Sold the Volvo today, and it looks like a 1992 Jetta GLI with the 2.0 16v is falling into my lap for a stupid cheap price. Outside of the must-do stuff (timing belt/water pump, speedo cable, door handles) I'm going to have some money to play with it; VW performance parts are dirt cheap, so I'm wondering where the worthwhile mods are. It already has a chip but is otherwise unmolested from stock. I'd love to set this thing up as like a 7/10ths track car to run Blackhawk and Autobahn since it's basically an extra car that I should be able to flip pretty easily if the time comes.
So where am I going to see the biggest bang for the buck on an A2 Jetta?
I'm not sure what kinds of parts you speak of that are cheap? A different set of cams are $400 plus lifters, plus springs, plus any machine work to the head that may be needed.
The mod that will return the most HP for the money is turbocharging.
Depending on the C:R that you have will determine how much boost you can run without doing any internal engine mods.
I'm in the process of rebuilding a 1.8L 16V for road racing. I'm spending somewhere near $2K in parts and machine work and I have to keep within the rule set for my class. No engine mods are cheap.
And I race at both Blackhawk and Autobahn!
If the shocks are tired, replace them. I'd do a little more negative camber up front, some more rear anti-roll bar, brakes and sticky tires.
In reply to jimbbski:
Not necessarily looking for big power mods, I know there isn't much to gain without spending some serious coin.
Thanks for the tips, David. Does anyone have anything good to say about the twist-beam add-on torsion bar vs a traditional rear sway bar?
I had an additional torsion bar on the back of my '84 GTI. Seemed to work well.
I ran a Shine Racing rear bar on my 8V GTI, with no front bar and racing springs and shocks. It worked well on track.
I have heard good things about the shine racing rear bar too. The camber plates ground control makes are really nice too, although not cheap.
I had a 91 gti and boxing the rear torsion beam made it a lot more fun.
That car nickel and dimed me more than any other...
For track use most owners will go with a rear bar and no front sway bar. Also most times the rear springs have a higher rate then the front. Do convert to coil over springs and adjustable sleeves. If you want to keep it simple then Bilstein HD shocks & struts, but if you want to fiddle get Koni's. Camber plates and/or camber bolts are a must have.
keep an eye on the frickin' alternator bushing...
What kind of wheel widths and tire sizes do people run for track work? It's next to impossible to find any info on setting these cars up for real handling anymore, just info on how aggressively you can stance your car and stretch 205-series tires onto 8" wheels. 
Thanks again, all!
The cheaper way to go would be 15 X 7 wheels and 205/50X15 tires but the Jetta being heavier you could go with 225/45X15 tires. You could go up to 16 inch wheels but they cost more as do the tires.
I've been running 205/50X15 tires but will be trying 225/45's when I need to replace what I have.
This is all on an A1 chassis not the A2 that you have.
If the all up weight of the car can be kept to no more then 2600 lbs then stock brakes with racing pads will work on track. Add some brake ducts and a bit of restraint in the late braking area and they will do fine.
I had an early '90 GTX 2.0 16v. Loved that car. I ran GC/Koni's on it, and just boxed the rear beam with a $5 piece of flat stock from the salvage yard. I never figured out the CIS Motronic cold start issues. Started good but ran like crap until it warmed up. Had the close ratio 8v gearbox with a long 5th gear from a different code gearbox (can't remember all the codes anymore) to take the crazy buzz out of the highway runs. Also had a Peloquin TBD. That was pricey, but totally worth it. Really transformed the car for autocross use.
The boxed rear beam was overkill really. It had ZERO independence! But it sure was fun to drive.
I ran a 7/16" bolt in the top hole on the struts. Got all the negative camber I could want and they never slipped.
I ran some 15x7 rims with Nitto NT-01 rubber.
It's one of the few cars I've had that I really miss.
A second exhaust cam cut and keyed to fit in the intake position is a very cheap way to pick up a few more HP. My 2.0L 16v is putting down 133hp at the wheels with this and a little tweaking to the DPR.
Spend the money on good quality exhaust and suspension. And rebuild the shifter. Then drive!
got a spare head you want massaged..... 
In reply to oldeskewltoy:
Isn't head work normally pretty pricey? 
I know on the A1 chassis cars, bracing the struts made a HUGE difference in handling. Are the A2 braces worthwhile? They don't seem to get the same fanfare.
In reply to SlickDizzy:
depends on what you call expensive.... On a Toyota head... my work typically runs about the same as a pair of cams... although that is JUST my work, not the 3 angle, re-surfacing, or any special bits....
SlickDizzy wrote:
What kind of wheel widths and tire sizes do people run for track work? It's next to impossible to find any info on setting these cars up for real handling anymore, just info on how aggressively you can stance your car and stretch 205-series tires onto 8" wheels.
Thanks again, all!
The "amateur motorsports" section on vwvortex (the SCCA/NASA section) is safe and helpful as is the VW section on improvedtouring.com.. I built my MK2 Golf's suspension based on advice from those places.
Suspension! Get the Shine Racing rear bar and springs. While lots of racers remove the front swaybar, I liked the way it felt with it on and went to a larger one.
The "Euro" cams that Techtonics sells are great, very streetable and make a noticeable difference in power. They also sell a very nice exhaust.
Beyond that, I'd just make sure all is well with the car, take off the door cards and make sure the vapor barriers are still attached and intact. Blow out the sunroof drains, etc, etc.
For cheap power, the stock 1.8L 16v cams are more aggressive. Also, It's pretty cheap to have the weight ring shaved off of the flywheel and get it balanced. A good exhaust wakes them up a bit, as does head work. Here's some pics of the last one I did.
The 1.8l cams are a "barely" change and the dual exhaust cam is a step in the wrong direction. TT or Autotech cams (or abf cams) are your best low $ bet.
The best thing for these engines is cis removal, but that gets spendy.
In reply to Paul_VR6:
I always wanted to ditch the CIS and run carbs but lacked the funds/time/knowledge then. Well, and now I guess haha. What is the best solution for ignition control if running carbs?
doc_speeder wrote:
In reply to Paul_VR6:
What is the best solution for ignition control if running carbs?
The stock system. VW's knock sensing ignition isn't tied into the injection. It is almost stand alone... hell I have installed it on Fiat motors before.
In reply to Ditchdigger:
I thought that was true of the early 1.8 16v's with CIS-E, but not the 2.0 16V with CIS-Motronic?
