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Model specific boards => Golf mk5 => Golf mk5 TDI => Topic started by: les.tansey on 28 August 2012, 22:36

Title: GT TDI 140 Vs 170 and their pro's and con's
Post by: les.tansey on 28 August 2012, 22:36
Hi all, just after a bit of advice really; I'm currently looking into GT TDI MK5s, and am curious to know the pro's and con's of each. But also to make sense of why some people say that the 140 is better suited to round town than the 170. I've heard people saying that the 170 is a pain to drive around town??? But I just don't understand how this can be..

Cheers for any feedback, Les.  :wink:
Title: Re: GT TDI 140 Vs 170 and their pro's and con's
Post by: Rhyso on 28 August 2012, 22:43
140 can feel punchier lower down the rev range helping it around town but the 170 isnt difficult to drive once you get used to it

Very Early 140's had chocolate turbos so it might not be uncommon to find one thats had a replacement

170 can suffer DPF issues and there is an official recall on the injectors

Other than that the motors are very strong units

My advice is to go test drive both.  I did that and went for the 170 though I did come from a 170+ MK4 so that was a big deciding factor  :smiley:

Title: Re: GT TDI 140 Vs 170 and their pro's and con's
Post by: barrym381 on 29 August 2012, 00:08
140 can feel punchier lower down the rev range helping it around town but the 170 isnt difficult to drive once you get used to it

Very Early 140's had chocolate turbos so it might not be uncommon to find one thats had a replacement

170 can suffer DPF issues and there is an official recall on the injectors

Other than that the motors are very strong units

My advice is to go test drive both.  I did that and went for the 170 though I did come from a 170+ MK4 so that was a big deciding factor  :smiley:
prob explain why my a3 tdi 140 had a new turbo at 68k  :smiley:
Title: Re: GT TDI 140 Vs 170 and their pro's and con's
Post by: Rhyso on 29 August 2012, 08:23
140 can feel punchier lower down the rev range helping it around town but the 170 isnt difficult to drive once you get used to it

Very Early 140's had chocolate turbos so it might not be uncommon to find one thats had a replacement

170 can suffer DPF issues and there is an official recall on the injectors

Other than that the motors are very strong units

My advice is to go test drive both.  I did that and went for the 170 though I did come from a 170+ MK4 so that was a big deciding factor  :smiley:
prob explain why my a3 tdi 140 had a new turbo at 68k  :smiley:

I've heard of turbos failing as little as 10K  :shocked:
Title: Re: GT TDI 140 Vs 170 and their pro's and con's
Post by: AlexBabes on 29 August 2012, 09:34
I have driven the 140 version in a Golf GT and the 170 version in an Audi A3.

GT 140's are very nice indeed to drive, I had one for a week a couple of years ago and it was one of the nicest cars I had driven, also very nice place to be on the inside, turbo surge is very satisfying.  The Audi was good  but I couldnt really really notice any significant difference between the two.
Title: Re: GT TDI 140 Vs 170 and their pro's and con's
Post by: barrym381 on 29 August 2012, 11:23
140 can feel punchier lower down the rev range helping it around town but the 170 isnt difficult to drive once you get used to it

Very Early 140's had chocolate turbos so it might not be uncommon to find one thats had a replacement

170 can suffer DPF issues and there is an official recall on the injectors

Other than that the motors are very strong units

My advice is to go test drive both.  I did that and went for the 170 though I did come from a 170+ MK4 so that was a big deciding factor  :smiley:
prob explain why my a3 tdi 140 had a new turbo at 68k  :smiley:

I've heard of turbos failing as little as 10K  :shocked:
the old dear couldnt have drove it hard then  :grin: :grin:
Title: Re: GT TDI 140 Vs 170 and their pro's and con's
Post by: les.tansey on 29 August 2012, 22:53
140 can feel punchier lower down the rev range helping it around town but the 170 isnt difficult to drive once you get used to it

 Would you say a 170 would feel like it lags around town? I currently have a 1.6 CL mk3 which is obviously a petrol - how would a 170 compare to it around town for punchiness? I wouldn't need it to be rapid around town anyway as I'm not a fast driver, it's mainly economy, appearance and having the power there if I needed it that attracts me to the GT TDI MK5, but just to get an idea.

Very Early 140's had chocolate turbos so it might not be uncommon to find one thats had a replacement

Are the replacements okay then or are they just as dodgy? And when you say early 140's roughly what year are they okay after?

170 can suffer DPF issues and there is an official recall on the injectors

Can't you have the DPF's removed for around £400?  :lipsrsealed: And are they okay to run without them performance-wise. I've heard that they'll still pass an MoT.

Other than that the motors are very strong units

My advice is to go test drive both.  I did that and went for the 170 though I did come from a 170+ MK4 so that was a big deciding factor  :smiley:



Sorry for all the questions, I just want to make sure I'm clued up before I go rushing into anything. Thankyou for everyones feedback  :wink:
Title: Re: GT TDI 140 Vs 170 and their pro's and con's
Post by: nadlad on 30 August 2012, 01:27
I looked and looked and looked believe me I was torn between 140 and 170 didn't k wo which to go for posted on various forums either owner posted biased opinions the general consensus was that 170 are more problematic and having come from a pd150 mk4 with the chocolate cam I really didn't want any more headaches. Having had my heart set on a 170 on the end I choose a 140 mainly due to economy and problem free motoring. The 170 have there advantages but the 140 by many tuners and forum members is a better all round car.

My only criteria was Gt Sport model and dual zone climate I couldn't spend 10k on a car and have round knobs and my last pd150 had climate so I thought I didn't want a step backwards all the other extras can easily be retrofitted.

I found a lot of cars didn't have the dual zone climate in it and that put me off until this one came was well worth the 660 mile round trip for it!!!

Plus the my2008 onwards came with leather as standard.

I felt at 9,8 I might of paid extra but looking around 2 months on I still have all my bookmarks and saved pages and it does seem like a very good deal especially as its 26k and on a 08.  And the red is growing on me now.

My next plan is a remap that will put it up there around the 175-185 mark and really transform the drivel
Title: Re: GT TDI 140 Vs 170 and their pro's and con's
Post by: les.tansey on 30 August 2012, 02:59
I looked and looked and looked believe me I was torn between 140 and 170 didn't k wo which to go for posted on various forums either owner posted biased opinions the general consensus was that 170 are more problematic and having come from a pd150 mk4 with the chocolate cam I really didn't want any more headaches. Having had my heart set on a 170 on the end I choose a 140 mainly due to economy and problem free motoring. The 170 have there advantages but the 140 by many tuners and forum members is a better all round car.

My only criteria was Gt Sport model and dual zone climate I couldn't spend 10k on a car and have round knobs and my last pd150 had climate so I thought I didn't want a step backwards all the other extras can easily be retrofitted.

I found a lot of cars didn't have the dual zone climate in it and that put me off until this one came was well worth the 660 mile round trip for it!!!

Plus the my2008 onwards came with leather as standard.

I felt at 9,8 I might of paid extra but looking around 2 months on I still have all my bookmarks and saved pages and it does seem like a very good deal especially as its 26k and on a 08.  And the red is growing on me now.

My next plan is a remap that will put it up there around the 175-185 mark and really transform the drivel

Cheers, yeah I suppose a remap is always an option - apart from my insurance  :lipsrsealed:

I'm am and I'm not torn between the two; as I'm basing a lot of my decision on colour, interior, milage, age and history/maintanence quality. I saw a gourgeous 140 in blue with cream leather on autotrader a few weeks ago for 7k which has now gone -  :cry: Not that I have the funds for it yet anyway  :angry: :wink:
Title: Re: GT TDI 140 Vs 170 and their pro's and con's
Post by: Rhyso on 30 August 2012, 08:01
140 can feel punchier lower down the rev range helping it around town but the 170 isnt difficult to drive once you get used to it

 Would you say a 170 would feel like it lags around town? I currently have a 1.6 CL mk3 which is obviously a petrol - how would a 170 compare to it around town for punchiness? I wouldn't need it to be rapid around town anyway as I'm not a fast driver, it's mainly economy, appearance and having the power there if I needed it that attracts me to the GT TDI MK5, but just to get an idea.

Very Early 140's had chocolate turbos so it might not be uncommon to find one thats had a replacement

Are the replacements okay then or are they just as dodgy? And when you say early 140's roughly what year are they okay after?

170 can suffer DPF issues and there is an official recall on the injectors

Can't you have the DPF's removed for around £400?  :lipsrsealed: And are they okay to run without them performance-wise. I've heard that they'll still pass an MoT.

Other than that the motors are very strong units

My advice is to go test drive both.  I did that and went for the 170 though I did come from a 170+ MK4 so that was a big deciding factor  :smiley:



Sorry for all the questions, I just want to make sure I'm clued up before I go rushing into anything. Thankyou for everyones feedback  :wink:

It can catch you out if you're in 2nd gear and need to pull off quickly but you soon adjust to it  :smiley:

The very early 2004 models were known for it; replacement units were and are much stronger

Just removed mine  :tongue:  You need to have the car mapped to take out the DPF protocols otherwise you'll end up in limp mode all the time

Title: Re: GT TDI 140 Vs 170 and their pro's and con's
Post by: nadlad on 30 August 2012, 09:24
ryso: good morning do the late 140s such as my 08 have the choccy turbos too  mines at 21k and sometimes i can hear the turbo owl after i take my foot off the accelerator only thing stoppng me from a remap
Title: Re: GT TDI 140 Vs 170 and their pro's and con's
Post by: Rhyso on 30 August 2012, 09:31
ryso: good morning do the late 140s such as my 08 have the choccy turbos too  mines at 21k and sometimes i can hear the turbo owl after i take my foot off the accelerator only thing stoppng me from a remap

Nope  :smiley: Well they shouldn't be...... :lipsrsealed:
Title: Re: GT TDI 140 Vs 170 and their pro's and con's
Post by: les.tansey on 30 August 2012, 14:23
140 can feel punchier lower down the rev range helping it around town but the 170 isnt difficult to drive once you get used to it

 Would you say a 170 would feel like it lags around town? I currently have a 1.6 CL mk3 which is obviously a petrol - how would a 170 compare to it around town for punchiness? I wouldn't need it to be rapid around town anyway as I'm not a fast driver, it's mainly economy, appearance and having the power there if I needed it that attracts me to the GT TDI MK5, but just to get an idea.

Very Early 140's had chocolate turbos so it might not be uncommon to find one thats had a replacement

Are the replacements okay then or are they just as dodgy? And when you say early 140's roughly what year are they okay after?

170 can suffer DPF issues and there is an official recall on the injectors

Can't you have the DPF's removed for around £400?  :lipsrsealed: And are they okay to run without them performance-wise. I've heard that they'll still pass an MoT.

Other than that the motors are very strong units

My advice is to go test drive both.  I did that and went for the 170 though I did come from a 170+ MK4 so that was a big deciding factor  :smiley:



Sorry for all the questions, I just want to make sure I'm clued up before I go rushing into anything. Thankyou for everyones feedback  :wink:

It can catch you out if you're in 2nd gear and need to pull off quickly but you soon adjust to it  :smiley:

The very early 2004 models were known for it; replacement units were and are much stronger

Would you say they are okay from 2005 onwards then?

Just removed mine  :tongue:  You need to have the car mapped to take out the DPF protocols otherwise you'll end up in limp mode all the time

So would the mapping of the car be included in the cost of removing the DPF then do you think? I suppose it depends where you go really. How much did you pay to have yours removed and mapped if you don't mind me asking?

Cheers  :wink:
Title: Re: GT TDI 140 Vs 170 and their pro's and con's
Post by: Rhyso on 30 August 2012, 14:43
They should be fine yeah

Not always so make sure whoever does it quotes for the map too.  Midland VW supplied and fitted the DPF pipe, Carbon did the mapping  :smiley:
Title: Re: GT TDI 140 Vs 170 and their pro's and con's
Post by: les.tansey on 30 August 2012, 23:23
They should be fine yeah

Not always so make sure whoever does it quotes for the map too.  Midland VW supplied and fitted the DPF pipe, Carbon did the mapping  :smiley:

Thanks for your advice Rhyso, definately have a clearer picture now. I guess the next step is a test drive/ getting the dosh together :smiley: Thanks again  :wink:
Title: Re: GT TDI 140 Vs 170 and their pro's and con's
Post by: Rhyso on 31 August 2012, 06:47
They should be fine yeah

Not always so make sure whoever does it quotes for the map too.  Midland VW supplied and fitted the DPF pipe, Carbon did the mapping  :smiley:

Thanks for your advice Rhyso, definately have a clearer picture now. I guess the next step is a test drive/ getting the dosh together :smiley: Thanks again  :wink:

Not a problem  :smiley:  a test drive is the only way to find out which engine you prefer. The 140 is a cracking engine but I knew id miss the power of my old Golf. God knows what Ill replace the Audi with though  :grin:
Title: Re: GT TDI 140 Vs 170 and their pro's and con's
Post by: tdi_blu on 01 September 2012, 09:00
My dad has a the 140 bhp model his is a 55 plate and a  full R32 rep looks spot on.Recent remap and I was shocked when I drove it how quick it was his has done about 85k and its been spot on no issues since owning it if I had the money would be my next car.
Title: Re: GT TDI 140 Vs 170 and their pro's and con's
Post by: maxitrol on 03 September 2012, 00:24
the early 140 had poor turbos fitted as i went through 2 of them,the 140 had better turbos fitted after 2006,but most will have had new turbos by now..
If your doing a lot of miles get the 170 as the dpf wont get cloged up but if doing low mileage get the 140