New 9n3 GTI owner

[triode12]

Hi,

I just purchased a 2007 Polo GTI as a track car and run about. I was wondering which performance upgrades are recommended if I want to track the car?

I know an engine tune and coilovers are par for the course (I have already put on stiffer sway bars from WhiteLine and a BMC performance filter).

Is upgrading the cat back exhaust necessary? or can I get away with just upgrading the down pipe and putting in an FMIC if I want to go to Stg 2?

Is the upgrading to a PD160 worth it? They seem to be selling at ridiculous prices on Ebay - $376 from Darksidedevelopment's Ebay store.

I don't want to spend money on upgrades that are not necessary or don't provide a "good bang for my buck" while still making it street legal.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

[simon k]

I bought my polo for the same reason, daily driver and track, same with Sam, though I haven't gone as far as he has.. have a look through both of our threads and you'll see what we've done (I'm not much good at keeping mine up to date though). I'm on a tight budget so almost everything has been done as cheaply as I could, doing all the work myself. The only things I spent proper money on were the SEAT intercooler (though it was new 2nd hand), wavetrac diff (new 2nd hand again) and bilstein dampers (which I converted to coilover at the front).

I'm running stage 2 with FMIC and dump only and it's good, though the tune is generic and I'm sure there are areas where it doesn't perform as well as it could. I'm looking to rectify that soon.

Exhaust wise, I made a 3" dump out of scrap stainless that goes into a 100 cell cat and then to the stock exhaust, but I replaced the stock muffler with a little straight through muffler. Its not much louder than stock... So I say no, catback isn't needed. I think Sam's exhaust set up is much the same as mine.

Intake wise I didn't think pd160 was worth it, I got some PVC plumbing pipe from bunnings and shaped it with a heat gun to fit between the slam panel and radiator. I removed the stock intake parts completely and cut a big hole in the air filter box. I've recently replaced the PVC pipe with more scrap stainless, using stubby holders to keep it in place and stop it from rubbing on things it shouldn't. The only thing with the intake though is that the air cleaner (I have a BMC filter too) was full of bugs when I had it out to do the gearbox, so they need to be checked regularly.

[h100vw]

LCA bushes are rubbish in stock form. Recommend Superpro or other caster correction versions. Find my build thread. Gavin's cheapy GTI.

[simon k]

Yeah, I put those in, bought them when they were on special at sparesbox.

I also put in Audi TT ball joints for more camber and made eccentric inserts for the subframes. Every little bit of adjustment you put into the front end adds up..

[triode12]

I bought my polo for the same reason, daily driver and track, same with Sam, though I haven't gone as far as he has.. have a look through both of our threads and you'll see what we've done (I'm not much good at keeping mine up to date though). I'm on a tight budget so almost everything has been done as cheaply as I could, doing all the work myself. The only things I spent proper money on were the SEAT intercooler (though it was new 2nd hand), wavetrac diff (new 2nd hand again) and bilstein dampers (which I converted to coilover at the front).

I'm running stage 2 with FMIC and dump only and it's good, though the tune is generic and I'm sure there are areas where it doesn't perform as well as it could. I'm looking to rectify that soon.

Exhaust wise, I made a 3" dump out of scrap stainless that goes into a 100 cell cat and then to the stock exhaust, but I replaced the stock muffler with a little straight through muffler. Its not much louder than stock... So I say no, catback isn't needed. I think Sam's exhaust set up is much the same as mine.

Intake wise I didn't think pd160 was worth it, I got some PVC plumbing pipe from bunnings and shaped it with a heat gun to fit between the slam panel and radiator. I removed the stock intake parts completely and cut a big hole in the air filter box. I've recently replaced the PVC pipe with more scrap stainless, using stubby holders to keep it in place and stop it from rubbing on things it shouldn't. The only thing with the intake though is that the air cleaner (I have a BMC filter too) was full of bugs when I had it out to do the gearbox, so they need to be checked regularly.

Thanks for replying and for the information Simon. Would you happen to know the diameter of the piping to the original muffler?

[triode12]

LCA bushes are rubbish in stock form. Recommend Superpro or other caster correction versions. Find my build thread. Gavin's cheapy GTI.

Thanks Gav. I will.

[triode12]

Yeah, I put those in, bought them when they were on special at sparesbox.

I also put in Audi TT ball joints for more camber and made eccentric inserts for the subframes. Every little bit of adjustment you put into the front end adds up..

Were these the LCA bushes you bought Simon? SuperPro Front Control Arm Lower-Inner Rear Bush Kit Fits Vw SPF3271-95K | Sparesbox

[simon k]

Were these the LCA bushes you bought Simon? SuperPro Front Control Arm Lower-Inner Rear Bush Kit Fits Vw SPF3271-95K | Sparesbox

no... that one would be too expensive for me, this is what I bought. You're in luck too, they're on special today

SuperPro Front Control Arm Lower-Inner Rear Anti Lift Bush Kit Fits VW SPF3273-80K	9995-SPF3273-80K	1	$114.70
SuperPro Front Control Arm Lower-Inner Front Bush Kit Fits Seat Skoda VW SPF3311K	9995-SPF3311K	1	$73.90

and the dogbone

Superpro Engine Steady Mount Bush Kit SPF2907-70K

9995-SPF2907-70K

1

$80.95

the exhaust is 53mm ID / 57mm OD which I guess makes it 2.25"

[triode12]

no... that one would be too expensive for me, this is what I bought. You're in luck too, they're on special today

SuperPro Front Control Arm Lower-Inner Rear Anti Lift Bush Kit Fits VW SPF3273-80K	9995-SPF3273-80K	1	$114.70
SuperPro Front Control Arm Lower-Inner Front Bush Kit Fits Seat Skoda VW SPF3311K	9995-SPF3311K	1	$73.90

and the dogbone

Superpro Engine Steady Mount Bush Kit SPF2907-70K

9995-SPF2907-70K

1

$80.95

the exhaust is 53mm ID / 57mm OD which I guess makes it 2.25"

Thanks for that! Getting them now.
Would the 80K Dog Bone Engine mount be better or too harsh? Or is the 70K enough wrt to stiffness?

[simon k]

Thanks for that! Getting them now.
Would the 80K Dog Bone Engine mount be better or too harsh? Or is the 70K enough wrt to stiffness?

dunno sorry, I've only had the one type, I went with what I found searching on here