GolfGTIforum.co.uk
Model specific boards => Golf mk3 => Topic started by: tianaroja on 21 July 2004, 22:41
-
i am getting boed with my 8v mk3 i have been spoiled with mk2 16v and i am missing the whizz factor
i quite fancy a 16v corrado the vr6 is tasty but expensive any advice would be gratefully received
-
Early corrado 16v has the same engine as mk2 16v, later ones have the 2.0L 16v lump.
Both are good.
Look out for the same things as with buying a golf.
-
areet mate,
how much have you got to spend?
look at buying a raddo g60,
excellent 8)
-
Buy one then, They are all good in there ways, the 1.8 and 2.0 16v are both around a 137bhp as standard, 2.0 has more torque to it, but the 1.8 head is better and does not have a bhp eating cat, 2.0 has all the later corrado changes, (Bonnet, interia etc)
G60 is good fun too and can be easily and cheaply upgraded to 200bhp+ and the VR6 is king of the lot with all the later mods and 190bhp as standard, costs more to tune and can suffer from bore wear and timing chains usually need doing around 100k and are a costly job.
The Corrado handles much better then a mk3, Corrado's are unique and people will reguarly compliment your car.
I love my vr6 Corrado, costly and nigglesum as they can be,
-
Who told you that timing chains need doing at 100k?
-
Ok they dont need doing,i would at least get them looked at, but any longer on mine at 120k and things would have been nasty.
Some people may never get them changed i have known some too go for ages, i know there is no service interval on these, but the sound of noisy chains etc no good, usually best around 100k to get chains, clutch tappets, head service if you want to keep your vr6 running smooth and quiet
-
Ah i see.
What usually wears is the upper tensioner on early models, as early tensioners are just hydraulic, later ones are spring loaded as well, and the guide rails.
When i done my headgasket at about 70k, there was no wear or stretch on the chains, but i did replace the tensioner and guide rail.
Also lack of frequent oil changes will accelerate chain wear.
However its extremely unlikely that the chains ( double chains on the top half of the engine ) will actually snap.
Its easy to hear the chains if they are badly stretched, because they will rattle.
-
Yep sorry i should have been bit more specific, i did mean the tensioners more, then the chain actually snapping.
I'm just saying if you go and look at a number of corrado vr6's either approaching or just gone the big 100, they maybe sounding a bit rattly, either be the chains or the tappets both of which are jobs you would do at the same time, due to the work involved in takein it apart.
You may wish to just drive it, but me had to have the work done, i wanted to make sure mine was solid so had everythin done at same time, also wanted to check if i had bore wear which i did not but my valve guides were facked, so will explain excessive oil consumption.
-
It does depend on the individual car, and hows it been looked after.
My golf vr6 has done 82k now and it don't drink any oil, thats great compared with some cars i've owned in the past.
If you are changing the tappets then its deffo worth replacing the upper chain guide rail and tensioner as well.
As for changing all 3 chains, bugger that, that means taking the gearbox off :D
-
Yes it does depend on the indivdual car, i still belive mine was looked after well it still had a full vw history with only 3 owners. The 2.9 is not as robust as the 2.8
I had to take the gearbox off as i was haveing a clutch too.
:) geezer dont even want a vr6 he said a 16v
-
Yeah i know :D
But lets face it, if you want a corrado, then its got to be a vr6 ;)
I did my clutch a couple of years ago, probably should of done the chains, but they have shown no sign of wear. Maybe in another 40k that might be different.
Interesting that you say the 2.9 isn't as robust as the 2.8, the only different is 1mm on the bore, 2792 and 2861. I wouldn't of thought reliability would be any different :-\
Anyway the vr6 will suffer from the same problem as other good hot hatches, people will rag the sh!t out of them, thats ok at operating temperature and as long as servicing is done properly.
Also vag engines are a lot more robust than some of its competitors ;)
-
Yeah i agree the VR is the one too have,
I dont mean the 2.9 is anyless reliable, its just the 2.9 as peter russek puts it is at a higher state of tune. I think theres a bit more too it then just a bigger bore, inlet manifold is different, haveing sold one too an american corrado owner as they only have the 2.8 due to emission regs, I dont know lots about engines though and haven never owned a 2.8 can not really comment on it.
The vr6 is a very good engine though, and puts a lot of competitors v6s to shame especially considering its only a 12valve it puts out decent power, they will go on forever, and when coupled with a few mods Scrick, exhaust, remap, are very good fun and lets not forget the best bit, The sound :)
Like you said in your words at the end of the day it was a hot hatch, a 20k mini supercar and a lot of them will have been driven hard and by a 100k , things will need replaceing like any 10 year old car.
-
Yeah i don't know about other differences between 2.8 and 2.9, i just know the blocks are virtually identical, the 2.9 has a 1mm larger bore than the 2.8.
-
The Corrado handles much better then a mk3, Corrado's are unique and people will reguarly compliment your car.
of course, it has the same floor pan layout as a mk2 golf ;)
whats wrong with a rado g60 6?
ok so it aint as quick as a vr6, but that aint everything?
been doin my homework on these beasts as of late and they are the sh!t mate :D 8)
jus hard to find one that has recently had the charger overhauled :-\
-
You just said it yourself mate.
Charger overhaul.
I wouldn't buy a G60 for that reason, they are not reliable. With the VR6 you will have reliable long term power without the need for costly rebuilds.
And why bother with the G60 , the vr6's are affordable now.
-
320 quid for a charger service at pitstopdevelopments aint bad. then you know it's done. the reliability thing is a bit of a myth but basically caused by people not looking after them :)
-
Ok fair enough, but its still 300 quid that you wouldn't have to pay on a vr6 ;)
I suppose it also depends if you have a smaller pulley, as rebuild times will be a lot shorter.
300 quid for rebuild is a good price.
-
yeah i guess :)
you are getting a big old increase in power thanks to the charger so it's only fair that you have to look after it 8)
-
I see the point of getting a G60 mk2 golf, as thats the quickest mk2 golf you can buy, but vr6 is available on corrado, so best to go for :D
How often do you need to get your charger rebuilt John?
-
i know that most people reccomend 50k for every rebuild.
and only ?300 bar?
quality. 8)
for that diffrent kind of performance and also to hear the whooosshh of a charger,id be well prepared to pay that evry 50k miles.
cos i only drive about 7kish miles a year it aint even something worth quibbling about ;)
seen a nice nugget yellow 1.816v raddo with 55k miles for cheap cheap!!! :D
so there is alot to consider :-\
-
people have different opinions on how often to get it serviced. if the car is fairly standard then 40-50k if it's got a smaller pulley then more like 30-40k miles, so over the course of a few years it's not that expensive to look after.
always wanted a nugget yellow corrado g60 8) in the early 90's that colour was worth way less than any other, now i reckon it's becoming a bit of a classic :)
-
::)
wierd that eh?
the geezers on corrado.net all think that is a classic colur now,
i think its the corrado equivalent to our oak green ;)
-
I'm not that into Nugget yellow and i wouldent say its the most sought after colour.
A G60 is just as realiable as a vr6, they both have there fair share of problems, G60 sounds amazeing, can easily be tuned to VR power, chip pulley and larger intercooler and ya laughin.
Best thing too do would be to test drive both, The Vr is a big lazy lump but once it gets going, where as the G60 is just Rawcus.
Ok u have to pay for charger serviceing and ya looking at a grand if it gos pop, but Vr's are just as much in some ways.
The Vr is probley better on fuel economy then a tuned g60,
If ya gonna get a G60, try and get a late J or K reg one as these will be the facelifted ones, Although you will never find a G60 with the late dashboard/Interia unless its been retrofitted.
-
Of course a vr will be more reliable than a g60 in the long term, same as any naturally aspirated engine versus a blown engine, or so it should be!
Anyway servicing bills are high enough without adding an extra 300 quid every few years, depends how deep your pockets are.
A question for you corrado, did the early corrado vr6's have the AAA engine?
-
in an ideal world i would get a k plate g60,
back to reality its prob gon be a h/j plate.
im even lookin at a g plate 1.816v,
so as corrados goes im keeping my options open.
the corrado.net forum is very good ;)
hopefully gettin some new wheels for my golf next week, by then i may have changed my mind on the raddo.......again :-\
-
Golfvr6/ No all Corrado's had the 2.9 ABV engine, only difference between early and older engines is distributer/coilpack and obd1/obd2 style vagcom plug in thing.
Only American spec Corrado's had the 2.8 AAA engine, due to emission regs.