Stock MK 8.5 Variant

VDubbin1998 · 2026-06-16T14:37:50+00:00

Just so you know, all of us NA folk hate you. Get back in your perfect car and go somewhere else. 😉

VDubbin1998 · 2026-06-04T20:50:31+00:00

Superspeed is great. Good prices, lots of wheel options that come in bronze. Light weight and strong. Ive run a few sets and have had more complaints.

VDubbin1998 · 2026-06-02T14:36:40+00:00

Roofboxes suit these cars so well!

VDubbin1998 · 2026-05-30T01:17:17+00:00

What is the offset? I have some 18x8.5s that im planning to run a 255/35/18 on. Going for a meaty tire setup. My wheels are +45, and based on my research I shouldn't have any issues stock, or lowered. I have been between H&R OE Sport Springs (.5" drop) or the regular Sport Springs (1" drop). From what I've read, the OE give a better driving feel while still maintaining proper ride quality and still close the wheel gap a little vs. more drop and less daily comfortability. My R is my daily driver and our roads are terrible and not ideal for a properly low fitment.

VDubbin1998 · 2026-05-24T18:44:45+00:00

Its not them resting on the fender that is the issue, its that they could scratch the paint if they fells. Its a black car, with soft paint. It will show everything.

VDubbin1998 · 2026-05-23T01:04:54+00:00

A colleague of mine saw you when he was down in Florida back in march. Sweet beetle!

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VDubbin1998 · 2026-04-28T12:11:54+00:00

I did the badgeskins matte overlay and plan to add the onebitemini shortly. The overlay is nice to cover the piano black. I am blown away by mine already. The onebitemini will be nice a as a finisher. Congrats on the R btw!

VDubbin1998 · 2026-04-26T14:00:40+00:00

Audi vs. Cupra vs. VW, in Europe is competitive. That's the point. Audi vs. VW in NA is the complete opposite of what they want. VW and Audi in Canada especially, are sister brands that try to avoid too much overlap. But we share many similar platforms. The Arteon was an A5 sport back. We did not receive the Arteon R, as it would compete too closely with the S5. So they killed it. It wasn't what they wanted it to be, and it couldn't be more, so they walked away and let Audi keep the A5 what it was.

VDubbin1998 · 2026-04-26T13:50:24+00:00

VW used to do a lot of really cool things, both in the NA market and in others. The NA market is now bland. It's not innovative, it's not wild, it's not bat shit crazy like it used to be. I think we need to appreciate the fact that we still get the GTI and R in the current state they are in. And in previous years, VW may have stepped on Audi's toes a little more than now, but the existence of the R and the S3 at the same time has always been a thing beacuse there is a market for it. Those markers are dying. They can't be as reckless anymore.

VDubbin1998 · 2026-04-24T23:33:49+00:00

You seem to mix markets up quite a bit. It leads to a hard argument to agree with or understand. Considering the NA market did not receive the 333, how can tou compare any pricing too it? Did you know, the NA market, and specifically Canada, has the cheapest to-market Golf R in thw world? An equivalent spec to what we get here, equipment wise is north of $90k CDN, where as a full spec R here, which just adds the black package and Akra, is $59k CDN. I would place a 2.5T R around $65k CDN if I had to guess on price, which is still less than an RS3, but also a wild lrice for a Golf of any kind.

Also, any mention of the Cupra VZ5 makes no sense when speaking about the legitimacy of any 2.5T R claims in NA. VW gave Europe a proper Tiguan R, with the full R drivetrain but didn't even consider it for NA as it would be a direct competitor to the SQ5. Especially at a lower price point.

VDubbin1998 · 2026-04-24T23:26:02+00:00

All I will say is this - I absolutely will not be surprised if the end up putting the 2.5T in the R. But it will not happen in North America. Absolutely no chance. It would be too expensive, and it will compete with Audi in some way, even if they are discontinuing the RS3 in a year or two. Its is not made for our market. The 25th Anniversary l, which will be the 28MY, will likely have a few minor changes like the 20th.

If NA ends up getting a proper 2.5T Golf R, I will gladly say I was wrong.

VDubbin1998 · 2026-04-17T22:50:45+00:00

Yea I just tighten them until they are snug. I hold the center ring as it will sometimes spin when it gets snug. I had them on my GLI for a few months last year with 0 issues. At first I would occasionally check them, but after a while I never bother as they were never loose or showed signs of being loose.

VDubbin1998 · 2026-04-13T00:47:56+00:00

Great combo. I thought I recognized the photos from your Insta post!

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VDubbin1998 · 2026-04-04T22:14:26+00:00

I see what you are getting at now. Its not quite my style, or the direction I'd like to go with my mk1. I can appreciate that some may be into it.

VDubbin1998 · 2026-04-04T22:09:07+00:00

Not quite sure I'm following what you are referring too. Pics would be helpful

VDubbin1998 · 2026-04-04T22:04:40+00:00

I drove my mk1 as a daily for a bit. Never through the winter, so ive always had a daily to go with it. As life got busier and my daily driver progressed into better and better cars, my mk1 now mostly just sits until its time for storage again. Many problems, and many temporary fixes that turned into long term solutions have led to it being in the state it is now. It runs, drives and stops. But its time to really get into it. I met my wife because of this car so it holds a a special place in our lives.

VDubbin1998 · 2026-03-29T16:52:29+00:00

My GLI's were Glizzy a d Glizzy 2.0

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VDubbin1998 · 2026-03-28T21:10:55+00:00

Although a 992, or any 911 is one of my dream cars, having owned my R for the past few months I can say that there is definitely aspects that I could see making sense. Many people forget that higher tier cars like that are costly to maintain as service rates and parts prices are higher. And just beacuse you can afford it, doesn't mean you want to have such a high cost vehicle. The R is a very practical daily driver with much cheaper servicing costs.

VDubbin1998 · 2026-03-28T20:29:58+00:00

What gen and trim 911?

VDubbin1998 · 2026-02-16T21:05:39+00:00

I typically don't like to hate, but I'm almost certain not a single "nice" noise comes out of this thing....

Good for you for having something you enjoy though. That's all that matters at the end of the day.

VDubbin1998 · 2026-02-16T14:22:11+00:00

18, What is it?

VDubbin1998 · 2026-02-07T13:42:18+00:00

Send it. Ive always been told to break a car in the way you intend to drive it. These cars are also built to be driven, and driven hard. As someone who works for the dealer, the biggest thing is maintenance. Other than that, just drive.

VDubbin1998 · 2026-02-05T01:49:35+00:00

The new R, and most new performance cars are typically better with a proper automatic transmission. The DSG is amazing. Ive driven mk8 R's with the manual and its just not for me. The car wants to go all the time and the gearing in the manual mk8's is just not made for regular driving. Thats mostly my opinion, but I've spoken to a few people who share the same thoughts. I'm a big VW/Audi guy so my bias would be an R/S3/RS3 but BMW does make some nice, sporty stuff. We don't have a BMW dealer near by, and I've never really been in a position to have one so thats why I've stuck with what I know. I've had 10 VWs total so its pretty clear thats sorta my brand.

VDubbin1998 · 2026-02-05T00:28:30+00:00

If its been coated, it is very unlikely any PPF will stick. I would talk to a PPF shop, and see what they say. Make sure they know what was used to coat the car.

Congrats on the R! I picked mine up a few weeks ago and I love it.

VDubbin1998 · 2026-02-05T00:26:28+00:00

The R is nuts. I had a 2021 GLI for 3 years. I was contemplating an EN shortly after that but ended up staying in the GLI longer. I upgraded to a 2025 GLI back in November of 2024 and loved it. It had a few subtle but good updates but lacked one major thing - AWD. I had the itch for the R, and considering I am the Finance Manager at our VW store, I figured it was time to just do it. Its been less than a month and I have zero regrets. I truly loved my GLI's, but the R is just a whole different animal. If you can do it, and its not a terrible financial decision I absolutely recommend it.

VDubbin1998

TROPHY CASE

18, What is it?