Track mods for a mk2 GTi

[Chris71]

Hi,

I'm thinking of building a track day car and a golf is currently the main contender. What mods would people recommend for a mk2 16v GTi?

I'm principally interested in longevity, safety and fun factor rather than outright pace, so not to worried about upping my BHP unless there are any simple mods.

So, for example, are the stock brakes up to track use? (just some high temperature fluid and decent pads....)

Is the cooling addequate - would you need to fit an oil cooler or such like?

I'd stick it on a strict diet - put a single (light) seat in and remove.... well, just about everything else. Fit a good harness and possibly a roll cage.

The aim is to keep the costs down and not go overboard. Just basically something that can lap a track for as long as the driver can on an open pitlane track day!

Chris.

[c8dhc]

Hello.

I have a mk2 16v that I recently bought purely for trackdays. I used to have a Suzuki Swift Gti trackday car.

I bought an 8v 1st but the 16v came up at such a good price so I broke the 8v for spares, switched the best bits onto the 16v, sold the bits I didn't need + still have plenty of bits left incase anything breaks!

Features when I bought:
Stainless exhaust (downpipe back)
15" wheels/tyres
Upgraded shocks/springs
Smaller steering wheel
Short shift kit

Before taking to the track:
Couple of minor mechanical repairs
New oil/filter
Coolant flush
Gearbox oil
5.1 brake fluid
Swapped rear disks/pads from 8v as they were nearly new
Remove all the bits that you don't really need to save weight!
4 point harnesses
Brake ducts where fogs used to be
Fire extinguisher (just incase!)

Had its 1st outing in september. Went well but need a few modifications over the winter to make it better.

Good bits:
The brakes held up well with no overheating
Was plenty quick enough (for now anyway!)
Built like a tank (had a couple of minor 'offs' but car just bounced back)
Grips well even on budget performance tyres

Basic improvements needed:
Front arches need rolling/chopping a bit as tyres catch under extreme braking
Brake bias valve need adjusting - as the car is lowered it keeps locking the rear brakes
Tracking needs sorting (as a result of one of my 'offs')
Exhaust clip snapped + fueltank heatshield needs refitting

Long term upgrades (£££ permitting):
Full rollcage (safely 1st!)
Antirollbars (does get quite a bit of roll + on 3 wheels on sharp corners)
Bucket Seats
Polybushes

Currently the car stands me at around £200 (thats including everything I have done to it - selling parts you don't need is a great way of getting extra funds back for you project) and it is great fun for the money!

Hope this helps!

Dan

[Horney]

I would say the singlw most important thing on any car for track use only is the suspension. Power is nothing if it won't grip well round the bends. Get a decent suspension kit and get it properly set up (Correct camber and toe for track use and corner weighted, explained here). I've got a mate who races minis and said that getting this lot set correctly transformed the performance of his car over a whole lap.

Nick

[lewis1641]

the brief i set myself was to have fun and not spend a fortune. my car was bog stock and all i did for its first track outing was strip all the weight out of the interior. i sold all the bits of trim on ebay and recovered the cost of the car. the first session was hilarious. we had a fantastic day out.

in search of grip i bought a set of second hand cut slicks. these came from a pugeot race car and came on pug alloys which i sold and that paid for the tyres!  that is the best thing that has been done to the car. these tyres wear well and grip for fun. better still they are street legal and they make a fantastic noise.

started to get a bit serious when the suspension was done. again i used ebay and got a full set up off an ex circuit racer. lap times improved slightly but the car is now incredibly stiff. its ok on the track but horrible on the road. i never realised the m1 was so bumpy.  the car is now not pleasant to be in for more than a couple of hours and my girlfriend refuses to go in it now(every cloud and all that...)

my advice would be keep it stock which keeps it simple and cheap. strip all the weight out and definately get some cut slick tyres!

good luck

[Chris71]

Cool, well the idea was to keep it pretty standard (certainly as far as power goes)

Is the general consensus that mk2 brakes are ok for a certain ammount of track use as standard then? In which case, like you say I'd probably just strip ouit the interior and maybe give it some new springs and dampers (more to make up for wear than anything else)

[was_ser]

This was the thread I was looking for. After crashing and bending my Mk2 I was thinking "trackcar". It has a very good engine 1.9 8v Big bore, chipped and pipercross airfilter.  At present I am selling what ever I can to raise £500 to buy the donor car. However having read that it can be done for half the price I shall get the engine out this weekend and start looking for the donor car.

How much do track days cost? Can you just turn up?

[lewis1641]

brakes - mine are standard but they do get a bit hot. i am planning on changing brake fluid to see if that helps. the brakes are up to the job as they are. to get a significantly better setup would cost loads too.  when on track i am aware the brakes will eventually fade  but at least it serves as a reminder to pit and let everything cool a bit. i have fitted ducting too but i'm not too sure it has really improved anything.

as for cost of track days, it depends.  i use a local airfield track which is less than £50 for the day but it is not really as track day as such. there are no marshalls or first aiders or anything but there are generally only a handful of people.  on the other hand, circuits like canwell park can cost £150 for the day.

never just turn up. there are usually limitted spaces available.  have a look at these guys...

http://www.javelintrackdays.co.uk/

[c8dhc]

Get youself some 5.1 brake fluid - makes a big differance.

(also try and get yourself signed up to a halfords trade card as the price of fluids drops loads. Think the 5.1 brake fluid was £12 on the shelf but trade is about £4!)

My 16v had bigger front brakes than the 8v, they perform well but disks + pads can be upgraded once they are worn out.

[lewis1641]

chriis71, have a look at this golf my friend is selling - its track ready and road legal

http://www.golfgtiforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=69757.0