Now being the owner of a 2002 VW Jetta 1.8T I can say I one thing. I LOVE
IT! How about stuffing one of these lovely 20valve motors into an MGB,
putting in one of those aftermarket ECUs and you'll have 250hp and 275lb/ft
out of 1.8L in a nice little MGB. It seems that the late-model scrap yards
are charging around $1500-$2000 for 1.8T motors... not a bad alternative if
you're thinking about doing a Rover V8 rebuild.
And I can also say that the Tiptronic gearbox is not a gimmick, it is quite
nice actually; no need to worry about over revving or downshifting when
coming to a stop. Then again, it is still a little slower than a manual
gearbox... but with 100hp/liter of power you don't notice it. (the 2002
Jettas got 180hp up from 150hp in the 2001s for the 1.8T models).
Now of course, don't cut up a perfectly happy original B to do this... there
are plenty of B's that have been missing their drivetrains for many years
now and those are more than suitable for conversions, without feeling guilty
about originality (or lack of).
Anyone willing to divert from the beaten path of typical Rover V8
conversions? If I hadn't just spent my life savings (and a little extra
from mom) on the Jetta, I'd consider doing it myself... but then again
college kid schedule prohibits one from having time consuming hobbies.
We'll see how fast the car fund can recuperate, and perhaps I can somehow
get such a engine swap passed as a Senior Design Project as a mechanical
engineering student. Afterall, I've seen a few other SDP's, which weren't
quite as challenging, get approval.
Kai
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