111,000 miles and still looking fine. My car has been upgraded with a 2.25" cat-to-axle pipe no resonator, Wagner 2.5" catless downpipe, AEM short ram intake, B&M shifter, Bronzoil shifter bushings, Racing Beat MP3 springs, Dave Bodde dash bezel rings, Denso Iridium spark plugs, Magnecor wires, Alpine 80x4 power amp, Alpine CDA-9833 head unit, Kicker Solo-baric L7 sub, Stinger stiffening cap, Infinity Reference components (front) coaxial (rear), Mille Miglia HT3 gray wheels, XM, 205/50/16 BF Goodrich Traction T/A's, Tokico struts.

** Special thanks to my friend Viktor K. for getting me into mods and installing some of my upgrades, and to my nephew Adam for his help installing the front component speakers. GREAT WORK GUYS! **

** All pics on this page taken at 111,000 miles on September 3, 2005 **

The Racing Beat springs and the larger 205 BFGs really help eliminate the unsightly OEM fender gap. The .875" drop along with the wider, larger tires makes for a far more pleasing look, not to mention increasing handling capabilities. I got the "D" country sticker while driving the autobahn in Germany. I wish I could have had my car there! I did though drive my niece's Skoda Fabia, a Czech Republic car based on the VW Golf platform. Very nice ride.

Another view of the hunkered down look of the RB springs and larger tires. I went with the 205/50/16s mainly because of the brutal conditions of New England roads. The 205s have a larger profile than the stock 195s. Any additional protection against potholes is a good thing. I prefer to run one set of rubber throughout the year; the Traction T/As are very good in all respects.

Front right quarter and the Mille Miglia HT3 in carbon gray. These wheels are 16x7 with a 45mm offset. The extra width and lower offset really help give the car a Bull Dog stance instead of the conservative pushed in look of OE. I'm pleased with the darker color. Now I can apply the brakes a few times without getting a noticeable layer of brake dust.

A creative shot that seems to fit more car in the same given amount of real estate :-)

*** *** *** JUST SAY "NO" TO OEM! *** *** *** FRIENDS DON'T LET FRIENDS DRIVE STOCK! *** *** ***