Fun diesels??

Diesel Camry (offered in the 80s) + lots and lots of boost sounds pretty fun to me....

Luke wrote: I don't have an answer to your question, just a sweet video of a diesel Rabbit carving up an Autocross course. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2NQQWPUyPw

I want that Bunny!

Anyone know details on the mods??

Dang, a 25ish second course? I've never been on such a short run, not much room for error there! That rabbit is pouring fuel out the tailpipe...he must be one of those "smoke is power" guys.

Bryce

Hmm... I have two diesels... a '03 TDI wagon 5 spd and a '95 Dodge Cummins 4x4 5 spd... I suppose the TDI could be fun if I wanted it to be... but in truth, that's not what I bought it for... that said, I do still peruse the "mods" forums on TDIClub from time to time and dream... pushing 150 hp & 300 ft lbs while getting over 40 mpg has some appeal...

The Dodge can simply be a hoot to drive... soooo much torque... it will pull in 5th gear up hills in ways my TDI can only dream of... with a bed full of firewood... And mine has a stock engine with over 250K miles... There are heavily modded 12V Cummins pumping out over 1000 Hp - in street-driven trucks... VERY capable engine... That said, the Dodge will probably be sold soon as I'm really coming to realize that I don't drive it enough to justify the upkeep and a trailer behind the TDI will accomplish most of the same utility functions.

I've had thoughts of getting an early Mk IV Golf TDI 2 dr and modifying it for more "fun" use... BUT, as others have mentioned, they're really pricey right now... and one can buy a very nicely pre-sorted E30 for the price of a stock, high-mileage TDI...

Yes, there are other diesels out there... but the TDI is the only "car" version with any sort of mods available... I'm sure mods for the others could be done, but you're more or less on your own to develop them... and with diesels that can be a rather expensive learning curve when you push too far...

I watched the diesel rabbit autocross video and ended up watching some banks racing trucks, drag and track machines. Sound like some mean V8's, no rattlin' dieselness about em.

hotg54b wrote:

Nashco wrote: Oh yeah, and perhaps you should define fun, because "fun" and "diesel mini van" here on the hardcore sport car forum aren't really equating. Bryce

Does a diesel 2nd gen RX-7 sound like "fun"? My brother acquired a diesel swapped 7, not exactly fast, but moves pretty good. We plan on converting it to WVO this fall. It gets about 35-40 mpg mostly city driving.

You must post pics and info on that!!!!!

Nashco wrote: Dang, a 25ish second course? I've never been on such a short run, not much room for error there! That rabbit is pouring fuel out the tailpipe...he must be one of those "smoke is power" guys. Bryce

Best belt buckle I have ever seen says, "Just cause it smoke, don't mean it broke." I've also been contacted by semi tractor drag racers looking for help with turbos and fueling. Best comment I heard was, "It's not smoking.. I need more fuel. I don't need more boost.." OK buddy....

So any thoughts on finding a decent TDI engine and tranny to swap over into a more "fun" car? Maybe a Fairmont wagon...

I didn't realize that there were Rangers and Toyota pickups with diesels. That would be great for overlandish type stuff. Anyone know more about these?

I'm looking at a couple nice Mercedes turbodiesel wagons too... Hmmm.

Seriously, guys, I have 2k burning a f'ing hole in my pocket, haha.

I question a VW TDI's ability to push a Fairmount wagon.

This one looks like a good possibility: I-mark

Junk yard turbo, springs, boost and GO!

Fairmont wagons aren't that heavy at all. 3200lbs-ish?

That's about 300 lbs. more than a Jetta TDI, which was about 200 lbs. more than it's gas counterpart.

Just food for thought, this was a great article I found here on GRM:

2002 Volkswagen New Beetle GLS TDI * EPA figures: 42 city/49 hwy * Drivetrain: turbo diesel 4 cyl., 1.9 liters, five-speed manual * Owner: Lucas Webb, MINI technician * Basic setup: Boostvalve boost controller, precision-drilled injectors, deleted EGR valve, Koni springs and shocks, 225/45ZR17 Fuzion ZRi tires * Dyno figures: 123 horsepower, 412 lb.-ft. torque * Cruise control: yes * Distance covered: 85.7 miles * Fuel used: 2.24 gallons * Test mpg: 38.26 mpg * Best lap: 40.592 sec. * GRM Performance Index of Efficiency: 0.94 Owner thoughts: I was confident in the diesel’s fuel mileage. Once we arrived at the track, my fuel gauge didn’t move much from full. I figured the hybrid was doing the best. I was expecting higher mileage, but due to the a/c being turned on, it suffered slightly. I thought the MINI and the Miata would’ve used less fuel. Track impressions: I waited to drive the TDI Beetle until last as, frankly, I was looking forward to the experience. I wasn’t disappointed. The Bug is surprisingly fast with massive amounts of torque and a very well-balanced chassis. Lucas has clearly done his homework on this project. The downsides are few and mostly relate to the car’s gearing. The TDI engine has a limited powerband—it’s only really happy from about 2500 to 4500 rpm. It takes quite a bit of rowing to keep the TDI in this happy little window of über-torque. Once you master the shifts, the Beetle can turn some darn quick laps.—Per Schroeder Perhaps one day enthusiasts will take to hybrids en masse. There may even come a day when an issue of GRM will contain a tech article on hopping-up electric motors, or a lightweight battery shootout. Hey, it could happen. Until then, turbo-diesels currently offer the most potential for hot rodders who want to marry fuel-sipping efficiency with tire-melting performance. While the Audi R10 TDI is quickly rewriting history as far as endurance prototype racers go, diesel performance isn’t limited to factory-backed efforts. For a practical example of a home-brewed diesel with some bite, just check out Lucas Webb’s 2002 VW New Beetle. We’ll cut to the chase and give you the important figures for this Volkswagen: 50-plus mpg on the highway and a staggering, dyno-verified 412 lb.-ft. of torque at the front wheels. Seriously. Lucas, a 20-year-old technician at Orlando’s Downtown MINI, didn’t initially set out to build a stump-pulling diesel Bug. Rather, the car kind of fell into his lap. His parents bought the Bug in late 2001 and used it as a daily driver. Lucas learned how to drive a stick on the car, and by 2003 it was his. It’s now a daily driver that also works well for track days and autocrosses. The modifications started with the basics, as Lucas removed the muffler to increase exhaust flow and beefed up the suspension with Konis and Eibach springs. The stock dual-mass flywheel was also tossed, replaced by a lightweight, 10-pound aftermarket flywheel along with a VR6 pressure plate and friction disc. Then the real power-adding mods came. An UPsolute Stage II computer chip increased the fuel timing and injection quantity, while a set of precision-drilled Fratelli Bosio Powerplus 520 injector nozzles featured a more efficient spray pattern. (These parts aren’t that expensive, either, as an UPsolute chip costs about $300 while KermaTDI sells the trick injector nozzles for $285 per set.) The final piece of the puzzle was a Boostvalve boost controller, which helps smooth out the boost spikes, Lucas says. “The stock system would surge to 20 psi and settle back to 16 psi,” he explains. “The boost controller was set up to sharpen the signal to the turbocharger, so there wasn’t any surging.” Where a lot of TDI tuners run 18 to 21 psi of turbo boost, Lucas keeps his Beetle capped at 16 psi. “I believe this is the reason why I’m running such low horsepower and high torque,” he figures. An HKS Turbo Timer allows the turbo to cool down once the engine has been turned off, thus helping to prevent coking problems. To further prevent coking, which can be a problem with TDI Volkswagens, Lucas runs an EGR delete pipe. Aside from these bolt-ons, the rest of the engine is as delivered from VW—stock engine internals, stock intercooler, stock turbo and stock injector bodies. Even though this Beetle is making way more power than stock—its 412 lb.-ft. of torque and 123 horsepower at the ground soundly beat the stock figures of 155 lb.-ft. of torque and 90 horsepower at the crank—fuel economy numbers are still strong. The stock 14.5-gallon tank gives Lucas at least a 700-mile cruising range, and the car usually gets mid-40 economy figures in town. The big boost in power is nice, but the rest of the car has not been ignored, either. The interior was gutted to help shed some pounds; curb weight quickly dropped from about 3200 pounds to 2660.

Diesel Scirocco (not mine of course): http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=4033723