matth76

Can anyone confirm if a shorter final drive (second hand from a G60) can be fitted on its own (for an extra £200) or will all the rest of the gears need changing too?

Update: I was told by a vr specialist that I couldn't just go for a final drive. I would need 'all' different gears too. And then you need a diff. They said I couldn't just have a shorter ratio final drive which was a pity. I'm having my gear box out soon so thought it would be an ideal time to have a shorter 3.68 final drive fitted at the same time (for an extra £200). But apparently it's not possible without all the other gears being changed too. They reckoned..with the diff and all different gears it would be upwards of 2k !! So it looks like I'm going to have to give the 3.68 final drive a miss :( Be nice to have it though.

Thanks for your replies. You're right I've already got a stainless steel exhaust manifold. Was just curious if there were any after market 6 branches made of the same material as the stock one, which is very strong due to it being cast iron, and also transfers heat better than steel. Would be more of a future mod (but only IF my current one does crack in a couple of years - which I've heard they are prone to). Hopefully it will be fine though. How long have people been running stainless steel ones on here? Mine wasn't cheap at £350 and is supposed to be good quality but then anything can happen. It does seem to be more free flowing than my stock exhaust manifold. I still have the stock air filter. But I should be getting a BMC next month to get a bit more air into the engine. I think the exhaust manifold has actually reduced the back pressure quite a bit (along with my high flow cat and system). Without an uprated air filter can this cause a flat spot in low revs?

Hi Is the VSR 6 branch Exhaust Manifold made of stainless steel or is it made of cast iron? Are there any good quality aftermarket free flowing 6 branch exhaust manifolds (for a golf/corrado vr6) that are made of cast iron as opposed to thinner and weaker stainless steel? Cheers

Shrick inlet manifolds are about £1200 am I right? How much is fitting time? And how much is a VGI? What kind of torque increase can any of these inlet manifolds make and are they worth the outlay of money, as I was thinking about one of these too? Are there any other 'cheaper' but good quality inlet manifold alternatives to a Shrick with similar torque increases? I have an ODB2 golf vr6 which is a pity as the old VSR can't fit ODB2 :(

Something to bear in mind with s/s exhaust manifolds... I was told by The Phirm not to get it wrapped in heat wrap/insulation, which although heat wrap makes it more effective slightly at transferring heat it can make the stainless steel retain heat and get hotter and more prone to getting brittle. However the main thing is to check to see if the manifold has "flexi-joints" where the bolts are which should keep it independent to engine movement, therefore preventing cracks. Also, get uprated engine mounts to keep engine movement to a minimum. I'm getting my golf rolling roaded at stealth beginning of march so should see what increase in power my new stainless exhaust mani has made. I expect more top end power with slight loss low down. But I may get a remap to fix this if possible. I've got about 195bhp (from my last rolling road) at the mo and will let you know how I get on when I visit stealth. :) Good luck with yours.

Thanks for your reply and info. So could I just go for the final drive (in theory) without anything else? Or would there be problems? I only use the car for road driving - no track days. Cheers Matt

Cheers for your help. Would a taller / longer fifth gear be required with a 3.68 final drive? And is a diff essential too? Ideally I want to keep costs to a minimum. What would be the approx cost to fit a final drive of 3.68 to a golf vr6 (I'm already having the gearbox out to do the chains so just need to know what 'extra' labour is required and how much the parts are for the final drive)?

Thanks for your replies. So what is a final drive exactly? Is this what determines how short the gear ratios are? I assume a 3.94 will provide shorter gears and better acceleration compared to 3.68 but will have a lower top end speed? And the 'differential' is what controls traction? How much are the parts (new) you mentioned to change the final drive, i.e: crown wheel (ring gear) and the matching pinion shaft, and if I ask The Phirm about this will they have a supplier who will supply these parts new? Is it easy to set up a longer 5th gear or what extra parts / replacements are needed to implement this, and importantly how much? How much is a quaife/peloquin differential? With the gearbox out is this easy to fit? Is this similar to limited slip differential or different? Thanks for the offer Veedubbed.. However I'm going to see if I can get the parts new first. If not may take you up on your offer thanks :) Also does a 3.68 final drive affect the speedometer in any way? Thanks for your help with this.

Ok... I'm going to be having my gearbox out fairly soon to have the timing chains done and wondered if I could take this opportunity to improve my gearbox in any way (ideally to get slightly shorter gearing)? I'm having a standard new OEM clutch which is apparently very good (better than an aftermarket item). The only one thing that I have found with my Golf VR6 (ODB2) (when it is running well) is that you really have to go down a gear each time to get the power going... which I assume is because it has fairly long gear ratios, unlike the Corrado which has better gearing and slightly shorter ratios (allowing better acceleration). Some people say that the old mark 2 Golf gti 16v had better gearing too. I have heard (but don't know much about) 3.68 / final drive/ differentials. What is this and are there different differentials available? What do the numbers mean - do they refer to the 'type/size' of differential? What does the Corrado VR6 have as I would want something similar to the gearing on the Corrado to improve my acceleration (I know it would reduce top end speed slightly but I want to concentrate on low down acceleration). What other parts are involved? And what would it cost for the parts?.. and approx time to fit while the gearbox is out? I've heard of Quaife but I assume their parts are very expensive? Also, are lightened flywheels supposed to improve acceleration? Whats the general cost for a lightened flywheel? I've been told by Stealth the standard flywheel is generally pretty good and shouldn't need replacing. However I'm interested in whether a lightened flywheel is a good thing or not? And while the gearbox is out are there any other easily accessible parts that could be replaced to be uprated with better parts to improve engine response? Thanks for any help. Matt

I've got a golf vr6 (mark 3 P reg) and I have seen 102 once before on the dual carriageway..I was doing 90ish though. Most I had ever seen before that was 98. Normally I see 92/94 when I do between 70-80mph. Under 70 mph and it stays at 88/90 (normal operating temp). How does an oil cooler work and is cooler oil better for the engine (or is it more of a preventative to stop temps getting too high)? What's the cost as I might be interested in this too?

Cheers. I hope so too.

Today I visited The Phirm who were really helpful. They spent a good half hour or longer with me today for free, test driving my car, checking my engine, checking the ecu etc. I really recommend them if you live in the south. The timing chain rattle (faint background raspiness / grinding) is STILL present. Basically it turns out Storm Developments did NOT take out my gearbox at all. All the gearbox nuts/bolts were very dirty and totally untouched. It appears that only my head gasket was done (The Phirm could see new head bolts) and hydraulic tensioner (this could also be seen to be new). Storm may have replaced other parts related to the top chain (such as guide rails) but unless it’s taken apart it can’t be confirmed. But the timing chain noise is still present which could be due to stretched chains. No wonder my initial invoice only said “head gasket and tensioners kit” and no wonder they were very cagey about admitting only the top timing chain was done – even this wasn’t done!! None of my timing chains were replaced! None of the chains can be removed without removing the gearbox. I paid £650 for the head gasket and tensioners only – The Phirm said this was an average price. However I thought I was getting a good deal as Storm said they were going to do all my timing chains and head gasket for £650 – I don’t think so! Unfortunately it wasn't in writing beforehand (not that this is usual practice) that they were doing all my chains so I can't really do much about it other than tell other people on here to avoid them. Anyway I’m putting it down to bad experience and definitely not going back to Storm Developments and I would seriously advise others to stay well clear. The Phirm also said it’s quite common for VR6’s to have small damp patches half way down the driver’s side of the engine block as all head gaskets leak a tiny bit but is normal and a common flaw with mark 3 Golfs’ head gaskets. Essentially it looks like I have paid for a head gasket when it probably didn’t need it. The Phirm also scanned my ecu to try and find out what my flat spot was due to and found no faults. They suspect it is likely due to incorrect timing and a faulty cam sensor going so soon after having had the work done is too coincidental. Enough said. Anyway I’m having all my chains done this time and new tappets too. Does anyone know how much extra work is required to check my head gasket was actually done or was done with a good seal? Cheers guys – hopefully by the end of the month my car should be sorted! ps. I only wish I had read the reviews about Storm on this site before I handed my car over to them!

Thanks Ian (Alpina527) I'll send you an email. Is a shame about the ODB2 one! Why did VW seal it?? Whats the general power gain with a ported and flowed throttle body (without bigger butterfly - as mine can't have that)? Cheers.

Yes it's a golf vr6. I've got a stainless steel 6 branch exhaust manifold (which although more free flowing is thinner than the cast iron stock one). I have around 195 bhp (with Milltek exhaust and high flow cat) but most likely a tiny bit more with the exhaust manifold. Going on a rr with Stealth end of the month. I may be looking for more power although it's limited with it being n/a. Supercharger would be nice one day :) It seems Vibratechnics are quite popular (although expensive). Will they last a lot longer than stock ones?

Hi I've heard there is some gain to be had by porting or increasing the butterfly on the throttle body for a golf vr6. I own a later odb2 golf vr6 2.8 and it currently has a standard throttle body. I have heard there is someone called Mr Alpina who is a specialist with throttle bodies for the vr6. Does he have contact details? And is 68mm the maximum size butterfly that will fit my 2.8 throttle body or is there a maximum optimum size? And what difference to response / power will it make to my car (any increase in torque / bhp?) ? How much does it cost to get a standard throttle body ported and have butterfly increased? Thanks for any info. Matt

Normal operating temp is around 88/90 degrees on a VR6 so I wouldn't worry. It will normally creep to about 94-100 if you are really pushing it. Get it checked out by a specialist though to be safe and to check the fans.

Hi I've recently had a new 6 branch stainless steel exhaust manifold fitted to my Golf VR6. It has good flexi joints apparently which keeps it independent to engine movement. But just to be safe I'd like to uprate my existing standard engine mounts with something much tougher which will keep engine movement to an absolute minimum. I've heard of Vibratechnics ..are they the best? Are there any other good makes? How many of the mounts need uprating - is it only really the front and rear? How much would it cost for two vibratechnics for example? And more importantly how many hours does it take a garage to fit one or two engine mounts? Other than stopping engine movement what are the other advantages of uprated engine mounts? Thank you for any help. Cheers Matt

I paid them before xmas after they had done the work. Would they still have my old parts? I would have thought they may have thrown them. I wouldn't know if they were from my car or not though.

Thanks guys :)

Thanks. How easy is this to fix or does it mean a new starter motor (because the current one is on its way out)?

Am I right in assuming the 24v lump is the 3.2l v6 from an R32? Must be expensive - how much for the lump and all necessary parts for the conversion and fitting? A 3.2 should be pretty interesting in the light weight frame plus it should have (if I'm right 230ish bhp?) If the price is not too expensive go for that over any 4 cylinder lump. Otherwise go for the rebuild at Stealth. At the end of the day with a high miler it's not normally the VR engine that goes wrong but all the parts around it!

Hi in the last couple of days my car has briefly made an odd screech noise (not too loud but audiable similar to a fan belt noise) for half a second always just after I turn the engine on. Then it disappears. Sometimes it doesn't happen. What is it - it only lasts for a fraction of a sec and happens about 2 secs after turning ignition on. Cheers Matt

In that case, why not get it done, have the clutch replaced at the same time to save that future labour cost, and you are pretty well back to where you thought you should be. Best wishes RB Not sure whether I should let them near it or not. If the Phirm say there is still rattle noise I may do that - but part of me would rather either the Phirm or Stealth take it all apart (costing me £600) but will be worth it to know it is all done. Does anyone know what the parts would cost for everything related to the bottom chain?

Yes you're exactly right. I had no idea that the labour cost would be so high if I wanted the clutch done in the future as it would be a gearbox out job AGAIN. I wasn't told this and they certainly didn't recommend I have it done whereas both the Phirm and Stealth said it should always be done to save money. Anyway I agree with you that I'm going to leave the bottom chain and when the clutch does go I'll get Stealth or the Phirm to do it and if as you say the extra labour (while the gearbox is out doing the clutch) is not much to get access to the bottom chain I'll have that done too. Hopefully the Phirm may give some idea what the flat spot may be due to. By the way in the last couple of days my car has briefly made an odd screech noise (not too loud but audiable) for half a second just after I turn the engine on. Then it disappears. Sometimes doesn't happen. What is that - sounds similar to a fan belt noise but it only lasts for a fraction of a sec.