[n51hj]

My wife's got a 2000 V6 tiptronic wagon and has expressed an interest in autocrossing it after watching my rookie wheel-to-wheel season in a Spec Renault last summer. I'm looking for some advice for some cheap and easy mods, like swaybars, brakes, and a chip. Anyone racing a wagon? Do the sedan parts fit a wagon?

Thanks in advance,

Steve near Chicago

 

[NotAPreppie]

Man, I wish I could get my wife interested in autocrossing. That would be frickin' awesome (and sexy as hell)!

As an amateur autocrosser (Champaign County Sports Car Club) in a Passat ('99 1.8T tiptronic), I'd say start her off in G-Stock (though it maybe H-Stock next year). Let her get a feel for the car before you start throwing money into it. She may decide it's time for an upgrade .

A cat-back exhaust won't move you around in classes and may free up some upper-end power. Shocks will also let you stay in stock.
A chip for a V6 will not give you nearly as much as it will for a 1.8T but it also won't bump you into SM. Probably STS and if you're there you might as well go with springs and a rear sway.
Pulleys will also only put you into STS but some here really recommend against it.

I don't know for certain but I think that the spring rates for the wagons are higher than for sedans (makes sense with the wagons being heavier). They may work, but the rear will probably sit a little lower.
Exhaust system is probably the same between wagon and sedan, as are the brakes.

 

[n51hj]

Any recommendations on sway bars, shocks, springs, etc.... or anyone that sells mods for the wagons? I'm new at the German stuff.

Thanks,
Steve near Chicago

 

[evilvariant]

H&R sport springs
Koni
Neuspeed sway bars
MS upper stress bar

 

[stealthx32]

Fix the driver, then the car.

 

[Gregor56]

I will second fixing the driver. No Passat with any amount of mods is going to be remotely cometetive, unless not alot of cars show up to run in the given class. http://www.dotphoto.com/GuestViewImage.asp?AID=1520272&IID=46603345&INUM=17&ICT=35&IPP=16 and the next 2 pics after that. I have been autocrossing for 16 yrs, I instruct, infact those pics were taken as I was instructing a Viper club member. Autocrossing a Passat should be about fun and the driver getting better, if ya wind up with a trophy, savor it.

http://www.dotphoto.com/go.asp?l=autox4u Find Viperday 2004 and my Variant is pics 16-18

 

[stealthx32]

Can't see photos.

 

[Gregor56]

Fixed

 

[PZ]

H&R sport springs
Koni
Neuspeed sway bars
MS upper stress bar

Even with a new driver,that would make the car much more fun to drive.

 

[evilvariant]

leave the autoX for 77 rabbits

 

[n51hj]

I drive a Spec Renault in the Midwest Council out of Blackhawk Farms near Rockford, Il. I took my wife and son out on a "track tour" during lunch one day in her wagon and was a little disappointed in the brake dive and body roll of her car. I think there's a lot of potential there. She's still interested in driver's school in the spring and I'd like to have car handle a little better if she's going to do that. I'm not worried about a trophy, just some good experience. Besides, my drive to work would be more fun.

Steve near Chicago

 

[Sanger]

With the Chicago Winters, I recommend going to the European 1BE sport suspension setup. Contact Richie at Autobarn Mount Prospect for more info.

 

[NotAPreppie]

I think there's a reason why they kept the 1.8T and VR6 VW's in GS while the Hyundai Tiburon GT and SE got droped to HS (from GS) and the Nissan Sentra SE-R SpecV (I would kill for a factory LSD) is now in GS (from DS).

I can't find it, but I think it's there (the reason, that is).

I have an old high school friend with a Tibby GT and made a new friend with a SE-R SpecV and both of those cars are, IMHO, smoked my Passat on the autocross course. I'll chalk some of it up to skill (they're both pretty good, even compared to non-novices) but I felt like was barely able to maintain my few second trail.

It's a good thing I do it for the fun.

 

[enjoi_30v]

I think there's a reason why they kept the 1.8T and VR6 VW's in GS while the Hyundai Tiburon GT and SE got droped to HS (from GS) and the Nissan Sentra SE-R SpecV (I would kill for a factory LSD) is now in GS (from DS).

I can't find it, but I think it's there (the reason, that is).

i can tell you, were just so much faster that the other are falling behind.

J/k
i'm guessing it's a stock horsepower thing

 

[Chois]

Any recommendations on sway bars, shocks, springs, etc.... or anyone that sells mods for the wagons? I'm new at the German stuff.

Thanks,
Steve near Chicago

Steve - my recommendation is just get her out there with what you have. There is such a learning curve to start with, making the car more advanced is really only something to consider for the 2nd year. If the tires are ready for replacement get better ones, but otherwise just make sure the car is in good operating condition.

Now - go to the CVO website at www.chicagovw.org and keep an eye on the events calendar. We run a VW autocross series every year with between 5 and 7 events. The 2006 schedule may not be posted yet. Cars are grouped based on engine type and modifications, so there are no hard/fast rules about what you can and cannot do to the car. My wife has run with us several times as have a few other women in the club.

The previous owner of our Passat wagon used it in a few autocrosses last year, and we were suprised at how well it did on the stock suspension - the 4 motion rear end really seemed to help.

I hope that we see you out at some driving events this year

Chris

 

[Chois]

With the Chicago Winters, I recommend going to the European 1BE sport suspension setup. Contact Richie at Autobarn Mount Prospect for more info.

If you DO go with a suspension upgrade, we had no issues with the H&R coilover setup on our old sedan. US spec VWs ride so high that we don't need to be too scared to lower them. Having said that, if the car is your wife's primary car and she likes a smooth ride the 1BE springs coupled with Bilstein shocks are something to consider (something I am looking at for our wagon, and debating agains H&R and Bilstein).

Chris

 

[AJChenMPH]

The first two or three times I autocrossed the Passat, it was completely stock (except for a Kamei grille :lol: ), and I ran in G-stock. By the second or third time, I was scoring times right in the middle of G-stock.

Then the mental illness set in, and the car suddenly became a black hole for all of my disposable income...

Let her autocross a few times with the stock suspension, then she'll really appreciate the upgrades later.