Corrado31

Just in case u are interested, there is a pic of my VR6 from the rear (oo-er) in the 'Cars for Sale' section with the magnex fitted. The car isn't lowered but it's on 17s and should give u an idea of how it looks. I had a round Scorpion CAT-back on my first C VR6 and the Magnex looks better and fits better. The oval fits in the cut-out space perfectly and it hasn't moved; unlike the old Scorp which used to ease across til it was touching the edge of the gap. Piers

Double-edged answer coming up: I had the Chipstar fitted by Stealth on my old C VR6. Immediate and very noticeable improvement in low-to-mid range throttle response. The only other horsepower-type mods were a Scorpion exhaust system and BMC air filter (no snorkel airfeed). From memory, the stats were as follows (I can look up exact figures): Pre-chip and BMC kit: 194bhp, 182lb/ft torque Post-chip and BMC kit: 202bhp, 199lb/ft torque. I.e, it's the torque increase that really improves the drive. HOWEVER, after a few months I started getting flat spots and total engine cutouts in dangerous situations. VW tried everything and finally disconnected the piggyback chip to run ECU tests. Hey presto, the problem was gone. So I was a bit disillusioned! Vince at Stealth gave me a refund with no problems at all and said it was v unusual for the chips to go back like that. Conclusion: Generally speaking they are a great mod. The piggyback manufacturers market their chips as easily reversed. But on some cars the replacement ECU chips are push in-pull out anyway, so it's up to you. If you are within range of Warwickshire, give Stealth a call. I'm not sure about the supercharging angle or cams. Usually they tweak the chip (with your car on a rolling road) to suit the exact car and existing mods, rather than relying on a one-size-fits-all approach.

Elite in Essex fitted Toyos (215/40/17) when they put new rims on my VR6. Great performance so far (on standard suspension). They grip well in the dry let go very progressively so fun to throw round roundabouts. Wet weather still to come.

I got 29.1 the other day on the motorway (1.5hrs driving) without too much heavy booting it in my 93 VR6. Havent seen 30mpg+ since the 17s went on. I *think* bigger wheels affect fuel consumption a bit (cue 10 replies saying I'm totally wrong :) Daily commute (35-40mins each way) is 16-20mpg depending on how silly I am when the oil warms up.

Fair enough. My full closure alarm on the old C didn't have a Thatcham certificate and I had to get the immobiliser fitted to have some kind of Thatcham rating for my insurer.

I had 17x7.5s on my old VR6 with 225/35 rubber. Needed the rear arches rolling (Premier in Northampton did it for about £80) but they still rubbed under load. Mad tyres. Now I have 17x7s with 215/40 rubber on a VR6. Lowering the car in a few weeks so will report back. Having owned Corrados since 1998, it's fair to say that 205/40 is the favourite tyre on a 17" rim, with a few fans of 215/40. For what it's worth, the turn in on my old 225/35s was amazing - Jason Plato drove it when i did an episode of "Driven" and said the same thing, and he should know I guess Rgds Piers

I had Thatcham 2 and immob on the old car but i think they printed the keys at a garage or something. There was no sign of forced entry and I didnt hear the alarm. The new one is Thatcham One and u can de-active the immobiliser for services, thereby keeping the little key fob away from the garage. Plus I have a ***k-off steering lock and will keep that and the key out of the car for services too. Seems silly, but I'm a bit paranoid now....

It's virtually mint, which is pretty good for 10 yrs old. Metallic black pearlesecent (I forget the paint code). Cloth interior in tip-top shape. Standard except for the rims and exhaust. H&R springs and Koni TA's going on in a few weeks, together with BMC induction kit. My old one (92 VR6 Moonlight Blue with Konis, Eibachs, BMC induction, Scorpion Exhaust, Magnacor leads, Vibratechnics engine mounts and bushes, 17x7.5 Ace alloys on 225/35 rubber) was stolen, so I'm having to start again!

93 VR6 with 17x7 Antera 321 Monos. Magnex oval exhaust. 12/03: For sale (see appropriate thread on forum)

That's good enough for me, Joe M.

Respect to Ess Three I have just read the whole thread from start to finish, all 3 great pages of it. Must be the first time I've done that, and it was for the COMEDY. Anyway, cheers Kev and Ess Three etc etc for the useful suspension info tho. For my 2p, I used to have Koni TAs and Eibachs on my old VR6, and they were crashy as anything round town but superb on reasonable 'A' and 'B' roads. However, I would prefer a touch more comfort this time around, seeing as I live in town. From reading the sensible bits of this thread, there are good words coming out of the Koni damper camp, and a general agreement that the Eibachs might be contributing to an extra-bumpy ride. Totally agree with whoever mentioned the "boot full" look for Koni/Eibachs too - or is that a general suspension thing? The car's design, with bulk at the back, makes 17s look smaller than the fronts to start with, so how do y'all stop that spoiling the look? Or I am i just talking Sh**e (red rag to a bull on this thread - come on, I've teed that one up!) Best rgds

In case anyone's interested for the record: there was no sign of a leak and it turned out to be a head gasket. The fault only showed up under extreme heat so at least we caught it early. Dealer is checking that there's no further damage and doing the work early next week. The car has done 80,000 so it's about that time I suppose. Thankfully it should be done under warranty. Many thanks for input from people on the forum. Piers

My old 92 VR6 had exactly the same problem. VW replaced two fuel filters, which developed holes, but it turned out to be the ECU. I had the car chipped (a piggyback chip) and when they unplugged it to run tests on my ECU, that almost solved the problem by itself. They also reset the ECU to orginal spec and I returned the chip for a refund. It was 99% better after that, the 1% being a slightly unsteady idle. Piers

Folks The water light on my VR6 came on, on Saturday afternoon, and when i pulled over to check, the coolant chamber was empty. I was only 5 mins from home so bought some water and started pouring. To start with, the chamber was emptying again - but no sign of it coming out of the bottom onto the floor. I assume it was filling the system. It took 3 litres before the water level stayed in the coolant chamber at the required level. There was no seepage or leaking onto the floor at any stage. I checked Sunday morning and it had gone down maybe half an inch, so topped it up to the max again. Checked this morning and it hasn't moved. There is also a very obvious and rattling sound at idle, like a pump is dying? Can anyone explain? I don't want to drive the car on water because of potential damage, so I know I will need a complete coolant change with G12, or whatever VAG use these days. Very frustrating as it's a new C! (and in unbelievable mint condition too - pics when I get it fixed). Also, it was MOT'd, serviced AND AA inspected before I bought it, so I assume this is just unlucky timing, in a classic VR6 kinda way. Piers

Rams, I rang a big tuning store to sort out some new 17s on my C and asked them the same wheel and tyre questions that I asked above. He said pretty much the same thing as you: Her suggested that when I last bought 17s (a few years back), more manufacturers made 17x7.5 than 17x7, and that 7s are fine. As for the tyres, he suggested 215/40 straight off. So it looks like I will go for 17x7 with 215/40. It's good to have a change anyway.....