I’ve previously mentioned that Avantturous needed more VW Golf Alltrack contents. I was on a mission to find a clean and meticulously cared for example around SoCal area and that was when I came across Chris and his heavily modified 2017 Golf Alltrack. To untrained eyes, Chris’ Alltrack would appear as a simple enthusiast’s spec dad wagon (lowered with aftermarket wheels). Upon closer look, one would find the Big Red Brembo calipers paired with big slotted rotors (a telltale that this Alltrack is packing some punch!).
Chris’s journey in the wagon realm started when he learned about the release of the MK7 Golf R Estate in Europe. He was convinced that it would serve him well as the perfect dad’s car. Then we knew what happened next… VW decided to once again leave the US market from having a taste of its fast wagon offerings. While the ROW market gets to experience the Golf R Estate, us Americans were given the Alltrack. It’s not necessarily a quick wagon (only packing 170HPfrom factory), but it offers a good starting point with standard AWD and 6-speed option. If one chose not to opt for the manual, dual clutch transmission (DSG) was also offered for that Lightning Quick Shifting!
Being an early adopter of the Golf Alltrack, Chris was aware of the lack of aftermarket support for the 1.8T powerplant. The stock motor was immediately ditched in favor of the 2.0T from the GTI. In the beginning, the team at AU Tuning ran into many issues while getting the GTI ECU to communicate with the rest of the car. It took months before they finally cracked the code and got the car to run. Meanwhile, Chris went on a shopping spree to acquire parts that would help him reach his goal of owning the ultimate Dad’s car. From Garrett GTX3071r and supporting mods that would help him cross the 5xx HP mark to suspension bits that include Bilstein PSS10 coilovers along with Whiteline front and rear swaybars, no expense was spared in this build. Interior was treated with GTI plaid seats, Golf R steering wheel and a Defi boost gauge. Alltrack’s exterior appearance was deemed good enough by Chris; thefore he only did three additions: Maxton rear spoiler, Golf R Variant rear diffuser to accommodate the quad tips and BEC LED headlights. A set of Titan7 TS-5 wheels made their way to complete the overall appearance.
As a man of commitment, Chris went the extra mile and some more with his Alltrack build. Overall, I think he’s way past his initial goal of just having a cool Golf R Estate “replacement.” BUT there is nothing cooler and better feeling than hauling your two kids in the back seat of a 525WHP wagon! Just imagine the smiles on the kids’ faces when the full boost hit!
Mission Accomplished!
Introduce Yourself
Chris Chee; Los Angeles CA
WHY A WAGON?
Always loved wagons. I remember my grandma had a 88 Nissan Maxima Wagon. I loved that thing. Had the fold open rear facing 3rd row.
Decided to finally get a wagon since we had a second kid coming. Parents get it. It’s not as much the rear seat space as it is the space behind the seats for all the stuff you need to drag along. Nothing unique, I needed space for kid crap and still hopefully track.
Did you consider a different WAGON instead of this one?
No. Before this wagon I owned at MK6 GTI. I really enjoyed that car. Buit it for the track and really abused it. It was my first VW and it sold me on the platform. When the MK7 Golf R wagon was released in Europe I told myself that’s my “dad car.” We don’t have it here so when the Alltrack was announced I decided that was the route I was going to go. It was close enough.
What was your original objective with your car and has that objective changed?
The objective has always to make my own version of the R wagon. Sadley we only got the 1.8 for the wagon in the US and at the time there were no tuning options. So the decision was made to buy an Alltrack swap in a 2.0 and ECU which had way more tuning options including COBB’s Accessport. If anything has changed I went a little farther on the power than I had intended to. I was thinking like a 450whp wagon would be nice. My aggressive tune that I used to daily puts down 525whp. I had to drop boost to 30-31 psi to save gas hahaha.
What style would you say best describes your car?
Track to Costco
Who assisted in the planning/building/modding of your car?
Like I stated earlier. The 1.8 in this platform had no options for custom tuning in 2017. So the only way I could get real power would be to tune a 2.0 and 2.0 ecu. Before I even bought the car there was already a discussion with Dave and Raz at AU Tuning about the project. Raz started looking for the motor and other parts before I got the Alltrack. They put so much time and effort in to this build. With all the setbacks they got it running. Dave kept saying “it’ll work.” I owe them so much. Besides the labor, AU Tuning is also a COBB Protuner. So all the custom tuning was through them as well.
Even with the car in pieces I reached out to some industry friends and a couple new ones. I already had the CTS BOSS600 GTX3071r sitting at the shop but Nik from CTS came through with a ton of supporting mods to bolt on.
Eddie, who has supported me for over 20 years on past JDM builds, and Jimmy over at Titan7 helped me out with a set of lightweight forged TS-5 wheels. Those guys are amazing. There’s something new coming in the next few months too.
Danni over at Race Technologies assisted on yet another build. The Brembo GT 6 pot 355x32mm kit was a must with the power planned.
When the guys over at COBB were told about the project they also helped unlock things to make it easier for Dave work on the ECU and TCU since that combination was not normal.
What do you feel makes your car unique / special in your eyes?
It’s a sleeper. Nothing too flashy or loud. People notice but it doesn’t draw attention. It handles amazing and has power to back it up.
What is your favorite part/feature/function of the car?
It’s a wagon. I can fit all the kid stuff in it.
If you could pick one thing you aren’t satisfied with about your car, what would it be?
I gotta figure out how to pass smog.
What has been the biggest obstacle you’ve faced while building this car?
Just getting it running. The ECU to run the GTi motor kept getting rejected by the rest of the car. There were days the car would start but only be FWD or not get in to Drive.
What one word best describes your car?
Practical
What is your final goal with this car?
I pretty much hit it. I’m 525whp. Didn’t expect to do rods and pistons but I bent a rod so forged rods and pistons went in. I’m to the point that the transmission is at its limit. So unless I drop a ton of money to beef that up I’m going to just do things to make the car run more efficient and cooler. I need to hit the track. I built the car to run on track…..just didn’t expect how little time I would have with two young kids.
