Date: Wed, 30 May 2007 23:55:45 -0400
Reply-To: Benny boy <huotb@VIDEOTRON.CA>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Benny boy <huotb@VIDEOTRON.CA>
Subject: Re: Inline 4 - new transmission
Hi Bill, i don't know how much your 1.8L is power wise but i'm sure that
your under 100-120hp, i have a .77 higher gear on my van now and the 167hp
Subi is just ok to push that van with the higher gear.
Now, to be more technical: even if sometime you feel that your reving to
high (are you???) at 70mph (around 4000rpm), loosing 500-600 is a lot for a
4 cyl engine, too much in average. Even my engine as lost considerable
"punch" when shifting from third to fourth (typical of 4 cyl who need
revolution to produce power), i need to rev the third a bit more so it feel
nice when shifting to fourth. The RPM is now about 3400-3500 at 70-73mph, at
that speed, the Subi feel nice, just perfect i think, now, we need to
understand one thing, a Subi Outback car will rev at about 2800-3000 at
those speed, of course, the car is lighter. With the same engine and a stock
trany in Vanagon, it will now rev at 4000... too much, but 2800 would be to
low... so now the .77 high fourth gear come handy. A bit more RPM than the
car because it need it to push the extra weight with more ease but also it's
now not reving for nothing at 70. That said, we bigger engine, the perfect
trany would now be a 5 speed.... so the .77 is a compromise.
If i drive the van normally, shifting third at 3200-3500, the rpm drop to
low at 1900-2000, a bit to low, even the Subi feel underpower at that rpm,
pressing the pedal doesn't do much different, it as no good usable torque at
that RPM.
So, that said, i would stay with the stock trany in your case... because
people don't understand that the engine need to "Breath", so maybe your
engine will not at 70. Breath mean that in need to produce a minimum RPM
(power/torque) to push that heavy van against the wind, if not, that engine
WON'T last. This is my opinion, but i know that i have a good "feel" about
how engine SHOULD "feel".
The Subi 2.5L feel just ok at 70-75 at 3600-3800 rpm against the wind, so
anything under 150hp will suffer, if you don't believe so, you don't
understand and feel an engine needs. For those who drive a stock Wasser
engine at 75, your up for a breakdown or quick wear. The wasser doesn't feel
right at 4000+ rpm, keep it lower if you want that engine to last. A 2.1L
feel just ok at 65-68 on freeway, no more. If you say the oposit, good for you!
Today i have test driven a customer 2.0L VW inline (like Ticco i guess) in a
Syncro, sorry, i'm i'm NOT impress at all, far from it... vibration, not
much more power... oufff, i would not spend a dime for such a conversion. I
would put my money on a rebuilt Wasser. I don'T know what was the cost of
that conversion, neither the reason... but men ho men, not for me. But hey,
i guess that some go that way for the same price of a fully rebuilt Wasser????
Just a last thought, to know if you have enough power/torque at a certain
RPM/speed, press that gas pedal and fell/see what is the reaction... if
none, the engine is working to hard to produce power.
I hope that i have answer some of your questions.
Ben
http://www.benplace.com/vw2.htm
On Wed, 30 May 2007 12:59:29 -0700, Bill MacLachlan <billmacla@GMAIL.COM> wrote:
>anyone out there running an inline 4 with a regeared 4th?
>I've an 1800 Jetta engine, a DK transmission.
>I'm replacing the transmission and I'm wondering if the A&A regeared
>4th is the way to go.
>
>Advice from Daryl at A&A is that most people stick with regular
>gearing for my set up, but I've always thought it'd be nice to have
>lower revs at 70 mph......
>
>Anyone running and inline 4 with the regeared transmission?
>
>Any comments welcome
>
>
>Thanks all
>Bill M
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