kevdod
New member
The odometer on my 98 Jetta TDI rolled 200,000 a month or so ago and I decided it was time to do a little "refresh". It had become progressively slower and less responsive in the 3 years and the suspension was basically non-existent. The rear was much lower than the front and was basically at the bump stops on every pot-hole.
My goals for the refresh was to increase comfort and performance without sacrificing mpg -this is my girlfriends daily driver so nothing too radical. after much review of this forum I decided on the following (in order of upgrade):
1. New wheels and tires.
The front tires were basically shot. These were some off-brand tires on stock 14" rims that were on the car when I got it. The handling was horrible and it would track every groove on the highway. I was only going to get new tires, but a local shop sold me new 15" wheels and decent sport tires for what I could find 14" tires for. I think going up to 15" wheels makes sense as tires are much more available in this wheel size. The tires are Kumho Ecsta and for the price I think they are good. Made the car handle so much better (even with the non-existent suspension). The tires are medium loud, and are fine but nothing great in the corners, but for the price I think they are the value leader.
2. New air filter and take out snow screen
After doing this I could actually feel a difference in performance. The snow screen was quite clogged so I am sure this was the culprit.
3. Intake manifold cleaned out, new fuel filter (done at the same time)
My EGR valve was quite clogged up but the rest of the intake wasn't so bad. This also resulted in a minor performance gain. These were done at the same time so not sure if it was the intake or the fuel filter, but combined with the effects from removing the snow screen the car felt like it did when I bought it 3 years ago.
4. New springs and shocks/struts
After much deliberation I decided to go with a new set of the soft(ish) stock springs and Bilstein HD shocks. I had to get the springs from a VW dealer - I used their online site www.vwpartsdepartment.com and also called them - the pricing online was much better than they would give me over the phone, so I did it online. Aaron from Bora parts (www.boraparts.com) suggested I go with these shocks/struts I am glad he did. This combination handles great and is just what I was looking for. Factory height, absorbs the bumps, handles tight in the turns, and the car feels much more "planted" on the road. The shocks are a bit expensive, but my feeling now is that it was worth it.
5. Chip it
I got a recommendation to use a Malone tune (www.malonetuning.com). I emailed with him and he was very responsive. The chips were easy to install, and the performance gain was AMAZING! I should of done this when I first got the car. Between the chip tune and the new springs/shocks the car has been totally transformed. So much more fun to drive! If #2 and #3 gained me 5% (seat of the pants dyno) in performance, the tune gained me 30% more. I have not run a whole tank yet, so hoping the mpg is not too much worse than before. I will update on this. I think Malone really nailed this tune - he told me he has a mk3 Jetta TDI so I am sure this helps.
6. Larger nozzles
I spoke with Aaron from Bora parts and decided to go with Titan 502 nozzles (.205 diameter) - basically one size larger than stock. He said these are similar to the Bosio PP357 or the Sprint 520. I have not installed these but will update this thread once I do.
My goals for the refresh was to increase comfort and performance without sacrificing mpg -this is my girlfriends daily driver so nothing too radical. after much review of this forum I decided on the following (in order of upgrade):
1. New wheels and tires.
The front tires were basically shot. These were some off-brand tires on stock 14" rims that were on the car when I got it. The handling was horrible and it would track every groove on the highway. I was only going to get new tires, but a local shop sold me new 15" wheels and decent sport tires for what I could find 14" tires for. I think going up to 15" wheels makes sense as tires are much more available in this wheel size. The tires are Kumho Ecsta and for the price I think they are good. Made the car handle so much better (even with the non-existent suspension). The tires are medium loud, and are fine but nothing great in the corners, but for the price I think they are the value leader.
2. New air filter and take out snow screen
After doing this I could actually feel a difference in performance. The snow screen was quite clogged so I am sure this was the culprit.
3. Intake manifold cleaned out, new fuel filter (done at the same time)
My EGR valve was quite clogged up but the rest of the intake wasn't so bad. This also resulted in a minor performance gain. These were done at the same time so not sure if it was the intake or the fuel filter, but combined with the effects from removing the snow screen the car felt like it did when I bought it 3 years ago.
4. New springs and shocks/struts
After much deliberation I decided to go with a new set of the soft(ish) stock springs and Bilstein HD shocks. I had to get the springs from a VW dealer - I used their online site www.vwpartsdepartment.com and also called them - the pricing online was much better than they would give me over the phone, so I did it online. Aaron from Bora parts (www.boraparts.com) suggested I go with these shocks/struts I am glad he did. This combination handles great and is just what I was looking for. Factory height, absorbs the bumps, handles tight in the turns, and the car feels much more "planted" on the road. The shocks are a bit expensive, but my feeling now is that it was worth it.
5. Chip it
I got a recommendation to use a Malone tune (www.malonetuning.com). I emailed with him and he was very responsive. The chips were easy to install, and the performance gain was AMAZING! I should of done this when I first got the car. Between the chip tune and the new springs/shocks the car has been totally transformed. So much more fun to drive! If #2 and #3 gained me 5% (seat of the pants dyno) in performance, the tune gained me 30% more. I have not run a whole tank yet, so hoping the mpg is not too much worse than before. I will update on this. I think Malone really nailed this tune - he told me he has a mk3 Jetta TDI so I am sure this helps.
6. Larger nozzles
I spoke with Aaron from Bora parts and decided to go with Titan 502 nozzles (.205 diameter) - basically one size larger than stock. He said these are similar to the Bosio PP357 or the Sprint 520. I have not installed these but will update this thread once I do.
