Any other performance mods I can do?

[jlpst94]

I'm in the process of getting my 91 Jetta 1.6td back on the road.  I want more power but don't want anything that will make it unreliable or not a daily driver.  Here is what I have to this point.
And from what I've  read should be a decent performance increase.

Giles pump, 2.5 techtonics exhaust(downpipe back),  head studs, k14 at 15lbs boost, head port and polish next week, a/c delete.

Is there anything else you guys recommend.  Camshafts, inter coolers, etc...  Are they worth it and will I keep reliability. 

Thanks! 

[theman53]

you will never need studs for a K14. Porting the head and performance pump are the best mods to do.

[jlpst94]

Thanks!  Well I already got the studs so no big deal.   How about the intake?  Is it worth swapping  to a different manifold?    And where can I get a cone style filter and pipe to replace the stock filter box and pipe?

[RabbitJockey]

yeah a better intake will help, and even give more longevity to the engine because of more equal flow to all cylinders.  theres not many options for a 1.6 though, you can run a gasser intake manifold, but ull have to flip the turbo and replumb everything for the turbo.    intercooler will add power.  one thing you will be able to over come for making power is that small k14.

[theman53]

The cone filter will not help unless you block the engine bay heat from it. Cone filters are pretty much a make your own, I do not know of anyone that makes a kit for these older cars.

[rabbid79]

I second the intercooler suggestion.  It will add power, reliability, and fuel economy.  This definitely the lowest hanging fruit, and the power will be felt in the seat of your pants.

[Dubdoc]

Just wondering where the K14 came from? Most 1.6TDs had the K24 or the Garrett T3. It supplies much more air. With studs you can easily boost a T3 to 20 psi.

[jlpst94]

The k14 came from an ecodiesel I had.  Thanks for all of the suggestions.  I might look for an intake, but the inter cooler and turbo swap will have to wait till I see how I like the performance. 
Giles recommended keeping the K14.  Said he ran one for a few years and liked it a lot.   
I'm not trying to make maximum HP.  I'm just trying to make it run better than stock and be reliable for 250k.     Now I need to make a turbo drain line......

[RabbitJockey]

The k14 came from an ecodiesel I had.  Thanks for all of the suggestions.  I might look for an intake, but the inter cooler and turbo swap will have to wait till I see how I like the performance. 
Giles recommended keeping the K14.  Said he ran one for a few years and liked it a lot.   
I'm not trying to make maximum HP.  I'm just trying to make it run better than stock and be reliable for 250k.     Now I need to make a turbo drain line......

k14 from an ecodiesel is smaller than from an aaz, but it is a nice small turbo, and fast boost is great for driving around town.  When it comes to performance the bigger turbos are better, and what we consider big and laggy are actually still very small turbos.  To me i don't mind a little bit of lag, an na 1.6 rabbit gets around o with no turbo(especially with a giles pump), so if i have wait a hair for a lot more over all power that doesn't bother me one bit.  i am currently playing with a 50 trim t3 compressor on a vw turbine on my aaz, and i don't consider it laggy, especially if i launch the car the boost is right there, spool up is a non issue haha.

[Jetmugg]

My 2 cents - if you already have enough fuel from the Giles pump, adding boost and flow in the form of a different turbo should be your biggest bang for the buck.  The 15 psi boost level you are at right now seems pretty mild.

Changing the intake, porting the head, etc will improve the efficiency of what you already have, but if you want more performance, you should consider more boost (as long as the pump will support it).

Steve.

[jlpst94]

Are these larger turbo setups with 20+ boost reliable for daily driving?   
The upgrades I've made to the pump, head, and exhaust should give me some more power with fuel economy..  I would rather have driveability , reliability , and economy over max performance.   
Can you get all of that with the larger turbos and boost?  Anyone have 100k or more on these setups? 
Maybe I wasnt specific enough in my original post. 

[vanbcguy]

I drove my 1.6 with its K24 set up for 23 PSI for quite a number of years.  Eventually my transmission gave out so I yanked the whole thing and put in my current AHU M-TDI.  I never did get around to installing my EGT gauge on the 1.6...

I ran a big air/water intercooler - I don't recommend cranking the boost up much past 12-15 PSI without an intercooler of some sort.  By 18 PSI all the gains from the extra boost are pretty much gone.  I did run at around 18 PSI peak with the K24 for a while before I got the intercooler, but the performance with the IC was much better.  I got about a 15% improvement in fuel economy too.