Re: sluggish V6/aggressive pull out/ garret chip/ K&N

[poopnose <cyng@lamere.net>]

>   It seems some list members are under the impression that because 
>someone is
>female they don't know how to operate a 5 speed. I'm not a feminist, so I
>don't care ;-) But, I will say this, and I won't be modest, when it comes to
>my boys (my Jettas) I can kick ass with a clutch and a shifter. Having said
>that, this is the first A3 I've driven and I've had him less than 3 
>months. It
>could be that I am not completely comfertable with the shifting yet.

Could be, could be. Nobody said that "girls" can't "drive." As a matter 
of fact, my fianceis quite the leadfoot at times. She's always crowing 
about the Mistu or Grand Prix she wasted on her way home from work. But 
the VR6 (oh, and out of respect for the engine, please don't call it a 
mere "V6." This is the V_R_6, my friend - a world unto itself!) does have 
better high-end power than low, whereas your A2 GLi (I'm drooling over it 
as we speak. I wanted one for a long time. In fact, I currently have an 
'84 GLi (A1), as well as my '95 GLX), being a 4-cylendar, will be a very 
torquey - rather than brute force - engine.

>   I don't expect to turn my VW into a corvette but I do expect the superior
>performance I love VWs for.  There is a reason I bought a used GLX and not a
>new GEO and it ain't the vanity mirror. The hiway full speed and kick down
>factor are everything I knew they would be. When I say my Jet seems sluggish
>I'm not trying to pop the clutch and race Camaros out of red lights. I'm
>reffering to a general aggressive pull off; ie: You aren't racing, but you
>can't help but smile when you look in the rearview and the other cars look
>like ants. Popping the clutch and ripping out of a red light is a dead give
>away your racing. I prefer the smooth but aggressive approach that says "I'm
>not racing you but I'm kicking your ass anyway. Bye bye, see you at the next
>red light." I know some of you guys out there know what I'm talking about. 
>I'm
>having problems pulling away from the other cars in those lower gears (you
>know, in the city you don't make it out of 4th gear...)  It just seems I 
>broke
>away faster in the A2. Like I said, maybe it's the newness factor with the
>different trans, but I don't really think so. I'm gonna try both types of 
>pull
>offs on the way home and see if I can time it. If someone knows what I'm
>talking about with the aggressive pull off, help me out and see if you can
>time it. 

The big thing to remember with the VR6 (as opposed to the straight 4 or 
the 16v 4) is that, while low-end torque is definitely decent for a 6, 
you really don't hit the engine's sweet spot until around 4k rpm or 
higher. Before 4k, you're merely toying with your competition.

>    As far as the Garrett chip I'm seriously considering it.  Maybe what I
>consider "sluggish" is the lower gears hitting their maximum, therefore 
>having
>to shift what I feel is prematurely. On the A2, I can do 55mph in third gear.
>Of course, I can't put one in till my warranty ends. >:-[

On your GLX, you can do 55mph in second gear. The stock rev limiter tends 
to kick in anywhere between 60mph and 68mph (depending upon conditions) 
when accellerating in second gear. PLEASE don't try that with your GLi. 
Not to say it's fragile by any means, but your VR6 is without a doubt 
more capable of higher speeds in lower gears than you seem to think. 
Obviously, everybody drives in different manners, and driving styles 
shift from condition to condition, but in general your GLX will shift 
much later than your GLi. But I need to stronlngy warn you about 
something, if you care at all about the life of your engine.
   Let your oil warm up. Get in the car; start the car; hit the MFA 
button on the end of the windshield wiper arm five times. Oil temps in 
fahrenheit. Now, personal practices may vary, but, personally, I NEVER 
take my tachometer above 4k rpm until my oil temperature is 176 or above. 
Sure, with the Jetta's windy engine bay it can take a little while (as 
opposed to the two seconds it takes my brother's CorradoSLC to hit 176), 
but it's worthwhile. At this temperature, your oil has gained about the 
right level of viscosity-versus-fluidity to protect your engine from 
cylendar/piston head contact (which is its job), and you're free to 
bounce the tach off the limiter. But until then you'll never catch me 
touching 4k rpm. This can be frustrating, especially when you want to 
teach that cocky little Honda a lesson at a stop light - but it's even 
more rewarding to waste the guy ... without even breaking a sweat 
(breaching 4k rpm). You see?
   Like I said, it varies from person to person. But that's my advice.
   As far as getting an upgraded EPROM goes, I heartily agree. My 
personal recommendation is Garrett. I don't know the URL for his web 
site, but I'm sure you can find it from any of many VW web sites (CCA, 
GLX, VW-COLA, etc.).

>   On the K&N filter web site their Email is down. They have the K&N
>replacement element, the bolt on unit, and the 57i kits. Which one am I
>supposed to be going for, and 'bout how much do they cost? 

K&N air filters are the way to go with both of your cars. I use 'em and 
won't use anything else - especially the cheesy paper filters which come 
stock. Bleh.
   If you have any other questions, feel free to ask. That's what this 
list is for. :)

>Angie
>22 years old and only two children: my oldest boy '87Jetta GLI, and the baby
>boy, '95 Jetta/// GLX- they make a mother proud.

Tom
22 years old and only two children: my oldest boy '84 JettaGLi (silver, 
193k mi), and
the baby boy, '95 JettaGLX (black/black leather, 64k mi). Got to love 'em.

. . .  t h o m a s  j.  b o y e r  -  c y n g @ l a m e r e . n e t  . . .