autox suspension setup on a budget

[Ballin' On A Budget]

Hey everybody, figured this would be a good place to post this. I'm starting to get into autox and am wanting to better the suspension on my 01 golf 1.8t. I am on a college student budget and want to know what is the best bang for my buck. I have tried to look at some cheaper coilovers for vw's but it seems like most are focused on getting low, not performance. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[thepaintcanman]

cup kit of some kind. Better performance than budget coilovers that aren't valved for MS. If you are just getting into it save your money, do a couple events and make changes for what you need. you may find you need brakes first.

[RacingManiac]

Might want to look into the rules first to see the changes you are looking for will put you in classes that might be more/less advantageous....Considering stock class now have some leeway still, the changes you need may just be some realignment within the adjustment range of the stock vehicle, a rear bar, and a hell of a lot more tires....

[Ballin' On A Budget]

i have a gt28 turbo and a 3" catless tbe... so i know that those things already bump me out of stock class...

[RacingManiac]

In that case I guess you can do quite a lot....Probably SMF or something at that point no? Problem being I guess the "on a budget" part isn't going to be easy if you are aiming to be competitive...

[BsickPassat]

Hey everybody, figured this would be a good place to post this. I'm starting to get into autox and am wanting to better the suspension on my 01 golf 1.8t. I am on a college student budget and want to know what is the best bang for my buck. I have tried to look at some cheaper coilovers for vw's but it seems like most are focused on getting low, not performance. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Since you're on a budget:
Stock springs
Bilstein HD or Koni Sport
O-bar or Bildon rear sway bar

Replace control arm bushings to the R32/TT style
Replace rear suspension bushings to the solid rubber ones (instead of oil filled).

of course, new strut mounts & shock mounts

Most important.... take auto-x school and get plenty of seat time. The biggest improvement is within the driver, especially for noobs

cheap/light wheels with grippy tires

[passat3.6]

I did a race in my wagon this weekend and while I was pleased with the engine and brakes..... my michelins were the weak link. Add in the frightening wear they took from just half a dozen runs and I'd be very happy to find a set of light wheels with slicks for track day. Any suggestions?

p.s. the 3.6 was a BEAST on the track, sounded awesome and lots of fun to drive!

[Waterfan]

cheap/light wheels with grippy tires

This is, BY FAR, the first order of business

[Jh0104]

go on craiglist or the classifieds and find a dedicated spare set of wheels. the lightest and smallest diameter wheels that fit over your brakes. then get yourself a set of r compound kuhmos or hoosier heat cycled tires. its good to go on your local branch of scca's website and look on their forums for a used set of slicks to get started.

dedicated wheels with tires will be the biggest bang for your buck, believe me. it shaved 3-5 seconds per lap depending on the course layout for me. in autox, seconds dont come cheap!