MK 4 Golf 1.8T or Bora 1.8T

[stumpy67]

...for use on track - stripped ooot, on coilovers, turbo-back exhaust, custom map etc.

Bora I guess weighs slightly more (due to the boot) but may have a slightly better weight distribution, so handling perhaps better?

Both use the same engine, so performance should be similar.

Anyone able to comment on the two cars please? See a lot of Mk2 Golfs on track (light/cheap), but not so many Mk4's? No Bora's either. Is this just as they don't have a particularly strong image, or is there anything particuylarly wrong with them for use on track?

I ask, as they seem to be readily available now doe between £1500-2500.

Thanks.

[Sir_Dave]

stumpy67 said:

See a lot of Mk2 Golfs on track (light/cheap), but not so many Mk4's? No Bora's either. Is this just as they don't have a particularly strong image, or is there anything particuylarly wrong with them for use on track?

1. They handle like a sack of potatoes.
2. No steering feel whatsoever.
3. Heavy
4. st
5. Far better cars out there. Like pretty much anything else

[Harji]

Sir_Dave said:

stumpy67 said:

See a lot of Mk2 Golfs on track (light/cheap), but not so many Mk4's? No Bora's either. Is this just as they don't have a particularly strong image, or is there anything particuylarly wrong with them for use on track?

1. They handle like a sack of potatoes.
2. No steering feel whatsoever.
3. Heavy
4. st
5. Far better cars out there. Like pretty much anything else

Although I had a lovely looking Black 1.8T, black heated leather seats, after 3 years I still didn't like the car, not fun to drive at all, not involving, pretty boring actually.

[Steve Evil]

As said, they really are terrible. There was a reason they went back to the drawing board and had to come up with something really special in the MkV Golf.

[pad58]

Here's my tuppence worth.

These cars are poo when they where made i grant you but there is a lot out there that

DO handle well and have upwards 245hp like they should have been made in the first place.

Like a sticker i saw on the back of one said " made in Germany refind in England".

[Silver940]

You can make them work pretty well but it takes some effort. Not too many standard suspension components left on mine!

[The Walrus]

http://uk-mkivs.net/forums/t/330392.aspx

Have a look at this thread, they choose the bora over the golf due to your reasons of better weight distribution, as you will see they also changed the subframe to an R32 item as well as the control arms plus, stripped the interior fitted adjustable suspension, re-map, downpipem FMIC and a diff.

[rallycross]

You dont see them because the are not good handling cars and are heavy.

Neither the golf or the bora is the right thing to start off with if you want to build a track car.

Yes you can spend a fortune trying to make it handle and go well, but no much point, and when you come to sell it no one will want to buy a mk4 as a track car.

I once used a Bora 4motion on track day, it actually coped a lot better than I expected but was still a big heavy soft thing, and once you get to the limit there is no finesse to it, no pleasure from how it behaves on track. We also had an Evo8 and a nissan 200sx S13 at that track days and both were great fun to play with on the track, but the mk4 golf/bora forget it (except maybe the R32 which is much more fun).