MENUBest Golf GTI Tuning Mods
"The Definitive hot hatch"
The early GTi models were a dream, practically carving out their own niche.
They showed that VW was serious about doing a hot hatch.
Later models could only aspire to being a bit warm as market pressures forced VW to be "a bit sensible" but with the MkV onwards they returned to form and made a Great performance GTi version for us to play with.
Thankfully there are plenty of tuning parts out there for the Mk2 to Mk4 GTI's to correct this.
The Mark 6 really addressed the complaints leveled at the earlier models and the suspension was extensively revised and improved and more power was added. The MkVII and the 2012 VIII models further build on this progress.
Which Golf GTi engines would I choose?
We would go with the 2.0 TFSi or the 2.0 TDI 140 as these both offer great returns when tuned but anything around 150hp feels plenty nippy and provides a good driver experience.
170 turbo diesels can be a real pain if the fuel injectors start playing up and they have the dreaded DPF filters. The smaller twincharged cars are pretty maxed out and don't offer much when tuned but are engaging to drive.
Please watch our video introduction to VW Tuning.
The revision to the range in 2012 brought in many welcome improvements and a return to traditional Audi build quality.
The 1.4 TFSi and 1.5 TFSi engines would be our pick of this range as a credible alternative to the diesel options. They offer good power, are quite light and still offer good economy.
For most GTi's you should focus on handling and braking first.
Please watch our video which covers the 5 principles of tuning your car. Be sure to keep up with our latest YouTube content and subscribe.
Best Engine Mods & Upgrades for your Golf GTi
- Turbocharger Upgrades - forced induction is the most efficient approach to increase air supply, allowing you to burn more fuel and make more power. It is one of the most costly upgrades but provides the best gains.
- Suspension mods and upgrades - a decent set of coilovers will transform the handling, the basic suspension is too soft and the S-Line is regarded as too hard and crashy by many drivers.
- Engine Tunes - engine tuning/remapping provides the most advantage in terms of cost savings, aftermarket ECUs, and piggyback ECUs are all alternatives.
- Fuel improvements, fuel pump and injector upgrades - more air in the engine needs to be matched with sufficient fuel.
- Engine conversions - swapping to a newer generation engine is a great way to add significant power to your GTi
- Intake and Exhaust - Note that on their own these mods will NOT ADD POWER in most cases, but they can help enhance power after other mods by removing the restriction.
- Brake upgrades are important and it is quite easy on the Golf GTi to dramatically improve the stopping power
- Tires - choosing the right tire can make a substantial difference to your GTi lap times.
- Intercoolers - you'll notice power is down on track days or after spirited driving on tuned/remapped engines, and the culprit is usually heat soak in the intercooler.
The tuning stages for the Golf GTi
Typical stage 1 mods often include: Alloy wheels, Sports exhaust, Engine Tunes/Remapping, Panel air filter, Lighter flywheel, Suspension upgrade (drop 30-40mm).
Typical stage 2 mods often include: Fast road cam, high flow fuel injector, Ported and polished head, Power/Sport clutch, fuel pump upgrades.
Typical stage 3 mods often include: Competition cam, Engine balancing, Internal engine upgrades (pistons/head/valves), Adding or upgrading forced induction (turbo/supercharger), Sports gearbox.
The Golf is now in its 8th Generation, and apart from the Mk2 to Mk4 all are fantastic hot hatches and extremely popular among our members. But even those poorly setup cars will shine with the right mods and upgrades.
- MK1 Golf (Mk1/A1, Typ 17; 1974)
- Mk2 Golf (Mk2/A2, Typ 19E/1G; 1983)
- Mk3 Golf (Mk3/A3, Typ 1H/1E/1V; 1991)
- Mk4 Golf (Mk4/A4, Typ 1J; 1997)
- Mk5 Golf (Mk5/A5, Typ 1K; 2003)
- Mk6 Golf (Mk6/A6, Typ 5K; 2008)
- MK7 Golf (Mk7, Typ 5G; 2012)
- Mk8 Golf (Mk8, CD1; 2019)
Turning our attention to the Golf Gti's engine we need to get a bit more power out of the top end. e like the 1.8Turbo vag unit, this is quite easily tunable and can be pushed to around 350hp, but for most we'd recommend a 220 bhp limit which is about the max your FWD setup can cope with.
Later engines have better differentials and front hub designs, allowing them to put down more power, but four wheel drive is the best way to deliver this extra power on the Golf GTi.
The 2.0 and 2.5 TFSi is also a very good proposition for the tuner if you are game.
Remaps can push power gains of around 30% on most Turbo engines!
For more power you could also fit bigger valves, gas flowing, increased compression and even go for a mild rebore if your block is strong enough to take it (stress test it first!) This depends on the engine you have, please check out our engine specific tuning guides for more tips on tuning these.
1.8 Turbo tuning guide & 2.0 TFSi tuning guide.
Golf GTi Turbo upgrades
On all vehicles, installing a bigger turbocharger is a sensible upgrade route.
K04 Provides a Significant Advantage over K04. The K04 is much larger than the K03 and K03s and produces far better output.
The KO4 makes sense if you already have the KO3 turbo; check our engine specific articles for recommendations on which turbos to pick. There is also an option for hybrid turbochargers.
Turbo limits - safe should retain factory reliability and longevity, the Max however is pushing to the limits and will certainly shorten the turbos lifespan.
| Turbo | Safe Max | Maximum |
| K03 | 190hp | 220hp |
| K03s | 215hp | 250hp |
| K04 | 220hp | 350hp |
Turbo limitations - safe should maintain factory dependability and durability; the Max, on the other hand, pushes the turbo to its limits and will almost likely reduce its lifetime.
The IHI IS12, IS20, and IS38 turbos are the most recent VW generations, replacing the K03, K03s, and K04 turbochargers and are pretty solid, but will break if the mapping is not correct.
Please ignore comments about these turbos being weak, they tolerate quite high power figures without a problem, providing the ECU is setup correctly particularly avoiding peaks and low-end boost, all of which are detrimental to the life of the turbo.
As opposed to Audi and VW's factory turbos, the IS12 and IS20 have been modified to work with their 2.0t MQB engines, respectively.
Then we have a very special turbo the IS38. This IS38 turbo is notable since it can provide up to 370 horsepower with a simple bolt-on mods (with the proper add-ons intercooler, remaps, fuel upgrades, and strengthened engine components).See our guide to the VAG Group turbochargers to find out more about your options on upgrading your turbo.
Golf GTi Suspension Upgrades
We suggest that you fit uprated suspension and lower the car by 10-25mm (the GTi is already about 20mm lower than a standard Golf.).
Coilovers work really well on the GTi. Be careful to select front suspension to match your cars weight or you risk ruining your new suspension components.
Larger drops that 30mm will usually require arch work such as rolling to avoid rubbing especially if you have gone for larger wheels and will make the car hard to live with around town.
Air suspension can provide the dramatic slammed look that many GTi owners seek without compromising the cars ability to drive over speed bumps and on bad roads.
GTi Bushings Upgrades
The Golf GTi's handling has been significantly enhanced in subsequent generations. Install poly bushings and anti-roll bars to tighten up the suspension if it is beginning to deteriorate. You'll notice slop in the suspension and grinding or creaking noises, which would indicate worn bushings or suspension mounts.
Due in part to its torsion beam rear suspension, the older Golf GTi is prone to lift-off oversteer. This might be a benefit or a curse depending on your driving style, but this little attribute has saved me several times.
Suspension adjustments that significantly improve the Golf GTi's handling include a couple of degrees of negative camber and 1-1.5 degrees of front wheel toe in or out.
Toe in for more stability, or out for better cornering. Additionally, it would be prudent to upgrade the brakes by installing bigger discs and/or higher friction pads.
On the majority of models, we would recommend a maximum drop of 27mm - 40mm. If you go lower than this, you risk irritating the arches.
If you hear a noise from the back, the rear suspension bushes should be examined.
This is a significant task that needs a specialised tool, but if you leave the worn bushes on the vehicle, your handling will be significantly hampered.
While polyurethane bushes are an option, we recommend leaving the main rear bushes as VAG-spec rubber ones.
Volkswagen Golf Gti Tuning Modifications.
Peak power is all well and good but a drivable and fun car needs a wide power band and lots of low down torque.
One of the best mechanical mods you can do on the GTi is to fit a fast road cam. Ignore the softer and more extreme competition cams as these will affect your GTi's reliability.
GTi Remaps & ECU Tunes
Turbo engines (notably the 1.8T and even the 2.0T and 1.8 TFSi) are just begging to be remapped. You will see big power gains on most turbo engines with power gains in the order of 40% making a tune/remap one of the most cost effective modifications.
Another option for the early NASP Golf GTI are supercharger kits as these are generally easier to add than turbos. Run a modest boost setting for a noticeable and reliable power hike.
Superchargers offer boost levels which are proportional to engine speed so is easier to map. To cope with forced induction you will usually need to decrease the compression ratio of the engine.
GTi Fuel Upgrades
Don't forget to uprate the fuelling when you are increasing the power - it makes the car more thirsty.
Improve your cars response to the throttle with a Fuel pressure boost valve. To get sufficient fuel you may need to uprate the injectors on your engine.
Uprate the fuel pump to cope with the extra fuel requirements of your tuned Golf Gtis uprated injectors.
Golf GTi engine conversions
Engine conversions for the Golf Gti are many and various. In TorqueCars forums you will find examples of Mk1 Mk2 Golfs with the 1.8T conversion and we have even heard of Japanese engines being put in the Golf.
I have taken the time to cover as many popular VW group engines as I can, here are links to our Golf GTi engine tuning guides.
Many of these would be suitable as engine swap candidates, but it is easier to swap from the same generation generally speaking but possible to swap Audi/SEAT and VW engines with relative ease.
- 1.4 1.5 TFSi tuning
- 1.4 TSi/TFSi/Twincharge tuning
- 1.8T engine Tuning
- 1.8 & 2.0 TFSi (mk1) Tuning
- 1.8 2.0 TFSi (ea888) Tuning
- 2.0 TFSi carbon issue & care guide
- 2.5tfsi tuning
- 3.0 V6 24v TFSI Tuning
- 2.8 V6 30 valve, 24 valve 3.0 V6 30v and 3.2 VR6 Tuning
- 1.6 TDi tuning
- 1.9 TDi tuning
- 2.0 TDI 140-170 tuning
- 2.0 TDI tuning (EA188)
- 2.5 TDI tuning
- 2.7 & 3.0 TDI tuning
On the Mk2's and Mk3's the 1.8T and the later 2.0TFSi and 2.5 TFSi are the best propositions although the 2.0 TDI's and all Quattro models give a good mix of power and economy.
The early 1.4TSi and TFSi was an interesting a lively engine, with a twincharge option on some models and engine tuning/remapping these yields fantastic results.
From 2012 anything producing 150bhp feels incredibly lively, the smaller lighter TFSI engines just add to the experience
The later 1.4 TFSi and 1.5 TFSi are simply amazing, small light revvy and pretty powerful, for a person looking for power and economy there is no other choice. (We are working on the guides for the 1.5 engines at the moment.)
A VR6 conversion is also a popular modification for the early Golf Gti's, or drop in a modern turbo charged petrol engine for a large power gain.
We should also give a mention to the excellent GTTdi engined Golf.
These are one of the most powerful PD engines from the VAG group at 150bhp and can be tuned/remapped to almost 200bhp and will still return high 50mpg! One of our members boasts around 60mpg in his tuned/remapped GTtdi!
Volkswagen Golf GTi Intake and Exhaust Tuning.
The next area for modification is the intake and exhaust. Our members recommend a washable panel air filter or carbon fiber airbox. Induction kits make a great noise but don't seem to do much for mid range power due to the hot under bonnet temperatures it will suck in.
Get a full stainless steel sports exhaust with custom headers and a sports catalyst as this will certainly help air flow through the engine. Please don't add a massive tailpipe, it is just wrong to do this on a GTi.
Head work including a polish and port and 3 or 5 angle valve job, with a big valve conversion kit will really help to reach the potential of the engine.
When you start tuning your Golf Gti you will find that the standard clutch starts to complain, especially if you go for an engine conversion, so get an uprated clutch.
Volkswagen Golf GTi Wheel Modifications.
The benefits of alloy wheels include a lower unsprung weight and more efficient brake cooling.
The downside to large alloy wheels on your Golf Gti is that you alter your effective final drive ratio and this will have a detrimental effect on acceleration and performance.
We cannot go into depth on tyres here, but they are crucial since they are how the automobile transmits power to the road.
Tires with a directed tread pattern function well on the Golf GTi and provide a significant improvement over cheap tyres.
Larger alloy wheels on a Golf GTi might reduce performance. If you purchase large alloy wheels, you will alter your final drive ratio.
With this in mind, strive to maintain the wheel's total rolling diameter within the typical factory specifications. In all circumstances, we suggest staying under 17 inches.
The 18-inch wheels seem excessively heavy and detract from the car's outstanding handling, as I realised when I had the opportunity to drive an identical car with 17-inch wheels and it felt so much better.
I would cheerfully use 18's if bigger brakes were required, but I love the handling of the 17's. Weight is a significant influence here, as light 18's may feel quite similar to 17's.
For this reason we would advise sticking to a maximum wheel size of 17 inches, although we know some of our members have gone larger than this with no problems.
Golf GTi brake mods
The early Golfs will almost certainly have the 288mm disc; measure them before purchasing an upgrade; the hubs on them are smaller, preventing a direct transfer to a bigger disc. For example, the 2.8 Golf utilises 312mm and the R32 use 334mm, both of which provide a good avenue for upgrading your Gti.
Take the brakes off the VR6 or R32 as this uses bigger disks and calipers and pads.
Other options from TorqueCars members include fitting Porsche brakes but you might need larger wheels to house them.
Always check your PCD and offset when increasing brake disk size.
The central channel of the vented disc enhances the disc's surface to air ratio, resulting in improved and faster cooling.
Drilled discs aid in keeping pads "clean and sharp" by increasing the air ratio and preventing the development of gas vapour between the pad and the disc. Although larger discs provide better cooling, they may necessitate the use of a different alloy wheel.
GTi Brake Pad Improvements
Simply upgrading your Golf GTi's brake pads can enhance braking performance.
Pad friction diminishes with age, in part due to the many warming and cooling cycles. Therefore, avoid replacing pads that are completely worn out, since this is a waste of money.
Due to the fact that racing grade brake pads activate only when they are very hot, they are unsuitable for use on the road, where braking is normally conducted on cold pads or in short bursts.
TorqueCars has discovered that Pagid, Green Stuff, and Black Diamond fast road pads provide an acceptable mix of braking and wear.
Always check the brake fluid and thoroughly test any modifications to your bakes; if you are hesitant about doing mechanical repair on your automobile, it is preferable to leave the brakes to a professional.
The most risky changes we encounter are usually connected to brakes or an improperly configured/balanced braking system.
Golf GTi Tire Recommendations
Mate some grippy low profile tyres, to your rims for best grip and performance. TorqueCars recommended tyres for the Golf GTi include Bridgestone Potenzas, Goodyear Eagle F1 and Pirelli P zero.
See our forum for a discussion on types of tires.
Golf GTi Intercooler Upgrades
Remember that a large portion of the heat increase in the air intake comes from the compression of the air, thus even supercharged engines will benefit from an intercooler. If you've ever touched the nozzle of a tire pump, you'll know that as air is compressed, it heats up.
We know from chemistry and physics that the colder the air, the more oxygen it contains. What is the significance of this? To burn gasoline, you need oxygen, and the more oxygen you have, the more fuel you can burn, which boosts the car's power output.
An intercooler is essentially a radiator that cools the intake air charge before it enters the engine. Install an intercooler in front of the radiator to take advantage of all that beautiful cold air hitting it.
Fitting a double intercooler to the Golf GTi, similar to the ones found in the S3, will assist in resolving the heat soak issue.
A front mounted intercooler is preferable, but will need a different intake, such as the one on the Audi 225bhp TT, where the entrance is on the right, which makes connecting a front mounted intercooler simpler.
It would be installed after the air intake filter and before the turbocharger or supercharger, where the majority of the heat is supplied.
Most aftermarket tuned Golf Gti's have front-mounted intercoolers that sit in front of the radiator and, as a consequence, provide better air conditioning than top-mounted intercoolers.
As a rule of thumb, for every 100bhp, 3 litres of intercooler capacity should be used. This is clumsy, but it seems to work well for most vehicles with 150 to 400bhp!
In practice, utilizing an intercooler that is too big will obstruct airflow, thus it is critical to acquire the optimum size for the application.
Bigger does not necessarily mean better! TorqueCars would predict a pressure decrease of 0.5 to.9 psi for a boost level of 15PSI, with certain applications losing 1.3psi in the worst-case situation when a large intercooler is fitted.
(Just as raising pressure raises the temperature, reducing air temperature lowers pressure, so don't blame the intercooler design for the full loss of pressure.)
Weight is always a problem in high-performance vehicles, and many aftermarket intercoolers are both lighter and give far higher performance benefits than their original counterparts.
If you would like to know more, or just get some friendly advice on Tuning your car please join us in our car forums where you can discuss Golf Gti options in more detail with our Golf Gti owners.
It would also be worth reading our unbiased Volkswagen tuning articles to get a full grasp of the benefits and drawbacks of each modification.
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One Response to “GTi tuning & performance parts”
Very helpful. Will safe me time and money by not learning the hard way.