UR R26R.5, VW Golf R
Well, before I bought the car, I was planning on dropping it, putting an exhaust system on, perhaps a JMS induction kit and black powder coading a few the engine components. Then moving on to a new set of wheels. It's been a bit of a slower process than I'd have wanted, but TBH I was really pleased with the car how it was so was in no real rush at all. Anyway, I had my KTR coilovers fitted last week, as well as a set of Alloy strut tops in gloss black. I went for these as I didn't want to spend a hell of a lot of cash, and I won't be tracking the car or going into corners hell for leather on a day to day basis.
The guys who fitted and aligned the coilovers said it was shockingly stiff and handled like it was on rails. They were really surprised as they're used to fitting kits on Evo's and higher performance cars.
First impressions were it certainly was stiff. I could definitely feel the road and anything on it and the standard springs and shocks boxed up in the boot were making a bit of a racket, too. I noticed that the front wheels were also rubbing on the arch lining trim which sticks out because of the front bumper bracket. Apparently this is a common problem when lowering and needs either cut back or the car raised a notch or two (cheers for the info, guys). As I was perfectly happy with the height, I decided to have the bracket modified and coated and since then it's been fine. It'll still rub slightly on full lock, but far better than it was originally. As for the bumpiness and feeling everything, you get used to it. It's a lot quieter since I took out the old springs in the box, and I took my mate home from football the other night and he didn't notice anything at all, as he usually comments on change.
As for the ride and the look of the car, I'm really pleased. You can feel when giving it some the car will snap back into position rather than roll, something I've not felt since I had my P1 which also seemed to align itself automatically very well. You also feel much lower down in the car which is great, and from an exterior view it looks so much better with a much more direct and sporty looking stance. The pictures really don't do it justice, IMO. Still really need that Cup spoiler to sort the rear end out, but again at the moment not that fussed in rushing about to do things as I'm really content in what I've got. I think an exhaust is next on the list of things to do, when that time comes.
Anyway, before shots (It's only a Sony cybershot, so nothing Oscar worthy) :
As it is now :
It is only a car, I guess, but I'm enjoying this one much more than I did my original 182, and although I still miss the P1, WR1 and M3, the little Renault is doing its job just fine
The guys who fitted and aligned the coilovers said it was shockingly stiff and handled like it was on rails. They were really surprised as they're used to fitting kits on Evo's and higher performance cars.
First impressions were it certainly was stiff. I could definitely feel the road and anything on it and the standard springs and shocks boxed up in the boot were making a bit of a racket, too. I noticed that the front wheels were also rubbing on the arch lining trim which sticks out because of the front bumper bracket. Apparently this is a common problem when lowering and needs either cut back or the car raised a notch or two (cheers for the info, guys). As I was perfectly happy with the height, I decided to have the bracket modified and coated and since then it's been fine. It'll still rub slightly on full lock, but far better than it was originally. As for the bumpiness and feeling everything, you get used to it. It's a lot quieter since I took out the old springs in the box, and I took my mate home from football the other night and he didn't notice anything at all, as he usually comments on change.
As for the ride and the look of the car, I'm really pleased. You can feel when giving it some the car will snap back into position rather than roll, something I've not felt since I had my P1 which also seemed to align itself automatically very well. You also feel much lower down in the car which is great, and from an exterior view it looks so much better with a much more direct and sporty looking stance. The pictures really don't do it justice, IMO. Still really need that Cup spoiler to sort the rear end out, but again at the moment not that fussed in rushing about to do things as I'm really content in what I've got. I think an exhaust is next on the list of things to do, when that time comes.
Anyway, before shots (It's only a Sony cybershot, so nothing Oscar worthy) :
As it is now :
It is only a car, I guess, but I'm enjoying this one much more than I did my original 182, and although I still miss the P1, WR1 and M3, the little Renault is doing its job just fine
