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Product Reviews / Re: ST suspension review
« Last post by rich83 on Today at 06:00:24 am »What happened to the ohlins?
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Product Reviews / ST suspension review
« Last post by Pudding on Today at 04:11:20 am »So welcome to the fold Mr ST, aka 'Suspension Techniques', to those unfamiliar. Made by KW don't you know 
KW meaning Krafty W@nk, or maybe Klaus Wohlfarth who founded the company 25 years ago?
Anyway, purchased from Mr Damian at DPM performance for the princely sum of £449 of your olde English pounds.
The cheapest, dirtiest, full of mayo and hydrogenated fats kit they do
This is what the -20mm kit looks like after 500 miles of settling:
Yeah, and? Didn't you have some silly money Ohlins on your car?
Erm, yeah, I did, but they failed in a bad way.
But f'ck them, and let's focus on the the now......
Well, this is the thing folks, you're fully expecting the ST is going to be utter dog shyte for 4 fiddy notes vs 2.5K Ohlins, right? Haha, you'd be wrong in that assumption.
Yes the Ohlins are the ultimate in damping and body control at the limit (whilst they last), but you know what.....
No one is going to believe this, but on a daily basis on dual carriageways, beastly B roads and the bumpy urban yawn fest, it's actually not far off the Ohlins at all! Can't believe I'm saying that, but it's true.
For additional context, I take corners at maximum attack (plebs getting in my way permitting) and average 90mph on my local DCs, in other words, I drive the sh1t out of this car, so I know what's good and what's sh1t. I don't mean to sound arrogant but I just drive the car as intended.
I also have Eibach ARBs, along with SuperPro's horribly stiff 90 Shure console bushes, SuperPro BJs, 340mm brakes etc, so not exactly standard, and yet the ST remains composed and sure footed throughout. Nicely judged spring and damper rates, imo. Those used to the stock suspension may find it a little harsh over crap roads but you can't eat Chocolate Eclairs every day without putting weight on. The trade-off is a much more composed experience on back roads, free of the wallowing and floatiness of the stock suspension.
I don't know how they did it for the money tbh, considering KW's build costs, R&D, drop shipper's cuts etc etc. Compared to the soggy VWR kit that brake dives for England and flops over too much on hard corners, this is kit is £100 cheaper and 100x better, imo.
Anyway, if you're not averse to a little extra stiffness in your life, but without shaking out your dentures, this is the kit for you
In case you're wondering, I'm not a shill. Neither ST or DPM know I'm posting this. I'm just an enthusiast trying out different stuff for sh1ts and giggs and passing on my thoughts. I don't give a toss what Ohlins or ST think about my opinions, if a product is sh1t, I will call it out. I have no vested interests.
Quite honestly, my car is probably on the harsher side than most would tolerate with the aforementioned mods, so I reckon this kit on an otherwise standard car would probably suit a lot of folk.
I don't know if the springs are linear or progressive, they're kind of weird looking. They feel linear to drive, which is what you want for predictability. VWR's progressives and woefully inept dampers spat me off a corner the STs, Ohlins and OEM didn't even notice, so take from that what you will. I'm only mentioning the VWR kit because it's in the same price range as the ST and I believe in transparency and real world comparisons, having owned both. Yes the VWR kit is more comfy and less jiggly at 30-40%, but get up to 60-70%+ and OMG, the ST absolutely p1sses all over the VWR.
KW meaning Krafty W@nk, or maybe Klaus Wohlfarth who founded the company 25 years ago?
Anyway, purchased from Mr Damian at DPM performance for the princely sum of £449 of your olde English pounds.
The cheapest, dirtiest, full of mayo and hydrogenated fats kit they do
This is what the -20mm kit looks like after 500 miles of settling:
Yeah, and? Didn't you have some silly money Ohlins on your car?
Erm, yeah, I did, but they failed in a bad way.
But f'ck them, and let's focus on the the now......
Well, this is the thing folks, you're fully expecting the ST is going to be utter dog shyte for 4 fiddy notes vs 2.5K Ohlins, right? Haha, you'd be wrong in that assumption.
Yes the Ohlins are the ultimate in damping and body control at the limit (whilst they last), but you know what.....
No one is going to believe this, but on a daily basis on dual carriageways, beastly B roads and the bumpy urban yawn fest, it's actually not far off the Ohlins at all! Can't believe I'm saying that, but it's true.
For additional context, I take corners at maximum attack (plebs getting in my way permitting) and average 90mph on my local DCs, in other words, I drive the sh1t out of this car, so I know what's good and what's sh1t. I don't mean to sound arrogant but I just drive the car as intended.
I also have Eibach ARBs, along with SuperPro's horribly stiff 90 Shure console bushes, SuperPro BJs, 340mm brakes etc, so not exactly standard, and yet the ST remains composed and sure footed throughout. Nicely judged spring and damper rates, imo. Those used to the stock suspension may find it a little harsh over crap roads but you can't eat Chocolate Eclairs every day without putting weight on. The trade-off is a much more composed experience on back roads, free of the wallowing and floatiness of the stock suspension.
I don't know how they did it for the money tbh, considering KW's build costs, R&D, drop shipper's cuts etc etc. Compared to the soggy VWR kit that brake dives for England and flops over too much on hard corners, this is kit is £100 cheaper and 100x better, imo.
Anyway, if you're not averse to a little extra stiffness in your life, but without shaking out your dentures, this is the kit for you
In case you're wondering, I'm not a shill. Neither ST or DPM know I'm posting this. I'm just an enthusiast trying out different stuff for sh1ts and giggs and passing on my thoughts. I don't give a toss what Ohlins or ST think about my opinions, if a product is sh1t, I will call it out. I have no vested interests.
Quite honestly, my car is probably on the harsher side than most would tolerate with the aforementioned mods, so I reckon this kit on an otherwise standard car would probably suit a lot of folk.
I don't know if the springs are linear or progressive, they're kind of weird looking. They feel linear to drive, which is what you want for predictability. VWR's progressives and woefully inept dampers spat me off a corner the STs, Ohlins and OEM didn't even notice, so take from that what you will. I'm only mentioning the VWR kit because it's in the same price range as the ST and I believe in transparency and real world comparisons, having owned both. Yes the VWR kit is more comfy and less jiggly at 30-40%, but get up to 60-70%+ and OMG, the ST absolutely p1sses all over the VWR.
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How to Guides / Troubleshooting / Re: Spark plug colour
« Last post by Pudding on Today at 03:08:04 am »All good diligence there
I had a bad injector cause a dead misfire at 80K, so I just replaced all 4 because, well, why not. It's a ball ache removing the intake manifold and once one lets go, the others will follow.
These engines totally rely on the injectors for mpg and smooth running, but the harsh nature of GDI kills them off, especially on short journeys.
I had a bad injector cause a dead misfire at 80K, so I just replaced all 4 because, well, why not. It's a ball ache removing the intake manifold and once one lets go, the others will follow.
These engines totally rely on the injectors for mpg and smooth running, but the harsh nature of GDI kills them off, especially on short journeys.
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Mk5 General Area / Re: Engine query
« Last post by Pudding on Today at 02:58:54 am »If it's slipping in 5th and 6th it's properly had it.
I've only noticed slip in 4th up a steep hill at 3500rpm, and that was after a remap.
For a standard car to slip in 5th/6th @ 55K, someone has either coated the friction disc in KY jelly, or some pretty sh1t clutch control has occurred over a long period.
As useful as KY is for solving friction related issues, I'm waging on the latter. Some people should just take an automatic test and spare the public who possess brain cells of the torturous sound of mechanical abuse.
I've only noticed slip in 4th up a steep hill at 3500rpm, and that was after a remap.
For a standard car to slip in 5th/6th @ 55K, someone has either coated the friction disc in KY jelly, or some pretty sh1t clutch control has occurred over a long period.
As useful as KY is for solving friction related issues, I'm waging on the latter. Some people should just take an automatic test and spare the public who possess brain cells of the torturous sound of mechanical abuse.
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Mk5 General Area / Re: How many have been effected by headliner sagging?
« Last post by Pudding on Today at 02:32:16 am »Needs some chintzy vajazzle dangley faux crystal Victoria Beckham designed dangley bits to go with it
Out of general public interest, I asked VW how much for a new 3 door, black, sunroof headliner........ £980+VAT.
Nice, I'll take 3 please. Along with £450 for a new ED30 manual gear knob/gaiter and £650 for a new ED30 non multi-function steering wheel.
So cheap. Who needs a Skoda with such cheap pricing?
Oh you want a quote for a new ED30 seat sir? Well, we don't sell complete seats. It'll be £800 for the upper leather/heated cloth cover, £150 for the foam bolsters, £600 for the base cloth/leather and £500 for the frame.
As the parts guy said to me........"VW would rather bury this crap in a hole than sell it at a discount to loyal customers"
Anything interior, they "f*ck you at the drive through" (who knows that film quote?) but anything big and metal, yeah we can do 40% off that gearbox......the mind boggles.
Out of general public interest, I asked VW how much for a new 3 door, black, sunroof headliner........ £980+VAT.
Nice, I'll take 3 please. Along with £450 for a new ED30 manual gear knob/gaiter and £650 for a new ED30 non multi-function steering wheel.
So cheap. Who needs a Skoda with such cheap pricing?
Oh you want a quote for a new ED30 seat sir? Well, we don't sell complete seats. It'll be £800 for the upper leather/heated cloth cover, £150 for the foam bolsters, £600 for the base cloth/leather and £500 for the frame.
As the parts guy said to me........"VW would rather bury this crap in a hole than sell it at a discount to loyal customers"
Anything interior, they "f*ck you at the drive through" (who knows that film quote?) but anything big and metal, yeah we can do 40% off that gearbox......the mind boggles.
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Mk5 General Area / Re: Are ED30's future classics?
« Last post by Pudding on Today at 02:20:30 am »It's just a GTI with different wheels, engine and seats. Nothing that special imo.
Plus the turbo surely :)
True! Although it's just a slightly bigger snail that a lot of K03 folk retro fit
In all seriousness though, what is it about the ED30 that seems to elevate it to God status in GTI and car speculator circles, and indeed the Pirelli?
I don't get it personally. I only bought mine on the strength of being underwhelmed by both a TT 3.2 DSG and a TT 240 Sport I originally intended to buy, but just happened to spot a black Ed30 lurking in the back corner of the trader's garage. Test drove it and yeah, that'll do, I'll take it. Had it been a black 3 dr GTI, I may have bought that as well!
But since buying it, I've driven my mate's regular GTI and it's just as quick up to 60-70ish. The ED30 only comes into it's own past 80ish, otherwise, same car. No difference in handling, braking, NVH or much else to be honest.
I'm not dissing the ED30, I do like it objectively but I just don't get the crazy values over the GTI when it's pretty much the same car underneath the fake eye lashes, mascara and foundation!
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Mk5 General Area / Re: Need some help from you guys in U.K.
« Last post by Pudding on Today at 01:50:50 am »Surely FCP Euro do the cherry red tails? Or ask Paul at ShopDap, or maybe Charles 'Humble Mechanic' can hook you up.
The UK is one of the worst countries in the world for availability and (very steep) pricing when it comes to VW parts!
You will pay a sh1t load in import duty and local taxes from the UK. Not worth it vs what the US can provide if you search hard enough.
The UK is one of the worst countries in the world for availability and (very steep) pricing when it comes to VW parts!
You will pay a sh1t load in import duty and local taxes from the UK. Not worth it vs what the US can provide if you search hard enough.
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Mk5 General Area / Re: Low mileage Ed30
« Last post by Pudding on Today at 01:47:01 am »Aye! Take the side skirts off, rub your chin and hmmmmm at the situation, stick the skirts back on. Nothing to see here, moving swiftly on
It's only cosmetic though. The core structure is strong as WW2 pill boxes and why they respond so well to chassis mods
Having said that, the front chassis leg spot welds can fail when tracking the car regularly with (mega) stiff suspension
It's only cosmetic though. The core structure is strong as WW2 pill boxes and why they respond so well to chassis mods
Having said that, the front chassis leg spot welds can fail when tracking the car regularly with (mega) stiff suspension
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Performance Modifications / Re: Can fit a standard cat back on to a decatted car?
« Last post by Pudding on Today at 12:57:29 am »No mate, your engine won't suffer any damage, don't worry.
The only thing that rings a bell of concern is the primary O2 sensor fault code. That's the one next to the turbo and responsible for the bulk of the fuel adjustment.
It may just be a bad sensor, they only last approx. 100K miles and may need replacing, but 'no signal' is concerning. Perhaps the wiring harness got pinched or damaged during the exhaust work?
Don't want to teach you to suck eggs, but the way it works is:
Primary O2 does all of the fuel trimming. That's your idle and part throttle trims in VCDS if you have it.
Secondary O2 monitors catalyst efficiency and throws a CEL if the oxygen flow through the second cat is outside of expected parameters.
What most mappers do is turn off the secondary O2, which ignores the extra boost and fuelling a remap chucks down the exhaust, thereby removing the CEL and any MOT concerns. The OEM secondary cat is enough to get through the MOT (Stock downpipe has 2 cats).
What you've done by welding in a Magnaflow cat is a good move, but unfortunately it's not big enough but I suspect the main issue is a wiring fault with your primary O2.
When I had a project VW many years ago, I welded in a massive truck sized Borla cat into the downpipe and it only just scraped through the MOT.
The long and short of it is: Aftermarket cats just do not have enough surface area, let alone Rhodium, platinum and palladium content to reliably score a pass at every MOT. Only OEM cats meet that target.
Anyway, yeah get them to disable the secondary O2. It's normally a standard procedure with Stage 2 and above maps, but sometimes a stage 1 needs it enabling also.
FWIW, I have Revo Stage 1 with secondary O2 enabled, stock DP with first cat deleted and it's never thrown a CEL or failed an MOT.
The only thing that rings a bell of concern is the primary O2 sensor fault code. That's the one next to the turbo and responsible for the bulk of the fuel adjustment.
It may just be a bad sensor, they only last approx. 100K miles and may need replacing, but 'no signal' is concerning. Perhaps the wiring harness got pinched or damaged during the exhaust work?
Don't want to teach you to suck eggs, but the way it works is:
Primary O2 does all of the fuel trimming. That's your idle and part throttle trims in VCDS if you have it.
Secondary O2 monitors catalyst efficiency and throws a CEL if the oxygen flow through the second cat is outside of expected parameters.
What most mappers do is turn off the secondary O2, which ignores the extra boost and fuelling a remap chucks down the exhaust, thereby removing the CEL and any MOT concerns. The OEM secondary cat is enough to get through the MOT (Stock downpipe has 2 cats).
What you've done by welding in a Magnaflow cat is a good move, but unfortunately it's not big enough but I suspect the main issue is a wiring fault with your primary O2.
When I had a project VW many years ago, I welded in a massive truck sized Borla cat into the downpipe and it only just scraped through the MOT.
The long and short of it is: Aftermarket cats just do not have enough surface area, let alone Rhodium, platinum and palladium content to reliably score a pass at every MOT. Only OEM cats meet that target.
Anyway, yeah get them to disable the secondary O2. It's normally a standard procedure with Stage 2 and above maps, but sometimes a stage 1 needs it enabling also.
FWIW, I have Revo Stage 1 with secondary O2 enabled, stock DP with first cat deleted and it's never thrown a CEL or failed an MOT.
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Performance Modifications / Re: MK7 Golf R front brakes
« Last post by Pudding on Today at 12:24:17 am »Yes the massive pads and discs are what bring about the biggest improvements in braking, at the cost of pedal feel....and unsprung weight (to a large degree). Leverage, friction, dead mass and physics at play here.
The first cm of pedal travel is dead/soft compared to OEM due to Master Cylinder volume vs caliper volume mismatching. The fix for that is the larger 25mm TTRS Master cylinder (late GTI is 23mm for comparison, early = 22m). 1/2 to 3/4 pedal pressure is significantly more powerful than OEM though, so it's a toss up of subjective pedal feel vs value as to whether the (very expensive) TTRS Master cylinder is worth it or not.
The OEM 7R/GTI PP/Cupra R pads are partitioned in the middle, so not sure what brand the pads pictured are.
All you need to fit them is the carriers, pads and calipers. MK5 back plates and hoses work just fine. Don't get sucked into the braided hose rabbit hole, the difference is minimal to non-existent/placebo. OEM ones are kevlar reinforced and plenty solid enough.
The first cm of pedal travel is dead/soft compared to OEM due to Master Cylinder volume vs caliper volume mismatching. The fix for that is the larger 25mm TTRS Master cylinder (late GTI is 23mm for comparison, early = 22m). 1/2 to 3/4 pedal pressure is significantly more powerful than OEM though, so it's a toss up of subjective pedal feel vs value as to whether the (very expensive) TTRS Master cylinder is worth it or not.
The OEM 7R/GTI PP/Cupra R pads are partitioned in the middle, so not sure what brand the pads pictured are.
All you need to fit them is the carriers, pads and calipers. MK5 back plates and hoses work just fine. Don't get sucked into the braided hose rabbit hole, the difference is minimal to non-existent/placebo. OEM ones are kevlar reinforced and plenty solid enough.