From mikeh@gordian.com Fri Mar 25 09:20 PST 1994
Date: Fri, 25 Mar 1994 09:22:22 -0800 (PST)
From: mikeh@gordian.com (Mike Howard)
Subject: hey
To: jan@UG.EDS.COM
Message-Id: <9403251722.AA00301@naiad.gordian.com>
X-Envelope-To: JAN@FSHPP1
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7BIT
Status: RO


Ron at VW Specialties finally got all the parts onto the
16V Scirocco and I had that car back for a while during
which the Corrado was in the shop getting all the Neuspeed
sway bars and springs plus Bilstein sport shocks.  Also,
Ron installed the variable intake manifold.  WOW!  -->
I got the car back last Friday and me and my girlfriend
drove up to Santa Barbara for the weekend.  I don't quite
completely understand the mechanics behind the whole 
manifold ... but using some kind of valve it selectively
shuts off certain intake runners at specific times, allowing
more air into the others.  The kit came with its own P-chip
to control the timing curves to coincide wth the mechanical
part.  The conversion was pretty much a bolt on swap according
to Ron.  He did have to relocate the throttle body/mass flow
air meter a little bit due to a different angle to which it
bolts onto the new manifold.  There were a few other minor
hoses that needed re-routing.

The Corrado now has an incredible amount of torque across the
entire RPM band, especially from about 2000 - 4000 RPM.  Right
around 2500-3000 RPM you can really feel the thing kick in ...
Ron likened it to something like running dual-carbs and feeling
the second one kick in.  Running in second gear at a slow speed
at low RPMs and then flooring the accelerator produces a scary
amount of torque (including torque steer!  hold onto that steering
wheel).  All in all, the car is a blast to drive now ... passing
in 5th gear is a breeze ... getting on freeway onramps QUICKLY
is no problem ... blowing away unsuspecting victims is great.
I'd really like to get the Corrado onto a dyno to really test it
out.  The final question is ... for the $2400 I paid for the
manifold, is it worth it???  Probably not ... $2400 is alot of
money.  Since I've been spending so much money on both my VW's
I guess for me it doesn't really matter.  But if you're looking
for a good torque/horse power per dollar add on, this isn't the
way to go (I don't know what is).

The Corrado's engine modifications are far from done ... Ron's Parts
in Canada is selling sets of Schrick cams for the VR6 in 260, 266
and 276 grinds for about $1100 a set.  I've already got a set of the
260's ordered and they should be in sometime next week.  Ron (from
Ron's parts) reccommends using the 260's for street use, apparently
the 266 and 276 produce too messed up of an idle.  Also, I forgot to
to give Ron Wood the bigger bore throttle body that I never got around
to putting on the Corrado ... so sometime next week these mods will
be installed.  I'll let you know what happens .. (if I'm not in jail).

By the way ... apparently my variable intake manifold is the first one
imported into the United States (according to Dana from Autotech who
is the one who actually ordered it for Ron).  So Ron Wood says maybe
I might get my car into European Car ... (either tech article or 
otherwise).   He's pretty good friends with that guy James Sly who
does alot of the articles.  Keep yours eyes open.  (If you sink more
than 10 grand into a car you should be at least entitled an article
in European Car!)

The Dunlop SP-8000's on the Corrado are nice tires.  I got them locally
here in Newport at a place called Grand Prix tire on Newport Blvd.  I
forget what the price was, but it was competitive with Tire Rack's ads
at the time.  I just had the Dunlop's rotated ... with all this freeway
driving they are wearing a bit faster.

The Scirocco with SuperSprint headers and nitrous and Techtonics stage
3 head is almost done ... I had an opportunity to drive the car last
week (minus the nitrous) and it was pretty fast.  We put a set of the
266 cams that APS is offering as a new product (I think as of last month).
The idle is pretty crazy ... small sacrafice for great top end power.

Well, keep in touch and write me back when you're not busy.  

		Later,
			Mike Howard


p.s - remember that lots of $$ = horsepower & torque
(but you have to be a crazy SOB like me to spend so much)