Fw: Fw: [Vwdiesel] Better Handling?

Sat May 10 16:16:26 EDT 2003

Rims are aluminum CSC, 15x8"... I like them wide...  My '91 Jetta TD has
about 250K km.  Original springs and suspension, altho struts have been
replaced all 'round with the Boge high perf units (I think they're called
the Pro Gas or something like that).  I'm thinking of replacing springs, my
rear end is sagging when I have a full load (get yer minds out of the
gutter!!!)

Anybody know if the GTI has stiffer spring rates?  Aftermarket part number I
see have the same number for all apps, leading me to suspect there may not
be any difference.

Years ago, I had a Honda CRX that I used for Solo I racing.  This one had
14x6 Yokohama A-008 times (a really good high perf touring tire).  Buddy had
an identical car, with Yokohama A-001R 175/70 tires on stock 13x4.5 rims
(the A001R was the hot setup for Solo racing at the time).  His CRX ran
almost 2sec faster on the short track at Shannonville.  We even swapped
cars, and consistently found the same difference (I hate to admit, but he
was at least a second faster than I was!).

----- Original Message -----
From: "Shawn Wright" <swright at zuiko.sls.bc.ca>
To: <vwdiesel at vwfans.com>
Sent: Friday, May 09, 2003 1:00 AM
Subject: Re: Fw: [Vwdiesel] Better Handling?

> On 8 May 2003 at 14:51, Gerry Wolfe wrote:
>
> > All things equal, a lower profile and a stiffer sidewall will decrease
slip
> > angle, giving the same response.  When you go up in "quality" e.g. from
a H
> > rating to a V rating you are usually getting a stiffer sidewall as well.
> > This will also give a much harsher ride.  My Michelin Pilot 205/50HR50
> > rubber on 15x8 rims are actually uncomfortable; in retrospect, I
shouldn't
> > have gone this far.
>
> 15x8? Or do you mean 15x6? Yes, there is a wide range of stiffness between
low
> end and high end tires in the same size. It used to be that 60 series was
only
> available in high performance tires, with at least an H rating, but this
is no longer the
> case. It also used to be that treadwear was inversely proportional to
speed ratings,
> but again, some very good H and V rated tires now have decent tread life.
(My dad
> went though a set of 205/50ZR-15s on his Jetta GTX in one summer...)
>
> > All things are not equal.  What will give the most dramatic increase in
> > overall handling is the quality and the design of the tire itself.  A
high
> > quality / performance version of 170/70x13 tires will "run circles"
around a
> > lower quality / touring version of 185/60x14 tires.
>
> Very true - I've had some pretty decent 175/70R13 tires that were better
than a set of
> cheap Uniroyal 185/60R14s for example. And a set of Michelin MXV4s in
185/60R14
> that ran circles around the stock 195/50R15 Contis on my Corrado. I just
retired
> these MXV4s after at least 120k kms on 3 different cars... great tires.
>
> How's your suspension? Good tires are wasted if your suspension is worn
out. I
> swapped the Spax front struts from my old retired Jetta to my new one this
week,
> and what a difference - like going from an old Pontiac to a GTI! Next I'm
going to
> swap the A-arms with urethane bushings from the old Jetta, since the new
Jetta has
> 258k and is a bit soft still. I like the preciseness of the urethane A-arm
bushings, and
> they're a lot easier to install than stock replacements. A worthwhile $30
upgrade,
> especially if you have high mileage, imho. (they will seem a bit harsh at
first, but you
> get used to it.)
>
> > rgds, g.
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "TexasTDI" <TexasVWdriver at hotmail.com>
> > To: "Nate Wall" <natewall1 at yahoo.com>
> > Cc: <vwdiesel at vwfans.com>
> > Sent: Thursday, May 08, 2003 2:55 PM
> > Subject: Re: [Vwdiesel] Better Handling?
> >
> >
> > > Handling should increase some.  Since the tires are wider and the
> > sidewalls
> > > are shorter.
> > >
> > > I can definitely tell a difference between my stock 195/65/15's and my
> > > 225/50/16's on my Golf.  Handling was good with the 15's, but the 16's
> > feel
> > > like I'm riding on rails.
> > >
> > > Chris Thornton
> > > 1991 Volkswagen Jetta 2 Door 1.6 Diesel - 236k miles
> > > 2000 Volkswagen Golf 1.9TDI (turbo diesel) - 81k miles
> > > Amsoil Synthetic Lubricants Dealer #1098500
> > > http://www.amsoil.com
> > > http://texastdi.com/6/ubb.x
> > >
> > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > From: "Nate Wall" <natewall1 at yahoo.com>
> > > To: <vwdiesel at vwfans.com>
> > > Sent: Thursday, May 08, 2003 11:26 AM
> > > Subject: [Vwdiesel] Better Handling?
> > >
> > >
> > > > I've got 175/70 R-13 tires w/ 13 inch alloy rims on
> > > > the Jetta. How much improvement could I get using
> > > > 185/60 R14, tires on 14 inch rims? A fellow is selling
> > > > a set of 4 tires mounted on these rims from an '88 GTI
> > > > for $105 on e-Bay, and I think I'll pass because I
> > > > think the shipping would kill me!
> > > > See:
> > > >
> > > >
> > >
> >
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=38662&item=2414603931
> > > >
> > > > --Nate
> > > _______________________________________________
> > > vwdiesel mailing list
> > > vwdiesel at vwfans.com
> > > http://www.audifans.com/mailman/listinfo/vwdiesel
> > >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > vwdiesel mailing list
> > vwdiesel at vwfans.com
> > http://www.audifans.com/mailman/listinfo/vwdiesel
> >
>
> Shawn Wright
> http://Zuiko.sls.bc.ca/swright
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