Wow Neil, thanks so much, that's I think my second ever Super Thanks! The bug is interesting, only spotted it when watching back the video, it was inside the screen and quite big so I'm glad I didn't notice it at 134 mph!🦟
Hi, I may need your help. I was recently changing the fuel filter on my VW golf MK 7. I have managed to round off one of the screws, and the T20 bit broke in the bolt itself in another one, so two in total i now can’t get off. I’ve had a nightmare I know. Have you got any suggestions how to fix this so I can change my fuel filter? Thank you, any help welcome.
Great stuff. I did a trackday recently in my R and there was a gr yaris aswell. I did well to keep hime behind on the bends and needed the straight to gain a bit of time. Brakes where my concern , i think i need to replace the fluid now.
Those GR’s are very accomplished on track. They generally make a tad more power than quoted & with big 356/294mm brakes, sub 1300kgs & active diffs they are a very quick package!
Great video and good to see the drivers respecting each other. As for a project car could a Mk7 GTI (just to keep it fair with the MQB platform) with aftermarket mods be cheaper and faster than all the dev VW put into the Clubsport S and be drivable as a road car ? Obv the time and money would never be got back from the modded car but when has playing with cars ever made financial sense !!!
Thanks Tugs! A Mk7 GTi would be OK to mod but with a Leon Cupra you get the stronger EA888 engine which is more up to the job even out the box and while I'd love to fly the GTI flag on track and I am a GTI man at heart, the cheapest alternative high power EA888 is a Clubsport Edition 40 which is 2 x the price. You could of course change the engine in a 7GTI but it's a lot of work.
Lovely stuff ! Totally understand about not giving it 100% at trackdays given the scenario, Clubsport S is a real gem of a car. Some tips for 'the ring' : Buy your laps tickets in advance, get there early doors as at the weekends the queues in the morning can be massive, it's good practice to get some early laps in before the marbles get thrown down by the afternoon, get some practice laps in on Gran Turismo or similar I did hundreds of virtual laps and it makes a hell of a difference but it won't prepare you for the gradients. Tyre pressures and retorque nuts if necessary but you already know this.. Rest is common sense tbh. Looking forward to the next ones!
Thanks for the 'ring advice Bogged. I've driven it a few times before and definitely agree on going on when it's quiet but it's been weekday evenings for me after industry pool. I first went in 2006 and as soon as I got back I bought a PS4 with GT4 which I still have got and will fire up again soon (might even make it into a video!). You are right, it's definitely a good way of learning the track but as well as the gradients the bit GT4 doesn't seem to give is the amount of blind crests that there are. The bit I am most scared of is Bergwerk to Carousel as it's fast and the kinks aren't that different but at those speeds the differences matter - best go and learn that now on the PS4 I think.... :)
Love these videos of the CSS!!! How were the brakes holding up for you out there? Did you install the RS3 brake ducts for cooling or just run the factory CSS pads and rotors?
Thanks so much D M it means s a lot! The brakes were OK but I'm not the heaviest person on the brakes - I did a lap with Joe Achilles in his M3 back in 2021 I think and wow, I reckon he uses around 2 x my braking force. So if I want to go faster I need to use the brakes more which sounds silly but I need to brake later and harder. The standard brakes were OK but it wasn't very warm which helped. They lost some initial bite which was more noticeable on the way home but they are OK now and no warping either. I haven't made any changes but those RS ducts are a good shout, think I fitted them to my Mk5 GTI Edition 30 track car which ran R32 brakes and no issues there. If I upgrade the calipers and rotors, need to make sure I don't add too much weight so Racingline Stage 2 which I had on my Leon Cupra last year are the way to go I think - this time with shiny red calipers of course :)
@@volkswizard Fantastic!! I'm looking at those brakes myself for my R due to the weight savings. I had swapped on the CSS brake parts on it but even with SRF they only held up to about 2 sessions of tracking before i got the spongy pedal and had the pedal going down to the floor a bit more. Hoping the RS3 ducts help but that extra weight of the R might be the difference. Your lighter braking is commendable - i was stuck in Novice traffic a bit which had me having to use them too much. Might also be why they didn't last for long. Keep it up with the CSS - that 'Ring video might be the most watched one yet.
Awesome stuff, such a capable car. Would love one. Is it the dreaded clutch delay valve that plagues that like it does the other manuals? I've been thinking of getting mine removed on my Cupra, particularly when I get an uprated RTS/Sachs clutch and mapping done. Also interesting to hear there's so little in it between something like my 280 and the CS S when going around track. I do eventually plan to entirely strip my car to make it a track-only device when I've got the room and money as seems like it'd be quite a weapon.
Thanks jj! Yes it's that clutch delay valve, sounds like a no brainer to remove but just need to know why went to the trouble of fitting it in the first place as the few Euros it would cost them must have been questioned by their very efficient accountants! I stripped 280 would be a serious weapon indeed
@@volkswizard they say its to help remove stress from the transmission...when I bought my car went to APS saying it had a issue when I changed gear. But they said it was normal. So once I fitted the upgraded clutch and flywheel as all would be out. Bought the braided line and a aluminium bleed block for them to fit while at it . Absolutely dream now.
Thanks! Are there any downsides to removing the assistance spring? I am always suspicious when VW do things they didn't need to do as they don't waste money :)
@@volkswizard I researched it as much as I could, and found the purpose of the spring is to make it easier to push the clutch in, which makes me think that it could be something that was designed for base-spec cars and in order to save cost and complexity of assembly, they just run all the clutch assemblies through the same assembly line - meaning they all get the spring. Could not find any evidence of it causing issues online (and have been told the same by someone who works at VW), with some people actually suggesting it has helped their clutch last longer due to quicker changes and less riding of the clutch. It's very easy to remove and put back on, so you could just try it out and go for a quick drive then decide - for me on my Clubsport it was never going back on after feeling the difference though.
I’m quoting manufacturer figures from press releases. These can vary as some are with driver and fluids but I did my best to ensure both weights were comparable
Great vid mate, and loving the content on the channel and the Clubsport S. Looking forward to seeing the Clubsport being taken back to its natural home- the Nurburgring 👍
Great to see you still driving these cars hard. I hadn’t realised you were still trading, for some reason I thought you stopped when you moved. One day I’ll want a grey clubsport again, with dcc next time
Hi James, I didn't do much for months but I just buy for a dealer now, I don't do any retail sales which makes life a lot easier. Yep definitely get one with DCC though I've not driven one in 18s without, might be OK but won't look as good, that's for sure!
The Clubsport (not Clubsport S) had the option of DCC but quite a lot of them weren't ordered with it primarily because they were ordered by the dealer for the showroom and for £1k they'd rather go for the big wheels instead as bling sells. Unfortunately on the road they are a bit hobbled by their stiffness but probably fine in Germany where the roads are generally perfect. With TCR, if you went for the bigger (19") wheels, you had to have DCC so harder to find one without.
Thanks J! TBH after all the GR’s hype, I reckon most people will expect it to be that quick so it’s important to make it clear it’s not. I sailed past one last year (on film) in my Cupra so knew something was a bit fishy this time round 🐟
Thanks Jack! I appreciate the need to preserve a daily as you never know what could happen but use track tyres and all you'll need to replace is the brake pads every so often. Your 280 is well up to the job 👍🏻
That was probably me creaking :) I know what you mean about that though and I don't think mine does it but the high loads on track might mean it does - I'll watch it back now and see if I can hear it.
Nice one VW! Bedford is super safe and the evo track evenings are a little bit less hardcore than a normal event so it's definitely one of the safest ways to get on track, next one is September, see you there?
@@volkswizard yeah sounds good! I did an event day last year at Goodwood in a Huracan and a GTR but only a few laps and with an instructor so this would be a step up. Definitely up for September.
Fantastic, really enjoyed it. My questions would be, how does the drive of this car feel in relation to the 7.5 GTi PP and the TCR ? My GTi PP has always felt numb on the steering in a straight, only livening up when loaded into a corner.
Thanks Terry! I did have fun but I had more fun in the Cupra last year - only real difference was the Racingline Stage 2 brakes but brakes are very important so when you have more than you need, you can then relax a bit and have proper fun :)
Excellent as looked like so much fun and I see what you mean re need for strong brakes to haul speed down but so good to see a road car on track with a bunch of other enthusiasts- can’t wait for the Germany 🇩🇪 trip video and so close to 50k subs 🏎🎯👍
Thanks Luke! The only worry at the 'ring is all the other lunatics but I just need to choose my time carefully as there are quieter times than weekends when its bliss
Thanks Ivan, it's not bad at either but I think road/ring is its forte, it's just comfy for a fast hard circuit like Bedford Autodrome but it was fine and nothing broke which was nice :)
Thanks Andrew. Good point re helmet. I copied Joe Achilles' setup this time with a mic mounted onto the camera which was on the windscreen (the mic on me was used outside the car only). This works well for Joe and works OK without a helmet on but you've just reminded me, Joe wears an open face helmet so his audio is OK. When I replace it, I'll definitely go open face 👍🏻
Not a bad idea but a cheap Leon Cupra is better because you get the stronger version of the EA888 engine which only appears in Clubsport/S (or R) Golf. I've got an aversion to write offs just because they get bodged up to sell on often with stolen parts and nobody checks them. Even if they get a proper MOT, it doesn't tell the difference between filler in chassis legs etc. Fixing them up seems to make popular videos though!
Good question - no it isn't but both have been designed with safety in mind with very little to hit unlike most proper racing circuits (there is no official racing at either). This track is often used for corporate hospitality so killing the guests not such a great idea :)
Racingline do a oil management system which I’ve had my eye on - I think they use a pic of a Leon on the Karusel with loads of smoke coming out the back to promote its benefits, apparently it’s very similar the one used on the EA888 TCR racing cars so must be good
Not sure what you are referring to exactly but years of experience have taught me to be prepared for most eventualities. The fact I didn't back out of the track time when it came down to it shows that I'm not too much of a 'worry wort' I hope 😁
To be honest that wasn't an issue at all. I normally have one on the drivers windows instead of the windscreen and will probably go back to that for track. If I had a magic tree air freshener handing off the rear view mirror, now that would be an issue 😁
Keep the content coming. I havent seen anyone do this.
The bug on the glass must have gotten car sick eventually 😅
Wow Neil, thanks so much, that's I think my second ever Super Thanks! The bug is interesting, only spotted it when watching back the video, it was inside the screen and quite big so I'm glad I didn't notice it at 134 mph!🦟
Clutch delay just change for a billet bleed block without the delay valve. Have that on mine and a braided line. Goes thru gears like a dream
APS looks after my car and they've fitted it for me with the upgraded clutch
Hi, I may need your help.
I was recently changing the fuel filter on my VW golf MK 7. I have managed to round off one of the screws, and the T20 bit broke in the bolt itself in another one, so two in total i now can’t get off. I’ve had a nightmare I know. Have you got any suggestions how to fix this so I can change my fuel filter? Thank you, any help welcome.
hi which is better corner gti 7.5 or cs 7 265hp? or its useless to go cs? alot ppl saying its has same engine 888 and chasis that true?
Not sure if I'd buy one but the Yaris definitely has a good road presence with its wide rear track.
Great stuff. I did a trackday recently in my R and there was a gr yaris aswell. I did well to keep hime behind on the bends and needed the straight to gain a bit of time.
Brakes where my concern , i think i need to replace the fluid now.
Thanke ellgame! That sounds about right for GR vs R, make sure you check out my brake fluid change video 👍🏻
Those GR’s are very accomplished on track. They generally make a tad more power than quoted & with big 356/294mm brakes, sub 1300kgs & active diffs they are a very quick package!
Great video and good to see the drivers respecting each other. As for a project car could a Mk7 GTI (just to keep it fair with the MQB platform) with aftermarket mods be cheaper and faster than all the dev VW put into the Clubsport S and be drivable as a road car ? Obv the time and money would never be got back from the modded car but when has playing with cars ever made financial sense !!!
Thanks Tugs! A Mk7 GTi would be OK to mod but with a Leon Cupra you get the stronger EA888 engine which is more up to the job even out the box and while I'd love to fly the GTI flag on track and I am a GTI man at heart, the cheapest alternative high power EA888 is a Clubsport Edition 40 which is 2 x the price. You could of course change the engine in a 7GTI but it's a lot of work.
Lovely stuff ! Totally understand about not giving it 100% at trackdays given the scenario, Clubsport S is a real gem of a car. Some tips for 'the ring' : Buy your laps tickets in advance, get there early doors as at the weekends the queues in the morning can be massive, it's good practice to get some early laps in before the marbles get thrown down by the afternoon, get some practice laps in on Gran Turismo or similar I did hundreds of virtual laps and it makes a hell of a difference but it won't prepare you for the gradients. Tyre pressures and retorque nuts if necessary but you already know this.. Rest is common sense tbh. Looking forward to the next ones!
Thanks for the 'ring advice Bogged. I've driven it a few times before and definitely agree on going on when it's quiet but it's been weekday evenings for me after industry pool. I first went in 2006 and as soon as I got back I bought a PS4 with GT4 which I still have got and will fire up again soon (might even make it into a video!). You are right, it's definitely a good way of learning the track but as well as the gradients the bit GT4 doesn't seem to give is the amount of blind crests that there are. The bit I am most scared of is Bergwerk to Carousel as it's fast and the kinks aren't that different but at those speeds the differences matter - best go and learn that now on the PS4 I think.... :)
Love these videos of the CSS!!!
How were the brakes holding up for you out there? Did you install the RS3 brake ducts for cooling or just run the factory CSS pads and rotors?
Thanks so much D M it means s a lot! The brakes were OK but I'm not the heaviest person on the brakes - I did a lap with Joe Achilles in his M3 back in 2021 I think and wow, I reckon he uses around 2 x my braking force. So if I want to go faster I need to use the brakes more which sounds silly but I need to brake later and harder. The standard brakes were OK but it wasn't very warm which helped. They lost some initial bite which was more noticeable on the way home but they are OK now and no warping either. I haven't made any changes but those RS ducts are a good shout, think I fitted them to my Mk5 GTI Edition 30 track car which ran R32 brakes and no issues there. If I upgrade the calipers and rotors, need to make sure I don't add too much weight so Racingline Stage 2 which I had on my Leon Cupra last year are the way to go I think - this time with shiny red calipers of course :)
@@volkswizard Fantastic!! I'm looking at those brakes myself for my R due to the weight savings.
I had swapped on the CSS brake parts on it but even with SRF they only held up to about 2 sessions of tracking before i got the spongy pedal and had the pedal going down to the floor a bit more. Hoping the RS3 ducts help but that extra weight of the R might be the difference. Your lighter braking is commendable - i was stuck in Novice traffic a bit which had me having to use them too much. Might also be why they didn't last for long.
Keep it up with the CSS - that 'Ring video might be the most watched one yet.
Awesome stuff, such a capable car. Would love one. Is it the dreaded clutch delay valve that plagues that like it does the other manuals? I've been thinking of getting mine removed on my Cupra, particularly when I get an uprated RTS/Sachs clutch and mapping done. Also interesting to hear there's so little in it between something like my 280 and the CS S when going around track. I do eventually plan to entirely strip my car to make it a track-only device when I've got the room and money as seems like it'd be quite a weapon.
Billet bleed block and a braided clutch line...best thing I've done on mine..go for it
Thanks jj! Yes it's that clutch delay valve, sounds like a no brainer to remove but just need to know why went to the trouble of fitting it in the first place as the few Euros it would cost them must have been questioned by their very efficient accountants! I stripped 280 would be a serious weapon indeed
@@volkswizard they say its to help remove stress from the transmission...when I bought my car went to APS saying it had a issue when I changed gear. But they said it was normal. So once I fitted the upgraded clutch and flywheel as all would be out. Bought the braided line and a aluminium bleed block for them to fit while at it . Absolutely dream now.
Nail bitingly enjoyable to watch!! Man, can't wait to see your laps later in June! Be safe and always have fun driving!
Thanks Michael, really glad you enjoyed it!
Great video, you mentioned the clutch delay, removing the assistance spring helps out a lot and makes it feel as you would expect
Thanks! Are there any downsides to removing the assistance spring? I am always suspicious when VW do things they didn't need to do as they don't waste money :)
@@volkswizard I researched it as much as I could, and found the purpose of the spring is to make it easier to push the clutch in, which makes me think that it could be something that was designed for base-spec cars and in order to save cost and complexity of assembly, they just run all the clutch assemblies through the same assembly line - meaning they all get the spring. Could not find any evidence of it causing issues online (and have been told the same by someone who works at VW), with some people actually suggesting it has helped their clutch last longer due to quicker changes and less riding of the clutch. It's very easy to remove and put back on, so you could just try it out and go for a quick drive then decide - for me on my Clubsport it was never going back on after feeling the difference though.
Thought the Clubsport S Mk7 was 1370kg odd?
I’m quoting manufacturer figures from press releases. These can vary as some are with driver and fluids but I did my best to ensure both weights were comparable
Great vid mate, and loving the content on the channel and the Clubsport S. Looking forward to seeing the Clubsport being taken back to its natural home- the Nurburgring 👍
🙌🏻
I've got a deposit down on an American golf gti 40th anniversary and am so excited to see what it can do
It's a great car if it's based on Mk8 Clubsport - so funny you get a 40th Anniversary 7 years after RoW!
Great to see you still driving these cars hard. I hadn’t realised you were still trading, for some reason I thought you stopped when you moved. One day I’ll want a grey clubsport again, with dcc next time
golf cs whitout dcc ? that impossible* wait its exist?*
Hi James, I didn't do much for months but I just buy for a dealer now, I don't do any retail sales which makes life a lot easier. Yep definitely get one with DCC though I've not driven one in 18s without, might be OK but won't look as good, that's for sure!
The Clubsport (not Clubsport S) had the option of DCC but quite a lot of them weren't ordered with it primarily because they were ordered by the dealer for the showroom and for £1k they'd rather go for the big wheels instead as bling sells. Unfortunately on the road they are a bit hobbled by their stiffness but probably fine in Germany where the roads are generally perfect. With TCR, if you went for the bigger (19") wheels, you had to have DCC so harder to find one without.
I was thinking the same thing about that GR Yaris! Keep up the great content Andrew!
Thanks J! TBH after all the GR’s hype, I reckon most people will expect it to be that quick so it’s important to make it clear it’s not. I sailed past one last year (on film) in my Cupra so knew something was a bit fishy this time round 🐟
Loving the track spec content mate. Makes me wanna do this to my cupra 280 but it’s a daily 😅
Thanks Jack! I appreciate the need to preserve a daily as you never know what could happen but use track tyres and all you'll need to replace is the brake pads every so often. Your 280 is well up to the job 👍🏻
Great video, with the in car footage could i hear the creaking of the Seats lol , mine used to drive me absolutely mental in my cs40
That was probably me creaking :) I know what you mean about that though and I don't think mine does it but the high loads on track might mean it does - I'll watch it back now and see if I can hear it.
@@volkswizard It might not be the seats lol, it just reminded me of mine , drove me mad they did, look fantastic, but what a noise they made ,
That looks like a lot of fun. You look like you’re having a blast.
You’ve convinced me to book!
Nice one VW! Bedford is super safe and the evo track evenings are a little bit less hardcore than a normal event so it's definitely one of the safest ways to get on track, next one is September, see you there?
@@volkswizard yeah sounds good! I did an event day last year at Goodwood in a Huracan and a GTR but only a few laps and with an instructor so this would be a step up. Definitely up for September.
Fantastic, really enjoyed it. My questions would be, how does the drive of this car feel in relation to the 7.5 GTi PP and the TCR ?
My GTi PP has always felt numb on the steering in a straight, only livening up when loaded into a corner.
Those wheels looks great. Mean looking car
Thanks!
Thanks,enjoyed the video. Appears you had great fun out there and that's the point.
Thanks Terry! I did have fun but I had more fun in the Cupra last year - only real difference was the Racingline Stage 2 brakes but brakes are very important so when you have more than you need, you can then relax a bit and have proper fun :)
Keep them coming... Love the journey so far 😊👍
Thanks Malc!
Enjoyed your post. What VE/Audi data base do you use? I’m trying to research the service history of a vehicle.
If it’s a modern VWG car from 2014 approx you need to register for Erwin, it’s free. Just google Erwin and whichever brand 👍
Excellent as looked like so much fun and I see what you mean re need for strong brakes to haul speed down but so good to see a road car on track with a bunch of other enthusiasts- can’t wait for the Germany 🇩🇪 trip video and so close to 50k subs 🏎🎯👍
Good brakes definitely have a psychological benefit as well as a functional one!
Looking good Andrew! Still plan on going to the ring in 3 weeks?
Yes and I will deffo see you there!
@@volkswizard yes you will!
You did really well mate, nice and smooth. No worries at the nordschleife 👌
Thanks Luke! The only worry at the 'ring is all the other lunatics but I just need to choose my time carefully as there are quieter times than weekends when its bliss
Sorry if I missed it but who hosted the Trackday?
Very capable Fun car road or track
Thanks Ivan, it's not bad at either but I think road/ring is its forte, it's just comfy for a fast hard circuit like Bedford Autodrome but it was fine and nothing broke which was nice :)
Great video, could do with an open face helmet for commentary
Thanks Andrew. Good point re helmet. I copied Joe Achilles' setup this time with a mic mounted onto the camera which was on the windscreen (the mic on me was used outside the car only). This works well for Joe and works OK without a helmet on but you've just reminded me, Joe wears an open face helmet so his audio is OK. When I replace it, I'll definitely go open face 👍🏻
Maybe a write off golf gti performance that you can make track worth stage 3 stripped out completely! No fear of new damage (in comparison I mean)
Not a bad idea but a cheap Leon Cupra is better because you get the stronger version of the EA888 engine which only appears in Clubsport/S (or R) Golf. I've got an aversion to write offs just because they get bodged up to sell on often with stolen parts and nobody checks them. Even if they get a proper MOT, it doesn't tell the difference between filler in chassis legs etc. Fixing them up seems to make popular videos though!
@@volkswizard yes great choice! But yes definitely be responsible for the repairs yourself:) you get a chance to check everything then:)
Is this the Top Gear track?
Good question - no it isn't but both have been designed with safety in mind with very little to hit unlike most proper racing circuits (there is no official racing at either). This track is often used for corporate hospitality so killing the guests not such a great idea :)
You might wanna consider deleting the clutch damper valve
When is the trip to the Ring planned for?
Mid June as the chap that set the Clubsport S front wheel drive lap record is there racing a Porsche so hope to track him down 👍🏻
Golf 😴😴😴
Remember oil catch can if you go to Germany
Also you can sort the delay in clutch but buying new slave cylinder or getting a screwdriver to original and knocking the delay valve out
Thanks Isaac, I’ve checked out the delay valve mod, looks pretty easy.
Racingline do a oil management system which I’ve had my eye on - I think they use a pic of a Leon on the Karusel with loads of smoke coming out the back to promote its benefits, apparently it’s very similar the one used on the EA888 TCR racing cars so must be good
GR Yaris Not Tuned!
You really need to learn to change gear before you hit the limiter. Ffs. Brrrp brrrp. Annoying. Maybe a DSG conversion would be good for you.
I noticed that - not sure why I kept doing that, didn't do it in my Cupra which was manual (video to prove).
Mr volkswizard i need your skill set to help me solve the problem with my car is there anywhere i can text you ?
Email me via the address in the video 👍🏻
He is a real worry wort
Not sure what you are referring to exactly but years of experience have taught me to be prepared for most eventualities. The fact I didn't back out of the track time when it came down to it shows that I'm not too much of a 'worry wort' I hope 😁
He has so many cameras in there he cant see out of the windscreen
To be honest that wasn't an issue at all. I normally have one on the drivers windows instead of the windscreen and will probably go back to that for track. If I had a magic tree air freshener handing off the rear view mirror, now that would be an issue 😁