gs86

I've got one on my 245. Sounds nice on startup and tickover. Don't get any drone at all.

You can get the helix spare wheel well subwoofer. It's specifically made for the mqb cars, come with all wiring and harnesses etc. It's not exactly cheap but it's worth the money imo. It has a built in amp which powers all the car speakers so they aren't reliant on the head unit for power. Then the sub will take control of the bass. Works really well, especially once coded to the specific model of car that it's installed in. They aren't particularly easy to get hold of anymore, I could only find 2 companies in the UK that sell them but they will only sell them supply and fit at over £1000. I managed to find one on German ebay for around £450

You'll need to check mate. Its either a valeo unit or denso unit. Take off the trim piece in the passenger footwell and check.

Well it's on now and working so I don't care :). You could argue that the original is badly designed as it blocks all the time.

New heater matrix has fixed the issue. It's a bit of a fiddly **** of a job. Drained the coolant, removed the glove box, trim, footwell vent and blower motor, got the old matrix out...that took about 1.5hrs....then another 3 hours ****ing about trying to get the clips that connect the pipes and matrix back on. To be honest I got an "upgraded" heater matrix that is made of copper and brass and apparently won't block, but the lip on the pipes is about 1mm bigger than the original, so if you have the original style matrix it probably won't be as bad. But, I have a warm car again!

You don't need to remove the dashboard. It's just 1 piece of trim in the passenger footwell.

Never once had an issue with carlinkit. Updated the firmware when I first got it and it's worked perfectly.

I have the same issue. I was about to order a new heater matrix but I've read several posts where that was replaced and it didn't fix the issue, it turned out to be the heater control valve had failed. I have one arriving in the next few days so I'll update once I've replaced it.

It's fairly easy to service yourself if you're remotely handy with a spanner. You can pick up the bits needed for around £80 or thereabouts.

The performance meter is really just a gimmick, the boost gauge doesn't take into account atmospheric pressure so is basically useless. I've installed a canchecked display, it replaces one of the air vents and sits in a 3d printed holder that fits perfectly and looks oem. It runs off the obd port and is fully customisible and displays pretty much every sensor you can think of, oil temp, IAT, boost pressure, speed, gears etc etc. Ignore the readings it shows on the picture, that was before I'd set it up correctly. The infotainment switches/buttons - I believe you can replace the units with those from a superb which have white leds instead of green. Badges - I'd only recommend kopacek. Some people get lucky with the eBay versions but I've always found them crap quality and poor fit.

Yeah the back end will go before the front mate. I do find the diff does a good job of keeping traction, especially when pushing it hard in corners. Thinking of going on a track day at some point to give it a real test.

235's mate. Glad I did, I do like the stretched look but I don't like kerbed alloys 🤣. Not that the 235s offer that much rim protection but there would be nothing at all with 225s. Went with PS5s this time, had PS4s on my old vrs and they were great. I've got uniroyal rs5s on the extremes so keeping those for winter wheels.

And they're on. Really happy with them. Fitment is perfect.

In a manual the mpg will be pretty much the same in all modes, just depends how you drive it. Sports mode will stiffen the steering, set the vaq diff (if you have it) so the highest setting, and stiffen the throttle response. It will also turn the soundaktor volume to full.

Just used a trusty block of wood and a ruler to check the strut clearance on the front wheels. Current gap to strut is 38mm. Minus the 15mm spacer = 23mm. New wheels would be 6.5mm closer so a clearance of 16.5mm.

Yeah I really like the RF019's. Only problem is you can only get them from 1 or 2 places and they don't have any finance options other than pay in 3 🤣

Just spoke to someone with the same model facelift vrs who's got exactly the same size wheels with 235s on and also lowered. Says clearance is fine, no issues with fouling the strut or arch rubbing 👌 @BluevRS245the wheels im looking at now are Rota ff01's. They tick every box for me, the right style, lighter than the extremes as they're flow formed, and not ridiculously expensive. @MarkyG82main goal is just new wheels without sacrificing much/if any performance, and getting something as close as possible to the stance I have currently.

Right you knowledgeable bunch. New wheels found. 19" 8.5j, 45 offset. Willythey fit shows me they will sit basically the same as my current set up with the extremes and spacers, wheels will be about 1.5mm further in the arch and around 6mm closer to the strut which should be fine. Would you go with 225s or 235s on this set up? 225 is the minimum reccomended so I'm thinking of just going for 235 for a bit of extra rim protection.

So after months of umming and ahhing over alloy decisions I'm almost decided on what I want. I'm currently on 19" extremes with 225/35s. Current offset is 51 and 7.5j I have 20mm spacers on the rear and 15mm on the front. I really like the way this sits. The wheels I'm looking at are also 19s with offset 52 and 9j. From what I can figure out I should be able to run the same tyres (albeit with a slight stretch) and remove the spacers and the wheels should sit pretty much exactly the same. Or am I completely wrong? 🤣 I've lost myself in numbers.

Do you have a dashcam in your windscreen? Sometimes the light from those can prevent the mirror dimming.

So it seems these subs are now like hens teeth to come by in the UK. Theres only really 2 places you can get them and they're around £700. 1 seller on ebay from Germany....but they won't ship to the UK. There was 2 used ones on ebay but 1 was £600 and the other was collection only and a 3.5 hour drive away. Finally I managed to find a brand new one on german amazon for a really good price including shipping and import fees. Also found the programming dongle on ebay for £80 which I can sell or rent out once I've used it. Also ordered a roll of sound deadening to cover the boot before fitting. Just need a break in the this lovely July rain so I can get started!

Awesome thanks mate. Where did you source the programmer? I know you can rent them off ebay. Don't really fancy buying one for 1 use.

I'm thinking of doing this same install. I'm undecided between this, an underseat sub or a small custom boot build. How easy is the programming?

You can also get genuine oem bolts on ebay.

https://www.awesomegti.com/parts/brakes/braided-brake-lines/copy-of-034motorsport-stainless-steel-braided-line-kit-b9-b9-5-a4-s4-a5-s5-rs5-q5-sq5/?cmp_id=1624059255&adg_id=61207848185&kwd=&device=m&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwyJqzBhBaEiwAWDRJVJZe1xDu-bEOlPYF51pNxXLT22yVHtTkMSR8vRtCme3LltXPyIkEKBoCJZsQAvD_BwE Albeit a full set for engine and transmission mounts, there's plenty of sets on ebay