There’s been no messing around with this Golf build as we headed straight over to Area Motorsport for the day to install the upgraded chassis and braking components on the MK7 GTI.
With the car already on the ramp when we arrived and a multitude of parts laid out on the bench, Area Motorsport technicians, Chris and Jonny, were ready to crack on with the upgrades.
First things first, was to remove the stock dampers and springs and replace with a set of Yellow Speed Racing Dynamic Pro Sport coilovers. These are a fantastic upgrade for the MQB chassis, with many suspension kits well over the £2,000 mark. Representing excellent value for money, the YSR kit includes camber adjustable top mounts (adding up to 3 degrees of camber at the desired ride height) and adjustable drop links are included which are an essential, for just over £800! Not only can these handle track duties but they also retain comfort for the road too, perfect for day to day use as well a trip to the Nurburgring if desired.
Finally, a KW EDC cancellation kit was added to the YSR coilovers to prevent any error messages or loss of functionality beyond the loss of damper control. This kit or a variant of it is essential when upgrading to coilovers on an EDC car as without it the traction control cannot be disabled.
Next up was replacing the tired looking OEM brake system with a host of new upgrades. As you know if you’ve ever been on a track day with standard brakes, they last about 3 laps before you’ll run into issues. The stock calipers, although being a performance pack car, even with some uprated pads and fluid, still suffer with issues on circuit as Rob has previously found out in testing.
Rob has opted for a Yellow Speed Racing 356mm 6 pot big brake kit finished in painted red to take care of stopping power. Priced at just £1,266, these are a much cheaper alternative to the likes of AP Racing and Alcon brake kits whilst still offering fantastic reliability and performance. We put a set of Pagid RSL29 brake pads in too as these will last all day on track and provide great bite without any fade. Plus, replacement discs are much cheaper than others on the market and are super durable!
Meanwhile, at the rear of the car we replaced the discs with new OEM sized Pagid items and upgraded to a set of EBC orange stuff brake pads. We then replaced the spent brake fluid with some fresh Motul RBF 660 and installed HEL braided brake lines too. Area have found this combination to retain a good balance for the ABS system.
Verkline front lower control arms were then put onto the car to replace the OEM items. These tubular adjustable wishbones provide increased stiffness, reduced weight and extra adjustment, and they bolt straight up to the factory parts which means that no modifications are necessary. They’re capable of caster and camber change and give unrivalled adjustment come setup time.
A Hardrace 25.4mm rear anti-roll bar was then installed along with Hardrace rear toe and camber arms with hardened rubber bushes. The camber arms in particular, like all Hardrace components, have been well thought out, squeezing into the assembley a left and right handed thread. This allows adjustment in situ on the car unlike most other brands. The rubber bushes, although much firmer than stock, don’t cause any additional NVH.
To prevent too much engine movement on track, a Creations Motorsport dogbone mount insert was installed as well as Racing Line subframe alignment kit too. These will help offer a more engaging driving experience as they’ll counteract engine movement under hard acceleration and braking. The idle was raised using VCDS, meaning no extra cabin vibrations will be felt, even when idling! The Racing Line subframe collars stop the subframe from moving on circuit over harsh curbs, meaning no abnormal alignment changes from driving on circuit.
With the suspension and brakes taken care of it was time to add a bit more noise. This came in the form of a Scorpion resonated cat-back exhaust with Daytona tips, which will pass all 98Db track days in the UK.
With the wheels now ready to bolt on we could finally see the fruitions of the day’s work coming together. WedsSport TC-105X with Michelin Pilot Sport 4’s were the wheel and tyre of choice whilst Rota Strike’s wrapped in Yokohama A052 tyres will be the go-to option for super-fast laps!
With the Golf now back on terra firma, adjustments were made to the ride height before a full geometry and corner weight setup was carried out. With adjustments made to the camber and toe, the string alignment kit could come out to make the final toe adjustments.
Finally, a re-trimmed alcantara steering wheel and a set of Corbeau Nogaro bucket seats were added to the interior. We can’t wait to see how these seats perform on track as they take pride of place and give an OEM+ look to the cabin.
Of course, we then moved the car outside and got some awesome pictures of the Golf GTI sat on its new wheels and sporting its aggressive track day stance!
As always, you can follow the progress on our Flickr to get an in-depth look at everything we’ve done so far. We’ll be hitting Donington Park next with these upgrades installed to see how we get on! Make sure you stay tuned for updates and check out our YouTube channel to see our video on this build.
