Every piece of hardware was included in the turbo kit to make installation easy enough for an able mechanic. The turbo exhaust manifold was a key part, along with a 3" stainless downpipe, exhaust and intake, TiAL wastegate, braided oil lines, pan and fittings, silicone hoses and lastly clamps. Of course, the engine would be more thirsty, so fueling components include 60# Siemens injectors and Kinetic's bigger fuel pump.
A hybrid turbo was pieced together using a .82A/R T3 turbine housing, while the compressor was a T04S. This builds maximum boost in the 4000rpm range, resulting in most of the usable power up top.
With a front-mount intercooler added, Kinetic received aid from C2 Motorsport to program the software including boost, ignition and air/fuel. On a safe program using pump fuel, Uttman can easily roam around with 400whp, but more power is achievable with an aggressive tune and race gas. He also has the option of modifying the boost himself via a GReddy boost controller mounted on the center console.
With more power comes additional responsibility, so a Competition stage 4 clutch was installed in the stock five-speed manual transmission, along with a lightened flywheel. Helping with traction was a Peloquin limited-slip. Factory driveshafts typically fail on boosted VR6 cars as well, so DriveshaftShop parts were included.
The remaining items to complete the car's street-assassin abilities included 11" RPI brakes to stop the car from triple-digit speeds. A sticky set of Bridgestone Potenza tires supplied maximum grip and Vogtland coilovers with Neuspeed sway bars round off the chassis updates to improve the cornering ability.
Sleek Alpine touchscreen was...
Sleek Alpine touchscreen was installed to look OEM
With the engine, chassis and exterior buckled down, only the interior was left. Not wanting to draw much attention, he kept it fairly stock with factory-style additions. For example, the seats were reupholstered in black leather and silver alcantara with white stitching. Alcantara also found its way to the door cards and headliner, while the sunvisors and pillars received black leather.
The stock deck wasn't going to cut it, so a double-DIN Alpine touchscreen rests in the dash, controlling the factory speakers with the addition of two subwoofers in the hatch.
Nearly every morsel of this VW has been addressed and enhanced by Uttman and Kinetic. It has the looks of a superstar, power of a bodybuilder and the quality of what we like to call... a classic.
Tech Spec
1997 VW GTI VR6
Owner: Uttman Jones
Location: Vancouver, BC
Occupation: Transporter
Engine: 2.9 liter VR6 with Kinetic Motorsport stage 4 turbo kit, Euro-spec pistons, three-angle valve job, T67GJ turbocharger using T04S compressor and .82A/R T3 turbine housing, TiAL 38mm wastegate, 9.0:1 compression head spacer, 3" stainless downpipe, exhaust and intake, 60# Siemens injectors, fuel pump kit, front-mount intercooler, silicone hoses, C2 Motorsport software, Schrick 260 cams, ported throttle body, custom intake manifold
Drivetrain: five-speed manual with Competition stage 4 clutch, lightened flywheel, Peloquin limited-slip differential
Brakes: 11" RPI Equipped drilled rotors and four-piston front calipers, Ferroda 2500 pads
Suspension: Vogtland coilovers, Neuspeed sway bars, DriveshaftShop upgraded driveshafts
Interior reupholstered in...
Interior reupholstered in black leather and silver alcantara
Wheels & Tires: 15x7.5" BBS RS wheels with extended Kodiak lips, 195/45-15 Bridgestone Potenza
Exterior: European bumpers and VR6 front lip, textured fender flares and moldings, badgeless grille, smoked E-code headlights and Votex foglights, shaved sidemarkers and rear emblem
Interior: black leather front and rear seats with alcantara center panels and white stitching, alcantara door cards and headliner, leather sunvisors and pillars, Mk4 shift knob
Audio/Visual: Alpine IVA-W200 touchscreen head unit, two 10" subwoofers with amplifier in alcantara enclosure, GReddy Profec Type S boost controller