Monday, May 22, 2006
PROJECT UPDATE!
Summer is approaching and it's time to start wrenching on Stanley again. I'm still working on putting the final few coats of paint on the chassis. I've 320 grit the first coat of Rust Encapsulator to prep for the top coats. I'm estimating about 6 hours work to finish the job.
Next on the agenda is to tear down, paint, and prep the rear control arms. This shouldn't be too hard but it will be a dirty job. I'm going to paint the rear arms with Rust Encapsulator as well. Once the arms are painted I will install allnew brake components. Once the rear arms are done I'm going to reinstall the rear suspension. This will include installing the new Kafer Brace, rear sway bar, new special order Koni "RED" adjustable shocks, and Sway-A-Way adjustable spring plates.
After the rear arms are finished I'm going to turn my attention to the front end assembly. I'm leaning toward restoring my current housing instead of buying a new one. Mine is in fairly decent shape and just need lceaning and paint to be good to go. After paint I will install the new steering box, new adjustable front sway bar, new 2.5" dropped spindles, front disc brakes, and new special order Koni "RED" adjustable shocks. Stay tuned for more updates!
Sunday, May 14, 2006
More GTI Pictures!
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
My VW GTI MkV Initial Impressions..
I've now owned my 2006 Tornado Red GTI MkV for almost 5 days. Its not quite long enough to do a worthy review but I will give you my initial impressions of the car.
Let me preface this by saying I am a bonafide car nut. I'm a mechanical engineer by trade, spent most of my career working in the auto industry, and my number one pass time is working on cars. I'm a true gearhead at heart. Ok you get the point lets get started:
EXTERIOR:
The new GTI's body definately catches your attention. It is flashy without being gaudy. I think the front chin treatment is a love it or hate it. Personally it has grown on me and I think VW got the cars stance perfect with the 17 inch rims and low pro rubber.
INTERIOR:
The seats are every bit as good as the seats were in my 1988 Porsche 911 Carrera. Thats saying just about everything I think I need to say about that. The steering wheel is very 'F1' in appearance and feel. It was definately designed to be driven hard and the polished aluminum pedals are a nice touch. All very well put together with an upscale look and feel. It seems VW has learned something from Audi on the interior design.
ENGINE:
Without goiing into too much tecky detail the new GTI MkV is a sports car in hatchback clothing. Make no mistake about it this car will embarrass cars costing twice as much. The 2.0T FSI turbocharged intercooled motor makes 200 BHP from 5100-6000RPM / 207 LBL FT from 1800-5000 RPM. This motor definately has an identity crisis because it is a 4 cylinder that thinks it's a 6 cylinder. The power is extememly linear and never feels peaky. Unlike the Honda VTEC engines that need to be revved to get rocking, the GTI's lump gets nasty at any RPM. There is NO turbo lag whatsoever. The major thing I see in this engine is that it was clearly designed to make strong streetable power across a broad RPM range.
TRANNY:
The transmission in my car is the DSG 6-speed semi-automatic with F1 paddle shifters. In reality its not an automatic at all. Rather it is a manual transmission without a manual style clutch. The car can be driven in full automatic mode, tiptronic mode, or paddle shifted. In my opinion the DSG transmission is THE BEST FEATURE on the GTI. The tranny shifts quickly and smoothly. VW has given the computer intelligence when it comes to shift points, gear selection and driver input. When paddle shifting F1 style the DSG actually beats the manual GTI 6 speed in 0-60 and 1/4 mile. It truly is the best of both worlds. Performance of a manual and convenience of an auto. I test drove both the DSG and manual 6 speed before I chose and the DSG is the hands down winner.
Let me preface this by saying I am a bonafide car nut. I'm a mechanical engineer by trade, spent most of my career working in the auto industry, and my number one pass time is working on cars. I'm a true gearhead at heart. Ok you get the point lets get started:
EXTERIOR:
The new GTI's body definately catches your attention. It is flashy without being gaudy. I think the front chin treatment is a love it or hate it. Personally it has grown on me and I think VW got the cars stance perfect with the 17 inch rims and low pro rubber.
INTERIOR:
The seats are every bit as good as the seats were in my 1988 Porsche 911 Carrera. Thats saying just about everything I think I need to say about that. The steering wheel is very 'F1' in appearance and feel. It was definately designed to be driven hard and the polished aluminum pedals are a nice touch. All very well put together with an upscale look and feel. It seems VW has learned something from Audi on the interior design.
ENGINE:
Without goiing into too much tecky detail the new GTI MkV is a sports car in hatchback clothing. Make no mistake about it this car will embarrass cars costing twice as much. The 2.0T FSI turbocharged intercooled motor makes 200 BHP from 5100-6000RPM / 207 LBL FT from 1800-5000 RPM. This motor definately has an identity crisis because it is a 4 cylinder that thinks it's a 6 cylinder. The power is extememly linear and never feels peaky. Unlike the Honda VTEC engines that need to be revved to get rocking, the GTI's lump gets nasty at any RPM. There is NO turbo lag whatsoever. The major thing I see in this engine is that it was clearly designed to make strong streetable power across a broad RPM range.
TRANNY:
The transmission in my car is the DSG 6-speed semi-automatic with F1 paddle shifters. In reality its not an automatic at all. Rather it is a manual transmission without a manual style clutch. The car can be driven in full automatic mode, tiptronic mode, or paddle shifted. In my opinion the DSG transmission is THE BEST FEATURE on the GTI. The tranny shifts quickly and smoothly. VW has given the computer intelligence when it comes to shift points, gear selection and driver input. When paddle shifting F1 style the DSG actually beats the manual GTI 6 speed in 0-60 and 1/4 mile. It truly is the best of both worlds. Performance of a manual and convenience of an auto. I test drove both the DSG and manual 6 speed before I chose and the DSG is the hands down winner.
More New Car Pics!
Monday, May 08, 2006
A new horse in the stable!!
Say hello to Stanley's new stablemate! It is a 2006 VW GTI Mark V in Tornado Red. What an amazing machine it is to drive. I could list all of the tecky stuff but it would bore you to death so let me just say it is one HOT HATCH. As I do with all new cars I came up with a name on my way home from the dealer.
Drum role please.. let's give a warm welcome to.....
FREDDY!!
