Do I have an upgraded clutch?

[phecker410]

Hi All,

I've had my 2017 Mk7 Golf R 6 MT for about 6 months now. So far only have an intake and JB4 but planning MPI and DBV2 TBB IS38 turbo upgrade in the near future. I'm somewhat convinced the car already has an upgraded clutch but I am unsure. The clutch chatter is pretty dang loud and I've never felt a slip, even while running the Jb4 for a few thousand miles. Car has about 30k miles btw. Can anyone think of a way of determining whether or not the car has a upgraded clutch short of taking the car apart?

Also, I'm in MD and bought the car from Koonz GMC in Tysons Corner, VA in March. Car is white with black Enkei wheels. If anyone has firsthand knowledge of the previous owner that would be helpful as well.

 

[kevinkar]

Unless the previous owner told you so, there's no way to tell. You have to take it out and SEE it. But if it chatters as much as you say it does, you're gonna be taking it out to replace it anyway. The question is, as they say, moot. A chattering clutch is definitely not an upgrade!

 

[Pickleahoy]

If it chatters like a single mass flywheel clutch then either there's something wrong or you've got an upgraded clutch. If the pedal effort is high compared to stock (stock is effortless), then its an SMF aftermarket clutch.

Chatter is normal on SMF setups, and its super noticeable with the windows down or low RPM acceleration (<2000RPM).

 

[phecker410]

If it chatters like a single mass flywheel clutch then either there's something wrong or you've got an upgraded clutch. If the pedal effort is high compared to stock (stock is effortless), then its an SMF aftermarket clutch.

Chatter is normal on SMF setups, and its super noticeable with the windows down or low RPM acceleration (<2000RPM).

Interesting point- mine is the only 6mt golf r that I've driven, so I don't have a comparison, but the pedal effort seems high compared to cars that I've had in the past

 

[Dog Dad Wagon]

Hi All,

I've had my 2017 Mk7 Golf R 6 MT for about 6 months now. So far only have an intake and JB4 but planning MPI and DBV2 TBB IS38 turbo upgrade in the near future. I'm somewhat convinced the car already has an upgraded clutch but I am unsure. The clutch chatter is pretty dang loud and I've never felt a slip, even while running the Jb4 for a few thousand miles. Car has about 30k miles btw. Can anyone think of a way of determining whether or not the car has a upgraded clutch short of taking the car apart?

Also, I'm in MD and bought the car from Koonz GMC in Tysons Corner, VA in March. Car is white with black Enkei wheels. If anyone has firsthand knowledge of the previous owner that would be helpful as well.

Black Enkei wheels? Sounds like a modified Golf R. If you've got noticeable chatter, and your car has aftermarket wheels, it sounds like you've got an SMF clutch setup. How is the pedal feel? SMFs would feel a good bit heavier than the stock clutch, which is butter sooth, light like a feather. Probably feel more like an older, late 90's/early 2000's clutch setup in pedal effort.

Also - how fast did the car feel before the JB4? And did you buy the JB4 brand new? If so - George could help you verify whether your engine is already tuned. It's highly unlikely an owner who had an uprated clutch would have flashed back to stock before trading the car in. In that case, running a JB4 could even be dangerous, since you would at that point be forcing the engine to add boost over whatever it's currently tuned for, which in this case is already significantly higher than stock. JB4 stacking on tunes is really just for 1-2 psi at specific points in the rev band for incremental improvement on an already-solid base OTS tune. Though JB4 stacking is unnecessary and arguably less safe and effective than the many E-Tuning options available now.

Anyway - it sounds like you have a few unknowns about your car. I would suggest getting those questions answered before adding any more performance mods.

Questions:
- Is it tuned?
- Does it have an aftermarket clutch? If so, what type? (likely SMF based on description)
- Has the Haldex unit been flushed? You said roughly 30K miles. If you can't verify via Carfax or otherwise that the AWD system has been serviced yet, I would suggest getting that done.
- Brake flush. Same as above, if you can't find proof it's been done, do it. Pretty cheap and easy job too.
- What does the engine bay look like? Post a pic of yours, and the dogbone (small superman logo-shaped) bushing under the engine bay. All the tell-tale signs of modifications should be visible with those two images.

 

[Dog Dad Wagon]

Interesting point- mine is the only 6mt golf r that I've driven, so I don't have a comparison, but the pedal effort seems high compared to cars that I've had in the past

If you're describing your golf r's clutch pedal effort as "high," it's not stock. with that info, and the description of chatter, you've definitely got an SMF. It's probably a southbend

 

[CarlosCanizares]

SBC Stage 3 here. Granted, mine’s under 500kms and very stiff.
OP, a stock clutch feels like you’re re stepping on a pillow and is void of feel.

 

[phecker410]

If you're describing your golf r's clutch pedal effort as "high," it's not stock. with that info, and the description of chatter, you've definitely got an SMF. It's probably a southbend

Just had my gf verify my perception. It's DEFINITELY not feather light, rather heavy in fact. Thank you all for the feedback, sounds like I may already have an upgraded clutch and SMF :-D

 

[phecker410]

Black Enkei wheels? Sounds like a modified Golf R. If you've got noticeable chatter, and your car has aftermarket wheels, it sounds like you've got an SMF clutch setup. How is the pedal feel? SMFs would feel a good bit heavier than the stock clutch, which is butter sooth, light like a feather. Probably feel more like an older, late 90's/early 2000's clutch setup in pedal effort.

Also - how fast did the car feel before the JB4? And did you buy the JB4 brand new? If so - George could help you verify whether your engine is already tuned. It's highly unlikely an owner who had an uprated clutch would have flashed back to stock before trading the car in. In that case, running a JB4 could even be dangerous, since you would at that point be forcing the engine to add boost over whatever it's currently tuned for, which in this case is already significantly higher than stock. JB4 stacking on tunes is really just for 1-2 psi at specific points in the rev band for incremental improvement on an already-solid base OTS tune. Though JB4 stacking is unnecessary and arguably less safe and effective than the many E-Tuning options available now.

Anyway - it sounds like you have a few unknowns about your car. I would suggest getting those questions answered before adding any more performance mods.

Questions:
- Is it tuned?
- Does it have an aftermarket clutch? If so, what type? (likely SMF based on description)
- Has the Haldex unit been flushed? You said roughly 30K miles. If you can't verify via Carfax or otherwise that the AWD system has been serviced yet, I would suggest getting that done.
- Brake flush. Same as above, if you can't find proof it's been done, do it. Pretty cheap and easy job too.
- What does the engine bay look like? Post a pic of yours, and the dogbone (small superman logo-shaped) bushing under the engine bay. All the tell-tale signs of modifications should be visible with those two images.

Yeah I bought the JB4 new and communicated with George/sent some logs. I would think he would have noticed anything "off" or noted unusual readings before we altered map6? It certainly didn't feel tuned when I bought it- throttle response was rather sluggish.

 

[Dog Dad Wagon]

Yeah I bought the JB4 new and communicated with George/sent some logs. I would think he would have noticed anything "off" or noted unusual readings before we altered map6? It certainly didn't feel tuned when I bought it- throttle response was rather sluggish.

alright then! Sounds like you’re golden. Just making sure you get off to a good start with your new-to-you R. They’re expensive cars, even used, to have anything go wrong with, especially things that could be avoided.


I agree - George would have noticed if your car was tuned, and if you say it had sluggish response then they definitely flashed back to stock.

wirh that said - you should message APR, Uni, UM, the main tuners and ask them if your VIN has a tune tied to it. It likely does with one of them. You could get it reloaded to your car for free they already have your VIN in their system (tunes are for the car, not the owner). That could save you a few bucks

 

[phecker410]

alright then! Sounds like you’re golden. Just making sure you get off to a good start with your new-to-you R. They’re expensive cars, even used, to have anything go wrong with, especially things that could be avoided.


I agree - George would have noticed if your car was tuned, and if you say it had sluggish response then they definitely flashed back to stock.

wirh that said - you should message APR, Uni, UM, the main tuners and ask them if your VIN has a tune tied to it. It likely does with one of them. You could get it reloaded to your car for free they already have your VIN in their system (tunes are for the car, not the owner). That could save you a few bucks

Heyyyy I like the way you think, thank you for that suggestion! I searched for a few minutes yesterday, but was unable to find a good thread that lists names and contact info for reputable custom tuners. Do you know of any such threads or users?

 

[jimlloyd40]

Heyyyy I like the way you think, thank you for that suggestion! I searched for a few minutes yesterday, but was unable to find a good thread that lists names and contact info for reputable custom tuners. Do you know of any such threads or users?

I don't think there is a thread that lists all the tuners. I recommend Cobb and EQT but there's lots of good tuners.