Post by: _GhOsT_ on October 27, 2006, 08:26:00 PM
like im looking for a 10-40 hp improvement
im willing to spend $600
any suggestions
ps
my car is a 1992 VW jetta GL 1.8l
Post by: CattyKid on October 27, 2006, 08:28:00 PM
You just need some stickers and decals.
Some NOS stickers are a must... some decals that show off your car's name... racing parts stickers...
Shouldn't cost more than about $50.
You can thank me later
Post by: _GhOsT_ on October 27, 2006, 08:35:00 PM
im not trying to turn my car into a ricer
i want to keep this car for as long as i can i would like to have a car with more power to it
i have already added a new cooling system to it (new radiator, water pump, fan, and hoses)
Post by: CattyKid on October 27, 2006, 08:47:00 PM
Sorry I can't help... but I know pretty much nothing about cars
Post by: _GhOsT_ on October 27, 2006, 08:51:00 PM
he did a complete rebuild on a 93 jetta almost exact
he told me to put in a chip and cold air
that should boost me to what im looking for
Post by: thewickedjester on October 27, 2006, 09:55:00 PM
However, again, I dont know jack about Jetta's. I know that on my Impala if I went that route I'd have to get a matching ECU reflash as well as a mass airflow sensor off a late model F-Body car (which starts to get pricey, 3-400 bucks just for the ECU and MAF depending on how I go about getting it). Theres quite a bit of stuff you can do along with a cold air intake and such that'll give decent power for the cost without tearing into the engine itself and start looking at new cams, valvetrain, etc etc.
Post by: CJLee89 on October 27, 2006, 10:31:00 PM
Post by: thewickedjester on October 27, 2006, 10:48:00 PM
Just so you know, and you sound like someone who would get this but just to make sure. A new muffler, does not count as a new exhaust. So dont go drop 200 bucks on a coffee can muffler from PepBoys, if you want a real benefit you need a full new exhaust.
Post by: _GhOsT_ on October 27, 2006, 11:48:00 PM
Post by: Rylinkus on October 28, 2006, 01:31:00 PM
On a 1.8L Jetta I'd plan on seeing a 1-2hp gain on a CAI. A chip on your car. Who knows. I'd expect 5 hp at best, and possibly a loss in hp @ worst. I'm not trying to be negative, but that's just the way it is. In back to back dynos my heavily modded Probe GT gained 3 hp with a CAI. And that's a 2.5L V6. With a very poor intake system. Sure Hotshot says up to 15 hp gains. But odds are that 15 hp theyre claiming is on a Big V8 or something turbo charged. A vehicle making 500 hp and gaining 15 hp represents a ~3% gain in power. Expect the same on your car which means a gain of ~1hp.
I'm not saying don't mod your car. I'd never say that. Please do. I know I would. But don't expect huge results on a CAI, chip or catback exhaust. It's just not realistic. Maybe youll get a more soothing engine sound. Please don't throw a CAI and assume you gained 15hp and start talking about your car with 15 more hp than stock based on an advertisment on a box.
BTW, if you have an 8v 1.8, swapping to the 16 valve head would be the best mod for your money. Im sure your local junkyard has a GTI or something to that effect that would have said head.
Post by: VerbalVenom on January 09, 2007, 04:01:00 PM
QUOTE(Rylinkus @ Oct 28 2006, 04:38 PM) 
Look, let's be realistic about this whole thing. You drive a 1.8L Jetta. It's never going to be a performance machine. And while you could add some power to it, youre going to spend far more doing so than it's really worth on a car like that. Many people are going to tell you that a chip and CAI will net you 15-30 hp. Those people are morons. A CAI on MY car with a 5.7L V8 will see gains of maybe 10 hp. Maybe more depending on accompanying mods. A chip... Generally those help cars that have a more complex engine in one way or another. Or a car that already has a bunch of mods.
On a 1.8L Jetta I'd plan on seeing a 1-2hp gain on a CAI. A chip on your car. Who knows. I'd expect 5 hp at best, and possibly a loss in hp @ worst. I'm not trying to be negative, but that's just the way it is. In back to back dynos my heavily modded Probe GT gained 3 hp with a CAI. And that's a 2.5L V6. With a very poor intake system. Sure Hotshot says up to 15 hp gains. But odds are that 15 hp theyre claiming is on a Big V8 or something turbo charged. A vehicle making 500 hp and gaining 15 hp represents a ~3% gain in power. Expect the same on your car which means a gain of ~1hp.
I'm not saying don't mod your car. I'd never say that. Please do. I know I would. But don't expect huge results on a CAI, chip or catback exhaust. It's just not realistic. Maybe youll get a more soothing engine sound. Please don't throw a CAI and assume you gained 15hp and start talking about your car with 15 more hp than stock based on an advertisment on a box.
BTW, if you have an 8v 1.8, swapping to the 16 valve head would be the best mod for your money. Im sure your local junkyard has a GTI or something to that effect that would have said head.
QFMFT
Post by: ubernewb on January 10, 2007, 02:57:00 AM
junkyard turbo
do a google search on that and you should find a few sites with all kinds of info on building low budget turbo setups. low boost (like 3lbs) will get plenty of power for ya, and at that low a level you don't have to worry much about replacing injectors and all that.
Post by: twistedsymphony on January 10, 2007, 08:54:00 AM
CAIs tend to be more appropriate for NA vehicles then forced induction because heat is more critical (turbos and the like heat up the air so much the few degrees difference from the point of induction is nearly useless, and not as benificial as just getting in more air).
Even still I've rarely seen an intake on any vehicle net more then about 2hp without huge amounts of custom computer tuning.
Exhausts produce a bit better results... on Turboed cars bigger is better because you're trying to reduce backflow and keep the turbo spinning as fast as it can. on non-turbo cars however that's not always the case. For a particular RPM range there is a sweet spot for the diameter of your exhaust too big and there is a vacuum between pulses which slows down the exhaust flow (like when you tip a water jug upside down and it comes out in bursts as air needs to back flow up to displace the water) If it's too small, well then you're just restricting it which is just as bad. The idea is to get the right size so that that there is just a slight vacuum between pulses and the exhaust gains a big momentum (it doesn't matter in turbos because the pulses have already been compressed in the pre-turbo section of the exhaust). Most factory exhaust have their sweet-spot tuned for fuel-efficiency, which coincidentally is fairly close to what you want for good torque at a complete stop (because the fuel-efficiency of the engine is the lowest when moving your vehicle from a completely stop). What does this have to do with after market exhausts? Well most of the time they're built to produce the most +HP... and most cars produce their peek HP in the higher RPM ranges, so most of the time aftermarket exhausts will gain you HP on paper, but if you sat at a traffic light with your former unmodified car it would blow away because the new exhaust wouldn't have as much low end power.
My advice to you
Don't even bother with trying to make your car faster...
take that $600 and buy some driving lessons (no I'm completely serious), an educated driver offers the biggest bang for the buck when stacked up against ANY car modification.
I used to auto-x when I was in college. I had my modified WRX, there was another guy with a WRX that had about $30K worth of upgrades including a JDM drive train swap, there was a guy with a modified Audi S4, Camaros, A (real) Integra Type-R... and do you know who always walked away with the best time out of EVERYONE there..
..some schmuck in a late 80 ford escort that barely passed state inspection nevermind tech inspection. ZERO modification, it was rusted out, balding tires etc. The guy was just an amazing driver, he knew when to shift, when to brake, when to accelerate, and he completely OWNED 100s of 1000s of dollars worth of performance vehicles.
I remember one time the guy with the highly tuned WRX let him take it around the course one time... ONE LAP he beat the WRX owners best time by a clean 8 seconds.
That's just my personal opinion, a good solid driving background is something you can take with you no matter which car you drive, and while it might not help you in a straight line, it will improve your performance in nearly every other driving scenario. Not to mention with a good base training you'll have something to build on to so you can keep teaching yourself more and more, essentially for free.
If you ARE hell bent on just buying parts though, I'd say some suspension upgrades would probably be more enjoyable then anything you could do to the engine for $600... Some new springs and sway bars, maybe some cheap strut tower braces will make it feel like a brand new sports car, and being that it's a Jetta it will take to those kinds of modifications much much better then any kind of engine modifications.
I'd also recommend checking out vwvortex.com I'm sure you could gather a whole lot of experience from others that have bought upgrades... what worked / what didn't for them.
Post by: Granulated on January 10, 2007, 08:55:00 AM
Fast
Reliable
Pick two.
I drive a modded Saturn, and unfortunetly, I picked none.
Save the jetta for the DD and get something quick from the factory.
Post by: Rylinkus on January 10, 2007, 05:16:00 PM
QUOTE(VerbalVenom @ Jan 10 2007, 12:08 AM)
QFMFT
Dude, I had to look that one up.
Post by: VerbalVenom on January 10, 2007, 05:49:00 PM
QUOTE(Rylinkus @ Jan 10 2007, 09:23 PM)
Dude, I had to look that one up.
LOL, I guess QFT would have been easier
Post by: Rylinkus on January 10, 2007, 06:46:00 PM
QUOTE(VerbalVenom @ Jan 11 2007, 01:56 AM)
LOL, I guess QFT would have been easier
Yeah, I saw F and M and was thinking of some combo of QFT and RTFM. I was totally lost.
Post by: Modderxtrordanare on January 10, 2007, 08:03:00 PM
QUOTE(Rylinkus @ Jan 10 2007, 07:53 PM)
Yeah, I saw F and M and was thinking of some combo of QFT and RTFM. I was totally lost.
Wow, I must swear alot. Because I could tell he meant mother fucking.