HPA And New Dimensions Magnum Volkswagen GTI

The suspension has been massaged to include KW Variant II coilovers, augmented with larger Neuspeed sway bars measuring 25mm front and 28mm rear. The car also includes Stoptech's big binders up front, a wise move as this vehicle really needs them. The rear brakes were upgraded to 337 spec units. Rolling stock is comprised of SSR's 7.5x18-in. wheels and Bridgestone S-03 rubber measuring the standard 225/40-18.

The cabin features R32 bits, including the steering wheel, pedals and assorted trim. The overall look is very O.E., very correct.

I would have preferred driving this car on a track with lots of run-off. Although the suspension and brakes provided terrific control, its incredible thrust meant planning three turns ahead. That's not a good way to drive on public roadways. Ideally, I'd take this engine package and place it within the R32. Its stout chassis was built to harness such power-maybe even more.

The Technical Side
HPA and New Dimensions have worked together to assemble a truly ferocious turbo kit for an already potent car. The words "overkill" come to mind with the amount of power that the two front wheels need to put down. But that's what tuners do to showcase their technology. In all respects, the so-called Stage 3.9 kit (according to the Bidrawn scale) is well thought out and carries all the components that are needed to allow this 24V to survive 300+ whp.

It is hard to evaluate a "grassroots" turbo kit when there has been thousands of dollars worth of additional hardware added onto it. So this evaluation is more relevant to the Stage III+ kit that we tested. What was evident under the hood was the prototype nature of this kit, minor details that make a kit survivable in a real-world driving situation still needed to be sorted out. To begin, the nature of the MK IV chassis makes packing a 24V VR6 into the engine bay already a difficult task. Add the turbo hardware and all the plumbing to direct pressurized air from the rear of the engine, near the firewall, to the twin intercoolers, then into the custom intake manifold, and you have a true challenge. Nonetheless, HGP and HPA have managed to do just that.

Visible from the top of the engine bay was a good amount of turbo plumbing using flexible silicon piping, which allows many of the components an extreme degree of freedom. Though this is not indicative of the intercooler plumbing, I am also wary of what sits behind the bumper. These issues all will be addressed when full production and perhaps better formed hard pipes are used.

What was of interest was the GFB Stealth Diverter/blow-off valve. This valve is a well-constructed billet piece that allows the user to adjust the amount of blow-off air that is vented to the atmosphere and how much is returned into the metered air system. Though not necessarily the correct way of compensation, this device allows the system to stay moderately happy and not cause stumbles or confuse the ECU into a limp-home mode, while keeping that loud blow-off sound.

Finally, there is the issue of tuning. Though the car ran competently, there was still more driveability tuning desired in addition to boost controller tuning and fuel compensation when the Aquamist system is active.

This kit carries a lot of potential and with further refinement should be an awesome offering, which might suggest the quality of the Grass Roots kit.