After 2,600 miles in one week under virtually all-driving conditions I can honestly say my understanding of the TT has increased a great deal more than all the previous 6,400 miles have provided. Observations and comments as they relate to MY needs and MY tastes (TT is my only car):

1) Mark I suspension stays. The car has terrific handling with no perceptible reason to change. Period. Top of my wish list in this department remains unchanged…BILSTIENS. Cush & wheel hop under hard driving is a trait that can easily be eliminated with these dampers.
2) Ride height. Lowering suspension is out of the question. I would have left half of the bottom of my car in California if lowered. Way too many places I need to go (probing on rally type back-roads).
3) Paint protective film. My advice is install IMMEDIATELY! The TT takes some serious stone hits and it shows very quickly. Since I am no fan of solid bras, it’s the only way to go. And, it works!
4) Transmission & clutch are up to the task. Gearing is obviously a compromise, but I can live with it. Under very hard driving it’s a 3 gear car…2nd (curves marked @ 20 MPH and below) 3rd and 4th. 5th gear comes into play only on the long straights.
5) My motor stumbled badly @ 3,500 through 5,000 RPM. It seemed to me hard driving with rapid acceleration-braking changes (on-off-on-off-on-off) confused the hell out of my modified EPROM. I first thought it was sudden changes in manifold pressure due to fluttering wastegate/blow-off valve, but I could hear nothing. I switched out to my stock ECU several times where the problem would totally disappear. However, I may well be dealing with turbo plumbing issues as the stock ECU is keeping boost pressure below the threshold of premature release (is it OK to say that on this forum?). Work in progress with my tuner (please, don’t ask who or what).
6) Borla exhaust was great for the hard driving stuff and an annoying pain in the **** for pleasure driving/cruising. It’s a compromise I may not continue to accept as the additional 10 HP may not be worth the resonance I have to tolerate.
7) Tires. Hey, no complaints what so ever. When they wear out, however, I’ll no doubt replace with winning tires in SCCA touring/showroom stock series (why relearn what others have spent thousands of dollars to figure out).
8) Second intercooler…it’s the one part you 225 people have that I REALLY wish I had. HP depreciates dramatically with heat, and I want the additional protection for my motor.
9) Roadster. So much of the “road trip” would have been so much nicer sightseeing in a roadster. There just is not enough room for all my gear (compromises, compromises).
10) ABS. I gotta’ study this one b/4 I pull the fuse to disable for hard driving. I confused the system a few times during the rapid on-off-on braking.
11) Stock wing… I’m doing it. Although I never had a “moment”, Peter Hommel resides in the base of my medusa. I don’t want it coming between me and my fun in the TT. Period.
12) Zaino. Where have I been all these years? Use this product once and you will never use anything else. Especially if you dislike the hard work of conventional waxes. I spent one day holed-up in a cabin preparing the TT for Zaino. Great stuff these brothers have created.
13) Brakes. These are not race brakes. My rotors will NEVER make 50K miles.

End of rambling.<p><a href="mailto:c_bogey@hotmail.com"><img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/AudiWorldPics/2000/BSIGTest.JPG" border="0" alt= "Click on image to e-mail"></a> 00' 180QC, Dead Stock (except EPROM, exhaust & clear film paint protector)