Raise your hand if you remember The Jeffersons. Glad to see so many of you know who they are (Probably thanks to the omnipresent Old Navy commercials.--MAX). Now, how many of you recall that The Jeffersons was spun off from All in the Family? A great TV show was created from another great TV show. The point here is that from great things come greater things. This car is no exception.
Momentum has long been a tuner and builder of VWs and is now moving into the product development area. Included in this beautiful package are several of Momentum's latest innovations. So far, the products are in the pre-production stage, but expect to see them at a shop near you in the not-too-distant future. Now, let's move to the yummy stuff. Momentum is in the business of building voluptuous VWs for the discriminating enthusiast, as you can see by this, the company's latest piece of work. To begin, Momentum chose a 2000 four-door Golf sporting the 1.8T motor, a great platform for its project ideals of building the best from the best. Taking the top-of-the-line Golf to the next level is the goal, and Momentum has set out to do this with only the best products available, including, of course, its own.
The first thing you will probably notice about the Golf are the obligatory suspension components. What we're talking about is that wicked drop, courtesy of Neuspeed and Bilstein. The suspension goodies don't stop there, however. Also helping to firm things up are poly A-arm bushings. To help the guys have fun through both the zigs and the zags, Neuspeed was called upon again for its strut tower bar, and front and rear sway bars. These suspension components link the chassis to the ABT 18x8s wearing Yokohama AVS S1 rubber, measuring in at 225/40-18.
We know that you're thinking, "How about those lines?" Nice, eh (Please excuse the jokes about Canada.--MAX)? The gorgeous lines are the amalgamation of great products and great taste in choices of those products. To begin, the Canadian/USDM front bumper was swapped out for the shorter European version. While the bumper was off, tinted European headlights by Valeo, as well as Momentum's PSI eyelid spoilers, were installed. Rounding out the lighting mods are smoked GTI taillights in the rear. During the front bumper replacement process, the factory grille was nixed as well. In the stocker's place lies a Kamei unit, color-matched to the factory paint. All the painting, including the JMS five-piece body kit, was performed by Tim Watts of As New Autobody and Glass in Port Coquitlam. Notice that Tim was not credited with making the kit fit right. Why is that, you may ask? The reason why no modifications were necessary to make the kit fit is because JMS has made it a prerogative to make kits that fit bang-on from the start. So in tune is the company with this necessity that JMS includes magnets built into the wing, which allows it to be positioned absolutely perfectly before mounting holes are drilled. The brand-spanking new five-piece kit consists of a front lip spoiler, side skirts, rear valence, and a roof wing, all of which fit like a glove. The front air dam is fiberglass, while the rest of the kit is constructed of urethane. The styling impact is quite visible, and makes a huge...um...impact.
The guys at Momentum know what they like, and that's quality; JMS has delivered that quality in abundance. If you're totally sprung on this kit, give Momentum a ring. Rounding out the styling package is a virtual bevy of goodies in the cockpit. Okay, maybe not yet, but thus far the mods have been purely functional. These include three tuning gauges from Autometer labeled "Boost," "EGT," and "Air/Fuel Ratio." What they do is beyond us. If you have any information regarding the function of these gauges, please call 1-800-JUST-KIDDING. The pinnacle of style and function, however, is the Vanillaroma smiley guy. Careful placement of this environment-enhancing little air freshner allows for the occasional long trip of several young men to foreign lands (That's what they kept calling California.--MAX) and the occasional deodorant substitution, if ever the need arises.
You're probably wondering at this point, "What about the custom stuff, eh?" Well, keep your shorts on because they are a comin'. Let's begin with the engine performance. To start things off, a Neuspeed P-Flow kit was added to the intake side of the engine allowing for the turbo to pull in additional cool air. Also included in the performance envelope from Neuspeed is its most recent chip, which is currently being prototyped for the 1.8T Golf IV. Well, now for some of Momentum's scrumptuous new pieces. Since the intake side of the engine had been taken care of, next up is the exhaust. Most tuners throw exhausts on cars for the moderate performance benefits and for the snazzy look, but how often does the said tuner go to the trouble of making a full custom exhaust? Not too often.
Momentum put together a full custom 3-inch exhaust for the latest incarnation of the Golf. The exhaust package doesn’t end there. Also fabbed for this car is a 2-1/2-inch custom downpipe featuring full T316 stainless steel construction, as well as a cat-eliminator (Don’t let the exhaust sniffers know!--MAX). With these power adders in place, output has assuredly gone up. As for a dyno run, this here car was built in a limited time frame, so there was no time for a pull on the dyno. With the power that has come from the building of the 1.8T, there needs to be something covering the stoppage of the vehicle. Here’s where the most innovation and work went. Wilwood four-piston calipers were mated to custom-crafted rotors. The hats were machined out of billet aluminum for Momentum by Mike Schritt; as to who made the rotors, your guess is as good as mine (Hint: begins with Mo, ends with mentum--MAX). These amazing rotors are huge and fit perfectly within the confines of the ABTs. Momentum’s PSI prototype rotors measure 13 inches up front and 11 inches at the rear--with the new rears measuring almost the same size as the front OE rotors. Rounding out the brake upgrades are Velocity stainless brake lines and Polymitxex D pads. Talk about stopping on a dime, this pizza-sized brake package will help you to do just that.
Future plans for this road-tearing, German/Canadian piece of work include: a custom front-mount intercooler to get rid of the hot air, a Nitrous Express Gen-X nitrous kit to up the power ante, a Neuspeed short shifter to allow for more spirited rowing of the gears, and a conversion to the formerly Europe-exclusive 4 Motion All-Wheel Drive system that is now available on 2000 Passats. Watch out, all American VW tuners, soon you'll be joining in on the chorus of Blame Canada.This package, or something similar to it, can be built for you by Momentum. Contact the company for all the parts as well, as it will be the only one that can get many of them for you.
And by the way, the car went from stock to shock to Southern California for SEMA's International Auto Salon in 28 days. Talk about dedication. We'll be seeing Momentum movin' on up to the Eastside before you know it. Hopefully, another trip to and a long stay in SoCal will be on the travel plan as well. Good luck to our Jefferson-esque friends on their way up in Canada.