[gofra]

Hi folks!

Im new here - great find, this forum!

I recently just bought a mint 216 GTI and found that some of the stuff on the car will be needing taking care of /replacing. Now, me being pretty picky (and OE loving :P) I intend to do things right - so, here, a couple of questions:

- Which spark plugs to use? I will do a preventive service that will include changing spark plugs, HT leads, rotor/arm and dizzy cap. What spark plugs should I go for? CRX manual offers quite a range - I can either fill it with RON95, RON98 or RON100 fuel here...

- Is stock clutch doing its job ok? The clutch on the car is slipping - Im yet to find out whether this is due to it being worn or something else but would just like to know if stock clutch are prone to failing? I will probably not tune the car (if, not much)

- How is the handling with the stock 216 GTI - 5 door?
Im asking this because I found mixed reviews - from those praising the car to the sky (comparison test with the MkII Golf GTI included) to those saying it handles bad. This topic is pretty important to me = Im not after looks, but performance only. I want the car to behave good on B-roads and I plan to visit a track day or two every year - a bit firmer setup is ok.
Now, shocks on the car are gone and I need to resolve the stock VS aftermarket dillema...:P

- What are the spring rates of the stock 216 GTI TC suspension?

- What Honda model suspension fits the 216 GTI TC (again, I've read about it but didnt really find out as people were saying different things)

- How are the brakes on the stock car?
Same as above applies to the brakes

Service manuals - where to find them? Ive searched a bit and all I can find is the Haynes one - would love to get ahold of the factory one if possible - of course, I intend to pay for it!

To summarize - I want a stock to mildly upgraded car that I can enjoy driving in my spare time. Looks dont matter!

I hope I didnt reopen allready opened questions (if thats the case - trully sorry) - many thanx for helping me out!

[GTiJohn]

[quote="gofra"]

- Is stock clutch doing its job ok? The clutch on the car is slipping - Im yet to find out whether this is due to it being worn or something else but would just like to know if stock clutch are prone to failing? I will probably not tune the car (if, not much)

- How is the handling with the stock 216 GTI - 5 door?
Im asking this because I found mixed reviews - from those praising the car to the sky (comparison test with the MkII Golf GTI included) to those saying it handles bad. This topic is pretty important to me = Im not after looks, but performance only. I want the car to behave good on B-roads and I plan to visit a track day or two every year - a bit firmer setup is ok.
Now, shocks on the car are gone and I need to resolve the stock VS aftermarket dillema...:P

- What are the spring rates of the stock 216 GTI TC suspension?

- What Honda model suspension fits the 216 GTI TC (again, I've read about it but didnt really find out as people were saying different things)

- How are the brakes on the stock car?
Same as above applies to the brakes

quote]

Here is some personal advice - you'll proabaly get more to 'compare and contrast'

Stock clutches are usually not a problem but if you're doing track days it might be worth upgrading. Somebody else will have to advise what to upgrade to

Correct wheel alignment front and (especially) rear and decent tyres are key to getting this sorted. You've already got a rear anti-roll bar fitted which helps.

I quite liked the compromise of the 216 GTi 3 door suspension set up - it's a bit lower and a bit firmer (can't remember the spring rates though...) but I'm sure some will think it's still a bit soft. It's a personal thing. Finding 'new' parts to this spec will not be easy.

Brakes - decent upgraded pads, new fluid and braided hoses are always a good idea and will firm up the pedal nicely but you'll probably need/want bigger discs if you want to track it. There's lots of advice elsewhare on the forum and maybe even a Viking magazine article, if I get 'round to writing it....

Good luck !

Keep us informed

[Fatdave]

Brakes - decent upgraded pads, new fluid and braided hoses are always a good idea and will firm up the pedal nicely but you'll probably need/want bigger discs if you want to track it. There's lots of advice elsewhare on the forum and maybe even a Viking magazine article, if I get 'round to writing it....

ahh.... pics, sorry mate forgot all about taking pics of the various callipers, i'll get on it.

[gofra]

Many thanx!

Well - to be honest, I prefer the setup to be on the more firm side - but with a reason. Performance and good handling is all I want. I will try to find out a good, smooth piece of road and see how the suspension behaves (eventhough the shocks are bad it should give me some information of what to expect) and then see whats missing ;)

As for tires - I was looking to go for either Toyo T1R Proxes, Yokohama S-Drives or Yokohama Paradas Spec II. Considering the fact this will not be my main drive I might go for something even softer. To go on....I will probably change all the suspension bushes.

All the fluids will be changed - including the brake fluid - as for hoses - might be I will go for braided ones - (Goodridge? Hel?). As for pads - I was thinking Ferodo...

Opinions and advices still wanted!

BW!

[gofra]

Oh, forgot - brake upgrades - what would seem to be the best B-roads/track days option to go for? (disks, calipers) Anyone done this before?

[Fatdave]

the zr 160 282mm brakes are a good upgrade, something i did to my own coupe. i used ebc discs and oe mg/r pads. they performed well on track too.

as for tyres the option i would go for are the toyo's purely on price. they are very soft though and dont last long with often road use.

[gofra]

Ive read about this upgrade but also found that some users ( those going from vented 262 discs ) didnt find the upgrade to 282 to make that much of a difference? The other problem might be the clearance - namely, i intend to use 15 inch rims? Good brake fluid, braided hoses and perhaps a rebuild with good pads is what I will start with and see how to go from there if needed - perhaps that sounds as a better option in my case? Many thanx for feedback though!

[Geo_coupe]

On the subject of clutches, its worth looking at getting the bigger.flywheel from a vtec civic (for a 212mm clutch iirc) and then that opens up lots of options for aftermarket Honda clutches

[gofra]

Nice info Geo! Thnx!

[E_T_V]

Ive read about this upgrade but also found that some users ( those going from vented 262 discs ) didnt find the upgrade to 282 to make that much of a difference? The other problem might be the clearance - namely, i intend to use 15 inch rims? Good brake fluid, braided hoses and perhaps a rebuild with good pads is what I will start with and see how to go from there if needed - perhaps that sounds as a better option in my case? Many thanx for feedback though!

The 7 spoke 15's (SEi type) fit over the 282's but it is close!

I run 15's and 282's on the missus car. It did have EBC redstuff pads in, but when they wore out I swapped for OE spec ferrodos which aren't as good. There are "hotter" pads from ferrodo though which will probably work fine. On the rear I have EBC yellowstuffs (to make up for not having the bigger rear discs).

I can cook the ferrodo pads but the redstuffs only just overheated on extended track use. That is on a 200+bhp car with a heavy engine so more than adequate for a Gti.