J.T's MKIV GTI

[J.T]

Now I am the proud owner of a GTI I thought it was worthy of it's own thread.
Its a silver 1999 MKIV. So far it has an Oettinger chip & single mass lightened flywheel fitted. Other than that it is bone stock. Although it does have a sunroof, bigger 312mm S3 brakes & leather interior.. which i do love (as slippery as it is..)
One thing i really have noticed is how soft the stock suspension is. It rolls around soo much! First plan of attack is to rectify that! I have been looking at spring and strut combos and am still deciding on a brand. Not sure whether to go with a H&R + Bilstein combo or H&R + KYB 'AGX' combo. I like the idea of the damper adjustable feature on the KYB's. I had them on my old car and thought they were great.
I will also be fitting a front upper strut brace and lower sway bars.. But all these will come with time & money.
I also wouldn't mind fitting a short shifter (My old MX5 spoiled me there, and the GTI feels like a truck compared to that.. haha) A new set of wheels, dark tint & colour coding the front & rear valances are also on the cards but i would rather get the handling sorted before the look.

I dont have a great deal of photos at the moment, these are just crappy phone pics, but i will post them up as i get some decent ones taken.

http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/5449/gti1q.jpg (http://img413.imageshack.us/i/gti1q.jpg/)


http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/1525/gti2.jpg (http://img100.imageshack.us/i/gti2.jpg/)

[Paolo]

nice MK4! hope to see great things from this car =)

[Cam]

Nice GTI J.T!
I quite like the rims, they look similar to the classix and exis MKV wheels.

Tint would really top it off nicely I think
:)

How does it go with the chip?

[J.T]

Nice GTI J.T!
I quite like the rims, they look similar to the classix and exis MKV wheels.

Tint would really top it off nicely I think
:)

How does it go with the chip?

I dont mind the rims that are currently on it either, i wouldn't mind painting them a gunmetal colour in the mean time.. just to cover up some of the scratches that are on them.
I will eventually tint the windows as well. Like everything else it will come with spare cash.

I drove a stock one when i was searching for one and the chip makes a big difference over standard. The standard tune was pretty disappointing i think, I have no idea why it was so de-tuned from the factory. It now has 143kw and 295Nm of torque. Up from 110kw and 210Nm in standard form.

[sir_camel]

Nice to see another MKIV, and a silver one at that!

[stephen8512]

nice MK4 there! I reckon MK4's are often understated but personally i think they have lots of potential to look good and performance to match

[Frenchie]

Congrats J.T - Awesome platform to start your project.

[Cam]

Thats awesome. The torque is the best thing.
:)

[Justin Fox]

So happy for you mate! :)

[burgs]

Nice clean MK IV mate, will be good to see how it turns out with the suspension mods.

[10d]

Congrats mate. I think silver is the best colour for the mkIV

[J.T]

Thanks for the comments guys. I cant wait to get it to the stage i want it. :)

[Space Cadet]

Nice mate! Is that the one from Camden GTI?

[mikinoz]

I think that unless I am mistaken, that is a non standard exhaust and rear valance - i was of the impression that the MKIV was down-sweot tips hidden behind the rear valance.

All the same, good luck on your ownership! New cars are great.

[chris32]

Looking great mate.

[J.T]

Nice mate! Is that the one from Camden GTI?

The car was purchased from Camden, but it was a private sale.


I think that unless I am mistaken, that is a non standard exhaust and rear valance - i was of the impression that the MKIV was down-sweot tips hidden behind the rear valance

The exhaust is only standard, the previous owner only had a tip put on it. It is tempting to put an exhaust on it, but im liking the stealth at the moment.. No one ever suspects nanna's golf!


I thought i should mention im still currently deciding on the suspension for it. I'm very much leaning towards Eibach Pro springs & KYB 'AGX' adjustable struts & shocks. Oh and the upper front strut brace is a definate. Hopefully plan to order within the next week.
Oh i have recently bought one of these.. a necessity i think :D

http://www.dubaddiction.com.au/images/stubbyantenna.jpg

[J.T]

Another addition to the list.. 17x7 VW 'Siata'
I wont be putting them on the car until the suspension arrives from the states. I will get everything done at the same time. I decided on Eibach 'Pro Kit' springs, KYB 'AGX' damper adjustable struts & shocks. Also got a front upper strut tower on order also. Oh and an armrest delete kit, because i decided to remove the armrest as i found it annoying & completely useless, also it makes too much noise rubbing on the leather seats.

http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/5523/golfwheels1.jpg (http://img72.imageshack.us/i/golfwheels1.jpg/)

http://img.ecstuning.com/product_library/63207/300/Arm%20Rest%20Delete%20Kit%20With%20Rubber%20Storag e%20Insert%20-%20Black.jpg

[10d]

I like your style!

[Cam]

I've found the armrest in the MKIV a bit 'in the way'. Glad its not just me...lol
Its fine if you put it down when you're cruising along in 5th on the highway but I've been forever bumping my elbow when I change gears.

[schoona]

You get them off the pogo on watercooled? Hot rims mate!

[Cam]

Oh and also look forward to seeing how the rims look!
:D

[J.T]

I've found the armrest in the MKIV a bit 'in the way'. Glad its not just me...lol
Its fine if you put it down when you're cruising along in 5th on the highway but I've been forever bumping my elbow when I change gears.

I couldnt stand it.. It was in the way of the handbrake when it was down also.. So just a simple bolt & pulled it out.. Now im left with a nice big hole in the console till the delete kit gets here, lol.. I will post up pics as soon as the wheels go on. Now i play the tyre research game :D


You get them off the pogo on watercooled? Hot rims mate!

Sure did.. couldnt resist! :D

[VR53KS]

Oh yup, saw them too.. OEM+ is the way to go :D When's the suspension gear coming?

[Cam]

Awesome J.T
Look forward to seeing the pics!
:)

[SUGA]

Me three!

[J.T]

Me 4!!! lol

Not sure exactly when suspension will be here, its in an ECS Tuning group buy on VWW. Hopefully sooner rather than later, i hate waiting!

[J.T]

Hopefully suspension should be arriving in around 3-4 weeks. But having the wheels with no rubber sitting in my house is really frustrating me, so i thought would go and put one of them on the car this afternoon to get a good idea on what it will look like, and turns out that the lock nut socket piece is no where to be found, so the wheels aren't going anywhere!! So that blew those plans out the door. So now i have to source a new piece from VW.
So anyway here is bad shot of what the car will look like with the new rims. It really really does need more low! :)

http://img153.imageshack.us/img153/889/golfwheels2.jpg (http://img153.imageshack.us/i/golfwheels2.jpg/)

[peedman]

Nice mate, i got a ride in pierres mk4 and boy was that a hoot. Got any plans to make it faster?

[J.T]

Yeah his GTI is certainly a piece of work. At the moment there are no plans to go any quicker, it already has the oettinger chip and a few mods which help, which all satisfy for now. Im more concerned with the handling at this point in time. The car needs to be balanced out.

[Frenchie]

All in good time J.T - you off to a good start.

[Capercat]

Oh and an armrest delete kit, because i decided to remove the armrest as i found it annoying & completely useless, also it makes too much noise rubbing on the leather seats.


My MK4 MY03 GTI didn't have an armrest. Is this the one between the the driver & passenger seat similar to the S3 armrest?

http://img96.imageshack.us/img96/8959/gti02.jpg

[AP]

Looking hood JT!!

[Capercat]

I noticed the black mud flaps, these don't look good on the MK4 IMO, not the cleanest look. Wheels are great!

[J.T]

Yeah the armrest between the seats. Don't worry, you didnt miss out on anything, it was nothing but annoying imo. Also funny you should mention the mudflaps, i was looking at that picture and really noticed how out of place they look from that angle, but from the rear they seem to look ok. But as i am planning on colour coding the front & rear valances, i want to see how they look in silver. I reckon they will look really good from behind. Time will tell i guess. If they look rubbish i will take them off.

[J.T]

Ok, some parts have finally started to come through the doorway..
Springs arrived yesterday, dampers, bushings & front strut brace should be here very soon also... Now to get some new tyres for the new wheels and get it all installed. Hopefully the car is complete in time for the Warehouse gtg.. :)

http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/4990/1275631092052.jpg (http://img526.imageshack.us/i/1275631092052.jpg/)

[Justin Fox]

What no coilovers Jason?!

[J.T]

nope, no coilovers... :( i thought about it long and hard trust me, i do have damper adjustable struts going in though. Thats all the adjustment im really after, and just couldnt justify spending double the price for that ability through a coilover. Trying to doing it all on a budget as well.

[MasterKevin]

nope, no coilovers... :( i thought about it long and hard trust me, i do have damper adjustable struts going in though. Thats all the adjustment im really after, and just couldnt justify spending double the price for that ability through a coilover. Trying to doing it all on a budget as well.

this is what i did first and ended up getting coil overs 3 weeks later :P haha

[J.T]

dont tell me that.. my bank account already hates me.. lol

[MasterKevin]

dont tell me that.. my bank account already hates me.. lol

donto' get me wrong the eibach pro kit is a awesomeeeee kit.

No regrets.

Just when u get the coil overs after! you will never go back :P haha

[funkymonkey]

dont tell me that.. my bank account already hates me.. lol
A properly matched spring and shock set should give you results just as good as the best coilover in the world. The key is to be happy with a static package. Just keep repeating that in your head and you'll be fine :D

[10d]

Good stuff J! Coming along nicely

[AP]

Make you post up some photo's when it's all done!

[Justin Fox]

A properly matched spring and shock set should give you results just as good as the best coilover in the world. The key is to be happy with a static package. Just keep repeating that in your head and you'll be fine :D

Except when you realise the passenger rear is an inch lower than the drivers side rear and there's no way at all for you to change that!

[funkymonkey]

Except when you realise the passenger rear is an inch lower than the drivers side rear and there's no way at all for you to change that!
lol install a subwoofer on the other side :D or invest in a boot chimp that leans to the right.

[Justin Fox]

LOL! :lol:

[J.T]

Make you post up some photo's when it's all done!

for sure.. i will be taking progress pics and of course pics once the work has been done. Hopefully i can get some actual proper photos taken after as well, the car might be slightly photogenic at that stage.


lol install a subwoofer on the other side :D or invest in a boot chimp that leans to the right.

the subwoofer wont be happening, but i do like the idea of the boot chimp.. haha i've always liked the idea of a monkey butler.. :D

[funkymonkey]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8avOiTUcD4Y :D

[J.T]

lmao... group buy from suburban auto anyone????

[MasterKevin]

lol install a subwoofer on the other side :D or invest in a boot chimp that leans to the right.

bwahahhaa priceless !

[J.T]

another arrival on my doorstep today :)
this time its the shocks/struts, front upper strut brace, new suspension parts (new control arms, upper strut mounts, r32 control arm bushings & trail arm mountings) oh and the armrest delete kit..

http://img571.imageshack.us/img571/7672/sus1.jpg (http://img571.imageshack.us/i/sus1.jpg/)

http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/5671/sus2.jpg (http://img443.imageshack.us/i/sus2.jpg/)

http://img689.imageshack.us/img689/6902/sus3.jpg (http://img689.imageshack.us/i/sus3.jpg/)

http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/1410/sus4o.jpg (http://img405.imageshack.us/i/sus4o.jpg/)

http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/2628/sus5.jpg (http://img13.imageshack.us/i/sus5.jpg/)

http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/6237/sus6.jpg (http://img248.imageshack.us/i/sus6.jpg/)

http://img708.imageshack.us/img708/7021/sus7.jpg (http://img708.imageshack.us/i/sus7.jpg/)

now all that is left to do is get it all installed.
picking new tyres up this weekend also, decided on kumho ecsta ku31's

[10d]

Have fun, J!

[AP]

Hurry up and install it!!

[burgs]

Always exciting when presents arrive, the car will definately handle alot better once you get all of this installed :)

[J.T]

Have fun, J!

it will be more fun when its all done, i just want to drive the thing completed, im sick of the uber soft setup currently on the gti.. i really know why the mkiv got a bad reputation, lol.


Hurry up and install it!!

first chance i get it will should be done. But i can definitely say it will all be done by the next gtg.


Always exciting when presents arrive, the car will definately handle alot better once you get all of this installed :)

especially when i have waited sooo long for all of this to turn up. I almost forgot about it, haha

[funkymonkey]

what? no trunk monkey? disappointed.

lol... nice, when do they go on the car?

[J.T]

He is in training, haha

Car should have all new suspension parts, brace and new wheels in a couple of weeks

[J.T]

Ok so a little more progress to note for the end of the long weekend.
I picked up the new tyres on Saturday morning and had them fitted to the new wheels finally. Then fitted the wheels to the car this afternoon.
I am really happy with the result, as much as i liked the standard rims, these just make them look pretty ordinary in my opinion.

So here a few progress photos.. Sorry for the poor quality phone pics, haha

http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/984/newwheels2.jpg (http://img411.imageshack.us/i/newwheels2.jpg/)

http://img580.imageshack.us/img580/5288/newwheels3.jpg (http://img580.imageshack.us/i/newwheels3.jpg/)

http://img39.imageshack.us/img39/6538/newwheels4.jpg (http://img39.imageshack.us/i/newwheels4.jpg/)

http://img684.imageshack.us/img684/1178/newwheels5.jpg (http://img684.imageshack.us/i/newwheels5.jpg/)

http://img576.imageshack.us/img576/9784/newwheels1.jpg (http://img576.imageshack.us/i/newwheels1.jpg/)

http://img192.imageshack.us/img192/2791/newwheels7.jpg (http://img192.imageshack.us/i/newwheels7.jpg/)

http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/7166/newwheels9.jpg (http://img143.imageshack.us/i/newwheels9.jpg/)

http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/2316/newwheels6.jpg (http://img163.imageshack.us/i/newwheels6.jpg/)

http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/5035/newwheels11.jpg (http://img59.imageshack.us/i/newwheels11.jpg/)

http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/1378/newwheels10.jpg (http://img3.imageshack.us/i/newwheels10.jpg/)

Now it just needs the low!! :D
Car is booked in on Saturday to have suspension, bushings & brace fitted..

[nath_mk6]

nice choice of wheels, looking good >D

[AP]

It's getting there!

[Frenchie]

indeed J.T - look forward to seeing the drop.

[Justin Fox]

I don't mind those wheels at all!

[J.T]

cheers for the comments guys..
it has been a bit of a long process getting all the parts together, but results are finally starting to show. :)

[funkymonkey]

are they OEM wheels?

[J.T]

are they OEM wheels?

Yeah they are, 'VW Siata' 17 x 7

[J.T]

Ok, so the day i have been waiting an extremely long time for has come :)
Took the car to Top One & had my new springs, struts, front strut brace, and a other parts inlcuding r32 tie rod bushings, new tie rods & new strut mounts installed.

http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/1112/sus8.jpg (http://img204.imageshack.us/i/sus8.jpg/)

http://img22.imageshack.us/img22/4853/sus9.jpg (http://img22.imageshack.us/i/sus9.jpg/)

http://img714.imageshack.us/img714/1706/sus10.jpg (http://img714.imageshack.us/i/sus10.jpg/)

http://img265.imageshack.us/img265/5924/sus11.jpg (http://img265.imageshack.us/i/sus11.jpg/)

http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/6636/sus12.jpg (http://img138.imageshack.us/i/sus12.jpg/)

http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/7071/sus13.jpg (http://img215.imageshack.us/i/sus13.jpg/)

http://img31.imageshack.us/img31/7997/sus14.jpg (http://img31.imageshack.us/i/sus14.jpg/)

http://img710.imageshack.us/img710/1364/sus15.jpg (http://img710.imageshack.us/i/sus15.jpg/)

http://img687.imageshack.us/img687/1033/strut.jpg (http://img687.imageshack.us/i/strut.jpg/)

http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/47/strut2.jpg (http://img42.imageshack.us/i/strut2.jpg/)

http://img682.imageshack.us/img682/9562/sus16.jpg (http://img682.imageshack.us/i/sus16.jpg/)

http://img707.imageshack.us/img707/9072/sus17.jpg (http://img707.imageshack.us/i/sus17.jpg/)

http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/8202/sus18.jpg (http://img10.imageshack.us/i/sus18.jpg/)

[Paolo]

i must've saw your car today then at top one on the hoist, whats youre review on them

[MasterKevin]

yeh your thoughts about it would be awesome :)

Kevin

[J.T]

As i havn't had much of a chance to drive it, I cant really give them a proper review yet. But on first impression I am very pleased. The work has transformed the car from what it was. The MKIV in standard form was very soft, so i noticed the difference straight away. The ride is obviously much much firmer and the car feels a lot more agile and the body roll that was really dominant before has been eliminated. I also noticed a massive difference whilst under braking & acceleration... The car is just far more efficient in those fields now. I also only have the damper settings at mid range at the moment also, so the struts can be stiffened up quite a lot more which is really good to know.
I will update a little more in the future when i get a chance to really see how it handles in a more spirited drive.

[J.T]

I thought i should also note that the armrest that i pulled out some time ago, i finally got the delete kit put in, so there is now no longer a massive hole in the centre console anymore

http://img52.imageshack.us/img52/5208/armrest1.jpg (http://img52.imageshack.us/i/armrest1.jpg/)

http://img153.imageshack.us/img153/9840/armrest.jpg (http://img153.imageshack.us/i/armrest.jpg/)

[funkymonkey]

lol I just modded my armrest to lean forward a bit more, so my arm's still on the same angle as it would be without the armrest. where'd you get the plastic pocket from?

[stephen8512]

hey dude! where were you at TOP ONE this morning? I didnt see any MK4 but u saw me? DId u come in after me or something?

Next time...holla! say hi! hahaha I don't bite!!!

BTW cars lookin good dude!!! U coming to the warehouse meet yeah?

[Justin Fox]

LOL Top One's workshop is sooo ghetto I love it :lol:

She's sitting pretty high Jason but hey, function over form! It's great that with that height you won't have issues with scraping and rubbing, great that you have damper adjustment too (I still think you should have got some cheap coilovers! BC even?!).

I love the armrest delete! I wish I could do the same for the MKV (but I can't).

[J.T]

lol I just modded my armrest to lean forward a bit more, so my arm's still on the same angle as it would be without the armrest. where'd you get the plastic pocket from?

I couldnt stand the armrest, it got in the way of the handbrake, so i had to have it up, and whats the point in keeping it if i dont use use it, lol. I got it from ECS LINK (http://www.ecstuning.com/Volkswagen-Golf_IV--1.8T/Interior/Arm_Rest/ES259691/)


hey dude! where were you at TOP ONE this morning? I didnt see any MK4 but u saw me? DId u come in after me or something?

Next time...holla! say hi! hahaha I don't bite!!!

BTW cars lookin good dude!!! U coming to the warehouse meet yeah?

My car went on the hoist after yours, but i never actually ever saw you, i only saw the car and it being driven away.. I must have just missed you, lol
Oh and yeah i'll be at the warehouse gtg for sure.


LOL Top One's workshop is sooo ghetto I love it :lol:

She's sitting pretty high Jason but hey, function over form! It's great that with that height you won't have issues with scraping and rubbing, great that you have damper adjustment too (I still think you should have got some cheap coilovers! BC even?!).

I love the armrest delete! I wish I could do the same for the MKV (but I can't).

Yeah it does still sit quite high, but i cant have it too low, as my apartment has a really steep driveway, and there are way too many speedhumps around my area, its just so annoying having to crawl over everything all the time. Another downer to the MKIV is if you lower it more than 1.4" the sway bar rubs on the driveshaft... if i ever replace sways with beefier ones, i will put lower springs in. But like you said, its all about function at the moment. And in my opinion if you have a hot hatch that doesnt handle.. you are missng the point, lol :D

[J.T]

As promised.. i would give a bit more of a review on the spring & damper combo as i did a bit more driving with them. Over the past few weeks i have done quite a few decent drives including Old Pacific Highway, Bell's Line Of Road and various other less known b roads. I have been running the dampers on the hardest setting and am very happy with the ride quality they deliver. They ride incredibly well over bumps (actually really suprised me) but are still very firm through corners. One thing that still kind of bugs me is the car still moves around a little more than what i would like through corners. I really think some bigger sways need to go in. I also have my eye on the T1R C-Pillar brace. Oh and a short shift kit is in order i think.
Also does anyone know of a good pedal set for the MKIV? i find heel-toeing not to be the easiest task in this car, the standard accelerator pedal needs to have a bigger lip on the bottom imo.

[schoona]

i'd probably look at the r-line/r32 gear from oempl.us etc as far as pedals go mate...

[J.T]

New addition..
Picked up new Oettinger grille this morning. Found it cheap over on VWW. This colour isnt a perfect match, but i will get that fixed when I colour the front & rear valances... Otherwise i'm pretty impressed with it.

http://img716.imageshack.us/img716/8116/oettingergrille1.jpg (http://img716.imageshack.us/i/oettingergrille1.jpg/)

[Jig]

Keep it coming Jason...

[stephen8512]

nice nice!

[J.T]

Finally got around to getting the windows tinted on Saturday morning.
Very happy with the way they turned out, although the first photo seems to make them look a little darker than they actually are.

http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/8292/newtint.jpg (http://img20.imageshack.us/i/newtint.jpg/)

http://img257.imageshack.us/img257/3782/newtint2.jpg (http://img257.imageshack.us/i/newtint2.jpg/)

[J.T]

Turns out that my CD Player decides it no longer wants to play CD's, so i went out and purchased one of these today.. Now just got to install it... or maybe just save myself the hassle and get someone else to do it, haha.
Pioneer AVH P4300DVD

http://aboutgadgets.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Pioneer-AVH-P4300DVD-InCar.jpg