modding 205

[davey o]

hi,

i dont know much about the technical side of cars so bear with me.
I have an 89 205gti (1.9) and could someone tell me what series i have, or how to tell?)) and want to get it a bit quicker off the line and have the power there right up through the revs. I know doing the spark plugs, air filter, a service and basic stuff like that will get back a bit of oomph, but i want a bit more.

I asked a guy at work and he said that a cam would probably be a good way to go. I will probably buy the parts and take it to a garage and get them to put it all in/together for me. Can someone tell me what i would need/would be good (names? model numbers?) Less than $1000, $1500 max if its a quite noticable difference.

And could you tell me (if its not to much trouble) what each part would do? I have to learn sooner or later

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Thanks,
Dave

[bazgti]

i have heard from reiable source that lumpy cams ect in the 205 are hard to get it to idle and generally behave properly,this was what i was told when inquiring.
hows your suspension?.this makes a cosiderable difference in the 205 if you have worn shockers,shock mounts etc.the reason i mention this is a post where a person was extolling the virtues of another members 205 and said alot of this was due to better suspension.
your 1988 205 gti[series 2 by the way]is now 16-17 years old and the shockers start to go around this time.

i have just put on koni yellow sports shocks and was truly amazed at the difference it has made to the car,better acceleration,and stopping,corners like on rails and eats up all the big bumps.[cost around the $1000 mark on the car.
i would concentraite on making sure your motor and suspension are working to their utmost before i would think about mods.
when running well these cars can be driven hard and fast and generally have good pickup.
but if the motor has high mileage and not cared for well it will loose a bit at the top of the revs and will flat spot a bit.
you could look for a 405 mi 16 engine to put in your 205 gti.they are the same size block but have more power due to being 16 valves instead of the normal 8 valves.more valves =more power in general terms.you will have to do a bit of muckin round but not too much.
also check to see which gearbox your car is running.the BE-3 gearbox is the most sought after one as it has better ratios in the lower gears enabling quicker take-off .
the later model engines have more b.h.p[brake horse power]but not as good ratios so the best combination is a later model engine with a be-3 gearbox.
205 series lesson 101.
series 1-1987.[we only got them from 87,they have them from 84 in the uk and europe]
series 2-1988-1990 or 91 i think
series 3-91-94
later model 205's have different rear lights and clear indicator lenses at front.
there are three different types of rear lights depending on series .
later models had reverse light in rear spoiler ,not in rear light assembly and different plastic surround over rear hatch window.
so just to recap,make sure its all running well with good suspension amd all that and watch her fly-BAZZ

[pugjet]

hi davo,


your 205gti is probably a series 1.

in simplified terms, here is a basic breakdown for oz spec 205gtis:

series 1: sliding ventilation dash, non-powersteering, drum rears, 14 inch speedline "pepperpot" alloys, 75kw motor.

series 2: "dial" style ventillation dash, non-powersteering, drum rears, 14 inch speedline "pepperpot" alloys, 75kw motor.

series 3: "dial" style ventilation dash, power-steering, discs all 'round, 15 inch speedline alloys, 90 kw motor.


if you do a search theres an amazing number of threads/posts related to all manner of 205gti modding. and yeah, velcum to AF.

edit: added txt.

[davey o]

mine has no power steering and (i assume, from what i imagine they would look like) sliding ventilation. but it has discs all round. im in new zealand but this 205 was imported from japan in the mid 90's

[orestes]

Guys, being in New Zealand davey o could have a 205 that is very different to the ones we got here.

In New Zeland, AFAIK they got the entire range of UK spec 205's and some of the ones that never made it to Japan / were sent back from Japan.

All mannerism of 205's were sent to Japan including automatic GTI's, so I wouldn't be surprised if this car isn't exactly what it seems.

The other explanation is that one of the previous owners may have fitted after market discs to the back.

Do you have service history or knowledge of previous mechanics that worked on your car ??

[davey o]

the guy i got it off said it was all original, but i dont have any receipts.
his brother is a mechanic and done the servicing on it for the time he had it (3 years) there has been 4 owners including me and 175000km
is there any way to tell if i have a uk spec model?
like chassis numbers or engine numbers or something?

edit: on the hatch inbetween the lights where the red reflective panel goes, mine has a grey plastic panel that is kind of corrogated (its hard to explain). does anyone know if that is only on some models?

sorry for all the questions