Cabriolet upgrades / mods?

[ssblast20]

Hey guys -

I have had a 94 Pearl Audi Cabrio for 10 years, and each time I think about selling it to get something else, I pull back thinking that I would regret it. It's in pristine condition inside and out, new top, perfect interior, etc....that said, I've had it for a long time and have recently driven some newer (2001) BMW's and VW's, and they obviously handle better, etc....basically, I am looking to make some changes to my car to make it a bit sportier, and am very curious as to what kind of upgrades you all might suggest. I did a big upgrade to the audio system years ago, and also sent my throttle body off to get bored out, but other than that, the car is mostly stock. I used to have 17" wheels but went back to the factory ones as I bent one. That said, I will either be going back to 17" or 18" wheels, but fear that the 18" might cause for a pretty rough ride. This is pretty much my daily driver, so I want it to be fun yet comfortable. Basically, I am wondering about things / upgrades such as:

-Suspension - what options, and why? What will I notice?

-Wheels - I am finding limited options for the 4 x 108 pattern

-Body kit - I saw the Seidl kit - wow...looks great, but I have not heard or seen anyone who has ordered one yet?

-Anything else? (Engine upgrades / turbo kits, etc?)

Any help would be greatly appreciated - thank you in advance. And by the way, my car is the pearl 94 on cardomain.com (ssblast20's audi cabriolet) note: the Borbet rims are gone (regetfully).

Thanks!! -Steve

[evo1couperacing]

Hey Steve...Greg here. I feel your pain brother. There is very limited stuff for our old coupes and cabrio's. Yes I have the hardtop coupe model 1990. Well let me start with suspension upgrades. Basically not a whole lot but here we go. I went with bilstein shocks and struts and H&R pro springs. What I got out of it was and very nimble handling car. Very quick steering reponse especially with my 17x8 inch wheels with general exclaim UHP tires, 225/45r17's and gave the car a drop of about 2 inches front and rear. Also I put brand new delrin control arm bushings on all 4 corners aswell as strut tower braces front and back. Believe me when I tell you there is nothing like the feeling of getting on the highway ramp and sticking it around the turn at 150 km/h. Truely exhilarating.

Ok now that the suspension is done, let's move to the engine. Here is what I've done. Took my stock 20v 7a 5cylinder engine and rebuilt it from the ground up. Stock block, knife cut crank & balanced. Brand new rod bearings/main bearings. Cylinders all honed and cleaned. Brand new JE lightweight pistons & sure seal piston rings. Brand new lightweight rods and gaskets including a new headgasket. The 20v Head was rebuilt aswell with all new valves, seats, valve springs, and lifters. I also port and polished the head and intake for better flow. The fuel system is the 034 fuel injector upgrade kit and an adjustable fuel pressure regulator. I also made a complete cold air/ram air system. The exhaust is a 2 3/4 inch magnaflow system to a bullen 540 muffler(sounds awsome).

Well that's some of the fun that you can have with these cars in terms of engine and suspension. I would start with those things first then move to the cosmetics of the car. You don't have to go to the extremes that I did and spend a ****load of money either to get a nicely tuned and handling car. The car looks cool just the way it is...get it tuned right and handling like it's on rails and you will feed your excitment everytime you start her up and drive her hard. Good luck and if you need any pointers...I'm here to help. Cheers!

[ssblast20]

Hi Greg,

Thanks for the info - although it would be tough for me to justify the $$ to rebuilt the entire motor the way that you did, I am interested in the suspension upgrades. One question about those - if I drive the car pretty much every day, would that setup still make the car comfortable to drive on the highway? I know it's tough to ask for the best of both worlds, but I don't want to suffer a major blow to the comfort of the ride on the highway just to gain a better feel around turns, etc.

As for the cosmetics, I would probably leave that until last as that is pretty expensive as well. Thanks for the advice - much appreciated!
-Steve

[evo1couperacing]

Hey Steve, well my Coupe is my daily driver and it feels great on the highway. True it's hard to get the best of both world's, but it can be done. Good luck to you and post back if you need anything. Cheers!

[markwilson2151]

yeah you can modify your car. It will really look attractive.