my rotor is bigger than your rotor

[Peter Schulz]

Don't quite agree, Brett:

First of all - Audi/Bosch never really intended the distributor rotor on
the 3b be replaced on it's own - the whole unit is supposed to be replaced
- plastic gear and all.

Replacement distributors come with the narrow rotor - which challenges your
line of thought, too - if there was no difference, then Audi/Bosh would
then have stopped making the additional part number...parts variation just
increases costs for suppliers and manufactures

Scott Mockry recommends the narrow, rotor, too.

You are probably correct in that a mildly tuned engine can run with the
"wider" rotor - however - for the relatively minor price difference - I'm
not willing to risk it...I'll look for $ savings elsewhere.
YMMV

-Peter




At 03:17 PM 6/10/2002 -0400, you wrote:
>At 10:17 AM -0400 6/10/02, Peter Schulz wrote:
>
>>  but of course the rotor was the wrong type ( wide
>>contact)  luckily I ordered a few of the correct rotors from ROd at TPC.
>
>The whole wrong versus right rotor is a bunch of horse whooey...IMHO :-)
>
>I've been running the "wrong" rotor for several years and around 60k
>miles, with two different chipped ECUs...and I flog the bejezus out
>of my car.  Running stage III+ now, pretty aggressive chip.
>
>There's the real-world evidence; the thinner rotor has been (for the
>most part) "unavailable" for years....and there are probably hundreds
>200q20v's running the "wrong" rotor...again for years(I would guess
>that a survey of the list would find the majority, at least 2/3rds,
>have the wider rotor installed.)  3B engine kabooms are pretty
>rare...the only one I've heard of was Sarge, and there were other
>issues involved there...like the clouds of smoke on startup for a
>couple days before the engine chewed itself on the highway.
>
>Personally, I'll be following the Bosch guidelines...I see no point
>in spending the extra time, money, or effort on finding the "thin"
>rotor.
>
>Besides, "Wider is Better", right? :-)
>
>Brett
>--
>----

Peter Schulz
1990 CQ
1991 200 20v TQW indigo mica
1991 200 20v TQW titanium grey
Chelmsford, MA USA
peschulz at cisco.com