Thread Starter
#106
You think the performance goes up with the sofima air filter slightly?
Volkswagen Polo GT TSi - My Lightning Mcqueen
- Thread Starter Jonathan7s
- Start date
Just normal stuff. Nothing special.
Thread Starter
#108
One day I came across a post on olx selling Skoda Octavia vRS MK1 original alloy wheels. This sparked interest and I further got in touch with the seller. The seller gets car parts from Mayapuri scrap market. I met with the seller and had a look at the wheels. The wheels were quite banged up. They were muddy, scratched, dented and looked anything but usable. However I checked the wheels for anything that could compromise the use of them like rim bends, the state of the nut holes, cracks etc. From my limited checks I could not find anything that would compromise the usage of the wheel and so I decided to buy them. I still wasn't sure and was apprehensive about the alloys turning out bad after I bought them. I guess that was the risk I had to take buying used alloys.
This is how i got them. I wiped them with a cloth. they look worse and in a sorry state when I saw them.
I came across Autotech and saw a video they had posted explaining the steps they take to paint the alloys and I was mighty impressed by the genuine and meticulous steps and the process they did and I was confident to take it to them. Rahul there really helped me by walking through the process and explaining each step. Before I had them work on the alloys I had them check the alloys for any structural damage that may compromise the ride and the alloys turned out to be fine and so I gave the "go ahead" to Autotech to start working on them. Since the alloys were quite damaged cosmetically, they had to be cleaned thoroughly, sanded all the way down, fill the dents/scraches and get smooth surface to paint on. It took a full day for them to work on them and get the final product.
This is the alloy after repair and final paint. I went for the anthracite gray with matt finish.I was impressed by work done by Autotech and the end finish. I like the design of the alloys. The beauty is in the details like the design of the spokes, the concave part where the nuts go in. Didnt want flashy alloys, something understated yet elegant. Just a glance would make it look like the stock 16inch polo alloys but a discerning eye would know that its not quite the stock alloys.
I wasnt sure which tyres should i go for and didnt really have the budget for really good tyres like the michelin pilot sport 4. Rahul at Autotech offered to source tyres for me and have them fitted and balanced. I thought that was a good idea to get everything done at one place rather than go shop to shop with my wheels trying to find a set of tyres for it. However, it all depended on what prices could Autotech offer me for the tyres and if the tyre profile matched what i wanted. The profile i was looking at was 205/50/R16 as these would have the least difference on the speedo. Rahul initially got me Yokos Earth 1 however i wasnt sure about them as after reading some reviews they seem to develop road noise. I was offered the other option of Hankook ventus v2 for slightly cheaper price. The reviews seemed good and hankook gave one and a half year warranty on tyre tear due to sharp objects in addition to the buldging and bubbling. I decided to go ahead with the Hankooks. The wheels with the tyres were ready and balanced. I had to just go swap my old wheels and tyres for the new ones and get an alignment done. Some pics after the alloys swap.
The alloys are of the same pcd as the stock 15 inch estrada alloys that came with the car. They even have the same bore as the stock alloys so there's no need for hub rings or other adjustments to compensate for that and no issues of vibrations or bubbling at high speeds as well. The wheel width is 6.5J and the 205 section wraps perfectly on it, no stretch (due to narrower width) or buldge of the sidewall (due to the width being more than the recommended tyre with for the alloy). Since the specs are the same the vw badge fits flush on the alloy as well.
Excuse the shabby looking and breaking mudflaps on the rear and front. This is due to them scrapping as the car is on Eibach lowering springs. I feel the stance of the car with bigger wheels really shows if the car is lowered and the atrocious wheel well is lessened. I haven't used spacers as I dont want the wheels protuding out of the fender. They are slightly out that the stock alloy as they are 6.5J but still within the fender.
I like how "Hankook" is engraved on the tread of the tyre.
This is how i got them. I wiped them with a cloth. they look worse and in a sorry state when I saw them.
I came across Autotech and saw a video they had posted explaining the steps they take to paint the alloys and I was mighty impressed by the genuine and meticulous steps and the process they did and I was confident to take it to them. Rahul there really helped me by walking through the process and explaining each step. Before I had them work on the alloys I had them check the alloys for any structural damage that may compromise the ride and the alloys turned out to be fine and so I gave the "go ahead" to Autotech to start working on them. Since the alloys were quite damaged cosmetically, they had to be cleaned thoroughly, sanded all the way down, fill the dents/scraches and get smooth surface to paint on. It took a full day for them to work on them and get the final product.
This is the alloy after repair and final paint. I went for the anthracite gray with matt finish.I was impressed by work done by Autotech and the end finish. I like the design of the alloys. The beauty is in the details like the design of the spokes, the concave part where the nuts go in. Didnt want flashy alloys, something understated yet elegant. Just a glance would make it look like the stock 16inch polo alloys but a discerning eye would know that its not quite the stock alloys.
I wasnt sure which tyres should i go for and didnt really have the budget for really good tyres like the michelin pilot sport 4. Rahul at Autotech offered to source tyres for me and have them fitted and balanced. I thought that was a good idea to get everything done at one place rather than go shop to shop with my wheels trying to find a set of tyres for it. However, it all depended on what prices could Autotech offer me for the tyres and if the tyre profile matched what i wanted. The profile i was looking at was 205/50/R16 as these would have the least difference on the speedo. Rahul initially got me Yokos Earth 1 however i wasnt sure about them as after reading some reviews they seem to develop road noise. I was offered the other option of Hankook ventus v2 for slightly cheaper price. The reviews seemed good and hankook gave one and a half year warranty on tyre tear due to sharp objects in addition to the buldging and bubbling. I decided to go ahead with the Hankooks. The wheels with the tyres were ready and balanced. I had to just go swap my old wheels and tyres for the new ones and get an alignment done. Some pics after the alloys swap.
The alloys are of the same pcd as the stock 15 inch estrada alloys that came with the car. They even have the same bore as the stock alloys so there's no need for hub rings or other adjustments to compensate for that and no issues of vibrations or bubbling at high speeds as well. The wheel width is 6.5J and the 205 section wraps perfectly on it, no stretch (due to narrower width) or buldge of the sidewall (due to the width being more than the recommended tyre with for the alloy). Since the specs are the same the vw badge fits flush on the alloy as well.
Excuse the shabby looking and breaking mudflaps on the rear and front. This is due to them scrapping as the car is on Eibach lowering springs. I feel the stance of the car with bigger wheels really shows if the car is lowered and the atrocious wheel well is lessened. I haven't used spacers as I dont want the wheels protuding out of the fender. They are slightly out that the stock alloy as they are 6.5J but still within the fender.
I like how "Hankook" is engraved on the tread of the tyre.
Neat job. Looks great ![[cheers]](https://www.theautomotiveindia.com/forums/images/smilies/Cheers.gif "Cheers [cheers]")
Easily one of the best OE looking wheels available. Good choice and the car is looking stunning
Now the mudflaps need to go. ![[angel]](https://www.theautomotiveindia.com/forums/images/smilies/Angel.gif "Angel [angel]")
Thread Starter
#112
I wanted to give an update of my car after the Pete's stage 1 remap and installation of Eibach lowering springs:
REMAP
It's surely been more eager after the remap. The D mode holds the gears longer and if driven with a heavy foot, holds the gears close to 4k rpm or slighty more. I dont feel the need to S mode as the car is D mode has enough power for overtakes. I wouldn't say its a heaven and earth difference in pre and post remap however the car holds the gears longer. The dead spot from 80-100kmph has been taken care of after the remap. The speedo climbs at almost the same manner as it does till 80kmph. In city its abit quicker for overtakes as the gears hold longer, the car builds up speed slightly quicker (atleast that's what i feel). Would I suggest a remap? Yes. I got a really good price for it as well. It sure if fun to drive on the highways with the additional power and torque.
EIBACH SPRINGS
I have paired the eibach lowering springs with my stock gabriel shocks for now so please consider it as you read my review.
The car is surely lowered and I'd say, lowering anything beyond this would be very impractical if your car is a daily use car and not just a show car. The stance has definitely improved. Seeing polos/ventos with the stock suspension makes me realize how jacked up the suspension has been tuned by vw. With the "cool" stance comes a price too.
Please note that eibach springs are not "progressive" springs, as it may have been marketed. Both the front and rear springs are shorter than the stock springs by about an inch and a half and it obviously reflects when the springs are mounted on the car with the ride height. Since the springs are shorter the travel/ability to absorb bumps/undulations/potholes is less.In other words the ride is less cushioned. You will feel the road more for better or worse. They bottom out 30-40% quicker than stock springs. One has to be slow(crawl) over speed bumps. On highways where the road is repaved at places, the unscientific way where the paved road begins and ends with the old tarmac can make your suspension bottom out if your at higher speeds. So its not even a question of paved or not with lowering springs but even the way the road is paved and the patches that can be felt loud and clear. Expansion joints on flyovers are felt and if they arent smooth then the suspension can crash depending on the speed the car is at. The fact is that our highways still have a long way to go to construct them scientifically. Even if the road is not paved flat the undulations can be felt and the car can feel abit bouncy. When the road is smooth there are many such issues then the springs perform well. They keep the car flat. Comparing it with the old springs, yes the body roll has gone down but not a significant difference. I'd say lowering springs are primarily for the stance of the car than driving improvements considering our roads. The car underbelly hasn't bottomed out yet so that's good. Please remember the shocks are the stock shocks that come with polo. Maybe with sachs, bilstiens etc the ride would change even more, I can't comment on that yet.
Also I've upgraded my wheels from 15-16inch wheels with 50 sidewall as compared to 60 that came with stock tyres.I know this setup also plays a part in feeling the road more. I can imagine the pain it would be to have 17inch wheels and the unpracticality that comes with it. . The ride was 25% cushiony with stock wheels and tyres.
This is my update after a recent highway trip that i did with my family.
My car has the following changes to it so far.
1. wrc taillights
2. euro spec air intake channel
3. R line front grill
4. Pete's stage 1 remap
5. Eibach lowering springs
6. Skoda octavia vrs mk1 alloy wheels painted in graphite grey
7. hankook ventus 2 205/50/R16 tyres
It's been a little over 4 years with my car and I enjoy it even more now.
REMAP
It's surely been more eager after the remap. The D mode holds the gears longer and if driven with a heavy foot, holds the gears close to 4k rpm or slighty more. I dont feel the need to S mode as the car is D mode has enough power for overtakes. I wouldn't say its a heaven and earth difference in pre and post remap however the car holds the gears longer. The dead spot from 80-100kmph has been taken care of after the remap. The speedo climbs at almost the same manner as it does till 80kmph. In city its abit quicker for overtakes as the gears hold longer, the car builds up speed slightly quicker (atleast that's what i feel). Would I suggest a remap? Yes. I got a really good price for it as well. It sure if fun to drive on the highways with the additional power and torque.
EIBACH SPRINGS
I have paired the eibach lowering springs with my stock gabriel shocks for now so please consider it as you read my review.
The car is surely lowered and I'd say, lowering anything beyond this would be very impractical if your car is a daily use car and not just a show car. The stance has definitely improved. Seeing polos/ventos with the stock suspension makes me realize how jacked up the suspension has been tuned by vw. With the "cool" stance comes a price too.
Please note that eibach springs are not "progressive" springs, as it may have been marketed. Both the front and rear springs are shorter than the stock springs by about an inch and a half and it obviously reflects when the springs are mounted on the car with the ride height. Since the springs are shorter the travel/ability to absorb bumps/undulations/potholes is less.In other words the ride is less cushioned. You will feel the road more for better or worse. They bottom out 30-40% quicker than stock springs. One has to be slow(crawl) over speed bumps. On highways where the road is repaved at places, the unscientific way where the paved road begins and ends with the old tarmac can make your suspension bottom out if your at higher speeds. So its not even a question of paved or not with lowering springs but even the way the road is paved and the patches that can be felt loud and clear. Expansion joints on flyovers are felt and if they arent smooth then the suspension can crash depending on the speed the car is at. The fact is that our highways still have a long way to go to construct them scientifically. Even if the road is not paved flat the undulations can be felt and the car can feel abit bouncy. When the road is smooth there are many such issues then the springs perform well. They keep the car flat. Comparing it with the old springs, yes the body roll has gone down but not a significant difference. I'd say lowering springs are primarily for the stance of the car than driving improvements considering our roads. The car underbelly hasn't bottomed out yet so that's good. Please remember the shocks are the stock shocks that come with polo. Maybe with sachs, bilstiens etc the ride would change even more, I can't comment on that yet.
Also I've upgraded my wheels from 15-16inch wheels with 50 sidewall as compared to 60 that came with stock tyres.I know this setup also plays a part in feeling the road more. I can imagine the pain it would be to have 17inch wheels and the unpracticality that comes with it. . The ride was 25% cushiony with stock wheels and tyres.
This is my update after a recent highway trip that i did with my family.
My car has the following changes to it so far.
1. wrc taillights
2. euro spec air intake channel
3. R line front grill
4. Pete's stage 1 remap
5. Eibach lowering springs
6. Skoda octavia vrs mk1 alloy wheels painted in graphite grey
7. hankook ventus 2 205/50/R16 tyres
It's been a little over 4 years with my car and I enjoy it even more now.
Thread Starter
#113
I have finally decided to switch back to my oem springs from Eibach pro lowering kit springs that i used with stock dampers. Here's why:
The lowering springs are and inch and a half shorter than the stock springs which in turn decreases the suspension travel distance. As the suspension travel distance decreases, the suspension bottoms out and even crashes on potholes, speed bumps, flyover expansion joints, unscientific pave construction of roads and many other undulations that we are welcomed with on our Indian roads and highways..
Recently I did a trip to Jodhpur and back and the suspension crashed many times due to roads (highways) not being up to the mark. The crash was a loud thad!! Even the slightest undulations are felt in the cabin and on high speeds the rear is a bit bouncy with the eibach springs. Note that theses springs are not progressive springs.
The stance is improved with lowering springs but due highway runs that I do where the quality of roads leave a lot to be desired, lowering springs, bigger wheels etc are just not practical and realistic according to me. Earlier I didn't understand why VW's oem suspension is what it is but now i do. Practicality and reality takes priority over looks and stance.
My eibach lowering springs are up for sale as well.
The lowering springs are and inch and a half shorter than the stock springs which in turn decreases the suspension travel distance. As the suspension travel distance decreases, the suspension bottoms out and even crashes on potholes, speed bumps, flyover expansion joints, unscientific pave construction of roads and many other undulations that we are welcomed with on our Indian roads and highways..
Recently I did a trip to Jodhpur and back and the suspension crashed many times due to roads (highways) not being up to the mark. The crash was a loud thad!! Even the slightest undulations are felt in the cabin and on high speeds the rear is a bit bouncy with the eibach springs. Note that theses springs are not progressive springs.
The stance is improved with lowering springs but due highway runs that I do where the quality of roads leave a lot to be desired, lowering springs, bigger wheels etc are just not practical and realistic according to me. Earlier I didn't understand why VW's oem suspension is what it is but now i do. Practicality and reality takes priority over looks and stance.
My eibach lowering springs are up for sale as well.
You can try Cobra Springs. They are not as hard as Eibach from my personal experience.
Thread Starter
#115
I've been running on stock dampers( gabriels) for a month now and I'm happy. I dont have to constantly keep navigating for the unexpected pot holes, faulty road patchwork. Its a relief to not hear the suspension crashing on every pothole. The highway stability is back to stock which was good. The lowering springs are just for the stance unless mated to performance dampers. Lowering springs dont really work well with stock dampers. I realize i dont care as much for the stance of the car but love driving it and enjoy while at it. I can do that now that I'm back to stock dampers.
Thread Starter
#117
Its been a while since i last updated this thread. My car is doing well without any ongoing issues. The car has done around 34,400kms. I reverted the car back to stock setup with stock alloys and continental UC6 195/65 R15 tyres as one of the skoda mk1 alloys has a slight defect which was big enough for to let it go. Lately I've been hearing more of the "Thad" noise when going over expansion joints on the flyovers or small potholes. Will get it checked at my next (6th year) service. The car is mainly used to ferry my daughter to school and back and she does complain of the rear not being cooled enough. Maybe if its the summer heat but we surely miss the rear ac vents and have to crank the blower speed to compensate which is loud and spoils the quiet cabin that my family prefers.
The gearbox is doing fine, I'm out of extended warranty (2+2) and hope the gearbox doesn't misbehave.
6 years on i still enjoy and love the polo GT tsi especially with the remap. I don't think I have any options in this segment if I wanted to change my car which I'm not planning to although the Virtus does seems tempting however, seeing the Slavia's pricing, I dont think I can afford Virtus anytime soon and the rising fuel prices don't help either.
I'm overdue for brake pad change and while at it I'd like to change the rotors as well. I definitely do not want to change to oem rotors and pads as they are quite pathetic and after a few thousand kms, are very likely to shudder while applying brakes at speeds of 90 kmph and above. Most likely I plan to get Brembo drilled rotors with Ebc yellow stuff brake pads.
Met with a couple of accidents in the last few months. An auto rickshaw rammed at the rear of my car while i was at standstill at red light and the auto was at speeds more than he could control. Ended up changing the boot door and my custom rear lights were changed to stock ones as they were damaged as well. All claimed under insurance.
Second one was when i crashed into the rear of a truck that applied panic brakes and apparently due to my car's brakes not being the best condition the car didn't stop on time. Ended up changing the front hood, bumper and right headlight under insurance. No damages to the mechanicals of the car. Car's build quality was tested and I'm happy that I bought this car.
The gearbox is doing fine, I'm out of extended warranty (2+2) and hope the gearbox doesn't misbehave.
6 years on i still enjoy and love the polo GT tsi especially with the remap. I don't think I have any options in this segment if I wanted to change my car which I'm not planning to although the Virtus does seems tempting however, seeing the Slavia's pricing, I dont think I can afford Virtus anytime soon and the rising fuel prices don't help either.
I'm overdue for brake pad change and while at it I'd like to change the rotors as well. I definitely do not want to change to oem rotors and pads as they are quite pathetic and after a few thousand kms, are very likely to shudder while applying brakes at speeds of 90 kmph and above. Most likely I plan to get Brembo drilled rotors with Ebc yellow stuff brake pads.
Met with a couple of accidents in the last few months. An auto rickshaw rammed at the rear of my car while i was at standstill at red light and the auto was at speeds more than he could control. Ended up changing the boot door and my custom rear lights were changed to stock ones as they were damaged as well. All claimed under insurance.
Second one was when i crashed into the rear of a truck that applied panic brakes and apparently due to my car's brakes not being the best condition the car didn't stop on time. Ended up changing the front hood, bumper and right headlight under insurance. No damages to the mechanicals of the car. Car's build quality was tested and I'm happy that I bought this car.
Brakes are a crucial thing, don't keep it pending sir. Also, my policy is, that if a job is pending, misfortunes play in.
Thread Starter
#119
I have upgraded the brake pads to ebc yellow stuff and the front discs to brembo drilled rotors. I'm quite happy with the combination. A big step up from the OEM pads and rotors. The braking setup instills much more confidence while braking and the feedback is quite progressive. The steering judder while braking from 90kmph plus speeds has reduced significantly and doesn't occur as often. I'd say 80% of the times the juddering doesn't occur. In my 6th year service last month the car was detected with steering rack sound and I have been suggested to replace the steerin rack. Maybe that could also cause some juddering?
Steering rack can also cause juddering. Test while braking in a rough road patch, and how the drive performs in rough roads, by turning the steering continuously, vigorously.