Back in a VW

[Tom93]

hey guys thought i post up here.

recently acquired tommy mac's old 1.8t mk2 golf
no major plans for it yet. at the moment its to get it running correctly, freshen it up a little bit and then to get it to stick to the road a tad better. 175 tires are not helping it at the moment.. an suggestions would be awesome and will post up some pics when i get a chance.

cars currently running a AGU 1.8t with a high mount GT28 and tial external waste gate. all being controlled by a MBE ecu from qpeng.

[HaydEn]

Was trying to buy this car for a bit, dude was always above what i wanted to spend.

Hopefully it is as fast/fun as I had hoped it would be!

[sports racer]

Setting up a MK2 so it stays with Porsche's through corners is pretty easy. Doing it AND keeping a soft ride is the tricky bit but can be done.

What shocks/springs are you currently running?

[Tom93]

at the moment its running black bilstein shocks and weitec (im assuming as they are bright green) lowering springs. unsure at the moment to just get a new set of shocks and springs as the ones in it are a bit shaggered, or go for Coilovers and be able to adjust height and dampening to what feels best..

[jdrose]

It definitely is a fast car. And plenty fun to drive. It ran a 13.4 @ willowbank, easily beating v8's. Get rid of the qpeng and a haltech or something similar. Enjoy it. Hopefully you got it at a good price.

[Tom93]

Yer it is. needs a bit of tlc. running a bit rough atm and turbo probably could do with a rebuild. things i'm adding to my list. yer want to ditch the qpeng and had a talk with pete from Canberra VW and he suggested and Autronic. so going to weigh up the difference's between that and the haltech and then start saving

[sports racer]

at the moment its running black bilstein shocks and weitec (im assuming as they are bright green) lowering springs. unsure at the moment to just get a new set of shocks and springs as the ones in it are a bit shaggered, or go for Coilovers and be able to adjust height and dampening to what feels best..

Adjustable coilovers (dampening & rebound) will always be the best but they cost a fortune.

Here's what I recommend while you save up your money and it may sound stupid but it works - standard shocks with your Weitec springs.

OK, before you think I'm crazy here's the reasoning behind this choice. Coilovers that let you adjust the bump/rebound make adjustments to the coilover, not the spring, so whether the car rides soft or hard it's still using the same springs. It's the coilovers that dictate how harsh the car drives over rough roads and speedbumps so the softer the coilover the softer the ride. The springs are only there to hold up the car and resist body roll through corners. Lower, stiffer springs are what helps you go through corners fast and you’ve already got them but you need to have decent tyres. There’s nothing worse than low performance tyres on a well setup car.

Yes I know shocks should be matched to springs (or at least the manufacturers tell you so and surely they wouldn't lie just to get extra money out of you) but unless you're fitting racing springs you can get away with soft shocks on hard springs.

My MK2 had cheap very stiff coilovers and the handling was great but very harsh over country roads and I drive 200ks every day to Canberra and back home so 2 hours per day was annoying. I fitted Spax sports suspension and it still handled great but was a lot more forgiving on country roads and speedbumps. I then went to standard shocks on the front (with the Spax springs) and the MK2 was magic to drive - I could still hammer it through roundabouts but now I could hit speedbumps at a decent speed and rough country roads were nice to drive. I drove like this for a year and never bothered to look for coilovers. My money went elsewhere.

After I wrote off the MK2 I put the suspension into my Seat Cupra but it wasn’t as good through corners (I like to drive with my passengers pinned to the windows) so I fitted a rear sway bar and now it’s pretty good. The Seat is heavier than the MK2 so needed the extra work. At the VW Nationals I took a MK1 owner for a run in my Seat and he couldn’t believe how hard I could take corners or go over speedbumps. I was surprised at his reaction as his MK1 has coilovers and when you push on the roof from the side of the car it doesn’t move so it should be quick through corners.

Try it, it’s a cheap option while you save up for good coilovers and you may be surprised how long you drive with this setup.

Cheers

Paul

[Water Boy]

Very cool/fast car.

[Tom93]

hey paul thanks yer that sounds really good. was looking at BC coilovers but only think im after with them is the dampening adjust. but im happy with the height it sits at, at the moment just want want to make the ride a little better. might give that ago with getting wither another set of bilsteins and chuck the weitec springs on them and use the money for other things

[sports racer]

And replace the 175's!