DragRace_Ray

Tech Spec

Tein Usa, Inc

Location: Downey, Ca

Occupation: Suspension manufacturer

2006 VW Golf GTI

Engine: 2.0 liter 16v FSI with custom Carrillo forged rods and JE Pistons forged pistons, balanced and machined by Cosworth with full rotating assembly, treated pistons, rods, wrist pins and rings, APR K04 turbo and manifold, 3" downpipe and ECU tuning, EuroCode front-mount intercooler and lightened flywheel, K&N intake, Vibrant Performance 3" exhaust with mandrel-bent piping, NX N-tercooler kit with composite 12 lb bottles, pressure gauges and billet rollcage mounts

Drivetrain: WPC treated six-speed transmission, Quaife differential, EuroCode clutch

Brakes: StopTech 328mm big brake kit with four-piston calipers, Earl's stainless steel brake lines, stock rears

Suspension: Tein Euro Damper coilovers with Electronic Damping Force Controller, Rothschild Fabrication six-point bolt-in rollcage and front fender braces

Wheels & Tires: 19x9" +15 offset front, 19x10" +6 offset rear AutoArt VY wheels with gold centers and polished lips for street use mounted on Bildon wheel studs and lug nuts with 235/35-19 front, 265/30-19 rear Falken FK-452 tires. 18x9" +15 offset front, 18x10" +6 offset rear AutoArt VY wheels with gunmetal centers and polished lips for track use with 235/40-18 front, 265/35-18 rear Falken RT-615 tires

Exterior: BRS AutoDesign widebody including front bumper, carbon front splitter, front fenders, side skirts, rear flares and rear half bumper, Seibon carbon fiber door skins, hood, grille, hatch and rear wing, custom carbon roof skin, pearl white paint by AutoWerks Body & Paint, Euphoric Designs graphics

Interior: Bride Gias reclining bucket seats, Takata 3" harnesses, Form & Function custom door panel inserts with Tein logos, Defi gauges for boost, oil pressure, oil temp, water temp, EGT and voltage, Momo shift knob with Form & Function shift boot

Audio/Visual: Alpine CDA-9857 head unit, iPod direct link, Rockford Fosgate five-channel amplifier for front and rear component speakers, Form & Function custom rear seat and trunk covers, HeelToe dry cell battery in aluminum battery box in trunk

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Several months ago we began In The Garage (see p24); a regular look at interesting projects under construction. At the time, we knew there were a number of cars under construction for SEMA and wanted you to get a first glimpse of what you could expect in the near future.

Of the cars included in the first installment there were two Mk5 GTIs. At the time, the only similarities were the base vehicle and final destination. But as it turns out, they had far more in common than we realized.

When we walked through the doors at SEMA '06 and saw the finished machinery for the first time, it became obvious we'd witnessed the construction of two significant cars. Both were crossover hits from two companies normally associated with the import scene, both were widebody, both were carbon covered, had big brakes and wore cross-spoke wheels. And what's more, both were persuaded to allow us exclusive access to the cars after the show.

You can read Sam's report on the Extreme Dimensions GTI on p36 but in order to find out more about this Tein creation we spoke again to Philip Chase, the Sales and Marketing Manager at Tein USA.

For those who don't know, Tein is a Japanese suspension specialist with divisions in the USA and UK. The American arm regularly builds cars to showcase its products, but this is its first foray into the European market. Why? "Our company has been producing parts for European cars for the past two years and we're hoping this GTI will get our name out there," Philip explained. "When we were planning for SEMA '06 the GTI was brand new and within our price range, so we opted to build one.

"Most Tein project cars are white and we purchased a car in April from a dealer - we didn't get any special discounts from VW. The car only had 130 delivery miles on the clock when we started to disassemble it. We wanted to finish the car early for once, but that didn't work out.