Teething problems in my VR6

[monVR6 0]

Hi all - just discovered this site and it seems you are the people who can tell me everything I need to know ! I've had my 95 VR6 in met blue since December last year after chopping in a VR6 Golf. It has cream leather heated seats and has done just 70K miles - (it's also substantially quicker than the Golf !!). I do have a few questions though :

 

Before buying this one, I test drove a violet 37K VR6 which was extremely tight, handled superbly and was extremely controlled and confidence inspiring on bumpy old straights- alas I couldn't afford it - but this one, although it drives OK, I feel it should be better. Basically, I want to keep it fairly standard and don't want to lower it or get a rock-hard ride. Going into corners, it rolls quite a lot and feels nervous on your typical B road with a bit of lateral movement making me back off a bit - the violet one wasn't like this :( I also feel I need to continually make constant steering corrections. I'm told the shocks and springs are fine, but the top mounts need replacing - also been suggested that I uprate the anti-roll bars (Eibachs ??) - is this a good idea ? Can anyone help with other ideas - engine mounts, bushes, strut brace etc - and will I notice the difference ? Any thoughts would be really welcome.

 

Also, has anyone heard of, or fitted a "Chip Star" to their C ? If so is it any good - or are other Chips better ? Am I going to get walloped by Mr Insurance man ??

 

Thanks all - look forward to hearing from you . .

[vr6storm 0]

Hi all - just discovered this site and it seems you are the people who can tell me everything I need to know ! I've had my 95 VR6 in met blue since December last year after chopping in a VR6 Golf. It has cream leather heated seats and has done just 70K miles - (it's also substantially quicker than the Golf !!). I do have a few questions though :

 

Before buying this one, I test drove a violet 37K VR6 which was extremely tight, handled superbly and was extremely controlled and confidence inspiring on bumpy old straights- alas I couldn't afford it - but this one, although it drives OK, I feel it should be better. Basically, I want to keep it fairly standard and don't want to lower it or get a rock-hard ride. Going into corners, it rolls quite a lot and feels nervous on your typical B road with a bit of lateral movement making me back off a bit - the violet one wasn't like this :( I also feel I need to continually make constant steering corrections. I'm told the shocks and springs are fine, but the top mounts need replacing - also been suggested that I uprate the anti-roll bars (Eibachs ??) - is this a good idea ? Can anyone help with other ideas - engine mounts, bushes, strut brace etc - and will I notice the difference ? Any thoughts would be really welcome.

 

Also, has anyone heard of, or fitted a "Chip Star" to their C ? If so is it any good - or are other Chips better ? Am I going to get walloped by Mr Insurance man ??

 

Thanks all - look forward to hearing from you . .

 

 

 

right if you want to get a chip then i can wholeheartedly recommend AmD in Bicester for this.......i had mine done in April this year and you notice a difference straight away with the driveability as the engine pulls a lot harder to the rev limit......now the only thing about getting a VR chipped is you won't get a huge BHP improvement maybe 10-15 BHP and torque goes up correspondingly too....maybe even slightly more.....my before figs were 180.3Bhp :shock: :( and 177.1lb/ft :shock: :( .....then my after figs were 193.9Bhp and 195.4lb/ft :D :D ok so its maybe only a 3Bhp improvement on the "book" figs but 13Bhp and 18lb/ft gains aint not too bad for under £300.........what i was told also was that RR figures vary from place to place so was'nt too bothered about what little gain i had on stock figs...at the end of the day the car felt better to drive

[jimborae 0]

The handling problem sounds like perished bushes in the rear sub-frame to me. Perhaps somebody with more experience than me could confirm or deny this.

 

Regards

 

Jim

[bigbroony 0]

I'd haveto agree with jimborae( I'm no expert either) that something in the suspension is loose or worn.Remember that when it was current the corrado was held up as the car to beat in the handling stakes, punching far above it's weight.I bought my car already lowered and (I think ) stiffened with a mixture of Eibach and Koni goodies and I'm in no hurry to go back to standard, even given the odd inconvenience that lowering brings( scraping over the kerb to get off my drive e.g)

[Kevin Bacon 5]

If there is a lateral rocking or jolting over close knitted bumps and pot holes, definitely bushes. Could be the rear axle ones, could be the rear damper top mounts, which are solid rubber and flatten and harden with age.

 

When you look at the rear axle bushes, dont' be fooled by the peeling rubber, they all do that around the edges but the main meat of the bush will be fine. It just gets soft with age.

 

Your wishbone bushes have probably also met the same fate.

 

Forget lowering and strut braces, focus on the bushings first and go from there.

I wouldn't fit poly urethane ones either as they're hard to live with if you value refinement and composure over demanding surfaces.

 

Chipstar is Milford electronics version of a 'chip'. Unlike AmD's method, it piggy-back's the ECU's chip. Good for removing with no trace for insurance purposes. They deliver similar results to replacement Eproms but don't respond as quickly as it's external.

 

Kev

[Rams 0]

The C needs a good set of engine mounts also, these can be big factors to how the engine translates power to the wheels.

 

The strut brace made a big difference, the car just felt more solid even on straight lines.

 

The bushes are probably top mounts like others have said so get those done and get a set of Eibach springs. They only lower the car 25 /30 mm, you can just about tell that its been lowered.

 

What are your tires like? Again, a nice set of good rubber can make all the difference.

 

Stuff like tracking and balancing will all contribute, especially 4 wheel alignement.

 

8)

[monVR6 0]

Thanks for all the thoughts everyone - looks like bushes and top-mounts are the place to start - I'll keep you posted and also think about a trip to AmD :) Great forum - in the words of a certain Austrian "actor" - I'll be back !!

[Chris VR6nos 0]

How much was the Violet one against the one you got?

 

 

Chris

[monVR6 0]

Hi Chris - From memory it was £8,000, but this was about a year before I bought the blue one. It was older and had had some spraying done (done well though), but the main problem was the cost to change at £5K + my Golf - couldn't afford it then ! In hindsight, it might have been a good buy !!