2-Slow Woes
Q: I've been buying eurotuner off the newsstand for some time and love the stories and tips. I own an '00 Jetta with the lonely two-liter five-speed. I've been looking into modifying the motor, but Neuspeed and ABD both recommend I dump the car and buy the 1.8T. That suggestion sucks, because it's not easy finding the right car in Ohio, so I need to work with what I have. I'd like to see my Jetta get around 220whp and find a six-speed tranny for it. I've been checking eBay and looking for salvage yards that specialize in VWs to find either a Mk4 1.8T or VR6, but I can't seem to find anything. This is especially true with a six-speed. I know there is a kit for the sixth gear, and I swear I saw somebody advertising six-speed transmissions and requesting a core for around 1,500 bucks. I've looked through all my issues of eurotuner and can't seem to find the dealer.
Basically, I want to build this Jetta to take out some of the local rice-burners and still be able to have a daily driver that's reliable. The car is a blast to drive with only minor mods, but I'm tired of being harassed. Is there any hope for the two liter? I've done some checking on the Neuspeed supercharger, but quite frankly, I want more than 135hp from this car and I'm not fond of nitrous. Can the 8v be turbo'd? I've also been told the head flow sucks on the 8v and that I can't put a 20v head on the two liter. So which way should I go? I would like to stay under five grand. Thanks - you guys rule.
Jason
via email
A: We have some good news and some not-too-shabby news. The good news is that you can turbocharge the two liter and get decent power. ATP MFG (www.vwturbo.com) has a kit for the '99-'02 AEG two-liter 8v motor. The not-too-shabby news is that 220whp is a lofty goal and will take some custom tuning on your part to achieve with just a turbo kit. You have to remember that goal is almost double its factory rating (which is a crank number), but it is possible to squeeze it out of the motor. If you went with a turbo kit, you would probably need stand-alone engine management and some dyno time. Other than that, you can get 180-200 with just a bolt-on turbo kit, the right set of cams and proper fuelling.
The six-speed question is also easy because there are a few companies that produce a complete six-speed conversion. These include Kraftswerk (www.kraftswerk.com) and Eurospec Sport (www.eurospecsport.com). If you look at those websites, you should have no problem finding the answers to all your questions. Good luck tiger, it sounds as though you'll need it.
BMW Pulleys, 'Sup?
Q: I have a question about the Rogue underdrive pulleys you guys installed on the BMW 323i in the June '04 issue. I was wondering if the pulleys had any long-term negative effects on the engine? If so, what would they be?
Patrick
via email
A: The underdrive pulleys shouldn't have any negative effects. The only one we could think of is that a crank pulley (which wasn't included in the kit we installed) on a BMW may not be the best idea because it would remove the harmonic balancer, and that could give you weird distortions on the long crankshaft. So it looks as though someone, somewhere may agree with us. If you'd like to ask the experts more questions, we'd suggest you contact Rogue Engineering (www.rogueengineering.com). The techs there will give you all sorts of scientific mumbo-jumbo to impress your friends with.
Eurotuner Tech Support
6420 Wilshire Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90048-5515
eurotuner@primedia.com