WTB and a question

[Ti Kan]

Robert Blumel writes:
> [ A4 2.8 v. 1.8T ]
> Question I have is: what is the difference, besides displacement and the
> fact that the 1.8 has a turbo, between the two motors?

The 2.8 is a V6, whereas the 1.8T is a 4-cylinder mit turbo :-)

> They make almost the
> same power and get close to the same gas mileage.  Which one should I be
> looking for?

In stock form, the A4 2.8 and the 1.8T don't make the same power:

model year	2.8	1.8T
1996-1997	172hp	150hp
1998-2000	190hp	150hp
2001		190hp	170hp

The 172hp V6 is the 2-valves per cylinder version, the 190hp V6 and the
1.8T both have 5-valves per cylinder.

Highs:
- The 2.8 is silky smooth, torquey, reliable and makes a sweet song at
  any RPM.
- The 1.8T belies its small displacement and is very tunable to make
  mucho more power.

Lows:
- The 2.8 is not very tunable for more power.
- The 1.8T begins to show its four-cylinder nature at higher RPMs, becoming
  a bit noisy.  Some 1.8Ts seem to have problems with turbo failure,
  particularly on modified cars.

Which one you should be looking for?  It's your choice.  If you have no
intention of modding your car and want a smooth and torquey engine, the
2.8 is the answer.  If you want to tinker and want the tunability of
the 1.8T, then go that route.  Also, the 2.8s are higher in the A4 lineup
and are more luxuriously equipped than the 1.8Ts.

-Ti
01 S4 2.7 biturbo quattro
84 5000S 2.1 turbo
80 4000 2.0
96 A4 2.8 quattro (sold but not forgotten)
-- 
    ///  Ti Kan                Vorsprung durch Technik
   ///   AMB Research Laboratories, Sunnyvale, CA. USA
  ///    ti at amb.org
 //////  http://www.ibiblio.org/tkan/
///