What STEAMS me about Vortex... Sorry... Rant

[scirocco16vr32 at gmail.com (Chris Bennett)]

I can't honestly tell but I don't think that the tranny gears were swapped 
for a taller one. Is there a way to tell with out opening the tranny? Maybe 
someone pacing me in 3rd gear at a given speed like 55mph to see what the 
speed/rpms read? This is going to bug the piss out of me until I find out. I 
really don't like to look like a braggart.
 I did open up the 87 16v (I am fairly sure that this one is bone stock) on 
the freeway this morning. I got 90 a little above 7k, and then the power 
dropped off SHARPLY.
 Also is there a difference between the orange speedo gear and the white 
one, and which one should I have? Note that I still have the 2y tranny, the 
idiot light box and half of a 160mph cluster now. (speedo)
 143mph was the figure I came up with timing mile markers--the speedometer 
only went to 120, so I probably screwed up trying to do the math in my 
head... while I was doing this speed. I don't even think the speedo worked 
at that time. I can live with the "dipshit in math" title, but I not being a 
braggart. LOL
 Exhaustwise... I haven't measured the diameter of the exhaust (and that has 
been changed since my infamous Montana run) but I know I have the stock 
downpipe and the stock muffler (I just really like the stock look) The cat 
is hollowed, and they replaced everything between the cat and the muffler 
and that is what I believe to be 2.5 or so. They just didn't put the 
resonator back in when they fabbed the new piping. 
 If it is indeed 2.5 or greater then I should have all that replaced (again) 
right? 
 I mean I am the padawan here, I trust the jedi council on these matters. 

 On 5/18/05, Dan Bubb <jdbubb@ix.netcom.com> wrote: 
> 
> I think Jeff's probably got the answer.
> Having the wrong speedo cable gear will change the odometer and 
> speedometer reading 7.3%
> If you have a 3.67 final drive (and you should) then the wrong gear will 
> incease your reading.
> OTOH, even assuming that, if you have a 1.44 third gear (and you should 
> with a 2Y) then at 7000
> you'd be doing 89MPH or 95 indicated with the wrong gear, so that doesn't 
> explain it all.
> Now if your tranny guy just happened to change out some gear sets on you 
> and happened to install a
> 1.29 3rd gear set (I'd really think you'd notice the taller gear though!) 
> then 7000 RPM would get
> you 100MPH and with the wrong speedo gear you'd have the indicated 105 
> that you mention.
> As far as top speed, with the wrong speedo gear, at an indicated 143 you'd 
> actually be doing 133
> which sounds a lot more reasonable with a near stock HP engine.
> just my overanalytical .02
> Dan
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Jeff Toomasson" <area53@validpath.com>
> To: "Chris Bennett" <scirocco16vr32@gmail.com>
> Cc: "Scirocco List" <scirocco-l@scirocco.org>
> Sent: Tuesday, May 17, 2005 11:57 PM
> Subject: Re: What STEAMS me about Vortex... Sorry... Rant
> 
> > It possibly might be something to do with your speedometer cable drive 
> gear not matching final
> > drive of your tranny (can't remember which way it works though...)
> >
> > JT
> >
> > Chris Bennett wrote:
> >
> >>Ahh the bullshit flag has been waved... Good man.
> >> Well... is it in any way possible that the size of the tires and wheels 
> had anything to do with
> >> the accuracy of the one speedo reading I saw (105ish in 3rd gear)??? I 
> am trying to offer reasons
> >> for one of two conclusions... mechanical malfunction or operator error. 
> I am sure that just about
> >> everyone here is smarter in math than I am. I never really got past (or 
> through) geometry... ya
> >> know? As you said the math backs up the facts and I do not dispute 
> that. It's been well
> >> established. I got the engine/tranny from a wrecked 88 scirocco. Stock 
> PL/2Y setup as far as I
> >> can tell. I have no reason to believe that there is cam/head work. I 
> removed the AC and installed
> >> power steering on the 85. Also took the front brakes and associated 
> hardware. Kept my speedo
> >> cable and gear. Sometime in this time frame I replaced the idiot light 
> box and the cable/gear...
> >> I had both an orange gear and a white one... I think I chewed the 
> orange. Also had a syncro
> >> problem in the tranny had a guy in Seattle rebuild it for me. Destroyed 
> the 3rd and 4th gear...as
> >> far as I know replaced it with stock parts... nothing special. The 
> tranny guy was this older
> >> german dude that was absolutely a wizard. Same day rebuild, cheap...
> >> Also since then I have gone through a couple of clusters...
> >> Again I am absolutely sure that you are right I don't doubt the 
> masters. So I am sure something
> >> in the history of this car wasn't calibrated or I am full of shit. I am 
> doubting my memory now. I
> >> believe that I saw 105 but maybe I didn't. Unfortunately the car 
> doesn't have the same
> >> configuration or is it in the condition now to be redlining 3rd. I did 
> rev up the 87 this evening
> >> on an onramp... not to redline but I was nowhere near 100. So I will 
> concede that one on lack of
> >> proof. As for the exhaust I am doubting that too... geez. I will go out 
> and measure it tommorow
> >> and tell you. I do know that the cat is hollow and that alot of the 
> rest was replaced by a local
> >> muffler shop. Thats when the resonator was removed. The actual muffler 
> rattles like a can with a
> >> rock in it at the moment so it doesn't sound very good. Top speed. I 
> had at the time a 120 speedo
> >> in it and I think at this point the gear was chewed anyway... I figured 
> that I should pass a mile
> >> marker every 60 seconds if I was doing 60 mph. So if I passed one every 
> 30 seconds that would be
> >> 120 right? Again I never claimed to be a math wizz. I timed it the best 
> I could and then did the
> >> math in my head. I pushed it really hard and kept it there for probably 
> half a tank of gas which
> >> wasn't a very long time but too harsh for the bearings obviously. So 
> for this one I am going to
> >> say operator error again.
> >> Maybe someday I will have an opportunity to take it to the track and 
> see what it will do
> >> officially. I know what I believe and believe what I know... I would 
> swear on a bible that I saw
> >> 105 in 3rd and I really want to argue the fact but I don't have a leg 
> to stand on logically and
> >> no way or desire to reproduce the run.
> >>
> >>Oh yea... scirocco content...
> >>How do I wire up the reverse lights?! I still have an 8v harness for 
> that plug I think. And a 16v
> >>2y tranny.
> >> Duly humbled.
> >>Chris
> 
> 


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