VW Corrado VR6 Project/recomission
Discussion
Colossus said:
That is a lovely thing and brings back very fond memories of my '95 Aqua blue VR6, simply one of the best cars I have ever owned. I traded in my old Mk2 Golf GTi (now found and bought back and loving every minute of it!) to buy it. I remember the drive home when I picked it up, was tanking round the Wandsworth one way system and looked at the speedo, I was doing about 25mph more than I thought, I lifted and then felt the communication that it was close to swapping ends, so I can relate to your experiences so far.
To be fair I was going way faster than I really should have but it was so deceptive in comparison to the Golf. Once I had learned to read the signs it was one of the best handling and balanced cars I have owned. Not sure I would regard the sound as being better than my Maserati Granturismo S (I did see you had recently sold yours) but it is a wonderful sound nonetheless and has the speed to match.
I stupidly sold mine for an E36 M3 Evo 4 door, when my wife decreed we needed a sensible family 4 door car for the arrival of our first born, but regretted it almost instantly. Never did get on with the M3 which could never deliver the fun, balance or sound of the VR6. Enjoy yours, looks like you have done well there.
C
No don't misunderstand me nothing can beat the sound of a GTS (esp with Larini Sports cats and H pipe) but just the whole package, GTS is never a great handler and it heavy. The Corrado really puts down the power well and in the Wet it would destroy a GTS in the twisties for sure. As I get older I just love the older retro cars and the nostalgia and buzz you get back from these cars. I also love my MK1 GTI and MX5's in equal measure.To be fair I was going way faster than I really should have but it was so deceptive in comparison to the Golf. Once I had learned to read the signs it was one of the best handling and balanced cars I have owned. Not sure I would regard the sound as being better than my Maserati Granturismo S (I did see you had recently sold yours) but it is a wonderful sound nonetheless and has the speed to match.
I stupidly sold mine for an E36 M3 Evo 4 door, when my wife decreed we needed a sensible family 4 door car for the arrival of our first born, but regretted it almost instantly. Never did get on with the M3 which could never deliver the fun, balance or sound of the VR6. Enjoy yours, looks like you have done well there.
C
1974foggy said:
Great looking car, for what its worth I think the stance and wheels are spot on for the car - they look rather plain and tip toe-ish as standard.
You are right they look awkward on the standard speedlines, I prefer the Storm BBS Solitude 15's and this is where I would go if putting back to standard. chrismc1977 said:
Interesting figures. I used to be a VW man.
The stock N/A 2.9 VR6’s are a relatively lazy motor as standard.
Net result is they feel a bit lethargic low down & hence there is no chance they will spin up the wheels as per O.P’s observations.
(The 2.8 in the Golf always feels flatter low down as it has a taller FD compared to the Corrado)
The 2 valve head limits valve area & thus the ability to rev much harder when using hotter cams. 10:1 comp ratio also works against hotter cams too.
As such N/A tuning on a VR always seemed mega-pricey to me & never really seemed to give much more than a genuine 215hp despite folk ploughing money into breathing mods/schricks/remaps/VSR manifold etc. Certainly expensive old school tuning for the modest gains.
They do sound lovely however!
I've never thought of a VR as a lazy engine, it has split personality, effortless pulling from <3000rpm in any gear but once over 4500 it is always keen to continue pulling until the redline. Something can't be right (MAF. cam/crank pos sensors or general servicing needed) if a VR cannot do a wheelspin, mine will happily shred it's tyres in 1st/2nd on a dry day. The stock N/A 2.9 VR6’s are a relatively lazy motor as standard.
Net result is they feel a bit lethargic low down & hence there is no chance they will spin up the wheels as per O.P’s observations.
(The 2.8 in the Golf always feels flatter low down as it has a taller FD compared to the Corrado)
The 2 valve head limits valve area & thus the ability to rev much harder when using hotter cams. 10:1 comp ratio also works against hotter cams too.
As such N/A tuning on a VR always seemed mega-pricey to me & never really seemed to give much more than a genuine 215hp despite folk ploughing money into breathing mods/schricks/remaps/VSR manifold etc. Certainly expensive old school tuning for the modest gains.
They do sound lovely however!
Also regarding the gearboxes, the mk3 Golf and Corrado in UK/Europe are not that different, the Corrado had closer 1st -3rd gear ratios but the Final Drive is the SAME at 3.3 . It is only North American Corrados that were fitted with the 2.8 engine that got the 3.6 final drive which was to improve the acceleration so that the Corrado could still be quicker than a Golf.
Putting the 3.6 or even wilder 3.9Final drive is a fantastic modification, especially if you fit a LSD at the same time!!!!
aka_kerrly said:
I've never thought of a VR as a lazy engine, it has split personality, effortless pulling from <3000rpm in any gear but once over 4500 it is always keen to continue pulling until the redline. Something can't be right (MAF. cam/crank pos sensors or general servicing needed) if a VR cannot do a wheelspin, mine will happily shred it's tyres in 1st/2nd on a dry day.
Also regarding the gearboxes, the mk3 Golf and Corrado in UK/Europe are not that different, the Corrado had closer 1st -3rd gear ratios but the Final Drive is the SAME at 3.3 . It is only North American Corrados that were fitted with the 2.8 engine that got the 3.6 final drive which was to improve the acceleration so that the Corrado could still be quicker than a Golf.
Putting the 3.6 or even wilder 3.9Final drive is a fantastic modification, especially if you fit a LSD at the same time!!!!
It was always my impression that the engine did indeed have a split personality. Rather like a 16v VW motor it really came on song about 4.5k- though naturally not as revvy at the top end. All done by about 6k. Certainly the motor didn’t feel as muscley as one of a nearly 3L capacity might lower down however.Also regarding the gearboxes, the mk3 Golf and Corrado in UK/Europe are not that different, the Corrado had closer 1st -3rd gear ratios but the Final Drive is the SAME at 3.3 . It is only North American Corrados that were fitted with the 2.8 engine that got the 3.6 final drive which was to improve the acceleration so that the Corrado could still be quicker than a Golf.
Putting the 3.6 or even wilder 3.9Final drive is a fantastic modification, especially if you fit a LSD at the same time!!!!
I stand corrected with the FD.- always thought the Rado had a 3.6 instead of the 3.3fd. In any case it’s definitely too tall for UK roads. This really explains why acceleration & responsiveness felt (to me) sluggish until it was really stoked up. Never going to be great when top gear gives 24.5mph/1000rpm & 5th will pull nearly 160mph @ 6.5k
3.6fd & a quaife atb or peloquin diff would make a world of difference I’m sure & still be good for 145mph.
Regarding wheelspin- I was talking accelerating at WOT from low speed/low revs. Never a hint that it might break traction. No sensor problems/stretched cam chain etc...
Contigo said:
No don't misunderstand me nothing can beat the sound of a GTS (esp with Larini Sports cats and H pipe) but just the whole package, GTS is never a great handler and it heavy. The Corrado really puts down the power well and in the Wet it would destroy a GTS in the twisties for sure. As I get older I just love the older retro cars and the nostalgia and buzz you get back from these cars. I also love my MK1 GTI and MX5's in equal measure.
I do know what you mean, Corrado very agile and light on its feet, GTS really needs to go on a serious diet. Would love another Corrado in the fleet but have too many cars already for the space I have, but would definitely be a VR6, the G60 just doesn't have the same noise or effortless urge the VR6 has. Phunk said:
Yours looks amazing, mine had a carbonio induction kit, Raceland 6 branch, Raceland decat pipe and Magnex cat back stainless steel system which sounded amazing.
Still miss it!
Did you buy this off a jamie from northern ireland? Friend of mine who had bought it as a standard vr6 in blue, made the classic mistake of buying it in the rain, when it was dried off the paintwork was horrid. So he got it a full respray to sort all the rust and poor paint in the mini cooper pepper white. I still remember a very spirited drive along the a75 to try and catch the ferry back to belfast, car really impressed me with how well it handled on the limit on the twisties! also had an indicated 155 leptons on the speedo on the m6 Still miss it!
Great cars!Contigo said:
SunsetZed said:
For sale now if my local Facebay eyes don't deceive me? I hope it stays in the area!
Indeed, and I've acquired a G60 will be delivered tomorrow hopefully. Watch out for a project thread on that.Life's too short to keep a good car and there are too many to try.
I had a yellow 1.8 16v which was great fun but did lack a bit of power. Ended up a bit of a show queen but was driven hard
I also had a black VR6 with 17 inch 5 spokes which was lowered. Great car and even did a few track days with it.
Also had the Golf VR6 to be honest I did not really find a difference in them but a corrado has a much better shape.
I also had a black VR6 with 17 inch 5 spokes which was lowered. Great car and even did a few track days with it.
Also had the Golf VR6 to be honest I did not really find a difference in them but a corrado has a much better shape.
Contigo said:
Slopez said:
I hope to have one of these some day, will closely follow for updates, oh and incase you sell 
For sale matey on classiccarsforsale... it's such a hoot to drive.Not bothered if it was, just interested.
Edited by Chimune on Saturday 26th January 08:09
eybic said:
Contigo said:
Been offered a G60 hmmm tempted. I've heard they are a bit fussy compared to the VR6. Will have to keep both
I've known people that have had both and the VR6 seems to be preferred.I'm definitely the other way round, I've had both (and both 16v variants) and prefer the G60!
@Contigo - glad you've decided to try another one for the hell of it, I look forward to seeing the thread on how you get on.... Fit an oil cooler if it doesn't already have one, they run hot (120 degrees at dual carriageway speeds).
Enjoy!
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