Vortech charged VR or R32 engine conversion??

[MK1Campaign 0]

The thought has been going through my mind about an R32 conversion instead of charging mine.

By the time ive had head and chains job plus charger install with water injection and SP263's would it better just to put a newer engine in?

Id want it running on standard management. Does anyone have any idea of cost?

What parts would be needed other than the obvious like the engine?

Would it all need to come from the same car?

[marcus 0]

Depends what your idea of 'better' is mate.

Faster

Smoother

Newer

More Reliable

Cheaper

 

Both optons are alot of money for just an extra 50bhp on top of what you already have IMO.

You could probably pick up a complete R32 Car for around 8-10k at the mo.

If you really love your Corrado engine as it is - a charger compliments and refines it brilliantly.

[A1 VR6 0]

How about this Ben?

 

Item number: 310043646859 on the bay!

[MK1Campaign 0]

How about this Ben?

 

Item number: 310043646859 on the bay!

 

Bill NO behave right now :lol:

[_leon_ 0]

I enjoyed the charger on my engine previously - was very smooth and plenty fun to drive - but the design of the Vortech setup wasnt great. The filter beneath the wing, the black plastic piping that rubs the turret/inner wing, the tension required for driving via the belt, plus the possibility of the belt jumping off and tearing through - that lot was enough for me to remove it. While I miss the extra power, I do honestly think the car is nippier low-mid range and I'm happier for it. You should get the best of both with the R32 engine. Just depends if you want to retain the original engine.

[KADVR6 0]

How about this Ben?

 

Item number: 310043646859 on the bay!

 

a complete waste of money, as the manifold is c**p the turbo is not a very good one, and you need loooooads more than that anyway.

 

i have had a standard vr6, then a 300bhp charged vr6, i was toying with either a rotrex/turbo for the 12v, but at the last minute i decided to use my "spare" engine instead, i sometimes wished i had stuck with the rotrex/charger route, but i do keep on being told that when its done i will not look back?? and after going out in a mk3 with an r32 the other week i think there right, as it was just soooo smooth and quite, it was mapped to approx 275bhp 245lb but it felt so much quicker than my old charged vr6.

 

just my 2p

[MK1Campaign 0]

Good replies chaps. Keep them coming,

[herisites 0]

I think you should buy my rotrex charger and then i can get an R32 engine :lol:

[jamminvr6storm 0]

You might want to consider how much you want to spend first then decide what is the best route for your budget :)

[yeti 0]

I was looking into this myself, bought a 2.8 blocks ready to go turbo etc, started contacting people about getting parts over from the states... then i added up the cost, read about reliabiility and thought about what i wanted from the car... now i'm goign R32! ... gonna be a fun winter! 8)

[_leon_ 0]

interested to know with the r32 conversion how many parts needed are from other cars or custom - that's what would put me off. Anyone able to comment on this?

Consider how much you drive the car too

[Lizard Racing 0]

Engine £500-£1000

Exhaust manifold £400

Emerald ECU £600

Remap £300-£400

Auxillary bracket for alternator etc £40

 

Thats all you need to get one in Im sure the rest of the stuff is 12v/Corrado/Golf. ie. throttle. If you good with wiring its fairly straight forward and want standalone management. Dont waste your money or 12v stuff!

[CorradoVR6-Turbo 0]

i dont understand you lot...everybody moans about the 12v..why? its a good powerplant and does the miles,and thats the problem,most have high miles and needs rebuilds and that fine but it will cost as does any motor to rebuild and dropping the 24v in seems like a good idea cost wize.

 

Then peeps want more power,the VF2 gets moned about allot,i hated mine and im glad i went down the turbo route,comparied to the stock engine its smooth,refined and very reliable! If you want more power go turbo,if you want a "smoother " out the box engine then yes the 24v is a better engine but when they brake they cost the same.

 

Turbo 24v sounds great,but cost more to do and there are less parts off the shelf now than the 12v.

 

So what do you want? or is it a "scene" thing?

[C. Will Corrado G60 2 0]

I've had a heavily tuned G60,a standard VR6 and a 300bhp+ Supercharged VR6. The car isn't a daily driver any more and I'm glad of that as the noise from the charger is not great! But the power and the way it is delivered is fantastic. It's fun to drive!

 

300 BHP is plenty in a front wheel drive car so if you like the VR and want more power supercharge it with rotex or Vortech and you'll love it.

[CorradoVR6-Turbo 0]

it seems that supercharger lads complain but turbo VR's dont...

[yeti 0]

i dont understand you lot...everybody moans about the 12v..why? its a good powerplant and does the miles,and thats the problem,most have high miles and needs rebuilds and that fine but it will cost as does any motor to rebuild and dropping the 24v in seems like a good idea cost wize.

 

Then peeps want more power,the VF2 gets moned about allot,i hated mine and im glad i went down the turbo route,comparied to the stock engine its smooth,refined and very reliable! If you want more power go turbo,if you want a "smoother " out the box engine then yes the 24v is a better engine but when they brake they cost the same.

 

Turbo 24v sounds great,but cost more to do and there are less parts off the shelf now than the 12v.

 

So what do you want? or is it a "scene" thing?

 

For me i wanted a new r32, but put off by the high tax costs and potential depreciation - that was before the 'credit crunch' - then the more and more i looked at them, the more i thought they're fat, over weight and have to much space, i want mine to be used as a fun can and dont need to carry passangers so the corrado's a perfect base and imo a much better looking car to use the 24v engine in, then i'll have 270-280 bhp and if/when i get bored i can look into more power for an engine thats done sooo many less miles than the 12v, like you said, the rebuild costs will be identical, but hopefully not for a few years! besides by the time i get bored Karl and a few others on here will get bored long before and will already be super/turbocharging them :clap:

[_leon_ 0]

first question - do you mind if your Corrado has an engine from a different car ?

[vwdeviant 0]

first question - do you mind if your Corrado has an engine from a different car ?

 

Least it's from the same stable, and not a Zimmer 330d or similar! :wave:

 

Hotrodding/tunintg is all about pushing the envelope.

 

Nope, first question should be:

 

Will there be more 24v/R32 Rados than VR's soon? :lol:

 

Andy, by the time you get Bored Karl will have an R36 in there! :lol:

[Kevin Bacon 5]

I used to be very pro "R32 into Corrado", but knowing what I know now, I think the R32 is better suited to the car it came from imho.

 

Why?

 

1) Half of what makes the R32 engine what it is (i.e. smooth, grunty low down and refined) is the OE Bosch ME7 management and the Variable cam timing / intake geometry.

 

You lose all of that when installing one into a Corrado, unless the VW managment follows it.

 

2) With power levels on the rise, courtesy of the huge choice of reasonably priced and well proven forced induction parts, traction is becoming a significant problem!! Most of you know I don't mince about with parts quality and chassis setup, but despite that, in the wet and with pretty aggressive throttle openings; 1st, 2nd, 3rd and half of 4th are useless....and that's just with ~12psi.

 

Imagine the problems you'll have with 3.2 capacity plus a turbo, going through the front wheels :lol:

 

Having said that, 'managing' all that grunt is half the fun of it, it keeps you on your toes :D

 

I am going to hook up the DTA's traction control though, to see if it helps with the straight line spinnage....

 

I never thought I'd type such nonsense, but in these Krispy Krunch days, I think it would make better sense to captilise on the cheap R32 prices (as in the whole car) or a cheap as chips Bora 4 motion, wait for the dollar to get back to 2:1 and then turbo the schitt out of it. With the obvious 4WD advantage, the 24V turbo scene is just getting started really and there's some superb kit and power potential out there. And don't forget, with the R32/4Mo, you'll get a 600+hp capable gearbox as standard!

 

Then keep the Corrado with more modest power for the weekends :D

 

I love the R32 engine, it is without doubt a big improvement (mechanically) over the 12V. But the 12V is part of the Corrado's character and heritage imo....if such things are important!

[KipVR 1]

I've always loved my Corrado, but always thought the VR engine was the weak point, just not quite fast enough and too front heavy.

 

When my VR finally said it's had enough i was deciding weather or not to go R32 power, it was for these reasons I chose the 3.2:- Both came to the same cost wise.

 

1. It's smoother

2. It's going to be more reliable than a re-built VR.

3. It's lighter.

4. It has more tuning potential should you wish to up the power further.

5. The ECU has CAN-BUS capability (for later fitting of DSG/Traction control etc :D ). (I'm not junking the VAG ECU in favour of aftermarket management)

6. It's got just the right amount of power for a FWD whilst keeping reliability.

7. Fit's in no problems/modifications/intercoolers/heat.

8. It's quiet.

9. It will increase the value of the car more than a rebuilt VR.

[tonedef 9]

I never thought I'd type such nonsense, but in these Krispy Krunch days, I think it would make better sense to captilise on the cheap R32 prices (as in the whole car) or a cheap as chips Bora 4 motion, wait for the dollar to get back to 2:1 and then turbo the schitt out of it. With the obvious 4WD advantage, the 24V turbo scene is just getting started really and there's some superb kit and power potential out there. And don't forget, with the R32/4Mo, you'll get a 600+hp capable gearbox as standard!

 

Then keep the Corrado with more modest power for the weekends :D

 

I love the R32 engine, it is without doubt a big improvement (mechanically) over the 12V. But the 12V is part of the Corrado's character and heritage imo....if such things are important!

 

That's exactly why I decided to buy an R32 as a daily driver and just bring the Corrado up to OBD2 which along with Schrick mani and 268s plus a few comfort mods will make a great car for sunny weekend use. I had planned a transplant but think I'll stick with 12V for the Corrado.

 

The R32 is a fantasic total package, what's more it cost me £3,500 less to buy than the Corrado did and both were approx 5 years old when I purchased them. Leave it another year and they'll be cheap as chips, so what if it costs a couple of hundred quid a year more in road tax, compared with normal Corrado running costs that's nothing, if only I could do something about the 21mpg average we're seeing!

[coullstar 0]

A turbo 4motion would be perfect as long as the handling is sorted. They are such a Q car. Almost wished id kept mine now and gone that route. IMO R32's try a bit to hard on the styling front.

 

I would only look at an R32 etc if your 12v is buggered. I agree what people are saying about the 12v character but Im still happy I went 24v.

[Kevin Bacon 5]

3. It's lighter.

 

Do you know how much ligthter out of interest? I think someone weighed a 12V block and head in at 170kg? I know the head with cams is only 15Kg as that was it's shipping weight :D

 

That is the remarkable thing about the 12V there actually. One 15Kg head to breath 2 banks of 3 cylinders. Awesome engineering feat.

 

Tonedef, agreed, the tax isn't that much to be concerned about. 21mpg isn't amazing, but you have to put that figure into context.....~1600Kg car, 3.2 litre engine :lol: At least every one of those mpgs is translated into forward motion, unlike a spin city FWD car! Good value in that respect, no fuel wasted from spinning :lol:

 

Coullstar, that's my thinking behind the Bora 4 mo. Ultimate sleeper. Most of them are diesels or have straw hats on the rear shelf. Imagine seeing a bora pull away from you like you're standing still :lol:

[CorradoVR6-Turbo 0]

I've always loved my Corrado, but always thought the VR engine was the weak point, just not quite fast enough and too front heavy.

 

When my VR finally said it's had enough i was deciding weather or not to go R32 power, it was for these reasons I chose the 3.2:- Both came to the same cost wise.

 

1. It's smoother

2. It's going to be more reliable than a re-built VR.

3. It's lighter.

4. It has more tuning potential should you wish to up the power further.

5. The ECU has CAN-BUS capability (for later fitting of DSG/Traction control etc :D ). (I'm not junking the VAG ECU in favour of aftermarket management)

6. It's got just the right amount of power for a FWD whilst keeping reliability.

7. Fit's in no problems/modifications/intercoolers/heat.

8. It's quiet.

9. It will increase the value of the car more than a rebuilt VR.

 

Ok im not going to argue this to much but..

 

1. It's smoother

 

Probably in standard form,but with short runner and 263 in N/A form its super smooth and turbod its very smooth,nothing like the original motor.

 

2. It's going to be more reliable than a re-built VR.

 

Sorry i dont get that,how will it be? Rebuilt fresh and new will be less reliable as a used motor?

 

3. It's lighter.

 

Hardly..and its still a heavy motor for the front end,if your bothered about weight then the R32/VR is not ideal.

 

4. It has more tuning potential should you wish to up the power further.

 

True,but anything over 350hp is stupid fast,but if your power hungry then go for it,but get a go out in a turbo VR with 400 hp then you will think why more...honest :ignore:

 

5. The ECU has CAN-BUS capability (for later fitting of DSG/Traction control etc :D ). (I'm not junking the VAG ECU in favour of aftermarket management)

 

Cant argue there,brill ECU's

 

6. It's got just the right amount of power for a FWD whilst keeping reliability.

 

Still this reliability thing,even modified 12v can roll out big power with just spacer plate and hardware all day long,relibable? hell yea!

 

7. Fit's in no problems/modifications/intercoolers/heat.

 

So does the 12v :tongue:

 

8. It's quiet.

 

Yip your right the 12v in worn form can sound top end rattly.

 

9. It will increase the value of the car more than a rebuilt VR.

 

So does a turbo.. :camp:

 

Not having a go mate,just i think its to much work for 12 valves more :wink:

[ADZ_VR6 0]

Is Turbo in a VR more hard work and more costley than a charger?