Turning my GTi into a track car

[bingbunny]

So I am lucky enough that I have a MK5 5 door GTi sat on my driveway doing nothing. Ive used the car for the last few years for work and have done over 100 thousand miles in it with no fault. Its now got 180k on the clock and I think its never going to get what its worth, because the car still runs like its brand new!

So i'm thinking I could turn it into a track day car.

But I have a few questions,

It's a 5 door, does this mean a lot of flex compared to the 3 door? Should this be a point of not bothering and just selling it to get something else already prepared?

It's DSG. I think I can get this mapped so it does as its told instead of changing even when in manual?

Im presuming brakes, springs, mounts and a strip out is all I need or am I missing something vital with these cars? I will prob get a remap done too.

Any advise is very welcome! I also have a civic type R that's already prepared in my watch list so I could always sell and just get that.

[rich83]

The first thing I would do it strip it and get the weight down as low as possible.

[Ytee]

Sorry to resurrect an old thread folks, but I have the exact same question and I feel like this probably deserves more discussion than it's had so far.

I am tracking my Mk5 GTI 5 door at the weekend, totally stock other than a Stage 1 re-map. Am I mad?

OP, did you discover any obvious track failings with the stock car when you did it?

[bingbunny]

Hi mate OP here,

So ive not taken it to the track yet but its close.

I got 3" downpipes and de-cat
Stage 2 map
Yellow stuff pads all round plus new disks and traded hoses and uprated coolant
bucket seats with harness at front
rear seat removal

Just going to fit a half cage and im done.

From my limited testing I know that im going to need some grippy tires. The under steer out of corners is real especially when tires are cold. However in good conditions its just about right for getting some good power down out of the apex.

Braking is sound and hardly any fade, if at all. If I were to be going to a track with a lot of heavy braking zones I would want to update the brakes a bit more. Tracks like Donnington, Snetterton and Brands hatch indy will be fine im sure. Silverstone GP might kill the brakes though.

Hope that helps.

[colesey]

Have you done anything with the geometry? Getting some decent negative camber on the front and removing toe-in will dial out the understeer.

[bobby_fodge]

You could remove the spare tyre. I swapped my anvil like battery for a lightweight one.

[Ytee]

OP, thanks for sharing the setup, you're gonna have a great time with that! Which is your local track?

Some feedback on my experience at Silverstone GP yesterday... car totally stock except for the stage 1 map (although I did remove the spare and the rear headrests) :)

Running Dunlop Sport Maxx RT2 tyres all around at about 30psi (hot), and 97RON fuel.

- Straight line stability = Really good, just what you'd expect.
- Understeer into corners = Definitely needs managing, but easily resolved with a bit of trail braking or jumping up and down on the throttle!
- Understeer out of corners = Horrific! This needs dealing with before I try it again.
- Braking = Didn't see any noticable brake fade, however I have worn through an almost new set of front road pads in one day! The fluid also seems ruined, pedal much more spongy than it was... needs a flush. I would have appreciated a more aggresive bite, and this will be an area of consideration before the next trip out.
- Tyres = Held on well. Melted both the nearsides a bit. Wear was less than I expected though, only a 2 or 3 mil I think.

So, my areas of focus now are going to be the tyres (in attempt to remove some of the understeer without modding the car too much... it's a road car as well) and the front brakes. The rest of the car did really well, although I could barely hear the radio :D

[Ytee]

Have you done anything with the geometry? Getting some decent negative camber on the front and removing toe-in will dial out the understeer.

I'm interested in this approach. Is this something one can DIY or do you need expensive measuring tools etc.?

[colesey]

You can diy - google 'wheel alignment string method' - that will help you at least get the wheels pointing straight ahead after which you can add a mm or two of toe out.  Castor is fixed, as is front camber unless you use say superpro ball joints or slotted top mounts.  Think there are some iphone apps to measure camber.

[colesey]

Actually there is a trick to maximise front castor - need to loosen off subframe and pull it as far forward as you can.