I think it’s safe to assume that if you havebeen reading PVW for a while now, you’ll havea pretty good idea of what intercoolers do onturbocharged cars. Put simply, anintercooler’s job is to cool the air as it passesbetween the turbo and the engine. When theturbocharger compresses the air, itcondenses it and, when compressed, air heatsup. And as we all know, hot air isn’t the bestthing for efficient combustion.

It’s the reason your car might feel a little

slower on scorching hot days and why peoplealways talk about cars performing better oncolder days. So, by cooling the air back downafter it leaves the turbo, it becomes denser,meaning you can get more of it into a setspace. The result of this is that more air cango in to the cylinder at each piston cycle and,when mixed with the correct amount of fuel,will yield more power. I know, it’s probablyquite clear by now that I didn’t pay muchattention in my physics lessons at school but,

well, those are the basics. So with that inmind, it stands to reason that the moreefficiently your intercooler setup performs,the more efficiently your engine can work.After all, as with most things, an engine isonly as strong as the weakest link in thechain. It doesn’t matter if you’ve got thebiggest turbo in the world bolted on out back,if it’s pumping boiling hot air into thecombustion process, at best it won’t work toowell and, at worst, it won’t last long at all.

So, here we are again.There’s nothin I can’tdo with a race car –part three. Sit down,buckle up and getreading, we’ve got alot to go through.

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Forge Twintercooler

In fact, we’ve got so much to gothrough that, rather than kickingthings off with some big, long-winded introduction to the buildagain, I’m just going to recap the

basics for anyone out there whomissed the last two issues and, assuch, missed parts one and two ofTNICDWARC (wow, how’s that for anacronym?) The car: my Mk5 GTI. Theplan: to improve every area ofperformance possible with the help oftuning legend, Regal Autosport. Did Imention I’m not quite sure how I gotthis far in the first place?

094-099 PVW 0510 30/3/10 09:50 Page 94

PARTTHREE

Not good, I’m sure you’ll agree. Which iswhy, when considering any kind ofperformance mods to your turbochargedengine – from a simple remap to the kind ofspec I’m dealing with here – fitting anintercooler is not just a good idea, it’sabsolutely vital.

And I don’t know about you but for mewhen it comes to intercoolers, ForgeMotorsport is the first name that springs tomind. But this isn’t just an intercooler, it’s a

Twintercooler. Yep, that’s right, aTwintercooler. No, it’s not a misspelling onour part, that’s what it’s called. And for agood reason too. You see, most intercoolersetups have one core, which is all very welland good but the clever chaps at Forgedon’t just stick with well and good. No, youdon’t become one of the leading tuningbrands in the world by sticking with thestatus quo. You see, Forge’s Twintercooleruses a twin-core design, hence the name.

This means that it is far more efficient atcooling the air passing through it which, inturn, means that the engine can work evenmore efficiently than with a standard, single-core setup. In fact, in testing Forge foundthat the twin-core design saw greaterefficiency throughout the rev range from topto bottom, while the specially designed endtanks saw increased flow rate through the’cooler. And by pairing the Twintercoolerwith the standard, factory intercooler, Forge

094-099 PVW 0510 30/3/10 09:51 Page 95

96 Performance VW

not only saw an increase in power andtorque but a huge reduction in inlettemperature up to 20 degrees Fahrenheit,from 102 to 82 at 6600rpm on a standardcar, but increased flow efficiency too. You’dbe forgiven for thinking that with all thatgoing on, fitting it to the car would be anightmare involving cutting bumpers,fabricating brackets and general headaches;

but as is always the case with Forgeproducts, things couldn’t have gonesmoother. Designed to be a true, bolt-on kit,fitting the Twintercooler is about as simple ajob as they come. And with all the relevanthoses and mounting hardware supplied in thebox, hooking it up was about as drama-freeas you can get.

And as I spec’d my Twintercooler to come

without any Forge branding on the front andwith black hoses, it really is a stealthy-lookingbit of kit. But, of course, it can’t just look thepart, it’s got to do the job too. And well, itgoes without saying that it does this justperfectly. Without going all Ronseal on you,the Forge Twintercooler does exactly what itsays on the tin and really, what more couldyou ask for than that?

In testing Forge found that the twin-core

design saw greater efficiency throughout the

rev range from top to bottom, while specially

designed end tanks saw increased flow rate

Twintercooler in situ, simple

yet very, very effective!

Black Forge hoses chosen to

keep things stealthy up

front, just the way we like it

“

”

094-099 PVW 0510 30/3/10 15:41 Page 96

May 2010 97

SuperPro BushesLike the clutch kit over the page, upratedchassis bushes are another one of thoseproducts that, although you can’t really seethem, make one hell of a difference to howyour car performs. The standard, factorybushes are made from a hard, rubbersubstance. Although this does the job justfine for most, it can definitely be improvedon. This is done by simply replacing the OErubber items with aftermarket polyurethanebushes, a much tighter and stronger materialindeed. If it sounds simple, then that isbecause it is (on paper). Fitting polyurethanebushes means you’re tightening up everyconnection in your chassis, removing theminute amounts of play that although mayseem small, can add up to something muchbigger when all brought together. And when itcomes to polyurethane bushes, one of thebiggest names in the game is SuperPro.SuperPro is an Australian company backedby over 30 years of automotive industry andmotorsport experience (in the form of parentAustralian company, Fulcrum Suspensions). Itcertainly knows its stuff when it comes totuning up your chassis.

Fitting the complete SuperPro bush kit mayseem like quite a big job when you’re satlooking at a big pile of individually baggedpolyurethane bushes but believe me, it’sworth the effort. SuperPro bushes don’t justoffer a stiffer chassis but better road-holding,more responsive steering, constant straightline steering geometry, improved tyre lifeand, to top it all off, longer service life ofsuspension components. Basically, it’s a win,win situation. But there’s yet more to it…SuperPro bushes remain constant in theirdurometer (or hardness), even under themost adverse conditions. In contrast,standard rubber bushes increase indurometer when compressed, lowering theirability to perform correctly. It’s all to do withthe resilience of the SuperPro bushes andtheir ability to return to their natural shapeafter compression, which allows the controlof noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) in a

car. One of the other benefits offitting bushes all round is the factthat by replacing the old, worn OEbushes, any age-related issues inthe suspension components causedby the rubber bushes are also cured.

So, with all that in mind, you can see why Iwanted to fit the complete set to my car.After all, there would be no point havingbrand new top-spec coilovers and the latestin LSD technology if the standard rubberbushings let the side down. The kit I spec’d up from SuperPro was its ‘track’specification kit, which would be more suitedto my car and contained pretty much everyreplacement bush I needed, comprising: aFront Control Arm Lower Front Bush Kit; aFront Control Arm Lower Rear Bush Kit; aLower Engine Mounting Torque Insert; a RearUpper Control Arm Inner Bush Kit; a RearUpper Control Arm Outer Bush Kit; a RearLower Toe Control Arm Inner Bush Kit; a RearLower Front Control Arm Outer Bush Kit; aRear Lower Rear Control Arm Outer Bush kit;and a Rear Trailing Arm Front Bush Kit. Intotal this added up to 25 bushes, along withall the associated steel tubes, shells andwashers required. Being the ‘track’ spec kit,it came complete with an offset bush thatincreases caster angle in the Front ControlArm Rear Bush to improve straight linestability and to offer an ‘anti-lift’ effect, anormal mod for track use but also prettyhandy for fast road use.

Not only that but the Engine TorqueMounting Bush and the Rear Trailing ArmFront Bush were replaced with tighter onesmore suited to motorsport use. SuperProdoes make a point of stating that thisparticular bush upgrade is only really suitablefor the track, as it may increase vibration(something its regular bushes certainly donot do), but as I was going full-on anyway,what’s a little vibration between friends?

Of course, the real test of a product’squality is in the fitting and fitting the SuperProbushes was a breeze. Sure, it took a long time

to swap out every single standardbush but that’s just part and parcel ofinstalling super tough polybushes. So, do theyreally make any difference? Well, yes actually.And believe me, having never had a car withupgraded bushes before, I wasn’t too sure ifI’d actually notice any difference behind thewheel as the Mk5 chassis is so good stock.Well, I’m not embarrassed to admit that Icouldn’t have been more wrong. How do Idescribe it other than saying they don’t justmake the car feel like a new car, they totallytransform its characteristics. Everything justfeels more together and sure-footed and eventhough I’m not always driving around at10/10ths, you can certainly feel the differencein the way all the elements of the chassis feelmore connected to each other, without itbeing crashy or uncomfortably stiff. It’s funnyreally, the bushes arrived in the smallest boxout of everything I ordered for Project BeautySkool Drop-Out but in terms of how big adifference they have made, let’s just say theypunch well above their weight. In fact, I reallycan’t see how you could go wrong with a setand as we all know, when it comes to modifiedcars, it’s not often you can say that!

Bushes may look small but make amassive difference to how the car feels

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98 Performance VW

PricesPrice-wise, the ZF Sachs coilovers retail at £1379.16 while the clutch and flywheel kit comes in at £1241.09. Thecomplete SuperPro kit (as fitted to my car) will set you back £534.34 and the Forge Twintercooler comes in at £615.64.

“You’ll need yourself a proper clutch setuptoo, if you’re going for more power,” Paul atRegal told me last summer. “The factory onewon’t be up to the job at the level you want torun at.” Well, as I was going for significantlymore power than the ol’ girl left the factorywith, I thought I’d better follow his advice andget myself sorted in that department too.After all, there was no going back now.

Previously, when I had my Bora, one of myfirst performance mods was a ZF Sachs clutchkit. After experiencing nothing but good thingsall the while I owned it, and after hearing allthe positive reviews on the kit in the 2.0-litreTFSI application too, the decision to pick oneup again pretty much made itself. The bestthing about the Sachs clutch kit, in my opinionat least, is that it copes with a whole heap ofextra power and torque with ease and it doesthis whilst feeling totally OEM. You would beforgiven for thinking that if the clutch isdesigned to put down vastly increased powerfigures to the road time and time again, itwould have to be a great big, stiff, heavy thingto use; a nightmare if the car is a daily. Not sowith the Sachs clutch kit though. Comprising arigid organic drive plate and critically, alightened flywheel, the clutch is more than

capable of handling whatever I can throw at it.But, at the same time, it doesn’t feel anydifferent to the standard clutch. Pedal feel isvirtually OEM and repeated use whilst stuck intraffic doesn’t leave you with a massive,muscle-bound left leg either, something Irecently tested to the limit by getting stuck inalmost five hours of traffic!

It’s funny when you think about it. Onceyou’ve fitted it, you will never see your clutchagain. And unless you put a big Sachs stickeron your rear window, nobody will even knowyou have it. But for something that spends it’slife hidden away, quietly doing its job, it’s oneof the most critical parts of how the car feelsto drive on a daily basis and really, if you’vegot a lot of power, one of the most criticalthings in general especially if aggressivelaunches are your thing. I guess the fact thatafter having a Sachs clutch kit in my Borabefore getting another for my Mk5 says it allreally. It was a revelation in the Bora andalthough the Mk5 couldn’t be any furtherremoved from the what the Bora was, bothhave considerably more torque than standardand the clutch impresses me in just the sameway. I guess the ultimate test is, would I buyanother if I had to? You betcha.

Coilovers or air-ride?Considering the wholepoint of this project was tobuild a car that could really,and I mean really, be driven,there was only one option in mybook: coilovers. But not just anycoilovers; I decided that if I was really goingto make the most of what I had, they had tobe good ones. While the car may have lookedthe part on the FK Silverlines it sat on when Ibought it, a closer look revealed all kinds ofproblems. With both fronts leaking out fluidlike it was going out of fashion, and one sidethrowing some serious side-to-side play intothe mix, it was safe to assume they were wellpast their best. But what to replace themwith? After all, you don’t need me to tell youjust how important a decent suspension setupis, not just for handling, but for looks too.

Now, think of the name ZF Sachs and whatdo you think of first? Well, if you’ve beenpaying attention, hopefully clutches! But thenI did some research; it turns out that Sachsalso produce its own coilovers. But not justany old coilovers, these are something very

ZFSachsCoilovers

ZF Sachs Clutch

Lightened flywheel isn’t justvastly stronger than the stockdual mass flywheel but lowermass allows engine to revmore freely and muchquicker too. Win win, win!

Sachs coilovers look the absolute

business both on and off the car

094-099 PVW 0510 30/3/10 15:41 Page 98

May 2010 99

special indeed. Well, after hearing somany positive things about them fromboth racers and road-goers, I didn’t needto be told twice. But what makes themso special? After all, coilovers arecoilovers, right? Er, no actually. TheSachs coilovers are a serious bit ofkit, make no mistake about it. The

most interesting thing about them is theupside-down monotube with gas pre-loadingdesign of the dampers, front and back, amove that saves unsprung weight and allowsfor optimum damping performance. Andthat’s not all they’ve got going for them. TheSachs coilovers feature two adjustmentparameters, meaning that rebound andcompression damping can be adjusted via a20-step dial. Having so much adjustment mayseem a little baffling at first but it means thatyou can adjust your coilovers, via a bypasson the piston, for all kinds of different drivingenvironments, weather conditions and eventyre types and pressures. So they will alwaysbe at their best, whether you’re out on track,on the drive to work or battling the snow andice in the depths of winter. Of course, theywouldn’t be coilovers without a decent range

of height adjustment, and with 60mm to playwith, they don’t disappoint in this area either.And when I said they were a quality product, Iwasn’t exaggerating. From the bright blue,motorsport-grade springs to the stunningchromium-plated rods, they certainly look thepart. With optimised, high-quality frictionbearings and seals, OE-tested seals, bearingand piston systems and top-level corrosionprotection, not forgetting the trapezoidalthreading on the height adjustment collars toresist dirt, you know what you’re dealing with.And it goes without saying, they are fully TÜVapproved too.

So what are they like to drive on? I mean,that’s what counts after all. Well, what can Isay, other than just simply ‘wow’. Really,they’re that good. They aren’t just different tothe other coilovers I’ve experienced… they’rein a different league altogether. Even on theold 16” ditch-finder rubber, they just feelright. And that’s on a fairly basic setup too,as I wait for some warmer, drier weather toarrive before I really start playing with them.Firm without beingtoo firm, stiffwithout being too

stiff andcomfortableenoughwithout beingsoft, I couldn’task for abetter all-round setup. Ididn’t think aset of coiloverscould make so muchdifference to how a car performs but well,consider me proven wrong. And you knowwhat, I’ve got a feeling that they are onlygoing to get better as I learn how to fettlethem to my tastes. It’s been said by those inthe know that ZF Sachs doesn’t do a lot ofpromotion when it comes to its coilovers, theGerman chassis guru prefers to let peoplediscover just how good they are forthemselves. So, please, do yourself a favourand check them out. I absolutely guaranteeyou that you won’t be disappointed.

The end is in sight as we hit Regal

once again for another box of

goodies. You think I’m done yet?

Not even close. Next up we’ll be

looking at exhaust and intake

systems and should everything go

to plan, much much more besides.

Stay tuned kids!

COMINGNEXTMONTH

They aren t just different to the other

coilovers I ve experienced

they re in a different league altogether

www.forgemotorsport.co.uk – 01452 380999ZF Sachs – www.racepads.co.uk – 01748 831200SuperPro – www.superpro.eu.com – 01823 690281

Once again it was the good guys down atSouthampton’s Regal Autosport who got their handsdirty and fitted everything to my car. If you like what you see here, then give the guys a call on02380 558636 and for full details of the products and services Regal can offer, log on to: www.regal-auto.co.uk

Contact/Price

Sachs coiloversbolted on without

any drama orproblems, look

great under thearches and havetransformed the

car’s handling andperformance too.What more could

you ask for?

ʼ

ʼ

ʼ ...

094-099 PVW 0510 30/3/10 10:15 Page 99