Date:         Fri, 25 Dec 2009 22:37:33 -0800
Reply-To:     Don Hanson <dhanson928@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Don Hanson <dhanson928@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      some observations on the power of an inline VW 1.8 liter (Rabbit,
              Golf, Jetta) gas..
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

  I finally put a tach into my 5sp inline 1.8l Gas VW (92 cabriolet) 84 low
top faux Westie.  Went for a drive this afternoon and watched the needle...

  At 55 I am turning about 3100..60 about 3400 in 5th gear. 70=36-3700rpm...
That seems to be right near the bottom of the power band of this motor, with
it's mild aftermarket cam and free-flowing exhaust.  If I shift back to 4th
it takes my revs right into the "meat" of the power..about 3700 at
55mph..The motor seems to pull strongly till 5500 rpms then tapers off a
bit.  It will happily pull full throttle off idle....but I cringe, treating
a small motor/large load like that...I didn't have a choice in my old air
cooled 36hp splitty bus, but with the 5sp...I try to not lug the inline 8
valve 1.8 liter.  I'm guessing I should limit my rpms to about 6500
max...maybe about 6000 except in rare cases...

  So, when I was driving 'by ear'...I was usually shifting back (5th<4th) at
the start of big steep climbs when I got below about 60...probably putting
my rpms at about 4200, just into the higher half of the power...From that
speed and rpm range I can usually accelerate up to 75 but I find it 'better'
to just hold 65mph in 4th gear during long grades, to save wear on
everything....No real advantage in winding out the little 'mouse
motor' because if I shift up to 5th again at 75mph (~5000+rpms in my 4th
gear)...my speed will slowly fall back until I decide to shift down as I get
near 3000rpms or so...The motor feels unhappy...no, more like unproductive
at anything below around 3000...Though it's fine to run along on the flats
or in the city at 2000...I  feel like I'm being needlessly hard on it if I
have to accelerate unless I shift back and raise the rpms..My 5th is more of
a cruising gear...not much acceleration or climbing in 5th..but a quick
'snick' back to 4th puts the engine in it's "happy spot" for power...

  Right around 3500 there is a 'semi-loud' band...where the harmonics seem
to be a little "off"..not noticeable at 60+mph with the wind noise, etc..
but in the lower gears climbing steep hills, there is that one
narrow irritating rpm range.  Probably the "Buzzy" stuff that everyone talks
about with the Tiico engines...Doesn't bother me much as it only occurs on
full throttle load and I don't do so much of that..

  These numbers...not exact.  I was driving as I tried to track the tach,
 not running on a dyno.

 So for those who're curious about alternative engines in a vanagon...there
is a little observed info about one of the (arguably) 'original' alternative
engines found in vanagons...I'm happy with mine as my daily driver/work
van/travel and camping van..
  Don Hanson