for suspension/brakes). Damn it I just bought this thing like 6 months ago. Oh well

Lego_Maniac

iTrader: (3)

That didn't take long Future. I think the G checks off everything in the list except for mpg.

4DRZ

iTrader: (7)

Oh my, you go through cars even faster than I do. (None of my last 5 cars even made it 2 years.) The good news is that there are lots of ideas here. VW GTI and Subaru WRX come to mind to hit your goals- just be ready to shift a lot earlier on most turbo cars w/ their lower redlines.

Ricio1991

I seen that and it’s impressive I’m just wondering how the transmission will hold up. They aren’t much different than our 7 speed right? I know our transmissions can only handle a certain amount

4DRZ

iTrader: (7)

I would imagine, not well. They mentioned they are going to tone it down a bunch for street use. I am a little leary of Z1's tunes though as the "400hp" kit I have from them puts my car into limp mode just about every time I hit 5,000 rpm. Completely useless as that is where a lot of the power gains are.

Lego_Maniac

iTrader: (3)

That doesn't sound good. I've never experienced limp mode. Can they send you an update for the tune? This motor lives north of 5k.

4DRZ

iTrader: (7)

Limp mode sucks and is pretty scary to try to drive because you can floor it in any gear and it feels like you have 12 hp. Literally ZERO acceleration.

The guy who does the tunes at Z1, Jon (I think), kept telling me he would send me his loaner cable to try to diagnose it, but never did. He had me send him screen shots of the CE light and just said everything looked normal. They recommended I try MAF cleaner which maybe worked for 1 acceleration and then limp mode and CE lights again. I just had the MAF sensor on the passenger side replaced and it went into limp mode again. Very frustrating so I will be talking to Z1 again soon.

Rochester

iTrader: (9)

I've never experienced limp mode, either. I think I'd freak out. Worst moment I've ever had with the car was when the CSC failed on me.

However, I have hit the rev limiter a few times because I was way too into the moment to shift properly. That's not so much scary as it is embarrassing. Deeply embarrassing. Particularly if someone else is in the car at the time, but not necessarily so.

future62

It does; it's a great daily driver outside of the gas bill. You get a lot more bang for your buck with modern cars. I'm sticking with it though; just maybe not for as long as I thought.

Jonesmeister11

iTrader: (1)

I’m surprised to see so many considering VW. I hated my GTI. To be fair, I think VW dealerships and the VW scene made me despise Volkswagen.

Love2Drive

Just went through this entire thread. Good read and lots of good opinions.
I've heard the Q50 RS mentioned a few times, but how does everyone feel about the lack of a steering column?
The reviews suggest it completely robs the driver of any sort of steering feel and that would make it a big no-no for me.