Re: "easy" engine performance mods?

[Brett Van Sprewenburg <brett@netacc.net>]

>
>i've been going through various sites and seen specs on fellow 
>listers' cars to see what kind of mods i can make that don't require 
>a full-out engine transplant (and everyone still says to drop in a 2 
>liter)

It is the best solution when power is what you absolutely must have.

>
>but two things bother me about the PL. it's not torquey enough below 
>3k - and with my tt exhaust and the way cops bust folks here in the 
>city, i don't want to cause unnecessary attention when driving and 
>need that extra umph to pass some lamers hogging up lanes. so, i'd 
>like to get a bit more low-end out of the engine. (i especially like 
>2nd gear and 3-6k around the city : )

Believe it or not, the stock PL 1.8L 16v has _more_ power / torque then
a stock 1.8L JH at just about any rpm, including below 3k.  Be that as it
may, more is better.  My advice to you is to get a 4K transmission with
a .75 fifth gear conversion...or rebuild your current transmission with
a 3.94 and the .75 fifth.  Worth every penny in acceleration.

>
>second, maybe it's perception on my part (i'm sure the passenger 
>notices) but when i gun it on the freeway on-ramps (btw, don't you 
>hate it when folks take their time on these??? wtf?) the engine 
>sometimes feels lacking in that extra boost needed to "get there 
>faster".

See above comment on transaxles.  IMO, it's the cure for seemingly 'slow'
1.8L 16v's.

>
>i've read that an a2 throttle body on a PL engine setup does good 
>things (but what exactly - can folks share their experiences?). 
>which brings me to another question - if porting and polishing is 
>"just" removal of material to match up two pieces, can't i just take 
>a dremel to it and meticulously get it done? this would be a fun 
>project to do.

The A2 throttle body will do nothing on the 16v, it's an 8v trick...where
it will do almost nothing without cam / exhaust upgrades.  Anyway, porting
a head is not doing the port machining at the manifold areas.  That's
called port matching, or gasket matching.  When a cylinder head is ported,
metal in the valve throat, maybe seat area, and inlet / exhaust passages
is removed or 'cleaned-up' to facilitate airflow.  Too much taken off can
reduce air velocity and damage the low end, not enough and the high end
won't scream where you want it...get it right and 15-20hp improvements are
possible.

>
>also, i guess tossing in another camshaft would be another option??

The euro intake cam is a great investment here, based on the dyno plots
I've seen, it's a really good all-around improvement for the 16v.

>
>i can take all responses, recompile and re-post for FAQ purposes (to 
>Brett for the .org site?)
>
>thanks!
>
>dave

I think this kind of info has been posted to this list about 20 times
through-out the years...and once I move the site and add a real
search mechanism it will be at our fingertips. :)  Our greatest resource
is our message archives, and access to them is very inadequate today...

==Brett

 \/  '84 Scirocco (ITB racer 2B) | "Hot VW's, take two home. They're small"
\/\/ '88 Scirocco 16v (Show), '92 Passat 16v (Winter+) | - brett@netacc.net

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