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Golfer
09-09-2006, 12:34 AM
Hey guys.

Just a few short months ago I stepped out of my nice torquey (fuel thirsty) XR8 into an OBD1 MK3 Golf GL 8v in order to save money on insurance and fuel. I thought I would forever regret the move, but there's just something about the little golf that has me mesmerised. So here i am on a new forum, in a new car, and with no clue how to start getting the most out of my new golf. In all honesty i don't know a lot about VW's :???: but I'm hooked, and more than willing to learn. To give you some idea about what i want to do-

1. Wheels and tyres (What is the best combo and how big can i go LEGALLY?)
2. Suspension (What is avaliable for OBD1 Mk3's?)
3. VR6 Kits (Arches and side skirts, can they be fitted to a GL?)
4. Induction and Exhausts (What is the best way to go? What size and type?)

I have a million things I would love to do just because it is such a fun economical little car to swing around in, so these are just a starter. As a starting out Golfer, i know little, but want to know lots, and i'm sure i'm not the only one in this boat. So please all of you who have been through all the drama help me out and let me (and all the other poor 8v + Mk3 owners) know where we can look for affordable and affective upgrades for our cars???

Thanks everyone, I look forward to many happy years using these wonderful cars, this wonderful site, and getting to know you all - John, Gold Coast, Qld

SOHC
09-09-2006, 01:19 AM
Hi and Welcome to the forum John! I also have a Mk3 but all stock and its a late 95 model.

Wheels I think 16" would be best suit?
Shocks I think there are many... I think? but known that 95 and 94 golfs got different types of shocks.
VR6 wheel archs and kits sure will go on the GL, as any Mk3s.
Exhaust I know nothing about it... but I heard that Remus would be great on VR6?? if you have the cash lol:D

Anyway hope you enjoy here.

Cheers
Carlson

golf-kart
09-09-2006, 01:31 AM
- 16x7” suit the car well, however I think you can legally go 17’s (ask your insurance company).
- Decent springs with matching struts and a rear sway bar will improve the handling.
- All the VR6 paraphernalia will fit the GL. (arches, VR6 front lip, factory tinted tail lights, seats, etc…)
- Induction : I ‘swiss cheesed’ the bottom of my airbox… I noticed that it spins a bit more freely, sounds great, but doesn’t give much if anymore power. Get a nice aftermarket pannel filter. (note pic: don’t swiss the top of the box!). :rolleyes:

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f8/pk25/cheesyairbox.jpg

- Exhaust: some people say don’t go any larger than 2” as this can have a negative effect on performance. Get a nice euro muffler.

This was my car:

http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/

I miss it. :(

BLKMJC
09-09-2006, 03:11 AM
Nice looking car, really fat :D looks similar to VR6!

I also have similar Q's for a friend. He got a 94 MK3 Golf and would like to lower/wheels. What is the offset? I know the wheels are 4x100, ET?

Where can he purchase wheels, 15's or 16's that fit without any spacers?

Thanks,

BLKMJC

brackie
09-09-2006, 06:17 AM
Welcome, Golfer. You've made the right choice by getting into a Golf. There are a lot of people on this forum with mk1s but a growing number of mk3 and 4 owners. Keep asking the questions...you'll get the answers!

Golf Loon
09-09-2006, 08:27 AM
Welcome to the forum, all wheel and tyre questions can be answered in the wheels and tyres forum.

VR6 bits all fit onto Mk3. I have a set of VR6 arches I will sell and my friend has the sidekirts.

There are lots of suspension and tuning bits available, but probably better to choose the wheels first.

Golfer
09-09-2006, 08:46 AM
Thanks everyone for the huge response to my questions. Having a look around the site there are some great looking Mk3's to be seen. I love the way they look with the VW genuine kits just dropped with wheels. It seems there are too many rice burners up here on the coast and the euro look is still unique. Nice car golf-kart, i like that wheel style, but it is difficult to find a style to suit a white car :(

Thanks Golf Loon, my next project is finding and fitting a set of wheels, so i won't get too serious about suspension until i get that out of the way. All the same, i have been told that whiteline make reasonable stuff for the 3, especially swaybars. Being on the gold coast has its advantages and disadvantages. There are a lot of tuned cars here, but most parts if we want good stuff out of the factory we have to look to melbourne, and shipping costs are getting expensive. A little local knowledge would probably help, But i've been slack owning a falcon the good parts were avaliable everywhere.

I am not sure but i think the offset for the wheels is 35-45mm. I have been looking at the 16x6.5 with 205/45 tyre combo and the offsets are within that range. As this is the very next project any input is most appreciated :)

Excuse my ignorance guys, but what is a nice euro muffler? I have absolutely no experience with euro cars, so feel free to baby me!

Bug_racer
09-09-2006, 10:03 AM
Hey there


1 ) You can legally go 1 inch larger safely so 16's are good . I was driving around on 17's . Its probably easier to get a good set of 17 inch tyres . I never had an issue with cops and 17s so you can go that way if you like

2) Firstly we dont have OBD here in Aus . OBD 1 and OBD 2 makes no difference , thats a US only thing .
As for the suspension , whats your budget ? Inmotive has limited edition coilover kits for mk3's for $2k . You get height and rebound adjusting . Ive found with suspension its always best to spend that bit extra to get a quality package

3)Sideskirts etc will fit buts its important to note that the mk3 came with 2 different types of sill skirts , 1 with one without . Hard to explain unless you get 2 mk3's side by side .

4)Best to make a cold air induction set up . Being a 1994 its probably a 2E engine which I'll have a chip available for shortly . The swiss air box mod is a big no-no . Cams are plentiful and Giac can probably do a chip to suit the cam you buy . Anything bigger than around 260 will need a different chip to work properly . Exhaust , stick to 2 inch , 2 1/4 if you want power above 6k rpm

Golfer
09-09-2006, 10:16 AM
I gathered the swiss air box has potential to be a HAI because of the lack of cold air in that area, but i just pulled the air box off 5 minutes ago, and low and behold there is a beautiful hole right down to the ground and all that lovely cold air. only one problem, it's filled up with a carbon canister!!! Anybody have any experience with moving the canister and utilising that hole? Oh and sorry, my bad about the OBD, i just noticed that there were 2 different builds of Mk3's in Oz, and made a stupid assumption...

h100vw
09-09-2006, 10:27 AM
I have a few panel filters for sale.

http://www.vwwatercooled.org.au/newforum/upload/showthread.php?t=1655

Before throwing suspension on I'd make sure that the std suspension bushes are in good order. I my experience the front wishbone bushes are likely to be on their way out. Same set up as my 98 A3 and they have died on that with 120K on it.

The rear axle bushes were a very common MOT failure in the UK. Not expensive to buy but a big DIY job to replace with std ones. Poly ones go in much easier.

And like the man says, don't drill the top of the airbox, unfiltered air is not a good idea.

A 2 litre is never going to set the road on fire but if you have some money to spend it'll go to 110KW. You'll need headwork, a cam plus a chip to get the fuelling correct. It should still be fuel efficient as well which is a bonus.

Gavin

Golf Loon
09-09-2006, 10:43 AM
No reason you cant move the cannister and put a pod filter through into the wheel arch.

DubSteve
11-09-2006, 09:34 AM
How about using a pod filter will that do it any good

Golf Loon
11-09-2006, 12:18 PM
Should make it brethe better

golf3
18-09-2006, 06:38 PM
Hey Golfer...

You have private message
(don't know if you have read it yet, sent it a week ago)

Golfer
20-09-2006, 12:43 AM
Sorry Golf3 still getting used to the forum. I thought I'd post a few pics of my new baby, sort of a 'before' set of shots...

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i268/MightyEFIIXR8/golf1.jpg

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i268/MightyEFIIXR8/golf2.jpg

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i268/MightyEFIIXR8/golf4.jpg

Golfer
20-09-2006, 12:44 AM
And the "business" end ...

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i268/MightyEFIIXR8/golf5.jpg

brackie
20-09-2006, 06:50 AM
Nice, clean, tidy engine bay. Good on ya :)

gtimk5
20-09-2006, 07:18 AM
Hey! Thats a spotless mk3 you have there! Well done. It has the CL headlights though. Not being picky, don't worry. Just informing you!
Cheers, Andrew:)

golf3
20-09-2006, 09:06 AM
That's how my car used to look, so innocent and quiet...
Now mines low, loud and obnoxious... (And still in my mums name, hahahaha!!)

Golfer
20-09-2006, 10:25 AM
Cheers guys. Are they really the CL headlights or was that just the headlight style for the early builds (after all she is only a 04/94)? Just i swear golf3's lights were the same as mine before the engine conversion... isn't (wasn'tj: ) it a GL? :?

golf3
20-09-2006, 12:01 PM
The single chamber lights are the same as mine, and I had/have a GL...
They are actually sought after by some people...

The early builds didn't have sideskirts either...

Both yours and mine may have been very similar from the factory...

I had/have:
No sideskirts
Blue Interior/Dash
Dual Airbags
No Glovebox
A/C
No rear door speakers
Early style dash (funny when it has a 6k redline and the 16v will go past 7k)
No fog lights

And both our vehicles are the 2E variety with the AFM (rather than MAF), but with the multi-point injection and a slightly different plenum chamber over the later models... And the weaksauce 020 manual gearbox...

P.S. - Just checked, mine is a 7/94 build and 9/94 compliance...

golfvr6
20-09-2006, 05:13 PM
why is the swiss cheese option a no no? hot air yes - can cut your power

as for offset - 35mm is what you are after.

16's good - 17's ok - but if you're in sydney - watch the potholes!

i thought the charcoal canister was a US thing?? anybody with info??

Golfer
20-09-2006, 08:30 PM
Yeah, the lack of glovebox is a bit of a pain. You get used to it though...
I don't see a lot of GL's similar to mine around, a lot of the later ones. Is there a different gearbox in the later mk3 8v's?

Golfer
21-09-2006, 10:36 AM
By the way, i just modified the airbox (i'm STILL waiting for a K&N panel from rocket) to allow for increased air flow but without compromising the temperature. i was going to photograph it for you all but the camera has gone walkabout. I'll post some pics later on. Is anyone else addicted to that throaty induction roar? Oh baby...

gtimk5
21-09-2006, 12:26 PM
I get a customers white 94 GL in here. It has had a prang in the past and has the single unit headlights fitted. Heres the cruncher though. In the owners manual folder with the original receipt. $41,700!!!!! Thats crazy when you look at the prices these days. :)

SOHC
21-09-2006, 12:34 PM
The single chamber lights are the same as mine, and I had/have a GL...
They are actually sought after by some people...

The early builds didn't have sideskirts either...

Both yours and mine may have been very similar from the factory...

I had/have:
No sideskirts
Blue Interior/Dash
Dual Airbags
No Glovebox
A/C
No rear door speakers
Early style dash (funny when it has a 6k redline and the 16v will go past 7k)
No fog lights

And both our vehicles are the 2E variety with the AFM (rather than MAF), but with the multi-point injection and a slightly different plenum chamber over the later models... And the weaksauce 020 manual gearbox...

P.S. - Just checked, mine is a 7/94 build and 9/94 compliance...

I thought the later's one difference are only having body colour coded bumper, different spoiler and the antenna? I did love a glove box, and a arm rest, but none in Aust have em' n no arm rest for a Mk3? yea, and the air box thing. then suspensions.

WEDEL.1
26-09-2006, 06:09 PM
My first Volkswagen was a new '95 Golf GL, manual, Candy white, blue interior. I loved it! Like so many before, & after me, I longed for a VR6, THE ULIMATE. I reasoned that in Europa they have 2.0L GTis, so I bought some 15" BBS imitation alloys with 195/55 X 15 tyres. Next, I bought the VR6 body kit, and after fitting, found a part was missing, and tried to retro fit, mmm nearly. I wanted to lower it, only an inch & a half. I had to negotiate with the Insurance Company to do that. Their negotiation was; No way!

In the end, I bought a used VR6, 32,000 km, stone chiped to death at the front. Couldn't repaint a panel at a time, the WHOLE front end (even panels that weren't damaged) had to be repainted at the same time for $1000 (in 1997). The VR6 lasted 6 mths.

In the end, I found the VR6 didn't do anything better than the GL except get there faster, but at a greater cost. I found the seats VERY uncomfortable.

I now have a CL 1.8L auto as a second VW (the Green T4 Transporter is No 1) and I love it. I seem to enjoy this one more than I did the first, with BETTER fuel economy. It may not pull a drunken sailor off your sister, but it is GREAT to drive!

I think you'll find 15" wheels adequate. 55 series tyres will give excellent performance with a sensible price. I am considering this option on ours.

Maris

Golfer
26-09-2006, 09:14 PM
Put the K&N in today, very impressed. It's no R32, but the GL is a tidy little performer, pulls solidly and does it's job quite adequately. I wouldn't be keen for the VR6's fuel and maintainence bills, but that's not to say i wouldn't like the power on tap...

GoLfMan
26-09-2006, 09:28 PM
Put the K&N in today, very impressed. It's no R32, but the GL is a tidy little performer, pulls solidly and does it's job quite adequately. I wouldn't be keen for the VR6's fuel and maintainence bills, but that's not to say i wouldn't like the power on tap...
thats not to say you couldnt get similar power out of the 2L!!! and it;d be lighter...

get some extractors and grind the cam to an aggressive angle and chip it :)

Golfer
26-09-2006, 09:44 PM
Does anyone have a complete set of grind specs for 8v cam? Or is it better to get a cam and chip combo. I know they can get pretty pricey... Oh and who does extractors in Australia? I know Remus do fantastic exhaust systems (i am starting to save, slowly) but i haven't found any header suppliers who look after our little beasts!

GoLfMan
26-09-2006, 10:22 PM
Does anyone have a complete set of grind specs for 8v cam? Or is it better to get a cam and chip combo. I know they can get pretty pricey... Oh and who does extractors in Australia? I know Remus do fantastic exhaust systems (i am starting to save, slowly) but i haven't found any header suppliers who look after our little beasts!
mate i think its better that you get your cam custom ground (just buy a stock camshaft and find a place that grinds cams) and a exhaust system that is custom made from top to tail :)
but do all this before getting the chip!