Animal Handling

Autotech sells this bit which...        read full caption Autotech sells this bit which helps in the removal of the front struts from the hub spindles. The bit simply inserts in the back of the spindle, and a quarter turn spreads the spindle just enough to let the strut slip easily from the spindle. The mounting equipment (bearings and strut mounts) must be transferred to the Autotech springs and Bilstein struts.

On the passenger side, you...        read full caption On the passenger side, you have to pretty much disconnect the hub from everything. After allowing the lower arm to drop a little bit more by disconnecting the sway bar from the arm, we removed the three bolts that connect the lower control arm to the hub.

We had to loosen the axle...        read full caption We had to loosen the axle nut in order to gain enough clearance to pull the strut from the vehicle. The axle contacts the subframe, and there are basically two options to remove the strut from the vehicle: either undo the axle nut, or undo the bolt that connects the tie rod to the hub. After installing the Autotech/ Bilstein strut on the passenger side, retighten and retorque the axle nut.

If you have absolutely no quibbles with the way Volkswagen tunes the engines in its GTIs, then you probably could care less about how horrible the suspension is. If, however, you’re always looking for a little better performance—whether it be better power, harder braking, or more aggressive handling—then you know that VW has really been skimping on the handling aspect for the last couple of years. More impressive than Autotech’s line of performance parts that we installed in the first segment of this buildup on our 1.8T GTI, were the suspension and braking components we’re using in this segment.

The first thing you notice when driving a GTI anywhere near its limits is that those limits are thanks, in part, to the overly compliant suspension. While it makes things very comfortable on trips from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, it doesn’t mesh very well with engines that are very capable of propelling the car into triple- digit speeds. Autotech has a complete regimen of suspension parts designed to transmogrify the suspension from something you’d expect to find on an American road boat into a suitable partner for VW’s awesome engines.

Autotech’s complete suspension setup for the Mk IV GTI consists of a set of lowering springs with higher spring rates, paired with Bilstein Sport struts and shocks, and Autotech’s lightweight, tubular sway bars, upper strut tower bar, and lower tie-bar. Combined, the parts work wonders and make you forget you are driving the same car.

Although VW’s brakes on the Mk IV cars are very powerful, they have the tendency to fade under repeated hard stops. We replaced the rotors with Autotech’s own cross-drilled and slotted versions, and also replaced the pads with Mintex ones. Autotech’s braided stainless steel brake lines with stainless steel ends were also added, and the brake fluid was replaced with DOT 5.1 fluid, making for an awesome braking upgrade that easily handles anything thrown at it.

With the deceleration characteristics improved upon, the engine and suspension tuning could be fully exploited on our favorite mountain roads. The car lives up to the GTI moniker and raises the bar for VW GTI owners the world over. Come back next month, when we finish up Autotech’s transformation of a mild-mannered GTI into something truly worthy of that trio of letters.