Date: Thu, 10 Jan 2008 22:26:16 -0800
Reply-To: Scott Daniel - Shazam <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Scott Daniel - Shazam <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Subject: Re: 1985 Vanagon - Ford Focus Engine alternative
In-Reply-To: <4500.192.168.0.115.1200029508.squirrel@hasenwerk.homeip.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
"smeg" ......?
something tells me you didn't preef rood before sending david.
I think your assessments are valid though.
Us US people can't relate to 2500 kg though very well. Let's see, on pound
equals 2.2 K.......... anyway, what is that, 5,500 lbs ?
I agree with you about the torque thing. But there is something wrong with
me. I just can not stand diesels. And I drove a TD vanagon s my only and
best and 'do anything' rig, drove it to Whitehorse YK even.........and was
into that for about 8 years. Now I love the smoothness of gasoline. I have
diesel vanagon engines is reserve if the system falls apart, but right now
at 3 dollars per US gallon I'm happy with the smoothens of gasoline. And the
instant gentle starting too.
I was so please to read that New Mexico is enacting law to not allow
diesel trucks to idle there engines. What is it with diesel freaks about
idling the damn thing ? I for sure didn't shut mine off if it was 15 degrees
F too often, but otherwise, shut the damn things down please ! no idling, it
pollutes and is noisy.
sorry for the rant ! ....anyway...................
From what I've read the Zetec is a little buzzy at high rpm's. I will say
thought that I think Jim A is a smart guy, and really delivers on what he
says. We disagree some - I think an inline 4 is not so natural in a vanagon,
and he thinks opposed engines aren't that great a layout.
Interesting that Subaru ...ahem.............has an opposed TD engine , the
worlds' first mass produced one. ( vw actually made a diesel version of
their early bug engine as an experiement ...karl sent me the link, or posted
it....had about 26 hp I think....but subaru who does all right with engines
has an *opposed* 4 cylinder TD engine now. Don't know what the torque is.
On your Tourreg there.....the only reason it has 500 ft lbs of torque or
whatever is the silly American 'it's got to big and hugely powerful to be
any good SUV craze.' .............
No body needs that kind of power, UNLESS....they just have to tow their
8,000 foot big power boat or the big trailer. It's overselling 'big and
powerful'. Even ford's basic pick-up, the F-150 is a 6,000 lb monster
with a bed lift-to height of about 4 and half feet. That is DUMB. And they
just 'educated' the consumer c that they 'need' that huge powerful stuff.
Don't know about your neck of BC, but where I am, one guy using and empty
giant pick-up truck at about 17 mpg tops in town, like it was a commuter car
- that's the norm.
But I am very glad you got a toureg, I think the engine and overall concept
is fascinating.....but I don't like the lack of humbleness about it. But as
long as you enjoy your toureg, that's what's important. And I can't wait to
see some technical issues and grappling you do with it !
And ...really.........that LT VW van.....that inline vw diesel
engine..........you need that V-10 in there !
It's all fun,
Scott
And how anyone can stand the racket of diesels is beyond me. And I did one
, for years too.
That you can use alternative fuels is the only advantage, and fuel mileage
and range of course also.
-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
David Marshall
Sent: Thursday, January 10, 2008 9:32 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: 1985 Vanagon - Ford Focus Engine alternative
Yeah... almost Friday.
My company car is a 2003 Ford Focus...
what a piece of smeg engine... makes lots of noise when you step on it and
when you wiiiiiiind it out to the top end of the rev range there is a hint
of decent power then and then red line and you have to shift. This
is not the engine I would want to put into a 2500kg westfalia and hope to
get anywhere faster than what it could do with a stock engine.
Torque sells cars and engine conversions, but really torque is what is
needed to get our Vanagons going, so a Diesel engine is what our Vanagons
need.
The V8 gasoline Touareg has 350hp and the V10 Diesel
Touareg has 313hp - the *Diesel* will win in a 0 to 100km/h sprint as it
has 553ft.lbs or torque at 1800 rpm and the gasser has 324ft.lbs at 3000
something in the rpm band. Tourque is like a drug the more you have
the more you want. Once you drive a Vanagon with lots of torque you
will spend the rest of your life trying to convert the unwashed.
:-)
David Marshall
http://www.hasenwerk.ca
http://www.fastforward.ca
Box 4153, Quesnel BC, Canada V2J
3J2
On Thu, January 10, 2008 20:22, AAG - Larry Word wrote:
> It's almost Friday - what is the consensus to date of the group
installing
> 2000 ford focus engine into Vanagons?
>
> Any ideas, links, info., articles, etc. would be appreciated!
>
> Thanks
>
> Larry
>