MyGTI

Volounteered my car to a quattro specialist called Quattronics this weekend so they could use it to measure up a new brake kit they are developing that uses monstrous Porsche 911 (996) GT3 calipers. Unfortunately some of the parts they’d had machined hadn’t quite been made to spec, so in exchange for allowing them to hang onto my S4 for the week, I’ve been given use of their own ‘95 S6 Avant.

Surprisingly, it’s not been heavily tweaked but it does benefit from H&R springs and a set of Koni dampers and suspension geometry set up to enhance turn in and front end grip. Combined with the very purposeful looking (and rare) 17″ S6+ 6-spoke wheels it really does transform the car. On bumpy, pot-holed roads it actually feels pretty awful with the sterring wheel pulling to one side and the other … but show it some smoother tarmac and pick up some speed and it turns it into a completely different animal. I could swear the car feels a couple of hundred kilos lights given the way it changes direction. And when cornering there is none of the front-end push present in the factory set-up, the modified car definitely tending towards oversteer. Perfect.

Anyways, not going to be putting too many miles on it this week (hey, it’s already got around 230,000 on it!) but it was still a fun way of getting back over the Snake Pass today.

Having covered around 6000 miles now in my 1991 Audi 100 S4, its 28 MPG thirst for fuel has meant that I’ve visited a lot of petrol stations .. and also filled up with a variety of fuels.

Recently Shell has introduced its new V Power product into the UK market. It’s a 99-RON blend which basically means a modern engine control can run with more advanced ignition. Which means more power.

On top of that it’s supposed to be packed with cleaners, and with lubricants that actually reduce the internal friction of the engine (I’m presuming between the piston and the bore!).

The S4 seems to really like it. There is none of the slight backing-off feeling under accelation that I’d been getting when running with Shell’s previous 97 RON Optimax. It just pulls smoothly and powerfully right round to the redline.

I understand it can improve fuel economy too, but I wouldn’t know about that …

Just noticed that Audi have revealed the new Audi R8 at the Paris motor show. Looks stunning, and with a 420 PS evolution of the 4.2 litre V8 it should move quite well too. Just a shame that on paper it seems just as good as the much more expensive (and eventually more exclusive) Gallardo produced by that other Volkswagen AG brand, Lamborghini.

I don’t think I’ll be putting a deposit down just yet. Quite happy getting to grips with the S4 for the time being. Heh.

I recently broke out of my 10 year obsession with the VW brand in favour of a proper grown up Audi. Consequentially my interest in things Audi has increased dramatically. I was very excited recently to see that Audi enthusiast website Fourtitude (get it?) recently posted a fantastic feature on a rather nice S6 (or urS6 for those in the know). Ron Tomlinson has taken a ‘95.5 (late 1995) model Audi S6, and the last in the line of US-bound ‘old-school’ 5-cylinder turbo models, and turned it into something of a street sleeper. His UsurperS6 really is something quite special.

For my taste I think I’d dispense with the OZ wheels in favour of something OEM (perhaps a pristine set of 17″ C5 chassis S6 wheels), and perhaps return the grille back to something more stock looking. Either way, it’s still a Very Nice Car indeed.

I think I’ve put it off long enough now. Since the arrival of my urS4, the GTI has been sitting on my drive looking rather sorry for itself, with only the odd little spin out somewhere. It doesn’t help that it’s not actually insured at the moment, so if I do want to go out somewhere in it I have to sort out insurance - most often through the fantastic DayInsure who let you insure pretty much any car (providing you are over 25) for round about £10 per day. Brilliant idea!

Even so, having two cars when there is only me to use them both is kind of silly, plus the GTI is going to be coming up for its MOT test any day now AND require taxing at a cost of about £100 for 6 months … SO, it’s looking like about time the Golf went up for sale.

Big question is how, and it what form? Do I unbolt all my goodies from it and return it to bone stock? Or do i sell it “as is”? Do I eBay it? Autotrader? Or perhaps try using one of popular VW forums like the one at ClubGTI or Edition 38?

And then of course there’s that extra difficult decision of how much to ask for her! Hmm … easier just to do nothing I think.