I have been hearing from some people that heavily modded cars usually end up breaking down often and eventually ruin the engine much faster than when a car naturally dies. I was wondering if I had something simple like just a stage 4 MTM, with exhuast etc and then a chip or something. Plus a small body kit and some tires/rims... Would this make the car not last as long as say if I never touched it? Or what if I just installed a chip and exhuast system?
Thanks for your input.
This is a car I plan on driving for at least 10 years and probably more...

 

been modded since day, 2 ,or 3, or maybe it was 4

 

maybe its cheaper cars that seem to have the problems with modifications...

 

26.8k none at all..... ")........should last forever

 

<center><img src="http://images2.fotki.com/v22/photos/7/7305/145541/DSC00692-vi.jpg"></center><p>On Qu!cksilva's car. Clutch is just starting to go...No other major issues along the way..
We mess with it every now and then...Mods ya know.

 

40K chipped, 10K stage 3 no probs.

 

70k but its like a new car - Ive replaced all the original parts as they broke or are braking : - (

 

Hey Steve, is Marcus gonna put that 6 speed in?

 

Eventually...still sitting under my workbench!

 

... engine. Same thing with suspension and wheel mods; bigger wheels will likely be heavier, and the stiffer suspension will increase cornering forces and put more stress on the components. So it is absolutely likely that mods <i>could</i> affect longevity. It is important to remind yourself that any time you take on modifications, you assume a certain measure of risk with regard to car health. We enthusiasts may know how to maximize our cars, but we definitely aren't all automotive engineers, and we might really **** something up.

But the question is whether the 1.8T is robust enough to take the added stress without premature failure. I would say that, in general, the 1.8T is a VERY strong motor and that it <i>can</i> handle most mods commonly thrown on it. This is especially true of the 225 bottom end, with its forged pistons and rods and reinforced block. <b>I have heard of very few failures attributable to the most common mods </b>- a Stage I chip, exhaust, DV, intake - which is encouraging.

It's when we talk about adding more serious components to the engine that I'd start to consider the engine's long-term health:

- Stage III turbo kits; or
- manual boost controllers, including mechanical (the "Boost Machine") or electronic (such as the REVO or GIAC chip sets that allow owners to screw with the boost/fuel/timing/air mapping on their own) boost controllers/adjusters. See "macrocosm" below - he seems to be having REVO issues and I <i>believe</i> that he has an advanced REVO kit *Not sure tho*.


Both of the above seriously modify the way the engine behaves, and the risk of premature failure increases. There are, however, quite a few hard-driven Stage III cars out there with absolutely no trouble (HoTTub; Quicksilva; Revved; fredfromny). This, too, is encouraging - and these guys are running on 180HP bottom ends.

My opinion is that the 1.8T is a well-engineered, strong-*** motor, and that even with Stage III, you'll still have a motor there for the long-term. Oh, and change your timing belt; those things are snapping on the early build cars.

Long enough answer for ya?



BTW, I thought of a few more components to the Super TT I was mapping out yesterday:

- full ceramic coating/wrapping of the turbo and exhaust manifold, and wrapping of the intake manifold, to keep different thermal regions insulated (intake temps down/exhaust temps up/engine bay temps down)($400-600); and
- extrude honing of the intake manifold and the cylinder head ($600).