Initial modifications to 1.8T *help*

[daveh]

Hi. I'm new to this forum, and also new to modifications with my car......i've read bits, and im resally interested but just dont know where to start. I've recently purchased a GTi 1.8Turbo (150bhp) and love it!! i'd love to start of with some minor modifications to up the perfermance and style of my car.....but where do i begin!??

Thanx Dave.

[>>Mart<<]

easy mods to make it sound better forge DV valve and new air filter ie pipercross, carbonio, green filter
what about new rear lights RCCR and maybe a abt grille

[dave_drummer]

Depending on the age of the car you should either get an engine remap or chip. (chip on earlier models remap on later ones) - £500 max  You will notice biggest power gains from this. Perhaps 40 more bhp.  Exhaust and induction kit are always favourites.  Milltek are probably the best exhausts to go for (full system if you can afford it).  Both of these will improve performance slightly but make the car sound nice.  Cosmetic changesÂ… well thatÂ’s up to you and your preference.  BBS wheels or Audi wheels are always a firm favourite. (£700-1500 approx) 17 or 18” or 19 if you dare.  Lowering springs will be inexpensive to buy and fit and I recommend no lower than 40mm.  You can change the suspension but that will cost you a lot more.  It depends whether youÂ’re taking it round tracks or giving it some on an everyday basis.  Body styling again is a personal taste, I opted for r32 kit, which looks nice and not too boyed up!  DonÂ’t buy cheap fibreglass replicas of body panels as they are prone to bubbling when baked.  Hope this helps, as for an order of things to do, I would start by new wheels and lowering then a small spoiler if it doesnÂ’t have one.  For engine mods the chip will put a smile on your face!         

[Ivor Mk4 Turbo]

Like everything, it's all down to budget, really.  But I'd def consider these things for the cheaper side of worthy mods (in my opinion, of course! ):-

1) BRAKES:  312mm brake conversion.  Easy to do - You just need pads/discs/carriers (can use your existing calipers).

2) HANDLING:  Aftermarket front & rear anti-roll bars.

3) PERFORMANCE:  Re-map from REVO, jabbasport etc.

4) LOOKS:  Eibach -35mm springs (can use with existing shocks).

[daveh]

thanx for the ideas people. As for the age, its the same colour and model as yours Ivor. Silver MK4 and its age is 2000. With looks i was looking at the anniversery body kit, would i need to buy this at the same time as an exhust?

As for the engine mods, i was lookin at a low budget this month, so would an induction kit be a good buy? if so which one? im looking at speneding around £200 this month, and i have a MK4 1.8T GTi. With the remapping, would it be possible to get this done local to where i live (Bristol)? or would i be looking at a bit of a trip to wherever i can get it done?  And this is what confuses me; do i need it remapped? or chipped? Plus how much would i be looking to spend for this? as well as how much will my insurance jump up by considering its about £1000 at the moment?

Sorry for being completly clueless! But thanx for everyones help!

Dave.

[Ivor Mk4 Turbo]

You could get the Anni body kit/rear valance first, so that the new Milltek/Blueflame?? (Anni style???) exhaust would fit through the rear valance.  Couldn't get the exhaust first for obvious reasons, & your OE exhaust would look a bit silly with that gap! ) >>> http://www.vwspeed.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=1332

With filters & induction kits, don't get anything which is oil based, such as the likes of K & N, as the MAF sensors get clogged up on our cars.  Try for a foam or non-oil based filter.

As for the ECU, try & google some REVO distributors, as I'm sure they'll be one near you!

[Ivor Mk4 Turbo]

ps Not really sure about the insurance, as I was going to a new co. when I declared the re-map.  The rather unfortunate scenario is, that once they have your recently acquired business, they have you over a barrel, & can pretty much charge you as much as they like.

[daveh]

Again, thanx Ivor....great help... just another thing tho, with the remapping. does it matter that my cars currently just an untouched standard 1.8T. or would i need to buy a few things under the bonnet before the remap, such as induction kit etc?  or would any be advisable?.... p.s. what body kits that you have on your car? very nice.

cheers
dave

[topher]

re: the remap.. all mk4 1.8T's can be remapped, some places still physically solder a new chip into the ECU, but it isnt necessary regardless of the age of the car. Some can't be done via the OBD port so they remap direct to the ECU .. and you can get that done all over the country. Companies like REVO have dealers everywhere.

[Ivor Mk4 Turbo]

If you go for a generic kind of 're-map/ECU alteration' such as a REVO etc, it won't matter which way round you do things.  But, if you want to optimise your performance upgrades, you're betting off getting all your bits first (eg, air filter, exhaust, sports cat, Forge D.V. etc.), then getting it tuned 'live' on a rolling road, specifically tailored to your car/modifications.

No body kit, pal, I just got the OE front & rear valances colour coded - £25 each, IIRC.