hi guys, i have a g reg 16v 1.8 mk2 gti and i want to make it go better as it seems useless until around 4k revs and then all of a sudden i need to change gear as its at 6.5k revs and its annoying me . its got a long life exhaust on it and unfortunately a cat which im ripping out soon, the air box has been drilled by previous owner and there is one of those roar pipes on the induction bit too but apart from that it seems pretty standerd. on the boot theres an a'm'd sticker which most likely means nothing but someone told me that they do engine bits so it could possibly have something like an uprated cam in it or something but im not holding my breath on it. what things can i do to make this thing go better, i dont want to spend stupid money on it as its just a mk2 golf and not a super car but i always presumed these were quick and so far its just not doing anything for me . any ideas on stuff i could buy or modify ? ? ? ? ?
you have to remember that they were quick in 1986-1991 but the general performance game has moved on a long way now. You do have to rev them to get the best out of them and as with any car, you get good ones and weak ones. First thing to do is make sure its running right and give it a thorough service. Then i'd get the fuel system setup (WUR mod). With that done you sould see anything from 140-150bhp. after that a 2.0l bottom end, a good exhaust system and adjustment of the K-jet system to suit will see it nicely perked up with decent mpg and standard reliability to boot. Beyond that its the land of diminishing returns and one which, if ultimate straightline go is your aim, you'd be better off changing the engine to a 1.8t/VRT
There only a 1.8 so arnt going to be the quickest, to get some more torque lower revs then put a 2.0 litre in it. that will give a shock to modern golf gti owners.
my 16v stays with a my mates OBD2 vr to 90mph. was on a audi A5 2.0 turbo ass he couldn't get away from me. keeps up with 2.0 clios as well. my cars completely standard but i services it with genuine VW PARTS!..it was a bit sluggish and wasn't all that fast when i first got it, then i got a rotor arm dizzy cap plugs and leads from vw was very expensive but what a difference it made know it goes like a rocket
Would be very unusual to have a cat on a uk car. Your comments on the way it drives sounds spot on for a standard mk2 16v to me, they are certainly not quick off the mark unless you use most of the revs. As has been said though they are very affected by poor servicing and incorrect mixture/ignition timing so check thats all ok. Cheers D
to me that sounds ar5e about face,id have the whole 2L engine fit then tweek the fuel system to suit ?
obviously, though not everyone can or wants to do everything at once so i was merely pointing out that it would have to be done again to accomodate the different setup
A few things I would look at............... 1. Check the air intake. Is there lots of oil being fed back into the air box from the crank breather? My first engine used to breathe oil heavily due to shot piston rings. This can clog up the engine. 2. Check the compression. Again rings or head gasket may need to be changed if its low. 3. Check the timing. This can effect response. A good setup it key. 4. The guys are right. Good service history with good quality parts can make a big difference. 5. Check your injectors are spraying a nice even amount. If they are running lean this could also result in poor performance. 6. What is your exhaust like? Does it still have all the boxes? there should be 3 including the backbox. I had a straight through exhaust once. straight through pipes can make the car seem very flat at low range revs. The standard system or good ones like Jetex offer better expansion and release of power. Just some ideas to throw in.................And dont forget Chetah blood works every time.
cheers for all your info guys, im gonna crack on and go through all the bits mentioned in the coming week and will let you know how it goes. many thanks :-)
