Jim Schiffman

I have not wanted to add the spoiler or the suspension upgrade to my TT. The dealer says I really should have both. He can't say way.

Would consider suspension if readers who had upgrade think it makes the car handle better. Personally, I want to keep it totally stock.

Thanks.

OTOF

the way the car handles now, keep it. Some people have added the spoiler. I go back and forth on this....if I had liked the spoiler Audi offered in the retrofit, would probably have gone with that. Apres lease, I may add an aftermarket spoiler. I wouldn't call what they are doing to the suspension an "upgrade" but a "dumb downer."

economisTT

it decreases overstear and increases understear.

the spoiler will increase downward pressure on the rear of the car -- but unless you're driving very fast (race track -- or autobahn -- speeds) and changing lanes quickly, you probably will never need it. i also don't like the look of that spoiler. there are other spoilers, however, that i think add to the beauty of the car (from LL-tech, for example).

you should drive a TT with the mkII mods to get a firm idea of the impact of the changes, and then make your decision.

Lone Starr (Ivan)

Being in IT, there are odd hours to work at times. I work in a big office complex and the road that goes past my building inside the complex is a 1.5 mile wide "U". It can be fun, and it is often completely devoid of other cars or people, particularly at odd hours of the day.

This is a particular fun little move that I made with my car when it was Mark I and that I do quite often now, with Mark II. It proved TO ME that Mark II is safer in this situation.

Driving out of my office complex, making a left, I am halfway through the wide "U". The "U" goes off to the right. There are few trees so I have a clear view of the road ahead. I gun it through the gears, approaching 80mph by the time I have to slow down, jump left into a turn lane and stop before entering the main road through the office complexes.

This move of slowing down and turning left into the turn lane is my telltale move. Under Mark I, the weight transfer of braking and the weight transfer of turning one lane left would cause the rear of my TT to lift and get squirrely. I learned quickly not to do it. Or at least not to enter it too hot. The margin for error was too slight.

Under Mark II the same move can be made with safety and confidence. I brake at 80mph to scrub off the speed and duck into the left turn lane. The car stays almost completely planted. There is some lift but it never feels near the limits of control.

I am confident that this illustrates the benefits of the suspension changes, as I have not gone over 80mph. So, no aerodynamic benefit from the spoiler. The spoiler benefits are hard to prove since you have to go over 100mph to prove them, and I VERY rarely have a chance to do that (twice since I got the spoiler.)

I admit there is a downside to the suspension changes. For ME the only downside was a slight loss of steering response at low speeds. At highway speed it still only take 1/2 inch of movement of the steering wheel to change lanes. At low speeds, there is a bit more dial-in needed. It was noticeable to me at first, but everything is relative.

The TT, with Mark II, is still the second or third best handling car I have ever driven. The Boxster was better, but (for all it's criticisms) that car seems to be lauded as one of the best balanced Porsches ever. And the Miata is great, too, but man it's tiny and impractical. Even BMW's (self)-lauded 50/50 weight distribution is not impressive in my experience for handling purposes. My Mark II TT still handles better than any Z3 or M3 I have ever driven.

I also happen to like the looks of the spoiler AND I think Audi came up with a process to tack it on that looks and feels like it came from the factory.

I firmly believe that if you are going to keep your TT on the road, get Mark II. If you are going to Auto-X, you're better off with Mark I, and if you are going to instructor led track days, you are better off with Mark II.

This is one man's opinion. If ya'll decide to respond to this, keep in mind that I have had the Mark II suspension for months and have no reason to justify it to myself. It was free anyway!

Happy New Year. 2001 is going to ROCK!

gtt

also noticed recent Road and Track mag which has the early version. They like it at slow speeds but high speed acknowledges a problem. In my opinion inputs to steering, braking and change in road conditions make the TT scary unless you stay calm and do not make large adjustments over 100 mph speeds on back roads. Short wheelbase and quick steering can get inexperienced drivers in a world of trouble.

OTOF

total twisties.

jdan

"Short wheelbase and quick steering can get inexperienced drivers in a world of trouble."

No matter what they do to the suspension inexperience will win every time. So Mk I or Mk II - if you overdrive the conditions you got a problem.

jdan

The suspension upgrade is stock. Every TT coming off the production line now has it. Ask your dealer for a chance to drive one on the lot and compare. There was a huge debate on this. It is a personal decision. There are people here who swear by it and people who wouldn't touch the suspension change with a 10 foot pole. Bottom line it is your choice and not the dealers.

EighTT

I've driven extensively on both the MkI and MkII suspensions. I had the unique experience of owning a MkI and MkII at the same time. I used this opportunity to to quite a bit of back-to-back testing.

I feel the MkI is superior if you are a sports car enthusiast. I absolutely believed that Audi dumbed down the car to avoid lawsuits, not to make it better.

The MkI is unquestionably a more fun car to drive and is a "driver's car." The MkII has a more sedan-like ride. This is not to say that it feels like a sedan, but is tuned with more understeer and with wider steering ratios.

The average Joe or Jane will be less likely to get into trouble with the MkII, as the earlier introduction of understeer will cause them to slow down sooner.

I was really disappointed with my MkIIs steering and handling. I added H&R coilovers, lowered the car, and added MkI control arms. So right now, my handling is outstanding, but I had to spend about $2,500 to get things right.

Again, you'll get different opinions, but I think that the MkI is a substantially more fun car to drive.

WhiTTaker

Hello! I'm new here, so I wish to everyone a happy new year 2001!

I just had my 2000 FWD 180hp "retrofitted" (no ESP). I had the stock suspension for several months, and I really loved it -- except for the less than optimal grip of the Michelin stock rubbers. So anyway, now I've driven the car on the highway at 100+ mph with MkII, and to me, it feels great. It's true: less oversteer, but I didn't notice any increased understeer. And I pushed the car close to its limits; I can tell you that the spoiler really works at 120+ mph, as I felt the car was glued to the road.

Actually, I had to make a real emergency lane change at close to 70 mph, and I'm sure that if it wasn't for the new suspension settings, I would have been in trouble.

So anyway, I admit my experience so far with MkII has only been an 8-hour highway drive back home, but the fact that the road was (at the same) twisty, suitable for very high speeds, and even slippery at some points, helped me get a feeling of the car's capabilities with the suspension upgrade.

However, I strongly recommend replacing the 205-55 stock tires and lowering the car with Eibach or H&R springs. For the ordinary driver, the firmer shocks that come with MkII are a good starting point, so you don't have to spend hundreds of dollars in any other aftermarket shocks --unless you want to... of course.

WhiTTaker