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[ Apologies to all: this is a much-hashed question. I am posting
this to the list to generate some more discussion, which I will
then add to the "FAQ" list in the library. ]
Cc737egav cs wrote:
> Hi all,
> I am new to the list and I was wondering if al the expert on the list can
> give me some advice on what to upgrade on my 98 GTI VR6.
[...]
> Chris Chiu
> 98 GTI VR6
It depends on your priorities. If you want to look cool & ricey
(nothing wrong with that), obviously go for big wheels and an
exhaust. Big wheels were one of my first mods and I never
regretted it. (However, now that I have been there & done that,
if I were to do it again, I would do tires first.)
If you want more power, my recommendation is to save money for
cams or a supercharger. The "usual" mods of chip, filter, exhaust,
etc. does not do much for the VR6, which has a fairly inefficient
intake tract. You can, of course, change the exhaust, filter,
etc. first, but set your goal beforehand ("I will only get cams",
"I will get a turbo", "I will get a supercharger", etc.) and make
your mods with your final goal in mind.
If you want better handling, it's a toss-up between premium high
performance tires and springs + shocks.
With regards to wheels and tires: forget about wheels. Bigger
wheels usually increase rotational weight yet does not add much
more to the contact patch. The only thing you want to do there
if you have the $$$ is to get very lightweight wheels in 16"
size. That will cut down on your rotational weight (better
acceleration) and sidewall height (better steering response).
Bear in mind a lot of the weight is in the tire, not in the wheel,
so even if you get 11 lbs wheels, your 18 lbs tires will negate
a lot of that low weight.
With tires, go for high performance tires, for example, Pirelli
P7000 or P-Zero, Yokohama AVS Intermediate or AVS S-1 or AVS
Sport, etc. They're the tires listed as "Max Performance"
or "Ultra High Performance" tires on the Tire Rack Web site.
(www.tirerack).
With regards to springs/shocks, first of all, the best way to
find out what suspension set-up is best for you is to find someone
local who has a similar car with suspension mods, beg/borrow/steal
a ride and see how you like that particular set-up.
If you "only" drive aggressively on the street and do not
participate in motorsports (autocrossing, track events, etc.),
I would go for one the "medium" springs + shocks set-ups from
Neuspeed, H+R, Shine Racing, etc. I have Neuspeed Sport springs
and Bilstein HDs and they have great comfort/performance balance.
Get a rear sway bar (anti-roll bar). Forget about stress bars.
If you participate in motorsports, go for stiff-ish springs (350
lbs/in or more). I would start with 400 lbs/in at all four
corners and Koni adjustables or Bilstein Sport shocks/struts.
Remember that you can use spring rates to arrive at the desired
roll stiffness, so there is less of a need to worry about
which sway bar(s) to use.
--
Andy Nguyen \ aqnpanix \
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Fri Aug 28 11:48 CDT 1998
(GTI)