VW Performance FAQ

Watercooled VWs Performance Related Q&As

This FAQ about VW Performance was compiled and written by Jan Vandenbrande with numerous contributions by others.

Copyright Notice (c) -- 1994, 1995: All Rights Reserved The information contained here is collectively copyrighted by the authors. The right to reproduce this is hereby given, provided it is copied intact, with the copyright notice inclusive. However, the authors explicitly prohibit selling this document, any of its parts, or any document which contains parts of this document.

01 Editor's Foreword:

02 I want to go faster? Where should I start?

03 I'm interested in eventually changing from autox to obtain the SCCA Competition license on and do some amateur weekend racing?.

04 What type of car racing are available (for normal mortals) in the US?

05 What is autocross (Solo II)?

06 What are the allowable mods for each auto-x category?

07 Allowable mods: Stock category

08 Allowable mods: Street Prepared

09 Allowable mods: Prepared Category

10 Allowable mods: Modified

11 What are the Solo II Classifications for VWs?

12 What are the addresses for some of the performance related clubs?

13 What are the some of the performance driving schools?

14 Will performance equipment void my car warrantee?

15 What is Rain-X? Does it work?

16 Can and should I use synthetic motor oils?

17 Is synthetic oil compatible with other oils.

18 What are some of the Performance books to Read?

19 Whar are some of the Monthly/Quaterly Publications?

20 How can I get more power out my VW?

21 What's a K&N air filter?

22 How do I service a K&N air filter?

23 How do I keep my engine cool?

24 How can I improve heat transfer/what are alternative coolant fluids?

25 Do "Split Fire" (= name of a plug sold in the US, not a type of plug) plugs live up to their advertised claims?

26 What net wisdom exists on exhaust systems?

27 Removing the restrictor in a VW Fox to get more power?

28 What is the relationship between torque and horsepower?

29 Should I remove the catalytic converter?

30 Are the performance chips interchangeable between cars with similar engines, e.g., VR6 Corrado and Passat?

31 Which performance chips are recommended for VWs?

32 How can I improve night visibility/increase light output?

33 Should I change to a racing clutch?

34 What transmission fluid should I use (manual cars)? Why is it important for racing?

35 What's the difference between the normal wheel bearing grease and Spectro SPL grease?

36 What and why vented rotors?

37 Why cross drilled rotors?

38 Is it worthwhile changing my rear drums to disc brakes?

39 What are the benefits of steel braided brake lines?

40 What pads should I use?

41 I want to improve the handling of my VW? Where should I start?

42 What are the rim width ranges per tire size?

43 What is the largest rim/tire sizes that will fit on my VW?

44 What is rim offset? [D="EinpressTiefe" or "ET" Value]

45 What are the "standard" VW wheel offsets (the amount the rim is offset from the hub)?

46 What is the proper tire inflation for my car for performance driving?

47 What are examples of proper tire inflation autoX?

48 How can adjust over/under-steer behavior of my car?

49 My VW lifts its rear inner wheel in sharp turns. Is this normal?

50 Are VW rims interchangeable?

51 What are the current preferred tire choices for VWs?

52 What are "standard" (factory) tire sizes for my VW?

53 How can I tell the characteristics of a tire by just looking at it?

54 Will wider tires help my performance?

55 What is a performance alignment?

56 What does toe-in, caster and camber mean and how do they affect the car's handling?

57 My stock shocks are shot? What should I use to replace them with?

58 Sway bars: (Anti-roll bars)

59 Stress bars:

60 Springs:

61 How can I make my car quieter? What kind of sound insulation is available?

62 Is moving my battery to the trunk a good idea? What effect will it have?

Headaches Begone! A Systemic Approach To Healing Your Headaches

Don't Let Your Bike Seat Ruin Your Sex Life Book