Driving Impressions (WAS: New H&R Coilovers anyone?)

[Jeff Newton <Jeff_Newton@pmc-sierra.com>]

Well, the car with the Euro throttle body was indeed an OBDI.  I am a
little disappointed that the owner of PG performance didn't clue in
on this fact when we talked yesterday, but I guess they mostly deal
in cosmetic, lighting, and suspension upgrades.

Paul's friend from Seattle had the following mods:

94 Jetta GLX
Euro throttle body
Shrick 260 cams
Chip (techtonics?)
New H&R coilovers
Autotech front&rear sways
Dunlop SP8000 225 40R16

I was mainly interested in evaluating the suspension but it was a 
good opportunity to check out other mods that I may consider in the
future.

First lets deal with the cams.  I don't think the 260 are worth the
$$.  The low end had noticably less snap than mine (chip, maybe?) but
it noticably pulled harder after 4000rpm.  If I was going to go this
route, I'd want more for my investment.  Maybe the 268 G-Chip combo
is the way to go.

Now for the suspension.  I don't know how much the sway bars influence
ride quality but I found the ride a tad too stiff for my liking
on the high frequency stuff.  The setup handled the corners great. 
The car remained flat and stuck to the road but some bumps were
"jarring" enough influence passenger conversation (much like talking
and then tapping your back).  Maybe the 40 series tires contributed
to this.  Perhaps no bars and stock size tires would make the H&R
coilovers a great setup.  I know for me it would get tiring quickly
with bars and low profile tires.  I'd really like to drive the Shine
setup as this or Uwe's Shine Light may be the answer I'm looking for.
Anyone in Washington State have the Shine setup yet?  

One bonus to this setup is that the owner reports NO tire rubbing with
225 40R16 with the car lowered dramatically.

Cheers,

- ----
Jeff Newton