European Car July 1999

Neuspeed Jetta:Version 4.0
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Neuspeed Jetta:
For the last 20 years the Camarillobased tuner has dedicated itself to developing VWs far beyond their factory-fresh
capabilities with-importantly-a very
factory-like approach.
Because the Neuspeed crew has spent
years studying Volkswagen technologyand the best ways to personalize specific
areas of a Volkswagen's dynamics-their
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projects always feel as though they were
developed in some skunk works outside
the main gate of the factory.
The ]etta IV featured on these pages is
not just a step forward for Volkswagen
and Neuspeed; it's more in the area of a
quantum leap for the two firms. It shows
such maturity of design and engineering-and such promise of things to
come-that both Mercedes and BMW
soon will undoubtedly be chased by a
competitor from the north filling their
rearview mirrors.
Straight from the box the newest ]etta
is a fine piece, and the public's reaction
shows that VW has indeed spawned a
winner. While this is important to VW's
overall health, the very vocal enthusiast
crowd feels a bit left out. Until VW
develops an "M" division a Ia BMW or
absorbs a tuner like Mercedes did AMG
and develops factory-built special performance models, there is no better choice a
performance-seeker can make than
Neuspeed.
In order that the new ]etta be palatable
to a broad audience, VW made certain
compromises; the most noticeable of
these affect the suspension. While the
Jetta is certainly sportier than such competitors as the Ford Contour, Nissan
Altima and Integra four-door, its ride is
somewhat soft. During inner-city forays
this is actually a good thing; the refined
]etta is capable of sucking up horrific
road irregularities and maintaining a
quiet cabin. However, in certain situations-such as high-speed sweepers with
broken or rough pavement, or where
Neuspeed Jetta:
undulations in the street's surface are
encountered-the }etta has a tendency to
porpoise or even bottom out. Also, the
transitions from unloaded to fully loaded
suspension could be better controlled.
Obviously, stiffer shocks and springs
would be a logical first step in helping
"tune" the chassis, but the fix isn't quite
that easy, according to Neuspeed's Aaron
Neumann.
"There's no exact formula to suspension tuning," said Neumann. "We have
an idea what we need to do based on per. missible axle loads, weight, and chassis
dynamics ... but the actual development
for a road car comes from real-world
testing. Although a setup may look good
on paper, it does not always translate to
the street. The only way we make
progress is through repeated testing, testing, and more testing-that takes time,"
he added.
And time is exactly what Neuspeed's
experience affords it. Its close ties with
Germany mean Neuspeed gets the latest
VW products months before they hit the
U.S. market. Aaron spoke with me while
seated at a huge table loaded with bits of
new Mark IV Golfs and Jettas-there
was probably enough there to assemble a
whole car. Neuspeed has previously
helped VW develop products specific to
the U.S. market, and this ]etta responded
brilliantly to its efforts.
The aluminum-silver ]etta was
equipped with Neuspeed's coilover system, comprised of progressive Sport lowering springs and specially valved Bilstein
inserts. Every spring that Neuspeed
makes is fabricated from chrome silicon
or chrome vanadium wire and shotpeened immediately after winding to
ensure maximum stress relief. The springs
are then block-set rwice (all coils compressed until they touch) to ensure correct ride height and eliminate sagging.
The springs are then finished with a virtually impenetrable powder coating. The
coilovers allow the car to be lowered from
1.0 to 3.0 in. and feature an exceptionally
long shock shaft for increased travel and
control.
The second part of solving the han-
nightmare I've come to expect from
many suspension "tuners." Firm but not
punishing is an apt description. "This is
how it's supposed to be," said Neumann.
Racing Hart C5 Evolution wheels
measuring 18x8 in. sit at each corner;
Pirelli P7000 tires (225/40ZR-18) provide the contact patch. Visible berween
the wheel spokes are brake calipers colortreated by Folia Tee; Neuspeed's slotted
rotors and braided stainless-steel brakes
lines augment braking duties.
Body wear is a designer original from
Oettinger. Comprised of a from spoiler,
side skirts, rear skirt, rear wing and sport
mirrors, it's destined to become a classic.
There's something in the proportions of
the new car that lend themselves to aftermarket aerodynamics, much more so
than the Mark III ever did. If you're ever
on the AS autobahn near Oettinger's
Friedrichsdorf-based headquarters, there's
a chance one of its machines will be out
testing, blasting along flat-out. Be sure to
stay out of the way.
Unfortunately, this particular car will
never claim a place in the far left lane.
Despite Neuspeed's valiant efforts, the car
is like a lottery ticket one digit short of
the winning combination. The missing
number is the engine. Hobbled with the
2.0-liter cross-flow motor, the ]etta is
hard-pressed to get out of its own way. A
stock Honda Civic with a paltry 1.6liters ,J
could kick its ass in a drag race, and do it
much more smoothly as well.
Neuspeed threw its entire catalog at the
VW mill, including the beautifully
designed P-Flo intake, 256 camshaft and
cat-back stainless-steel exhaust. Aaron
also spent many hours at the computer
reprogramming the ]etta's ECU to better
utilize the engine's new hardware.
Neuspeed estimates the }etta gained some
30 bhp, a substantial increase that would
be easily recognized in a lighter Mark I
chassis. Unfortunately, most of the gain
gets lost in the in the heavier, ultra-rigid
body of the new }etta. Sorry, but until
Volkswagen kicks down with a highrevving multi-valve motor or the powerful, lighrweight 1.8t engine, the ]etta will
not be a player. Even clad with the VR6,
the }etta is destined to play second fiddle
to identical displacement motors from
BMW and Mercedes.
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dling equation comes by way of
Neuspeed's larger ami-roll bars, which
measure 25mm in from and 28mm in
the rear. The rear bar offers three settings
for fine tuning: the stiffest setting increases oversteer; the softest setting reduces it.
On street-driven cars, the use of larger
sway bars is often the cure for a poorly
tuned suspension. And then there are
people who simple think "bigger is better. " In the case of Neuspeed, however,
the use of bars is the equivalent of putting
serrations at the base of a very sharp knife.
Cornering can be accomplished with
extreme prejudice; this ]etta assumes a
decidedly flat attitude, and the throttle
becomes the determining factor in which
way the nose points. The Integra Type R
is the only other fwd car that exhibits this
sort of chassis control. Unlike the previous Jettas, which would default to speedscrubbing understeer when pushed to the
limit, these stiffer-bodied new cars are
very reluctant to release grip. It takes a
brave driver to find the limits of the
Neuspeed }etta. Although fitted with 18in. running gear, the ride did not deteriorate into the bone-jarring carnival-like
Ultimately, none of this makes the
Neuspeed ]etta less fun to drive, especially if you don't use the brakes. The car is
capable of such impressive cornering
speeds, its lack of balls is all but forgotten.
Drivers will be busy rowing the shortshifting Neuspeed gearbox with
Volkswagen's beefY aluminum shift-knob
filling their hands. Folia Tee's carbonfiber dash kit will also make the interior a
spicier place to be. If machines can
dream, the thoughts of the New }etta are
easy to interpret; it wants a real motor
and a quick trip to Neuspeed. ~
Automotive Performance Systems
3300 Corte Malpaso
Camarillo, CA 93012
(805) 388-7171
Fax: (805) 388-0030
Claus Ettensberger Corp.
(authorized Oettinger importer)
16200 S. Figueroa St.
Gardena, CA 90248
(310) 767-1111; (800) 766-0064
Fax: (310) 329-3159
www.cecwheels.com