'95 VW Jetta III GL

 

What had become my Low-Buck Reliable Parts-Getter is now my SCCA race car


When I bought her from the stealership as a used vehicle she was a 2.0L 8-valve, moon roof, bone stock otherwise.
~45,000 miles
Electric mirrors
No jack

-- Engine/Driveline Changes --

03Feb2003 Dyno results

R&P

3.813

1st

3.455

2nd

2.056

3rd

1.370

4th

1.032

5th

0.805


Why did I do what I did? First, an LSD puts the power to the wheel that has traction. It only makes sense. I think this should be common in any tranny straight from the factory -- or at least offered as an option -- but we only see such forward thinking in the more spendy vehicles. So my daily driving enjoyment factor is boosted, particularly for hard cornering, but also in less grippy situations like wet/icy pavement. The gearing, along with increased engine power output, gives me better acceleration ("off the line" performance) without overly sacrificing highway cruising and gas mileage. If you plug the numbers into my Gearing Analyzer you'll see that my gearing is just a little below the stock mph vs. rpm lines with decent gear spacing and no "fall on my face" 5th gear. This tranny should've been stock in US cars as it definitely gives the car faster (better) acceleration.

-- Interior Changes --

-- Exterior Changes --

-- Etc. --


Idle Air Control mounting fix.

-- SCCA Changes --

Object weight given where known. Total estimated weight savings to date: 112 pounds

Seat bottom

Seat back

40% side

3 pounds

8 pounds

60% side

4 pounds

17 pounds

When I bought her (used) she was sort of dumpy. After establishing a base-line I then began her workout and diet routine to shape her up. Here is her BEFORE* stats:
Conventional engine oil and bone stock (185/60R14 400 tread wear tires)--
Averaged Hp: 82
Averaged 0-60mph: 9.94 seconds

AFTER stats...my work-out regime seems to have worked, as proven below:
Additions as noted above--
Horsepower: 102
Averaged* 0-60mph: Unknown at this time due to new engine and tranny parts.
Highway mileage: 30mpg (was 33mpg with stock tranny)
City mileage: 24mpg.
Weigh: 2600 with ¼ tank of gasoline. Measured on a truck scale.

* Testing, unless otherwise noted, was performed by me alone, on the same stretch of road during dry weather with minor or no wind. Temperature, minor fluctuations in weigh, engine wear, and driver's performance are not taken in to account and can affect values. These measurements are for modification comparison only. Testing, unless otherwise noted, was accomplished by using a G-Tech® accelerometer in strict accordance of the instruction guide. The results are the average of the three best runs out of five.