The best TDI to mod in the U.S.?

WHIFF

Active member
Joined
May 13, 2006
Location
Montgomery, AL
TDI
2006 Jetta TDI (PD)
Golf_GTDI said:
Your right Whiff... you will run the 1/4 faster and you will haul more. Then again those are two things that I'm not all that interested in. One thing I am interested in however is real world rally style performance. Hows your truck do with that?
Never seen one. Probably because it was taking place behind me in a cloud of incredibly dark black smoke. I'm not fast and furious enough for that kind of thing. :D
 

hutchman

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 6, 2005
Location
Virginia
TDI
2006 Jetta TDI Pkg 1, 5 Spd, Graphite Blue / 2002 Jetta GLS, Black w/tan leather
Guess I should get some Depends and keep them in the back for the unsuspecting passenger :)

Golf_GTDI said:
Sprint 520s and an RC2 with a boost valve will get you very close to those numbers without a need for a new clutch (should not anyway unless its toast prior). You should not loose any economy and will all but pee yourself with glee every time you drive the car.
 

hutchman

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 6, 2005
Location
Virginia
TDI
2006 Jetta TDI Pkg 1, 5 Spd, Graphite Blue / 2002 Jetta GLS, Black w/tan leather
I've seen some TDI's that could do 14s and I think they could probably give you a run for your money! Yea, you got a lot of power and torque but you also weigh over twice as much too!

WHIFF said:
Never seen one. Probably because it was taking place behind me in a cloud of incredibly dark black smoke. I'm not fast and furious enough for that kind of thing. :D
 

sneak

Member
Joined
May 16, 2006
hutchman said:
Yea, you got a lot of power and torque but you also weigh over twice as much too!
How much do you guy's weigh?

Edit: My 2002 F350 4x4, Crewcab, shortbox, with an auto and a 7.3L Navistar Diesel weighs in at over 8700 pounds. It has pulled a trailer that weighed in at 11 and a half tons...:cool:



And it still goes zero to sixty in less than 9 seconds! :D
 
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nicklockard

Torque Dorque
Joined
Aug 15, 2004
Location
Arizona
TDI
SOLD 2010 Touareg Tdi w/factory Tow PCKG
sneak said:
Oh yea... and it tops out at 134 miles per hour...
Hmmm, Last summer I was going to visit a forum brother in Bend for a GTG. Crossing over the Cascades, I was on the last long uphill climb where gassers really fall by the wayside, all of them. This is at 4000 ft (east of summit of the pass, not the highest point).

So I'm going up this hill and floor it. I'm at 80 accelerating like a banshee uphill when a built F350 diesel decided to race me. We were neck and neck until I cracked 110 mph and decidedly pulled away.

I'm having a hard time believing you can push that 8700 lb vehicle, which may have an aerodynamic Cd of 0.8 or 0.9 to 134 mph, but it's certainly possible. How many WHP does it generate?
 

WHIFF

Active member
Joined
May 13, 2006
Location
Montgomery, AL
TDI
2006 Jetta TDI (PD)
hutchman said:
I've seen some TDI's that could do 14s and I think they could probably give you a run for your money! Yea, you got a lot of power and torque but you also weigh over twice as much too!
I could probably do 15 seconds towing your TDI on a flat-bed.
Can your TDI tow my truck?;)



sneak said:
How much do you guy's weigh?

Edit: My 2002 F350 4x4, Crewcab, shortbox, with an auto and a 7.3L Navistar Diesel weighs in at over 8700 pounds. It has pulled a trailer that weighed in at 11 and a half tons...:cool:



And it still goes zero to sixty in less than 9 seconds! :D
Thought the '02 was the Powerstroke. I've got one in my Excursion. Gets 20 MPG and does 0-60 in about 10 seconds. Not bad for a 4-ton+ diesel with just a chip reprogrammer
 

nicklockard

Torque Dorque
Joined
Aug 15, 2004
Location
Arizona
TDI
SOLD 2010 Touareg Tdi w/factory Tow PCKG
Yeah, well....

We can go 0-750 miles without stopping. Can your fancy truck do that?:p
 

scrubber

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 27, 2004
Location
Happy Valley, OR
TDI
2012 Touareg TDI
nicklockard said:
Yeah, well....

We can go 0-750 miles without stopping. Can your fancy truck do that?:p
Excursions have a 44 gallon tank, so 750 miles doesn't seem like
too much of a stretch.
 

SpamJ

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 6, 2001
Location
Cable, MN
TDI
Jetta Wagon 2002 Silver
Ok, how about 750 miles and 45 dollars worth of Diesel (I get to say this because I have both).

$75 dollars and the pump shuts off, "Is that all I need?" No, the credit card limit has been reached.

Had my SD up to over 100 MPH, I'm surprised that you can get over 130 MPH. Wouldn't that be above redline? 70 MPH is 2 grand and the redline is 3400 or so. Could be rear ends and different transmissions I guess.
 

hutchman

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 6, 2005
Location
Virginia
TDI
2006 Jetta TDI Pkg 1, 5 Spd, Graphite Blue / 2002 Jetta GLS, Black w/tan leather
WHIFF said:
I could probably do 15 seconds towing your TDI on a flat-bed.
Can your TDI tow my truck?;)
Well, now since your going to be like that ... yea, my car can tow your truck ... not do the 1/4 in 15 sec. though.

When I (Ahemm) get my motor back together I should have about 260 ft. lbs. of torque and still get very close or right at 50 MPG. That is getting close to the torque of my F-150 (which is around 315 I think ... I know I can hear you laughing).

I wish I had a big bad diesel truck but I just have a 4.6V8 gasser that might see a hair over 18 MPG on the Hwy.
 

hutchman

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 6, 2005
Location
Virginia
TDI
2006 Jetta TDI Pkg 1, 5 Spd, Graphite Blue / 2002 Jetta GLS, Black w/tan leather
arvina said:
dang look at all that smoke!
From the truck or all the eye candy adds around the video link?
 

hutchman

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 6, 2005
Location
Virginia
TDI
2006 Jetta TDI Pkg 1, 5 Spd, Graphite Blue / 2002 Jetta GLS, Black w/tan leather
sneak said:
How much do you guy's weigh?
Around 2,300 I think. [update] Specs. on Edmunds.com says a 02 Jetta GLS TDI is 3009 lbs. curb weight.
 
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SpamJ

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 6, 2001
Location
Cable, MN
TDI
Jetta Wagon 2002 Silver
3300 on a gls 2002 wagon
7500 on the PS LB CC
I weigh 212 lbs

Sam
 

jester69

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 17, 2004
Location
Missouri, estatos unidos
I think the best one to mod is the 1999.5 or 2000 golf GL 2 door hatchback. Second best is 1999.5 or 2000 golf gl or gls 4 door.

After that i'd go with a 2001 or 2002 Golf GL 2 door, or 4 door.

They were made in germany in 99.5 and 2000. The gl 2 doors had crank windows and NO extra stuff getting the curb weight down around 2600, with some padding removal I'm sure you could get below 2500.

Germany is a good thing, they have a much higer build quality than 1st or 2nd year brazilian or mexican production. third year maybe, fourth year they were at PD anyway. Friend has a 2000 golf 2.0. German car, mexican engine. Guess what, it has been a flawless car but the engine smokes, clatters, snorts and generally acts like it has asthma and a bad limp. 2000 tdi's still got the german engine in the german car.

All Golfs 2001 and newer are latin american origin. I think the wagons were made in germany, but those are not light vehicles, particularly when compared to a 2dr golf gl.

You have the lower weight and added stiffness of a 2 door, and all the GTI bits you can get your hands on will fit exactly. Us 4 door guys have to use a mixture of GLI and GTI bits due to the 4 door nature of the beast.

If I were a modder, and had to buy newer than 2000, I'd insist on a 2 door with manual windows, as south american VW's aren't known for their wiring IMHO.

After that you have a 2003 2 or 4 door golf, but power windows only. Finally in 2004 they start the PD, which is a powerful engine, but I don't think it will have the longevity of the original style pump, and there are a lot fewer mods available to you.

Hope that helps. All of the pre-PD mk4's are the same as far as what you can do to them, but you will have more fun tossing the 2 door golf around after it is full of go-go juice, sticky tires, and aircraft carrier cable brakes.

I went with the 4 door golf as it is far more practical, and I like the sunroof and power stuff because I am lazy american like the rest of us. That and it was a good deal when TDI's were beginning to skyrocket in price. If I were in a mode where it was a fun car and didn't need to be practical I would have held out for a two door most likely.

take care,

Jester
 
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WHIFF

Active member
Joined
May 13, 2006
Location
Montgomery, AL
TDI
2006 Jetta TDI (PD)
nicklockard said:
Yeah, well....

We can go 0-750 miles without stopping. Can your fancy truck do that?:p
No, mine only goes about 850. Of course, it takes 50 gallons to do that...:eek:

And that, in a nutshell is the reason I drive a Jetta TDI now...:D
 

sneak

Member
Joined
May 16, 2006
Spamjohnson said:
Ok, how about 750 miles and 45 dollars worth of Diesel (I get to say this because I have both).

$75 dollars and the pump shuts off, "Is that all I need?" No, the credit card limit has been reached.

Had my SD up to over 100 MPH, I'm surprised that you can get over 130 MPH. Wouldn't that be above redline? 70 MPH is 2 grand and the redline is 3400 or so. Could be rear ends and different transmissions I guess.
I have the 4R100 and a 4.10 rear gear. You have the next step higher. 70 for me is about 1750, and yes, just above redline by 100 or 150.
 

NewJettaGuy

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 10, 2003
Location
Fredericksburg, VA
TDI
'04 Passat Sedan
nicklockard said:
Cheap and Tdi you won't find in the same universe.:(
Well, let's put it this way, I could probably sell my 2002 Tdi Jetta for $1,800 more than I bought it for right now. I bought it with 63K on the clock and she's at 98K now. See?
If you sold your car and only asked $1,800 more than what you paid for it, you are cheating yourself.

I recently sold my '03 Jetta with >92k miles for $4,000 more than I owed on it after being approached at a pump and asked if I was interested in selling it...I told him that anything is for sale if the price is right.

He didn't balk at the price I quoted him and even admitted that he didn't think I ripped him off when we did the transaction at our bank (we bank at the same banking institution; he paid cash; I got a bank check to pay it off and got the remainder in crisp Ben Franklins).

I sold the car with all the mods I had installed: VW MFD Navi; RC2 w/ASV; Sprint 520s; low pixel cluster; 5th gear upgrade and a couple of others. Did I lose the money I invested in my mods, I don't think so...

I think is a "sellers market" right now as evidenced by my sale and the fact that if you find a good, used TDI on a dealer's lot, he isn't going to budge much if at all on the price.

Just my $.02 worth.
 

nicklockard

Torque Dorque
Joined
Aug 15, 2004
Location
Arizona
TDI
SOLD 2010 Touareg Tdi w/factory Tow PCKG
Well, I'm holding a deposit on a sale now. I drove it for 1.75 years, put 36,000 miles on it, it needs a clutch in the next 15,000 miles, but I'm selling it for more than I bought it for.

Not bad in my book.

I'll be getting a different Tdi as soon as the money hits the bank.
 

arvina

Veteran Member
Joined
May 4, 2006
Location
Brazoria (or as we call it, an hour south of houst
TDI
2000 Tornado Red Jetta GL TDI 200,000 miles
what are the bad parts of the 99.5 model. this is the first time the jetta 4 style was used so there has to be some bad points. found a great deal on one just wondering what im getting into by buying the first year.
 

nicklockard

Torque Dorque
Joined
Aug 15, 2004
Location
Arizona
TDI
SOLD 2010 Touareg Tdi w/factory Tow PCKG
GP relay is mechanical and prone to break, but can be upgraded with SSR.

GP harness is 2-wire so ECU can not detect individual cylinder GP faults.

Timing belt is (was) either 40K or 60K job, depending on build date.

Other than that I couldn't tell you, but I'm looking at a 99.5 Jetta myself. Made an offer last night. I feel comfortable with them. Good luck.
 

nicklockard

Torque Dorque
Joined
Aug 15, 2004
Location
Arizona
TDI
SOLD 2010 Touareg Tdi w/factory Tow PCKG
GP = glow plug

mechanical relays are older and more failure prone, Solid State Relays (SSR) are newer and not.
 

jester69

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 17, 2004
Location
Missouri, estatos unidos
nicklockard said:
Timing belt is (was) either 40K or 60K job, depending on build date.

Other than that I couldn't tell you.....
The 99.5 I have worked with came with a 60k belt, however, the 130k belt & rollers fit just like on any other mk4.

One year only shifter linkage & shifter assembly. Lots of plastic bits, prone to breakage. Mine broke twice before I put in the 6 speed. I bought a complete unit out of a 6 spd tt, but the box that bolts to the floor might be the same. I dont think that would save you enough to be worth messing with. Since it shifts like crap i'd recommend upgrading to the R32 short shifter and the shifter box & cables from any 2002 up mk4 golf/jetta

Some other interesting facts about the 99.5:

No can bus whatsoever, 2000 had can and K line I believe, but 99.5 is the last of the K line only.

No immobilizer. This is either great or a big pain. Great because VW has all of a sudden forgotten all of the SKC's a pain because now it is fairly easy to bypass this if you need to, & almost all of the good navi and cluster stuff uses can bus.

A K-line cluster uses serial to talk to the high pixel display, so there are lots of homebrew linux applications to talk to it, and a black box that will display OBD stuff on it such as boost, oil temp, etc.

I am sure there are a few more wierdnesses, but that is most of them as far as I recall...

take care,

Jester
 
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