Nige’s Nurburgring trackday report.It’s 2 trips in one post!

[Wh00sher]

shaunsmith said:

Superb, really enjoy your reports.
Looking forward to going back next year, been to long....

Thank you. ! I`m waiting for the dates to be released too !

Watches said:

A brilliant write up Nigel and reminds me how much fun participating at Destination Nurburgring events is.
Very much enjoyed having the GP3 on track but perhaps a Golf for me next year.
Look forward to seeing you again and I hope your winter prep makes the Pinderwagen even better than it already is!

Thanks Jonathan

The new Golfs are very capable things. I look forward to seeing you in 2021, I am halfway through my plans to remove the final weakpoint, the CV`s and driveshafts

Killboy said:

Fantastic thread, I really enjoyed reading this. I spent a good deal of time under the bonnet of VWs helping mates, and this has brought back memories!

Cheers ! Hopefully good memories

[leontdi]

Just wondered what you can use to uprate the cvs on. A mk2 is it a case of having custom made stuff? Sounds interesting anyway, also I think the reason I never posted on here was I forgot my user name from 3 cars ago tragically I'm currently driving a fiesta diesel but planning on another vag gti car at some point soon. Even planning a trackday or two before the ev revolution comes. Cheers. Steve

[Wh00sher]

leontdi said:

Just wondered what you can use to uprate the cvs on. A mk2 is it a case of having custom made stuff? Sounds interesting anyway, also I think the reason I never posted on here was I forgot my user name from 3 cars ago tragically I'm currently driving a fiesta diesel but planning on another vag gti car at some point soon. Even planning a trackday or two before the ev revolution comes. Cheers. Steve

I`ve upgraded the gearbox, inner and outer CV`s and have custom driveshafts since this post.

I hadn`t shared it as I did`t think it would be of much interest, but seeing as you asked.


If 3rd gear breaks it’s day over so I purposefully ran it with the CV as the ‘fuse’ in the drivetrain. This failure means day over rather than a 30 minute driveshaft swap.



Finally found a full quaife semi-helical Synchro gearset.






The outer CV has been the weakpoint. The MK2 ones were swapped to the VR6 larger ones when I switch to 5×100 hubs years ago. I did have the option of the MK4 style, but until the Gearbox was strong enough, all I’d be doing is moving the weakpoint into the gearbox. It’s easy to change a CV joint, less so a gearbox on a trackday…



The MK4 CV is similar design to the MK3 type, same spline then a waisted section leading to a threaded part. The problem with this is that whilst the CV itself is stronger, the weakpoint is still the thin part before the thread. Simply swapping to the MK4 ones of the same design wouldn`t change that. However the R32 and some other high power models use the bolt through type instead. The threaded bolt goes through the centre of the entire joint and there is no stress riser where the splines finish.



Inner CV`s were easy. Swap drive flange from 100 to 108mm from later car. Inner CV`s are significantly stronger




There are no driveshafts that fit these CV`s available that are a direct fit into my Golf, so custom shafts were the only option. The MK4 shafts are 29.5mm across the splines, the MK3 24.5mm. That 5mm doesn`t sound much, but when the shafts are placed end to end the difference is significant



Made up dummy shafts, sent away and new solid shafts arrived



That should be the drivetrain well and truly sorted