Specializing in suspension products, Hotchkis Performance / Tuning decided to tackle down the european market and purchased themseves a VW GTi. Branding their new line named H Sport by Hotchkis, this 1.8 VeeDub became their test platform for an abundance of new suspension components. Hotchkis knew that the actual suspension components aren’t always visible, so they decided they had to make the GTi stand out from the natural crowd. Painting it an extremely bright custom orange shade, this GTi caught my eye as I began to peruse through its pieces.
Let’s take a look over the suspension components first, since this is Hotchkis’s specialty. The entire GTi’s suspension was torn apart and redone with proper tuning and slalom testing. Sporting new H Sport camber plates in the front, the GTi now has the adjustability of front camber with 0 to -2.2 degrees and everything in between. The front and rear sway bars were exchanged for brand new H Sport tubular sway bars. What makes these stand out from the crowd are the adjustability that Hotchkis offers on them as well. An H Sport aluminum strut tower brace was also added into onto the GTi to round off the handling. Bilstein adjustable coilovers give the GTi the aggressive stance and handling it needs when performing on the track.
Now the 1.8T is not too shabby from the factory, but it just wasn’t enough power to really push the car to its limits in testing the suspension. Hotchkis opted to go with APR for their upgraded turbo kits. Featuring a stage 3+ turbo kit fully complete with an APR front mount intercooler, the GTi is now tuned for a notch over 300whp with 93 octane. Combine this with the Stoptech big brake upgrade and the finesse suspension we have already discussed and this makes for one fun car. On and off the track, this GTi is seen everywhere as Hotchkis uses it to promote their new H Sport product line. Helping to get all the power to the ground is a Quaife LImited Slip Differential and to make switching gears a breeze is a B&M short shifter kit.
Now that the car is sporting plenty of power and hugs every curve on the road like its own, the final wheel and tire combination had to be chosen. Hotchkis went with the BBS CH wheel for its classy styling and had them anodized black to contrast the bright orange hue of the chassis. Mounted in an 18×8.5 size, they are wrapped with Michelin Pilot Sport 2 tires in a 235/40/18 combination. Perfect for the track and the street, the lighter wheels and grippy tires makes the suspension shine even more brilliantly.
Last but not least, the interior has received a few changes. The front seats were swapped out for Sparco Milanos and a dual ATI gauge pod can be seen from the steering column. Sporting a boost gauge and an oil temp gauge, the GTi has its necessities for the road. Make sure to check out Hotchkis Tuning and their suspension components as they broaden more into the European and Import line. With plenty of experience in the domestic department, their suspension components are top of the quality in performance as well.
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