What makes a car event stand out as something truly special? Is it the builds? The people? The pop-up meets and activities? The location? All of the above? With so many modern car shows imploring this multi-day approach rather than the traditional parking lot one-day event, it's hard to stand out, especially in a niche [...]
Back in 2018, we sent a MK5 Jetta Sportwagen pre-production car on a ‘final voyage’ before it was destined for the crusher. Over the course of a few months, the JSW was built and outfitted for driving across the country and up to the Dalton Highway to the tip of North America’s western coast. To [...]
Warm weather is already here for much of the country. After we survived that nasty polar vortex, the rising temperatures are certainly welcome, especially for those of us itching to get back to enjoying our cars. Shows will ramp up soon, the first one on our schedule is next weekend at Riverside 6 in Chattanooga, [...]
Have you ever wondered how that ECS Tuning upgrade came to be? Of course, all performance parts begin their life with a need to perform better or differently than the original part, but how does it grow from idea to finished product? Here at ECS, we’re all enthusiasts, which allows us to draw inspiration from [...]
Some years ago right before I started working here at ECS, I had always associated our products with typical performance platforms. The rest of the models offered by European automakers just didn’t have that ‘enthusiast’ owner base that others do, like the GTI, M3, or S4. However, we offer more than just support for those [...]
The VW MK7 R has been in our hands long enough now that some of its weak points have become clear to owners and enthusiasts. If you’re looking for a second-hand MK7 R, chances are, these issues have already been addressed, but it’s certainly something to look out for and check the service history. Whether [...]
The MK7 Golf R is VW’s best-performing out of the box hot hatchback solution. It draws enthusiasts to its 292hp turbocharged version of the MQB Gen3 engine, all-wheel-drive system, available manual transmission, and practical 5-door hatchback layout. While it is still new, the MK7 R has not posed too many reliability concerns in the first [...]
We’re cranking out the hits lately. First, the MK5/6 2.0T FSI/TSI fabricated aluminum intake manifold drew tons of attention from big turbo builds. Now, we’re helping you reach those goals to reduce weight and increase efficiency. The new in-house designed MK5, MK6, and MK7 GTI/Golf R OEM Intercooler Delete Brackets are the best way to [...]
The Volkswagen MK4 GTI with the 1.8T engine is one of the most commonly modified platforms available. Thanks to its availability, affordability, and the aftermarket support offered for this engine, it’s more of a question of where to start rather than what to do. Everyone knows bolt-on upgrades paired with a software tune are the [...]
The MK4 platform is one of the best-selling VW models of all time, especially if you include all the possible variants. The Jetta, Beetle, and Golf all shared the MK4 platform from 1998-2005 (give or take, some versions started later, others ended later). With several engine options, layouts, and even models to choose between, it's [...]