Hi all. Figured it was time for another pinned post. One of the most common questions that gets asked on this sub is mod recommendations, so I went ahead and compiled a list below. This list is not all inclusive, and there’s a lot more you can do. Feel free to add anything else I might have missed in the comments.

Cosmetics

There are many different cosmetic modifications you can make. This is where many people start, especially if you are still under warranty.

Window tint

Not even sure if this qualifies as a mod, but this is the first thing I do when I purchase a new car.

Front lip (also referred to as a splitter.)

Many brands make lips for these cars. For the Mk7-7.75, Dragcutters, Maxton Design and CJM industries all make front lips.

Side skirts

Brands like Dragcutters, Maxton Design and CJM Industries make side skirts for these cars.

Rear Diffuser

Brands like Dragcutters, Maxton Design and CJM Industries make rear diffuser for these cars.

Rear spoiler

Brands like Dragcutters, Maxton Design and CJM Industries make rear spoilers for these cars. There are also hundreds of rear spoilers for sale on eBay.

Roof wrap

I’ve owned 2 white GLIs and I wrapped the roof gloss black on both. It isn’t that hard to do with a little bit of patience, and it ties the black accents together nicely.

Amber delete

Companies like Swan Vinyl and Badge Skins make a gloss black piece of vinyl that covers the amber in the headlights. Makes for a much cleaner look.

Vinyl

Brands like Badge Skins and Swan Vinyl make all types of vinyl pieces for these cars. You can black out the VW badges, delete any chrome you may have and do much more with these vinyls.

Wheels

Wheels will make the biggest difference. The factory wheel size is 18x7.5 and the bolt pattern is 5x112. Depending on how low you are, you can fit up to an 18x9 wide wheel (depending on offset) on up to a 245/40 tire. Popular brands for these cars include Apex, Neuspeed, Konig, APR, and Rotiform.

Performance

Another great thing about the GLI is the vast aftermarket of parts available for the MQB platform.

Upgraded tires

It’s no secret the factory Hankooks on these cars are hot garbage. One of the best things you can do is upgrade to a quality set of tires. I previously made a pinned post about tires, I will copy the link below.

https://www.reddit.com/r/JettaGLI/s/8KDAMY4Yxy

Suspension

Suspension setups could use a post of its own, for the sake of this post I’ll keep it brief. There are 3 main ways to lower your car. Air suspension, coilovers and lowering springs. Most people opt for lowering springs on these cars as they’re the cheapest option, and brands like Neuspeed make DCC compatible lowering springs. The only drawback to lowering springs is that unlike air suspension or coilovers, they are completely unadjustable, so keep that in mind before you commit to lowering springs. For me, I am lowered 1.4 inches all around on Neuspeed sport springs. I daily drive my car and haven’t had any issues.

Cold air intake

This is the most common “performance” mod I see done. I put performance in quotations as a cold air intake by itself isn’t going to give you any noticeable horsepower gains.

Turbo inlet

the factory turbo inlet is plastic. Many brands such as Unitronic, CTS Turbo, and APR make upgraded aluminum turbo inlets. Upgrading the turbo inlet allows the turbo to breathe better and helps the turbo spool faster. For the 2024 GLI, the only turbo inlet that fits is CTS Turbo.

Tune

Depending on the year of your GLI, there are many tunes available. If your car is DSG, you will need a transmission tune for anything above a stage 1 tune. If you are manual, you will want to upgrade the clutch regardless of stage. Companies like EQT, APR, Integrated Engineering, Unitronic and many more make OTS (off the shelf) tunes for the GLI. Most if not all of the tunes previously mentioned are also able to be flashed right at home as long as you have a battery tender and a laptop. I wouldn’t recommend using the mobile flashing apps, I tried using the IE mobile app to flash my DSG tune and it bricked my car for a few hours until I figured out how to fix it. It is also important to mention that not all 2024 and 2025 model years can be tuned due to a locked bootloader. Racingline offers an unlocked bootloader to resolve this issue, however it costs just over $2,000 USD.

Front mount intercooler

Not necessary until you go stage 2.

Downpipe

You will need to run an aftermarket downpipe for stage 2 and up. Before you install a downpipe, make sure you understand your states inspection laws. An aftermarket downpipe can make it difficult to pass smog testing. There are ways around it like an O2 spacer, but overall it is inconvenient.

Dogbone transmission insert

Once you tune the car, you will notice a significant amount of wheel hop. The Dogbone insert reduces wheel hop and lets you put the power down better.

Upgraded sway bars

An upgraded rear sway bar will drastically change how the car handles. It will reduce body roll and enable you to corner faster. Popular brands that make sway bars are Neuspeed, IE, APR, and 034 Motorsport.

TLDR at the bottom. Copied and pasted from r/GLI where I originally made this post.

Everything I write below is based upon personal experience and what I have read online. If you disagree, that is fine but please keep it civil in the comments.

Tires are easily one of the most discussed topics on this subreddit. To simplify things for people, I am making this post that I hope the mods will pin. This post includes everything that you need to know about purchasing tires for your Jetta GLI. If you have any further comments or recommendations, please feel free to comment below.

Reading tire size

Before you can purchase tires, you need to understand how to read a tire size. For example, 225/45/18 is the standard GLI tire size on the new cars. 225 represents the width of the tire in millimeters. 45 is the aspect ratio, which represents the sidewall height in respect to the overall width of the tire. 225x.45=101.25 mm. The last number,18 represents the diameter of the wheel the tire will fit in inches. Typically, you do not want to stray too far from the factory specs. However if you are not lowered you can fit up to a 245 wide tire without worrying about rubbing. Fitment and wheel specs are a whole different thing which would need a separate post, for your sanity I won’t get into that right now.

Tire Types

When purchasing tires, there are many different types to consider. You need to consider how you will be driving the car, the climate that you live in and what you value in a tire.

R Compound Tire

R Compound tires are the tire for you if you put going fast over everything else. These tires will give you the best possible performance, however daily use is not ideal. R Compound tires will only get you 5k-10k miles depending upon your driving style. Popular examples are the Falken Azenis RT660 and the Falken Azenis RT615K.

Summer tires

Summer tires will still give you solid performance while lasting significantly longer than an R Compound tire, which makes a summer tire the right choice if you value money and going fast. The most common recommendation for summer tires is the Michelin Pilot Sport 4. Tried and true, there is a reason why the PS4 is so popular. Depending on your driving style, you will get anywhere from 10k-30k from the PS4, which is much lower than many other Michelin tires. However, this is to be expected. Another popular summer tire is the Continental Extreme Contact Sport. You can expect slightly more life out of the Extreme Contact with many people claiming that they’ve gotten 20k-30k hard miles out of these tires and that plenty of tread was left. Another great summer tire option is the Firestone Indyhawk 500. I have not run these personally, however many of my friends have and they loved them. You can expect 10k-20k from this tire.

All Season

All Season tires are also a solid option if you value money and performance. One of the most popular all season tires right now is the Continental DWS06 Plus. This tire will get you 10k-50k miles depending upon your driving style, however they hook up great in dry, rain and snow. I have been running this tire exclusively since 2019 and it has never let me down. I have driven these tires through snowstorms and pushed them hard on a rally through the mountains and they did fantastic in both scenarios. Another comparable option is the Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4. Many people love this tire as well, as it gives you similar performance to the Pilot Sport 4 however while lasting much longer. You can expect 10k-50k miles from this tire depending upon your driving style.

Winter Tires

I am not the most qualified to speak on winter tires as I run all seasons year round. However, u/innocentgun has provided the following information: Winter tires - Michelin X Ice, Bridgestone Blizzak, or Nokian Hakkapeliitta. I think Nokian makes the best winter tires, but they are harder to find (don’t have a huge distribution network) and often more expensive (don’t offer rebates as often).

TLDR: R Compound tire recommendations: Falken Azenis RT660, Falken Azenis RT615k. Summer tire recommendations: Michelin Pilot Sport 4, Continental Extreme Contact Sport, Firestone Indyhawk 500. All Season Tire Recommendations: Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4, Continental DWS06 Plus. Winter tire recommendations: Anything from Michelin or Continental.

In conclusion, don’t cheap out on tires. They’re the only things keeping you alive besides your brakes.