GT2 Performance Increase

[Mark H]

Looking to increase the performance on the GT2.
I know I should have hung on and bought an injection, but the car was a solid base to work from so went with it.
Presently car running well, engine well maintained, running Pierburg carb (no issues to date), stainless free flow exhaust, that's about it.
Looking for cost effective gains, exhaust manifold, cam etc etc.

What do you all recommend before I hit the Parts Wanted section.

Thanks Mark

[mark1gls]

20V turbo engine is a big upgrade.....

[bengould]

20V turbo engine is a big upgrade.....

And a surprisingly small amount of work to get it in.

If your thinking of cams, carb, exhaust, head work etc. £ per Bhp you'd be better off with a 20v turbo.

By the time you've worked an 8v carb'd engine to its max you'd have probably spent more than what it would cost to put a 20v in. The difference being the 8v is then stressed to its limit and a 20v isn't anywhere near it.

Ben.

[Little_bro]

I have a nice abf 2ltr 16v mark if your interested in an engine upgrade plus I've a engine lift you can borrow

Or you could take off the head and bolt it up to a mk3 golf 2ltr 8v block.

[Mark H]

Hi Matt, if you are the next Retrobeutes meet can we chat ??

Mark

[mark1gls]

2ltr block from a Mk3 golf is what will go into my Mk1 Golf once I've rebuilt my head as I do hear good things about the engine block and they are cheap as plenty about.

[Little_bro]

Hi Matt, if you are the next Retrobeutes meet can we chat ??

Mark

yeah I will be at the next meet.

[james butler]

i wanted quicker 0-60 as im not that interested in top end speed.
i have k&n filter which made very little difference but i will never have to change it again.
a 1.4 golf 5 speed box which is great off the line and to 30-45mph.
custom alloy piece that connects my weber 32/34 to the manifold- not only did i open up the passageway to the max it can never split like the crappy rubber ones always do.
change all vacuum pipes for copper up to where they connect where you can use the rubber this supposedly removes the possibilty of the rubber ones collapsing in on themselves under lots of vacuum, seems to work on mine.
smaller diameter wheels- i have 15 inch lensos but the overall diameter of the tyre is smaller giving me another boost off the line with 195/45/15 tyres, (by the way buying the best tires you can afford will increase your performance as you will be able to take corners at faster speeds and get off the line quicker & not sit there spinning your wheels)
make sure your brakes are in good working order, any dragging brakes will slow any car down so a good refurb of the standard brakes will help.
i think the biggest thing that slowed me down when i first had my rocco was how crappy the brakes were and not having the confidence in the car to allow me to go faster encase i couldn't stop.
all of the above would apply if you were going down the turbo route one way or another so if you start with the basics with this engine then if your not satisfied go down the route of putting the turbo unit in.

[jakeb]

Copied from mike h posted a year or so ago.


It really depends on how much you want to spend...

I'd look to upgrade the exhaust when you can. Don't go believing the manufacturers' claims though.

Cheap way...
Injection head and cam (block off the injector holes with pennies), dx dizzy, skim 0.5mm off the head, rejet carb. - 100bhp and 35-40 mpg

Middle way...
As above but get a 270-ish aftermarket cam(£200 new £100 used) instead of the DX one. Rejet the carb for max benefit. 110 bhp and slightly less mpg

Expensive way
As above but 270 cam and ported head (£400 for Std Valves, £1000 for bigger inlet and exhaust valves). 120-130 bhp and 30-35mpg

Really Expensive way
Forged rods and pistons (£1000), Skim head to 12.5:1 Cr and port with larger valves both sides (£1000), 300*cam, solid lifters, longer stronger valve springs, titanium caps (£1000) twin weber 45s, manifold, linkage, trumpets K&Nfilters, etc (£1000). Rebuilt gearbox with LSD (£1000) Rolling road setup (£3-500) 170-180 bhp. 15-20 mpg

Of course you'd get as much power as 'really expensive way' with an ABF, mild cams, and remapped digi management or an aftermarket system like Megasquirt, and still get 30-35 mpg

[jakeb]

I have a gti head sat in the living room waiting for funds to skim and bang on my gt2 ( pennies in injector holes and I am using the manifold and down pipe )

Brought the entire engine for 20 quid so definitely a cheap option, will let you know how it feels after if this is a possibility for you.