Gary, i've just gone vr, thanks to help of DesignaDubs and ChrisP for the donor engine I did a small rebuild, the bores on my block were fine as were the main bearings, although some wear on the big ends im waiting for the arp rod bolts from my cousin in the usa before i change them. I used a metal headgasket, apparently is slightly thinner than standard gasket so gives a little higher compression, i replaced all guides and chains and also the tensioner, i was missing top and bottom rad hoses, was advised these cost approx 50ea from vw so i ordered a set of corrado vr samco hoses for not much more, i already had a corrado vr rad and twin fans, looks nice and neat i would advise using a mocal oil cooler as these engines do get hot, even just on road use. I didnt use a turn2 pulley in the end as apparently they have gone out of business (dont quote me on that though) the chasis leg did need to be dented but thats nothing major. As ChrisP says use a 3.6 final drive, maybe even a 3.9 if your not going to use it much on the road, i have a 3.6 fd and does make so much difference, eventually a diff will be fitted but i will be going for a peloquin! I used a mk3 subframe so you will need to change the rear wishbone bushes for mk3 items, the front engine mount was modified so i could use my existing vibratech front mount. as for handling, well i wouldnt have gone for a vr6 if i didnt think the mk vr's handled that well...thanks to ChrisP for converting me im sure there is still plenty i've left out but hope this helps a bit.
I used a Passat vr rad and fans which just fits between a mk2's chassis legs! I also had to throw away the cross member which the rad usually sits on and make some brakets cos its far too tall. Plus side the water temp always stays low and the oil never goes above 120 degrees c(and thats on track).
I've already told GVK my views, but I'll share them with the rest of you. I had my first Mk2 VR way back in 1998. a 2.8 VR fitted by b autos. after I'd sorted out all the faults and cock ups they made it went like stink and was thrashed daily for a year. then the cam chain tensioner failed and it jumped 2 teeth on the rear cam and bent 6 valves. scrap. at the time I had no money to have it fixed, and no real mechanical experience either, save for fitting suspension and the odd head gasket. so, I didn't trust anymore garages and had to get stuck in myself. I was going to go back to an 8v, but decided to by a 2.9 from allan fishburn at the golf centre and fitted it myself, wiring it up with his advice. it was notably quicker, and I was in Top of the dubs in the golf mag for ages with 178BHP at the wheels. I used to rag the living sh 1 t out of that car, and hammered it at every drag meet I could get to. managing a best of 14.74 with 0-60 in 6.74. the engine took eveything I threw at it and never let me down once. first thing to break was the gearbox. I actually SNAPPED the diff pin doing a 2nd gear burnout! that's when I took the car off the road, 4 years ago.... I bought a gemini 6 speed kit, 3.94 final drive and quaife diff. but before I manged to finish the car I decided to 4wd the shell, so the box got fitted with a syncro bellhousing and I had to change the diff to a peloquin item. I also managed to get hold of some 268 grant motorsport cams and a schrick manifold. with all these bits sat there and a shell that still needed a lot of work I was getting bored, having a year out in a 1.6GL auto. so I bought a scrapper of a mk2 shell and built the rat-look racer. another 2.9 vr (mine was in bits having new chains and getting blinged up). this was a stripped out mk2, as bare as possible, with a 207bhp 2.9 in it, and the 6 speed running 2wd. I have never had so much fun in any car I've ever owned. it was an absolute screm, and road legal. in the 6 months I ran it I manged to get 3rd place at Kames, and curborough, and ran a 13.75 1/4 mile, which I STILL say is the quickst time ever ran by a road legal mk2 vr6 in this country. insane engine setup, crap suspension. yet i could still make it handle, and no 16v ever came close on the road or the track. it was as quick as an E36 M on the road!! Got banned so I had to strip the car of the best bits and sell it, gutted. Converted a mates 8v mk3 to a vr6, he was over the moon. Then, bought a Corrado 8v. put the old 2.9 in it, with new chains, seals etc etc. again, went like stink, managed a 14.444 in it, but a failed crank pulley oil seal meant that the bottom end dies through oil starvation. the death of a cracking engine. I then fitted the 24v lump and sold all my vr6 bits. I have 3 24v engine now! My last dabble with a vr6 was fitting gordy's, which is a rebuilt 2.8 with 2.9 inlet and TB. So, you could say I've had a bit of experience with VR6's and i'm a bit of a fan of them. I've tried nearly every mod going with the exception of forced induction and nitrous and I can wholehearteldy say they are absolutely fantastic and I've have another mk2 vr6 anyday. The parts are not much more expensive than any other engine, and they are a peice of p1ss to strip down and work on. I can't see any downside to owneing one other than the vulnerability of the sump. In fact, I'm selling my R32 corrado syncro and going back to mk2, as a track car, with a vr6 (albeit a 24v). I now drive a 3.2 v6 4motion. just another progression of the vr6. I won't have anything else and neither will you. once you had 6 cylinders you'll never go back. Edited by: PhatVR6
some people are just ridiculously slow learners, Ive only been banging on about the VRs as a track car for the last 7 or 8 years.....FFS clean your ears out and dont listen to the t**sers who dont know one end of a car from another (80%) of the tw@ts on here old VRs are a little long in the tooth, think about a 24v
LOL, not strictly true though is it, I beat you hands down at curby with my valver with its old engine, so with its new one.....not a hope matey (and I'll let you off the thrashing this year as you had not sorted your corrado out properly ). 16V's rock for the track, well any track with bends in it (but the 020 is a bit fragile as several of us have found out). IMO VR6's dont produce enough power for the weight, if you want more power than a 16V then get a 1.8T. Just my opinion . But I can see the attraction as a road car and would love an R32. For racing - unless you are running in a power:weight restricted class like VW cup, with a VR6 you would end up in a class with 2L turbo's and V8's and you would get eaten alive. Cracks me up this forum sometimes, its so up-and down, one minute something is the dogs, next minute its something else [LOL} Ave it Rob (a bit p***** ) Edited by: RobT
Facts and figures matey, when the flag drops the BS stops - Nicks motor is well fast = 16V (ok not a golf but well fast 16V), your jetta was well fast = 2L 16V, bills jetta was well fast = 2L 16V, maurices cars....used to be 16V's now 1.XT's, Bill's ibiza is well fast = 1.8T, where are the VR6's ?????? Just what I have seen............... Ave it Rob Edited by: RobT
GVK > on daljs we used a mk2 front crossmember. iput the passat rad in front of the crossmember on two lower brackets that i welded on,the rad is asfar forward as possible and is held in place through the slam pannel by the factory fixings for the rad.The passat hose's fit no problem alltho the iirc i cut the top one down by about an inch where it goes onto the rad. Asevozippy abovesays,the temps are well low and i was shocked at how cool it ran considering the under bonnet temps . As far as handeling (i hope valver aint reading this ) I was taking his newley converted mk2 to stealth for tracking and camber set-up,i seen this Boxter 'S' following me and was about 6or 7cars back when i left coventry by the time i got to the BP just before the southambypass he was behind me.... i went for it and over took a few cars and he couldnt get out to follow me (he was trying very hard ) so i thought forget it mk2 vr's dont handel, next thing i knew he was right on me as i was turning into stealths estate...... I didnt even bother turning in as he had allready decided he was comming past me (but didnt manage it) so off we went foot down between stealth and the old scooby garage and there was nothing in it round the twisty bits and i held him off on the straights even tho he had a lane to himself(u know the one GVK,where its like 3 lanes?) then he started going like a w$nker and over took me on a blind bend so i thouhgt enough is enough and headed back to stealth. Handeling wise it didnt feel too bad even tho its on 9x16 and on the deck.
Aye know you is, its part of being in club GT Aye, tomorrow Aye is going to straighten me towin aye, have birds Aye fish fingers for me dinner, and go for an Aye test Aye Aye captain Dave
@ Rob Ideally Aye (!) would love to run a nice 16v on bodies with all the bits such as the pickle , but Aye haven't got like at least 5k to do that (properly) I don't think it's worth putting bodies on a stock bottom end,needs more compression imo,Chrismc's car is a credit to the work Matt/Olly put in it, it's a really nice conversion,but at Bruntingthorpe was only 0.2 seconds quicker than my car with it's 250 bottom end through the 1/4 and 0-60. I think the 1.8T is great, and can produce excellent power,but it also needs a lot of investment to make it reliable for track work,as Bill etc have found out... I am pssed off about these w*nky 020 'boxes though, even though they have a nice direct feel to the change! ps - Rob, you should win at Curburough, your car is the next best thing to a a F2 Rally car Edited by: GVK
I was looking at what a job you'd made of it with Dalj at BVF mate, it all fitted in nicely Yeh, I hope Dalj isn't reading this
You're dead right Chris, no it shouldn't[:^(] I'm letting Mart (hotgolf) have a look at it this time, he might/might not see something that's causing these failures. I'll only have to pay again if I go back to Stealth, and Mart will be a lot cheaper Edited by: GVK
Merely responding to Phatty's putdown of valvers, there's several there that are all pretty good quick cars. Dont get me wrong, I like the VR6, its a good motor, loads of midrange, good soundtrack etc and if you want more power than your valver then its an option. (and as I said above, I have almost bought R32's in the past, fabulous car). But its heavy and thats always bad for things that go round bends and have to stop. Options for you are also an 02a swap, a bottom end freshenup (probably only needs bearings seals and rings) and you would be sorted. Rob
Too true mate.. [:^(] Maybe an 8v 5th gear would solve "that" problem.... As for going with the bodies etc etc, I reckon my car had a little bit more in it than Brunters showed. First time id ever properly sprinted it (& 1st time with diff) & I only went for it off the line & not on the downward return leg as most of those after me seemed to.. [:^(] My fault for going first I had a couple of small running issues & later found that I wasnt quite getting full throttle... As a comparison, GTI Inters resulted in 6.12 0-60 & a 14.8 1/4 on Proxes & with interior. Difficult to compare due to different days/surfaces but I was much happier that it was a truer reflection of the cars talents.. I think a bit more compression, & wilder cams with a suitable remap could push me up over 200BHP, but need to be careful with the bottom end. 7600rpm atm. Too scared to go any further.... Ultimately a solid lifter head & steel bottom end with appropriate cams would give 220+BHP no probs, but it all comes down to money... As the car stands, myself, IanB & Graham all had very similar performance round Combe on the RSOC day, & knowing how sorted their cars/driving are I was quite happy
