New 4mo Bora owner!

[markc]

Hi everyone,

Today I've become the proud owner of a 2001 Bora V6 4motion.

- 185,XXX kms
- Full service history (VW dealer serviced as well)
- one owner
- no accidents

I previously had a 1991 Honda Prelude which handled like a go-kart, but that was written off a few weeks ago due to a ute running a red light an t-boning me. The Bora had everything I wanted: useable power, AWD and luxury to boot!

It's currently being prepped for delivery (a few things need to be fixed so a RWC can be provided), but I'm totally stoked!

I've read a few things in this forum already and while I don't think I will do many mods, there are a few things I feel are mandatory:

- stiffer springs (maybe R32?)
- rear swaybar (whiteline)
- 17" rims (stock look)

As has been said previously, I feel that the stock suspension is way too soft for the engine and chassis. I don't necessarily want to lower the suspension, but I just want to stiffen it up. The rear swaybar should go a long way to helping the body roll and understeer as well. I'd like to add some 17" rims on it as well to increase the contact patch and help handling. I'd be looking at something stock looking, maybe the ones on the Sport version.

So I have a few questions:

Where is a good place in Melbourne to find stock VW rims?
What is the offset and stud pattern of the stock rim?
What is a good spring to upgrade to? I've read about H&R, Eibach and R32 OEM

Thanks in advance for the replies and glad to be a part of the community

Mark

[anthony]

Congratulations on the Bora,you are going to just LOVE it.

[trickysimon]

If you are getting a rear sway bar, get a thicker one for the front as well otherwise the car will will have unbalanced characteristics.

[WhO]

If its currently sitting on the standard 16" rims and rubber getting it onto some lower profile rubber on 17's will make a tremendous improvement to the handling. I'm running R32 suspension and find its a nice improvement on the standard setup retaining great ride quality with a reasonable improvement on handling.

The standard rim is 5x100 and i believe +42 offset however i'm sure someone can confirm this!

Enjoy the car, they're an awesome piece of machinery

[dylan8]

Welcome! Hope you enjoy the bora, they are a great car.

Most of the stock wheels are around +38 offset (but this is based on width obviously), 5x100 for the stud pattern, 57.1 centre bore.
Other then Mk4 Golf/bora wheels, you could also look at some older A3/TT wheels, they generally have the same specs and can be easier to come by then the 17 and 18 bora/golf wheels.

[markc]

Great, I'll check out the R32 suspension and possibly some older A3/TT wheels, hopefully i should be able to get them at reasonable prices. A good set of tyres are in order - the current ones are some old Maxxis tyres with massive sidewall flex.

[dylan8]

oh and S3 wheels (same as a A3) there is/was a set up for sale on Ozaudi a while back 17x7.5 (et32-35 from memory). Wanted $550 for the set.
Link Here

[Manaz]

The standard rim is 5x100 and i believe +42 offset however i'm sure someone can confirm this!

+35 to +38 is more standard - but this depends on the width of the rims

[markc]

There's a set of 17x7.5 Sport rims and tyres on Ebay for $750. Sounds like a good deal?

Also, is it hard to remove the headlights and change the bulbs? First thing I'll do when I get it is put some nice 4000k bulbs in.

[dylan8]

no its not hard to remove the headlights, you do however have to remove the grill and bumper first through.
To replace globes you do not have to remove the headlights, it can be done while they are on the car.
In regards to the ones on ebay, its prob a good buy with tyres, but from memory they are almost stuffed?

[markc]

That's good to know that I don't have to remove the headlights to replace the globes.

Yeah there's not that much tread left on the tyres. Any idea on how much a wrecker would sell a set of rims for, and are there any good VW wreckers in Melbourne?

[WhO]

Checked my 4mo standard wheels today, definitely +42 offset on a 6.5" rim, Brands Hatch i think is what the wheel style is.

[Rybky]

Apart from the swaybars to stiffen the suspension, if you don't want to lower it then you could do what I have done and fit heavy duty Bilstein shocks, makes a big difference. You should be able to get a full set landed from ECS for around the $600-$700 mark with the current exchange rate.

Enjoy the Bora!

Adam

[markc]

Great thanks for the info guys. +42 seems fairly normal, i guess for a wider 7.5 or 8" wheel an offset of +32 - 35 may be needed.

Adam, can I ask how much you paid for your 17" sports alloys? They look awesome and exactly what I'm after

[Rybky]

Adam, can I ask how much you paid for your 17" sports alloys? They look awesome and exactly what I'm after

I got them used off ebay, there is a seller up here in Sydney who seems to be making a living out of refurbishing wheels and selling them. I think I paid $750 for them with 95% rubber on them too. They certainly do look good on the Bora.

Adam