[urq] 1.8T or V8? Decisions, decisions...

[Michael Hopton]

Jeff,
I drove my father's TT 225HP when I was back in Scotland. This is the
first time I have driven any car with the 1.8T engine and I compared
it with my brother's A3 V6 250hp DSG. Ignoring paddle's versus manual
shifting I was really impressed with the 1.8T engine. I know Gordan
Murray doesn't agree, but there is something very smile inducing about
the torque boost delivery of an Audi turbo motor. 

So if I were in your shoes I would swap in the 1.8T for all the weight,
tuning and lack of fabrication reasons. Plus it's easier to focus
on the maintenance and spare part collecting, if you are running the
"same" engine in two of your cars. Lastly, it would be nice to see
another ur-q being driven and enjoyed with a reversible, non invasive
engine change.

Martin Pajak just returned from a marathon drive from Toronto down
to Georgia and back he picked up an early '82 US car. It doesn't look 
like it will be re-build able but I am hoping to save the engine
WX-00-011
and find it a home in my '83 ur-q. 

Cheers, Mike


-----Original Message-----
From: urq-bounces at audifans.com [mailto:urq-bounces at audifans.com] On
Behalf Of jeffrey.goggin at cox.net
Sent: Saturday, July 23, 2005 1:01 PM
To: urq at audifans.com
Subject: [urq] 1.8T or V8? Decisions, decisions...

This past Thursday, I took delivery of a complete (including even the
starter motor and coolant reservoir!) 1.8T engine setup that I plan to
swap into my '99.5 A4.  This engine has been bored and stroked to 2.0
liters, uses a hybrid Garrett turbo, has a modified fuel and ignition
system, 3" exhaust, etc. When it was dyno'd last September, it made
335hp at the wheels running 29psi of boost on 101 octane unleaded.
Potent, to say the least, and since it's basically a turn-key setup -
I've learned my lesson about getting involved with complicated engine
swaps! - I hope to have it installed and running within the next few
weeks.

This will leave me with my present 1.8T engine setup: K04 turbo, 310cc
injectors, PC_16 chip, RS4 intercooler, etc.  When I had it dyno'd
earlier this spring (before I'd installed the RS4 I/C and fine-tuned the
fueling), it made 184hp at the wheels and my butt dyno thinks it's
making a bit more than that now.  Not as powerful as breathed-on MC or
20V 5-cylinder engine setup, to be sure, but way more than a stock and,
perhaps best of all, the 1.8T is approximately 50lbs lighter and 3"
shorter than the UrQ's original 2.1L engine...

Perhaps you can see where I'm headed with this: Pull the plug on my V8
swap and instead of selling the leftover 1.8T engine, swap that into the
UrQ and sell the V8 setup instead.  I could then use a 4-cyl. 4000
subframe (with slight modifications) to mount the engine in the UrQ
instead of having to fabricate custom motor mounts; the extra room up
front will make it easy to install a front-mounted radiator and a/c
condenser (as was also done in 4-cyl. 4000s); I can tie into the OEM
exhaust system rather than running dual pipes all the way to the back;
because the PS pump is powered by a separate belt instead of the
serpentine belt the V8 uses, I can just swap the OEM UrQ PS pump for the
A4's Pentosin-based PS pump and not have to mess with swapping steering
racks and hoses, etc. ... well, the list goes on, but best of all, with
some careful planning, I don't think any permanent modifications to the
car will need to be made (it may look funny to leave them in place, but
I think I
  can even work around the OEM motor mount brackets), so that when UrQ's
finally become collectible and trade in the six-figure range (hah!), I
can reinstall all of the original parts and no one will ever be the
wiser.  

So, my question to this forum: Has this swap ever been done?  How
difficult will it be to adapt a Type 016 tranny to a 1.8T block (or,
conversely, adapt the A4's 01A tranny to the UrQ's chassis)?  Is there
anything I've overlooked here (I understand there might be a problem
with the A4's immobilizer setup, but if people can swap these engines
into Rabbits and Golfs, there's obviously a way to work around this)?

Performance-wise, I think the engine's power and torque curve will be at
least adequate, especially with the ~200lb. weight savings as compared
to my A4, and of course, there's more power available should I ever wish
to spend the money.  The shorter, lighter engine will be a plus for
handling as well, as it'll take some weight off the front end as well as
lighten the car overall.

Am I onto something here or should I just install the MC2 out of the '89
200q I'll be parting out shortly?  I'm certain that I don't want to
reinstall the original engine, as I think its technology is just too
outdated by comparison to the alternatives I have at my disposal and
frankly, it's time to finally face reality and accept that it'll be
years, if ever, before I have time to finish my V8 swap thanks to all
the fabrication required and my limited resources in that regard.

As much as I enjoy driving (and autocrossing) my A4 - as I've said
elsewhere, in its present state, it's without a doubt the best handling
Audi I've ever owned or driven! - I'm still anxious to get my UrQ back
on the road again, one way or another, and the more I think about it,
the 1.8T swap becomes increasingly attractive.

Comments, anybody?


Jeffrey Goggin
Scottsdale, AZ

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