adambob 0 Posted April 1, 2006 Well, 107,000 miles later and she's finally started to show signs of old age. Cylinder's 1 and 6 are letting oil in so a rebuild is required. This has left me with a bit of a dilemma though. Which of the below would you guys recommend?... Option 1 - complete rebuild with a gas flowed head (cost circa £2000) Option 2 - R32 engine (cost TBD....) She's currently all schricked up with the VGI and a set of 268s. I've spent thousands on her and i want to ensure that i make the right decision. She currently pumps out 220bhp; i'm hearing figures of 235bhp with the gas flowed head and 260bhp with the R32. Can anyone validate these? Cheers, Adam Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
double-6s 0 Posted April 1, 2006 i was told by the guy that does/did gas-flowing for all the big tuning shops, that a gas flowed vr head will only give about 5-10 bhp. i think standard r32's are roughly 235-250 depending on age, newer ones obviously being more powerful. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
h100vw 0 Posted April 1, 2006 R32s are rated at 240 aren't they and that's bog std. Stanbates had a 4 motion engine fitted in his VR on a tight budget for pretty much the same money as a rebuild would have cost. Plus if you sell the schrick and cams you can recover a fair few quid. I wouldn't mess about with the VR engine these days. Gavin Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
_Monkey 0 Posted April 1, 2006 My mate's had an AMD remap and a Milltek exhaust on his R32 and it kicks out 280! Also, it'll be less stressing on the R32 engine going for bigger power as it has more to start with. R32 it! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
adambob 0 Posted April 2, 2006 Looks like it's going to be the R32 then.... I recall reading on an older thread that I will need a new clutch - is this accurate? My only real concern about converting to the R32 is potential engine damage from the original car - what's the likelihood of there being any damage to the engine? I appreciate that it's difficult to answer without having seen it but has anyone had any real issues with an engine from a write off? I'll be getting a full quote on monday for the whole lot so I'll keep you posted re the costs. Watch this space.... Cheers, Adam Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
double-6s 0 Posted April 2, 2006 R32s are rated at 240 aren't they and that's bog std. Stanbates had a 4 motion engine fitted in his VR on a tight budget for pretty much the same money as a rebuild would have cost. Plus if you sell the schrick and cams you can recover a fair few quid. I wouldn't mess about with the VR engine these days. Gavin around 240 standard yeah. but the latest one is 250 standard i think (mk5) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Trig 0 Posted April 2, 2006 Yeah MK5 is 250BHP http://www.speedsportlife.com/photopost ... hp?cat=618 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
adambob 0 Posted April 2, 2006 I was just checking out the other current thread re a 24v V6 conversion and it sounds like the conversion complexities are going to result in a massive labour charge. I was thinking about buying a MK1 gti but i guess that plan will have to be put on ice for the time being.... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
double-6s 0 Posted April 2, 2006 i'm in exactly the same position as you adambob - was going to rebuild. now i'm not so sure. may go 24v or even r32 :) fek knows! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
adambob 0 Posted April 2, 2006 In the grand scheme of things mate - it's going to cost around £2K - £3K in any case. I'm thinking fook it - she's getting herself an R32! 4WD conversion next following a supercharger upgrade. I might try to buy a house somewhere in between all that.... maybe not though! Adam Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
double-6s 0 Posted April 2, 2006 I hear you brudda! R32 is sooooo fekin tempting eh? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
adambob 0 Posted April 2, 2006 This love of the VR malarky has cost me thousands to date. A mate of mine with a Mk4 gti is always going on about me wasting my money but i feckin love throwing cash at her. The end product (if there ever will be an end!...) is well worth the investment (contradiction there as it's by no means an investment). An upgrade or rebuild is vital as she's currently burning more oil than those crazy yanks! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stan 24v 0 Posted April 2, 2006 As stated on other threads, I got my 24v engine, and labour, and parts all done for less than £3k. Ive also got a custom-code chip in it, and it should be kicking out around 220bhp (yet to confirm). An R32 is a nice option 8) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
h100vw 0 Posted April 3, 2006 Engine damage shouldn't be an issue if the car was rear ended. Even if it ran into something then small parts like coolant connections get broken without damaging the core of the engine. Upsidedown is bad though.... Gavin Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
adambob 0 Posted April 3, 2006 Cheers for that Gavin - i'll do some digging regarding why the engine materialised. I reckon it was front ended but as you say; there shouldn't be too much damage otherwise they wouldn't re reselling it. (i hope!) Cheers, Adam Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites