purplepulser

Hmm tricky, They are fixed into either of those positions though. I had the Whiteline top mounts fitted (which have -1.4 deg of camber and extra positive caster), when I did the B16 Coilovers in Feb 2025. Did a track day at Bedford after, which was great and could feel the extra grip around corners and helped with confidence, BUT on the way home, one of the top mounts had come loose due to the road conditions so I got rid of them, and put ECS heavy duty mounts in instead. Lesson learned. I'm not for one minute equating those Suspension Secrets top mounts to my Whiteline ones, but unfortunately it appears this sort of stuff just isn't able to cope with the state of our roads, so I'm going to focus on adjusting the geo from the lower side of the suspension instead, so offset camber arms, and maybe look into the Clubsport S/TTS hubs which some say have -2 deg built in? I will seek guidance on all of this when I'm ready to go ahead. If I can get to around -2.5 degrees using just those that will be where I stop. Not so much camber to drastically wear tyres unevenly on the road and a decent amount to improve handling on track to counter the understeer/push and improve grip when cornering.

What position will you have them set to?

Concur with @Msportman that if all you want is between 450-470hp, any hybrid turbo from one of the reputable manufacturers should easily do the job along with fuel pump upgrades + stage 2 bolt on hardware. Can the tuner provide multi maps? TVS Engineering can provide remaps for both engine and gearbox. I can't say anything about how their ECU remaps fare compared to others but they are regarded as one of the best for TCU remaps. https://tvsengineering.com/en/

what's your average annual mileage? This year, mine will probably be less than 500 miles,

Hi Don, No offense taken, It's precisely the reason I undertake additional maintenance, to try to reduce any impact that the stage 1 tune, and the usage on track has on the car (and also because I was advised to). I think safe to say the track day usage will be having more of an impact on my engine/drivetrain longevity than the stage 1 tune would have if I'd kept it as a street only car. I just don't know if I may start experiencing an issue at 60, 80 or 100k+ miles. Time will tell I suppose, but as you say, would be difficult to quantify. What's your experience with these engines?

Don't know if this is true or not, but forgot to add that there are some cases of thrust bearings having excess wear on manual transmission cars causing crank walk, when the vehicle is stage 1 tuned and runs an aftermarket clutch to handle the additional torque. I would recommend discussing with the tuning company or VAG specialist to confirm though.

Obviously this is entirely anecdotal, similar to @Ricksteruk, I've been stage 1 for the last 5.5 years, and in that time the car has done 20+ track days with no apparent issues, other than the odd misfire due to plugs/coil packs etc. I am meticulous with maintenance though, and change oil myself every 1k miles, or after every track day, whichever comes first, which are in addition to any annual services. DQ381 gets its service at quarter the recommended interval too. (80k recommended so every 20k). I can't say if any additional engine wear has occurred due to going stage 1, but each time I inspect the oil filter, it looks clean. As for the gearbox/drivetrain, I don't think that is affected either, provided of course that maintenance schedules are at least halved the recommended interval. These engines aren't indestructible, because you can never predict if something were to go wrong that causes an engine to fail (I've heard that a faulty direct injector can result in an engine going pop, or get some bad quality fuel, or any number of things we cannot control), but in general, they are fairly robust and can tolerate stage1/2 tuning without too many issues. This is the same rule for any engine though. Most performance oriented engines should easily be able to tolerate 10-20% increase in power output without drastically affecting reliability, but as always there are no guarantees. I think it's reasonable to expect a stock EA888.3/4 engine running factory power levels to last at least 150k miles, provided the maintenance schedule is followed, plus add in some mechanical sympathy allowing things to warm up properly etc before flooring it. I have no idea though if being stage 1 or 2 means you reduce that expected life span or not. One day I'll probably get the engine fully built, and at that time, I'll find out if everything is still ok or if the bearings or other components have some wear. Go and get that stage 1 tune and enjoy the car now if that's what you are looking to do, and don't worry about what-if's and maybe's, because there's tons of owners running stage1/2 for years, and excluding some outlier cases, I'm yet to hear or read about anyone who has had a major engine failure at those levels, that was attributed to just being stage 1/2 tuned. This general rule doesn't apply to Stage 3 cars though, and there are plenty of cases of failed engines in that group. Just budget for the additional maintenance.

Thanks for the feedback. So do you think those ngk plugs in above pics look in bad condition? how long do you think stock plugs and coils should last on average?

So this is a total of what 6 people interested ?

I recently replaced my NGK Race plugs (7438-8) with OE ones, after around 10k miles usage, as I was getting hesitation, almost like a misfire. The jury is still out on whether I've got to change the cam magnets as well. All looked pretty much exactly the same, looking like things are running a little rich but not too bad. No gap changes were made, and both had been installed as is from the box. No oil present in each plug socket.

Up for it, but preferably not in winter months, When and where is being proposed?

I've had no issues running NGK 7438-8 plugs since after going stage 1. From what others have said stock are also fine. Just be sure to change them every 10k miles regardless.

Essex, close to M25

Thanks however these guys are located a little over 200 miles from me, so not sure they would entertain just giving advice over the phone without the prospect of some business thrown their way.

Yeah I know they do, however both together would be £1.2k + fitting, A proper baffled sump would probably work out cheaper. I'll have a think about it and then ask a local specialist for a recommended route, I wonder what Retro Resus would say?

The AR1s are E marked and so are road legal, but they are very noisy and it can get annoying, Since I've sorted my second set of wheels I now really do appreciate a nice comfy trip to the track on street tyres and softening up the suspension. I swap to track wheels and click the suspension up to hard and I'm good to go, but I'm not quite yet at the stage where I cba to change wheels as you really do get the best of both worlds by doing it. Yes, its a pain to keep swapping them and putting the seats down etc and having to think of where to put them.... Handing wise, I'm thinking of getting these, but I need to find out if they will play nice with the Whiteline roll centre correction ball joint kit I have. How much extra caster will they give? https://progressiveparts.com/product/superpro-vag-mqb-offset-lower-control-arm-assembly-kit-trc1071?k=125943-2017 Since you mention oil surge, that's reminded me to look at something like a baffled sump. The only one that seems worth it, is the iABED one which isn't cheap, but you get what you pay for right. I still don't have a catch can despite many people saying its a must have, but I've never experienced the plumes of white smoke on track and I've done a fair few track events now. I have a feeling the baffled sump would also fix the need for a catch can, since it solves the surge issue properly rather than the catch can being a workaround. Next thing to look at also is cooling, I really don't want to have to worry about oil temps, but the baffled sump is likely to address that also as its aluminium and has a larger oil capacity. Plenty to think about and do.

I will try the Dunlop's, in combination with the control arm mods. Hopefully they will be further improvement on the AR1. I think from the sounds of it the AR1s are probably better for track work than cup 2s, but as an all rounder for both track and street the cup2s are probably hard to beat.

Interesting, re the Direzza's and the difference they make. I may just swap the LCAs get the camber back as close to -2 deg as i can, and then just throw some money at a set of Direzza's to finish it off. If what you say is true, and they make a massive difference compared to cup2s or even AR1s then it will probably be worth the extra for them, rather than getting other mods

I had heard the Clubsport S hubs do have that sort of camber setup, i just didn't know of anyone with an R who's swapped them out for them. Do you also need the Clubsport S LCAs to go with it? Interesting re String Theory, I'd be interested to hear what they said, but don't they normally specialise in Porsches and M cars ? I need to come up with a solid solution for this, it's not urgent but I do want to get back to that sort of level where i can lean on the tyres around corners.

So its just the SuperPro bushes kit you have in the stock LCAs then? I thought you had the alu LCAs? I have the Powerflex equivalent bush set pressed into my LCAs, and was just thinking rather than all the effort to do that again, just buy a new set of lighter Alu ones with the offset poly bushes already in. They will be much easier and quicker to fit, I'm also considering the Clubsport S hubs, not sure how much extra camber/caster these provide though, but all i want is to put the camber back at -2 deg. I may try the CRS tyres and see how they compare to the AR1. I havent yet reached the stage where i cba to swap wheels, but when i do, i may just adopt the same approach as you and just buy a set of Cup 2's.

So the top mounts started to come loose from the top of the shock absorber due to our terrible roads. Since there was no guarantee they wouldn't come loose again I've since removed them and replaced with ECS heavy duty ones. Consequence of that is about 1 degree of camber has been taken back out. The new mounts are much more comfortable though and still make use of stiffer rubber bushings and in combination with the coilovers still seems a fantastic setup. I can't describe how good the B16s feel on the road on their softest setting, the way they absorb bumps just seems miles better than stock while still feeling controlled, yet when stiffened up for the track, they turn into something completely different. I'm now going to look at replacing the control arms with some that have additional caster and camber. I'm not sure if I want to go with fully adjustable solid spherical bearing ones, and the SuperPro or Whiteline seem to be a good compromise instead. Open to suggestion from others on alternatives that are just as good if not better though. @MsportmanWhen you fitted the Ohlins coilovers, did you correct the roll centre with a ball joint kit?

I agree, the probability of issues if you go higher than stage 2 power becomes likely, so I will stay where I am and focus on handling/braking. I very much value the reliability as it is. It's done circa 15 trackdays at its current power so its proven itself to be a solid package, Once I reach the limits of what I can do, then I may look at the LSD, but it can be argued that even that is an expense that returns minimal advantages, especially for a track car that only sees a few track days a year. The thing that i find appealing with these newer turbos would be the multi maps that are now being offered. I'd love to have the Garrett or TTV4 with 3 maps, a stock 1.3bar map, full power 1.8bar 480hp map, and a 1.6bar 400hp track map.

I'll keep an eye on the bearings and see what happens. Bedford went well. Big difference in handling. Still more fine tuning needed but the car understeers less, and more importantly doesn't roll as much. The rear end is now more playful, seems to turn in much better providing i turn in harsh, let the rear come round a bit and then feather the throttle, which offers much more confidence than before. I think something is a tad loose after all that though, maybe a drop link or something so i'll need to check it out. Regarding the TTV4, that's a nice power level, but always brings up the age old question of how would such a setup perform on track and how long would the engine last at that level. Do we have anyone that would be able to confirm they've done 50-60k miles at that level and kicked its head in on track throughout and be still going absolutely fine? Or would it just make more sense to build the engine to run that power if using on track?

I think that's because the cup 2's aren't a proper semi slick, and are kind of something in between super sport and semi slick. At least that's the impression I get. It's the cost/performance ratio I'm most interested in. The Direzza DZ03G Race tyres are near £300 a tyre, which is almost double the cost of the AR1s, which have lasted probably 10 trackdays, in fact I'm trying to finish them off and will buy a new set. Maybe I'll give something else a try. The AO52s are prob £250 a corner and they are softer than the AR1s so wont last as long, but will be better on track. Do you have any experience with R888s? I'm of the same opinion as you with the R, there's only so far I will go with it, I don't want to ruin it's all purpose daily driver ability, and I think with -2 deg camber I'm virtually at that limit now. I could do some more stuff with things like the Hardrace rear camber kit, stiffer spherical bearing stuff, plus maybe some decent engine mounts, but that's about it. It would probably be far better to reduce the weight of the car instead of going more power. On the reliability side, it's a thought that goes through my mind too, not just the turbo but if the engine decided to give up (not because it can't handle the power level it's at, but more if an ancillary item failed to then cause it). If that day ever happened, I'd just go for a proper build with decent pistons/rods/bearings/valves/springs and then just run it at a ultra safe 460hp with a TT V4. As I've learnt, power is nothing without control.

Ive heard the Dunlops are very good. How long do they last compared to Cup 2s? for PS Cup2, Are they noisy on the street? I wasn't sure if AO52 are available in 225/40/18 What about AD09?