MK4 Golf fast road/track car. Dyno results! pg12.

After reading about the members track days and track car projects over the past year or so, ive been getting the urge to buy a mk4 turbo to turn into a road/track car. Nothing serious, just something to have a little fun in from time to time.
These days you can pick them up pretty cheap and I like the look of them too.
Question is, which would be the best engine code to go for and what engine mods would I need to do to get it to around 280-320 bhp mark? Would I need to do anything to the gearbox? Is there a certain engine and gearbox code which better go together?

Appreciate any info,

David.

 

Mmmmmmmmmm waiting for some interesting replies
Immensely relived you didn't say mk3 cause there crap aren't they smithy ????lol

 

Me too, keep looking at them. So ive decided to just go for it. Just need to make the right choice mate

I thought about taking my mk2 on track when its done. But no, dont want to risk smashing it, so will just keep it as a daily! lol

Anyway, stop picking on smithy! lol

Ps, might need some of that plastic stuff you was selling if you still have any left?

 

Have a read of this David -

http://www.clubgti.com/showthread.php?219447-Project-SVH-4motion&highlight=

I agree though, I do like Mk4's, and they would definitely make a great track car.

 

Have saved a couple of hundred sheets for club members and got another 18 t in tomorrow on top of the 20t in my warehouse so I think I'll have some for you which you can definitely have I've got more than enough lol

 

Cheers mate you hording them too micky? lol

 

Cheers Richard, will have a read now

 

You'll love it

 

Good read, but probably not the route id like to take. Engine wise, too technical for me! Ive only just got my head around the ABF engine lol
Besides, it would just be for a little track day fun. Obviously it would be stripped, caged, lightened etc etc.

 

Good read with a sudden ending

 

Mike, we will see at donington how good your mk2 fairs against my lovely mk3 lol

Thanks for the support g28opn mikes just upset his doesn't run and keeps taking it out on my car lol. Have you done any track days yet?

 

Smithy vs me

Think I'll keep my mouth shut

Love you and your mk2 basher lol

 

lol

 

You could buy my MK2, it's half a MK4...well the engine is!lol

 

I think it's a fantastic idea! mk4's CAN be made into brilliant track cars. they're not as common place as mk2's yet, but there is some great potential in the chassis, and the VAG parts bin lends itself very nicely to making vast improvements for little cost.

Power wise, there a few camps into which you will fall. based on technical ability, cost, and how involved you want to get!

if you went for an early car, with an AGU or ARZ engine, you'll get a ko3 turbo. This will allow up to 200bhp with tuning, but not a single pony more. typically, you'd be wanting to swap out the turbo on these, as the tiny ko3 just isn't enough.

If you went for an AUM engined car, from say 2001 onwards, you'd get a ko3S turbo, and a much newer engine management system.

A remap alone on a healthy AUM will net you 210 bhp, with scope for up to 250bhp on the stock turbo with some choice modifications.

To go beyond this, on either AGU, ARZ, or AUM/AUQ, you'd be looking at a larger turbo, or a hybrid.

The most obvious / logical turbo choice to keep budget down would be the BBT K300. Which contains uprated internals packaged into a modified ko3 turbine housing, utilising a ko4 compressor housing. This is a bolt on swap with a ko3/s, and with the right supporting mods gives the potential for 300bhp. You are however getting into a grey area in terms of engine strength at 300bhp, and the strength of the con rods comes into question.

if I were starting from scratch on a mk4 track car, I think I'd get an AUM'd get, with a stage 1 map, then develop the chassis around that, and look to add more power when it reaches the point where the chassis feels more capable than the engine.

If budget allows, a late gti180 would be the best of the bunch, with an AUQ engine and 02M 6 speed box. The AUQ is mechnically identical to the AUM, but mapped different to give 180bhp stock. The main advantage being the 02M box is MUCH better than the 02J 5 speed found in all the other mk4's.

 

I tracked my Mk4 a few times. It was an AUM with a Revo remap, Miltek exhaust, uprated dampers (not coilovers), DV and FMIC. It went really well. It understeered a lot, but that was because I used it daily, so left the suspension geometry pretty standard. It had the potential to go very quickly, but I decided to keep it as a daily and get a second car, as I was doing 30k miles a year at the time, and couldn't be without a daily if something broke.
The standard clutch did 130k, and I never upgraded to the 312mm brakes, but in a dedicated track car I probably would.

Prawn's A3 is very similar to a Mk4, so that gives you an idea how quick they can be.

With prices as they are, these are starting to look really good value for track cars.

 

Prawn makes a good point, power is not everything, if the chassis can't cope you can't put it down, corner speed on a track car will make up for lower power? Then pile on the bhp when the chassis is ready.

My vr struggles against the turbo vehicles for acceleration but all the work on my car so far is for handling so I carry a lot more speed through the corners and make up for it. All over them in the bends lol

 

Smithy you're going to stuff me at donnington lol

 

I can't drive and my car old and poo I'm dooooooooooooooooooooooooomed

 

Ha ha ha ha, you'll be fine mike lol in fairness if your cars running it should be good on track being an ex race car