Re: A2 vs A3 (WAS: A4 vs A3 GLX)

[John Hamill <jhamill@incert.com>]

I thought the only car the A2 suspension really shined on was the G-60 Corrado,
and maybe the 16v Jetta. You can pretty much overcome a lot of the A3's weight
with the correct suspension setup (no you still won't do well autocrossing) for
street driving. The problem with A3's is that most tuners will insist you buy the
wrong parts. One of the most favorite fuck ups of places selling Bilstein shocks
for instance is to sell you the Corrado fronts. They drop the spring down another
3/4 inch, so you end up with the front end on the ground and your handling is all
but ruined, and then you end up sending email to this list complaining of ill
handling.

Bruce Stapley wrote:

> On Sun, 27 Sep 1998, Robert Malinka <rmalinka@spec.net> wrote:
> >
> > What really makes you realize the weight increase in the VW models (A1, A2,
> > A3) is when you drive other older VW's. This weekend I was driving my old
> > '89 A2 Jetta and you really notice how light and agile the car is even
> > though it only has a 4 cylinder engine.  The A2's suspension [slightly
> > modified]is unlike any A3 VR6, which (now don't flame me on this) is more
> > agile, responsive and stays on the ground better than most sedans I've
> > driven. Anyone who owns one knows what I'm talking about here because if the
> > new A4 is heavier yet I don't think we are going in the right direction with
> > the genesis of our automobiles. How many of you guys or gals out there have
> > owned older VW's and experienced this?
> >
> > Bob
> >
> No flame-fear was necessary, man. We all agree (just read the archives)
> that the A2 suspension was much tighter and generally better in every
> way versus the A3's. Why else would so many listers have spent so much
> $$ upgrading their stock suspensions to something which will actually
> keep the car on the ground during turns?
>
> Bruce Stapley
> 98 blk/blk
> Stock suspension/GA setup which loses rear end on on-ramps
>



--
=================================================
John Hamill               Incert Software Inc.
Senior Sales Engineer     201 Broadway
jhamill@incert.com        Cambridge, MA 02142
ph:617-621-8080 x105      http://www.incert.com/
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