Anybody track their 2015 TDI golf?

[Dieselgorl]

*edit for clarification* my questions about issues you had are specifically pertaining to the 2015(MK7) TDI Golf due to how many changes they made to the MK7.

I recently got into autocross after years of my brother trying to get me into it. I’m loving it so far and now the next step is getting on track doing HPDE. My bf who’s a vw mechanic is concerned about exhaust temps with the dpf and def systems. We’re keeping it stock for now since I’m still under the extended emissions warranty. Obviously we’ll be doing the basic prep of performance brake pads, performance fluids, tires, fresh oil, filters, dsg service, etc with some camber in the future. Im also about due for a timing belt so we’ll be doing that too.
My question is if anyone has taken their 2015 TDI Golf on track, what issues did you have if any? If you haven’t done the emissions delete did you have any issues with the dpf? Also how were your oil temps?
Being that I’m as green as you can be going on track with only backroad mountain driving and autocross under my belt I’d really like to be able to use my car on track until I’ve got more experience and can handle a higher performance car. I’ve had it for 4 years and put 90k miles on it and I’ve been incredibly lucky to not have any mechanical issues so as my DD we want to make sure we’re not going to mess anything up by tracking it.

 

[gearheadgrrrl]

BTW, how competitive is your Golf in autocross?

 

[IndigoBlueWagon]

I don't think you're going to have any problems with the DPF. In fact, the track use will probably be good for the emissions system.. It'll certainly make the diesel run better.

I've never taken my '15 to the track, but I've done a lot of track days in a variety of rotary pump TDIs. They're fun in the right conditions, i.e. a momentum track. I've never been to VIR, but what I've seen it's a high speed enough track that it would probably be frustrating in a TDI. My favorite tracks in the Northeast are Lime Rock and Mt. Tremblant.

I'd work on improving handling. First, get the best track day tires you can afford. People often compromise on tires when starting out, which is a mistake in my opinion. Slicks or extreme performance summer tires will mean you'll have a lot more fun. Get some light wheels, too. And see if you can dial in some negative camber in the front. 2-3 degrees of negative camber really improves front grip and helps the car rotate.

Have fun. Get n run groups where you're not hopelessly overmatched (running with Miatas is great), and enjoy!

 

[Dieselgorl]

BTW, how competitive is your Golf in autocross?

For being as new as I am and completely stock not too shabby. The pax modifier certainly helps, my last event in the fall I was right up there with the other ladies. My boyfriend who has 4 years of experience did a fun run after and was 5 seconds faster than my fastest run.
I’ll update after I get some more events under my belt this season, the club President and VP are confident I’m ready to move out of novice and into the Ladies class so I’ll be doing a couple check rides at the first event.

 

[Dieselgorl]

I don't think you're going to have any problems with the DPF. In fact, the track use will probably be good for the emissions system.. It'll certainly make the diesel run better.
….
Have fun. Get n run groups where you're not hopelessly overmatched (running with Miatas is great), and enjoy!

Bahahah VIR is exactly where I’ll be running. The club I run with does run groups by experience for HPDE. So green for instructor required, yellow is intermediate run alone only after checked off by an instructor, blue is experienced but still point to pass, and red is race license only open pass group.
We’ll definitely be doing camber at some point this season. My engine definitely runs happier after autocross, my bf is just worried with the larger system in the mk7s the dpf getting too hot pushing it that hard on track.

 

[Mongler98]

1st off, welcome to the forums.
I have been autocrossing with my friend Mike who got me into this with my Jetta TDI. have a few videos back when i was into videos, but i just focused on driving after the few videos and the short time i have to do it. I scrapped the jetta not to long ago but it RIPPED the parking lot UP in more than 1 type of smoke lol
here is a video memorial with autocross pics at the end.

Here was one of my first videos back when i started getting into it.

Don't worry about ANYTHING other than tire pressure and better pads for autocross. get some sticky re71's if you can find them and make them fit, if not, go with some oft tires and call it good.
you are in no way qualified to do anything other than learn (no mods i mean) the car is not the issue.

Dont bother with track, its fun now and again but stick with autocross, its way better and cheaper with little fear of corner commitment and death!

I see you are in VA. im assuming you autocross in DCA or PCA (porsche). You seriously need to joint
Click this link >>>Porsche Club of America, Potomac Region
When you go, find Mike (drive a blue 718 Carerra YOU CAN'T MISS IT

 

[IndigoBlueWagon]

I've participated in both autocross and track day events, and I prefer track days by far. I found (at least where I live) that you get a lot more seat time at track days than at autocross events. And driving on the track gives you a much more comprehensive impression of your car's capabilities and dynamics. Front drive cars in general, and TDIs in particular, aren't the best track day tools, but you can still have a lot of fun.

Besides, it's a hoot to go fast.

 

[oilhammer]

I had a lot of fun back a long time ago in my GTIs, but it was frustrating having a brand new 1995 Golf Sport (inexplicably what VoA named the GTI that year) with a very sticky set of race tires, a couple thousand dollars worth of suspension and brake improvements, and having a five year old clapped out 100% stock and worn Miata with a half worn set of Dean Quasars have better lap times, even though I could pull faster on the straights.

I think FWD cars can be trickier and more compromising at the limits. The little bit I tried with my 1998 Jetta TDI resulted in relentless wheelspin exiting almost every corner... it totally needed LSD bad, LOL.

I did have fun, though. But it was not cheap, and I would not want to do it again with a car I had to depend on every day. I would also find out what your insurance company has to say, if you carry anything like that. Most won't cover any accidents during something like that.

 

[Mongler98]

Track = same boring track every day....
Autocross = never the same track ever and I can drive 10s 100% of the time
Between teat and tune and the actual event... each year it costs me a whopping 11 grand an hour or more accurately 6500 a year for 35 minutes of fun.
LOL

 

[IndigoBlueWagon]

Any track I go to I have to stay in a hotel at least one night, but if I do that I can go to Mt. Tremblant, New Hampshire Int'l Speedway, Lime Rock, Mosport, Calabogie, Summit, Palmer, or Thompson. So for me not the same track. But it is expensive. The club I used to run with ran two day events mostly, and the second day was often open track for a full half day. I would go out and drive until I started to think about things other than driving, and then I'd come in. Lots of fun, and in a VW it really doesnt' have to be that expensive.

Insurance won't cover you if you wreck a car on the track. You can buy track day insurance, but for obvious reasons it's expensive. My rule is that if you can't afford to wreck and write off the car you're using on the track, you shouldn't do it.

 

[Dieselgorl]

1st off, welcome to the forums.
I have been autocrossing with my friend Mike who got me into this with my Jetta TDI.
Don't worry about ANYTHING other than tire pressure and better pads for autocross. get some sticky re71's if you can find them and make them fit, if not, go with some oft tires and call it good.
you are in no way qualified to do anything other than learn (no mods i mean) the car is not the issue.

thanks for the welcome and first RIP your Jetta, my brother recently parted and scrapped his ‘08 Jetta TDI due to a warped cylinder and cracked cylinder head. I actually run with Tidewater Sports Car Club, if you’re near the Richmond area you should come out to one of our VMP events! For our VIR HPDE we do 4-20 minute sessions per run group per day for two days so definitely a lot of seat time. We’ve got another one in December. Not so much concerned about lap times and more about learning car handling and control. We’re doing camber earlier than most because and I quote “you got too good too fast” and with stock camber its scrubbing the sides of the front tires so def need some camber to help with that. I’m about to go grab my brothers old stock Jetta wheels from our parents house to throw some good summer tires on for autocross and track. Definitely not ready for slicks just yet, but I’m open to recommendations for good summer tires that don’t break the bank.

 

[Mongler98]

thanks for the welcome and first RIP your Jetta, my brother recently parted and scrapped his ‘08 Jetta TDI due to a warped cylinder and cracked cylinder head. I actually run with Tidewater Sports Car Club, if you’re near the Richmond area you should come out to one of our VMP events! For our VIR HPDE we do 4-20 minute sessions per run group per day for two days so definitely a lot of seat time. We’ve got another one in December. Not so much concerned about lap times and more about learning car handling and control. We’re doing camber earlier than most because and I quote “you got too good too fast” and with stock camber its scrubbing the sides of the front tires so def need some camber to help with that. I’m about to go grab my brothers old stock Jetta wheels from our parents house to throw some good summer tires on for autocross and track. Definitely not ready for slicks just yet, but I’m open to recommendations for good summer tires that don’t break the bank.

I moved to Colorado just 5 months.....

Cost of autocross is cheap compared to track.
You should really enjoy trackcross... kind of a hybrid of the two

 

[greengeeker]

 

[gearheadgrrrl]

Been tempted to try racing, but still haven't bit. My 2003 Golf is expendable, but with 90 HP would only be competitive in low traction events like Rallycross and ice racing. Now that I've had a rusty control arm break on me, I'd have to replace every rusty suspension and structural part before I raced the car, and the cost of that pretty much is a deal killer. My other TDI, a 2015 Golf, is mechanically ready but for some sticky tires but with 150 HP the SCCA put it in the same class as the 200 HP Fiesta ST and it weights at least 300 pounds more. Brought this up with SCCA top leadership and their attitude was that I should buy a faster car...

 

[Dieselgorl]

My other TDI, a 2015 Golf, is mechanically ready but for some sticky tires but with 150 HP the SCCA put it in the same class as the 200 HP Fiesta ST and it weights at least 300 pounds more. Brought this up with SCCA top leadership and their attitude was that I should buy a faster car...

I wouldn’t consider HPDE racing per se but damn that sucks. We use SCCA classes for autocross and I did notice they just kind of lump all the TDIs in the HS class. I asked my bf about it and he basically said it’s less to do with the actual speed and more that not many people actually use them so they don’t really know where to put them. With the right modifications and driver they can be quick.

 

[gearheadgrrrl]

Correct, a stock 4 cylinder TDI ends up in HS, problem is the Fiesta ST and some of the Hondas should be bumped up in to GS at least, but given there's a bunch of Fiesta ST and Honda autocrossers I suspect that's politically impossible. As for modifications, you're pretty much limited to tires and shocks, much more and you get bumped up in to some really fast classes. To be competitive I suspect you have to game the system and find a "sleeper" car that the SCCA has ignored or underestimated the performance of, like the Fiesta ST.

 

[IndigoBlueWagon]

If you're going to try and actually race as opposed to running track day events, a TDI is a poor choice.

 

[oilhammer]

Audi: "Challenge accepted"

 

[IndigoBlueWagon]

My ALH Wagon with extensive engine mods, coilovers, and race slicks was faster than a MKVI GTI with a tune and summer tires. But not by a lot. The two cars would have been in totally different SCCA classes. My car would be slotted in with Evos and STIs. Not exactly competitive.

 

[gearheadgrrrl]

Oilhammer, good point on Audi's success- The A6 TDI has 240 HP to haul around a bit less than 4000 pounds and looks to be competitive in it's autocross class. IBW, seems like the 4 cylinder TDIs are doomed to also ran status in autocross no matter what you do to them. But I looked at the car classes in SCCA Time Trials and the 4 cylinder TDIs are in the slowest class with the other "slow" cars, while the Focus STs have been bumped up a class. A lot of this seems to be the result of politics in SCCA that's been going on for half a century- I remember back when some Brit sports cars were dominant in their class mostly due to favorable classification and remained so for decades.

 

[whizznbyu]

dieselgorl is your transmission manual?

 

[1854sailor]

dieselgorl is your transmission manual?

In the first post "...dsg service, etc..."

 

[1854sailor]

Audi: "Challenge accepted"

I remember an interview with Ulrich Baretzky, the lead engineer of the design team of the LeMans winning engines. He was asked why the engines were so quiet and he responded that sound was a form of energy and they figured out a way to use that too...

 

[oilhammer]

Awesome!

 

[turbobrick240]

Diesels can do pretty well in endurance races where refueling time comes into play. But for most racing, it's much cheaper and easier to make a good gas car fast. If you're just out there to have fun, run whatever you like.

 

[Dieselgorl]

BTW, how competitive is your Golf in autocross?

Update now that we’re partway through the season:

It’s definitely competitive with the PAX modifier, it just really depends on the course of the day. I’m closing the time gap with the other ladies quickly as my skills improve. Definitely going to need to upgrade to race seats and harnesses before I get too much faster because I’m finding myself moving around in my seat too much. That has more to do with my small size though since I have that issue in every car I’ve ridden in. Won’t necessarily be sad to lose my stock seats, 118k miles in my drivers seat is wearing and is quite uncomfortable on long drives. I also changed to 17in wheels with lower profile tires and that has helped a lot. Still may do camber and coilovers in the future.

Unfortunately my car has been sitting at the dealership since the beginning of May waiting for a new DEF tank because the level sensor went out. Luckily they got me a loaner so I’m currently in a 2019 Alltrack. I got to drive a Mazda MX5 for an event and woo that was fun. But nevertheless I miss my car and fingers crossed the part comes in before the next event.

 

[trkadctgsw]

 

[IndigoBlueWagon]

Nice! Makes me miss track days in my MKIV Wagon. It did remarkably well.