# Best first upgrade for spirited driving and autox?



## Spinout Mk6 (Dec 23, 2010)

I just picked up the 2011 GTI. It's my first VW and I'll be using it for autpx on occasion. I'm wondering what the best initial upgrade would be for the track? Short shifter, new pads, etc.. Thanks


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## apexT (Sep 2, 2008)

sticky tires


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## 97Msedan (Mar 9, 2005)

apexT said:


> sticky tires


+1

A good set of street tires (Dunlop Star Specs, Hankook RS3s, Bridgestone RE11s, etc.) and seat time.


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## Tollis (Nov 13, 2010)

+2^^^ sticky tires and you might want to look at some stress bars. Not only will it increase your handling depending how hard/how often you drive hard you could stress or possibly bend that pretty little frame with those sticky tires.


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## honda93 (Oct 1, 2008)

No matter how good you think you are, you're not...

http://www.evoschool.com/

Spending $200 here will allow you to out-drive someone who wasted $2000 on parts... Any time, any day.


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## vwjettacity (Jan 3, 2011)

honda93 said:


> No matter how good you think you are, you're not...
> 
> http://www.evoschool.com/
> 
> Spending $200 here will allow you to out-drive someone who wasted $2000 on parts... Any time, any day.


 Well, I don't think anyone wastes $2,000 on parts but I do agree that driving school is a great investment. 

I'd recommend tires first, and then suspension work (coilovers, strut bars) for handling. And then basic power mods (breathability for engine).


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## Gberg888GLI (Nov 1, 2006)

I would say invest in a driving school or 7, then get a chip and adjustable coil-overs, then brake lines, pads, and fluid. 

Then i would stay there for a very long time. 

Once you have a feel for the way the car handles in different situations, i would then look into adjusting the coils to ur liking and sway bars. 

the new GTIs with the newer 2.0t are going to be wicked fast chipped... so i wouldnt worry about power... and when i did... i wouldnt go much past the ko4 kits... anymore in a FWD and ur just going to be spinning tires and ****ty things. At that point get the New 2.oT R.


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## Spinout Mk6 (Dec 23, 2010)

Thanks for the advice, guys. I'll be looking into tires. May invest in a shift kit as I'm not psyched on the stock throw of the 6 spd manual.


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## DjBij099 (Jul 21, 2003)

Spinout Mk6 said:


> I just picked up the 2011 GTI. It's my first VW and I'll be using it for autpx on occasion. I'm wondering what the best initial upgrade would be for the track? Short shifter, new pads, etc.. Thanks


 I recommend these in this order: 

1. Driving school of some sort. It's a new car so you want to get used to the initial handling characteristics of it. 
2. Brake upgrade: pads, rotors, lines, good fluid 
3. Tires: toyo, bridgestone, michelin 
4. Suspension Upgrade: springs/shocks or coilovers, bushings, sway bars, strut bars 
5. Power upgrades: chip, turbo-back, intake, etc...


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## vwmk1gti (Apr 29, 2003)

DjBij099 said:


> I recommend these in this order:
> 
> 1. Driving school of some sort. It's a new car so you want to get used to the initial handling characteristics of it.
> 2. Brake upgrade: pads, rotors, lines, good fluid
> ...


 :thumbup::thumbup:


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## ilvtofu (Dec 3, 2010)

A rear sway bar would be pretty affordable and should be a noticeable improvement in handling. 
Depends on your budget, if you're just starting might not want to spend almost 2 grand on a nice set of track wheels + tires


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## DjBij099 (Jul 21, 2003)

Sorry for bringing this back, but I failed to mention one thing and I recommend this no matter what. LSD of some sort, especially since you have a MkVI GTi. These things are torque monsters and after a stage 2 chip upgrade, attempting to autocross and coming around a cone and hitting the gas will give quite a bit of torque steer. I still recommend you stick to my list. I'm a very track-oriented type guy. Take my word for it :thumbup:


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## BsickPassat (May 10, 2010)

Spinout Mk6 said:


> I just picked up the 2011 GTI. It's my first VW and I'll be using it for autpx on occasion. I'm wondering what the best initial upgrade would be for the track? Short shifter, new pads, etc.. Thanks


The driver. Take advantage of the "autocross school" where the instructor will teach you how to do auto-x.


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## teutoned (Jul 29, 2008)

start here
http://www.bentleypublishers.com/automotive-reference/engineering-and-motorsports/going-faster-.html

then after a season of AXing

wheels and tires


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## TechEd (Nov 11, 2000)

*Context is important....*

What are your goals for autocross? Are you seeking to be competitive or just go out and have some fun? Do you have previous autocross or motorsports experience (like amateur Karting)? 

If you are just in in for some fun and don't care where you finish, then it does not matter one iota what you do to your car, as long as you are aware of how the mods affect the vehicle class.

If you want to start out slowly and then build up to being gradually more and more competitive, then please, please, please do not fall into the misconception trap that thousands upon thousands have before you and assume that you need some form of mod to improve your results, improve the performance of the car and make you competitive.

If you have previous karting experience, or are Ayrton Senna reincarnated, there is much you need to to "unlearn" in order to autocross successfully ... especially excessive corner entry speeds. 

Autocross success is generally accepted to be 80% driver, 10% tires and 10% car. What this boils down to is that NO MODIFIED PART, of any description, will prevent the fundamental driving errors that all newbies make in the beginning. In most cases, newbies that have no choice but to learn on a car with, for example, a heavily modified suspension, will have a much harder time to learn driving fundamentals because the modified chassis is 100 times less forgiving than the stock version, ...which in the case of a MKVI GTI is a super handling package on summer tires right out of the box.

As others have already correctly suggested, emphasize skill development and knowledge of vehicle handling dynamics first. This way you'll have a better sense if a problematic moment out on course was your fault (read: mistake) or just a characteristic of the chassis that you need to account for by changing a line, carrying more momentum, braking earlier or later, turning in sooner, etc.. Logical, eh?

If your local region supports Street Tire - Stock classes, that's the best place to start in your first events, ...even if your car has a/s tires ...won't matter. Only after you've had some seat time should you then progress to fitting an EPS tire as mentioned above (Kumho XS, Bridgestone RE-011, Dunlop Star Spec etc.)


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