I really like this site.
i made anoter post asking on how to get more power out of a 1.6 but all i got was all this stuff about 1.9L turbo diesels
PLEASE HELP!!
Sorry if im a pain
im new to the forum
Which engine do you have? What car is it in?
If you have the normally asthmatic 1.6D, there isn't a whole lot you can do for more power. But there are other mods that are worthwhile that will make the car quicker.
Engine mods to increase power slightly:
* Increase full load fueling. This is done with an adjustment on the injection pump.
* Advance injection timing. Check
http://groups.google.com/g...shmail.com for a good timing procedure that doesn't require you to have a dial indicator setup and delivers a little more advance and a little more power than stock.
* Increase airflow. Use the Genuine VW filter for a turbodiesel. It fits the N/A airbox, but it has more filter media area so it flows more air. There's also a K&N filter available. You can also run a 3" pipe into the airbox and use some 3" flexible hose to get air to it. If yours has AC, the easiest way to get air is from the "rain gutter" area which has cool, high pressure air, especially when driving at highway speeds. I use that and it's sort of a "cowl induction" setup. If you don't have AC, going forward to the grill area in front of/beside the radiator also works. That gives you cool air and a ram air effect as well.
Porting and polishing the head might help, too, but the gain wouldn't be worth the effort. If you have a head gasket failure, it's something to consider when you do the gasket. Port matching the intake ports to the gasket, and the end of the intake manifold to the gasket is definitely worth doing. You can also polish both the intake port and the exhaust port to a mirror finish. That's different from a gasser where you usually don't want the intake ports polished to a mirror finish. On the diesel, a mirror finish in the intake helps flow. Take the polishing all the way up the intake manifold runners if you can.
Then, there's other mods that don't make more power, but will make the car quicker by using the limited power more efficiently.
* Use "Energy conserving" motor oil and use synthetic lube in the transmission.
* If you have the 200mm clutch/flywheel setup, use the 190mm flywheel with your 200mm clutch and pressure plate (the 190mm flywheel is lighter), or if you have the 210mm setup, install a lightened flywheel.
* Use lighter wheels and tires. Some good, light weight 13" alloys and some light weight tires in 175/70-13 or 195/60-13 or 185/60-13 will help acceleration. Stick with lower speed rated tires (S is plenty) because higher speed ratings often weigh a lot more. Using 185/60-13's shortens the tires by almost 1.0", lowering the car slightly (better handling), and taking more revolutions to cover the same distance (effectively lower gearing, helps acceleration, hurts gas mileage, makes speedo read faster than you are actually traveling). 195/60-13's shorten the tires by almost 0.5".
* Turn brake rotors down to near minimum thickness
* Swap to rear disc brakes. Lower rotating inertia of the rear discs helps acceleration. Higher total unsprung weight hurts handling, though, so this isn't as good as it could be. If you stick with drums, try to find someone who knows how to arch shoes. If you can, turn the drums to near max diameter and get the shoes arched to match. If you can't get the shoes arched to match, don't turn the drums. If the shoes don't match, the braking suffers badly, the shoes glaze and there are major problems.
* Reduce weight everywhere you can. A header (with good bracing) is lighter than the cast iron manifold. If you have power steering and can drive without it, that weighs and takes precious engine power to operate. You being in Canada, you can probably live without air conditioning, too. The AC weighs a lot and takes power to turn, especially when it's on.
* If you keep the AC, wire a full throttle switch to cut power to the compressor clutch. That way when you floor it, the AC will shut off automagically and turn back on when you let up on the pedal.
* Rabbit GTI rear suspension helps handling. So will some decent gas charged strut cartridges and rear shocks. You don't notice the poor acceleration as much if you don't slow down as much for the corners.