Tuner GP - The Dirty Dozen

The eurotuner GP is our annual shoot-out for tuner cars. We invite the biggest and the baddest to put up or shut up. But it's not so much a competition as a battle for honor and respect. It's our opportunity to scrutinize specific products and see if they meet the tuner's claims - and you'll all be pleased to know they do, and then some.

This year was slightly different, however. We fine-tuned the format a little. So rather than invite the entire European community, we singled out the Volkswagen/Audi specialists.

Initially we'd hoped to run only VR6-engined vehicles but it didn't produce enough response, so we opened it up to the 1.8T and anything else from the VAG group. We got an immediate influx of hardcore machinery and etGP05 was on.

The format of the event is a test of speed and power, which remains unchanged. However, we removed the quarter mile test from this year's event. We did so because it puts the cars under huge strain in the very hot temperatures in southern California. In fact, the only breakages that occurred last year were on the strip as teams tried to outdo one another by tenths of a second. We felt the quarter mile simply reinforced what we'd learned on the dyno, and proved that 4wd is a big advantage. European cars, without exception, are built to go round corners, so we went from dyno to road circuit and the results make compelling reading.

The Competition
Actually, it's not really a competition. That's because we invite a disparate group of cars that can't really be compared directly. Instead, etGP is a yardstick. It's a tool for measuring the relative performance of various tuning options. And no matter what VW/Audi you drive, there's something here for you among our Dirty Dozen.

For example, we have some interesting engine mods if you own a Mk1 Golf or a Corrado. There's also a turbo for the VR6, three different 1.8T conversions, three for the R32 including supercharger and turbos, plus a couple of very fast Audi S4s. There's even an older five cylinder Audi quattro if you've been thinking about tinkering with one of those. So don't just look at the big numbers for etGP05; take a closer look at the conversions that apply to the car you own or would like to own. As you'll discover, there's good news no matter what you drive.

The only time etGP05 did amount to a competition was when similar vehicles were running against one another. So, for example, you can compare the R32s, S4s and 1.8Ts. But since none have identical spec, it's still an interesting insight into what these engines and chassis are capable of.

K&N dynos
The GP started, as is traditional, at the impressive K&N facility. Read the separate sidebar for specific details about its two- and four-wheel dynos but we return each year because the K&N crew is about as impartial as we can find. And the equipment is state of the art, of course, so we can rely on the accuracy of its figures.

Although the dynos are able to compensate for ambient temperature, it makes sense to arrive early to get a run while the air is cool. Later in the day the thermometer crept past 90 with low humidity, which doesn't favor turbos in particular.

Each car gets three pulls on the dyno and teams are allowed to tune between runs to optimize settings. For some teams that meant increasing boost, for others it meant scratching heads.

The only rule was that nitrous wasn't allowed inside the engine, although it could be used to spray the intercooler and chill it. Several teams took advantage of this, either by using a recognized intercooler spray bar, or by simply spraying the gas on to the radiator by hand. Other teams simply packed their cars with ice to try and deal with the rising temperatures.

First on the dyno was the little DRS Rabbit. The team had to be at work that day, so turned up nice and early. The runs were strong and consistent, showing what an old school 16v can do when pushed hard.