tsr pack A???

[Wayne]

No way on this earth would I spend £2k on making a mk3 quicker, I would sell and buy something quicker.

Horses for courses...
I have my Mk3 I've spent a fortune on...and wanted something faster so bought an S3, then a 911. Got bored 5 years later...and sold it.
Still got the Mk3 though...
Still NA...
Never fitting a 1.8T heap...
...and I'll still keep spending money, time and effort in the Mk3. Sometimes the pleasure of doing it outweighs the easy option of buying something faster, no?

This is fine if you have bags of money, sh!t loads of tools and a massive garage with ramp etc.. not to mention another car while your mk3 is in the shop. If your like me and find yourself doing most of your own maintenance takes enough time then you have to agree with wayne on this. Sell your mk3 for a grand, then you have three grand. Go and buy yourself a mark four 1.8 turbo in black, save a little more money and buy a better turbo for it, job done .

Thank you  , someone with a level head.

[VeeDubGTI16v]

that makes sense, a mk4 probably is about as exctiting to drive as a vectra

[Wayne]

that makes sense, a mk4 probably is about as exctiting to drive as a vectra

I never said a Vectra is a good drive, but I would never waste £2k that you will never see back on a 13 year old car.

[paultownsend]

erm. mk4?  the usual mods. the same youd do to any mk2. say weitec springs, dampers and arb's. poly bush everything. and you have a good handling car. k03s and a map and exhaust and your away! ever driven a sorted mk4?
iv seen a few good mk4's for going for 2k

car 2k
service kit 150
weitec sus+arb 550
polys 150
k03s 200
r-tech map 250
total 3300

a 200hp good handling, good looking oem+ car. no, not massively exciting, but very compitent. i often perv the mk4 section. some very focused cars in there.
however, no-one can say a mapped aug with a k03s in a mk2 isnt exciting. not with that turn of speed blasting through the right ratios

[Ess_Three]

how much would be gained ess_three, from bottom end work? based around, say, a eurospec crank? would it make the engine spin up much quicker?

Assuming you go up in compression too...probably around 20 BHP from going 2.1 high Comp bottom end...with little more top end revs...if you are going solid lifters and looking for 8000RPM+ and fitting the cams to suit (276-305) then 30-40 over a spec similar to mine.

without going into fored induction. itb's, tb's or carbs. what can be the absolute DRIVABLE power limit from an abf? is it the tb and inlet that restrict?

I'd say 210-220 BHP on a standard bottom end is possible with no issues. (Good head, cams, ITBs, standalone etc)
Over 200 the plenum  restricts (not the TB as it's the same size butterfly  as a VR6) so you are limited by what cams you can get to run. Ditch Digi 3.2 and you should be able to run 276s with no problems (as KRs can) but I’m unsure if you’ll run out of headroom on the injectors.

say, a fully blended head, in/ex tract. 260-268 cams. stanalone management, and a lightened/worked bottom end to handle the extra revs?

That lot should give around 200 BHP I’d guess, especially on 268s.

[Ess_Three]

This is fine if you have bags of money, sh!t loads of tools and a massive garage with ramp etc.. not to mention another car while your mk3 is in the shop. If your like me and find yourself doing most of your own maintenance takes enough time then you have to agree with wayne on this. Sell your mk3 for a grand, then you have three grand. Go and buy yourself a mark four 1.8 turbo in black, save a little more money and buy a better turbo for it, job done .

Fine, if you wanted an awful Mk4...each to their own though.
People who are considering spending £1000s on a Mk3 aren't doing it to have the fastest car they can though...they must be enthusiasts who do it for the pleasure as much as the results.

Different thinking...

[Ess_Three]

I never said a Vectra is a good drive, but I would never waste £2k that you will never see back on a 13 year old car.

If it's your hobby?
So what?

I know people spending £10k on a Mk2...and the end result is something way more special than a £10k Euro-bland modern box...so why not?
To them it's not wasting...
To you it is.

Horses for courses.;

[Mikester]

This thread is almost starting to imply that a mk3 is fun to drive...... calm down boys.

[Ess_Three]

Which is fine...
So if somebody wants to spend £3000 of their money on a 13 year old Mk3, let them.
So what if you could but 100 Vectras or a BT Mk4...who gives?
It's their money...let them spend it as they wish.

[Wayne]

I never said a Vectra is a good drive, but I would never waste £2k that you will never see back on a 13 year old car.

If it's your hobby?
So what?

I know people spending £10k on a Mk2...and the end result is something way more special than a £10k Euro-bland modern box...so why not?
To them it's not wasting...
To you it is.

Horses for courses.;

You have your views and I have mine.

Spending a lot of money and building a show car is one thing, to try and make a bad handling and not that quick car as standard by spending £2k to me is pointless, starting with a mk2 would be a better bet as it lighter.