Date:         Wed, 29 May 1996 08:49:00 -0700 (PDT)
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         "Maher, Steve (SD-MS)" <SMAHER@gi.com>
Subject:      Re: Hoo Boy! (Was: Corrado Powered Westy Syncro - For


> Wouldn't a Diesel Westy transmisson be geared way too low to implant a
>Corrado motor?  Make it work mighty hard.

I don't know what the trans gear ratios of a diesel Westy are, but the
gearing of the '80 V6anagon (formerly gas T4) is whatever came stock
from the factory, and IMHO is too short for this torquey little V6.
The engine turns nearly 4000 RPM at 70 mph, where I'd like to have it
turning around 2800 like my old Cressida.

One thing the engine *doesn't* do, is work hard. It's spinning easily,
with my foot very light on the accelerator so it won't jump out from
under me, especially in the lower gears. I've never tried to spin the
rear wheels, high-school style, but it might be able to do it. It might
also eat another clutch, so I'll pass. In traffic jams, it *does* idle
along at about 1 mph in 1st, without my ever having to touch the clutch.
Of course, it probably did that with the original engine, too.

Short gearing like this, is the way car companies get small engines to
push big vehicles, of course. The tradeoff is increased engine wear,
and slightly lower gas mileage than the same engine with a taller gear.
But if you have too tall a gear, of course, you won't have enough
torque to keep the car going at speed-- the reason older VW vans don't
have a 5th gear on top of the present four. Even the (rare) 5-speeds
that came with some diesels in '82 (maybe only in non-US models?), have
the same ratio for their 5th gear, that the gas models had for their 4th
gear. The other four speeds of the diesel 5-speed, are proportionately
LOWER-- VW obviously thought that the diesel needed all the help it could
get WRT torque, rather than WRT lower RPMs at high speed. Bummer.

What displacement is the Corrado engine? Torque? Max RPM? Is it naturally
aspirated? Supercharged? Anything that makes more torque, will benefit
the bus immensely.  Too bad it doesn't have a tranny that takes advantage
of that extra torque-- VW obviously had no need to design one back then.
The V6anagon does accelerate quickly-- one of the reasons it's such fun to
drive. And so will that Corrado-powered beast, I'm sure.

In fact (speculation here) is the Corrado engine is fairly small (2000cc
or less, say), and makes its 200 HP by turning really fast, then this
might be right up the bus's alley. Might not have the low-end torque
that larger-displacement engines can supply, but once you get moving,
watch out.

I made a crack a while ago, about putting a Mazda rotary engine in the
V6anagon if it kept eating clutches. About eight people jumped all over
me, pointing out that that engine had zero torque, and made its power
by turning VERY fast, like 9000 RPM or more. Their point was, the bus
would be very sluggish to drive unless I always revved the engine to
the screaming meemies, road-racing style-- an odd application for a
1-1/2 ton van.

The Corrado engine probably does better than that-- I can't imagine
it having LESS torque than the original T4 or diesel, at any speed.
I'd sure love to drive that thing!
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 Steve Maher     smaher@gi.com    '80 V6anagon    '66 Mustang Coupevertible
 http://www.wp.com/IrishMafia         "Gun control means using both hands!"