Re: 16v vs. 8v: Fact vs. Myth

["Jay Docherty" <jdoc@postoffice.ptd.net>]

> Date:          Sat, 09 Nov 1996 06:53:19 +0500
> To:            scirocco-l@privateI.com
> From:          Dan Ruddick <druddick@vt.edu>
> Subject:       Re: 16v vs. 8v:  Fact vs. Myth
> Reply-to:      scirocco-l@privateI.com

> At 12:59 AM 11/9/96 -0500, you wrote:
> >OK, being that I have had 2 8v's and 1 16v I think I can sum up the seat of
> >the pants feeling I get from them all.  The 8v's simply have more torque at
> >low rpms!  It's not horsepower.  That has nothing to do with pulling fast
> >off the line.  Torque is the force that pulls the car faster as it's applied
> >.  Of course without horsepower once you stop applying it you'll slow down. 
> >Anyway, if I'm in fifth doing 40mph in my 16v it takes about 1-2 seconds
> >longer to get to fifty than it does with my 8v.  I also remember thinking
> >how unimpressed I was with my friend's (Jdoc's)  Scirocco 16v because I
> >never drove it over 3k rpms when I took it out.  Now I know where the power
> >is.  The other thing brought up is the wieght issue.  The 8v (with AC, no
> >sunroof)  is only 200lbs lighter than the 16v's (sunroof, AC) which won't
> >make that much difference off the line.  I think Shawn told us that 100lbs
> >counts for .2 seconds in the 1/4 mile.
> 
>         200 lbs!  you're talking about almost a 10% difference in weight!
> For that matter horsepower is a function of torque and rpm, so if two motors
> have the same horsepower at a given rpm, then they have the same torque.  As
> an example, let's say the cars both have about 80 horse at 1000 rpm(this is
> probably off) and the 8V weighs 2200 lbs and the 16V weighs 2400lbs. The 8V
> is going to have 27.5 lbs/hp and the 16V is going to have 30lbs/hp.  Again
> the 10% difference in terms of raw acceleration results in the 8V being 10%
> faster, until the 16V comes on cam and blows the doors off the 8V.
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Dan Ruddick
> Virginia Tech
> '87 Scirocco 8V
> "Yeah, but what are ya gonna do?"  -Homer Simpson, philosopher
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
OK I too have both a 8v and 16v scirocco.  I feel alot more low 
end power from my 8v and all it has is 1.6 8v engine ccmpared to the 
1.8 16v engine.  As far as the weight comparison goes I carpool with 
a very hefty man that wieghts at least 200 hundred pounds and regards 
of the weight I can still feel more power.

                           Jay

VW Scirocco 1988 16v
VW Scirocco 1980
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