So, I had a stack of parts and an off-season to install them, first up was the Öhlins R&T coilovers with Ground Control camber plates. After a bunch of research here it seems this is a tried and true recipe for a street car that may see some light track use. I didnt take too many pictures during the install, but it was quite straight forward even though the instructions were a little vague. Not the worst job even though I was doing it on jackstands in my storage unit, ha!
One tip if you ever find yourself installing these; don't cut the shock boots! they have a perfect little slot on the boot for a ziptie, even though the instructions tell you to trim them to length. I felt it would protect the shock shaft from the elements much better this way.
Here is a quick picture post install. I believe I set the rear to the recommended measurements using digital calipers, and for the front I went 10 or 15mm shorter than the recommended measurements on the ride height adjuster measured again with digital calipers.
I had been waiting since new years to order tires but everything everywhere in Canada was out of stock! I bought the Enkeis with no tires, the above photo was from the seller, so I was searching for a sporty tire in 275/35R18 that was reasonably priced enough that I wouldn't feel guilty spinning them and burning off doing many highway miles. The Firestone Firehawk Indy500 came back in stock before anything else with a 7% promotional discount, so I grabbed a set right away. Initial impressions are good, they are reasonably quiet, they dont tramline all over the place, and they are far stickier than it would ever be safe to test on public roads. I am pretty satisfied so far considering the price point. I do plan to try out a track day at some point, so I may change my tune, but truthfully I think I have realistic expectations of what a tire in this category and price point is capable of. I got the tires mounted up and fitted the wheels to the car. I elected to use 12mm spacers all around, although I could have gone a touch bigger, it has minimal rubbing and still looks athletic enough for my tastes.
After the wheel and tire install it was time to get it aligned! I brought it to a friend that works at a VW dealer who has a couple racecars, and he did an excellent job. Here are my current specs.
That pretty well brings things up to date! I am really happy so far with the car. Next on the list is rod bearings and I plan to enjoy the car like this for summer. If anyone knows of reputable shops that do rod bearing service in BC, likely Vancouver, please leave a suggestion! I have a couple shops I am leaning toward but would love to hear anyones experiences.
If you got this far thank you for reading! I hope you have enjoyed and I will leave you with some pictures I took today.
Bye-Bye for now!
TRASHMAN
