some may know im interested in the mk4 anni 1.8t but a few vw friends of mine are telling me to stay clear of the petrol and definately go for the derv because of the wieght factor! if i get the 1.8t i will definately be tunning it to around 240bhp along with all necessary suspension upgrades such as anti roll bars, shocks etc.... because ive been told the handling isnt brilliant either.. but what makes the mkv gti so special? surely its a bigger, heavier car with only 20 extra bhp... im just trying to decide what i want to do with my next car - currently im driving a 2003 derv clio lol so anything will be a huge step up! thanks Andrew
theres a whole lot more to the mk5 than just an extra 20hp and some extra weight, as gillim & co can testify. Theres also going to be a huge price deficit in the price between the cheapest mk5 and last of the mk4s. p.s. very true, the mk4 stock handling is sh*t!!!
well every 1.8t i come across is overpriced lol will anti roll bars and better suspension sort out the mk4 probs?
yeah, thats vws for ya! Yes, without doubt, the best money you can spend on a mk4, is sticking on a rear arb and uprated springs/shocks, or collies. It quite literally transforms the car. A nice affordable set up migh include Eiabach sus and a neuspeed arb.
sounds good lad but is the wieght factor as bad as everyone makes it out to be? or does changing the sus make it such a better car?
for the mk4? For me, the weight = better build = comming off relatively ok when some drunk nutter ploughs into you(sorry tobe pessamistic!) A suspension upgrade will make it a much more foregiving car, if at the expense of a little comfort!
yeah mk4 comfort not a problem - the clio is rattley and bumpy lol what other upgrades would u suggest? thanks
upgrades - suspension or generally? As far as sus goes, once youve done the above, it only really leaves bushing & tie bars. Geneally, well, anything goes from turbos, fmics, injectors, remaps, rebuilds ect.
what about the coil packs>? do they go a regularly as the cupra's? i would be going for revo 1+2, fmic, turbo back exhaust as well as the sus mods - anythin else?
From what ive seen on other forums, yes, coil packs are a common weak point on mk4s. Luckily, is an easy job, and at 28 per pack, not too bad moneywise. About the tuning, i think the main thing you need to do, is have a rough plan/idea what sort of power you want to achieve, rather than specific components. If you want no more than 200hp, then a remap will suffice. If however, you want 300, then you need to consider the more expensive mods, such as youve mentioned. Bear in mind too, above 200hp, you also need to consider TT brakes, and at 300hp, something like a r32 setup.
i wont be going that far up the bhp scale remember im coming from a 80bhp derv clio so i think 180 will be fine for a while lol my mate (i think he is on this site) had an ibiza cupra with the same mods as mentioned above and had around 230/40bhp (ko3s turbo and blueflame turboback exhaust, revo1, fmic) brakes would be upgraded def for that power - no point having ****ty brakes lol thanks again seraph
go for it mate ive had a mk4 1.8t for 6 months now and i luv all my mates luv it and it smokes nearly everything on road loads of fun go for it mate u will not b sorry
hi there wondering if u can give me any advice i av mk 4 1.8 t n av a forge dump valve i want the noise to be louder is this poss or is there a better dumpvalve i can buy cheers bud
mk 4 is a good car but to be a great car it has to be played with which can make it a pain to live with all day . i.e brakes and handling are not that good so putting aftermarket stuff can make it a bit crashy , that is where the mk5 comes in as a std car out of the box it does everything with ease .
Agree. Had a remapped 18t @ around 200bhp great car....but, MKV couldnt be more different, does everything really well...for a price.
I think the handling of any mk4 Golf apart from the R32 (of course) is tragic and the same applies to the Bora. In fact, there aren't many cars around that handle worse. Try a Focus of the same year and be utterly shocked!
its completely true. theres no better reason not to buy a mk4 tbh!! but....if you're hell bent on a mk4, it only takes another 400ish to get it sorted
