Corrado Tuning

"Gee Whiz - the G60"

The Corrado could be described as a coupe version of the Jetta but it is really a car in its own right.

It was designed purely as a fun car and this is reflected in the engine choices on offer.

We start off with the frankly underpowered 1.8 which became a credible engine when it was supercharged in the form of the G60.

There was a 2.0 engine also which did a reasonable job but the 160bhp 1.8 Supercharged engine would still be a better choice for a Corrado tuning project.

The top of the range included the VR6 engines which sound absolutely awesome at full throttle. Depending on the country of origin you had a 2.8 or a 2.9 VR6 block to choose from. In VR6 form the engine puts down around 188bhp.

Handling is not something a Corrado owner needs to worry about with a fantasticly well sorted suspension package but there are a few upgrades that make it even better as we will detail below.

Some owners with the 1.8 NASP or 2.0 NASP engines look to do an engine swap to either the 1.8 Supercharged or the VR6. The latter will give the best power gains from the swap but with further modifcations the supercharged version has a little more to offer. The 1.8T engine is our favourite block so far from VAG and would realy transform the Corrado into a track day stormer, but there is a fair bit of work involved in a swap of this nature.

Although the NASP engines are a little lacking in power there are still plenty of modifications that can be done. Getting the head ported and gas flowed is a good starting point. You can also fit large valves and if you have a 3 or 5 angle valve job you will squeeze a little more power and better economy from the engine.

Reboring the block is another option and will  increase the displacement allowing you to extract every last drop of potential power from the engine.

We have even seen some supercharger conversions running quite happily on the 1.8 block. Providing you run low boost and use high octance fuel you should be ok. A turbo conversion requrires a lot of work and whilst not impossible to do the sheer cost and work involved does not make turboing a viable option.

Popular Corrado modifications with TorqueCars forum members include breathing mods including an induction kit, fast road cam, FSE boost valve and sports exhaust will increase both the power output and the enjoyment you get from the engine. The fast road cam is one of the most cost effective mods you can do. An induction kit is questionable as far as power gains go but the Corrado engine does sound fantastic with one fitted.

Having made the Corrado go faster you should also look at improving the handling and braking. Dropping the car 35mm and fitting stiffer shocks will allow for better cornering without compromising ride quality too much.

An anti roll bar will aid cornering and avoid body roll under very hard turns. When it comes to brakes we would suggest fitting bigger discs all round and mating a fast road (not a motorsport) pad. Vented and grooved and drilled discs are best for the road but if you are into track days we suggest you just get vented discs as these are less prone to warping.

There are a number of big brake conversion kits out there and there is also the cheaper option of fitting brakes from a Porsche or the Golf VR6 or R32 providing these fit behind your alloys so check the pcd and clearance before ordering them.

Join our other Corrado owners in our forum and swap tuning tips and ideas and keep up to date with their tuning projects.