VW - PERFORMANCE # 1/5 ====================== Author: Robert Collins Some editing: Jan Vandenbrande Some later editing: Eric Fahlgren (typos and formatting) These are a series of articles on VW performance by Robert Collins, a former Drake employee, so keep that in mind when you read through the text ;->. These articles are a couple of years old by now but none-the-less interesting. I don't know if Mr. Collins is still on the net. Jan =============================================================================== Disclaimer by the editor (& presumably the author): These articles should be regarded as opinions and not fact. If any product's name or company is mentioned, no connotation should be taken for its actual quality, value or use. There is NO guarantee any of this information is correct. Neither the authors, editors, or those who maintain these archives take any responsibility for the consequences that may result from applying any of the ideas presented within these articles. Severe damage, injury or loss of life may result from applying the ideas presented. Furthermore, before implementing any of the ideas, check whether such modifications are allowed in your state, province or country. All articles may be distributed freely and copied (unless otherwise stated) as long as the original authors or origine are identified if available. =============================================================================== Article 3522 of rec.autos.tech: Path: oberon!ll-xn!ames!oliveb!felix!ccicpg!turnkey!conexch!rob From: rob@conexch.UUCP (Robert Collins) Newsgroups: rec.autos.tech Subject: Re: GTI upgrade advice sought Summary: Good advice is hard to find Message-ID: <222@conexch.UUCP> Date: 21 Mar 88 18:48:51 GMT References: <2341@mhuxt.UUCP> Reply-To: rob@conexch.UUCP (Robert Collins) Distribution: na Organization: The Consultants' Exchange, Orange County, CA. (714) 842-6348 Lines: 60 Boy, am I glad I saw this message. Let me introduce myself: Robert Collins former sales manager of Drake Engineering & Sales Corp. You may know that Drake is the premier high performance (and racing) engine builder for over 60 years. They built the famed (26 time Indy winning Offenhauser "OFFY") racing engine. Furthermore, they developed the supervee motor for VW in the late '70s. My position at Drake was to deal with the high performance VW market for street and racing use. So, some experience lends itself to some advice. You mentioned R & A Applied Arts. Andy King (owner) does good work, but what he doesn't tell, is that Drake does all of his cylinder head work (maybe he does tell). However, Andy specializes in turbo conversions, and I don't necesarily recomend a turbo conversion. If you do, here are some things to consider: Your '83 GTI has 8.5:1 compression ratio. That is barely managable for a turbo. A turbo likes about 7.5:1 c/r. With 7.5, you can crank the boost, and get much better bottom end torque, and higher hp on top. But henceforth, I will assume you would like a naturally aspirated motor. DON'T (read that again DON'T) get a VW 16v. They are absolutely junk. If you saw the insides of one, you would puke. It is a dead-player for high performance. The exhaust valves are top-dead-center over the combustion chamber, and make a 95 degree bend around to exit the head. BAD! Furthermore, suppose you buy the motor, you would need the fuel and spark managemnt systems. The intake and exhaust manifold from the Scirocco (to fit your cars layout). The distributor. In all, it would take a couple of thousand dollars (on top of the motor) to make it all work CORRECTLY. And, like I mentioned, it is a performce DOG. At 123hp (US spec), it is a weak puke of a motor. I would recommend putting bigger valves in your current head. And, it is not much of a supprise, that Drake is the only company I know of that does that. Sure, many companies make big valve heads, but for the GTI? No. THis is because big valves for GTI's need to be custom made, and Drake is the only ones willing to do that. If you are intent of a 16v, here are some further things to consider: VW's 16v: 123hp (US), 139 hp (European), 196hp (racing European) I estimate, $4500 to make it all work. Oettinger 16v: On a 1600cc motor 135hp, 2liter 170hp, 220hp racing. I estimate 6500 to make it all work. Drake 16v: Ah, you didn't know drake made a 16v for the VW did you? 170hp on a 1600cc motor, and no dyno figures for a streetable 2liter motor. But as you can see, the Drake is MUCH more powerful than Oettinger. And, 290hp (racing 1900cc). I estimate, 7000 to make it all work. Summary, 16v conversions cost big bucks. But if you have that kind of money to burn, the Drake is obviously much more powerful, (even for the money) than either VW's or Oettingers. THere are reasons for the much bigger hp figures by the DRake, too numerous to detail in this article, but let's just say it is a much better cylinder head design. Finally, naturally aspirated performance on your existing motor. For a mere $1200 bucks, you can get 130hp from your existing motor. Just put in a Drake big valve head, and exhaust system. They were dyno tested at 130hp, and that is without modifying the bottom end. So, you might conclude that for 1200, you can have 130hp, or for 6500 you can have 140 hp. Is the extra 5000 worth the extra 10hp? Drake can be reached at (800) DRAKE-GT. Ask for Tim. I can be reached at (714) 995-7344 Robert Collins. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- PART - 1 - From: rob@conexch.UUCP (Robert Collins) Newsgroups: rec.autos,rec.autos.tech Subject: VW High Performance (Microview Part 1) Keywords: vw,gti,performance,buzz bomb,pocket rocket,shred,kill,eatem alive Date: 31 Mar 88 20:24:24 GMT Organization: The Consultants' Exchange, Orange County, CA. (714) 842-6348 DISCLAIMER: The views in this article are strictly opinions, and some of the stories could be considered 'seasoned hearsay.' At the very minimum, they are strictly my opinions, and in no way whatsoever reflect that of my former employer, or any other parties involved. Nothing is intended to be slanderous or defamatory, though everything is based on my own experiences. In case you missed any of my postings, I will start from scratch, and try to organize my thoughts on VW high performance. I will attempt to be complete, covering every modification I know of. In such a case, this will be a long letter. The conclusions I make, will be based on: 1) Extensive (motor) dyno testing on a 1000hp Heenan/Frued (sp) dyno. 2) Road testing 3) Concurrence of the industry 4) My personal experiences I hope to give you a 'behind the scenes' look at aftermarket VW, along with the 'low down' on who does what. I will be mentioning companies by name, so if I step on your favorite companys' toes, please don't be offended. My point is that there will be a right way, and a wrong way to do things, and I will discuss both as candidly, and unbiased as I can. I feel that I can do this better now, than when I worked at Drake, as I have no 'loyalty' to maintain. I will do this in a few installments: 1) Introduction; the major players involved; ABT; Automotive Performance APS; Autotech; Drake Performance; GMP; Techtonics. Horsepower basics. 2) The bottom end: blocks, cranks, pistons; connecting rods; rod bolts; bearings; dry sump vs. wet sump oil system; oil coolers; OIL; SYNTHOIL. 3) Cylinder heads in general; cam followers; valve springs; valve keepers; valve spring retainers; valves; valve guides; valve spring tension; pc-seals; valve seats; combustion chamber; porting & polishing; camshaft basics; head alignment dowel pins. 4) Cylinder head specifics (8v); US 1.6L f/i; US 1.6L Carb; Euro 1.6L f/i; 1.8L f/i; 1.8L Carb; Camshafts 5) Cylinder heads (16v); VW 16v; Oettinger 16v; Drake 16v 6) Induction devices; Dual carbs vs. fuel injection. 7) Exhaust systems & catalytic converters; headers; cat conv. test pipes; Euro manifold & down pipe; exhaust systems. 8) Spark management; vacuum advance; mechanical advance; recurved; computerized. 9) Turbos & superchargers; Callaway turbos; Autotech supercharger; GMP supercharger; Drake Turbo. 10) Transmissions; tranny basics; gears available; final drive ratios; synchros; (A MUST READING) 11) Suspension bushings, sway bars, stress bars 12) Wheels & Tires; what fits & what doesn't. 13) Accessories 14) Anything else I left out Please don't be offended if you get the attitude I think there is only one "right" way to build a motor...there is only one right way. But I will concede, that some ways are adequate for the job. If I don't make myself clear on a particular subject, don't hesitate to send me e-mail, or call me up. I will most happily respond, and give you advice, phone numbers, and addresses when needed. You might also send me e-mail telling me your opinions and experiences with various companys' and parts. Don't hesitate to mail me your criticism as well. I have been requested by the various company's that before you deluge them with superfluous calls, you might call me first, and let me help direct you a little. Me: My name is Robert Collins, former sales manager at Drake Engineering & Sales Corp. My duties at Drake were to sell high performance, and racing parts for the water-cooled VW's. While there I wrote all their computer programs for inventory control, and database management. Furthermore, I wrote programs for analyzing dyno output and choosing the "best" set of gears for a transmission. Currently, I work as a computer programmer/consultant/analyst in APL. I still have all my contacts in the VW business, and keep up to date on all the latest products. I also have the opportunity to test various products before they are ever released (or the 1st ones released) for evaluation and 'stress testing.' I have a motto that says: "I am the ultimate durability test." I drive my car hard, everyday; to its outer limits. Even so, my car is extremely reliable - and so should yours be too. So without further ado, I will begin with horsepower basics, followed by the 'players in the market' (in alphabetic order). Horsepower basics: It costs money to make power...lots of it. There's a joke in the racing industry that goes like this: Q: How do you make a small fortune in racing? A: Start with a large fortune. There is one misconception that I must address first (that's why I am covering hp basics first), and that is most everybody out there overESTIMATES the horsepower they quote you on the phone. Some more than others, and some are downright overblown. Below, are some actual hp figures, and what you would expect to pay for them: CC's Block HP @ RPM Torq @RPM (C/r) Cost Induction Comment 1600 1.6 121 6500 110 4000 8.5:1 1200 f/i 1850 1.6/1.7 130 6500 120 4500 9.5:1 3000 f/i 1780 1.8 130 6500 121 4500 8.5:1 1200 f/i 1935 1.7/1.8 135 7000 130 4200 9.5:1 4500 f/i Okrasa crank same motor ------> 110 2000! 2010 1.8 138 7000 135 4500 9.5:1 4500 f/i 1977 1.8 170 7500 150 4600 9.7:1 5000 2 Mikuni 44s 1936 1.8 170 7500 145 5000 10:1 6700 2 Mikuni 44s (Oettinger 16v) 1588 1.6 178 7000 148 4500 9.5:1 6500 2 Mikuni 44s (Drake 16v) (Compare the above two motors, and tell me which one is better!) (Hint: look at motor size, then HP, then C/R) (racing motors below) 1802 1.8 178 8000 160 5000 13:1 6500 1 Weber 48 (8v motor) 1935 1.8 295 9000 180 6500 14:1 10000 Hilborn f/i (Drake 16v) These are all actual motors I saw dynoed, or had access to dyno charts. Most important to note is the cost of these motors, not the HP. If you are quoted HP figures by a company, ask them how much that motor cost. If the price doesn't match the above pricing schedule, (give or take a few hundred), then something is amuck. Furthermore, be very sceptical of company's with no dyno. Ask them how they know how much HP the motor puts out. And keep in mind that Europeans measure HP differently than US (DIN vs SAE) and is one source for inflated HP figures. (Any physics majors out there that can give me formulae for DIN would be most appreciated). ABT Motorsport 23854 Via Fabricante #G-1 Mission Viejo, Ca 92691 (714) 859-7773 ABT is a good company with strong German roots. ABT is a famous tuning firm in der fatherland, and the Mission Viejo outlet is an extension of that firm. The exact business connection is not known, but more than likely, the name ABT is the only connection. ABT is run by Mike Hoppen. Mike's dad is Joseph Hoppen chief of Audi-sport US. Joseph Hoppen was former head of VW Motorsport US (special vehicles division - now headed by Mike Kaptuch) until his position was labeled as a conflict of interest. This all came about in a most curious way, and of course, I would like to think I had my hand in it as well. (Seasoned hearsay below.) Many years ago a major supplier of VW Motorsport products in the US was Vasek Polack in Redondo Beach, Ca. Karl Thompsen was head of the performance division there. One day Karl placed an order for some VWM products, and was told that he could no longer buy them, as they were no longer being allowed to be imported into the US. But, however, he could buy them from ABT motorsport in Mission Viejo. This infuriated Karl, and he got out of the VW business all together. If by chance you, or I was to call VWoA and inquire about the racing division (special vehicles division), you would be connected to Joseph Hoppen, and he would recommend ABT. Does it seem like a conflict of interest that Joseph recommends his son's company? Not unless there is something beneath the surface. There was. All racing parts are channeled through the special vehicles division of VW. ABT was the only company able to get the VWM racing parts. It was later discovered that Joseph Hoppen owned ~51% of ABT. Truly a conflict of interest. Subsequently, it seems that ABT can no longer get VWM parts! How's that for justice? ABT Pros: Not afraid to sponcer race cars (especially the ones Mike Hoppen drives). Alot of aesthetic parts. Cheap prices on certain items. Good in-house service. Lots of European parts. ABT Cons: MUCH too expensive on a preponderance of parts. You don't get your money's worth. Likes to put motors together w/ too much compression (+10.0:1) and run them on pump gas. Won't buy it unless it comes from Europe (ergo closed minds). Highly exaggerates HP figures. ABT best products: G-cams; throttle bodies; body kits; aesthetic components. Automotive Performance Systems (APS) aka Neumann Distributing aka Neuspeed 1464 N. Hundley St. Anaheim, Ca 92806 (714) 630-1144 APS is a good, honest company. They provide very high quality parts at a very (sometimes too) cheap prices. Their Neuspeed line of sway bars and stress bars are unequaled in the industry for quality, and performance. APS has strong German connections for Exhaust systems, and is now getting VW Motorsport products imported (with a little of my help here and there). They have no in-house manufacturing or engineering facilities, and are strictly a parts supply wherehouse. But nonetheless, Neuspeed is exclusively theirs, designed to their specifications (only manufactured by others). APS Pros: Neuspeed is great stuff, constantly being changed as flaws, and stress points are uncovered. Distributors of Koni, Bilstein, Sachs, Momo, Hella, Cibie, Zender, Kamei, BBS, and a few others. The best prices in town on these items. In-house chassis dyno. Fair and honest (very unusually so, in this business). Good at marketing products. APS Cons: No engineering or motor expertise. No technical staff (Aaron is the closest thing to it). Neuspeed is a little overpriced. Overprotective of the Neuspeed image, and not willing to take chances on experimenting. APS best products: Suspension components; throttle bodies; cams; Gillet exhaust. Autotech Sport Tuning 1800 N. Glassell St. Orange, Ca 92665 (714) 974-4600 Co-owned by Cark Haas (Lola/Indy-car fame) and Ron Moser (former Drake employee), Autotech wants to be in every part of the VW market, and be a specialist in each part of the market too. Body kits, to suspensions, to motors, everything. Unfortunately, Autotech has NO technical personnel. No technical staff. No manufacturing, no machine shop, no engineering department. And likewise it is just as unfortunate that they would lead you to believe that they do have it all. Autotech pros: Great, I mean excellent marketing. Gets 'exclusives' on a few products that are hard to come by (Quaife differential). (Believe me, I can't think of any more pro's.) Autotech cons: Sells products as 'exclusive' when the truth is that nobody else sells them because they have long been proven not to work. Takes credit where credit isn't due. Makes inferior products sound like the best thing on the market. Uses advertising gimmicks (free gifts) as sales incentives. Autotech best products: Quaife differential. Drake Performance, Inc. 2340 W. 20th St. Yuma, Az 85364 (602) 782-9277. Books can be written about this company's history. And to tell the truth, I have been asked numerous times why there hasn't been. Drake Performance, is an offshoot of Drake Engineering & Sales Corp. Drake Engineering is by far the most knowledgeable source on high performance VW's. This also extends past VW's to any motor. In my years of working at Drake, I never could understand why a customer would have a motor built any other way, than the Drake way. Ultimately, it boiled down to the customer was talked into something that 'sounded' like a better deal; built better; or could make more horsepower than Drake. It was funny to note, that everybody was concerned about Drake's motors, and used them as the basis of comparison. This should speak for itself, but it wasn't good enough for the public, I guess. Drake Engineering has built 26 Indy-500 winning motors in over 60 years of business. They were manufacturer of the Offenhauser "OFFY" racing motor. Drake's involvement with the VW motor began as a joint venture with VW & DRAKE. They got together, and out came the SuperVee racing motor. Today, Drake DESIGNS & BUILDS motors and heads for two of the big-3 auto manufacturers. If the VW public knew this, why would the buy anywhere else? Hans Hermann is chief engineer at Drake, he is best known for designing BMW's F1 heads back who knows when. Hans is considered a world famous cylinder head and camshaft designer. Few people afford the reputation Hans has. Drake pros: Best technical expertise in the industry. Builds the best motors and best cylinder heads in the industry. Has a complete engineering staff. Extensive machine shop (computerized mills, etc.) Complete motor building (& manufacturing) facilities. In-house dyno. Reputation (in the racing industry) that precedes them. Drake cons: Poor marketing skills. High price (comes with high expertise) on motor building. Sometimes slow. Understaffed. GMP Inc. 710 Pressley Rd. Charlotte, NC 28217 (704) 525-0941 Sorry, I can't tell you much about GMP, as I have had little 1st hand experience with them. I can say that we called the owner 'German Joe' as he is from der fatherland. Techtonics Tuning 1253 W. La Cadena Dr. Riverside, Ca 92501 (714) 788-4116 Owned and operated by Darrell Vittone, Techtonics is the only other 'generic' VW motor builder. Darrell has machining facilities, a dyno, and isn't afraid to experiment. Darrell does excellent work on motors at a reasonable price. I consider him second to Drake in quality, reliability, and hp potential. Darrell has a lots of experience with the VW motor for over 10 years. He gives good sound advice. Techtonics pros: Good motors at a good price. Sound advice. Dyno and machining on the premises. Takes the initiative to have pistons made for the 'rest of us.' Techtonics cons: Sells welded strokers. So these are the major players in the VW industry (I know, I left out Callaway...I'll explain in an upcoming article). Only two of them have machining facilities: Drake & Techtonics. Only two of them have a dyno (hence the only two reliable sources for HP quotes): Drake and Techtonics. (Chassis dyno's don't count.) Next issue, I'll discuss the bottom end of the VW motor. +--------------------------------------------------------------+ | Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and | | live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself| | up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. | | Eph. 5:1,2 | +------------------------------+-------------------------------+ | Robert Collins | Sykes Systems, Inc | | 3361 Keys Lane | Specializing in APL | | Anaheim, Ca. 92804 | 4649 Willens Ave. | | (714) 995-7344 (Home) | Woodland Hills, Ca. 91364 | | (714) 229-0284 (Work) | (818) 704-9894 | +------------------------------+-------------------------------+ VW - PERFORMANCE #2/5 ===================== Author: Robert Collins Some editing: Jan Vandenbrande =============================================================================== Disclaimer by the editor (& presumably the author): These articles should be regarded as opinions and not fact. If any product's name or company is mentioned, no connotation should be taken for its actual quality, value or use. There is NO guarantee any of this information is correct. Neither the authors, editors, or those who maintain these archives take any responsibility for the consequences that may result from applying any of the ideas presented within these articles. Severe damage, injury or loss of life may result from applying the ideas presented. Furthermore, before implementing any of the ideas, check whether such modifications are allowed in your state, province or country. All articles may be distributed freely and copied (unless otherwise stated) as long as the original authors or origine are identified if available. =============================================================================== PART - 2 - Article 3933 of rec.autos.tech: Path: oberon!sdcrdcf!trwrb!felix!ccicpg!turnkey!conexch!rob From: rob@conexch.UUCP (Robert Collins) Newsgroups: rec.autos,rec.autos.tech Subject: VW High Performance (Microview Part 2) Keywords: killem Message-ID: <303@conexch.UUCP> Date: 28 Apr 88 06:43:15 GMT Distribution: na Organization: The Consultants' Exchange, Orange County, CA. (714) 842-6348 Lines: 345 Xref: oberon rec.autos:11739 rec.autos.tech:3933 In this article, I'll examine the VW bottom end. Topics are: Motor blocks (1.5 1.6, 1.7, 1.8) Cranks (Steel billet, forged billet, cast) Connecting Rods (1.6, Audi, 1.8, Carillo) Rod bolts (1.6, Audi, 1.8, Drake, Stainless steel) Bearings (Clevite 77) Pistons Forged vs. cast It has been said: Horsepower costs money...how fast can you afford to go? The block: Throughout the years, VW has manufactured three basic blocks. There have been at least a dozen variations, but only three basic blocks. Each block housed the following motor sizes: VW has had four basic motor sizes (all sizes are metric): Block CC's Bore Stroke Years of production 1.5L 1471 76.5 80 74-76 1.6/1.7L 1588 79.5 80 77,79,80 1.6/1.7L 1457 79.5 73.4 78 1.6/1.7L 1716 79.5 86.4 78-80 Dodge Omni 1.6/1.7L 1716 79.5 86.4 80-83 1.8L 1781 81 86.4 83-? The early 1.5 block (76.5mm bore) is a bad block to use for any purpose. At Drake, we used to tell people to use them as anchors. They can't be bored out even to 79.5mm because of the lack of proper water passages at the bottom of the cylinders. Technically, they aren't siamesed together at the bottom. The 1.6 & 1.7 blocks are dimensionally identical. Most blocks stamped 1.7 actually came from the Dodge Omni. VW used a 'generic' block for its own 1.7's. The block was labeled simply 'H' and is considered the best all around block for building a high performance motor that uses a 1.6 head. The H block can be bored out to a maximum 83mm, and take a maximum 94.5mm stroke crankshaft. It should be noted however, that even putting a 90.5mm crank in this block requires some machining to allow the connecting rods to clear the side of the block - thus rotate without hitting the block. For the 90.5 crank, you're looking at a couple hours labor - minimum. Any crank larger, requires much more machining - usually to the block, rods, and possibly the crank (see cranks below). On the 1.6/1.7 (henceforth referred to as 'the H block') block, oil is returned back to the sump via two oil galleys at the rear of the block, and a single one in the front. The 1.8 block has the same basic outer dimensions as the H block, but in reality, the block is a complete redesign. The most noticeable difference is a larger main oil galley at the front of the block, accompanied by a second, somewhat smaller, galley not found on the H block. The 1.8 block is also a little larger internally. Only slight machining is required to clearance for large stroke crankshafts. Like the H block however, the 1.8 can only be bored to 83mm. I guess now is the time to point out that boring to 83mm is not recommended. By doing so, you must junk the block when it comes time for the next rebuild. By boring to 82.5mm, you have two rebuilds before the block must be junked - 82.75, and 83mm. At Drake, we have found that it makes no difference where the block was manufactured - quality control is very good. I was constantly plagued with questions, and scepticism regarding the blocks made in Mexico, or Brazil. I never saw blocks from anywhere but the former two counties, and of course, Germany. Crankshaft: VW has manufactured four different crankshafts, using three different stokes. The early 1.5L and all 1.6L motors used a 80mm forged crank; the '78 1.5L used a 73.4mm cast crank; 1.7L & 1.8L motors both used 86.4mm forged cranks, but with different connecting rod journal diameters (more on that in 'connecting rods'). In addition to VW crankshafts, there are various aftermarket cranks in various strokes, and of course welded strokers can be made to any stroke and with any size rod journal diameter. Choosing a crank needn't be a painstaking process, just a matter of economics. Here is the formula (as I perceive it) for choosing a crank: CRANK = (Piece of mind)^3 + (type of material)^2 - how much I can afford for you, the formula might be: CRANK = (How much you can afford)^2 + 2(desired stroke) - piece of mind To me, piece of mind is the most important part of choosing a crank. I'm willing to spend extra, no matter what it takes, to get the best crank for my car. This doesn't mean I am willing to spend 2000 on a steel billet crank, but I wouldn't hesitate to get something 90% as strong for 50% the money. So, I suppose I should explain about different types of cranks. For simplicity, there are four different types of cranks: Steel billet, Forged billet; welded; cast. A steel billet crank is by far the strongest. A steel billet crank is made by taking a big chunk of solid steel, and machining it until a crankshaft is the finished product. Steel billet cranks cost between 1500-2000 for a four cylinder motor and can rev above 12000 rpm's. Drake makes a 93.5xx steel billet crank for about $1800, but can only be used on a racing motor (no accommodations for VW pulleys). Most pure racing motors use steel billet cranks, because not enough cranks will be used to facilitate making a mold for a forged crank. The forged billet crank is the probably 80-90% as strong as a steel billet crank, but costs less than 1/2 the price. Forged cranks will cost you between $125 (for a factory VW) to $1300 (for the Oettinger 'OKRASA'), and can rev beyond 10000 rpms. Forged cranks are also popular because you can weld them when they become damaged, or weld them to become strokers. Currently, Oettinger makes two (aftermarket) forged billet cranks in 90.5mm and 94.5mm strokes. They are a bit pricey - costing over $1200 ea., but are well worth it if piece of mind is as important to you as it is me. Welded strokers are for those people that are willing to settle for a little less than the best. In general, I don't recommend welded strokers unless you have control over who makes it for you. Keep in mind, strokers can vary in cost from $100 - $600+ (for the same end-product), and YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR. If you're going to get a welded stroker, don't settle for anything but the best. Do yourself a favor, call Pauter Machine (619-422-5384) and have them make it for you. It will cost you ~600 plus shipping, but I wouldn't trust ANYONE else. (I don't mean to step on Techtonics, but keep in mind that Techtonics doesn't make the cranks themselves, and that if Darrell markets his cranks for 500, then he probably pays about 300 for them. This puts his in the mor [middle-ofthe-road] quality bracket). I had a crank done by Pauter, and even John Drake was impressed with the quality (he's typically like 'Mikey'). The rpm limit on a welded stroker will depend on the quality of the welding. I would suggest the following rpm limits on various welded strokers (remember Pauter Machine is the benchmark, the cream de la cream): 7500 Pauter 6700 Techtonics 6000 All others One final word on welded cranks. If your motor reaches max hp at 7500 rpms, and that is the limit of safety for your crank, then how much piece of mind do you have in owning it? None. Effectively, you have no margin of safety for overreving, or misshifting. Whenever you take your motor to its hp limits, you are also taking the crank to the limits of its structural integrity. And it's for this reason that I, and Drake Engineering recommend not using welded cranks for any motor. Look at the question like this: would the factory use a welded crankshaft (suppose one was damaged in the assembly line)? No. Then why use one in a high performance motor, that will undergo much more stress than a stock motor? Let alone, use a welded crank in the name of high performance. It's an irony, and I could never understand why people would even buy them. Cast cranks have their virtues, but have as many drawbacks. First of all, they are cheap, but if they get damaged, they can't be repaired. You can't weld on a cast crank. Cast cranks cost ~500 and can rev to at least 8000 rpms. For a while at Drake, we marketed a 90.5 cast crank that worked out very good. The crank was good, but needed extensive machining just to make it work. Once the machining was done, I would say it was a very good crank. The crank itself was about $300, + $200 machining = $500 crank. Still cheap, and much safer, and more reliable than a welded stroker. The best of the VW cranks is the 1.8 crank because the 'snout' (hub where the pulley's attach) has a wedge-shaped notch that is much stronger than the woodruff key type snout on the earlier cranks. In a motor that is VERY strong (200hp or more), the woodruff key can sometimes break, or become deformed. I have seen this happen. Also putting too much load on the woodruff key could cause damage. Generally, there isn't much you can do to put more load on the woodruff key, except add accessories that run from the crankshaft, or camshaft (superchargers, air conditioning). Connecting rods: VW made three different connecting rods. 1.6 (stud & cap); Audi (Bolt into rod); 1.8 (stud & cap). The 1.6 & Audi rods fit both the 1.6 & 1.7L crank and have the same length. The 1.8 rod is a bit longer, and has a smaller journal & piston pin diameter. The longer the rod, the less piston velocity, the more torque. But, in the case of these particular rods, the Audi rods are the recommended rods of use. They are stronger, and can twist above 9000rpm's reliably. With the advent of the 1.8L block, VW introduced a rod with different dimensions. The following is a chart of various dimensions (in mm): Length Journal Piston_pin C-C diameter diameter --------------------------- 1.6L 136 45.96 22 Audi 136 45.96 22 1.8L 144 47.758 20 Drake 16v 143.76 45.96 22 Racers use Carillo rods (about $200 ea.) that use an H-beam construction. They are about 1/3 lighter than VW rods, and immeasurably stronger. Carillo rods can twist to any RPM the motor is capable of making power. Carillo rods can be made to any length, and journal or piston pin diameter. At Drake, for our 16v racing motor, we use Carillo rods that are ~8mm longer than the 1.6L rod. Rod bolts: Until recently, the only choices for rod bolts were: stock VW; SPS; or stainless steel. Now, Drake markets rod bolts (that are manufactured specifically for Drake) as replacements for VW bolts. For a while, SPS was the hot setup for VW motors. One drawback with the SPS rod bolts was that the rod needed machining to make them work. And as a result, after a while, the rod would fatigue where it was machined, and eventually crack. The new Drake rod bolts are stronger than SPS, and are intended as a high performance replacement for the stock VW bolts. When you work at a place like Drake, you learn a lot about the 'right' way to do things. I suppose part of this philosophy includes the notion that anything else is wrong. One such notion is NEVER reuse rod bolts. VW suggests that the 1.6L & Audi rod bolts are ok to use twice, but no more. The 1.8L bolts are made as 'stretch' bolts. This means that once they are torqued down, they are stretched. Consequently, VW recommends NEVER reuse the 1.8L rod bolts. We confirmed this with a guy that was building a motor, and bought all his components from Drake. He thought he was building the motor the 'right' way. Within a few hundred miles, the motor grenaded itself by breaking a rod bolt. He blamed it on Drake, because he bought all the parts from Drake; and built the motor to what he thought was Drake quality. One of the first questions that came up was "what did you do for rod bolts?" This came about after noticing that he didn't buy any rod bolts from Drake. The answer was that he reused them. We were made as the bearers of bad news. We had to tell him, and point out to him, that in the VW service manual, it even states not to reuse the rod bolts. As a general practice, Drake recommends NEVER reuse any rod bolt, 1.6, Audi, and especially 1.8L. Piece of mind is worth more than $40 - $125 isn't it? Engine bearings: At Drake, we felt that TRW Clevite-77 were the best bearings out there. Unfortunately, I can't elaborate too much on this subject, so I'll leave it at that. Pistons, forged vs. cast: The following is a displacement chart for various bore/stroke combinations. 80.0 86.4 90.5 92.5 94.5 (strokes) 79.5 1588 1716 1797 1837 1876 80.0 1608 1737 1820 1860 1900 80.5 1629 1759 1842 1883 1924 81.0 1649 1781 1865 1907 1948 81.5 1669 1803 1888 1930 1972 82.0 1690 1825 1912 1954 1996 82.5 1711 1847 1935 1978 2021 82.75 1721 1859 1947 1990 2033 83.0 1731 1870 1959 2002 2045 (bore) This next chart documents the availability of piston for each of these bore/stroke combinations. This list is for the 1.6/1.7 connecting rods, not GTI connecting rods (see connecting rods below). Where pistons are available (not custom made, or forged), I will document by denoting the available compression ratio. The last list will be the same as below, but for the GTI connecting rods. (There are lots of shops out there that have pistons for combinations that aren't documented below, but it has been my experience that these pistons are not 'off the shelf' sets of pistons. Usually they need the 'heads' machined off to obtain an acceptable compression ratio. See pistons section below for warnings on this technique.) (1.6/1.7/Audi rods) 80.0 86.4 90.5 92.5 94.5 (strokes) 79.5 9.7 9.2 - - - 80.0 9.7 9.2 - - - 80.5 9.7 9.2 - - - 81.0 - - - - - 81.5 - - - - - 82.0 - - - - - 82.5 - 9.5 9.5 - - 82.75 - 9.5 9.5 - - 83.0 - 9.5 9.5 - - (bore) (1.8 GTI rods) 80.0 86.4 90.5 92.5 94.5 (strokes) 79.5 - - - - - 80.0 - - - - - 80.5 - - - - - 81.0 - 10 - - - 81.5 - 10 - - - 82.0 - 10 - - - 82.5 - - - - - 82.75 - - - - - 83.0 - - - - - (bore) Pistons for ALL other combinations must be custom made. In many cases, people like Techtonics and Oettinger, have many of the combinations pre-made and sitting on the shelf. This is usually the case for the 94.5mm crankshaft. Forged pistons are stronger than cast pistons and can turn higher RPM's. Forged pistons are also about twice the price as cast pistons. Of the various forgings available, TRW makes the best ones. Famed piston manufacturer JE uses TRW forgings. If you have custom pistons made, use JE, not ARIAS. To quote Stewart Van dyne (chief motor builder at Drake): "I sit with Danny Arias every Saturday night at the sprint car races. He's a great friend. But I won't buy a set of his pistons." If anybody knows, Stewart does. Cast pistons cost less, and burn less oil than forged pistons. Cast pistons require .0015" piston/wall clearance where forged require .005" clearance. Because of the greater clearance for forged pistons, they burn much more oil. Lately, I have heard much dissatisfaction with the Techtonics stroker kits because they burn too much oil and smoke. This is because Darrell uses forged pistons (as cast pistons aren't made for the stroker cranks). A popular practice among certain builders is to take a VW air-cooled piston, or 240Z piston and machine the top off; thus reducing the compression ratio to an acceptable level. This technique is just fine as long as the machining is done above the dish in the piston. Any piston that is machined beyond the dish, will probably be too weak. By machining too far, the crown of the piston is too close to the top piston ring. In other words, the crown of the piston is too thin, thus weak. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- High performance summary: Use the 1.8L block. If you expect to put out over 200hp (which would probably cost you about $4500), you may want to use the 1.8L crank and rods. If you plan to massage the rods by giving them the SuperVee rod treatment, then use the 1.7L crank and Audi Rods. To make racing rods, you radius the small end, shot-peen and polish the beams (about $300). Any VW crank will work with the 1.8L block, as the main journals have always remained the same size. If you are going to build a welded stroker, start with the 1.8L crank, and have the rod journals sized to that of the 1.7L crank and use the Audi rods. Avoid forged pistons if you can. But for welded strokers of odd length, forged pistons will be a necessity. For turbo motors, I recommend having custom made pistons around 7.5:1 c/r, thus you can crank the boost and get more hp reliably. -- "Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only." Mat. 4:10 Robert Collins of Sykes Systems, Inc. (714) 995-7344 (home) Specializing in APL. (714) 229-0284 (work) (818) 704-9894 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- VW - PERFORMANCE #3/5 ===================== Author: Robert Collins Some editing: Jan Vandenbrande =============================================================================== Disclaimer by the editor (& presumably the author): These articles should be regarded as opinions and not fact. If any product's name or company is mentioned, no connotation should be taken for its actual quality, value or use. There is NO guarantee any of this information is correct. Neither the authors, editors, or those who maintain these archives take any responsibility for the consequences that may result from applying any of the ideas presented within these articles. Severe damage, injury or loss of life may result from applying the ideas presented. Furthermore, before implementing any of the ideas, check whether such modifications are allowed in your state, province or country. All articles may be distributed freely and copied (unless otherwise stated) as long as the original authors or origine are identified if available. =============================================================================== PART - 3 - From: rob@conexch.UUCP (Robert Collins) Subject: GTI High Performance (Microview Part 3) Keywords: horsepower Date: 20 Apr 88 07:19:23 GMT Organization: The Consultants' Exchange, Orange County, CA. (714) 842-6348 This is the third installment in VW High Performance (Microview). You didn't miss part 2, I haven't posted it yet. I'm still waiting for some specs to come in before I post it. This issue deals with cylinder head basics, both eight and sixteen valve versions. It's no secret that VW has manufactured both 8 and 16 valve cylinder heads for the VW motor. But, how many of you know about the European 8v head (or what distinguishes it from the American head), the carbureted 1.6 and 1.8 heads? Yes, VW makes a carbureted 1.8 head down in Mexico. (Believe me, it was quite a surprise to see one come in Drake for the racing treatment.) In this article, I will give an overview of all the heads VW has made, and all the aftermarket heads I know of. In the next issue, I will give a microview of the various cylinder head components, and what parts work well for a high performance head, and a list of parts to stay away from. I will also point out why there is a drastic difference in high performance (big valve) head prices and let you decide what to buy. 1.6L head: From 1974 - 1976 VW used a carbureted head. This head featured 36mm intake and 32mm exhaust valves. The head had a combustion chamber built into the head and was the precedent for all subsequent head designs. Specifically, the camshaft pushed directly onto a cam follower, which sat on top of the valve tip. Thus the camshaft pushes the valve directly, without rocker arms. The camshaft was supported by five journals, each without a traditional bearing. The aluminum in the cam journals was the bearing, and received its oiling via a pressurized oil galleys in the head. (In the next issue I will cover how this bearing surface is repaired should it become damaged.) Flow was in a U configuration, as the intake and exhaust ports are located on the same side of the head. In 1977 VW introduced the fuel injected head (f/i). It afforded the same basic design as the carbureted head, except the extra ports for the fuel injectors. Valve size was the same at 36/32mm. Also about this time, though I don't know what year, VW introduced its first high performance motor based on the 1.6 block - the (European) GTI. The GTI featured 10.0:1 compression, and 40mm intake, 33mm exhaust valves. The head, though the same basic design, was actually quite different. There was no combustion chamber - as the bottom of the head was perfectly flat. The combustion chamber was built into the pistons. The valves were much longer than the American heads. Longer, because of the lack of combustion chamber; hence, to keep the same valve train geometry and spring tensions, the valve stem had to be about 10mm longer. The motor's output was rated at 110hp DIN. 1.8L head. In 1983 VW introduced the 1.8L motor to America. With the new motor came a new cylinder head. The head was still the same basic design, but had been refined to fix some oiling problems in the 1.6 head. The head was most noticeably different by examining the oil return galley's. The main galley was much larger, and there was a new second galley the 1.6L head didn't have. The head had a combustion chamber built into it like its predecessors. And as I found out a year after its introduction, it was manufactured in Mexico in a carbureted version. Design flaws (relative to high performance): From a performance point of view, the 1.6 & 1.8 heads leave much to be desired. They have a U shaped flow configuration, as opposed to a cross flow configuration. The intake and exhaust ports are perpendicular to the combustion chamber, and flow is inhibited by the sharp corners in the aluminum casting. The valve guide boss is a further flow inhibiter. The boss measures approximately 12mm long by 15mm diameter. VW 16v head: The VW 16v head is a performance nightmare. I think VW introduced the head merely to say they had one, as they obviously didn't care about performance when they designed it. VW began design of the 16v head about 1980. It went through various metamorphasizing phases before it was released. On one version, the exhaust cam was gear driven, but VW ultimately chose chain drive because it was the quietest way to drive the exhaust cam. (The quietest way they would consider; they obviously chose not to allow the exhaust cam to be belt driven with the same timing belt as the intake cam...which would have been the quietest by far.) According to my sources, VW was planning to introduce the head as early as 1984-85, and some 80000 units were produced. Then it was discovered that some engineer forgot to design water in the casting around a pair of exhaust valves. Overheat = cracked head ==> junk 80000 castings <==> put the program back a couple of years. Before the head came out, rumors were circulating as to its design characteristics. All of us in the high performance business cringed at what we heard. We heard that VW had designed the head with the exhaust valves top dead center over the combustion chamber; the intake valves cocked over about 20 degrees. We said if that was true, the head was junk. We couldn't believe VW (read that ANYBODY) would introduce a high performance head with such awful flow characteristics. When I saw my first 16v head (off the motor), all my nightmares turned into reality. Actually, it was worse than I thought. The exhaust valves were top dead center, but the exhaust ports exceeded a 90 degree bend to allow the gas to exit. This head was obviously not designed for performance. The valves spacing is too close together, thus putting in bigger valves would be near impossible. The only possibility of obtaining higher performance was porting and polishing. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Aftermarket 16v heads: There are three aftermarket heads that I know of. Of which, only two can I review - as the third I don't even know the manufacturers name. Oettinger: Oettinger has long been considered the venerable 16v head manufacturer for water cooled VW motors. They have been making the head about 8 years. For the most part, it is a good design. But like the VW head, it wasn't designed for racing, just a little high performance. The head is a two piece head, with the cam housing as one piece, and the combustion chamber/valve housing as another piece. The intake and exhaust valves meet the combustion chamber at approximately 30 degrees. The ports for the valves meet approximately 75 degrees with the combustion chamber. This isn't so good for racing, but is adequate for street use, and immeasurably better than VW's own head. The exhaust cam is driven via gear from the intake cam, and it is a cross flow head. Oettinger went through some pain and expense to make the head California street legal. The kit they offered was based on a 1588cc motor. It had 10:1 compression ratio, and all the parts necessary to put the motor together. It cost $5500.00 and developed 136hp. (Remember $5500 is NOT a complete motor, just the cost of the kit.) Drake: It isn't well known that Drake Engineering also makes a 16v head for the VW. Drake never marketed the head for street use, and instead chose to develop it for racing only. Since Drake is a racing company with a long history of development, they weren't afraid to engineer a head that had no performance compromises. The head is also a two piece head. But unlike the Oettinger, the Drake head afforded all the creature comforts that make working on a motor real nice. For example, head bolts: The openings in the cam housing were designed to be big enough for the head bolt tool (10mm 12point socket) to fit in, but smaller than the heads of the head bolts. What this means is that (picture the head attached to the block) when the head bolts are loosened, the head lifts itself away from the block. No prying or hitting with a rubber mallet. Another byproduct, is that the head bolts made a convenient stand for the head; thus the valves could NEVER get bent by setting the head down. Intake and exhaust valve ports are 21 degrees with respect to the combustion chamber, and the valves themselves are approximately half that. This is the ultimate performance design for ports. Practically a straight shot into the combustion chamber. Because of the port design, the head is slightly wider than Oettinger or VW, but is thin enough to work on a street motor. Austrian 16v: There is a company in Austria that makes a VW 16v head also...but I know nothing about it. 16v performance review: The VW head is junk for racing or high performance. I have little regard for this head at all. For 8v owners, you are best to build the motor you have now, as you can get MORE performance out of it, than VW's 16v. For comparison, I will give specs for both 8 and 16v performance heads: Motor Cam HP Induction 8v 1781cc .426 130 @ 6500 Fuel injection 8v 1805cc .496 178 @ 8000 1 Weber 45 DCOE 8v 1977cc .475 185 @ 7500 2 Mikuni 44pph 8v 1588cc .500 210 @ 9000 Hilborne F/i (supervee motor) 8v 1588cc .410 145 @ ? 8# boost Callaway turbo 8v 1588cc .410 165 @ ? 11# boost Callaway turbo 8v 1781cc .423 175 @ ? 11# boost Callaway turbo 16v 1588cc ? 136 @ 6500 2 Mikuni 44pph (Oettinger 16v) 16v 1588cc ? 178 @ 7000 2 Mikuni 44pph (Drake 16v) 16v 1781cc ? 123 @ ? KE Jetronic (VW 16v stock) 16v 1781cc ? 140 @ ? KE Jetronic (High performance version) Racing 16v's: 2021cc 210 DIN VW 16v 2021cc 225 DIN Oettinger 16v 1935cc 295 SAE Drake 16v Who's head performs best? The results are obvious. I will admit that my specs for racing 16v's for Oettinger and VW were taken from printed literature. That's not to say that more power isn't possible (but I doubt it!). Until next time. -- "Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only." Mat. 4:10 Robert Collins of Sykes Systems, Inc. (714) 995-7344 (home) Specializing in APL. (714) 229-0284 (work) (818) 704-9894 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- VW - PERFORMANCE #4/5 ===================== Author: Robert Collins Some editing: Jan Vandenbrande =============================================================================== Disclaimer by the editor (& presumably the author): These articles should be regarded as opinions and not fact. If any product's name or company is mentioned, no connotation should be taken for its actual quality, value or use. There is NO guarantee any of this information is correct. Neither the authors, editors, or those who maintain these archives take any responsibility for the consequences that may result from applying any of the ideas presented within these articles. Severe damage, injury or loss of life may result from applying the ideas presented. Furthermore, before implementing any of the ideas, check whether such modifications are allowed in your state, province or country. All articles may be distributed freely and copied (unless otherwise stated) as long as the original authors or origine are identified if available. =============================================================================== PART - 4 - From: rob@conexch.UUCP (Robert Collins) Subject: VW High Performance (Microview Part 4) Keywords: zoom Date: 9 May 88 03:20:10 GMT Organization: The Consultants' Exchange, Orange County, CA. (714) 842-6348 In this installment of VW High Performance (Microview Part 4), I will discuss cylinder heads in depth. What you can do to a cylinder head, and what effect it has on performance. It has been said: "Speed costs money...how fast can you afford to go?" This is quite true of cylinder head modifications. Many companies offer high performance cylinder heads that vary in their state of tune. Some believe that porting and polishing is adequate, while others also put bigger valves in the head. The bottom line is salesmanship. They will tell you whatever they have to in order to get a sale. One prevailing truth is that their way is the best. In the following pages, I will discuss the various cylinder head components, and what effect the modifications have to each class of cylinder head. Keep in mind that I will mention pros and cons for most subjects. The cons are usually related to salesmanship -- where you will be told that that company doesn't do it that way because: 1) it isn't needed 2) the performance gain isn't worth it Whatever their reason, the bottom line is sales - and that is their ulterior motive. So starting from the bottom up, here are the components: Combustion chamber: To polish, or not to polish. There are good reasons to polish the chamber, and mediocre reasons not to. The reason to polish is primarily to blend in new valve seats into the combustion chamber. Another reason is to eliminate hot spots in the chamber caused by sharp angles left from the casting process. Hot spots cause predetonation, also known as pinging. Another reason to polish is that it simply looks good. And finally, polishing the chamber is the easiest way to adjust for compression ratio differences from cylinder to cylinder. Typically, each cylinder has a different compression ratio. This ratio will vary a couple of tenths from the mean. In a racing application, most builders will compensate until each cylinder has the same compression ratio. This is done by machining each combustion chamber until the desired volume is obtained. For the curious, compression ratio is defined as: The ratio of volume before and after compression. And therefore is calculated by this formula: Let: S = crankshaft stroke in mm. B = cylinder bore in mm. D = deflector: CC's below the block deck at TDC (>0 if piston is below the deck, or <0 if piston is above the deck) GB = Head gasket bore GT = Head gasket thickness while in use (compressed by cylinder head properly torqued to block) CC = CC's in the combustion chamber of the cylinder head VB = Volume before compression VA = Volume after compression CR = Compression Ratio Pi = Pi (3.14 etc) VB == (Pi x ((B/2)^2) x S) + (Pi x ((GB/2)^2) x GT) + D + CC VA == (Pi x ((GB/2)^2) x GT) + D + CC CR == VB/VA Opponents of polishing will tell you that polishing will actually cause hot spots in the chamber. This isn't true. They merely tell you anything they can to convince you NOT to buy from someone else. Their real reason might be to save money - which makes their price look better. Valve seats: The valve seat is the sealing surface in the combustion chamber that meets the valve. It's purpose is to seal the combustion chamber during combustion; and to dissipate heat out of the valves into the head. The factory uses steel seats which last a long time. For high performance street heads, Drake recommends a high-nickel alloy. For racing, a brass alloy is used. The main difference between street, high performance, and racing is wear and weight. It's hard to imagine weight being a factor, but to a racer, every gram counts. A high-nickel alloy lasts a long time, and dissipates heat very well. Brass is lighter, but doesn't last very long. Valves: The most popular valves on the aftermarket are Manley. Manley makes stainless steel valves. Unfortunately, they only make valves for the 1.6L heads. 40.5mm intake, and 34mm exhaust valves are what they make. Since Manley doesn't make valves for the 1.8L head, they must be custom made. This explains why Drake Engineering is the ONLY tuner (I know of) that sells bigger valves for the 1.8L head -- they are the only one's that have valve making capabilities. In the 1.6L head, the possible combinations are: 40.5/34 or 40.5/35. For the same aforementioned reason, Drake is the only tuner offering 35mm valves for the 1.6L head. Drake sells these valves for SuperVee motors, and selling for $35.00/ea.+ they aren't recommended for the street. The 1.8L head comes with 40/33 valves from the factory. So, typically you will be told it doesn't need bigger valves; or the head doesn't yield higher performance with bigger valves. This isn't true at all -- I have a big valve 1.8L head -- it responds incredibly well. I always felt their ulterior motive for telling these stories is because they don't have valve manufacturing facilities, and therefore would have to buy from Drake. Who loses? The public of course. Valve guides: The valve guide does just that. It guides the valve from the cam housing to the combustion chamber. I couldn't tell you what alloy the factory uses, or what competitors use. But Drake uses a bronze- silicon alloy. This alloy is self-lubricating and lasts a long time. Valve guides come in two sizes: long and short. The long guides are recommended for street use, as they will last longer. Short guides are used strictly for racing - to save weight. I realize it's a couple 10 or so grams, but every bit helps. Valve stem seals: Teflon valve stem seals (PC Seals) are the most popular seals on the market. Everybody uses them except the factory. The factory seals are junk. In fact, there was a factory recall because of valve seal integrity. PC (Perfect Circle) seals are easy to change, but must be done with a couple special tools. Teflon lasts quite a long time, and gives the best seal protection before wearing out. Valve springs: I love this subject. I love it because Drake has the best valve springs out on the market, and everybody knows it. In fact, everybody buys their springs from Drake: Autotech, Techtonics, ABT, Callaway, you name it. The main reason Drake springs are the best is because: 1) They are made from Chrome-silicon (keeps spring pressure the longest) 2) Rev past 9000 rpm's. 3) Accommodate stock (.370") to .500"+ lifts without coil bind. NO other spring on the market can match this performance claim. Drake has the springs specially made to their blueprint, and has sold 1000's of sets over the past 10 years. Stock springs float past 7500 rpms, and can accommodate about .440" lift before coil bind. VW Motorsport springs are similar to stock, but are 30% stiffer. Therefore can rev to 8000 rpms. Racing valve springs are much different. This is because racing valves are much longer than street valves -- typically .500" longer. Because of the longer length, different springs are required. Spring retainers: Valve spring retainers are typically made of steel. But Drake also markets titanium (Ti) valve spring retainers. For street use, steel is not only adequate, but recommended. The Ti retainers cost over $15.00/ea. and are only made for 3-groove keepers. For the latter reason alone, they can't be used for the average high performance head. All 1.6L heads and big valve 1.8L heads use a 1-groove keeper; and the two retainers aren't interchangeable. Ti has its advantages though -- 1/3 lighter than the steel retainers. The weight criteria is again a major factor for racing use. Cam followers: There are three types of cam followers to choose from: 1) The stock 35mm cam follower 2) 35mm racing 3) 37mm racing The stock followers sit on top of the valve, and allow valve adjusting via an adjusting shim that sits on top of the follower. This cam follower is adequate for cam lifts up to ~.475". Lifts higher than .475" open the valves too fast and can (and do) throw the shim out of its position. This causes terminal damage to the cylinder head. I have seen this happen. It happened to a guy that just wouldn't listen. He wanted a racing cam for the street, but wasn't convinced that he couldn't use the stock cam followers. He sent the head to Drake in pieces...wanted to know if we could repair it. NO we couldn't. The 35mm racing followers are used for most applications above .475". These followers, as all true racing followers have no provisions for valve adjusting. The only way to adjust the valves is to machine the valve stem, or by machining lash caps that get placed right on top of the valve stem. 37mm cam followers are used for extra high lift cams: .500" and above. The head must have the cam follower bores opened up to 37mm to accommodate these followers. As far as I know, Drake is the only company that sells these followers and machines the heads on a regular basis (though Bertiles - in Chicago - certainly has the capability, and might sell them as well). Cam Billets vs. regrinds: 90% of all aftermarket cams are ground on the same US made billet. It is made by CWC Textron for Engine Power Components (EPC). It is distinguished by its dark - almost black - color, and the letters EPC in the casting. APS is the only retailer I know of that imports the German-VW billet. The EPC billet also has two flavors. The standard billet that everybody gets, and one made specially for Drake. The Drake version was initiated at my request - due to the failure rate of the ordinary billet. The ordinary billet would sometimes "go flat" on about 5% of the cars. We noticed this problem years ago, and most users had CASTROL GTX in common. It turned out that Castol GTX is missing Zinc-disulphide -- a chemical needed to protect the integrity of this billet. (Valvoline Racing has it.) Thus most failures were related to Castrol. So, I knew EPC also made a Rabbit Diesel billet, and they claimed no failures at all. So with much pressure, I persuaded EPC to make the diesel quality billet, for the Gasoline powered Rabbit motor. The result of this effort came into fruition right as I was leaving Drake. The German billet is unmistakably the best billet -- but it's expensive to import. It is compatible with all oil types (even Castrol GTX). Regrinds are perfectly ok, so long as they are heat treated before installed. Heat treating hardens the surface to, or beyond factory specifications. By virtue of regrinding however, the base circle of the cam is reduced, and therefore longer valves are needed, or lash caps are required. Most people use lash caps, unless switching to a big valve head. (The Manley valves are .100" longer than stock -- the precise reduction in base circle size for most cam regrinds.) NEXT ISSUE: In the next issue I will cover porting & polishing and big valve heads. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- VW - PERFORMANCE 5/5 ==================== Author: Robert Collins Some editing: Jan Vandenbrande =============================================================================== Disclaimer by the editor (& presumably the author): These articles should be regarded as opinions and not fact. If any product's name or company is mentioned, no connotation should be taken for its actual quality, value or use. There is NO guarantee any of this information is correct. Neither the authors, editors, or those who maintain these archives take any responsibility for the consequences that may result from applying any of the ideas presented within these articles. Severe damage, injury or loss of life may result from applying the ideas presented. Furthermore, before implementing any of the ideas, check whether such modifications are allowed in your state, province or country. All articles may be distributed freely and copied (unless otherwise stated) as long as the original authors or origine are identified if available. =============================================================================== PART - 5 - From: rob@conexch.UUCP (Robert Collins) Newsgroups: rec.autos,rec.autos.tech,rec.autos.sport Subject: VW High Performance (Microview Part 5) Keywords: zoom Date: 22 Jul 88 05:49:37 GMT Organization: The Consultants' Exchange, Orange County, CA. (714) 842-6348 In this long awaited article of VW High Performance (Microview), I will discuss big valve heads and porting. Everyone has their own version of a high performance VW head. Each company is convinced their head is the best -- the best compromise between performance and cost. As I mentioned in the last article, I have noticed ulterior motives in their definition of 'best' cylinder head. I have found that what each company sells is directly related to how extensive their machining facilities are, or the size of their technical staff. To put it another way, their way is the 'best' because that's all they can do. But the real question is: what is the 'best' way to make the VW head high performance? In general, to make a head high performance is a multi fold process which includes lightening the valve train, porting & polishing, using larger valves, and installing a camshaft with more lift, and/or duration. Lightening the valve train: Lightening the valve train enables your motor to rev quicker and higher, thus have more horsepower and faster throttle response. All race motors built at Drake Engineering either use Titanium (Ti) valves, or lightened steel valves, and most certainly Ti valve spring retainers. No matter how you look at it, lightening the valve train is a very expensive process. The process would benefit all motors from race to street, but cost is the inhibiting factor for street cars. Ti valves cost over $60.00 ea., while lightened steel valves cost ~30.00 ea. Lightened steel would probably flow better, due to the lightening technique. At Drake, we lightened valves by decreasing the diameter of the valves stem between the valve guide, and valve head. This area is where intake and exhaust gases flow around the valve. By decreasing the diameter, there is less of an obtrusion, and therefore better flow. Further lightening is obtained by machining the valve head itself. Machine the bottom of the valve head, to make it concave, and the curved radius where the valve head meets the valve stem, by decreasing the curvature radius. The effect is better flow, and a lighter valve. Further lightening is obtained by using Ti valve spring retainers. Ti retainers cost ~15.00 ea. and are (for VW) only available for a 3-groove keeper. Ti retainers weigh only 2/3 of the normal steel retainers, but due to the 3-groove keeper (which is actually better than 1-groove keeper), can't be used for most street applications. Nobody I know of, including Drake, has a tool to machine 3-groove keeper grooves. (A 3-groove keepered valve rotates better and therefore the valve lasts longer than its 1-groove counterpart.) Porting & Polishing: Traditionally, horsepower gains are in the cylinder head. This is why it is extremely important to give the head a massage. This process starts with porting & polishing (henceforth: P&P). There is a big difference between a 'street' port & 'race' port. Primarily, as with street ports, all that needs be done is open the ports up to, and match the gasket size. There is no sense in porting any larger, as the gasket will restrict the flow, and torque will suffer as a result of ports too large. By making the ports too big, port velocity decreases, and the effect is to shift the power band upwards. Since HP is related to torque by RPM, torque will suffer by moving the power band up. So, the best compromise is to port-match with the gaskets. Occasionally at Drake, I would get a guy that wanted racing ports for his street rod. I would explain to him that his perceived performance would suffer. The cost is too high ($1200 or so), low end torque would seem wimpy, therefore he would not be satisfied with the results. After much reasoning, the customer would always settle for the street ports. In order to effectively use racing ports on the street, you also had to use a racing cam. Can it be done? Yes, with much expense. I had such a motor built for myself. Here was my idea: Build a big bottom end (1997cc). Have the head ported with race ports, then use our smallest racing cam. With this configuration, my goal was let the displacement provide the torque, and the head provide the horsepower. Any guestimates as to performance? Don't know yet, as the motor is in final assembly now, but I'll guess 170 STREETABLE hp. For those of you familiar with the Rabbit motor, you'll know that 170hp out of a naturally aspirated 8v street motor is incredible. Big valve heads (BVH): Most company's offer a high performance head for the 1.6, but only Drake offers the BVH for the 1.8. The reason is twofold: To make a 1.8 BVH requires valve manufacturing facilities. Only Drake and Techtonics have such facilities. Manley is the only manufacturer of valve 'blanks' suitable for machining valves for the 1.8. And Techtonics refuses to buy Manley valves, because of some bad business deal many years ago. In short, Drake is the only 1.8L BVH maker. Unfortunately, the honesty stops here. As I mentioned in my last article, the 'best head' you could put on your car is determined by what a particular company has to offer. In the case of the 1.8L BVH, more than likely, you will be told that the 1.8 "doesn't respond to a BVH like the 1.6, and therefore isn't cost effective." Even Techtonics will tell you that. If you are able to read through the lines, and know the insides of each company, what you really hear is that they either don't have the technical skill to make it work, or (as Techtonics) won't buy the parts from the only available source. But the real question is, does the 1.8 need a BVH, and is it true that it doesn't 'respond' in the same manner as the 1.6? The answer is a little complex, and requires some knowledge of the 1.6L motor. At Drake, we had 'Stage kits.' These kits were incremental steps designed to give the best hp/$. We dyno tested all the kits and every conceivable combination of parts. The results surprised the public, and infuriated our competition. To the publics surprise, they found that the industry 'staple' parts did little or nothing to enhance their performance. For example, a larger throttle body didn't produce a single hp gain until a big valve head was added. Similarly, the G-cam didn't do much of anything for hp, just added a reasonable amount of low-end torque (seat of the pants feeling). The culmination of this testing were stage kits that gave you the parts in order of their usefulness. Stock: 74hp 1.6L motor Stage 1: Exhaust & recurved distributor = 91hp Stage 1+: Cam & throttle body = 97hp Stage 2: Big valve head, w/cam & throttle body = 121hp Stage 3: Build the bottom end to 1848cc = 130hp. So as you can see, the big valve gave a tremendous (30) hp advantage. How does the 1.8L motor respond? Stock: 90hp 1.8L motor ('83-'84 GTI, not GOLF GTI) Stage 1: Exhaust & Recurved distributor = 105hp Stage 2: Cam & throttle body = 121hp Stage 3: Big valve head = 130hp Consequently, it can be said that the 1.8L motor doesn't 'respond' as well to the big valve head as the 1.6L motor, since the 1.6 yields 24hp over the cam kit & exhaust, but the 1.8L motor only yields 9hp. But why? The big difference is valve size, and the ratio of increased valve area from the 1.6 to 1.8L heads. The 1.6L head comes stock with 36mm intake and 32mm exhaust valves. They can be increased to 40.5mm/34mm valves. The 1.8L head however, has 40/33 valves from the factory, and can only be increased to 42/35mm valves. Thus, the ratio of increased valve area is much smaller, therefore the expected hp gains are much smaller. So, what about this business of selling BVHeads and what is the 'hot' setup right now? For the 1.6L heads, most people are buying heads from a company called "OVERLAND PARTS." Overland is able to get 1.8L heads machined to fit the 1.6L block. This is by far the cheapest way to get a BVH for your 1.6L motor. It comes with 40/33mm valves, and only costs ~500.00. It doesn't have the ports polished though, and this is a major drawback. By the time the head is disassembled, polished, and reassembled, you have spent close to the $900.00 Drake charges. Which would I buy? If money was no object: Buy the Overland head, and send it to Drake for 42/35mm valves, including porting & polishing. You will have the BIGGEST valve head for the 1.6L motor around. If money was an object however, I wouldn't buy the Overland head at all, but simply have Drake build me the head. Why Drake, and not Techtonics? Lately Techtonics has been buying the Overland heads, thus Drake is about the only company that still even builds their own BVH's. Finally, as one last convincing memo: one of our competitors (name purposely omitted) used to call us the 'butchers of headwork.' It just so happens that he built the motor for the guy who painted my car. In a swinging deal with him, I sold him the 1997cc motor I mentioned above. The buyer looked at the headwork (and comparing to his current head) remarked that he had never seen a head so cleanly done, so perfect. He called our competitor to come over and give his opinion, and the competitor said he 'had never seen a head so beautiful in his life...he would buy it in a heartbeat.' It's funny, there was nothing special about that head...ALL Drake heads are built just like that one. To make a big valve head: To make a 1.6L big valve head, most people use the Manley valves. These valves are .100" longer than stock, thus the base circle of the cam is smaller by .100". (See illustration below). For the most part, this is an easy process. Nothing special need be done. Just call your favorite cam grinder, and tell them you need a XXX cam on 1.400" base circle with 110 degree lobe centers (110 for f/i; 108 for carb; 113 for turbo). You will also need valve seats, and other hardware. Still, nothing complicated. /--\ / \ /------\ / \ |<-------->| | base | \ circle/ \_____/ The 83-84 1.8L head is similarly simple, but since the valves are specially made by Drake, the valve stem length is identical to stock, and therefore the cam base circle can remain stock sized as well. The hydraulic head is the real nightmare. In this head, MUCH has changed. The valves are shorter. The cam base circle is smaller. The distance between the cam bearing bore centers and cam follower holding tray is much smaller, therefore requiring clearance grinding for almost any (true) high performance cam. The valve guide protrudes much farther into the ports. And the valve spring depth is deeper (though the valve springs are the same size). All this is because of the difference between hydraulic and mechanical lifters. In order to make a big valve head from this head, some serious decisions must be made: 1) Do you keep the hydraulic lifters, or switch back to mechanical 2) Valve length (dependant of type of lifters) 3) Valve guide length (depends on type of lifters) When we designed the hydraulic BVH we made this, and only this assumption: 1) This is a high performance head. Therefore, who cares about hydraulic lifters and the convenience of never having to adjust the valves. Furthermore, there are performance penalties for using the hydraulic lifters: a substantial weight penalty. And for all high performance applications, a major quest is to lighten the valve train. Since the decision was made scrap the hydraulic lifters, then this cleared the way for other performance penalties: 1) Cam lift size. This is because there are no billets available for the hydraulic head, and the maximum variance of lift from stock (dictated by the hydraulic lifters) is +-2.0mm. 2) Valve guide protuberance. Make spacers to take up the slack, thus still using street valve guides (longer, thus longer lasting than racing). 3) Valve spring installed height. Thanks to the spacers made for the valve guide boss, the valve springs can sit at their optimum height for lift before coil bind. In retrospect, the design of the hydraulic BVH was a very good design. And after witnessing the immense design process this head required, I am not surprised by the fact that no other company's offer a BVH for this motor. Instead, they'll simply tell you that it isn't needed. But I hope by now you can read through the lines. Finally, since the hydraulic head requires so much more machining, the cost is obviously higher. While I was at the helm at Drake, I offered both heads (hydraulic and mechanical) at the same price -- as an introductory offer to the BVH -- though the cost differential is over $100.00. In conclusion, the best performance gain from your car isn't in the bottom end, but the cylinder head. By increasing the displacement, you will gain a moderate amount of hp, but by making a BVH, you can gain vast amounts of hp -- dictated by the $_amount_$ you want to spend. If I had my choice of head work, or bottom end work, I would choose the head work every time. Remember, your bottom end will (generally) last much longer than you cylinder head any ways, and the increased displacement/hp gained is far disproportionate to the increased performance from a BVH. Next issue: Camshafts. -- "Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only." Mat. 4:10 Robert Collins UUCP: ucbvax!ucivax!icnvax!conexch!rob HOMENET: (714) 995-7344 UUCP: uunet!ccicpg!turnkey!conexch!rob WORKNET: (714) 229-0284 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Misc. Robert Collins #1 ======================= Author: Robert Collins Some editing: Jan Vandenbrande =============================================================================== Disclaimer by the editor (& presumably the author): These articles should be regarded as opinions and not fact. If any product's name or company is mentioned, no connotation should be taken for its actual quality, value or use. There is NO guarantee any of this information is correct. Neither the authors, editors, or those who maintain these archives take any responsibility for the consequences that may result from applying any of the ideas presented within these articles. Severe damage, injury or loss of life may result from applying the ideas presented. Furthermore, before implementing any of the ideas, check whether such modifications are allowed in your state, province or country. All articles may be distributed freely and copied (unless otherwise stated) as long as the original authors or origine are identified if available. =============================================================================== From: rob@conexch.UUCP (Robert Collins) Subject: GTI Swaybars (28mm rear Neuspeed test report) Keywords: gti,performance,swaybar,haul-ass,cornering Date: 5 Apr 88 03:56:05 GMT Organization: The Consultants' Exchange, Orange County, CA. (714) 842-6348 Last week, I posted a hope that soon I would install a 28mm rear sway bar in my '86 GTI and keep the 22mm front sway bar. When I suggested this combination to a couple of people, they were a bit sceptical of too much oversteer in the car. Well, I've done it. I hornswaggled a 28mm Neuspeed rear sway bar by trading some extra VW Motorsport suspension bushings, and racing mots car outhandled anything else I had ever driven in. Besides, the oversteer was a blast. I admit, that for the amateur driver, oversteer might be a little dangerous, but if you know how to countersteer, then you will st like it should. In high speed corners (>45), the back end works quite a bit more... When in a high speed corner (clover leaf at 55) don't let off the gas, as the back end will have a tendency to come around. When it does, just countersteer, and you'll have a fun ride in the process. To quell the fears, it's not too much oversteer bar 15x7 Fittipaldi AERO rims 205 50 15 Yokohama A008 tires (w/ 33000 miles on them). +--------------------------------------------------------------+ | Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and | | live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself| | up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. | | Eph. 5:1,2 | +------------------------------+-------------------------------+ | Robert Collins | Sykes Systems, Inc | | 3361 Keys Lane | Specializing in APL | | Anaheim, Ca. 92804 | 4649 Willens Ave. | | (714) 995-7344 (Home) | Woodland Hills, Ca. 91364 | | (714) 229-0284 (Work) | (818) 704-9894 | +------------------------------+-------------------------------+ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Robert Collins on CASTROL GTX ============================= From: rob@conexch.UUCP (Robert Collins) Subject: Re: Castrol Date: 24 Jun 88 17:02:57 GMT Reply-To: rob@conexch.UUCP (Robert Collins) Organization: The Consultants' Exchange, Orange County, CA. (714) 842-6348 CASTROL LOVERS READ THIS: In article <2022@alliant.Alliant.COM> powell@alliant.COM (Glen D. Powell) writes: > >re: Castrol GTX 20W50 > >I have been using Castrol in my race car for years. Last year I suffered >a spun rod bearing with only 9000 miles on a new engine. I have heard >from various sources about problems with Castrol with respect to main >and rod bearing failures and also excessive cam wear. I have also experienced >the excessive cam wear problem with Castrol. I never really believed all >the bad things I have heard about Castrol, until now. My engine builder asked >me what I am running in the new new engine and I told him Castrol. He gagged. >He offered to give me a case of Pennzoil GT 20W50 for *FREE*, if I would >give away my remaining stock of Castrol and switch to the Pennzoil exclusively, >and this guy _GIVES AWAY_ *NOTHING*. That is how convinced he is that the >Castrol is N.G. So, I took him up on it, picked up the free case of Pennzoil, >and will do the change this week. No more Castrol for me. > It's all true. Here is what I know: At Drake Engineering, we noticed a high failure rate of our cams in customers' cars (~1%). Our installation instructions were stringent. Of course, we could never verify if a customer followed those instructions or not. So, we started asking questions. Did you follow the instructions? What kind of oil did you use. A preponderance of people said Castrol GTX. (Part of the instructions 'recommended' Valvoline 20/50 Racing motor oil). One thing made us curious, (virtually) none of the failures were on Valvoline Racing oil. So, we had some of our techie chemical engineer-types look into the problem. Castrol was missing Zinc-disulphide -- an ingredient that reduces excessive wear. One of our customers (race cars) was sponcered by Castrol. He showed his sponcer representitive our installation instructions (that said in BIG print "DO NOT USE CASTROL GTX"). Castrol got a little concerned, not because some company said don't use their product, but because Drake Engineering said don't use thier product. They sent a team of engineers to Drake to have a 'chat' with us. We put our cards on the table, and told them of our experience and the facts. The concurred, Castrol was missing Zinc-disulphide. Six months later, 5 cases of the NEW Castrol GTX showed up at our shipping bay (free). So, as a controlled case, we thought the best way to control the testing was to put the oil, and a new cam in my car. Two months later, my cam was flat. When customers would question us on this, we responded: "In 65 years of racing, 26 Indianapolis-500 wins, we have NEVER had an oil related failure with Valvoline Racing oil." I'll admit, I never clearly understood their definition of 'oil related failure' but I'm told they mean oil break down. Since my Castrol experience, I've been using nothing but Valvoline Racing motor oil. So, in all fairness, I should point out that I went to adjust the valves two weeks ago, and found one flat cam lobe. -- "Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only." Mat. 4:10 Robert Collins UUCP: ucbvax!ucivax!icnvax!conexch!rob HOMENET: (714) 995-7344 UUCP: uunet!ccicpg!turnkey!conexch!rob WORKNET: (714) 229-0284 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Robert Collins on SMOG tests ============================ From: rob@conexch.UUCP (Robert Collins) Subject: Re: SMOGging a high performance motor Date: 18 Mar 88 17:45:16 GMT Reply-To: rob@conexch.UUCP (Robert Collins) Distribution: ca Organization: The Consultants' Exchange, Orange County, CA. (714) 842-6348 The best way of beating the smog test is to bribe the guy testing it. It's rather easy down around L.A. You might also try tuning your motor to its highest capability instead of detuning it. You see, by detuning it, your motor is running less efficient, therefore has more hydrocarbons. I own a '86 VW GTI that has the motor modified with bigger valves in the head, much hotter camshaft, exchaust, etc. Furthermore, I was sales manager of the premier racing shop in the U.S. Drake Engineering (builder of the 26-time Indy winning Offenhauser "OFFY" racing motor). At Drake, as sales manager, I sold high performance parts to street guys. As for the products we produced (big valve head, cams etc.) our typical customer report was that the guy at the smog station told the customer that the car burned cleaner than any other VW he had ever tested, and wanted to know who tuned his motor. Furtermore, the customer reported a modest gain in gas milage too. Personally, I gained 20% better gas milage on the highway, and break even in the city with my motor. But to be honest, I haven't smogged it yet...it's due now. In summary, I would recommend the following (in order of the size of your wallet): 1) Tune the motor to its highest possible standards 2) Put in Avgas, or racing gas...don't use methane. 3) Get a new cam. One that has 113-115 degree lobe centers. This will have less valve overlap, and therefore less unburned fuel will get in the exhaust. I recommend this for your specific case, as you mentioned you own a turbo. The cam choice (lobe centers) would not work that well with a naturally aspirated car. 108 for dual carbs, and 110 for fuel injection. Robert Collins (714) 995-7344. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Robert Collins on Subframes =========================== From: rob@conexch.UUCP (Robert Collins) Newsgroups: rec.autos Subject: Re: Scirocco tires and body stiffeners (was: Re: Mustang GT Upgrade) Date: 30 Aug 88 21:41:56 GMT Reply-To: rob@conexch.UUCP (Robert Collins) Organization: The Consultants' Exchange, Orange County, CA. (714) 842-6348 ->In article <1419@eos.UUCP> chan@ames.arc.nasa.gov (Jeff Chan) writes: ->>Also has anyone tried or heard of body stiffeners (other than strut ->>bars). Perhaps cabriolets have some good pieces. I would imagine ->>that aftermarket convertible-makers might also have some expertise. ->>(I may eventually go to a full roll cage, but I'm wondering if I can ->>get similar stiffening without the passenger space intrusion.) -> ->Try getting subframe connectors. They weld in between the front ->and rear subframes under the car to give you a full frame. -> The Scirocco doesn't have subframes as they are known on the '85 and later Golfs and Jettas. I think you better define subframes. I've been building suspensions for VW Watercooled cars for 8 years, and can't think of what subframes you could be talking about on the Scirocco. As for body stiffeners, VW Motorsport (Germany) used to make uni-body panels that welded on top of existing body panels to give extra strength. Two people you can try for this: GMP Performance (Charlotte NC) ABT Motorsport (714) 859-7773 Since I believe they were discontinued many years ago, you might try Vasek Polak (Redondo Beach, CA area 213). Speak to Karl Thompsen. Karl has many old VWM parts laying around from about 8 years ago. About the last thing that works is 1) a rear stress bar (read that: doesn't work...waste of money). Though many people sell them, I kid them, and we laugh at the public for insisting on buying them...since we all agree they do NOTHING for handling, or body stiffness. { Another waste of money is triagulated stress bars. FYI: I have a 86 GTI w/ MUCH suspension on it. You inquired about A008R's. I have a set of 195-50-15 on 15x7 Fittipaldi Aero wheels. Previously I had 205-50-15's. The 195, though smaller, handle better because the rim width is leaves less sidewall to flex, and kill handling. Forget the 'contact patch' buzz word that was (seemingly) recently invented to sell tires. I love the commercials on TV that say people buy their tires because of the contact patch, but tell you nothing about why that makes people buy the tires, or how the contact patch relates to the commercials' intended allegation. -- "Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only." Mat. 4:10 Robert Collins UUCP: ucbvax!ucivax!icnvax!conexch!rob HOMENET: (714) 995-7344 UUCP: uunet!ccicpg!turnkey!conexch!rob WORKNET: (714) 229-0284 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Robert Collins on VW Tools ========================== From: rob@conexch.UUCP (Robert Collins) Subject: Re: VW Rabbit Tools Keywords: camshaft belt, locking tools Date: 20 Nov 88 16:08:56 GMT Reply-To: rob@conexch.UUCP (Robert Collins) Organization: The Consultants' Exchange, Orange County, CA. (714) 842-6348 In article <788@amc.UUCP> williet@amc.UUCP (Willie Tilse) writes: +In article <6836@batcomputer.tn.cornell.edu> garnett@tcgould.tn.cornell.edu +Roger Garnett) writes: +>In article <6002@fluke.COM> kelpie@tc.fluke.COM (Tony Garland) writes: +>>Naively, I went to Volkswagen to attempt to obtain several "VW tools" +>>mentioned in the service manual. ... +> +>>Guess what? Volkswagen doesn't sell these tools ... +> -No surprise. +>So they (usually :-( ) use what works. The pictures are usefull for figuring +>out the best way to jig a job. Use what works. Of course, finding out what +>works can sometimes take a few tries 8-). + Pendergrass tools in Anaheim, CA (area code 714) sell ALL the tools mentioned in the VW manual. Pendergrass specializes in VW 'special' tools. -- "Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only." Mat. 4:10 Robert Collins UUCP: ucbvax!ucivax!icnvax!conexch!rob HOMENET: (805) 523-3205 UUCP: uunet!ccicpg!turnkey!conexch!rob WORKNET: (805) 371-5081 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Robert Collins on VW&Porsche ============================ From: rob@conexch.UUCP (Robert Collins) Newsgroups: rec.autos Subject: Re: VWs and Porsches Keywords: What do you know? Date: 7 Nov 88 08:53:33 GMT Reply-To: rob@conexch.UUCP (PUT YOUR NAME HERE) Organization: The Consultants' Exchange, Orange County, CA. (714) 842-6348 In article <13230@oberon.USC.EDU> jan@lipari.usc.edu (Jan Vandenbrande) writes: >In article <10743@conexch.UUCP> rob@conexch.UUCP (PUT YOUR NAME HERE) writes: >.In article <2562@alliant.Alliant.COM> powell@alliant.COM (Glen D. Powell) writes: > > Why don't you share your comments with us? Inquiring minds like >to know. > I think it would be highly inapropriate for me to say anything publicly that I could be sued for. I will say this: VW & Porsche has a staff writer that rants & raves about Techtonics, while he puts down Drake Performance. This is the same writer that has had a Drake motor & turbo in his 'Project GTI' for many years. He has been satisfied, and content. Why the switch of loyalty to Techtonics? C'mon, a welded stroker in the name of high performance? Forged pistons in a street car? (Forged pistons require .005" piston/wall clearance (as opposed to .0015" for cast pistons), and thus SUCK oil down during warmup.) Forged piston are a last resort for street cars...used ONLY when you can't get cast pistons. The reason they are required in this case is because of the odd-ball stroke in the welded stroker crank. Now, that I've said that, who do you think is building this authors next motor (as I write this)? Drake! It just goes to show you, you can say anything you want, but he knows where to go for HIS motor. -- "Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only." Mat. 4:10 Robert Collins UUCP: ucbvax!ucivax!icnvax!conexch!rob HOMENET: (714) 995-7344 UUCP: uunet!ccicpg!turnkey!conexch!rob WORKNET: (714) 229-0284 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: renata@aurora.arc.nasa.gov Newsgroups: rec.autos Subject: Re: VWs and Porsches Date: 11 Nov 88 01:26:23 GMT Sender: news@eos.UUCP From article <11796@conexch.UUCP>, by rob@conexch.UUCP (Robert Collins): > [...] Why the switch of loyalty to Techtonics? C'mon, a welded > stroker in the name of high performance? Forged pistons in a street > car? (Forged pistons require .005" piston/wall clearance (as opposed > to .0015" for cast pistons), and thus SUCK oil down during warmup.) > Forged piston are a last resort for street cars...used ONLY when you > can't get cast pistons. The reason they are required in this case > is because of the odd-ball stroke in the welded stroker crank. > [...] I wish Darell Vittone was on the net to defend himself. From what I've read and heard, Techtonics recommends against forged pistons in street cars for the same reason. I'll check the catalog I got tonight, but I'm certain that the short and longblocks they sell do *not* use forged pistons. The best thing about Techtonics is that they *try* to be scientific and test all of their changes on their dynomometer and flow bench. You can argue about their methods only because they spell them out and try to be fair and open minded. The info packets I've gotten from Drake and Autotech (sorry for naming them in the same paragraph) seemed built on experience and hype, respectively, but did not present reasonably controlled test data. My personal opinions & I have no connection with any above businesses, Jeff C. Internet: chan@ames.arc.nasa.gov UUCP: ames!chan ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Misc. Robert Collins ==================== Author: Robert Collins Some editing: Jan Vandenbrande =============================================================================== Disclaimer by the editor (& presumably the author): These articles should be regarded as opinions and not fact. If any product's name or company is mentioned, no connotation should be taken for its actual quality, value or use. There is NO guarantee any of this information is correct. Neither the authors, editors, or those who maintain these archives take any responsibility for the consequences that may result from applying any of the ideas presented within these articles. Severe damage, injury or loss of life may result from applying the ideas presented. Furthermore, before implementing any of the ideas, check whether such modifications are allowed in your state, province or country. All articles may be distributed freely and copied (unless otherwise stated) as long as the original authors or origine are identified if available. =============================================================================== From: rob@conexch.UUCP (Robert Collins) Newsgroups: rec.autos Subject: Re: VWs and Porsches Date: 14 Nov 88 02:25:53 GMT Reply-To: rob@conexch.UUCP (Robert Collins) Organization: The Consultants' Exchange, Orange County, CA. (714) 842-6348 In article <1902@eos.UUCP> renata@aurora.arc.nasa.gov writes: From article <11796@conexch.UUCP>, by rob@conexch.UUCP (Robert Collins): > +I wish Darell Vittone was on the net to defend himself. From what +I've read and heard, Techtonics recommends against forged pistons +in street cars for the same reason. I'll check the catalog I got +tonight, but I'm certain that the short and longblocks they sell +do *not* use forged pistons. + On the welded strokers (anything other than 90.5mm) Darrel uses forged pistons. There is no doubt about it, as there are no cast pistons on the market for odd-ball strokes. Take it from me...I know (I'll explain in the next paragraph). +The best thing about Techtonics is that they *try* to be scientific +and test all of their changes on their dynomometer and flow bench. +You can argue about their methods only because they spell them out +and try to be fair and open minded. The info packets I've gotten +from Drake and Autotech (sorry for naming them in the same paragraph) +seemed built on experience and hype, respectively, but did not present +reasonably controlled test data. + After having been sales manager at Drake for two years, I can tell you beyond the shadow of a doubt that there is no company out there (HP VW) that has more integrity. Drake has ALWAYS dyno tested each and EVERY product it sells for high performance. As manager, I never even engaged in 'guessing' horsepower, 'cuz it was too easy to get it dyno tested. Drake uses a Heenan-Froude 1000hp dyno that is calibrated quarterly. (Heenan-Froude is considered state-of-the-art in dynos.) Drakes dyno is completely computerized to compensate for atmospheric pressure, and all other variables. Techtonic's dyno is a 300hp dyno on wheels that is purely analogue. Inside the industry, there has been much speculation on the integrity of Darrels dyno, and on Techtonics practices too. Drake has recently duplicated much of the Techtonics GTI tests and found (not surprisingly) radical differences between that Darrel claims, and what Drake found. I'm not at liberty to print those differences (in HP). +My personal opinions & I have no connection with any above businesses, + Nor do I, but I have been inside the HP VW biz, and still have both feet (and both hands) involved. And the most discouraging aspect is when someone else prints anything he wants (regardless of the truth), and gets instant fame and glory from VW&P. As one final comment: Would you trust a magazine that let thier advertisers write self-promoting articles -- making all kinds of claims about performance -- and put the name of a staff writer on it? -- "Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only." Mat. 4:10 Robert Collins UUCP: ucbvax!ucivax!icnvax!conexch!rob HOMENET: (805) 523-3205 UUCP: uunet!ccicpg!turnkey!conexch!rob WORKNET: (805) 371-5081 ======================================================================== Robert Collins On Jackson Racing ================================ From: rob@conexch.UUCP (Robert Collins) Subject: Honda High Performance (was CRX lighting) Keywords: go fast Date: 6 Apr 88 07:03:50 GMT Organization: The Consultants' Exchange, Orange County, CA. (714) 842-6348 Ok guys, I'll help you figure out where to beat Jackson Racings prices. After much pondering with respect to ethics, I came to write this, and still maintain my integrity. Sway Bars: Who makes sway bars out there? Does Jackson? NO. Suspension Techniques, Sway-Away...they do. And I believe Jackson uses S/T sway bars. All you have to do, is call S/T and ask for a 'W/D' (warehouse distributor) dealer in your area. Call the number they give you, and make a deal with them. I have found that tire stores carry a lot of sway bars. So give them a try. Suspension bushings: This is where Jackson may have you. We couldn't find where they buy there bushings from, and J/R won't sell them w/out a sway bar kit. You might try Sway-Away (aka B.C. Engineering) as a head start. Wheels & Tires: Nobody need deal w/ J/R on this. Anybody can sell rims & tires. Springs & Shocks: Same goes here as sway bars. S/T makes springs for Honda, and Bilstein, Koni, Tokiko make shocks. Find a distributor for your favorite shock/spring combo, and make a deal. Cams: Does J/R make cams? NO. Who does? Iskendarian Webcam Crane Erson I can't guarantee that they all make Honda cams, but I know that one of them does. Try Isky first, then Webcam. I bet one of them make cams that J/R buys. Also, as an underhanded way of finding out, call each company. If they make Honda cams, tell them you live in Huntington Beach Ca, and want to know a distributor in the area. If J/R is the answer, you know whose cam they use. It is entirely possible that J/R bought the rights to a particular cam grind, in which case, the manufacturer would be very tight-lipped about it. If this is the case, you won't find out who makes them...even if you call the manufacturer. Lighting: Euro lights (H4 lens) is made by Hella. Find a Hella distributor, try Electrodyne as a start. Body kits: You're on your own for that. Exhaust systems: J/R uses Bassani, Ansa, Monza, etc. Find a distributor of these exhausts, and circumvent J/R. Supersprint, or Prima-Flow make excellent exhausts...I highly recommend them over Ansa & Monza. I understand the Bassani is only compatible w/ the cat converter in place. And believe me, don't simply put a test-pipe in a system designed for a cat...you'll probably lose a few hp. (If this doesn't seem possible, send me e-mail, and I'll explain.) Electrodyne is a good start for Prima-flow & Supersprint. Headers: This is where I draw the line. I can say that J/R has them made specifically for them, and has an exclusive on the design. It would be unethical to post the manufacturer, besides, he wouldn't sell to you anyways. Supersprint, or Prima-flow might make headers though. Try them. I hope this gives you guys some creative ideas on where to get Honda parts cheaper than J/R. You should be able to save about 30% over J/R. Automotive Performance Systems (APS) (714) 630-1144 (Hella lighting, shocks, springs) Crane Cams (714) 870-4490 Electrodyne (800) 336-3096 (Prima-flow, Supersprint, Hella lighting) Erson Cams (702) 882-1622 Iskendarien Cams (213) 770-0930 Suspension Techniques (818) 442-7382 (Sway bars, lowering springs) Sway-Away (aka B.C. Engineering) (213) 398-7119 or (Sway bars, suspension bushings) (818) 988-5510 (or 5518, can't read the writing) Webcam (Couldn't find a number. If it's important, send me e-mail). Happy Motoring +--------------------------------------------------------------+ | Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and | | live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself| | up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. | | Eph. 5:1,2 | +------------------------------+-------------------------------+ | Robert Collins | Sykes Systems, Inc | | 3361 Keys Lane | Specializing in APL | | Anaheim, Ca. 92804 | 4649 Willens Ave. | | (714) 995-7344 (Home) | Woodland Hills, Ca. 91364 | | (714) 229-0284 (Work) | (818) 704-9894 | +------------------------------+-------------------------------+ X-NEWS: dev7d.mdcbbs.com rec.autos.vw: 175 Relay-Version: M&E Bulletin Board System 10/13/90 VAX/VMS V5.3; site mdcbbs.com Path: mdcbbs.com!uunet!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!apple!altos!altos86!rcollins Newsgroups: rec.autos.vw Subject: Re: GTI head on old style block Message-ID: <57@altos86.Altos.COM> From: rcollins@altos86.Altos.COM (Robert Collins) Date: 6 Mar 91 21:14:04 GMT Reply-To: rcollins@altos86.UUCP (Robert Collins) References: <1894@mitisft.Convergent.COM> Organization: Altos Computer Systems, San Jose, CA Lines: 37 In article <1894@mitisft.Convergent.COM> kenb@mitisft.Convergent.COM (Ken Bright) writes: > >I think I can put a GTI head on my block. Is this true? Absolutely NO. There are two GTI heads, the EURO 1.6L GTI, and the 1.8L GTI (all markets). The Euro head will fit your block, but you will need to change the pistons to make it work. If you use your stock pistons, you will be pushing over 12:1 compression ratio. However, the EURO GTI head isn't the best thing you could do. Have the head you own be fitted with larger valves, along with porting and polishing. The best cam for you is a stock carbureted rabbit cam with .410" lift. This cam works very good with trubo's. About the 1.8L head. It has two oil return galley's, where your head has only one. The bolt pattern is the same, and it is technically possible to make this combination work by welding up the second return galley, and press-fitting a size reduction sleeve in the other hole -- as it is much larger than that of your block. Some outfits (like Overland Parts, I believe) were able to have the 1.8 head castings machined to mate with the 1.6L block. But this is NOT a stock part and you can only get them from these people...you won't find it at a wrecking yard. If you want to do it right, you'll need to spend some money -- like about $2500 to be approximate. This would give you a big valve head with a turbo cam, and a rebuilt bottom end with 7.5:1 compression ratio. If you are interested, call Stewart Van Dyne @ (714) 847-4417. Nobody can build a turbo like he can...in fact, he designed the Callaway kit on your car, and is the youngest person to EVER build an Indy-500 winning motor (while working for Drake Engineering). -- "Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only." Mat. 4:10 Robert Collins UUCP: ...!sun!altos86!rcollins HOME: (408) 225-8002 WORK: (408) 432-6200 x4356 ============================================================================