Right, thought I'd start to document the progress with the Passat. As some of you may know, I recently had to say goodbye to my lovely Sil80 due to work (it wasn't suitable for transporting clients around in) So, the search began for a sensible(ish) saloon car. I started looking at Audi's but it soon dawned on me that, for the money, I could get a younger, better specced VW. So, I decided to focus on the Passat, and ended up buying this 2002 1.8 20v turbo. So far, I'm pretty chuffed with it
This is the car when I first got it:
Nothing spectacular there! I was pretty happy with the performance, especially considering it's such a large car, and decided that I needed to improve it's looks. I started with a set of RS6 wheels, which have been done to death, but I think they suit the Passat quite well.
You might have noticed the 4x4 stance. Most people did, so my next purchase was these:
I began fitting these, which for me was quite exciting, as I'd never fitted a set of coilovers before lol. The Passat is a bitch to fit coilies to, due to the interesting array of arms and pinch bolts that VW use. I eventually got them all fitted and was quite happy with the results:
Looking better! What you can't really see properly in this pic is that the coilovers needed some adjustment to get the ride height level. So, I then started measuring up and adjusting them until I got them all to an acceptable "level". Which has resulted in this:
To say im impressed with these is an understatement! They're extremely comfy (just like a stock car with lowering springs really) and they've transformed the standard barge-like handling. The fronts have an adjustable length shock body too, which gets around the problem of the spring falling out of the top mount when the car is raised for an MOT. 10 out of 10
Eventually, I'll probably adjust them again using scales, but as I'm not planning on taking it anywhere near a track they'll do for now
Next on the list is some small spacers to bring the rims out just a little bit more and better brakes (they're not awful, but not really up to my driving style) And then I might start to think about tuning it. I've already got a FMIC sat in the garage, but need to sort some piping out for it.
So, that's it for now! Comments/questions welcome
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Originally Posted by alanjuggler
Because VW in their infinite wisdom decided that it should be put in from behind, which means if you try to undo it, it butts up against the bottom arm. Which means you need someone to lean on a hefty lever, whilst you try to pull it out without losing your fingers lol
