First long trip

[Kanzan]

Been working on my 1981 Rabbit Diesel pickup for some years now. Just never had the nerve to try it on a long trip. (over 100 miles) My nephew invited me to go turkey hunting on his ranch in Southern Kansas, about 330 miles one way. Checked everything I could think of on the VW and went for it. The little truck did great! Only problem I had, was a 30-35 mph head wind on the way south. Had me down to 45mph several times, and had to shift to 4th gear to pick up speed. My fuel milage down wasn't great about 39.7 mpg. Coming back was much better, no wind and a light rain. Haven't refilled the tank since I got back, so don't know the exact milage. Would it be practicle to add a turbo to this 1.6 na engine to pick up just a little more power? Oh yes, I did get a nice Tom! Kanzan

[82vdub]

Turbo's are always nice, not that ole 82 has one on it (can't find one cheap enough for my budget).

Driving one of these (or probably any vehicle with 52HP when new) is a challenge, especially in the wind, and passing is something that must be planned at times. I've been in those windy situations and it just sucks, but it sounds like you've got a 5 speed where you can drop a gear and still run the car at 55 or so, but that's tough to do in a 4 speed trans.

You truely never know what will happen on a trip with any vehicle a person could drive. You could have issues on the road with the smallest little item, or have a large issue with even a newer car. Glad you took the chance and it turned out good. Maybe you'll put more miles on the road now.......

[bscutt]

40 mpg average with a headwind at today's highway speeds is pretty good in my opinion. And like 82 said with just 52 hp and 70+ lb-ft of torque there are times you just have to go slower. You might be able to tweak timing a little more advanced and get a little more power but that's about it. Maybe a little tweak on the fuel screw too. Mine is tweaked about as high power as I dare run it and I get 42 mpg running back and forth to work at 60-65 mpg and a few stop lights in between plus some hills. No turbo.

[surfcam]

I've never driven anything but turbo's. I'm lucky I live in Alberta where there is a big diesel following. Alot of the time VW dealers are selling 80% diesel VW and 20% gas. When the Jetta wagon came out they were only diesel. It took me about 6 month to sell a turbo diesel engine and a car with a turbo. I got 300 for each of them. The car had very low compression and wouldn't start without a tow. The engine was from Pick and pull? I still have a spare turbo head with a turbo and another turbo head without a turbo. The thing I like most about the turbo's besides the power is the lack of smoke when your driving.

[bscutt]

I like my smoke for deterring tailgaters. No one has manners on the road anymore.

[Fatmobile]

Pretty easy to slap a stock turbo on it.
There are no normal driving situations the stock NA can't handle when turboed, including high wind and hills.