1.8 Carb Engine (Improvements)

Can anyone please give me some advise on how to improve the performance of my 1.8 Carb Engine?

My Engine has 68k, 1991, Mk1 Clipper and I am wanting to improve the performance of the engine without replacing.

Some sensible advise would be appreciated

Comes up every week mate.



Sell the clipper, buy a GTI, if u want more performance!

Depends on what you using it for? if racing do as paul states get a gti, otherwise, slap a weber on it, 4 branch and decent air filter and you get better performance that way bud
Pete :wink:

Current carb is?  If it's the standard Pierburg, then find a Weber 32-34 - about ?225 new, and about ?100 s/h.

I managed to buy one for ?150 - with a Mk2 Golf attached…

Sorry to spoil anyone's dreams or whatever, but if your car is running fine then a 4-2-1 tubular manifold, carb swap, or air filter mods won't gain you any BHP. I wouldn't want you spending money then finding out it did nothing for you

If you really want to increase it (why tho? Get a GTI…..) you need to improve the breathing and the bottleneck is the smaller valves and cam. SO replacing the head with  GTI head will get you actual gains. But….seriously….what's the point?

Of course if you change the head, you'd need to rejet the carb (probably easier with a Weber, than the original) and do other things like swap the entire exhaust system for a GTI one, or a 4 branch, etc to assist the breathing.

Then there's insurance….a tuned Clipper will prob cost more than a stock GTI, and have cost more (in the price differential) to gain less power.

fitting a weber, full stainless or 4 branch as you say for better breathing makes a difference on a gti thus giving you better bhp, but not on a carb?
Why is this?
So people that have fitted these as above mentioned to their gti's have wasted their money if the block is still standard
Pete :wink:

Peddersgolf said

fitting a weber, full stainless or 4 branch as you say for better breathing makes a difference on a gti thus giving you beter bhp, but not on a carb?
Why is this?
Pete :wink:

It doesn't make a difference on a GTI either.

so what is the actual purpose of the filter's i.e performance filters etc, 4 branch manifolds and stainless system if they dont change anything, this is what i am trying to get my head around as so many have done this modification.
If that is the case i am glad i am not pursueing possible buy of exhaust system, cheers paul

Peddersgolf said

so what is the actual purpose of the filter's i.e performance filters etc, 4 branch manifolds and stainless system if they dont change anything, this is what i am trying to get my head around as so many have done this modification.
If that is the case i am glad i am pursueing possible buy of exhaust system, cheers paul

Only when modifications are combined together as an entire suite of parts, from the air filter - inlet tract - throttle body - head - camshaft - valves - exhaust manifold - exhaust system do you gain actual benefits. VW, wisely sized each of the above parts to work well with each other, so the engine 'flows' in a particular way. There is no one particular bottleneck in the above, remember the GTI engine was an optimisation of a previous family so the bottlenecks were addressed. So, if you remove one 'bottleneck', another appears.

OK, cleared that up, anyway another thing would a mk2 gti exhaust fit a mk1 gti, as blocks are the same
Pete

''Sorry to spoil anyone's dreams or whatever, but if your car is running fine then a 4-2-1 tubular manifold, carb swap, or air filter mods won't gain you any BHP. I wouldn't want you spending money then finding out it did nothing for you ''



i'm sure if you get the engine breathing better with a new performance air filter it would add a couple of bhp?

jackypompom said

''Sorry to spoil anyone's dreams or whatever, but if your car is running fine then a 4-2-1 tubular manifold, carb swap, or air filter mods won't gain you any BHP. I wouldn't want you spending money then finding out it did nothing for you ''



i'm sure if you get the engine breathing better with a new performance air filter it would add a couple of bhp?

Nope, there's nothing wrong with the stock air filter, it flows enough air…..

Going to disagree of this one paul, always have the original paper mashy type filters, then changed to an Alpha air filter for the standard air filter box same as k&n type filter, and yes it did improve the air flow to the carb, surely with this along with a new weber carb and 4 branch tubluar manifold and full system with straight through middle pipe instead of box it has to achieve some upgrade in performance wise

Ok its not my money, its yours, spend it if you like!

Overall I will agree with Paul c, but the mods mentioned will make the car more driveable.

Those mods will make for a slightly more responsive throttle and may give you a couple of extra bhp, but nothing noticable!!

A GTI will be the cheapest way to gain more power