---- ~ -p - ~_Qj _~ -~-~ 1 ~! -~----- Neuspeed Sport spring kit, $259.95; Konl Sport ~ front strut Inserts, $154 each; Koni Sport rear shocks, $133 each; Neuspeed 25mm front antisway bar, $239.95; Neuspeed 28mm rear anti sway bar, $299.95; Neuspeed upper front strut tie-bar, $119.95; Neuspeed upper rear tie-bar, $289.95; BBS 17x7.5 RX wheels, $299 each; Brldgestone 205/ 4Q-17 Potenza 5-03 Pole Position tires, $151 each struts are offered as inserts only requiring the use of the factory strut housings. A spring compressor Is required during disassembly of the factory struts and the reassembly of the Neuspeed/ Konl replacement components. BBS huih:entrle rings are required for proper wheel fltment. It Is highly recommended that a wheel alignment be performed alter any suspension modification. BBS of America, 800/ 422-7972, www.bbs.com; Brldgestone, 800/ 557-6000, www.brldgestone.com; Konl North America, 859/ 586-4100, www.konl.com; Neuspeed, 805/ 388-7171, www.neuspeed.com Part 1: Suspension Tuning he Mk II GTI was an incredible car when it was first delivered stateside. Built from 1985 through 1992, many believe the Mk II to be the best Golf platform ever produced. By the end of its manufacturing run, the upscale GTI was offered with a 134hp 16v four-cylinder engine, fourwheel disc brakes, and a Recaro trimmed interior. As you can imagine, for the mid '80s and early '90s, these hot hatchbacks were in a class all their own. Unfortunately, so were their price tags-roughly $14,000. Today these cars can be purchased for considerably less. I found my GTI for $3,200. Best of all, affordable tuning options for these remarkable cars are plentiful as are the parts needed to build one yourself. In stock trim, my '91 2.0L 16v GTI is a wonderful car to drive-still very lively, somewhat refined, and believe it or not, athletic. After spending 18-plus hours behind the wheel motoring home from Seattle to Los Angeles, I had ample time to develop a tuning plan of attack. During this time, I made the decision to update the GTI to modern-day tuning standards. The suspension would be addressed first, followed by the brakes, then the engine. Once all the mechanicals were taken care of, exterior and interior appointments would be added. As Part I of the modernization of my GTI, I was looking for a substantial increase in handling. That was the plan, and Neuspeed, Koni, BBS, and Bridgestone were the solutions. I was searching for improved grip off the line as well as reduced body roll in the turns. I wasn 't expecting race car handling, HW Motorsport, 562/ 866-1761, www.hwrnotorsport.com; VW Specialties, 714/ 848-3766, www.vwspeclaltfes.com ll:::i::::i: :: eurotuner jan 2003 180 I E!llr'Otuoor.com
but as with other street-driven GTI owners, I wanted an upgrade that would be measurable from the driver seat. With this in mind, Neuspeed suspension product s were chosen. Installed beneath my Mk II are Neuspeed Sport springs wra pped around Koni Sport struts and shocks. This combination isn't the most aggressive package available from Neuspeed, but it is very street wort hy, wh ich was what I wanted. Next, Neuspeed 25mm front and 28mm rear antisway bars were installed to help the car turn better, while Neuspeed front. and rear upper ;put supports were bolted 1n place to st1ffen the chassis and reduce body ro ll. Lastly, BBS and Bridgestone were ca ll ed upon for a modern wheel and tire package featuring 17x7.5 RX wheels and 205/ 40-17 S-03 t ires. When all is said and done, my tuned suspension equates to stellar street drivability with ample adjustability for occasional track use. Installation was simple and straightforward following t he detailed instructions provided by Neuspeed. In fact, the entire process could have been performed at home using basic handtools. However, I opted to have a qualified VW tuner shop handle the work for me. I chose the VW gurus at VW Specialties located in Huntington Beach, California, to wrench on my ride and HW Motorsport of Bellflower, Ca lifornia, to mount and balance my new BBS wheels and Bridgestone tires. Stay tuned as we attack the braking system with assistance from Bahn Brenner when Part II continues in next month 's issue. VW Specialties began the suspension tuning at the front by first removing the factory struts. At this point, we realized that the struts had been previously replaced with one-piece Monroe units. Thankfully, VW Specialties had a set of stock strut housings lying around for use with our Konl Sport replacement cartridges and Neuspeed Sport springs. Once the factory strut housings were rebuilt using Konl Sport inserts and Neuspeed Sport springs, the entire package was returned to the car. To Install the larger-diameter Neuspeed bar, loosening of the front subframe was required as shown. During the assembly of the Konij Neuspeed front struts and springs, VW Specialties clued us in to a little tech tip. To help keep the front struts cool during hard driving (think track events), the company filled the factory housing with transmission fluid prior to Installing the Konl cartridges. The Neuspeed 25mm front antisway bar was next to be installed. First, we applied the provided silicone lubricant to the Neuspeed urethane bushings. Once the Neuspeed end links were connected and everything was tightened back up to factory specs, we were ready to move on to the Neus,peed upper strut tie-bar. eurotuner jan 2003 181 I eurotuner.com
Sport rear shock and Neuspeed Sport spring going back together. Note, aside from the upper spring seat, Koni provides all new Here's another VW Specialties tech tip: Once the mounting holes are marked, remove the excess body sealer from the strut towers as shown. This will allow the Neuspeed tie-bar to sit flush against the strut towers once It Is Installed. Moving on to the rear of the car, VW Specialties removed the factory spring and shock. To our surprise, we found that the upper spring seat had rusted away to nothing. Thankfully again, VW Specialties had a set lying around for our use. We simply followed the Neuspeed directions by drilling the mounting holes, starting with a small bit, and working our way up to the proper size hole for the provided nutserts. Instructions, the spring seats required drilling to allow for the larger diameter shaft to pass through. As with the front, all that was left now was to adjust the Koni shocks from Inside the car using the provided knob. eurotuner jan 2003 1821 eurotuner.com
Here's a look at the completed rear suspension featurr-,v,,, lng Neuspeed Sport springs, Konl Sport The Neuspeed 28mm adjustable rear antlsway bar was next to be installed by VW Specialties. As with the front bar, be sure to grease the supplied urethane bushings for the rear bar by using the provided silicone lubricant. Once the carpet was trimmed and the mounting holes properly drilled, the supplied nutserts were installed (per the Neuspeed directions) using a ratchet and wrench on the shock towers and trunk floor. All Glls came equipped from the factory with rear bars that were welded Into the axle tube. The Neuspeed unit Installs atop the tube using the provided mounting hardware as shown. The Neuspeed upper rear tie-bar was then Installed. To begin, VW Specialties assembled the tie-bar and test-fitted It to allow for carpet trimming and drilling. Using the provided mounting hardware, the Neuspeed upper tie-bar was attached. Note, the passenger-side floor mount uses the bumper mounting bolt and one drilled hole for attach- Next, the end links were attached to the adjustable 28mm sway bar and bolted up to the trailing arms as shown. Note: VW Specialties recommends the middle setting on the threeposition adjustable rear bar for street driving. With the tie-bar properly fitted, carpet was trimmed and mounting holes were drilled. Once the Neuspeed tie-bar had been properly installed, we made sure to tighten all attachment points and adjustable hardware. eurotuner jan 20031 831 eurotuner.com
HW Motorsport of Bellflower, California, provided the expertise to mount and balance our BBS RX wheels and Brldgestone 5-03 tires. Using the latest mounting equipment, the tire was Installed without the rim ever be Ing touched by the machine. With the hub-centric rings in place, the Brldgestone tires and BBS wheels were Installed onto the car using new lug bolts, also provided by BBS. The suspension Is complete. Next month, we'll address the brakes with assistance from Bahn Brenner and VW Specialties. :;.et eurotuner jan 2003 184 1 eurotuner.com