Hi All
I have just purchased an edition 30 to turn into a track/race car and need some advice on what parts to buy. From reading this forum I can see that quite a few people have track MK5's here so it would be good to get some advice on different upgrades.
A little background on me is that I have just sold my MK2 track car that I made into a 24v V6 using an engine from a MK4 4motion. It went very well but wanted something newer...and not with an anchor in the front! Thats going to be raced in the classic VW cup now.
I had my eye's set on a MK5 as they have come into the right price bracket and there are lots of choices for parts. I managed to pick up a red, manual, 3 door edition 30 not far from me for a good price.
Anyway, I'm focusing on handling and braking at the moment. Engine wise I have a loba HPFP, Revo intake and r-tech PCV delete because my valve has had it. I'm also replacing the diverter valve with the rev G one as thats also broken. I'm going to keep the power standard for the moment and spend the money on the rest of the car. Then I bet after one track day I blow a load of cash on the engine and send it to r-tech!
I'm going to be giving the car to TSR to install the full cage for me. I did the MK2 one myself and it turned out great, But never again!
So chassis. I'm planning a full superpro bush kit, Rear mount/lift kit, and 24mm front and rear ARB's. Now I just need to sort the suspension but I don't know what to go for. On the MK2 I had AVO coilovers and custom spring rates to cope with the extra 5ton of the engine
These were ok, but they were on the budget side of the scale but it's all I could get hold of in the time I had. This time i'm looking to spend between £800-1200 on suspension. I don't need them to be 1000 way adjustable, Just as long as they make the car handle like it's on rails. I have been suggested by a few racers not to go for coilovers but a quality damper & spring combination. What is everyone using with success? When I started looking I went straight for the KW V2 or V3's but I know these have their own problems with broken ring collars and are ok for a “street” suspension but this needs to be 100% track and maybe the springs are not the correct rating. Open to suggestions.
Brakes is my other issue. I had ibiza cupra brakes on the MK2 and they were great with the right pad/fluid combo. On this car we are making quite a big step up so it needs to be right.
The options that I can see are 996TT brakes as per
http://www.mk5golfgti.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=42137.0 or a different OEM setup that will fit. The other option is a BBK from the likes of VWM, forge or AP.
To be honest, I'm not warming to the idea of 2 piece disks due to the cost of replacing them at nearly £500 a set which is annoying as I think it's what I need with the direction of this car. I suppose it depends on how long the 2 piece disks last. I plan on doing more track days soon so it could be 5-10 a year.
The porsche setup looks great with it's 1 piece disk, But is it going to take the heat on track for 20 minute sessions? It's ok in the porsche cup so I cant see why not but is it what i'm after?
18” wheels are expected, I have a contact to get hold of some Pro-Race 1.2's in any size and offset etc.
So as you can see, It's sort of a blank canvas at the moment. My first job is to strip it and get it off for the roll cage. I'm gathering parts at the moment so a mass build can be done once its back. This car will lean more towards a race car than a track car. Fully stripped, Poly windows, cut-offs etc. It's going to be trailered most of the time anyway.
Cheers guys, Thanks for any input you give.
Mat
