2L 8V Performance Upgrades?

[lil b 0]

Hello,

 

I have just purchased a 2L 8V :) :)

 

I know there are a few threads already outlinging what to do with cams etc..

 

But from peoples experience, what are the ''best'' performance things to do?

 

I.E - Chip/Remap vs Cams? vs exhaust

 

Are there better remap/chips out there than others? and or what would be the best cam for this engine?

 

Sorry for all the ?'s but I'm new

 

Many thanks

 

LILB

 

:D xx

[Roger Blassberg 0]

First things first. Unless you KNOW that all this has been done before you bought it, do the regular maintenance things. A clean air filter and a new set of spark plugs can make a huge difference to a badly maintained car. Make sure that the brakes are not binding as well - the rear calipers often do.

 

I hope that doesn't sound condescending, but these are the cheapest and best performance upgrades you can start with.

 

And "Welcome"!!

 

Best wishes

 

RB

[lil b 0]

it had a £800 service and a new mot before i bought it (have paperwork to prove ) otherwise yes that would have been the first thing i would of done:)

 

im more thinkin in the long term just few bits to give it a little more omph.

[ryan_16v 0]

There is not much you can can do to the 8v, unless you spend loads of money. The best bet is buy another engine 16v / G60 / VR6 or a Turbo engine out of a Leon.

[V33DUB 0]

From what I've read there isn't much available and most performance mods that are available cost more than I personally can justify for the power increase. Read a post on here about cams someone recommended... bout £250-£300 I think. All really depends on how flush u are but I don't think the power increase was blinding tbh. The 8v isn't shit off a shovel but then I don't think it was ever meant to be. I love mine. It does what I want it to. Bit like Ronseal! If I put my foot down, it moves, I'm not in a race on my daily commute (well maybe sometimes in my head! haha). It's smooth on the motorway and will potter around town at 30mph happily. Not boringly slow (but then I suppose that depends on how much speed your used to).

[Henny 0]

as with all N/A engines... make 'em breath better and you'll get more power out of 'em... ;)

 

Ported, polished and knife edged throttle body (DIY, so time and a dremmel and maybe a gasket or two)

Ported and polished inlet manifold (DIY, again, time and a dremmel and maybe a gasket or two)

Performance air filter (not too expensive £20 to £100)

New injectors (depending on milage, yours may just need cleaning)

Better flowing exhaust and manifold (£400 for exhaust, probably the same for the manifold)

Better flowing head (anything from £400 for a reasonable one to £1500 for a CNC big valve one that'll scare the pants off you!)

Cams (anything from £150 upto £900 depending on make)

Remap (really needs to be the last bit done to make sure that the map suits all the engine mods £400ish)

 

As other people have posted, it depends on what you want to achieve and how much you want to spend... the 2.0 8V engine is a good, solid base, but not many people modify them, so parts can be more expensive than other engines, however it should be possible to get some good results out of one if you're willing to put in the work and money... 8)

 

Good luck with it whatever you decide to do... :)

[bananawhip 0]

Every time I buy a new car I swear by putting a full can of Ecotek Powerboost through it to help decoke the insides, I know people will be sceptical but I always notice a difference.

 

Agree completely with Henny's suggestions although I was under the impression that VW exhausts flowed well from standard anyway, I might be wrong but it's maybe an expense that could be avoided. I'd be more inclined to put the money towards a lightweight flywheel as it'll help the engine respond a lot quicker to building or losing revs.

 

For the induction kit I can't recommend the BMC CDA enough, open type cones run the risk of heat soak and have been known to quite often make no difference or worse actually lose power over standard.

[Henny 0]

good point on the lightened flywheel... I reckon that's one of the most overlooked mods on cars these days... makes 'em go through the revs wayyyyy quicker than standard! 8)

[yeti 0]

What engine code is your 2.0 8v, my golfs 8v is an agg and they react v badly to induction kits, i've tried pipercross, k&n and bmc and non offered seemingly any gain over the standard airbox and a new panel filter.

 

As mentioned above the problem tends to be heat soak into an exposed filter, i suppose a bmc with aditonal cold ait ducting might be worth a go as i fitted mine bare

 

Also make sure you take off the throttle body and empty a can of carb clearer through the buttlefly as these are v prone to coking up on the 2.0 8v and can cause random stalling at rest.

 

As for mods my little golfs been running a superchip chip, piper cams, air box, new leads, decat and scorpion s/s cat back system for around 5 years and it was making 139bhp at last count... this isnt a cheap option though... you could put a vr6/2.0 16v in there for only a few hundred quid to net yourself either 190 or 150 bhp as standard

[V33DUB 0]

I've been reading about lightened and lightweight flywheels but have not completely got to grips with understanding it, so I'm gonna say what I think and ask people to advise if I'm on the right lines...

 

A lightweight flywheel will spin easier and so the revs will go up and down a lot quicker than with a standard one?

 

A lightened stock flywheel will spin easier and so the revs will go up and down quicker than standard but not so quick that on release of the throttle power will dip really bad? From what I've read a lightened off the shelf wheel is definitely not ideal for driving around town?

 

I have an 8v, daily driver so regularly gets town traffic as well as some motorway and country lane speed. Basically I'd like some middle ground so do I go down the lightened stock flywheel route??? :confused4:

[dr_mat 0]

The point about lightened flywheels is they make the engine feel subjectively more responsive. They also free up a fraction of a horse power you can apply to the wheels instead of using it to turn the flywheel. This will be more noticeable in lower gears.

 

They also make pulling away at the lights more difficult (you'll need more revs), and general low speed driving becomes more jerky and less smooth.

Idle will probably be less smooth too.

[Supercharged 2]

The 2.0 8v is a very reliable and extremly economic unit but I can't think of a single performance upgrade that would be worth the money...

 

Even a simple induction kit is more likely to mess up the AFM signal.

 

If you want performance the the late 8v's are ideal bases for engine conversions or just buy a G60!

[JMC 0]

It depends on i) how much you have and ii) if you want something different, but Neuspeed used to do a bolt on 2.0l 8v supercharger kit, and Bahn Brenner do a bolt on 2.0l 8v turbo kit. Neither of these are cheap (looking at $3000 ish plus the work) and of course you may have the left hand drive/right drive issues with the turbo manifold but they would be pretty cool. Have a word with G-werks as they are BBM dealers and can advise more.