Mk2 Golf GTI - Best engine mods to get 150+ bhp?

[MookMonster]

Two of us are doing the Scumball www.scumball.co.uk which goes from Donington to the Nurburgring in July. 1,000 miles in a car that has to be worth less than £1000 all in.

We've bought a well beaten up 1989 Scirocco Scala, which has got a mint engine - the same as the Mk2 Golf GTI - 1.8 injection.

Apart from upgrading the cam to something like a Piper Ultra Road cam and adding a cold air intake and a stainless exhaust, does anyone have any suggestions as to other, bolt on mods we can do to the car. We need to get over 150 bhp so we can get above the 200 bhp per tonne mark (we're completely stripping the interior).

Thanks in advance.

[edc]

Easiest way is to swap for the 2L bottom end. Loads of posts about this on various VW sites.

[Fat Audi 80]

Is it a valver? They have 140 straight out of the box. IIRC I think the bottom ends are slighly different so you can't just put the head etc on an 8v....

Cheers,

Steve

[_Batty_]

if its a k-Jet (16v motor only) then the filter has to stay, but as it has 140 from the box its aready a nippy car...
if its a digifan (8v with a few exceptions) the you can change the filter chip etc, but you'll still only be knocking on the door of a 16v standard power..

[iguana]

150+bhp from an 8v you will stuggle on a budget, easily posible with 16v for small dosh, as if thats yr target even pretty much stock valvers can hit it & with 2L bottom & flowed head & proper set up will well exceed it.

However, 200bhp/tonne would be going some, car won't be quite as light as perhaps you think if you weigh it even with everything stripped.

If you wanna get more grunt from the 8v= 2L bottom end, not big bhp gain but much more usable midrange, next steps= flowed head, cam.

>> Edited by iguana on Wednesday 1st March 01:25

[Iceboy]

Add a larger Audi throttle body to all that has already been mentioned.

Other than that I have to agree if it is a 8v then you have to spend a lot of money, saying that it can be made a very useable nippy car with all the items already mentioned.

Other than that an engine swap might be just as cheap. 2.0-16v from a mk3. 150 out the box.

Ice

[MookMonster]

Thanks for all the feedback guys. We've now started looking for a Mk3 2.0 16V engine to replace the 1.8 8V engine that's in the car and will tweak the 16V engine that a bit with new fast street cams, exhaust, cold air intake and a couple of other goodies to hopefully get it up to around the 170+ mark.

Will the Mk3 2.0 16V engine fit straight into the Mk2 Golf GTI? OK, so it's a Scirocco, but the mounts are exactly the same.

[Iceboy]

20-16v motor will make a pretty shifty motor.

Logon to performancevwmag.com

There is alot of knowledge there. They helped me with all my GTI's mk1's and mk2's.

Have fun.....even in standard form they will suprise a much bigger engined car.

Iceboy

[iguana]

I'd not really bother with the cams, flowed head= bigger gains for less £

Are you gunna run on K jet or the Mk3, I'd advise using 16v mk2 k jet, easier & cheaper to set up, as remapping the Mk3 gubbins is not cheap, tho its is v effective if done properly. Either way 170+bhp easy, & 180+ on RRs that are considered a bit optimistic.

[MookMonster]

Thanks - will look into the gas flowing, although we'll have to get someone to do that for us (to get it done properly) whereas we're happy stripping the head and fitting the cams etc. which we can get for not too much money.

Another question though, does the Mk3 2.0 16V block have the same mounting points as the Mk2 1.8 8V?

[alextgreen]

My standard 16v makes 150 BHP

[iguana]

MookMonster said:

Thanks - will look into the gas flowing, although we'll have to get someone to do that for us (to get it done properly) whereas we're happy stripping the head and fitting the cams etc. which we can get for not too much money. Another question though, does the Mk3 2.0 16V block have the same mounting points as the Mk2 1.8 8V?

Well yes head will have to be done pro, waste of time trying to do it yourself.

Mount points are all same as far as im aware.


My head-

[alextgreen]

That's quite sexy for a big old lump of tin

[Tripps]

Iceboy said:

Have fun.....even in standard form they will suprise a much bigger engined car.

Oh

It's amazing/scary how much the extra lard and electrical toys that cars have been given have made more poweful cars such unexciting performers, both in terms of feedback and ground-covering ability, compared to something as humble as a Mk1 or Mk2 - there is nothing to beat light weight and accomplished handling that's for sure.

My Mk2 only has, what 115bhp, but it can stand tall against some very powerful machinery and more importantly be a gas to hustle along

[MookMonster]

That's kind of why we chose the Scirocco That, and the fact that we managed to get it for next to nothing on eBay.

By the time we rip out all the unnecessary stuff like seats, fuel tank, wheels and suspension, it should be a flyer...

[neil_cardiff]

Tripps said:

Iceboy said: Have fun.....even in standard form they will suprise a much bigger engined car. Oh It's amazing/scary how much the extra lard and electrical toys that cars have been given have made more poweful cars such unexciting performers, both in terms of feedback and ground-covering ability, compared to something as humble as a Mk1 or Mk2 - there is nothing to beat light weight and accomplished handling that's for sure. My Mk2 only has, what 115bhp, but it can stand tall against some very powerful machinery and more importantly be a gas to hustle along

Even my Mk3 2.0 16v in standard guise suprised Dazren (Porsche Turbo 996 X50) when we went for a blat.

His first words when we pulled up were: (and Alex you've met him so you know he isn't impressed that much)

"Cor, that shifts along alright...."

Spent the whole morning harassing him and a Noble M12 up, in and around the Mendips.

I'm now considering my options for some extra G's...



>> Edited by neil_cardiff on Friday 10th March 11:45

>> Edited by neil_cardiff on Friday 10th March 11:46

[Tripps]

neil_cardiff said:

Even my Mk3 2.0 16v in standard guise suprised Dazren (Porsche Turbo 996 X50) when we went for a blat.

Did the same to ncs and his Griff 500, his comment "I thought you were going to rear-end me", as around the twisties I could gain ground really well.

To be fair is was damp and ncs had bald rear tyres (as well as head ), but to keep up with something with that much grunt is quite something, best of all though it that it wasn't at all hair or near the limit, the rear was steerable and the drive a blast

[edc]

MookMonster said:

That's kind of why we chose the Scirocco That, and the fact that we managed to get it for next to nothing on eBay. By the time we rip out all the unnecessary stuff like seats, fuel tank, wheels and suspension, it should be a flyer...

It will have to fly, there won't be any wheels to roll on lol

[zcacogp]

edc said:

MookMonster said: That's kind of why we chose the Scirocco That, and the fact that we managed to get it for next to nothing on eBay. By the time we rip out all the unnecessary stuff like seats, fuel tank, wheels and suspension, it should be a flyer... It will have to fly, there won't be any wheels to roll on lol

No wheels, no fuel tank, no seats to sit on ... man, you'll have an engine and nothing else. How will you get this to the Nurburgring?

Seriously, you will struggle to get big power from that engine. Either swap it, or consider serious weight reduction. I took alot of stuff out of my (standard) Mk2 Golf 8v for a track day recently, and was very pleasantly surprised by the performance gain. (And less weight buys you handling and braking as well.)


Oli.