Air cooled power question.
12-17-2002, 10:02 PM
#1
Instructor
Thread Starter
Air cooled power question.
This is quite possibly a stupid question, so prepare to laugh, i've got my fire extinguisher handy.
How do they get so much from the beetle motors?
A guy in my VW club has a beetle with a 2300 cc 4cyl motor that puts out 275hp to the crank. I don't know what exactly he has done to it, but these kinds of numbers are not all that out of the ordinary.
I'm relatively new to air cooled power, but I do realize that it is easier to make a lot of power because less of it is wasted on accessories, such as the water pump.
My question is, the 3.2 carrera motor has almost a full extra liter of displacement and 2 extra hampsters....why then do the NA limits seem to be only 10 or 20hp above the 4cyl bug?
How do they get so much from the beetle motors?
A guy in my VW club has a beetle with a 2300 cc 4cyl motor that puts out 275hp to the crank. I don't know what exactly he has done to it, but these kinds of numbers are not all that out of the ordinary.
I'm relatively new to air cooled power, but I do realize that it is easier to make a lot of power because less of it is wasted on accessories, such as the water pump.
My question is, the 3.2 carrera motor has almost a full extra liter of displacement and 2 extra hampsters....why then do the NA limits seem to be only 10 or 20hp above the 4cyl bug?
12-18-2002, 11:45 AM
#2
Rennlist Member
If that were a stupid question, someone would have responded before now. I don't have the answer, but I do consider 275 hp out of a 2.3L air-cooled motor out of the ordinary. I'm sure it wasn't done with just unforced cool air induction and tuned exhaust. The blower on my '60 Bug (1.25L) was supposed to give a 50% hp gain (from 36 to 54 hp).
Even in the '60s some people (maybe those with small penises) were going to extremes (in cost and labor) to have the fastest VW around (it's not the size of the car, it's what you do with it).
I don't think air/oil cooled is the way to go to get big power, however. That's apparently why Porsche went to water cooled years ago for it's fastest race cars, and later applied water cooling to all it's cars. Air/oil cooling just does not allow one to maximize power for the displacement like 4 valves per cylinder and water cooling does.
Even in the '60s some people (maybe those with small penises) were going to extremes (in cost and labor) to have the fastest VW around (it's not the size of the car, it's what you do with it).
I don't think air/oil cooled is the way to go to get big power, however. That's apparently why Porsche went to water cooled years ago for it's fastest race cars, and later applied water cooling to all it's cars. Air/oil cooling just does not allow one to maximize power for the displacement like 4 valves per cylinder and water cooling does.
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Superdave312 (10-07-2020)
12-19-2002, 02:27 PM
#4
275 HP? How do you figure? Without seeing the car, I'd say that's pretty hard to do. Is this thing on a trailer?
Ask your friend, I'm pretty sure he's as baffled as the rest of us.
rjp
Ask your friend, I'm pretty sure he's as baffled as the rest of us.
rjp
12-19-2002, 02:45 PM
#5
I have seen some of these wild VW 4-bangers in action. That HP figure is probably based on NOX, Blowers, Turbos and some big-block-type carbs.
Drive it daily, NO
Live more than 5-10K miles, NO
Pass street emissions? only if exempt or living in Nepal
Worth 20 cents on the dollar if you try to sell it - YES
<img src="graemlins/jumper.gif" border="0" alt="[jumper]" /> <img src="graemlins/jumper.gif" border="0" alt="[jumper]" />
Drive it daily, NO
Live more than 5-10K miles, NO
Pass street emissions? only if exempt or living in Nepal
Worth 20 cents on the dollar if you try to sell it - YES
<img src="graemlins/jumper.gif" border="0" alt="[jumper]" /> <img src="graemlins/jumper.gif" border="0" alt="[jumper]" />