Hello!

 

I'll start with a bit of background, I have previously owned a VW Golf mk3 with a 1.8t conversion which was tuned to around 250bhp. It was a rocket and very fun! But this was a few years ago and I am now a grown up (the misses doesn't agree) and need an estate. Since the golf I have had a 1.8 3 series which was pants and now have a 2.5 v6 twin turbo Mitsubishi Legnum which is far too thirsty!

 

So I have now arrived here. My original plan was a vRS estate seeing as I know the engines very well and love how easy they are too work on, but after some more thinking and searching I've discovered a nice looking Laurin and Klement 1.9 TDI. My concern is I know nothing about the engines and although the mpg sounds fantastic (I get 17 right now!) I'm worried I will have the same problem I had with the BMW which was it was slow as hell and very boring to drive

 

I'm in no way a 'boy racer' but I do like knowing I can always go a bit faster if I need to and like having the power to overtake when needed. 

 

So my question to you lovely people is this, how tunable is the 1.9 TDI engine and how does it compare to the vRS in terms of ease to work on and reliability?

 

Thanks very much

The pd130 is almost bomb proof as an engine. They remap to 170- 180bhp and have high torque figures which make them feel much faster. Overtaking is effortless and remapping also makes them more economical when cruising.the only thing to look out for really is the dual mass flywheel which can die after 60k or so.

As Dark_Hero says.

 

A remapped PD should be looking at ~180bhp (depending on mapper) and ~300lbft torque, which level a 1.8T can only dream of! The only thing to watch out for is that the torque will arrive between 1500 and 1800 rpm, so you probably want to launch overtakes a gear higher than you would in a 1.8t, and don't use full throttle off-boost, because that's what kills DMFs.

Thanks for the quick replys 

 

Are those figures with just a remap or with all the usual things that go with it as well (hoses, fmic, tip, DV, etc)  sorry if that's a dumb question I literally know nothing of these engines or diesels in general

 

Can the duel mass flywheel be swapped out for a single mass like in the 1.8t?

 

Cheers

Edited 8 August, 201312 yr by DanL

I've seen claims both ways. As for what can be done with a 1.9PD, look in the Fabia 1 project journals for the "Mongrel" (user DevonUtopia IIRC) which was significantly modified, but made close on as much as the diesel Seat Leon WRCs!

Absolutely love my PD130 A4, it's the best VAG car I've ever owned. Reliability & Audi build quality are 1st class.  I do love the way the PD130's kick you in the butt going on boost, but miss the way the tuned 1.8T's hang on to the red line.

Having owned 6 VAG 1.8T's (3 mkiv's, 1 VRS, 1 A3Q, 1 S3 ( stage 1 tuned  them all) & 2 Bora PD130 Sports. Both engines are highly tuneable & bullet proof if cared for & serviced properly. Seeing 60+mpg on a run in my Audi is nice so I'd have to plum for the PD130 1.9 as being the most sensible option all round.

Vrs looks better. The PD130 are great engines but so is the 1.8s

Sent from my iPhone 4s

 

Are those figures with just a remap or with all the usual things that go with it as well (hoses, fmic, tip, DV, etc)  sorry if that's a dumb question I literally know nothing of these engines or diesels in general

 

Can the duel mass flywheel be swapped out for a single mass like in the 1.8t?

 

 

The PD130 lump in my Fabia makes 177bhp with and nothing more than a remap and slightly larger air intake.

With that amount of power it has consistently run 50mpg, and with the recently blanking off of the EGR valve i'm regularly hitting 60mpg and on one journey home stuck behind a granny all the way i averaged 70mpg

 

More power than that generally requires different hardware and much deeper pockets.

 

A straight swap to a standard PD150 turbo unit normally sees ~200bhp

Hybrid 130/150 make ~210 and ~220 respectively

All of these normally need a stronger clutch to cope with the extra torque and a front mount to keep everything cool. 

 

There are full on kits from certain tuners (Darkside or Jabbasport) who will push the engine to 270bhp (and even further as per the 300bhp in Jason's mongrel as mentioned above)

That comes at a cost though - I asked Darkside for a full fat as far as it was possible to go quote it for a potential race car project and it was over £7000!!!

 

If it was me I'd proably buy a PD130 and buy the body kit & wheels off a breaking VRS to butch it up a bit.

 

Why not put a thread up in the South East section for a friendly member to let you take a PD130 for a spin

I'm sure some members woudl be happy to help you out

My brother has the 1.9 tdi elegance with a shark map if your local to south Kent I'm sure he'll be happy to take you for a spin

As pasty mentions you can just map it out of the box to 177bhp. You don't need to worry about dump valves. The diesel doesn't have one. The Vrs bodykit looks more aggressive and will finish it off nicely

I'm liking what I'm hearing so far, pretty much made my mind up about going for the diesel

 

OK next stupid question, is there any physical differences between the pd 130 and the pd 110 or is it just a different map?

I'm liking what I'm hearing so far, pretty much made my mind up about going for the diesel

 

OK next stupid question, is there any physical differences between the pd 130 and the pd 110 or is it just a different map?

 

There isn't a PD110.

 

The 110 is the older Non-PD engine. They're quite different.

Getting out of a vr4 into a diesel is going to be some change

Ah ok, I've seen some listed as pd110, must be wrong I'll keep looking for the 130s cheers

It will be a change from the vr4, about 40 mpg! lol, i do love the vr4 but its so expensive to run and with mot coming up i need to get shot before it fails miserably. Hoping to sell it as a drive away engine conversion or something. Looking back it probably wasn't the most sensible purchase I've made recently :P

Edited 9 August, 201312 yr by DanL

A PD130 is definitely the one to go for, especially if your thinking of mods in the future.

2.5 v6 twin turbo Mitsubishi Legnum which is far too thirsty!

 

 

If you can afford the petrol for a vRS, you might be able to stretch to the marginally lower mpg of a Octy 4x4

 

Like a Legnum but with a 1.8T (once you sort the suspension)

 

30 - 32 mpg average petrol @ stage 1 (circa 200hp)

 

ps

 

As other have said, the PD130 engine is lovely engine to drive with

 

Even unmapped, gives loads of lazy torque

 

pps

 

post a pic of your car

The pd130 is almost bomb proof as an engine. They remap to 170- 180bhp and have high torque figures which make them feel much faster. Overtaking is effortless and remapping also makes them more economical when cruising.the only thing to look out for really is the dual mass flywheel which can die after 60k or so.

I'm not that interested in going any faster, mine goes fast enough for me now, but I'd be very interested in better fuel consumption. What sort of figures are we talking about.? My computer shows me around 58mpg average on a 50 to 60 minute motorway journey. I can probably get over 600 to my tank at the moment.

 

TIA

I have just gone from a 200bhp mk1 vrs to a 1.9pd130 a4 sport the vrs is much more of a drivers car than a diesel and fun to drive day to day,  where as the l&k Octavia will be very boaty due to the comfort suspension and comfort seats, I will say the diesel is way more economical  achieving 50+mpg average in real time don't belive the obc it lies when it says 65mpg the vrs will average around 30mpg but the vrs has a small fuel tank so the range is only 350miles where the diesel is 70litres I think so has a 600mile range ,the tax is alot cheaper on the diesel,the vrs is £235 a year it may even be more now plus, the super unleaded is now more expensive than diesel , having said all this im starting to get bored of my a4 diesel  its just a bit boring from my experience im tempted to buy another mk1 vrs as my millage per week is very low .

 

mk1 l&k diesel = soft suspension,soft seats, not sporty at all very economical oh and some shocking interior colours.

 

mk1 vrs = sport suspension,sport seats,nice looking,good handling ,fun to drive,not as cheap to run as the diesel

Another +1 for the PD130.

Brother has a Bora and when my vrs was standard there wasn't too much between them to be honest. They are quick cars, no doubt about it. The 6 speed is a perfect match to the diesel for overtaking and motorway cruising too. 

Really can't see you being disappointed by the PD. 

i *thought* the MK1 was 55 litres?, as I rememvbr thinking that it was less than the 60L in my old cavalier.?

Tax is £140. I've just had to renew mine.

If the choice is between a Mk1 L&K 1.9tdi & Mk1 VRS I think the VRS wins in every department apart running costs.

But if you where to replace the L&K with a PD130 GTTDI Golf ? ...

 

I'd have the Golf over a vRS, without a second thought

 

I love Octavia's, but out the box that Golf is better

Agreed.

Except when you try to fit anything but yourself into it

Interior space is the same which is why mkiv carpets & seats fit straight into the Octy. Boot space in the Octy is obviously much bigger though.