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Date:         Fri, 9 May 2003 10:04:13 -0700
Reply-To:     laurasdog@WEIRDSTUFFWEMAKE.COM
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Steve Delanty <laurasdog@WEIRDSTUFFWEMAKE.COM>
Subject:      Re: Tiico Engine Questions
In-Reply-To:  <CAEOIPKOOCKNBBDDDMBPEELODBAA.jeff@tssgi.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed

I considered the Tiico when I was deciding on my conversion. I like the VW I4's pretty well, and there is a certain appeal to keeping it "in the family".

Still, as appealing as the Tiico was, I decided to go a different route for several reasons, the biggest one being that I live in CA and I *don't* want to hassle with the CARB referee station to get smogged. BTDT with another project and don't at all want to repeat the experience. KEP's soob kit takes care of that problem nicely which is a big factor for me.

One of the things that TOTALLY turned me off from the tiico conversion is this set of horrible clusterfreak cooling hoses that are shown clearly in this photo: http://www.tiico.com/images/vanengtophp.jpg

THAT is *exactly* the type of BS I'm trying to get rid of. No more plastic thermostat housings, no more stupid looking, hard to find, expensive to buy cooling hoses for me. If I can't walk in to 4 out of 5 FLAPS in the USA and walk out with one for under $20, it ain't going in my conversion. When one of those fancy hoses in the Tiico conversion blows out in the middle of Bumluck USA, the guy at the local Kragen is gonna laugh his ass off at me... and I'm stuck for days until I can get one ordered and Prioity mailed to me for... ?$$$?

The I4 conversion also seems in general to have more NVH problems than the sube, so that was also something of a factor in my decision.

The noise/vibration I could probably have dealt with. Some folks seem to have that worked out already. The fancy cooling hoses.. well I could have built something more sanitary than that mess and using easy to find parts, so that could have been dealt with. (my time)

But I just refuse to have to deal with CARB referee stations if there's ANY other way out. I've had that rude experience already and no wish to repeat. I hear if you get the right inspector it can be relatively smooth but my experience was quite otherwise...

So. It's the subaru EJ22 conversion for me. CA smog legal with no hassle. (assuming the engine runs clean) A minimum of cooling system hoses, and NO special/hard to find hoses or parts. Quiet, smooth running, 130 stock HP with more torque across the entire powerband than WBX and a 6500 RPM redline.

The biggest issue for me on the soob conversion is the oil pan clearance. Even with a shortened pan, the ground clearance is somewhat reduced. Mines 2WD, and I don't do much off-roading so it's not a real big issue.

I've *always* done all my own vehicle maintenance, never paid anyone to do anything other than change tires or do machine shop work. Finding someone to work on my suburvan is not going to be an issue for me because... I'm it.

I think in the long run "which conversion is best" is purely a matter of personal taste, based on personal needs, desires and skills. It's like asking someone "what's your favorite color?". There's no right or wrong answer, even though you may or may not agree with their answer.

All the conversions have their own particular flaws. It's just a matter of deciding which ones *you* can most easily tolerate and deal with. Some folks would rather just deal with the stock WBX flaws, and that's O.K. to.

I'm looking forward to getting my conversion done soon. Good weather approaches and I want to go CAMPING! (-:

I hope my clutch kit gets here tomorow so I can install the soob .

Happy motoring! Steve

Jeff wrote: >The one fact that always pops into my mind whenever this Tiico discussion >comes up is this: the Subaru conversion is legal in California and the Tiico >is not. With everyone (Tiico-ians that is) claiming that there's been more >Tiico conversions than any others it seems strange to me that these guys >can't get certified in Cali. I know that CA EPA can be a bitch to work >with, but something doesn't add up, and that alone would keep me away from >Tiico.


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