GTI Jake
Autocross Champion
- Location
- Charlotte, NC
So you fancy yourself the pot or the kettle there, white knight?
moving on.
The best mod is fixing the dope behind the wheel. Driving the car in stock form will teach the driver the nuances and weakness of the chassis. But I think the OP excluded that.
The PP, or all 19+, is fairly well sorted for a stock car. These are not drag racers, the nature of the “hot hatch” is quick and nimble. But even for those that won’t track or even auto-x the car you’d be hard pressed to find a better mod then doing tires first. The stock A/S are mediocre, and with an open mind and some seat time, even the Bridgestones that came on my car can be pushed fairly predictably for short bursts. The limit starts to open as the tire temps climb. Then there’s a Thelma and Louise like transition to WTF just happened?!? Better rubber under the car should be the first mod after seat time. “But it’s a new(ish) car and the tires are good.” Then just drive it and learn the vehicle’s dynamics. One doesn’t need to have pure low-TW summer tires, a good set of UHP A/S will be increase capabilities while allowing the driver’s skill to advance.
The PP is fairly neutral if input is smooth and methodical, but I’ll admit it turns into a plow if you ham-fist things. The VAQ diff does an amazing amount for limiting understeer as you throttle out of corners, but also doesn’t like things when you tip too much loud pedal. Basically, the car will out drive most drivers, if the driver can drive.
A bigger rear bar will assist in keeping the inside front tire from off weighting if you don’t have the PP, and by a lesser degree if you do. This will allow you to be more sloppy, but that’s what all your seat time will prevent.
Brakes, I haven’t faded my PP’s yet, but 4-pots are on my short list. Pad upgrade to your type of driving and rotors when you wed them, and most canyon carvers will be just fine with more or less stock.
From there, power mods, but only after you learn to, and can, put the power down. I’ve been driving, racing, tuning, fabricating, etc for nearly 30yrs on 4 continents, and I haven’t said “shit this car is pathetically slow” yet... not that an extra 80hp wouldn’t be nice. I’ve never been a proponent of power before turning and stopping. Otherwise you are always trying to chase the brass ring of handling in a car you’ve compensated with too much power, and not enough driver. That said, I’m not a straight line kinda guy, so YMMV.
I’m still learning my car since COVID and having a summer vehicle limits my mileage in the GTI. My mod course is: tires/wheels, RSB, shocks/springs (likely Koni Yellows with minimal drop linear-ish springs), brakes, then likely a mild tune to better use the previous mods.
Someday I’d like to get all the “driver mod” guys together to do some indoor karting and have a few beers.
Level playing field, equal equipment.
First time I went to Victory Lane Karting here in Charlotte I mopped up our group and everyone else there...until a 14 year old girl showed up and literally smoked me haha.
So yes, seat time is priceless (talking to her dad she’s got over 10k miles of track time in a Hellcat), but just like any kind of racing there’s always someone faster!
