Polo Mk 6 modification?

[JC76]

I own a Mk 6 Polo, 1.4L, 75kw with 2003 compliance - its the model with the twin headlights. Its my every day vehicle but she's only done about 40k and it looks like I'm going to have to keep her for quite a few years yet.

I was hoping for some advice as to modifications with cost/benefit in mind - ie what mods can I make that are relatively inexpensive and will provide some sort of performance gain? Is it even worth modifying a 1.4 litre naturally aspirated engine? Would the benefits of tweaking the handling outweigh those of spending coin on engine mods? Has anyone else attempted to modify their Mk 6 with any success??

I'm not expecting miracles, but even a little bit of a performance boost would be nice.

At the moment, the car is still stock-standard including the horrible steel wheels and plastic hubcaps...

Thanks!

JC

[Buller_Scott]

hey jc. there's an interesting thread in the polo section "intake manifold" where vwindahouse alludes to intake manifolds making a difference to his n/a cars. maybe fish around in there for their experience with other n/a cars as im sure there are plenty of guys on here with experience with n/a cars that arent holdens or fords.

they say that to mod a 1.4 n/a is to be stuck between a rock and a hard place, but you CAN work the intake side of things (heat shielded pod filter, greater diameter piping etc etc) for relatively cheap if you're fine with getting your fingers dirty.

without a doubt, any big dollars that you spend on the car will net a bigger smile on your dial if you address the handling side of things as opposed to the power side of things.

a chip will gain up to 10 hp and around 12 nm, which you might feel, but they'd be the same cost as some of the more important suspension components.

i'd look into springs/struts, rubber, all the bushes etc, sway bars.

then you'll be taking corners like a champ.

[noone]

Maybe have a look on polo UK site.

TBH, the best thing you can do would be to accept the power and work on the suspension. If you were able to get a few extra HP from intake / exhaust work, it would likely not be too cheap.

Swaybars, coilovers, springs, bushes. These are all areas you can work on.

Changing your wheels to something that looks better can also help reduce tyre side-wall flex, but I don't think this would be as noticable until the car is tighter.

I'm running AP coilovers, they were about $750 landed. They let you go low and the handling is pretty good. Many other options too, have fun reading.

[philthy]

Just to play devil's advocate, have you considered trading to something else for similar dollars? Your car has pretty good resale value (about 10-12k on carsales). There's a number of renault clio sport's for sale in the same price range, some from dealers with warranty.

(personal declaration - I've always had a sweet spot for Clio sports )

eg:

http://www.carsales.com.au/all-cars/dealer/details.aspx?R=8336225&keywords=sport&__Ntk=CarAll&__Nne=15&__Dx=mode%20matchany&__No=15&__D=sport&silo=1011&seot=1&__sid=11A9BB0585A3&__N=1216%201247%201282%201252%204294963762%204294963424&__Ns=pCar_PriceSort_Decimal%7c0%7c%7cpCar_RankSort_Int32%7c1%7c%7cpCar_Make_String%7c0%7c%7cpCar_Model_String%7c0&__Ntx=mode%20matchallpartial&Cr=3&__Ntt=sport&trecs=48&__Qpb=true

[JC76]

Thanks guys, I really appreciate your responses. I think I'll experiment with the handling side and let you know how it goes.

Oh, and the only problem with the Renault is that its not a VW...

[Buller_Scott]

yeah keep us posted, and dont forget- if you're going to change suspension, etc etc we want before and after pics and reviews!

[BTJ]

JC76 I am in the exact same boat mate. 07 club that i wouldnt trade for the world, but doesnt mean i dont wanna change things!

From reading around it appears that suspension is indeed our best bet. I guess carrying speed into corners via better handling/braking is just as important as getting the speed in the first place!

Let me know if you come across anything or look to make any purchases. Might get it cheaper if there is two of us!

[Buller_Scott]

btj, i reckon it WOULD turn out better if you were to get things in lots of two- to an extent (dont forget anything over a grand has to go through customs inspections etc etc and is subject to import tax).

check out places such as: dpmperformance.co.uk or europerformance.co.uk to get some ideas as to what you can do.

if i had a club, this'd probably be my order for doing things(an approximation):

1. good intake setup: higher flow filter element pod filter (like a k&n, which you can service yourself), routed to the stock intake mouth in the grille, with larger piping and a custom made heat shield, or otherwise something like this: http://www.vwwatercooled.org.au/newf...ad.php?t=14110

2. better rubber (and by default, bigger wheels- i'd go atleast 16inch so you can fit bigger brakes). check the polo tyre thread.

3. rear sway bar (can be bought from autobarn for 200 bucks, they have the part numbers).

4. suspension- obviously matching shocks and springs is better than just springs, but if you're not fussed about ride, and you just want a lower ride height/ look, they're cheap.

5. bushes/drop links/ tidy things up so that it all meshes together well.

dont underestimate your cars, guys. they might have small engines, but people on here, more than a few times, have told of track days where ''slow'' cars were spanking the crap out of ''fast cars'' because they had their suspension worked properly

go for it!

[BTJ]

Top post mate. Thanks.

I've got 17" siata rims on mine with pirelli dragon tyre. Seems to stick to the road nicely.

Have to look into the intake with my local guy.

Mmmmmm ideas.

This forum is evil!

[Buller_Scott]

yeah, it is.....

i wouldnt be planning a path to brokeville if it werent for this forum.

regarding the intake, the stock one on the polo is already, as far as things go, quite a good ''cold air intake'' and to put a pod filter on it, without a heat shield nor a pipe leading to the front grill would be an expensive step backwards.

your average ''drift'' or ''autotechnica'' branded bolt on pod filters from autobarn look pretty good, and some of them are well priced enough to be pretty damn tempting, but DONT!. a pod is only good if it's feeding off air directly from the slot in the front grill AND it's heat shielded. nothing less.

btj, i think, with good rubber already, if i were you, i'd be looking into the pod (easy, DIY) and the rear sway bar for sure.

im not pushing pods, but with a small n/a engine it wont hurt to let it breathe abit easier.

[JC76]

Awesome... I'm really excited about this thread! I've already ordered a set of 16" SSW wheels (they look a bit like the current R32 ones) and Potenza tyres. $1000 for both. I've decided against going any larger due to the exponential cost of tyres ; ) - and the bloke at the wheel shop advised not to go too much bigger in case the tyres rub against the arches when she gets lowered.

JC

[BTJ]

Just wondering how my 1.4 na buddy is doing?

So ordering the sway bars (front and rear) this week and looking to the suspension.

Is there actually a ECU reflash from any of the tuning companys for this engine?

[Sharkie]

Is there actually a ECU reflash from any of the tuning companys for this engine?

Powerchip does something for the 1.4 NA engine ...

Powerchip Performance Software Tuning for BMW, Mercedes, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Audi, Porsche

Would not recommend them for a turbo VW, but for a NA like this, since nobody else can be bothered, I'd heartily recommend ..... and its more than a 10% gain in kw and NM ....

[BTJ]

Speaking with Gav earlier and he reckons its not worth it.

hmm will carry on as planned with the suspension. Maybe if i find a thousand bucks on the street...

[noone]

If you don't know where to shop for your swaybars and other components, put up a post in the Wanted to Buy section. I saved a good slice of retail and someone did most of the work for me.

I would not recomend doing the front swaybar if you are running stock suspension, its a good piece of kit, but I don't think its a worthy upgrade as there is a bit if labour invloved (unlike the rear).

H&R springs are a good drop and decent setup, or AP Coilovers / Hottuning for budget coilovers.

If you want to have a look at my car with a fair bit of suspension work done (sways, coilovers, links, bushes, brace) I'd be happy to show you.

Bang for buck: rear sway and front brace (forge).