Old Library

I've recently done 3 new mods to my car.

DE shiftknob
Super easy install...20 minutes max.  It looks great, fits my hand well,
and really dresses up the interior.  It's a really nice accent piece and
gives the interior little more of that fast car feel.  I don't know that
would pay $100, but it was a gift from my fiancee--you gotta love women
that will give car parts as gifts.

Autotech upper rear stress bar
Also a fairly easy install...about an hour, including opening the
box(thanks, Wally).  Stiffens the rear body nicely--no more creaks and
groans on uneven pavement.

Shine rear sway bar
Don't attempt this unless you really like working on your car...several
hours, not including trip to Lowe's for more drill bits.  If you do this
install yourself, notice that the instructions reccomend cobalt steel
bits.  This is no joke.  After chewing up a titanium coated bit and some
oxide bits that were laying around the shop, I gave in and went to Lowe's
and spent $20-25 on four cobalt steel bits in sizes leading up to and
including 3/8"(the bolt size).  DO NOT try to go through the axle in one
pass with a 3/8" bit.  This is time-consuming, painful, and a waste of
good drill bits.  Getting all the holes to line up is a b*tch, even if
you mark them well to start with.  It really helps to get the car up as
high as possible--the upper surface of the rear bumper was at about my
rib cage.  It looked kinda scary, but the front wheels were blocked, and
the stands were well-supported.

As far as performance goes, we got done late, so I haven't really wrung
it out yet--more on the Spax/Shine/Autotech combo soon.

-Dave
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Well, I've lived with it a couple days now.  I think I'll keep it.  ;)

This isn't another full how-to install.  I just wanted to add a few
new items.

First a couple pictures.
Here's one that shows how the ends of the Shine bar attach to the
axle C channel beam.
http://rintintin.colorado.edu/~frechett/stuff/barend.jpg
Note uppper left: I had to trim away the plastic and even a little of that
funny bolt which sticks up on top of the axle on the passenger side.

Here's one that shows the whole bar, installed.
http://rintintin.colorado.edu/~frechett/stuff/shinebar.jpg

Frankly, with all the descriptions of the bar, I never quite
realized what it looked like and how it was different from
a regular sway bar (with bent arms at the ends), until I saw it
in person.    It relies on the fact that the axle beam is
braced and strengthened at the ends, so if you simply take
away its ability to twist in the middle with the shine bar, it'll
have the same effect as a conventional bar but with a significant
weight savings.

Second:   Cutting fluid.  Get it.  Use it liberally.  It really does
cut a lot better when the drill bit is cool.   We used three different
sized Cobalt bits to make the bottom holes, and 2 different sizes to make
the top, and the one 3/8" bit was still cutting fast after the 8th hole
because we kept it covered in cutting fluid.  You'll know when
you need more fluid when it rains sizzling hot metal shards down on
your arm.  Spin down, lube up.

Third: If you can find a way to brace the drill itself so that you
don't have to push upwards yourself, it'll go so much easier.   I had
the car on simple 9 1/2" tall drive up ramps, and that was just the
right height so that we used a couple 2 by 4's, one laid flat and
the other used as a lever over the top of the first, and against the back
of the drill.   I guided the drill and Chun provided constant downward
pressure which I think was easier for all involved.   We even drilled
one hole with nothing but the 3/8" bit and it went well, although I don't
know if we could do 8 in a row with only one bit.

The hardest part, as others have alluded to, is lining up the holes
on the bottom.  Even marking and drilling with a small bit, the bigger
bits still tend to wander a lot.  The top holes are a snap because
we just stuck the bar in place, put 3 out of 4 bolts in, clamped the
bar down, and drilled through the 4th hole, switch bolts, repeat.

The second hardest thing was grinding the ends of the cross bars
(bolt sleeves) so they fit inside the axle, with only a Dremel tool.
There's only one Dremel bit that works reasonably well, and I didn't
have it the first night (It's a spiky metal drum. Don't remember composition
but you can't miss it)  If you've got a real grinder, it'll
go very fast.  Don't even bother if all you've got is a hand file.

Impressions:
Everything, everyone else has said before.  Keeps the car flat, at low
to moderate speeds, and at the extreme, it lifts the rear inside,
which makes for only slight push, to neutral to oversteer depending on
the throttle position.  I love steady state cornering, and even
accelerating hard out of a corner just kicks ass now.  I never feel
like I'm fighting push.  Someone also said something about curing some
of the creaking inside the car.  That claim seemed a bit wild to me, but
it's true.  I had a wonderful, fast, quiet drive up my favorite twisty
road today.

The only time it gets exciting is if I lift the throttle hard in
a low gear or tap the brakes midcorner.  It's basically lift throttle
oversteer sorta like an old Porsh 911.  I like it because it reminds
me of a rear wheel drive car, albeit a little backwards.   I have
to be honest though and say that if you're the type of person
that always tries to get out of trouble by slowing down, instead
of driving around it, this kind of setup might not be the best for
you.    It's not something you'd even experience driving the car at
only 85% of its capabilities.    It happens between 90 and 100 percent.
85% is enought to scare the piss out of almost everyone I know though, and
the car is still begging for more.  I'm happy to oblige it.

    ian
98 GTI-VR6 (200% more fun edition)