I've just fitted the HnR kit recently and its good to hear that people are experiencing the same as me so its not so much of a shock now! Was worried when hitting normal bumps on the road but yeh the MK3 interior does rattle a lot making it sound much worse.

Sunj

Mmmmmmmmmmmm....bigger....

More pics when I get it finished...

Edited 18 April, 200818 yr by Tav

bigger!!! there fecking massive!!! spot on!

Ooooooooooooooooooooo.... Fancy!

Will deffo stop you :p

good god! size of them!

Looks really good mate, cock on!

Love the rims they look so mint!

KiZ

meh my rear brakes are bigger

Yeah I am a bit disappointed to learn you have 260mm on the BACK!

I love this f*cking car.

Blog 16: 256mm Brakes

I've just finished fitting and bedding in my new front brakes...and my GOD they are good! Anyone who has driven a Mk3 Polo will be well aware that the brakes leave a lot to be desired. It is possible to upgrade Mk3 Polo's from the standard 239mmx10mm solid discs to 256mmx20mm using a range of parts from various VAG cars.

• Calipers: Volkswagen Mk2 Golf GTi 16v 'Girling 54'
• Carriers: Audi 80/90 85'-87'
• Discs: Volkswagen Mk2 Golf GTi 16v
• Pads: Volkswagen Mk2 Golf GTi 16v

I was supplied with the wrong pads from Volkswagen. I couldn't be bothered with the hassle of trying again so I decided to use EBC Green Stuff pads. More braking power, less fade and less dust...sounds good!

I replaced the standard rubber brake hoses with braided steel items to firm up brake pedal feel. The rubber hoses expand slightly as you press the brake pedal, the braided steel on Goodridge hoses prevents this from happening.

As with any work on a car it is always best to replace old tired bolts and fasteners.

So come Friday afternoon I thought I'd have a go at fitting the brakes. Here is a picture of all the bits sitting in the Polo's boot:

The Mk3 Polo doesn't have a brake wear indicator so the first job was to remove the plugs and wiring from the pads. Two seconds with a set of side cutters and the job was done.

The next step was to assemble the carriers, callipers and pads. First step was to fit the new backing plates. £10 from Volkswagen believe it or not!

Next step is to grease the slider pins and attach caliper to carrier...

I bled the brakes a filled the system with new Volkswagen DOT4 fluid...you'll notice my home brew funnel...

The cold night was drawing in by the time I finished, time for a quick photo to admire the handy work:

Blog 17: The Verdict...so far...

I thought it a good idea to try and review the latest modifications and the impact they have had on the car. Hopefully sharing some practical experiences with people will help them and also answer some of my questions.

OMP Velocita Steering Wheel: I'd never driven a car with a suede steering wheel until I fitted this OMP one to my car. It looks the part and it feels great in the hand. The extra grip on offer is welcomed when the steering is given a serious work out along less than perfect roads surfaces. 350mm seems to be a spot on size and allows you enough leverage to turn the car at all speeds...an important feature in a car with no power steering (and with my less than burly muscles ). Some people think it looks a little big but given that it is 6mm smaller than standard I can't see an issue.

It's stayed clean but I think I'm going to have to invest in a brush to keep it that way. Only draw back is that it doesn't slide through the hands well making push-pull steering awkward around town...oh well...if it's good enough for a Porsche GT3 it's fine for me.

BBS RA 14" + H&R Cup Kit + Toyo T1-R:

OK...thoughts of suspension so far (H&R Cup Kit with standard + old everything else)...

The 60/40 drop over 14x6J BBS looks great. There is the perfect amount of arch gap front and rear to be aesthetically pleasing whilst also presenting no scrubbing issues at all. Road clearance is also unaffected by the reasonably large drop in height. Having recently driven on a lot of B roads and not heard any parts of the car making boom-boom with the tarmac I can breath a sigh of relief. The same can't be said for Stuart's G40 which was building a close relationship with the road surface on 175/50R13 + 40mm Koni whilst nipping over Cairn o' Mount. The ride quality on his car is great, just the smaller wheels brining it 0.5 inch closer to the black top.

I'm really glad I chose the H&R Cup Kit over the Koni kit. Whilst the Koni's are great (both Del and Stuarts car have had Koni kits fitted) I think the arch gap would have been a little big with my choice wheel/tyre...not that it bothers me...honestly...

My car likes to follow creases in the road. Particularly noticeable on busy stretches of city road where trucks have created tram lines in the tarmac. The steering wheel puts up a little fight on back roads thanks to a far from perfect road surfaces. I think this is probably down to the 195 width tire? I can only imagine it being even worse on a bigger wheel + tire combination. It has also been suggested a little toe out is to blame. Given that I haven't had my tracking done I am sure this is a contributing factor.

Ride is firm but still reasonably comfortable over all but the most severe bumps. The rattles of a Mk3 Polo interior never help, making each bump sound a little worse than it really is. The H&R kit is definitely much better than a budget PhilJ kit (obviously, we're talking more than double the price) and on a par with Stuart's Koni kit for comfort. There is still some roll in the body which is nice. I previously said that I was hoping the kit would loose some of its bouncy-ness and thankfully it has. The car now drives through the bumps rather than wobbling over them.

Toyo T1-R's are continuing to scrub in well. Occasionally they feel pushed too hard, but I'm pretty sure its down to the suspension layout up front rather than any lack of adhesion from the rubber. I misjudged a rather tight left hand bend tonight and upon throwing more lock at the problem was greeted by the sound of scrabbling tyres as the front washed wide.

I can't wait to fit the PPP Wishbone subframe and see how it further improves the car. I've pencilled it in for after uni in two weeks time.

256mm Brake Conversion:

I've just been out for an 80mile jaunt this evening to bed in the brakes so I'm currently working on first impressions. The first thing that struck me is that the pedal travel is a little long. I'm almost certain this is down to the original master cylinder remaining in place whilst I wait for a bigger Golf/Passat item to arrive from GSF.

Once through the slack the brakes bite hard....really hard....worryingly hard! To bed them in I drove around for 15 minutes or so...casual driving...light use of the middle pedal. After getting the brakes warm I then spanked them with several hard stop from 60mph+ down to 10-20mph. This was followed by another 15minutes of gentle driving to cool the brakes down.

It was during the bedding in procedure it became apparent that all was not well. The car dives to the left when braking hard. I think this my be down to a tight fitting brake pad? Stuart found one a little tight when fitting, I'm thinking of removing it and reapplying copper slip to the ledges it rests on....perhaps a little tickle with a file. It's similar to a sticky piston but given the calipers are brand new I doubt it could be that? The near side wheel is also a darker shade of brake dust which reinforces the feeling that its doing a lot more work. It did this on the old brakes....so could be something in that? Brake lines?

With a massive improvement in braking up front the back end has taken on an entirely new character. It's switched from Dr Jekyll to Mr Hyde's long lost and even angrier cousin. As you apply the brakes you can feel the weight shift forward, its at this point the back end begins to squirm....ALOT. It sometimes feels as if all four wheels are still travelling in a straight line, yet the body is twisting clockwise/counter clockwise about its center...at other times a dose of steering lock is require to keep the nose pointing forwards. Not what I'd call stable! In a good way it feels similar to a Leon Cupra race car I drove that had been fitted with road tyres, very mobile rear end when trail braking...very good fun...similar to playing with fire...in the presence of flammable liquids... fun...

Hopefully sorting the deviation at the front end will settle the rear. Hopefully fitting a bigger master cylinder will reduce the pedal travel. Hopefully the final out come will live up to the potential I see now.

Edited 21 April, 200818 yr by Tav

nice write up tav, id get the car to the garage and get the trackin done asap, you should notice a more positive feel up front and may settle your braking issues, while your there you could get them to stick it on the machines that register your braking force on each wheel to see if there is actually issues with over or under-braking from a particular corner.

mind you you may be waiting till you fit the subframe as otherwise you'll only need to have it done again.

how come you've chosen not to paint the calipers?

nice write up tav, id get the car to the garage and get the trackin done asap, you should notice a more positive feel up front and may settle your braking issues, while your there you could get them to stick it on the machines that register your braking force on each wheel to see if there is actually issues with over or under-braking from a particular corner.

mind you you may be waiting till you fit the subframe as otherwise you'll only need to have it done again.

how come you've chosen not to paint the calipers?

Cheers min!

I think I will try and get the tracking etc. done...good shout with getting them to check the brake force. They do that on MOT's don't they?

Calipers are electroplated zinc...look like brand new. I really need to do something with the carriers as they are just dirty...ewwww...

Edited 21 April, 200818 yr by Tav

haha i some that were zinc plated but they began to surface rust after a while, i cleaned them up and painted them and they were sweet as after. got an ally mk4 rear caliper that was new oe sitting on a shelf for a year and its looking a pretty crappy but a clean up and paint and it'll be bob on.

when i got brakes from germany they were always properly cleaned, painted and rebuilt with all new seals, the guy sent me a random unmarked spray can that was brake cleaner and it was immense, failing that get some degunk or vinegar and leave them soaked overnight then get a dish brush on em, will be spanking after that then either paint them and your calipers up or get the carriers zinc plated

and aye they check your braking force on the mot, sweet machine it gets rigged up to aswell, i cant remember my reading but it was pretty shocking cos i lost all my brake fluid on the way to the mot statiion

I remember once having a really low reading on one of our family cars. Going to try and get it sorted then get it in somewhere for them to check it all good....brakes after all are super important so best not to scimp!

upgrading the rear brakes to a disc conversion should help the "vague" rear end under heavy braking.....

on my EK9 when i had upgraded front pads and discs/standard rears you would stomp on the brakes and you could feel the rear fishtail (quite bad at times!!!) since then i've fitted my Spoon calipers and upgraded the discs/pads ALL ROUND as well as servicing the rear calipers and the car feels mega stable with the rear end very much more planted even under the heaviest of braking

loving what am seeing here. i was gonna visit you boys up north the other waeek but other than the ridiculous distance a few things held me back...i'll be there sometime soon though!!! :-D

Blog 18: The Subframe

Finally the appropriate time has arrived to fit my PPP Subframe to the Polo GT....

Day One

First thing to do was to get the front end of the car off the ground and supported properly. 5 minutes with a couple of trolley jacks and we had the car sitting nice and high with the wheels removed and tucked safely away in the garage.

Stuart then set about removing the exhaust from the car. We were all expecting this to be a rather troublesome chore, but surprisingly it went without a hitch (well almost!) The fact I had just returned from a long drive and the exhaust was still skin scorchingly hot probably helped ease the studs from the manifold.

Ross recently received a nifty electric impact gun for his birthday. The new toy helped no end, speeding up the removal of the wheels and helping budge all of those ever stubborn suspension bolts. Action shot!

It didn't take long for the front garden/street to start to resemble a busy garage...much to mothers dismay...

The old anti-roll bar was whipped off...the bushes don't exactly present themselves as the last word in stability/security...

The rear gear box mount followed and was temporarily replaced with the second trolley jack. A bottle jack would have been excellent as it takes up so little space, the trolley jack on the other hand does its best to get in the way at the most inopportune moments.

The new replacement gearbox mount was then fitted to the old bush, something I am going to replace in future. The new mount required some grinding to allow the bolts to fit through the holes; the start of me waving bye bye to what I now know to be premature powder coat. The center hole on the mount is stepped, a manufacturing fault I think. I don't have any pictures of this yet but I will make sure to take one tomorrow. The offending hole is going to require an extended appointment with the grinder to straighten it out.

Now it's time to meet the first problem, the bolts which connect the tie rod to the subframe. The picture below shows the passenger side bolt which fits correctly.

However, the drivers side presented an unexpected issue. The bolt is prevented from being fully inserted by the subframe itself as can be seen in the picture below. I spoke to Pete (ever helpful and easy to get a hold of) and he suggested that the pick up point may have been manufactured a few degrees too shallow. Not to worry though as any error here could be accounted for by the adjustable tie rods...I hope that's the case... There was also insufficient space to fit the nylock nut behind the pick up point, again this is caused by the shallow angle of the pick up point as well as the original frame not being designed to use these fasteners.

I worked around the above problems by purchasing a new shorter bolt and a non-nylock nut, a much cheaper option than having the frame sent back for modification. The new bolt fits perfectly requiring only a small nick to be made in the powder coat (there goes some more of it) and the nut squeezes into the available space with not a hairs breadth to spare.

It is important to only use bolts that have a high tensile strength when fitting suspension components. The tensile strength of a bolt is marked on the head and is donated by a certain number of dashes or a number. The bolts provided with the tie rods featured 3 dashes (Grade 5) on the face, these can be seen in later pictures. The 3 dahses indicate that the bolt has a minimum tensile strength of 120000PSI. This is roughly equivalent to the metric class 8.8 bolts (830 MPa/120381.291PSI) which are the standard type of high tensile bolt and as such are easy to obtain. The bolt + nut were purchased for the princely sum of £0.68 from Grampian Fasteners...excellent service there, most pleased.

Without the benefit of a nylock nut I needed to purchase some thread lock. Loctite 243 is a medium strength compound and costs about £5 for a titchy wee bottle. Hopefully it will ensure the new nut stays firmly attached to the bolt.

By the time we got to this stage it was getting late and the amassed group (Del, Pidge, Stuart and Ross) all looked tired + hungry. I tidied up the street + garden and put the Polo to bed for the night, we all headed inside and devoured 3 fresh Pizzas, a huge bowl of chips and rather a lot of Minute Maid...a fine end to a busy day.

Day Two

It turns out (not that anyone mentioned it previously) that the TCA pick up points each have a dimple on them. This dimple prevented the subframe from sliding into position. I enquired with Pete and he concurred that they were present on all Mk3 Polo's and that some are more pronounced than others. I duly attacked the dimples with the ever handy Dremel Rotary Tool + grinding stone attachment. Gone.

After removing the dimple I assembled the frame on the car with the new track control arms and tie rods. It took a fair bit of swearing + hammering from Bennett and I but eventually we got it on and lined up near enough spot on.

Here is a another picture of the frame mocked up on the car, it doesn't really show off the frame too well but look at those sexy 256mm brakes...every Mk3 Polo should have a set of these...especially if it is being pulled along by G40 power.

Here is a picture of the rose jointed tie rod which comes with the subframe. Note the marks on the head of the bolt letting you know what grade of high tensile steel it is made from.

The suspension now features a number of rose jointed components. In the picture below we can see the inner rose joint of the track control arm. These are brand new genuine VW G40 specific parts...I find that exciting! I have also fitted rose jointed G40 steering arms as well, pictures to follow soon.

I spent most of the day modifying various bolt holes in the frame so that they would line up with the mounting points on the car. The passengers side ARB bolts fitted perfectly without modification. The TCA pick up points required a small adjustment to line up the holes properly. Annoyingly the drivers side ARB mount requires rather more modification...there should be some adjustment in the mount by slackening off its bolts, I am going to try this tomorrow.

Day Three

Edited 21 May, 200818 yr by Tav

Having to bump the thread as the above post didn't move it up the forum...weeeeird!

cracking work, nice to see everyone mucking in tav!

still keen on the a certain n/a engine choice??

your write ups are second to none, what happened to day3?

wicked dude

love the quality of parts, nothing but the best

your write ups are second to none, what happened to day3?

I'm still working on it...been working silly shifts like 13:30 to 21:30 at work so its proving difficult to get a full day under the car. Hoping to get cracking on Sunday (if we don't get to bleazing drunk at Stuarts on Saturday!).

It's sitting on its wheels now but I am going to take everything off again as loads of bits need touched up with paint (might just repaint frame in something thinner than powder coat) and I need some spacers made for behind the ARB mount....still need to modify gearbox mount a little on one of the three holes...new ball joint bolts and nuts as the current ones are are a state...some new longer gearbox bolts... .... lots to do!

I need to get it into the driveway but its stuck in gear and the selector shaft is off, anyone know how to get it into neutral at the box end of things?

Also does anyone have any tips for removing/replacing steering arm ball joint bolts...they just spin?

wicked dude

love the quality of parts, nothing but the best

Cheers almost lost it with the car yesterday...such a frustrating job...but should be worth it. Was half tempted to sell everything and buy something else....or just rip everything off...or whip the engine out...or put all the old stuff back on and go drive.... I even got angry at it today when I kept dropping bolts and I never get angry.

Yoof picked up on my horrid rusty drive shafts and struts...he has a point.

Edited 23 May, 200818 yr by Tav

cant believe how well this car is turning out! its one hell of a spec now! keep going mate, great work indeed

Edited 23 May, 200818 yr by POLOMON

nice photos dude. did you grease your rose joints?