Next most bang for buck upgrade

TDIMIG

TDIMIG

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2001 Jetta 5 spd
What im looking for is the next upgrade that will give me the most bang for the buck? The RC3 and injectors well worth every penny, having said that- I believe IV done all the “must do first” mods everything from here on gets more expensive. What’s my next step for more HP and tq?

2001 90 hp Jetta 5spd current setup:
pp520
G60 clutch
RC 3
Boost valve

Also does anyone have an educated guess on what my current setup output is?
 
Ed's TDI

Ed's TDI

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You're correct in stating that it gets more expensive from here on in. The first 50-70 hp are the easiest and least expensive to get. After that, it becomes more and more costly for less power gains.

Your next step seems to be a turbo upgrade. Your choices depend on how much more you want from your car. If you simply want a bit more power with a slightly bigger turbo able to run higher boost levels safer, then a vnt17 would be a straight-forward upgrade that should fit your needs. If you want to make a lot more power, you may want to look at a vnt20 or bigger, although this won't be a simple plug'n'play setup (although Kerma's vnt20 kit is pretty close!) and you'll be in need of an ECU remap afterwards, whereas you could probably keep running the RC3 with a vnt17.
 
Souzafone

Souzafone

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I'm in the same boat. I'm just figuring to do normal repairs and upgrade in the process. When the weather warms up I'll "fix" the exhaust.
 
NathanMSL

NathanMSL

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doc_m said:
how about a FMIC?
Click to expand...

Definately get a fmic. Your car runs downt the road under constant boost and continuously heat soaks that little smic. You'll get a nice bump in fuel economy, and your power will stay with you longer. But if your upgrading the turbo then you don't want to match the fmic with the old turbo.

Its amazing how one little statement like, I want a bigger turbo, leads to a new intercooler, connecting rods, exhaust, pistons, intake manifold, exhaust manifold, head studs, PD150 longblock, VNTbigger. :D Well you get the idea, good luck with the upgrades.
 
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pdxgrease

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yeah get an intercooler because your turbo will wear out soon enough anyway. Then you will HAVE to get one but wont want to spend the money on an intercooler. See my "logic". By already having the upgraded intercooler you will all stylin for the inevitable turbo failure. Just wear that puppy out and squeeze every bit of juice out of it and get a vnt 20.

i would guess your current output is 135ish hp and 250ish ft lbs.

I had a vnt 17 and RC4 with PP520's and ended up wishing I had gotten the 20. Maybe i'm greedy. Everyone says a 20 with aligator is pretty fast.

The only cheap things you can do are, exhaust mods, breathing mods, and bigger injectors.
 
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DbLog

DbLog

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Install a lift pump. Helps fuel delivery during high rpm's, makes changing a fuel filter a breeze, and if you get up north during the winter your car will start easier.
 
TDIMIG

TDIMIG

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pdxgrease said:
yeah get an intercooler because your turbo will wear out soon enough anyway. Then you will HAVE to get one but wont want to spend the money on an intercooler. See my "logic". By already having the upgraded intercooler you will all stylin for the inevitable turbo failure. Just wear that puppy out and squeeze every bit of juice out of it and get a vnt 20.

i would guess your current output is 135ish hp and 250ish ft lbs.

I had a vnt 17 and RC4 with PP520's and ended up wishing I had gotten the 20. Maybe i'm greedy. Everyone says a 20 with aligator is pretty fast.

The only cheap things you can do are, exhaust mods, breathing mods, and bigger injectors.
Click to expand...
OK, so what are the gains with a VNT17 vs. a VNT 20? Trying to decide which one to get and will a FMIC be necessary for the 17? Guess if it helps to say what my goal is... to be able to beat some of the local rides - mostly hondas and nissans that are 200-270hp range.

I read somwhere that a VNT17 puts you at 175 hp at 22psi is this correct? what does the VNT20 rate?
 
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pdxgrease

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A lot of the ppl that have 20's now had a 17 to start with. Tell you something? The 20 is a more capable turbo. Now would be a good time to contact kerma as he is knowledgble on this subject. Talk to him about your power goals.
 
oldpoopie

oldpoopie

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Also remember that the added from a bigger turbo wont give power alone, you need more fuel as well.
 
Mike_04GolfTDI

Mike_04GolfTDI

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doc_m said:
how about a FMIC?
Click to expand...
That's what I was going to say...

A larger intercooler will help when you're putting higher pressure, and more volume of air through the system. (Higher pressure air is hotter, and there's more of it than the original system was designed to deal with).

I would do this before getting a larger turbo, because once you upgrade the turbo, the stock intercooler will be even more undersized...
 
J

Justler

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Is there a need to go to the 11mm pump from a 10mm manual when doing a vnt20, or is the fuel delivery from the 10mm sufficient enough at high enough pressure?

If it's not needed, is it really worth the extra $1k for a remanufactured 11mm pump?
 
TDIMIG

TDIMIG

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What about NOS ? iv seen alot of posts mentioning NOS but i dont see anyone who has used it localy only in the UK. Anyone know where I can get a NOS kit made for the 1.9 here in the us?
 
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pdxgrease

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NOS is so not the next mod for u. Maybe once you are at the edge and you need that little bit extra. Lets say you are at 210hp and you want 230hp for racing. The UK cars are all modded to the 9's.
 
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alphaseinor

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Seriously, to run with the locals around here (depending on the locals of course lol)... Here's the shopping list:

Get the skidplate (I think we talked about this...)

1) VNT-20... Kerma has them and the modified oil housing to work with our cars.
2) FMIC... Eurojet, or just make your own...
3) PD150 intake path, or a custom fabbed job
4) 3" (or higher) Exhaust... no muffler, or cat
5) Taller 1-2, 3-4, and get a .681 or 658 5th.
6) get an LSD of some sort (someone chime in here)
7) RC5 or do the alligator route and get it tuned until you are happy...
8) Stage 3 clutch... lots of chatter, and will most likely need to be replaced in 50,000 miles
9) get a set of victoracers on your wheels

That's where you need to be to kill the turbo VTEC people... you should already be able to keep up with them from 80-100... now let's just bring that down to 0-100+ and every speed combo in between...

Once you are in this modded range, you should be able to start looking at the higher performance cars... stock-cammed mustangs... G35s, etc...
 
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alphaseinor

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pdxgrease said:
..... and thats when you can think about nos.
Click to expand...
LOL, or a bore and stroke...
 
TDIMIG

TDIMIG

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alphaseinor

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Nitrous Oxide is an oxidizer (much like oxygen), essentially it turns your combustion chamber into a rocket as in... you have Fuel and Oxidizer in a rocket... this is a different class than some people here should be talking about.

Yes, you can run a nitrous oxide shot... My only concern about Nitrous is the amount of timing that needs to be retarded. Your EGTs will go through the roof. I suppose you can drop the mechanical timing to the lower part of your timing graph, but since you have RC3... that's still going to be quite a bit of timing for Nitrous...

If you want to go with a shot of nitrous, you need to start with like a "sneeky pete" style 20 shot... if that doesn't blow up your car, then you can always go up a notch... I just hate to see someone blow up an engine.


Maybe you can talk to the Wizards of NOS and see if they have a suggested kit for your car... with the mods that are in there.

The advantage here is your car is overfueling, especially at WOT... which will help.

I can't state this enough... NEVER run a wet shot before a gasket... only a dry shot... unless you like to see your engine compartment covered in shrapnel. Another reason not to run a wet shot is the point where the nitrous, being liquid, can bend your rods in a hydrolock situation.

My 2 cents... it's worth a "shot" and I am really quite curious... since no one over here seems to have done it yet...

BTW... like the new avatar...
 
KERMA

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You are way wrong about almost every point you make here. What you say may be true for gassers but it does not apply to our diesels.

Nitrous is the best thing you can do to your diesel. The only risk of using too much is you will simply put out the fire. (car will stall) Nitrous lowers EGT, you don't need to concern yourself with timing, you can't blow anything up.

alphaseinor said:
Nitrous Oxide is an oxidizer (much like oxygen), essentially it turns your combustion chamber into a rocket as in... you have Fuel and Oxidizer in a rocket... this is a different class than some people here should be talking about.

Yes, you can run a nitrous oxide shot... My only concern about Nitrous is the amount of timing that needs to be retarded. Your EGTs will go through the roof. I suppose you can drop the mechanical timing to the lower part of your timing graph, but since you have RC3... that's still going to be quite a bit of timing for Nitrous...

If you want to go with a shot of nitrous, you need to start with like a "sneeky pete" style 20 shot... if that doesn't blow up your car, then you can always go up a notch... I just hate to see someone blow up an engine.


Maybe you can talk to the Wizards of NOS and see if they have a suggested kit for your car... with the mods that are in there.

The advantage here is your car is overfueling, especially at WOT... which will help.

I can't state this enough... NEVER run a wet shot before a gasket... only a dry shot... unless you like to see your engine compartment covered in shrapnel. Another reason not to run a wet shot is the point where the nitrous, being liquid, can bend your rods in a hydrolock situation.

My 2 cents... it's worth a "shot" and I am really quite curious... since no one over here seems to have done it yet...

BTW... like the new avatar...
Click to expand...
 
A

alphaseinor

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alphaseinor

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TDIMIG

TDIMIG

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2001 Jetta 5 spd
This is great! The more folks get into this thread its more likely we will find the facts about NOS in our rides. So anyone have any leads on someone doing this here in the USA?
 
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alphaseinor

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'03 Jetta TDI 780,000 miles (totaled out), 01 Audi TT 225 Quattro 230,000 Miles (runs great!), 00 Cabreetle Beetle dash, ALH & MK4 harness Swap
I guess we'll find out when I have the cash to order it... I hate being the lab mouse... but hey that's what leaders do...
 
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