viper

With all this talk about the coupe versus other cars how would an auto coupe fare against an auto Jetta 1.8T ? Would it be close ?

raymond

When we bought our ill-fated C230K, we test drove the Jetta 1.8T the same day. Both were autos, the Jetta's was a real tiptronic.

IMHO, the Jetta had substantially better acceleration than the C230K, but we were wooed by the Star.....

Buellwinkle

You can't beat the star, it's what makes the car, free maintenance, car washes and cookies. The VW 1.8 is a nice motor and the 0-60 is probably close in stock form. Also you can get a turbo mods/chips/boost controllers to get the VW even faster but at the end of the day you have a VW. I put up with the lousy German realiability for an MB but not a VW, not after my last one. I think I would go japanese first.

raymond

Forgot to add....


The turbo system on the VW is about 30 years ahead of the supercharger on the C230K. You can increase boost on the VW with a chip, as the wastegate is under software control - no pulley change required.

The only problem you'll have if you go too wild with the power is getting it onto the road - the VW is FWD.

My friend in SA has a Passat 1.8 Turbo, chipped with water injection. His figures at the wheels are 168kW and 395 Nm of torque (for you metrically challenged philistines that's 225 hp and 285.6 ft lbs).

gab

I ran my friend's Jetta 1.8T 1 bar chipped /w downpipe and we were neck to neck or he's slightly faster but not much.
I would get a head start since that FWD thing get too much tire spin but then the jetta would jump ahead. the Coupe would close the gap in 3th and 4th gear and hang pretty well at high speed with chipped 1.8T

1.8T felt faster than the coupe because it got much boarder torque curve and smoother too

Buellwinkle

Why is the pulley change bad? At $350 it's cheaper than many chips for the VW engine and you can do the pulley yourself. If I had the 1.8T I would swap the turbo and shoot for 275hp.

raymond

Hmmm....

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but turbochargers don't have pulleys.

It's not a question of price, but a question of ease.

Also, being an embedded engineer, I think a software upgrade to add/control boost is a lot more elegant than changing a piece of steel.

BTW, my friend has replaced the Flash memory in his EMS with a larger part, and with the addition of some chip select logic, now has multiple engine parameter sets availabe from inside the car.

Geoff

Raced one about 2 months ago heavily under the influence (remind me to -never- do that again). It was close for a while but I definitely won.

Buellwinkle

Just saying, on the C-Coupe you change a pulley vs. on the VW you change a chip. The results are the same, more boost. I can change my own pulley in an hour, for a chip I have to take it somewhere and have it done, if I don't like it or have warranty problems I have to go back and have it removed. When I sell the car I can take the pulley off and sell it, the chip, who knows. There are advantages to both sides but with the C230 I'm at about 228HP for $350 and no turbo lag and I don't think you can get there with 1.8T with just a chip. After the pulley I can still chip the coupe for more power.

AndrewK

Its true that the 1.8t is 30 years ahead of the 230, but who cares? The 2.3 can still be tweaked for good power and it sounds good.

BlackC230Coupe

2 days ago My sister just got a 02' Jetta 1.8T auto. with a sport a package yesturday, I drove it and can say my auto coupe is much quicker. At least it feels it. And i dont like the tiptronic in it, I would rather the touch **** on my coupe.

London AMG

.....and looks EVEN better!!!

Lynn

**** is not good for the the paint, and why on earth would you rather touch it, than drive a VW? I know it is just a VW, but really. Now, go wash you hands!:p

preyx

ROFL at that one...

But seriously, it's more than just the engine and the 0-60 times that draws us to the star. If we were concerned about nothing but speed, and we had the same amount of money to start with, it probably wouldn't be here. I know it's admitting a loss, but it has to be said. But like most Benz owners would probably say, I'd hate to sacrifice all the nice features and comforts that come with a Benz just to have a car with a slightly faster quarter-mile.

MB-BOB

I had lunch yesterday with three VW fanatics. Two 1.8T Passats and one 1.8T Jetta. All three were complaining about their defective window regulators. Apparently, just about every other car in the world is "30-years ahead" of VW in that department. And you wouldn't want to have an accident in the VW's, either.

One of the three is seriously considering the Coupe. And they all drool over my C320...

raymond

Bob

We bought the C230 for all of the reasons listed by the other members in this thread. Most of all, the Jetta has got to be the most boring looking "hottish" sedan out there (IMHO), the Passat even more bland.

How I wish that the only problems we had with our C230 were as trivial as window regulators...

BTW, once we dumped the Benz, we didn't buy a VW.

I don't think that even VW employees would argue that MB is a better car all-round.

Enjoy the heat today.

Raymond

Scylas

Well one of my friends has a jetta, now it isnt stock. When it was stock we did 2 or 3 runs from 0 to about 100 and I always won by atleast 1, 1/2 car, his jetta is stick, my coupe is auto.

Then he put a chip, and we would be even till he shifted into third, then he would get 1 or 2 cars ahead of me.

Now he has intercooler, chip, exhaust, valves, everything you could put in a jetta, and hes damn fast... he spent about $5000

BlackC230Coupe

LOL. There clean now.




By the way i think i was Motor Trend that tested the jetta 1.8T manual and the 0-60 time was 7.6 sec, which mateches up the the coupes auto. so pretty much thats showing the coupe is quicker. Especually the 6 speed.

hrh

You guys are forgetting the single biggest factor between the base platform for a true performance car, and the platform for a toy for kids to smoke tires between stoplights

Rear wheel drive

Boo2

Seriously tho, the Jetta is a good looking car, why do you think it sells so well? You call it boring because there are so many of them.

c230Kraz

hey where do you guys get a S/C pully for $350? i only found the Kleeman for 599 (ring) or the 899 one. please gimme a link thanks

Buellwinkle

The best kept secret for C-Coupe owners. Get the billet aluminum pulley for $350 at ASPRacing.com. Call them and ask for Lee. You will need to buy your own belt but it's under $20. E-mail me if you need installation instructions.

c230Kraz

thanks, but i was thinkin taking the safe professional way and getting someone to install it for me. i probably could do it myself, but if half way through installation i find a problem i wouldnt be to happy. so are there any shops around irvine/san diego that would do a good reliable job? thanks

Buellwinkle

Check with Ben Hunter at MB of Laguna Niguel. He has done stuff for people including Mark Cummins and Vadim of Evosports. He's working on my car today. At least with those guys you'll get a nice MB loaner while they do it.

PHYBENZ

I don't know which one is faster but I do know that Jettas are pretty unreliable. My brother's alone, has had to replace his radio, temp gauge, brake rotors and calipers, front passeneger window assembly, master clinder and brake booster.

a problem that is on all Jettas and they are not recalling them and the part is on national back order is the power window regulators which are breaking on almost all Jettas. Some sort of plastic clip keeps breaking which they have now figured out after changing the replacement parts numerous times to change them to metal clips... the only VW I would buy would be the passat which my mother has, the mexicans can't build cars.