Golf r heavy steering, sooty exhaust
Discussion
Hi guys purchased a mk7 golf r a few days back, lovely spec, dsg, dsg, euro nav, prets, leather seats etc. I’m coming from years of being behind the wheel of bmws which are RWD and have very light steering wheels. Now, my golf r seems to feel very heavy when turning and just in general heavy in the hands, is this usual? I’ve never done the 4WD thing either is this a characteristic of being 4WD? I’m now paranoid something isn’t right. Tbf the car are on 19 inch prets, and 2 rear wheels are Goodyear eagles and fronts and Conti and something else (I forgot the brand but a decent one) I was quite worried when I saw the mix of wheels made me wonder why on earth they did that but it came from a main dealer so I thought nothing of it as the tyres were fresh, I’m having second thoughts now. But anyhow could the mix of tyre brands be causing this? What tyre pressure is everyone putting in there 19 inch prets? The exhaust pipes on the insides both seem sooty too is this normal? Or could this be the flaps constantly shut? If I’m honest other than throttle response and noise I don’t notice any suspension diff when dcc is in different modes hmm, any help appreciated
Re: the steering weight, what driving mode are you driving it in? At pedestrian speeds the R does feel heavy, it’s not until you give it some that it livens up.
As for the exhaust, they’re valved in the hatch, and it sounds like the previous owner has used it in normal/eco mode a lot so the valves haven’t opened up. They’ll clean up fine with a bit of elbow grease.
As for the exhaust, they’re valved in the hatch, and it sounds like the previous owner has used it in normal/eco mode a lot so the valves haven’t opened up. They’ll clean up fine with a bit of elbow grease.
Thanks for input guys, I’m new to this car so the drive feels abit different to what I’m used to, if I’m honest other then noise and holding revs I can’t say the chassis feels any different between race and comfort/normal mode. Do the exhaust valves ever seize up? How often is the dsg service? Cars on 26k miles. Haldex service was done not long ago, any other service recommendations. The tyres on the rear are Goodyear eagles which have very soft tyre walls, but after speaking to someone with a cupra r they were fine on his vehicle. What tyre pressures should I be putting in? Haven’t actually checked yet them yet. Could a mix up of tyres be causing this? I think you may be correct steering is heavier at low speeds, guess I’m just used to BMW’s, who knows
Check tyres; steering on mine is light in comfort, and noticeably heavier in race mode. Ditto suspension if you have the optional suspension.
To check the exhaust valves, just open the windows and flick between normal and sport mode on the gearbox (assuming DSG; flick between modes if manual). The revs rise a bit at a standstill, but you can certainly hear the difference as the valves open and the inner pipes are used also...
To check the exhaust valves, just open the windows and flick between normal and sport mode on the gearbox (assuming DSG; flick between modes if manual). The revs rise a bit at a standstill, but you can certainly hear the difference as the valves open and the inner pipes are used also...
chan61922 said:
If I’m honest steering feels lighter and more responsive in race mode? Feels heavier in normal and eco
In race mode steering should be heavier. Suspension should be firmer. Exhaust should be louder (if you can hear it over the structure borne sound actuator).When I bought my old mk7 GTI PP, the 7 R felt very heavy at low speeds in comparison, but VW seem to have done something with newer ones, because the 7.5 R I now own is not.
Edited by Baldchap on Thursday 13th June 07:36
Thanks for the help mate and info on my fuel question. Maybe I’m just being paranoid then, so I’m not wrong in saying the mk7 R is slighty on the heavy side, in terms on steering? It’s been hammering it down with rain past few days and the steering felt abit easier tbh, god knows I’ve only covered my first 100 miles so put it down to
Not being so used to the car yet. Don’t mean to switch this into another topic, but at what intervals are the dsg and haldex serviced at? Major service is every 2 years right? And oil and filter every year? If I’m honest the cars not the lunatic I thought it would be, it’s fun flooring it in a straight line but It’s now beginning to make sense why these cars are considered boring, god I knew I should’ve went with a m140
stage 1 remap due very soon I think
Not being so used to the car yet. Don’t mean to switch this into another topic, but at what intervals are the dsg and haldex serviced at? Major service is every 2 years right? And oil and filter every year? If I’m honest the cars not the lunatic I thought it would be, it’s fun flooring it in a straight line but It’s now beginning to make sense why these cars are considered boring, god I knew I should’ve went with a m140
stage 1 remap due very soon I think Never noticed anything about the steering - I’ve had a 64 plate hatch and now a 7.5 wagen. Try the different driving modes although again I think the steering feels the same in all - not like the 6 series we had when the steering was massively different in Sport mode. I think the steering isn’t bad in the R - granted it doesn’t feel like the hydraulic setup on my Boxster but few cars do.
With the hatchback unless you deselect and reselect Race mode every time you physically restart the car then the valves will remain closed in the outer tail pipes, hence the inner ones are often much sootier on many cars. That was certainly the case on the prefacelift cars.
With the hatchback unless you deselect and reselect Race mode every time you physically restart the car then the valves will remain closed in the outer tail pipes, hence the inner ones are often much sootier on many cars. That was certainly the case on the prefacelift cars.
Thanks for the Input mate, I agree the steering seems the same in every mode (which I didn’t expect) and my car is equipped with dcc so I’m starting to think maybe the dealer told me a fib hmm. Steering isn’t awful just doesn’t feel as agile as any of my previous cars, although saying that I’m coming from about 7 years straight in being in various BMW’s. Bit strange, my last car was a e93 325i sport and that felt a lot lighter in the hands, and that wasn’t exactly the lightest of cars. I’m assuming it’s down to the mix up of tyres on the car and the upgraded 19 inch prets. Just out of curiosity what tyre pressures are you running? Haven’t got round to checking mine yet as it’s been raining cats and dogs all week but will do when it clears up. Snap! My inner tail pipes are really sooty, I was getting worried thinking there either seized up or the cars got some kind of fault on. How do you do about deselecting a mode, all I do is simply switch between one and another, is that okay? Sorry for silly question but if I go into individual mode would selecting race on exhaust mean the all pipes are constantly open? Cheers
No problem! I’m on 18s - IIRC my hatch was 36psi and estate is 38 but that won’t be much help to you! Sticker pressure for me results in pretty even wear across the tyre width whereas on most other cars I’ve had I run them slightly lower otherwise they wear more in the centre.
I’ve generally found the steering to be a bit light on modern BMWs but then too heavy in Sport mode but you generally get very little feedback from them. For me the Golf is more communicative than most cars (on 18s at least). When I haven’t driven the Boxster for a long time it feels like sensory overload however after jumping out of the Golf!
Apart from the difference in Soundaktor volume I can’t really notice any difference between Normal and Race. I do use Eco on this car when commuting in rush hour as it disengages drive and it’s amazing how much time you spend off the throttle completely when traffic is heavy.
If you listen carefully at idle you can hear when all 4 exhaust valves are open. I’m pretty sure switching from any mode into Race model after start up ensures they’re all open. The natural tendency is to leave it in Race mode all the time but that doesn’t work after you switch off the ignition - I’m not sure whether this can be programmed so they stay open permanently (not by VW!).
I’ve generally found the steering to be a bit light on modern BMWs but then too heavy in Sport mode but you generally get very little feedback from them. For me the Golf is more communicative than most cars (on 18s at least). When I haven’t driven the Boxster for a long time it feels like sensory overload however after jumping out of the Golf!
Apart from the difference in Soundaktor volume I can’t really notice any difference between Normal and Race. I do use Eco on this car when commuting in rush hour as it disengages drive and it’s amazing how much time you spend off the throttle completely when traffic is heavy.
If you listen carefully at idle you can hear when all 4 exhaust valves are open. I’m pretty sure switching from any mode into Race model after start up ensures they’re all open. The natural tendency is to leave it in Race mode all the time but that doesn’t work after you switch off the ignition - I’m not sure whether this can be programmed so they stay open permanently (not by VW!).
Thanks mate, I’ve pretty much driven In normal mode most of last week, just travelling to and from work, the cars returned a claimed average of 32mpg which is great for what it is. Today I’ve let the car warm up abit and activated race mode, I definitely did notice a huge difference, straight after activating I think I could hear the exhaust valves opening and the sound and throttle response was hugely improved, however I still don’t notice any real difference in steering. I may give comfort mode a go for a few days and see how that differs. I’ve set the pressures at 38 all round, seems okay not as harsh as my previous vehicles so I’m happy about that. Just wondering if anyone knew if it would be better going for a stage 1 map along with dsg map ( do you have to have the dsg mapped too? ) or just a bong standard chip tuning box? Im new to turbo cars so never really gone into mapping etc I’m in the west London area if anyone has any recommendations? Many thanks
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