2011 MK6 United Grey Build - Daily Driver and Weekend Canyon Carver

naoki

Member
Joined
Sep 12, 2012
Location
CA
TDI
2011 4DR Golf United Grey
Welcome to my build thread.
2011 6 SPD VW Golf TDI 4 door in United Grey.
First off, why did I buy a TDI? Well to give you some background, my grandfather was Hugh MacInnes. You may recognize his name from authoring this book: Turbochargers. Turbo Design, Sizing & Matching, Spark-Ignition & Diesel Engine Applications, Water Injection, Controls, Carburetion, Intercooling, Street & Race Cars, Boats, Motorcycles.

Back in the late 70s and early 80s he was souping up diesels and writing about it but I unfortunately never had the chance to meet him. He passed away 3 years before I was born. Every time I bring up working on my car in front of my grandmother, she would always say, "Its a shame Hughie isn't around anymore, he'd be out there with you for hours..." Anyways, not to get all sappy but I bought this car for a several reasons. One, as a tribute to my grandfather. Two, why else does everyone else by the TDI? The fuel efficiency. And three, the steel block engine. Even though it does make the car a bit heavier than the GTI, I know that steel block can take a beating and its going to last me a long time. So on to the the build...

Day one from the factory. I ordered my car through the Costco Auto Program in order to get exactly what I wanted. I wanted the cold weather package but no navigation or moon roof. I also wanted to upgrade to the Dynaudio sound system and the Xenon headlights.

It took me awhile to get back into tuning it. I kept telling myself I didn't want to do anything to this car and just keep it stock. That lasted approximately 8 months until I started see the R Tail Lights on this forum. That was my first modification. Quite expensive but it was all just going crazy from here. The one thing I learned from my old Honda was that you have to shell out the cash for good quality parts. And I didn't want to do this cheaply in anyway. Like I said before, I want my car and its upgrades to last. I wanted to build a TDI that was good for daily driving and got great gas mileage but also, that I could take to the canyons on the weekends and just have a bit of fun. A few key upgrades:

Malone Stage 1.5 Tune - I had the Revo Stage 1 tune for about a year and half and it was fine and all but it still just didn't seem that dialed in to how the TDI works. I got great power in 2nd and 3rd gear but that's about it. And even though they claimed better fuel economy, my average dropped to around 38 mpg rather than the normal 40 mpg even when I was driving conservatively. I wanted something more well-rounded and after doing some research, Malone Stage 1.5 was the perfect fit for me. First off, the customer service that the AARodriguez group offers is superb. They answer all your emails in timely fashion and show you how to properly remove your ECU if you plan on doing it yourself which is what I did. One drive after I installed the Malone tune made me regret ever getting the Revo tune. It has more power on higher gears on the freeways and overall, they really understand the TDI and its boost points. Why didn't I go Stage 2 you ask? Well, I wanted to keep the DPF and the diesel components in tact. Call me a hippie but I just didn't want to contribute that much more to the world and its pollution issues and if that means sacrificing a bit of power, so be it. I'm not racing this car for money.

Eibach Multi-Pro R1s So my first suspension upgrade was with the H&R Sport Cup Kit which drops the car about 1.75'-2' all the way around. It was a good drop and increased handling a lot but for the daily driver, just not that practical. It was really bouncy on crap roads and in LA, there are a ton of those. So I got some used Eibach Multi-Pro R1 coilovers and man, you get what you pay for. These have adjustable dampening control and height control. I feel like right now, I'm at the perfect height for driving around town and on the softest setting, these ride like butter on crap roads. I almost want to say better than stock. A very good investment to be lower. And if I ever put different wheels and tires on, which I'm sure will happen when I get bored of these, I can adjust them however I'd like.
All of my upgrades:

Interior
All LED Interior
Driver Side Under Seat Cubby
TDI Seat Inserts
Monster Mats

Exterior
Tinted Cherry OEM R Tail Lights
Black Emblems Front and Back
Bumper Plugs - Front License Plate Holes
Shaved Golf Emblem in Rear
Plasti-Dip Chrome Fog Light Trim to Black
Mudflaps
Hoen Yellow Fog Lights
Clear Side Markers with LEDs
Rear License LED Lights
Tint - 5% Rear 30% Front
ECS Tuning Blue Tinted Blind Spot Mirrors
Rolled Front Fenders

Engine and Suspension
Malone Stage 1.5
Neuspeed Pulley Kit
Neuspeed Turbo Discharge Pipe
Neuspeed Short Shifter
H&R Sway Bars - Front 26mm and Rear 22mm
Eibach Multi-Pro R1 Coilovers
ECS Tuning Hubcentric Rings Adapter - 57.1mm to 73mm
17x9 Enkei RPF1s - Redrilled
BF Goodrich G-Force Sport Comp 2 - 235/45/17

Day 1


Seat TDI Inserts


Neuspeed Turbo Discharge Pipe


Neuspeed Pulley Kit


Enkei RPF1s 17x9


Mevius Lug Bolts


Getting my fenders rolled by Tony from VWVortex. This guy's work is flawless


How I Sit Now




Credits and Thank Yous
Tyler at Pacific German
Andrew at Malone Tuning
Tony on VWVortex for Fender Rolling
 

duwem

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 11, 2012
Location
Wi
TDI
2002 Golf GLS TDI 5 Speed
Nice car. The rims kind of look like they have missing center caps...
 

Jayg

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 23, 2012
Location
Anchorage, AK
TDI
'12 Jetta 6MT-VW bought back as a lemon
Great looking car! I have your grandfathers book on my bookshelf.

Glad to have you on the board!
 

naoki

Member
Joined
Sep 12, 2012
Location
CA
TDI
2011 4DR Golf United Grey
Thanks guys!

Nice car. The rims kind of look like they have missing center caps...
Ya I went without the center caps. They were going to cost an extra $40/EA! Which is ridiculous and I'm not a big fan of how the center caps for the RPF1s look. I should look into getting VW ones.

Great looking car! I have your grandfathers book on my bookshelf.

Glad to have you on the board!
Thank you Jayg and I wish he was still around, I'd get you an autograph copy! haha :p
 

ATR

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jun 18, 2005
Location
Baltimore
TDI
2011 Golf TDI 6MT
I was wondering what the rpf1 looked like on a golf... Gotta say it's much better then I thought!
 
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