Buying new GTI... VR6 or 1.8T?

[sausageburner]

Looked at some 02 and up GTI's the other day and decided to get one, yes that means im sellling the jetta... for sure this time!

But anyways, I'm stuck on deciding whether to get a VR6 or a 1.8T so thought I would get some other opinions. Keep in mind i do plan on turbo charging whatever i buy pretty soon after i buy it.

[GoodDayForADrive]

I vote VR6 if you are gonna throw a turbo on there anyways :)

[Mr_Diesel]

Dude, I have driven both... The sound the VR6 makes is INCREDIBLE. Pure German Power. Get the VR6. The VR6 has a lot more potential.

[Matty-O]

VR6! VR6! I raced one back in the day and those thing haul major ass...

[sausageburner]

change of plans....

I'm now looking at a 99 and up Passat, havent decided on 1.8 or VR6 though... Im not going to do much engine, intake and exhaust, but going to do hella exterior, NICE rims perhaps spinners? and etc...

[Getta8v]

yeah the potential is there for the vr6 but the 1.8t gets better gas mileage and with a chip you are well over 200hp. I say get a 1.8T it has a lot more potential and will cost you less to get more HP if thats your plan. Yeah trust me i know as much as I love that vr6 sound i just cant handle getting **** for gas mileage especially nowadays

[Gotturbo]

If you get a passat im going to smack you.

[e1over]

I test drove a VR6 A4 Jet, and drive an '01 wolfie, and both are nice powerplants. Took a pretty good test drive on the VR6 with a maintanance guy (was a wholesaler and the sales people were busy), who was enjoying the break from work. Ended up getting rear-ended, but no damage. If it's the 12v VR6, I'd choose the 1.8T, but 1.8T vs. 24v VR6. . . that's a tough call.

[TisforTurbo]

Definitely get the 1.8T. Definitely dont get a passat :P

[MKIIVR6]

If I had the resources, I would pick up an R32. AWD, huge brakes, 3.2L 24 valve VR6. I know of a few people who have already supercharged a couple. About the Passat, I test drove a 1.8T passat three months ago. It was slow. A 1.8T is great in a Golf or Jetta, but a heavy ass car like a Passat, just a little on the slow side. (my preference though) However the new Passat's loaded with the W8, now that is another story altogether. I think they only run around $50,000?

[GoodDayForADrive]

If I had the resources, I would pick up an R32. AWD, huge brakes, 3.2L 24 valve VR6. I know of a few people who have already supercharged a couple. About the Passat, I test drove a 1.8T passat three months ago. It was slow. A 1.8T is great in a Golf or Jetta, but a heavy ass car like a Passat, just a little on the slow side. (my preference though) However the new Passat's loaded with the W8, now that is another story altogether. I think they only run around $50,000?
People haven't just supercharged them :) There is actually a dual turbo already :D

[Mr_Diesel]

yeah the potential is there for the vr6 but the 1.8t gets better gas mileage and with a chip you are well over 200hp. I say get a 1.8T it has a lot more potential and will cost you less to get more HP if thats your plan. Yeah trust me i know as much as I love that vr6 sound i just cant handle getting **** for gas mileage especially nowadays


LOL, did you just say the 1.8T has more potential? lol... The 1.8T is going to max out at about 250hp, if you put 20-30,000 dollars worth of mods to the engine. The 12V VR6 has shown up to 500hp with similar mods. (www.eiptuning.com 's vr6 has videos of races and dyno test results) The 1.8T is not that fast of a car. I cheaply modified 24V vr6 is going to own the 1.8T off the line, and top end. Personally, I think the 1.8T is a very underpowered engine for a Jetta. No replacement for displacement. DEFINATLY get the VR6. The gas mileage on my VR6 was about 22 average, and I drove that thing into the ground. They say the 1.8T get's about 28ish. Anybody with a slight lead foot (and anybody with a turbocharged car is) is going to drive it hard... It's safe to say that the way you'd drive a 1.8T would get about 24-25 if that. Those motor's sound incredible, and have a lot more potential than a 4 cylinder.

[chewy]

yeah the potential is there for the vr6 but the 1.8t gets better gas mileage and with a chip you are well over 200hp. I say get a 1.8T it has a lot more potential and will cost you less to get more HP if thats your plan. Yeah trust me i know as much as I love that vr6 sound i just cant handle getting **** for gas mileage especially nowadays


LOL, did you just say the 1.8T has more potential? lol... The 1.8T is going to max out at about 250hp, if you put 20-30,000 dollars worth of mods to the engine. The 12V VR6 has shown up to 500hp with similar mods. (www.eiptuning.com 's vr6 has videos of races and dyno test results) The 1.8T is not that fast of a car. I cheaply modified 24V vr6 is going to own the 1.8T off the line, and top end. Personally, I think the 1.8T is a very underpowered engine for a Jetta. No replacement for displacement. DEFINATLY get the VR6. The gas mileage on my VR6 was about 22 average, and I drove that thing into the ground. They say the 1.8T get's about 28ish. Anybody with a slight lead foot (and anybody with a turbocharged car is) is going to drive it hard... It's safe to say that the way you'd drive a 1.8T would get about 24-25 if that. Those motor's sound incredible, and have a lot more potential than a 4 cylinder.

if i put 20,000-30,000 in my 1.8t i would have 500whp. i say 1.8t. because vr6 maint. sucks ballz.

[Mr_Diesel]

yeah the potential is there for the vr6 but the 1.8t gets better gas mileage and with a chip you are well over 200hp. I say get a 1.8T it has a lot more potential and will cost you less to get more HP if thats your plan. Yeah trust me i know as much as I love that vr6 sound i just cant handle getting **** for gas mileage especially nowadays


LOL, did you just say the 1.8T has more potential? lol... The 1.8T is going to max out at about 250hp, if you put 20-30,000 dollars worth of mods to the engine. The 12V VR6 has shown up to 500hp with similar mods. (www.eiptuning.com 's vr6 has videos of races and dyno test results) The 1.8T is not that fast of a car. I cheaply modified 24V vr6 is going to own the 1.8T off the line, and top end. Personally, I think the 1.8T is a very underpowered engine for a Jetta. No replacement for displacement. DEFINATLY get the VR6. The gas mileage on my VR6 was about 22 average, and I drove that thing into the ground. They say the 1.8T get's about 28ish. Anybody with a slight lead foot (and anybody with a turbocharged car is) is going to drive it hard... It's safe to say that the way you'd drive a 1.8T would get about 24-25 if that. Those motor's sound incredible, and have a lot more potential than a 4 cylinder.

if i put 20,000-30,000 in my 1.8t i would have 500whp. i say 1.8t. because vr6 maint. sucks ballz.

True true... If you were looking on it at a pure performance standpoint... The 12v VR6 *almost* makes as much whp as the 1.8T, and the VR is not running FI... A 12v VR6 with similar mods to a 1.8T is going to yield more horsepower... More displacement. If it were me, I'd probably do the 1.8T cause they get better gas mileage, and are a bit cheaper to mod... but that's just because I am a cheap ass, but like I say... If you want more performance, and have the money, the VR6 is the way to go... it costs too much money to get more power out of the 1.8T, because the 1.8T is already a slightly tuned engine... I mean... there are injectors, turbo upgrades, exhausts, etc, but again... If you have the money, you should start out with the bigger engine.

[DavidLara]

What's the point for having a quasi-race car??? get a 2.0, safety is first... or a Diesel if you are environment-concerned... :D

[Mr_Diesel]

What's the point for having a quasi-race car??? get a 2.0, safety is first... or a Diesel if you are environment-concerned... :D

omg, wtf dude? :?

[Getta8v]

you can always upgrade the turbo on 1.8T. essentially once you get to all that modding gas mileage is no issue otherwise you wouldnt do it. Ive been amazed by many a stock vr6. My friends stock (except the exhaust)mk4 GTI vr6 whipped two GST's. GST's have 200hp 213 ft/lbs of torque. I just dont understand it. I love 1.8T's and VR's get both and solve the problem

[2002maniac]

If you are talking about all out potential, the VR wins hands down. But anything over 300hp in a fwd car is worthless! Admit it! for the 1.8t ~225 is about tops on the stock TINY turbo. for about $1000 you can upgrade the turbo, get a chip, and have 300hp. How much does 300hp cost for a VR? I would definately go for the 1.8t with a nice ball bearing turbo that can flow some air.

[Mr_Diesel]

you can always upgrade the turbo on 1.8T. essentially once you get to all that modding gas mileage is no issue otherwise you wouldnt do it. Ive been amazed by many a stock vr6. My friends stock (except the exhaust)mk4 GTI vr6 whipped two GST's. GST's have 200hp 213 ft/lbs of torque. I just dont understand it. I love 1.8T's and VR's get both and solve the problem

Yeah.... I agree get both :P .... The 1.8T is quick, but it's still a very small engine.... The VR6 has more potential.

[Mr_Diesel]

But anything over 300hp in a fwd car is worthless!

I disagree. It's possible to have 1,000 hp in a fwd car and as long as you harness, and drive it correctly, you won't have any problems. You can also go for wider tires, and stuff like that. Plus in a FWD *most* of the weight is up front, which gives you the advantage for traction... In a RWD car most of the weight is in front, with less in the back... That's like saying anything more than 300hp in a RWD car is worthless, when most musclecar V8's have well over 350-400hp. You have to learn how to drive the car correctly, and I don't see ANY advantage RWD has over FWD, except for the fact that it's kind of symbolic to musclecar enthusiasts, and to make more room in the engine bay for a bigger engine.

All wheel drive is a different story, but again... Almost NO musclecars had AWD, so that doesnt even matter with respect to argument.

It's pretty safe to say that anything more than 300hp in any kind of car is worthless unless you know how to drive it.

[chewy]

a rear wheel launch is a lot better then a front wheel launch. when you launch all the weight shifts over the rear wheel and you get more and better traction. 500hp on a front wheel drive car would be good at the top end when your already movng fast. the only problem with a modified 1.8t k03 is there is so much lowend torque. its tough to get a good launch because all it wants to do is spin the hell out of the tires. also drive by wire blows.

i say potential wise yes to the vr6 if money isn't an option. the 1.8t stock motor can definatley handle a lot more boost and hp. without cracking it open you should be good up to 400bhp. i've heard of much higher numbers on stockmotors, but supposedly the rods can't handle it.

what ever you decide on prepare to spend a lot of money if your going to put on a big turbo. your going to need a clutch, lsd, injectors, fpr, fmic, turbo, fuel pump, manifold, downpipe, wastegate (internal sucks), tuning chip or stand alone, plus more shat. prepare on the 1.8t to spend about 5000+.

[2002maniac]

The fwd/rwd comparo is way off. you have to think about weight transfer. the more power/thrust you have in a fwd car the more traction decreases during a launch. In a rwd car, it is the opposite! as you launch weight is transfered to the rear of the car increasing traction. And that, my freinds is why I have been pondering a mid-mounted sbc in my GTI shell 8O

weight dist? :P
my bmw=53/47
your coupe=61/39

IMHO over 300hp is pointless off the line in a fwd car. on the freeway it would be a hoot, but hooking up from a stand still (or even a 35mph rolling start) would be next to impossible with that kind of power.

[Mr_Diesel]

The fwd/rwd comparo is way off. you have to think about weight transfer. the more power/thrust you have in a fwd car the more traction decreases during a launch. In a rwd car, it is the opposite! as you launch weight is transfered to the rear of the car increasing traction. And that, my freinds is why I have been pondering a mid-mounted sbc in my GTI shell 8O

weight dist? :P
my bmw=53/47
your coupe=61/39

IMHO over 300hp is pointless off the line in a fwd car. on the freeway it would be a hoot, but hooking up from a stand still (or even a 35mph rolling start) would be next to impossible with that kind of power.

Hey... it's America... You are entitled to your own opinion. :P :P :P The only reason the front end lifts up is because of the torque presented on the axel... There is SOME weight distribution, but not enough to really make a difference. Watch dyno videos of RWD cars... Even though they strap them down really tight, you can still see the front end move up and down a little bit even though the dead weight of the car is not moving. With FWD the engine's weight is STILL being supported by the front end, it's just that inertia causes the front end to lift up a bit. Again, I disagree with you saying 300hp is worthless for OFF the line FWD cars. If you take off properly until you are going 15-20mph, the hp would really make a difference. As I said before, it's all about the control. If you don't control your 100hp 4 banger correctly, the tires will spin, and the car will go nowhere... So what do you do? Ease out the clutch and ease the accellerator peddal. I think 500hp is not practical for an everyday driver FWD. Anything less is manageable.

[chewy]

think about it though when you take off where does all the crap in your car go, to the rear. the rear suspension loads up when you have power and the front exspands so weight is shifted to the rear. even n a fwd car mine did it till i got stiffer springs and still bucks a little. this is better seen when there is way more power and the rwd cars are pulling the front tires off the ground. thats why its tough to get a fwd car anywhere near the numbers that the big engine rwd cars get. not to mention the can shorten their axles and run ridicously wide tires. fwd cars can have wider tires, but then turning is an issue. imo pushing is better then pulling in drag racing and both combined is the shat.

[burn_your_money]

so VR6 or 1.8T?

[Mr_Diesel]

think about it though when you take off where does all the crap in your car go, to the rear. the rear suspension loads up when you have power and the front exspands so weight is shifted to the rear. even n a fwd car mine did it till i got stiffer springs and still bucks a little. this is better seen when there is way more power and the rwd cars are pulling the front tires off the ground. thats why its tough to get a fwd car anywhere near the numbers that the big engine rwd cars get. not to mention the can shorten their axles and run ridicously wide tires. fwd cars can have wider tires, but then turning is an issue. imo pushing is better then pulling in drag racing and both combined is the shat.

Whatever 500hp is still doable.

[Mr_Diesel]

so VR6 or 1.8T?

Both sides are arguable... lol. I'd prefur the VR just because of it's potential and displacement, plus the sound.

[TisforTurbo]

It also depends what he is gonna do to the car, how much he has to spend, etc. I'd say you will be very happy with both cars stock. I would go with the 1.8t since I don't have the kind of cash to mod the vr. With very few mods (chip, exhaust, sway bar) you would have an extremely fun car to drive, yet still be reliable and have good mileage. It would cost much more $$ to have that in the vr. Plus, my mileage in the vr would be terrible, I would run it to redline every chance I got, just to hear that fine fine exhaust note... :P

[Mr_Diesel]

It also depends what he is gonna do to the car, how much he has to spend, etc. I'd say you will be very happy with both cars stock. I would go with the 1.8t since I don't have the kind of cash to mod the vr. With very few mods (chip, exhaust, sway bar) you would have an extremely fun car to drive, yet still be reliable and have good mileage. It would cost much more $$ to have that in the vr. Plus, my mileage in the vr would be terrible, I would run it to redline every chance I got, just to hear that fine fine exhaust note... :P

Well... it all comes down to money. Speed is not cheap with imports. If you want to be a cheap ass, then get a 1.8T where all the work is already done for you. If you want to actually do the work and tuning yourself, where in the end it's going to pay off bigtime, with the finished product you have, you are going to be a lot more happier and proud of it. Plus it's going to be a lot faster if you get the VR6.

[TokenblkguyVR6]

change of plans....

I'm now looking at a 99 and up Passat, havent decided on 1.8 or VR6 though... Im not going to do much engine, intake and exhaust, but going to do hella exterior, NICE rims perhaps spinners? and etc...

There wasn't a VR6 in the 99+ passats, only the Audi 90deg V6 from the A4, A6 cars