VW R32: 1095 days and counting....
It's three years to the day since I purchased my R32. It had been around ten years since I'd driven a manual, so on the 21st of March in the year 2004 I probably looked like an idiot as I drove off the lot. :o)
I didn't realize it at the time, but I'd finished all the performance mods I had planned exactly two years and one day later....
In order of installation:
1) EIP short shift and lower rear transmission mount (July 2004)
2) Flapper mod switch (2004)
3) EIP ECU upgrade (April 2005)
4) VW OEM HIDs (May 2005)
5) H&R 21mm RSB (May 2005)
6) EIP CCAI (May 2005)
7) HPA Motorsports SHS coilover suspension (March 2006)
Further details and pics of the above can be found in a previous post. All of the stuff I've done to the R, big and small, performance-related and not, can be found here.
Anywhoo, in celebration of my R's third birthday, I thought I'd post a brief photographic retrospective of my R32:
The past three years haven't been perfect, but after almost 31k miles, I'm looking forward to many, many, *many* more. :o)
I didn't realize it at the time, but I'd finished all the performance mods I had planned exactly two years and one day later....
In order of installation:
1) EIP short shift and lower rear transmission mount (July 2004)
2) Flapper mod switch (2004)
3) EIP ECU upgrade (April 2005)
4) VW OEM HIDs (May 2005)
5) H&R 21mm RSB (May 2005)
6) EIP CCAI (May 2005)
7) HPA Motorsports SHS coilover suspension (March 2006)
Further details and pics of the above can be found in a previous post. All of the stuff I've done to the R, big and small, performance-related and not, can be found here.
Anywhoo, in celebration of my R's third birthday, I thought I'd post a brief photographic retrospective of my R32:
The past three years haven't been perfect, but after almost 31k miles, I'm looking forward to many, many, *many* more. :o)
That's awesome. I'm really thinking of getting coilovers for the STI.
ReplyDeleteThanks :o) I'm really happy with the HPA coilovers.
ReplyDeleteAre you thinking of improving the STI's suspension/handling, lowering, or both? Obviously I don't have as much seat time as you, but I thought the stock suspension is already pretty good.
It's probably just the angle of the pics, but in some of them I think it looks like the front has a larger wheel gap than the back.
The stock STI suspension is pretty good, especially for daily driving. It can handle quite well for the street.
ReplyDeleteHowever, the wheel gap is excessive and the front is cut out more than the rear, probably for it's rally heritage.
I was thinking of only getting springs, but I think a spring/shock combo might give me better ride quality.
How are your coilsprings on the roads out there? Have you bottomed out on potholes or anything?
I've read that if you only upgrade one, that it's better to upgrade shocks, first. Or is it the other way around? I don't remember.
ReplyDeleteMy coilovers are fine on the local roads. I haven't bottomed out on anything, even with all the potholes that have appeared this winter.