gettng as much BHP from my mk3 gti 16v as poss

[ace]

yeah good luck finding one, my bro-in-law was looking for one for his old 16v, but we couldnt find one.

[Edwin]

Click

Looks promising..

[Mikester]

Click

Looks promising..

Thats an 8v manifold mate. Needs to be a for a 16v.

[Ess_Three]

what do u class as performance parts?

Get a good exhaust on it, the whole system, and a sports cat, and a manifold.

and a good air filter, maybe the enclosed bmc air filter.

then go from there. lol.

Just wondering how many people have actually dyno's these so-called performance parts?

The standard downpipes are not restrictive, but the manifold isn't great...but with a bit of porting of the standard cast exhaust manifold it's good for 200+ BHP...so no need to change.
The standard cat isn't restrictive - certainly at around 190 BHP...so you don't get ANY gain from a free-flow cat or de-cat.
The standard exhaust doesn't seem restrictive either - vertainly the lower side of 190BHP...so little point in looking for power there either.
I dyno'd the lot individually and got nothing...
Noise...which makes you think it's more piowerful...but nothing on the dyno to back it up.

The standard airbox is just fine if you remove the inlet snorkel and fit a decent panel filter - I was seeing 2-3 BHP repeatable from that (K&N filter) and having tried many CAIs and crappy induction kits, all you get is more noise and often worse running.
Standard airbox is good for 190 BHP anyway...but doesn't sound as powerful.

You can Dremmel the standard ABF throttle body to remove the ramps (or machine it out and re-profile it on a lathe), which will give a couple of BHP, dyno verified...but go to far and you make it pretty unpleasant in traffic (low speed air accross the TB giving jerky throttle response).

[Ess_Three]

So a good induction kit like the BMC system or another closed cone element would be perfect, if not, then a good panel filter (K&N, pipercross, green filters) alongside a drilled and de-restricted air box and a cold air intake would work well.

Spot on.

For combustion, you want some lairy cams, decent spark plugs, and stuff like porting and polishing.

Lairy cams are a no-go if you keep standard management.
Digifant 3.2 will NOT run anything over about 256s on a standard plenumn...the pulsing in the plenumn causes the MAP sensor to go crazy, ruining the idle and causing uber poor emissions - instant MOT failure.

You can run 268 in/ std ex with good results.
Or you can go standalone management and go 268/268 or higher.

But don't believe anyone who tells you you can fit 268/268 to a standard ECU'd ABF and get it to work...it won't.
Been there, tried that.

Spark plugs will be just fine in an ABF with cams...

Porting and polishing works a treat along with cams swaps...expect around 25BHP geniune BHP from headwork, cam swaps and proper mapping of the Digifant 3.2 ECU.

For exhaust, you want a 4 branch manifold combined with a s/s system.

I'd dissagree there...
4 Branch manifolds crack unless you have very stiff engine mounts...and give no power gains I have ever found.
Standard, ported, is just fine for 200BHP.

SS system makes it sound fast...without it actually making it any faster or more powerful, in my experience...and I've dyno's two of the so called best systems against std.

Throw in a decent remap and you should see something close to 200 horses.

Realistically, I'd expect 185-190 BHP from that lot...maybe mis 190s if you optimise a lot of the smaller stuff too.
200 BHP genuine just isn't going to happen on a standard plenumn, with a standard ECU, in my view.

That barrier needs Jenvey (or otherwise) ITBs to break. I've spent 8 years trying...

[Len]

With Ess-three all the way here!

For a decent performance go for a good induction kit or airbox/panel and a CAT back exhaust
Those 2 will give you 6 or 7 bhp.
Then get a good remap (RTech) and you have a driveable car which is fast enough for most road conditions.

[Ess_Three]

...and you have a driveable car which is fast enough for most road conditions.

Is there such a thing as fast enough?
I like to think that fast enough to scare the bejesus out of you is nearly the correct place to be! 


Here's a thing:
Instead of chasing BHP that a lardy Mk3 is struggling to make best use of...why not do something that will actually make it substantially faster point to point (but not have the todger-fencing bragging rights in the pub)

Change the hopeless FD ratio it came saddled with (although not as abysmal as the VR6) to a 3.94 to get the gearing down to around 20 MPH/1000revs in top...lovely!
Fit a light flywheel - and instantly feel like you've added 40 BHP
Fit a Quaife diff and re-learn cornering ability...

Assuming the suspension is no longer at off-road height and the car isn't doing am impression of a crippled hippo, wallowing about, you will end up with a car that is damn quick point to point...and with little more power than standard required.

The suspension can be fetteled to make best use of springs/dampers/ARBs and make the Mk3 seriously capable on back roads...probably better money spent, than chasing 30-40 BHP in all honestly.

Just a thought...

[Adam]

Ess_Three you have hit the nail in the head.

[tweed]

I would rather spend my money on suspention, gearbox, diff, brakes and tyres. Keeping the engine standard, apart from induction and exhaust. you will be faster on back roads and track than someone with more bhp and cheap set of coilovers.

[Len]

Was thinking on the lines that with todays traffic volumes you very rarely get a clear road so why spend vast amounts of money making a car super fast?



Anyway best way is to fit a nitrous kit!