Tuning a 1.6GTI Old Skool Style

I am looking for articles information on tuning a 1.6GTI engine. Ideally how this would have been done back in the day before other engines were out there for conversions. Get it was cams and uprated throttle bodies etc

Anyone got any old magazines they could scan or copy or any good links it would be appreciated.  

I'm also looking at tuning my 1600 in the future rather than just sticking a bigger engine in. Early tuners of the GTI used to bore the 1600 out to something like 1750-1760cc. This gave more poke than the VW 1800 GTI engine, but I think the internals for this job are hard to source these days.

Twin webers are quite a traditional way of tuning and give a great sound, not sure how much the gains would be. Could argue that does go against the origins of the GTI as an injection car.

I've been thinking about mainly improving the breathing and fueling. This would include a higher lift cam, larger throttle body & enlarged inlet manifold. Also heard Audi WUR is worth having as increases fueling under full throttle, although think might need a vacuum feed from the air box? Probably also look for a four branch manifold.

Cheers

haynes manual - improve and modify  vw golf and jetta mk1 mk2 including gti, good book, tells u all about fitting tow bars bodykits etc etc then goes on to the engine side of it, released in1988, a few things it lists is, fitting a free flow exhaust,  goes on to explain about a less restrivtive exhaust it says that the jetex exhaust they were fitting gave substancial increases in power but made it quiter!!  :dontknow:  then it goes on about fitting electronic ignition kit rather then points, fitting a manual choke conversion and or a weber direct replacement carb, fitting an engine pre heater (in cooling system) so it heats the water up so its not cold when u start it and give it full throttle, fitting oil coolers, uprating brakes, heavy duty clutchs, cylinder head work, engine conversions, turbo charging! good book quite intresting, some photos will shock you 8O  as it was released in the 80's there on about putting tv's in the car and they are more or less like the tv's ud have in your kitchen HUGE!!!! but a good book tells u a wide varity not just about engine mods does suspension brakes interior exterior. i got mine for a tenner of the dreaded evil bay.
hope this helps

My first mk1 in 97 ish was 79 V plate small back light rally prepared mk1 with cage buckets sump guard etc, it was fitted with a BRM 1900 conversion based on a 1600 eg gti lump.
By coincidence I viewed a mk1 rally car locally at the weekend, which turned out to be my old one, all be it in a very bad way, but still running well. I`m tempted to buy it but can`t let myself just for the sentimental value of it being my first mk1. If any of you hardcore 1600 fans are interested in the bits it may sway me to get hold of it…. There is a lot of welding required, so I`d prob break it anyway. :dontknow:

you need the golf october 03 issue theres a tuned 1600 by volkspeed in there.
spec in short
30 thou overbore
forged pistons
fully lightened and balanced
group A head with gs25 cam
audi 5 cylinder throttle body
4 branch manifold

I've got an old "Skeete" catalgoue in the loft. They had a pretty rapid / tuned 1.6GTI. did some good power as well. Also have a mag with it in somewhere with what they did to it. Wil ltry and dig it out for you if you like  and scan it on to here. :wink:

That sounds very interesting turbtechnicsMK1 - can you email me a copy?

Cheers

me too please?  :wink:

Oh, Markwon.. cheers for that Bosch PDF  :y:

No problems - more in depth than the autosolve website, think I got it off hairyarse of crazyquifff a year or two ago.

Cheers

turbtechnicsMK1 said

I've got an old "Skeete" catalgoue in the loft. They had a pretty rapid / tuned 1.6GTI. did some good power as well. Also have a mag with it in somewhere with what they did to it. Wil ltry and dig it out for you if you like  and scan it on to here. :wink:

OK… you've had nearly a year to dig this out. Lets be having yer  :wink:

oi turbtechmk1 you lazy get! post the Skeete scans you promised us!

chopperoli said

oi turbtechmk1 you lazy get! post the Skeete scans you promised us!

    Sorry Guys, not been on for a while - had a virus on the PC over chrimbo, fixed it then got another one which meant a COMPLETE rebuild of it form scratch so to speak   , so only just got back on line. hopefully this time for a while.

right- will get in th eloft and go thru the 15+years of Golf Mags (roughly 6 large plastic boxes) and dig them out for you all. Will scan them and post them up on here. Will take me some time (hopefully not a year though).

Also been busy with MK1 golf stuff, sorting out some more news parts  like Pipercross Airfliters, remus exhausts, Stainless Steel flexi hose kits etc so this has been consuming a lot of time. And also the Original decals for fuel, tyre pressure, and also worked on the rear panel build decal stickers. so been a bit busy (even wihthout a PC  :wink: ).

Right then you lot, I;ve been up in the loft, gone thru the boxes and like always the last box I checked had the stuff in it !!  

So I dragged on the following thinsg form the box that thought peeps might be interested in. Not sure whether to post it here or perhaps start a new thread and stick them up, but let me know what people want me to do (and that the mods are clearly happy wiht), list is as follows:

January 1994 Fast Car Mag
 -Dysilvia's wide arched mk1 golf. this guy used to run Road sport in London, clever guy - helped me wih tthe mk1 when i blew it up by getting me slick 50 pistons. Mk1 one has a wide arch kit on it, and is running extra injectors with one of his controllers on it. not sure what ever happened to this car ?

February 1994 Fast Car MAg :
K Jet tweaks article, add ons to the k jet - thught might make some interesting reaing, and give some peeps an idea of what was around and available back then. spome of the ideas progressed to give us things like V-SAM Pro, K-Star etc. Also has a prototype of a MK3 wide arch beasty by VAG from memory in it.

September 1991 Fast Car Mag:
THE ONE I'VE BEEN NAGGED FOR    Mk1 golf test, load of cars from likes of skeets, TSR, BRM, autocavan, Aries motorsport, and some owners home built cars. Includes 0-60 times etc.

1992 CAr and Car conversiosn tuning special:
Couple of pages on what can be done to the Golf GTI Lump. might again give soem a few ideas as to what options there were and might be availabel still today

SKEETE CATALOGUE:
From May 1991. Comeplet Catalogue from Francis Skeete with suggestions of what order to add th emods in to get the best from each one. Also has scanned piccies of GTO reiger kitted MK1's (Said ass I stil lfancy one of these today, along with a Znder one, and a list of other mk1's   )

and Finally GTI Services and Roadsport Catalogue. Steve Dysilvia's business (the boxed arch mk1 article above is his car). Really clever guy, knows his stuff, lots of slick 50 work was done wiht them. Has rolling road print outs for cars wiht their mods on and a mapfueler (read as a mapable injector for J-jet cars). Shame the guy chucked it in, but he got hacked off with other people quoting silly gains from mods so locked up and went home. Again woth a read.

So, a little light reading perhaps  :wink: , more stuff in the loft guys - give me a year and I'll dif that out as well    :?  :wink:

Oops - lots of typos, but I'm sure you get the idea    :roll:

It may be worth contacting Tim Styles, as im sure he used to race and tune mk1 8v engines, and may be able to point you in the right direction. Just a thought, as he probably knows the engine inside out  :wink:   

8O I wouldn't mind seeing all of that lot!  

although, not too sure if it's ok regarding the mags copyright :dontknow:

vdub_mk1 said

It may be worth contacting Tim Styles, as im sure he used to race and tune mk1 8v engines, and may be able to point you in the right direction. Just a thought, as he probably knows the engine inside out  :wink:   

Tim Styles - yep he does know his stuff, but unfortuately now lives in France !! sold TSR many years ago, and now enjoys the quiet Life over the water. did see him at Inters and few years back - grabbed me and told me  I had to buy his Golf tuning book as I owed him a few favours from all the help he'd given me over the years  

Oh, forgot this, his 1600 GTI is also in the shoot out as a comparison to Skeets car so that helps a bit me thinks.

Re copyright etc Phil - yep - not sure either being honest although Skkete are no longer in business so perhaps that part would be ok to post up alng wiht Roadsports catalogue ? Any ideas, don't really want to hev to photocopy it lots of times  

email them to me and I'll host the scans on my server

PhillTMK1GTI said

email them to me and I'll host the scans on my server

Good thinking Phil - I have photobucket account - could always chuck them up there ? Save emailing etc etc. and jsut provide the link to each one ?

:y: or do that

wouldn't mind them all in a PDF so there's just 1 file per mag/artical so will copy/paste when I'm bored at work

turbtechnicsMK1 said

like always the last box I checked had the stuff in it !!  

it always is, you stop looking when you find something