# Noobs quest to understand the vw engine



## Kingchris401 (Aug 14, 2011)

Hey, I'm just gonna go out and say I'm as noob as it gets when it comes to types of vw engines...

So maybe someone can skool me?? 

I just wanna know the basics really. Whats fast, whats not. That kind of thing.


----------



## Germanese (Feb 3, 2012)

I think this is their slower engines: 
*2.0L 8-valve, 4 cylinder engine, Inline-4 SOHC, 115 hp* 
It can be found currently in the Base model 2012 Jetta i think 
Slow Sluggish but very fuel economical, Cheap and it will do its job, gets you from point A to B and back. 
------------- 

Their next level engine peppier and 1 extra cylinder: 
*2.5L 20-valve, 5 cylinder engine, Inline-5 DOHC, 170 hp* 
Little more peppier than the 2.0L but is able to keep the fuel economy the same. 
Might be a nice base to build something of from since it is an inline-5 
-------------- 

This is the first steps into sports cars i believe: 
*2.0L TSI 16-vavle, 4 cylinder engine w/ turbo, Inline-4 DOHC, 200-hp* 
Its a inline 4 with Turbo and DOHC. Can be found in many models labeled as sport. 
Its almost in any high end car that still uses 4 Cyl and wants to have fun with feel economy. 
GTI Golfs GLI Jettas And EOS CC Passats. its a Fun Motor very capable of fun !!! 
---------------- 

This is their Big stuff in the sedan world: 
*3.6L 24-valve, 6 cylinder engine, narrow-angle V6 DOHC with FSI® direct injection, 280 hp* 
Most powerfull motor and fast i suppose. If paired up with the correct transmission. 
But also the heavier motor for bigger cars. 

That's from Base(Slow) to PowerHouse(Fast) 
All motors also depend on transmission and Chassis that the motor is in. 
Since VW stuffs some of the same engines in multiple cars with different trim level. 

Also keep in mind VW motors crank out HP at a lower RPM compared to Hondas.


----------



## sdtouimet (Feb 5, 2012)

seriously... vw got , in 50 years+ more than 3-4 engines.... 

did you want to know the most famous engines of vw , used for swaps, ? or just somebody who will write you the brochure of vw models 2012?


----------



## Germanese (Feb 3, 2012)

Hey I just gave them a run down of the newest engines. Atleast i am trying and starting things.
I am also coming from the Honda side, so when it comes to the older ones i have no idea what is what, Either.

And since i was also over whelmed by what was better also,
I think this is a starting point somewhere for him to understand what they do to offset the power and cylinder power. with out Vtec. Besides 50+ years of motors can probably fill up a book, so you welcome to fill in the rest.

And i don't think I did anything wrong SERIOUSLY !!! Gehhz


----------



## GoFaster (Jun 18, 1999)

The question is pretty vague.

For the most part, VW are designed as ordinary family cars, not sports cars. (But the same is true of Honda ...) So most of the engines they have built, have been run-of-the-mill.

VW has a long, long, LONG history, and they've made numerous variations of every design over the years.

The large majority of VW engines are ordinary, 4-cylinder, single overhead cam driven by a timing belt, two valve per cylinder engines - absolutely nothing remarkable whatsoever. The base 2.0 engine in the current Jetta fits this mold. It can trace its history all the way back to the earliest VW water-cooled 4-cylinder engines in the early 1970's. Most of these have been completely pedestrian in their performance. But, it has to be remembered that the engine in the original VW Golf GTI was an engine of this type, because they didn't build anything else.

The first VW water-cooled engine that didn't fit that mold, was the 2.8 litre VR6 from 1993. VW was starting to build larger cars and they wanted something with more power. But none of their vehicles would allow an engine physically larger than the inline-four. In particular, the engine compartments weren't long enough to accommodate a traditional V6. So they designed a combination of a V6 and an inline-6 that fit in scarcely more space than an inline-four. This approach had some other problems, but that's another matter. Eventually this engine became the 24-valve VR6 and that has been replaced by larger-displacement variations, 3.2 and 3.6 litres.

Also in the early 1990's, a 16-valve DOHC version of the 2.0 litre 4 cylinder engine was produced.

The late 1990's brought the 1.8T, 5 valves per cylinder, turbocharged. Several variations of this engine followed over the years, between 150 and 225 hp as original equipment. These engines can be heavily modified to make around twice their original power if you do the right things ...

More recently, VW has been moving towards direct-injection and turbocharging. Various acronyms including FSI, TFSI, and TSI all denote direct-injection engines. Direct-injection is not compatible with the 5-valve-per-cylinder arrangement of the 1.8T, so that engine's successor, the 2.0T (short form for 2.0 TFSI or 2.0 TSI) uses 4 valves per cylinder. There have been different versions of that engine - early model using a timing belt, current one using a timing chain, and there is a new one coming next year with further refinements.

Don't ignore VW's diesel engines, either. Although they don't start out with much power, it's possible to double the stock output by doing the right things. These have also gone through evolution - from the original prechamber-type indirect-injection, to the first TDI with electronically-controlled mechanical distributor-type injection pump, to "pumpe-duse" in which each cylinder has its own electronically-controlled pump-nozzle assembly, to the current common-rail engines.

Now ... clarify the question to identify what is of interest!


----------



## Kingchris401 (Aug 14, 2011)

Well you have all been helpful really. I only thought there were a good handful of engines... I had no idea there were a boat load! I am just always looking for a dub with some good power without going balls out (for instance an r32 with a turbo, intake, and exhaust). I knew vw was generally slower than most, but I also knew there were cars like the r32 and such, that have some good power to start and don't take much to get going. Thing is, I'm not rich... :laugh:. I know a good bit about chevy engines. So I was just looking to gain a little knowledge about vw too. 

What's the difference between the r32 and other vr6's? It seems like it would be easier to get just a vr6 and mod it. I was reading in another forum:facepalm: where some people were debating between the 1.8t and the vr6. They said the 1.8t responds better to upgrades where as the vr6 doesn't, but has more power to start with... 

It's easy for me to ramble on about different stuff. So feel free to answer what you want. Maybe I'm just getting in way over my head too quick... I don't know.



> Also keep in mind VW motors crank out HP at a lower RPM compared to Hondas.


That is good to know!



> Don't ignore VW's diesel engines, either. Although they don't start out with much power, it's possible to double the stock output by doing the right things.


:what: How do you do that?!?!?? That would be fun! Rollin' coal in a diesel caddy with stacks! That would be a german country boy's dream!!:laugh:

Thanks tho everyone!


----------



## GoFaster (Jun 18, 1999)

The R32 uses a 3.2 litre VR6 with 4 valves per cylinder. The "normal" VR6 was a 2.8 litre.

Keep in mind that a VR6 in the nose of a Golf-class vehicle results in a nose-heavy situation.

It will kinda help to know what sort of vehicle you are looking at and what your budget is.

Any turbo engine is easier to hot-rod than any normally-aspirated engine ... because you can change the boost pressure, improve the intercooling, etc.

To double the power of a TDI (excluding the 2009-onward models) ... Bigger turbo, bigger injectors, ECU programming is the basic starting point. You will need a stronger clutch. Beyond this, if you go into the engine and put in modified pistons with a larger combustion chamber (i.e. lower compression ratio) then you can run even higher boost pressure before the cylinder head starts lifting and blows the head gasket. I know of a crazy rotary-pump (2003 and before) TDI that is in progress right now, 16:1 compression, enormous injectors, two-stage turbocharging running approx 35 psi boost pressure, huge intercooler, modified ECU, late model 6-speed transmission with a stronger clutch, etc. Right now it's in a front-drive '97 Passat wagon that looks like a grocery getter, and it lights up the front tires in third gear. The car is being converted to 4motion, because with front-drive only, there is not even a remote possibility of having enough grip.

Normally when you look under the hood and see a fancy cold-air intake, you probably have a pretender, because late model VW's all have this from the factory, and the late model (Mk5 onward) cars that are turbocharged already have a huge front-mount intercooler, too. But when that intake pipe has another turbocharger in it ... ! ! !


----------



## bigred324 (Feb 13, 2012)

What are you looking for? I drive an 01 green beetle that I get laughed at in, until I make them eat dust. I did an APR ecu tune and it is plenty fast for me. If you are looking for a drag car, then Idk, but if you are looking for some autocrossing well then that is completely different. What are you trying to do?


----------



## Kingchris401 (Aug 14, 2011)

I'd say 70% drag and 30% autocross and everyday stuff, mostly because there is a drag strip pretty close to me that I frequent. I would love to get beaten by a new bug haha. Total sleeper car right there! :beer:


----------



## LaneGTI8V (Jan 31, 2006)

*VW Watercooled*

Really my all time favorite is a VR6 12V with big cam and all the goodies in a mk1 or 2, watching those Chevy or Honda boys crap themselves when you fly by is priceless.


----------



## LaneGTI8V (Jan 31, 2006)

*also*

Also VW does make a V12 and V8 engines, it's all about what you can imagine and then engineer.


----------



## K.Achilles (Oct 10, 2021)

Germanese said:


> I think this is their slower engines:
> *2.0L 8-valve, 4 cylinder engine, Inline-4 SOHC, 115 hp*
> It can be found currently in the Base model 2012 Jetta i think
> Slow Sluggish but very fuel economical, Cheap and it will do its job, gets you from point A to B and back.
> ...


Why would my 2015 Jetta S have a different look to the engine than it's stock engine....it looks like one I found in a 2011. It doesn't have the ts1 cover it has the vw emblem and then the 4 cylinder valves come down off the emblem, kinda looks like a octopus a little lol.


----------



## Richardbenrider (Oct 12, 2021)

Germanese said:


> I think this is their slower engines:
> *2.0L 8-valve, 4 cylinder engine, Inline-4 SOHC, 115 hp*
> It can be found currently in the Base model 2012 Jetta i think
> Slow Sluggish but very fuel economical, Cheap and it will do its job, gets you from point A to B and back.
> ...


Informative Information..I learned a lot.


----------

