jazzbass

Changing the shocks to Koni FSDs will control body roll more than the standard items, and will keep the comfort level really quite good. I have these on, with standard springs, and superpro wishbone bushes. The bushes really help with road feel IMO, steering is more direct. As for the FSDs, they tighten up when pushing the car - around town, they cushion things quite nicely (as much as any shock can do on a heavy car with 17" wheels and lowish suspension) and on the motorway, better than standard shocks - no bouncing around, though as has been noted elsewhere on here, if you reach a crest/dip on a smooth, high speed road, you will notice it as they tighten up when offered no resistance (if that makes sense? still miles better than the originals anyway). When pressing on through corners, you really feel the benefit of these shocks over standard - the car feels much more capable, though I'm saving for a rear ARB as I can still feel the back end rolling around too much to really chuck it about. Ideally I'd have had this done first, but first my wishbone bushes and then my shocks cr*pped out on me - didn't mind too much to be honest, perfect excuse for upgrading! Definitely needs the RARB though I think, I'm expecting it to feel more balanced once I'm in a position to fit one. HTH Sam

Cheers Matt, sounds like the recaros are the way to go for me. R32 is the ultimate I agree, but my standard vrs isn't worthy of the 'R' brand! More importantly if I had that much to spend on them it would've already gone on a few other items I probably didn't know I needed before (this site is dangerous!) There's a set up for sale not too far from me, in leather to boot, but salvaged from an accident damaged vehicle by the looks of it as the driver's side seat airbag has been deployed and the whole side of the bolster needs restitching... Not even sure where I'd get that done, or how much it would cost - any suggestions anyone? I'm in SE London so Seat Surgeons are a bit out of the way! I think I actually prefer the cloth covers in some ways, no freezing in winter/boiling in summer, but if the leather set goes cheap and it's a simple fix I wouldn't turn it down Thanks for all the info though, very useful to know as I'd been coveting the S3s for a little while, all because I assumed they'd feel as good as they look... Good to find out what actually works

EDIT - just seen your thread in items for sale. D'oh! Ah well, someone's got themselves a tidy bargain there... I'll look out for others.

Matt, thanks so much for the info - really helps to see them all side by side! I'd previously eyed up the s3 recaros, they look the business but I can't afford much and would have to sell the vrs originals - hence the worry about how an upgrade might look come resale, though I hope to keep the vrs for a long time to come. IMO the s3s and r32s look the best, but I wasn't sure how the two-tone dark grey vibe from the various Golf options would look in the vrs. Judging from skinnyman's pic I think they come off rather well Also interesting to read that the older GTi seats are more supportive than the vrs seats - I'd always assumed that they were the same seat but covered differently. I'm also surprised that the guy you bought the recaros off missed them even with the plush-looking S3 jobs as a replacement - not all that glitters, etc. etc. Whereabouts are you based Matt? Those recaros still going? PM me if they are! Cheers Sam

Also, thanks to Matt - didn't see that they were links that you'd posted, thought it was just a list... It seems the seats in skinnyman's octy lie somewhere between the standard GTi seats and the Recaro items in terms of support/comfort. Though if there's no lumbar adjustment, that'll sway the recaros for me - I often fiddle around with it after a few hours in the car, playing double bass for 2 hours between 3 hours plus driving each way does nothing for the health of your spine! Food for thought there, thanks for posting up your reviews of the various seats you've tried.

Thanks for the pic! Was going to post up about these, keep seeing them around and am very tempted as I could really do with some more support around the corners... but wasn't sure how they'd go looks-wise with the vrs interior. Looking pretty good to me! How do you find them in comparison with the standard items?

Is this "The Emperor's New Mod"?

Have you done anything to it? I'm only at the beginning of what may become an extremely slippery slope, but even with some minor mods it can feel really different, gives it a new lease of life. I've done 28k in mine, and with some recent upgrades (only FSDs and wishbone bushes!) it really feels fresh again. Perhaps if it 'gave more back' you'd be happier? What do you like about it, and what don't you like? It's a fantastic car, but if it's not for you then maybe try to work out why, and if there's something else that's more suited to your needs/desires/pocket etc. Maybe go into a few dealerships and get some test drives of other motors you could afford - when you hop back in to the vrs you'll know if you want to change I reckon. I knew when I got back into mine after very nearly swapping it for a mint mk2 golf gti, just felt like I was 'home again'.

Have you checked this? Also who are you insured with? Adrian Flux got me a great deal where other insurers couldn't come close, also my Koni FSDs, Poly wishbone bushes and hypothetical RARB (can't afford it yet but wanted to check policy with it on for future ref) made no difference to the quote whatsoever. Even Admiral weren't too fussed about the mods, though they may have just been trying to keep me on their books As for the handling, the FSDs and polybushes improve things considerably from standard. Still understeering a bit for my taste, but the RARB is on the to do list and am hoping this will balance it out nicely...

Just hit 45,000 miles. I changed the dampers as my fronts had worn out - 45k was a little early for manufacturers shocks to fail I felt, though I wasn't too upset as I have to drive around the worst roads that London has to offer with a whole load of music equipment in the boot. I wanted to use it as a chance to upgrade the set, rather than replace fronts like for like with shocks that still don't do a good enough job on the car. And as I drive on poor roads with a load in the boot, I wanted to keep comfort levels around the same - but I also need a bit of 'fulfilment' every now and then to keep it interesting! Hence I read up and read up about the FSDs, got them fitted, and have been very pleased with them ever since. They are expensive, but I've had them on for a 1000 miles or so and I believe they're worth every penny. They can be a little crashy on potholes and rough surfaces - though less so than the originals, and anyway this is a heavy car (1000kg over the front axle alone!) on 17" wheels, so without a swap to 16" alloys (something I've been considering for a long while and still am) ride comfort will always be a bit of a compromise. I think Koni have done a great job with these shocks, the overall effect is smoother than the Skoda-damped ride and when you push on into corners they really do tighten up... I don't even have any anti-rolll bar at the back as yet (the RARB is on the to-do list ), just superpro wishbone bushes at the front, and the improvement in handling and vehicle composure really is noticeable at all kinds of cornering speeds... Roundabouts are more enjoyable than ever, the FSDs do have a kind of 'floaty' quality to them, but after a while you learn this and they actually provide good feedback IMHO. I'll bet the RARB will complement these nicely when I can afford it... I reckon claytarget_god is onto something here too, the front end was all over the place when my wishbone bushes had given up - pulled left, then sometimes right, and was generally very unsure of itself. Maybe get these checked first, if they are gone then the change to superpros will be a VERY pleasant surprise! Car feels much more planted with them on, steering more direct, and actually a bit of road feel enters the equation. If it is your dampers that are the problem, then I highly recommend the FSDs. As you seem to have a few anti-roll bars/strut braces already on, I reckon with them on you'd have a tidy handling car that won't knock your teeth out every time you hit a pothole Hope my experience is of use to you Cheers Sam

Quite expensive, but excellent both around town and at the more 'spirited' end of things... I've got the FSDs on my 2002 vRS with original springs, no problems whatsoever and a big improvement on the original dampers. I think the problems you refer to concern the fitment of the FSDs with Eibach springs, if you're still on original springs then this won't be an issue.

TB clean? Might not be what's causing your ASR light to come on, but it got rid of mine. Only mentioning as it's a quick, cheap and easy process so can't do any harm...

Not only a decrease in performance, but economy too... I used to run mine on 95, then made the switch to VPower exclusively about 10 months back. When I couldn't get any recently I had to put in a nominal amount of BP 95 to get me to the next Shell garage (gig in the *rse end of nowhere late at night!) and the car felt like an absolute dog! Though this may be down to the adaptive ECU, it still felt far rougher than normal. I get about 20-30 miles more to a tank on 99 (even more when 'touring' at NSL) than 95, also as I understand it the higher octane results in a hotter, cleaner burn, thus keeping everything cleaner than when using 95. I may be wrong on this, in which case I look forward to the far more knowledgeable members around here pointing me in the right direction I see it as a few more quid every tankful that keeps the car quicker, smoother and burning fuel more efficiently.

Nice one, that'll give me something to try out as I sit in traffic picking up my girlfriend from work!

Ah.. I see Ken beat me to it, and far more succinctly to boot!