309 diesel cheap improvements

[kev87]

Hi all,

Just got myself a 309 diesel for the pricely sum of £260. Has 258,000 miles on the clock so should be just about through it's running in period! Seriously though it runs like a dream and has good service history.

Surprisingly it's not as depressingly slow as I was expecting and I have a track car also so it doesn't have to be anything too fancy for me, the fuel economy im getting is good enough reason to use it!

I have sitting around some rear group n bilstein dampers and a 205 rear beam. Would I be right in thinking the dampers will be a straight swap? What are th differences between the rear beams? Thinking the 309 would be wider but as its a lowly diesel model and the 205 is a gti one I may be wrong?

[crossle]

Answers may be here:

http://www.309ownersclub.com/Community/index.php

[TEKNOPUG]

The 309 beam will still be wider. The torsion bars won’t be as thick/stiff though. Shocks should fit from a 205. Basically, you’ll want a 309Gti rear beam for real improvements. I don’t know whether the derv models have the same front suspension as the GTi’s – ARB etc. You may have to swap the subframe to a GTi spec one if you want to improve the front end. Shocks/springs are the same for both 205/309 GTi’s I think. 309 GTi’s are seriously cheap nowadays – you’d be better off saving up £500-600 and buying a Gti, rather than throwing money at a derv.