I have listed some of the mods that I have done to my Scirocco 16v. The car is already a great car, but I enjoy adding my own personal touch to my car. Working on my car has definitely become one of my favorite hobbies. So, read and see what you think of what I have done....
1. Neuspeed Upper Strut Tie-Bars
This was the first addition that I made when I got my Scirocco
16v. The reason is this… When you drive the car hard around turns
you are applying stress to the joints and to the body. The front
strut towers handle a large amount of this stress. When the strut
towers flex they also begin to weaken and can even crack in extreme cases!
This upper strut tie bar bolts into place between the two front strut towers
and helps to prevent flexing. This will give your rocco better response
and feel in cornering.
The rear triangulated tie-bar was added rescently and further
enhanced the stability of the car. This keeps the rear of the
car from flexing and makes handling feel greatly improved. These
two additions I would give two thumbs up!!
2. Techtonics Exhaust
The Scirocco 16v was given a great stock exhaust system…stainless
steel. If you are fortunate enough to still have the factory exhaust
in good shape I would recommend leaving it on…possibly going with a higher
flow muffler…however, if the previous owner of your 16v happened to replace
it with junk (as in my unfortunate case) then I would suggest going with
a system from Techtonics Tuning. The system that I chose for my 16v
consists of 2.25” pipe with a Dynomax Super Turbo muffler. This is
a relatively inexpensive muffler, yet produces a very nice deep tone.
I have no complaints with TT and the quality of their system.
3. Suspension
There are many options available in the category of suspension.
The stock suspension on the Scirocco 16v is very good and is perfectly
fine for daily driving. At first, I was looking to increase the performance
of the suspension yet not sacrifice a comfortable ride. I was able
to achieve this by replacing the factory springs with Neuspeed Sport progressive
springs and replaced the shocks with Koni Sport adjustables. The
Neuspeed springs actually have lowered the Scirocco about 1” giving it
a lower center of gravity and a more aggressive look. I can't say
enough about the Koni's....the adjustable feature gives them a great ride
around town in the soft position yet a great firm ride when adjusted.
These Koni's are definitely not a cheap way to go...that's why I think
of them as more of an investment!
4. European Headlights
In order to meet US specifications, the Scirocco was outfitted
with the 4 sealed beam headlight system. These sealed beam lights
are very limited due to the fact that you can’t really upgrade them.
My goal for the headlights was to be able to use higher wattage bulbs and
have better lighting. I was able to achieve this by replacing the
sealed beam lamps with European style lamps. These lamps are a direct
replacement for the 4 sealed beam headlights. There is no modification
needed. I am also installing higher wattage H4 and H3 bulbs along
with relays in order to safely run these high-wattage bulbs. A great
set of instructions on wiring relays can be found at www.scirocco.org
under the "modifications" section.
5. European Bumpers
Once again, US specifications require the Scirocco to use larger
bumpers to meet requirements. The rocco was originally designed with
smaller, closer-fitting bumpers. These European bumpers give the
car back the look that the car was supposed to have! The Euro bumpers
not only look better, but also weigh about 40 pounds lighter!
6. Short Shift
Ever since I started driving a Scirocco I noticed that the length
of the shift throw seems a bit long. A friend of mine decided to
modify the shift linkage on his 16v in order to make the shifting shorter.
After driving his rocco I realized how much more fun it was to shift and
drive with this modification. The most professional way to do this
would be to order a kit from Neuspeed or Autotech (the kits will cost up
to $100 !). If you happen to know someone with a welder, it is possible
to modify the linkage pieces yourself and save some $$. This will
definitely make your Scirocco much more enjoyable to drive.