1991 Astra GTE 16V
Discussion
The single best upgrade you can give a GTE is wider & lower profile rubber.
I bought these original 15" GTE Champion alloys off a member of the Mk2 Astra owners club:
And they came with the original centre caps which needed re-finishing:
Also bought some cap covers off the bay:
Now the car handles in a much more purposeful way with 195/50/15 Uniroyal Rainsport 2's.
The plastics were all faded, so I used Forever Black on them:
I bought these original 15" GTE Champion alloys off a member of the Mk2 Astra owners club:
And they came with the original centre caps which needed re-finishing:
Also bought some cap covers off the bay:
Now the car handles in a much more purposeful way with 195/50/15 Uniroyal Rainsport 2's.
The plastics were all faded, so I used Forever Black on them:
Thanks.
I just want to look after it.
It has 71k on the clock now, with previous MOT's to prove. The guy I bought from is an MOT tester, so that was handy.
Fortunately for me there's a local specialist who can deal with all the oily bits, so that & the fact that the whole underside has been waxoyled & several litres put into the cavities, should mean that it's around for a good few years
I just want to look after it.
It has 71k on the clock now, with previous MOT's to prove. The guy I bought from is an MOT tester, so that was handy.
Fortunately for me there's a local specialist who can deal with all the oily bits, so that & the fact that the whole underside has been waxoyled & several litres put into the cavities, should mean that it's around for a good few years
It's got 3 strut braces, a Toad AI606 with remote central locking, ebc greenstuffs all round & that's about it.
Standard shocks/suspension & the engine is the standard redtop with no mods. I don't think they really need any tbh, providing it's looked after with quality oil & filter changes every 5-8k. Pulls really well through all gears & is plenty fast enough for me!
I suppose I could lower it by 20mm all round, but I'm definitely not taking it on a track so not really a priority...
Standard shocks/suspension & the engine is the standard redtop with no mods. I don't think they really need any tbh, providing it's looked after with quality oil & filter changes every 5-8k. Pulls really well through all gears & is plenty fast enough for me!
I suppose I could lower it by 20mm all round, but I'm definitely not taking it on a track so not really a priority...
irish boy said:
Fantastic. In the real world these were faster than most of the hot hatch crop on sale at the time. Brutal engine and a great car to own.
Engine is the gift that keeps giving.I've owned a nut & bolt restored Triumph GT6, Nissan 200SX S14, 2.0l MX-5, RenaultSport Clio 182 & the redtop is master of all.
liller said:
love it...prefer the original wheels though!
I'll never forget the time I was being driven in a white GTE late at night in the devon lanes and we ended up in a hedge....good (potentially) bad times
Originals are 14"'s & were in fact called "hedge-finders".I'll never forget the time I was being driven in a white GTE late at night in the devon lanes and we ended up in a hedge....good (potentially) bad times
Try getting a decent brand of V-rated tyres in 14's.
That & the GTE should always have had 195/50(or 55)/15's in the first place.
Virtually all the road tests for the 16v say the same thing - it's under-tyred.
Goodridge brake hoses, new brake fluid & new coolant being put in on Friday.
May well fit ebc discs & greenstuff pads all round as the braking doesn't seem quite as sharp as it should be.
Also due to have some welding done on the rear panel where there is at least a 1-inch square patch of rot.
Will probably use
http://www.paintshophorley.co.uk/
Who seem pretty good.
Also a little update - managed to track down 2 new door surrounds to replace the faded & cracked originals.
So that's the interior just about sorted now.
May well fit ebc discs & greenstuff pads all round as the braking doesn't seem quite as sharp as it should be.
Also due to have some welding done on the rear panel where there is at least a 1-inch square patch of rot.
Will probably use
http://www.paintshophorley.co.uk/
Who seem pretty good.
Also a little update - managed to track down 2 new door surrounds to replace the faded & cracked originals.
So that's the interior just about sorted now.
Due to get my drivers side bolster repaired on Saturday.
Here's where the material's coming from, courtesy of a Mk2oc forum member:
And this is the current state of the bolster. Although the stitching is still just about intact, I'd say it's only got a little while left in it.
Maybe this is about right with 72k showing on the clock:
Here's where the material's coming from, courtesy of a Mk2oc forum member:
And this is the current state of the bolster. Although the stitching is still just about intact, I'd say it's only got a little while left in it.
Maybe this is about right with 72k showing on the clock:
NSFW said:
Love it op!
Someone I know was really into he mk2's and actually has one with the reg plate GTE 16V.
(Damn you OP, if anyone needs me I'll be in the classifieds!)
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3873547.htmSomeone I know was really into he mk2's and actually has one with the reg plate GTE 16V.
(Damn you OP, if anyone needs me I'll be in the classifieds!)
You know you want to...
Just got the car back from
http://www.cwtrimming.co.uk/
Craig replaced the worn driver's side bolster material
& also the side bolster nearest the door which had the typical sagging & the foam had worn through. You could easily feel the metal rod through the fabric. Not now though
He also filled a couple of chunks out of the base of the steering wheel & conditioned the leather
All told £150 well spent, especially considering a few of the trimmers I looked at were quoting £150 just for the side bolster fabric repair.
http://www.cwtrimming.co.uk/
Craig replaced the worn driver's side bolster material
& also the side bolster nearest the door which had the typical sagging & the foam had worn through. You could easily feel the metal rod through the fabric. Not now though
He also filled a couple of chunks out of the base of the steering wheel & conditioned the leather
All told £150 well spent, especially considering a few of the trimmers I looked at were quoting £150 just for the side bolster fabric repair.
Recently got the car back from 2 days at V-Tuning.
Quite a lot of work done...
72,600 miles
Goodridge hoses fitted all-round
New brake fluid/system bled
Eibach springs front & rear fitted
Bilstein shocks front & rear
New front top mounts
New polybushes
Rear wheel bearings adjusted
Coolant drained & renewed
Steering wheel replaced with reconditioned one
Rear wiper cover replaced
New grille & badge fitted
Crumpled O/S front sill rail straightened & undersealed
Don't ask how much!
Here's a before & after for the ride height (supposed to be a drop on the springs of around 30mm although I can't see much difference with the drop in tyre profile)
I also bought some proper rubber mats off the bay for the winter months
Quite a lot of work done...
72,600 miles
Goodridge hoses fitted all-round
New brake fluid/system bled
Eibach springs front & rear fitted
Bilstein shocks front & rear
New front top mounts
New polybushes
Rear wheel bearings adjusted
Coolant drained & renewed
Steering wheel replaced with reconditioned one
Rear wiper cover replaced
New grille & badge fitted
Crumpled O/S front sill rail straightened & undersealed
Don't ask how much!
Here's a before & after for the ride height (supposed to be a drop on the springs of around 30mm although I can't see much difference with the drop in tyre profile)
I also bought some proper rubber mats off the bay for the winter months
Turbofun said:
So how does it drive now with the new suspension?
No complaints at all. I did some research first & the Eibach/Bilstein combo is always praised for the Mk2 GTE.Some minor squeaking from the front has stopped, it's not stupidly low (standard vehicle height is 55" or 1395mm and mine is now 53" or 1345mm) and the handling seems very solid indeed, without being crashy at all.
Edited by zygalski on Thursday 14th June 04:07
Thanks for the comments
As for the wheels, well I'm using the car as my daily driver so I wanted wider & lower walled195/50/15 tyres because they eliminate most of the GTE handling issues, and also it's now virtually impossible to get decent 185/65/14's in a v-rating.
195/50/15 is just about one of the cheapest sizes available too, and with the cross spokes being GTE Champion alloys it was a bit of a no-brainer for me tbh.
The car feels much more composed now, which is important as I drive it like they were meant to be driven.
As for the wheels, well I'm using the car as my daily driver so I wanted wider & lower walled195/50/15 tyres because they eliminate most of the GTE handling issues, and also it's now virtually impossible to get decent 185/65/14's in a v-rating.
195/50/15 is just about one of the cheapest sizes available too, and with the cross spokes being GTE Champion alloys it was a bit of a no-brainer for me tbh.
The car feels much more composed now, which is important as I drive it like they were meant to be driven.
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