wiesel

[chrisbin]

But what about the sound........

when a diesel can sound sexy, that's when they will have cracked it!

[neilwillis]

Wot, the rattle of a cold diesel first thing in the morning doesn't get your adrenaline flowing?

Beats a V8 any day, especially if the injectors are good n worn, and you get that delicious black smoke whenever you toe it

[ken.robson]

PRECISELY

Ken

[Sooty]

Although not a factory model as they used the older generation Ford engine that only made 115hp when tuned, although it did manage respectable performance figures.

I’ve started with a Volkswagen PD130 engine and so far the modifications have included the head, turbo, manifolds, propane and ECU. It was recently bench dyno’d at 265hp and 487lb and weighed it in at 132kg. Which I admit doesn’t make it the lightest of engines but I don’t believe it’s excessively heavy either. With some of the options that I’ve gone for which are over and above a petrol engine I have about an additional 8kg of kit, which is relatively small and will be located low and central at the rear. Apart from that and the fact I’ve got to go for a Quaife box as I can’t find a Ford box that can take the torque then my westie will be like any other SEiW.

I have to admit I think the engine sound will be ‘character building’ in my Westfield, but apart from a little idle clatter which unfortunately is never going to go away, the acceleration sound will be fun – pure turbo whine

[Al Yupright]

I’ve started with a Volkswagen PD130 engine and so far the modifications have included the head, turbo, manifolds, propane and ECU. It was recently bench dyno’d at 265hp and 487lb and weighed it in at 132kg. Which I admit doesn’t make it the lightest of engines but I don’t believe it’s excessively heavy either. With some of the options that I’ve gone for which are over and above a petrol engine I have about an additional 8kg of kit, which is relatively small and will be located low and central at the rear. Apart from that and the fact I’ve got to go for a Quaife box as I can’t find a Ford box that can take the torque then my westie will be like any other SEiW.

I have to admit I think the engine sound will be ‘character building’ in my Westfield, but apart from a little idle clatter which unfortunately is never going to go away, the acceleration sound will be fun – pure turbo whine

Sounds really cool to me. It's nice to see Westies that break the mould and have something a bit different in them...

I personally love my Pug 306 HDI. Crackin engine. cos of the balancer shafts and the variable vane turbo you hardly notice its a diesel.

[Sooty]

I have to admit this is the first time I’ve done something like this, previously I’ve tuned up VW diesel engines and have had some great results, so that side isn’t anything new but a Westfield was never designed to take this much torque.

This has created some very interesting challenges especially in the drive train, as nearly all of it is none standard (euphemism for expensive) in order to cope.

However, I have to say how supportive all the suppliers I’ve been using so far have been, I’m sure they think I’m mad but they all seem strangely interested, even Westfield have been very cooperative with helping me with engine layout and tweaking the chassis to match  

[samcooke]

And the winner of

'Most regularly repeated diesel fact that means nothing and impresses no one 2003'

is...

'My VW diesel has more torque than a boxster'

Runners up include:

My discovery produces more horsepower than a 912.

My 3 cylinder corsa has more valves than a 944 turbo.

My TR8 has more cylinders than a 996 GT3.

and

My mini metro has more luggage space than a carrera gt (especially with the back seats folded).

                       

[windy]

Yep, people are starting to realise torque is more important than power, something that the new generation of direct injection engines have bucket loads of!

I'm sure I saw a Seat or Golf going like stink in a stage rally a couple of years ago and recall it did very well!

Windy

[neilwillis]

You lot are all torque  

[SteveF]

Sooty

Nice to see the comment about the Westfield factory being amenable to 'different' engines - with help with chassis mods and the like - I'm looking at an s2000 engined Westie - and have a factory vist booked for Monday.

I'm also off now to start a thread on 'maximum useable torque'

Steve

[Sooty]

Steve, Westfield are quite helpful, I don’t believe that they would ever go to completely re-designing the chassis but they are very open to moving certain brackets etc. The deal is along the lines that I’m doing the design work and they’ll make the chassis to that spec, with any issues arising from my modified design being my responsibility.

Some of my more cynical friends have put it down to ‘they’ll do anything to make a sale’ but I think it’s more along the lines that they would like to be kept in the loop just in case it proves to be a success, in which case I’m sure me doing all the donkey work in getting the engine to fit would save them an awful lot of R&D time.

[ken.robson]

Good to hear that the VW 130BHP PD engine is going into a Westie.  It is no coincidence that the VW Audi groups GTi's are nearly all now based on this engine.  Please keep us informed of how you get on and when rides will be available.

Any criticism you recieve comes from a complete Luddite.

Regards

Ken

[chazpowerslide]

Due to a diesel engine having heavier internals (flywheel, crank, pistons, rods ect) the engine would accelerate more slowley than an equivlent capacity (and power) petrol engine and would therefore accelerate the car more slowly.

Or am I talking b*****k*?

I realise gearing and torque play a big part how fast a vehicle will accelerate but IMHO all that is limited by the actual speed at which the engine can increase its own speed (how fast it will pick up revs)

I can't see a diesel engine (even a tuned up one) being as "rev happy" and responsive as a petrol engine and this will limit how quick the car will be, especially a light one such as a Westfield but then I do not know a great deal about diesels.

I'm not knocking diesls (no pun intended) and with the power and torque that Sooty's car will have it should be fun to drive.

It will be really interesting to see it action.

Chaz

[Sooty]

Chaz, you are correct in a lot of what you have said, but you seem to have missed one fundamental point, one horsepower is one horsepower regardless of that energy source is used to generate it. My MKIII Golf TDI has been tuned to a similar spec (slightly lower hp, but it is based on the old 90hp engine) and has been clocked at 6.4sec to 60 at Santa Pod, not bad for a car that’s been weighed in at 1480kg I hope you’ll agree  

My 265hp has the same pulling power as any petrol, electric or LPG vehicle would have if they also made 265hp. If anything I will have a better accelerating vehicle as my mid range acceleration will typically be better than most similarly horse powered engines (possible exception to V formations).

Don’t forget that when somebody quotes a hp figure, it’s just stating the peak power at one rev instance, my engine’s current power curve creates over 230hp from 2100rpm then increases to it’s peak at 4450rpm. My main concern is wheel spin, the way my engine has been tuned means the main acceleration kicks in between 1800-2100rpm when the turbo and propane will come into life, 120hp in 300rpm equates to a little fun on the odd occasion. Admittedly I can de-tune the mid-range if it equates to a dangerous drive, but I’d rather not

The way my engine produces the power is all based at lower revs, but the gearing compensates, but the end power that gets to the wheels is just as valid. My engine doesn’t have to be rev happy, if it ever goes above 5000rpm, you’ll see me running in the opposite direction ‘cos it’s about to blow    

[ken.robson]

It's BHP that sells cars

But torque that wins races

Ken