Firstly hi all, just purchased a mk1 vrs and what a fantastic car it is.

I'm not too bothered at the moment about mapping, induction exhaust etc (as i like the reasonable fuel consumption) and am quite happy with the ride height, so not bothered about coilovers. I'm already going to upgrade the discs once the current ones need changing. However i'd like to maybe tighten up the suspension a bit and make it a bit more responsive handling wise.

Was wondering about the benefits of the powerflex bush kit and if this is the only alternative as it seem pricey for bits of plastic also what sort of top mount strut braces are available. I've read on here about possible a3 ones fitting? Any other suggestions?

Another question what are the benefits of upgrading the engine hosing? As i said i'm not bothered about upping the power but increasing reliability is always good.

Lastly, and sorry for all the questions, other than a nice whoosh sounds (which i'll probably get bored of) are there any benefits of an after market dump valve, and if so are there any that dont make a huge noise!

Cheers

Welcome to the site and congrats on the purchase.

regarding your questions:

Actually remapping or an induction kit / exhaust or all these may improve fuel consumption. What does'nt is the new found power from the car when your right foot enjoys it too much.

I get around 28 to 30 mph around town with the mods I have which is great for me.

Regarding suspension there are a few mods you can do without changing shocks or springs.

Powerflex or superpro bushes are a great start and tighten up the front end very well.

Audi S3 top and bottom strut braces will fit as the engine bay set up is the same. The lower brace will fit straight on as holes are there already. The top needs holes drilled in the turrents but easy job.

Part numbers

Upper strut brace 8L9 805 629 A

Lower brace 8N0 199 403 B

Bolts for lower brace N 104 679 01 2x

Captive nuts N 909 147 01 2x

Next I would fit a rear anti roll bar, again a superb way of tightening up the rear end of the car to compensate for the front bushes.

Then see how it goes.

Engine hosing will not give any real benefits, maybe slightly better on the TIP( Turbo intake pipe) as the silicon ones do not compress as much as the standard ones so will give better flow of air which could see slighly better turbo spool up. Also the silicon ones are more reliable and longer lasting, as the standard ones can split. Overall it smartens up the engine bay as well.

After market DV be careful of, as the 1.8T engine needs a recirc one and not one that dumps air to the atmosphere.

Unless you are upping the performance then standard ones does the Job. Folks go for Forge or Baileys when they start upping power or the standard one starts playing up.

Edited 2 October, 200916 yr by DGW
No need to quote original post.

And than do a track day!!!

Hi,

Many thanks for your help.

I've got the front upper strut brace and will be ordering the lower one this week. Are there any bolts in particular i need to fit the upper strut brace and is it something that a competent person can do or am i best taking it to a garage. Doesnt look that easy to get to the underside of the turret!

Cheers

As Bowders said you need the Rear ARB as the rear is one of the areas that NEEDS tightening up. If you fit a good ARB on the back you will notice a big improvement

Hi,

Can you just confirm the lower part number as when i call skoda to order it, it doesn't come up on their system, and VW say that they only have that listed for a beetle. Do i need to order it through SEAT?

Hi,

Can you just confirm the lower part number as when i call skoda to order it, it doesn't come up on their system, and VW say that they only have that listed for a beetle. Do i need to order it through SEAT?

As its an Audi part for an S3, your local Audi dealer will be able to help.

What colour is your new Mk1, and any pics?

Hi and many thanks again for the advice to all.

I've got the front top and bottom brace which are getting fitted next wk (i'd only mess this up, and besides i cant get the car up on my ramps!), but looking to order a rear arb and get that fitted at the same time. Now, so i dont kill any kittens i've used the search engine and quite fancy the whiteline one from dpm. Do i need anything else to fit this i.e uprated bushes etc for the rear struts or does it come with these and will i notice any difference between the 22 and 24mm (as they're the same price). This is a possibly a silly question, but f i go for the 24mm will i benefit form upgrading the front arb as well from the standard one?

Once this is sorted brakes here i come!

Have also replaced the rear speakers and front ones should be on the way either alpines or infinity......this car modding is bloomin expensive stuff, good job im happy with the ride height, those coilovers are expensive, but noy do they look impressive when on!

Cheers in advance

Couldn't wait for any response and went and order a whiteline 22mm arb!

Will try and get some pics sorted when its been fitted. Oh and in reply to beretta its Red, looks awsome in the sun.

Thicker one will be stiffer. ARB should come with the necessary bushes. Have you ordered speakers? Out of interest which did you go for and cost?

Yeah i couldn't wait for the response, figured the 22mm one will do, as i'm not going to be blatting it around constantly.

I got some kenwoods for the rear, only £35 and seem pretty decent. Haven't ordered the front speakers yet (cant decide to be fair). From looking on posts here you've got to get shallow mount ones for the front. From a bit of internet research its either alpines, infinity or i've seen some jvc and sony's that are also shallow mount. The jvc's are pretty cheap too and look to go down to a lower frequency than the alpines or infinity. However this will all depend on how they're mounted, where and how much air they can shift.

As for cost jvc's are only £30 then infinity's are the most expensive at around £50.

I Fitted Pioneer TS-1785 Front components and tweeters as the door panel width will not take larger speakers. These are good enough for me and sound very good. I disconnected the rear tweeters as they are naff, (which instantly make the standard rear speakers better) and replaced rear speaker with In Phase XT52 5" 200w ones. Again these are good bass and reasonable sound for the prices.

Overall sound is far better than standard.