Partyvan's wet weather track car - Audi TT 3.2 V6 Quattro
Discussion
Hello PHers!
As some of you may know I have a dry weather track car, a Honda CRX with a 270bhp K20 engine in it.
Here's the build thread for anyone interested
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
It's a high spec build, but it unsuitable for our British winter trackdays. That led me to seek a cheap, disposable, 4WD, wet weather track car. Something that a Mk4 Golf V6 4motion did nicely.
The car runs great in the wet, often being quicker than 90% of cars on track. A recent visit to Anglesey in storm conditions made a lot of expensive machinery look rather silly.
However, previously, when conditions have dried, the Golf struggles. It's a distinctly average track car in the dry, which leads to frustration. I therefore toyed with the idea of an R32 conversion, or turbocharging.
However, I decided on a TT 3.2 Quattro, for several reasons. Firstly, the TT shell is the lightest of all that platform of VAG cars. It also has other benefits over the Mk4 4motion, such as quick ratio steering, better geometry, thicker anti roll bars and fancy wishbones. And the Mk1 TT is a car I've always secretly liked.
Here she is, bought off a fellow PHer. 84k on the clock.
First impressions are good, it certainly feels more planted and less wallowy than the Golf. I'm going to swap over the coilovers, 6 pot brakes and a few other goodies from it. I've also got adjustable rear arms to go on, and adjustable front top mounts. This will let me give it a full geometry setup to get the most out of it.
I'll keep this thread updated with modifications, track day reports, lap times etc
As some of you may know I have a dry weather track car, a Honda CRX with a 270bhp K20 engine in it.
Here's the build thread for anyone interested
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
It's a high spec build, but it unsuitable for our British winter trackdays. That led me to seek a cheap, disposable, 4WD, wet weather track car. Something that a Mk4 Golf V6 4motion did nicely.
The car runs great in the wet, often being quicker than 90% of cars on track. A recent visit to Anglesey in storm conditions made a lot of expensive machinery look rather silly.
However, previously, when conditions have dried, the Golf struggles. It's a distinctly average track car in the dry, which leads to frustration. I therefore toyed with the idea of an R32 conversion, or turbocharging.
However, I decided on a TT 3.2 Quattro, for several reasons. Firstly, the TT shell is the lightest of all that platform of VAG cars. It also has other benefits over the Mk4 4motion, such as quick ratio steering, better geometry, thicker anti roll bars and fancy wishbones. And the Mk1 TT is a car I've always secretly liked.
Here she is, bought off a fellow PHer. 84k on the clock.
First impressions are good, it certainly feels more planted and less wallowy than the Golf. I'm going to swap over the coilovers, 6 pot brakes and a few other goodies from it. I've also got adjustable rear arms to go on, and adjustable front top mounts. This will let me give it a full geometry setup to get the most out of it.
I'll keep this thread updated with modifications, track day reports, lap times etc
On Thursday I had a wicked day at Cadwell in the TT. It was wet for most of the day, so me and the car were in our element! I was running semi slicks (Direzza front, R888R rear)
I overtook 30+ cars, including several Caterhams and a BMW M4 owned by an absolute **** who was very rude to my brother in law. I wasn't overtaken once! The car felt very good, although there's improvements to be had in due course.
It didn't last though, the DSG box overheated. I need to remedy this before my Ring trip.I also managed to boil the brakes, so more work needed there too.
Watch this space for the next round of mods!
I overtook 30+ cars, including several Caterhams and a BMW M4 owned by an absolute **** who was very rude to my brother in law. I wasn't overtaken once! The car felt very good, although there's improvements to be had in due course.
It didn't last though, the DSG box overheated. I need to remedy this before my Ring trip.I also managed to boil the brakes, so more work needed there too.
Watch this space for the next round of mods!
I've been doing suspension upgrades! Lots of them. More on that soon.
I've also been working on the DSG overheating issue and decided on functional bonnet vents. My first task was to mask up the bonnet, then draw on a centreline, and reference lines to areas of single skin construction.
Next I drilled the corners of the hole, with a 2mm bit followed by a 20mm hole cutter
I then joined the 20mm holes with the jigsaw
And finally painted the exposed metal, and bonded in the vents. Job done!
I've also been working on the DSG overheating issue and decided on functional bonnet vents. My first task was to mask up the bonnet, then draw on a centreline, and reference lines to areas of single skin construction.
Next I drilled the corners of the hole, with a 2mm bit followed by a 20mm hole cutter
I then joined the 20mm holes with the jigsaw
And finally painted the exposed metal, and bonded in the vents. Job done!
TTs can lose a lot of heat through the bonnet seal at the scuttle - if you remove this, due to the low pressure zone at the base of the windscreen, it can make a huge difference. It's more notable on the turbo'd cars, but they all trap heat under there otherwise. Would be interesting to see how much difference the vents make, but because they're in a high pressure area I suspect not as much.
Croutons said:
How do you know they’ll be functional?
And tell us more about the M4 driver!!
Past experience with louvred bonnets on previous cars. I did some rudimentary temperature logging and they decreased temperatures significantly. And tell us more about the M4 driver!!
The M4 driver was cocky and rude. He seemed to think he owned a row of parking spaces in the communal car park. Just had a general demeanour of arrogance. So great pleasure was taken in catching him with ease in a TT that's worth about a grand!
Video here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9g92EOAxNTA&fe...
bangerhoarder said:
TTs can lose a lot of heat through the bonnet seal at the scuttle - if you remove this, due to the low pressure zone at the base of the windscreen, it can make a huge difference. It's more notable on the turbo'd cars, but they all trap heat under there otherwise. Would be interesting to see how much difference the vents make, but because they're in a high pressure area I suspect not as much.
The base of the windscreen is a high-pressure area, but low flow.Christmassss said:
Have developed a soft spot for the Mk1 TT, age has been kind to it.
What was the reason for choosing the V6 over the 225hp turbo?
More power, more reliability, better suspension geometry, quicker steering, bigger brakes and the optional DSGWhat was the reason for choosing the V6 over the 225hp turbo?
Krikkit said:
The base of the windscreen is a high-pressure area, but low flow.
Actually you'll find at speed, there is a lot of flow over the bonnet, you've got all the air that isn't deflected to the sides or under the car (eg most of it), forced up over the screen. That escape (over the screen) is more flowing than being stopped dead by the bulkhead (inside the bay), so you get air exiting up through the vents.Don't believe me? Wait till it's icy, I'll show you the vents de-misting my screen!
Partyvan said:
Krikkit said:
The base of the windscreen is a high-pressure area, but low flow.
Actually you'll find at speed, there is a lot of flow over the bonnet, you've got all the air that isn't deflected to the sides or under the car (eg most of it), forced up over the screen. That escape (over the screen) is more flowing than being stopped dead by the bulkhead (inside the bay), so you get air exiting up through the vents.Don't believe me? Wait till it's icy, I'll show you the vents de-misting my screen!
Bonnet vents in that region most definitely work, just look at a V12 Vantage for confirmation!
ETA:
Pressure:
Velocity (ignore the arrow)
Anyway, great track car, looks like it went really well at Cadwell (with some good pedalling). I seriously regret never getting to Cadwell while I lived in Louth.
Edited by Krikkit on Friday 10th May 14:53
Yup, far more accurate. Very long time since I studied vehicle aero and I have got them backwards. I think I got it confused with pressure recovery when calculating drag and Cd.
Simple derp version - this area can be used for venting the engine bay and seem to work well from testing and after seeing the amount of heat coming out of it from a hard drive.
Simple derp version - this area can be used for venting the engine bay and seem to work well from testing and after seeing the amount of heat coming out of it from a hard drive.
Update time!
I did a restoration on the headlights, including UV protection. Pictures don't do them justice I'm afraid!
And I had a sunstrip fitted, an absolute must on any car in my opinion
It's also now polybushed and awaiting geometry setup and DSG remap.
90% ready for Cadwell and the Ring
I did a restoration on the headlights, including UV protection. Pictures don't do them justice I'm afraid!
And I had a sunstrip fitted, an absolute must on any car in my opinion
It's also now polybushed and awaiting geometry setup and DSG remap.
90% ready for Cadwell and the Ring
May I ask how you did the headlights? I’ve a similar era Audi (not racecar, sadly) that needs doing.
Car looks good, these TTs have aged well I think. The bonnet vents don’t look nearly as Max Power as I thought they would when I started reading your post! Function over form they are but the form isn’t that bad either!
Car looks good, these TTs have aged well I think. The bonnet vents don’t look nearly as Max Power as I thought they would when I started reading your post! Function over form they are but the form isn’t that bad either!
Blanco92 said:
May I ask how you did the headlights? I’ve a similar era Audi (not racecar, sadly) that needs doing.
Car looks good, these TTs have aged well I think. The bonnet vents don’t look nearly as Max Power as I thought they would when I started reading your post! Function over form they are but the form isn’t that bad either!
Thanks!Car looks good, these TTs have aged well I think. The bonnet vents don’t look nearly as Max Power as I thought they would when I started reading your post! Function over form they are but the form isn’t that bad either!
Plastic headlights can be restored using wet and dry. Working your way from coarse to fine grit, sanding out the scratches of the previous grade. Then finishing with a polishing compound and UV sealer.
A lot of places on Facebook and Google offer the service.
Update time!
The old Weitec coilovers I've had for years were getting on a bit, so I invested in some Bilstein B14s. Not a bad price.
I combined them with some adjustable rear arms
And adjustable front top mounts, to dial in some camber
I then went for alignment at a local garage, got 500m down the road and the car lunged across the road! They hadn't tightened the adjustable top mounts up properly!
Absolutely trashed them. In addition, they claimed the alignment was done but the car was HORRID to drive. Literally felt like it was steering itself at the rear!
Anyway, today I stopped crying about it and went to Grinspeed, a proper motorsport guru. Alignment was found to be miles out, in every plane. Stevie soon put it right and the car feels 10 years younger!
I'm now happy with the suspension, the Bilsteins are compliant yet firm. The holy grail. The 6 pot brakes are super sharp, and it handles very well. I'm confident it's ready for track and Ring alike. It's also taxed, so I'll be using it as a daily for the summer months.
The old Weitec coilovers I've had for years were getting on a bit, so I invested in some Bilstein B14s. Not a bad price.
I combined them with some adjustable rear arms
And adjustable front top mounts, to dial in some camber
I then went for alignment at a local garage, got 500m down the road and the car lunged across the road! They hadn't tightened the adjustable top mounts up properly!
Absolutely trashed them. In addition, they claimed the alignment was done but the car was HORRID to drive. Literally felt like it was steering itself at the rear!
Anyway, today I stopped crying about it and went to Grinspeed, a proper motorsport guru. Alignment was found to be miles out, in every plane. Stevie soon put it right and the car feels 10 years younger!
I'm now happy with the suspension, the Bilsteins are compliant yet firm. The holy grail. The 6 pot brakes are super sharp, and it handles very well. I'm confident it's ready for track and Ring alike. It's also taxed, so I'll be using it as a daily for the summer months.
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