Bits and Pieces Please

[Rooster]

Hi folks

Have got a number of things to sort at the mo ? trying to get back to standard spec for a European road trip in May. Hoping to go to Nurburgring and Wolfsburg for a look see 

Would appreciate advice on the following

What size tyres do the std Golf BBS (RA?) alloys take?

What size are the std front pocket speakers (dia & depth)?

I have a K&N cone filter fitted from when bought car. When stuck in traffic the temp needle goes up to around ? on the dial, but when travelling at speed and when its cold outside, it can go down to about a ? on the dial. It drops noticeably when flooring it on a fast bit of road. Is this a problem running cool & is there a way of stopping it? ? have considered getting a standard air box to put on for the summer as when sitting in traffic on a hot day it does get a little warm! 

The engines done around 140k and had head and valve stem seals done last year. To increase the purr-factor, I have the following to do:

Spark plugs and ignition leads
Oil change and engine flush
Coolant change and flush

Is there anything else that would contribute to a general tune up?  - what do you get from a rolling road analysis? ? can anyone recommend somewhere in the South West for this?
 
Have standard discs with Pagid pads to fit to the rear. Anyone have recommendations for discs/pads for the front? ? is it worth going non std? Also is there an improvement in braking performance if stainless braided lines are fitted? ? easy job?

Also will be replacing a whopping oval stainless back box for std item over next few weeks. Makes great noise, especially with the air filter. If anyone?s interested, let me know.

  Cheers   

[Mr Blue]

PM sent mate 

[...joe]

ok i'll see what i can do here. not sure about the size of tyre, i guess it also depends if you've got 14 or 15 inch ones,
the cone filter shouldn't have anything to do with your engine getting hot, but it may be worth going back to a standard air box, with a decent (k&n) filter as your cone job will be sucking in lots of hot air which is detremental to your performance. your engine will cool down as you drive along as you have a load of cold air hitting your radiator. you might want to check your thermo switch and thermostat.
i'd also change your fuel filter. its easy to do but often gets overlooked.
and as for front brakes, as i've just recommended to someone else, i'd go for zimmerman cross drilled discs and pagid pads, from german and swedish. they always get great reviews for price and performance.

hope that helps

[VeeDubGTI16v]

195/50/15 tyres you want, i think the speakers are 5 inch (or 5 1/4 cant remember the fraction) and as joe says get rid of the cone filter, they are for big jap turbo cars and saxos  if your doing the ht leads and spark plugs, might as well get a new distributer cap and rotor arm, when was the cambelt done last? for peace of mind change that along with the tensioner.

[pegasus]

The correct size tyre for 15" RA's is 185/55/15 

[VeeDubGTI16v]

yeah but you want 195/50/15

[Tucker]

Hello mate,

For a rolling road I used Jeffery Allan in Plymouth, Top bloke deff knows his stuff, only does engine work, comes highly recomended by every one on http://www.cruisesouthwest.co.uk/index.php he is even on there as every one uses him. Hes been in the business for years. Take a look at his site: www.enginetuner.co.uk.

Im after a rear box asap and in Devon

Cheers
Tucker

[pegasus]

yeah but you want 195/50/15

Indeed, they much cheaper... 

[Rooster]

Ta for the advice everyone - its starting to happen!

Why the conflict over the tyre size? If the correct size is 185/55/15, how can a 195/50/15 fit?

Tucker - will check out Jeffery Allan. Will also get a photo of the backbox to you over the next few days. Will not be coming off though till next wkend.

[pegasus]

Trust me, a 195/50 will fit, i got them on mine?

From the factory the tyre size was 185/55, prob cos they a bit more comfy on the road, cos they got a slightly higher sidewall than the 195/50.

EDIT - BTW, door pocket speaker size is 5.1/4" (or 13cm)
                    rear shelf support speakers are 4 x 6"

I know cos i just upgraded mine