Volkswagen GTI SPECS

That Bit You Always Heard about not judging a book by its cover? It’s good advice. Case in point: the Volkswagen GTI you see here. That’s right, the sensible-looking four-door family car in Carbon Steel Grey. The one that just blew past you like a Fourth of July bottle rocket.

That’s exactly the effect Ryan Jacobs envisioned when he first starting improving his ’11 GTI. After years behind the wheel of several tweaked-up JDM rides, Ryan crossed borders for something from the Old Country. A practical daily driver was the requirement, but he wasn’t quite ready to give up the performance he was accustomed to. Like so many before him, he soon found himself the owner of a brand-new GTI.

Right out of the box, the MK6 GTI is a pretty ideal mix of performance and practicality, but Ryan knew there was more to be had from its turbocharged 2.0L engine and sophisticated chassis. Almost immediately, he got to work changing out factory parts with carefully curated upgrades from the aftermarket with the ultimate goal of creating the perfect GTI.

Ryan has spent virtually every day of the last four years in search of the right upgrades to make his GTI the ideal balance of daily driver and track beast. In just about every corner of the car, he has gone through numerous iterations in search of “just right.” The parts he’s tried and discarded would be an enviable list for most of us, but his dedication or maybe more accurately, his obsession to perfection shows in the final product. You want proof? Search any of the big VW forums for his build threads, where he posts under the handle HYDE16. The man is pathological.

The logical starting point for adding power to a modern turbocharged VW is, naturally, engine software. Redline Speed Worx flashed the ECU with APR’s multi-program software package, consisting of stock, 91-octane, 93-octane, and 100-octane race gas settings. This was later upgraded to play along with new K04 turbo hardware and a front-mount intercooler, also from APR.

To handle the heavier breathing, Ryan replaced the factory airbox with an open intake system from Unitronic and upgraded the standard MAP (manifold absolute pressure) sensor with a high-performance factory unit from the Golf R. He then turned to Neuspeed for throttle body and turbo discharge pipes to keep things moving smoothly through this typical bottleneck.

Inside the K04 turbo, SoCalPorting worked its magic with a full port and polish on the turbocharger and exhaust manifold to clean up the fow of hot gases. To keep the turbo performing at its peak, Ryan ditched the factory diverter valve in favor of a heartier DV+ unit from GoFastBits, which sits on a relocated mount from Unitronic. All said and done, the engine’s fery-hot breath leaves the GTI through a custom 3-inch exhaust from SPM.

The ignition system was upgraded with high-performance coil packs from Ignition Projects firing NGK 8-series iridium plugs. To ensure reliable power supply under more demanding conditions, a compact, lightweight GU1R lithium battery from Braille replaces the conventional lead-acid anchor, removing nearly 40 pounds from the front end in the process.

In this state of tune, the 2.0T TSI engine jumped from 207 hp and 220 lb-ft of torque to 375 hp and 402 lb-ft in its 100-octane race gas program. Ryan uses an Aquamist HFS-4 water/methanol injection system from Howerton Engineering to achieve 100-octane performance from 93-octane pump gas. Four jets individually feed each cylinder through the intake plenum with a fifth jet to cool the throttle body’s intake charge, all fed by a Coolingmist 2.3 Gallon All in One Pro Tank that is cleanly integrated into the rear cargo area.

With so much invested in engine upgrades, Ryan reflected on another old adage, the one about an ounce of prevention being worth a pound of cure. Starting with the cooling system, he ditched the factory radiator and its failure-prone plastic end caps for a high-performance all-aluminum piece from Tyrolsport, while a Dimple magnetic drain oil drain plug pulls out any free-range ferrous material from the lubrication system. Heat-deflecting Lava Turbo Blankets from PTP wrap the downpipe and turbocharger to shield the engine bay from excessive temps, with a matching set of firewall and underhood blankets protecting vital electronic components while soaking up direct injection noise.

A South Bend Stage 3 clutch disk delivers power to a beefed-up six-speed factory gearbox built by Redline Speed Worx. A DieselGeek short shift kit, enhanced by TyrolSport solid shifter bracket bushings, acts on steel shift forks from USP Motorsports. A limited-slip diff from Peloquin negotiates torque between the left and right Driveshaft Shop level-2.9 axles. A Stage 1 upper motor mount from Black orest Industries and a stiffer lower motor mount from HPA keep the engine and trans in place when the torque starts flowing.

Behind the perpetually clean 18x8 VMR V705 five-spoke alloys lives a meticulously sorted brake setup. The fronts feature four-piston StopTech ST-40 calipers on 328mm two-piece slotted rotors, while the rear calipers are upgraded factory units from a Mk V R32 acting on 310mm StopTech slotted rotors. Ryan had the calipers powdercoated black for a clean, subtle appearance and uses Hyde’s Serum, a product he developed himself, to keep rust from forming on the steel brake rotors after the car is washed. StopTech stainless steel lines and a TyrolSport master cylinder brace ensure the forces applied at the pedal translate into rock-solid braking performance at the discs, no doubt helped by the sticky 225/40-18 Michelin SuperSport tires.

All about the go and less about the show, it should come as no surprise that Ryan chose function over “stance” when it came to the suspension as well, foregoing airbags for old-school steel. A coilover kit from ST Suspensions replaces the factory springs, shock, and struts, aided by H&R sway bars at both axles. The steel front control arms have been replaced with SuperPro alloy units with upgraded bushings. The rear trailing arm bushings and sway bar endlinks are also upgrades courtesy of Whiteline.

With all the added stiffness in the suspension components, the GTI’s unibody was in need of its own reinforcements. The rear body section is stiffened with a carbon-fiber hatch brace from TyrolSport, and the front and rear suspension subframes are more solidly connected to the body with TyrolSport’s DeadSet Rigid Collar kits.

Despite all the work beneath the skin, Ryan has intentionally kept the outward appearance of his GTI decidedly low-key. No sense drawing unwanted attention, after all. Carbon Steel Grey, it turns out, is the perfect canvas for a sleeper, the car’s menacing presence its only real giveaway. Upgrades on the outside are largely limited to bits and pieces from the VW parts bin. Golf R taillights and a European Golf Highline grille give the GTI a simple, purposeful look. To go with the taillights, all the other exterior running lights are equipped with LEDs. The mirror caps, front spoiler, and rear valance are color-matched to the wheels for an understated accent, a tinted rear reflector matches the taillights, and the frontside markers were color-matched to the car to finish off the effect.

The cockpit is equally clean and free of unnecessary embellishments. An AWE boost gauge in the left-side dash vent delivers vital stats on the engine’s inner workings alongside a column-mounted gauge for the Aquamist system. LEDs illuminate the cockpit. With all the heavy-duty hardware he’s installed, it might be fair to assume Ryan has overworked a perfectly good GTI. But you’d be wrong. From the driver seat, the car retains all its original charms, but everything is now sharper, more precise, and much more effective. Power, braking, cornering. All of it is just about as perfect as a front-drive car can ever hope to be.

ENGINE/ENGINE COMPARTMENT
APR 2.0T TSI K04 Conversion/ECU fash and intercooler, Aquamist Water/Alcohol Injection, Unitronic cold air intake system, GFB T9351 DV+ diverter valve kit, Neuspeed HI FLO K04 turbo discharge pipe, VW Golf R 3-bar MAP sensor, SoCalPorting turbo and exhaust manifold port & polish, SPM 3” custom turbo-back exhaust, TyrolSport aluminum radiator, 034 Motorsport oil catch can, Black Forest Industries Stage 1 engine mount, HPA 75-durometer (red) lower engine mount, Braille GU1R Green Lite lithium battery combo, PTP Turbo Lava turbo blanket, downpipe heat wrap and frewall blanket
TRANSMISSION/DRIVETRAIN
South Bend Stage 3 TSI clutch disc, BMC short-throw clutch stop, DieselGeek Sigma 6 short shift kit, TyrolSport solid shifter bracket bushing kit, Peloquin limited-slip differential, Driveshaft Shop level 2.9 axle assemblies
CHASSIS/SUSPENSION
ST Suspensions Coilover Kit, Audi TT strut mounts, H&R 26mm front/24 mm rear sway bar, SuperPro Performance control arm kit, Whiteline rear trailing arm front bushings, TyrolSport DeadSet rigid front and rear subframe collar kits
BRAKES
StopTech ST-40 328mm 4-piston front brake kit with slotted rotors, StopTech 310mm rear slotted brake rotors, VW Mk V R32 rear brake calipers, TyrolSport master cylinder brace
WHEELS/TIRES
19 x 8 inch VMR V705 Alloy Wheels, 225/40-18 Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires
EXTERIOR
VW Euro “Highline” front grille, Golf R LED taillights
INTERIOR
AWE vent-mount boost gauge, Stinger Roadkill door and truck sound deadening kits