VW jetta ?

I never was a VW fan. Still not my first choice. But I just took over driving the wife's old jetta. 02 2.0 automatic. It is a nice car and it is paid for. I started using it to tow my Amod racecar and I need some more power and maybe a five speed. A local guy said the TDI may not be a good choice because EGT temps with towing. VR6 would be a good choice I guess.
How hard is the swap. Is it plug and play or would it require major harness work. Would it be easier to just find a different car or truck to trade for. The VW would be nice because it is the first paid off car I have ever driven. Thanks Chad

Towing anything, even something as light as an Amod, should be done by a vehicle with engine, chassis and brakes to spare. At least invest in a cheap Ranger or S10, personally I recommend nothing lighter than a 2500 series pickup anymore, but I have lost a trailer to a piece of carp 1500 pickup.

thewelder wrote: I never was a VW fan. Still not my first choice. But I just took over driving the wife's old jetta. 02 2.0 automatic. It is a nice car and it is paid for. I started using it to tow my Amod racecar and I need some more power and maybe a five speed. A local guy said the TDI may not be a good choice because EGT temps with towing. VR6 would be a good choice I guess. How hard is the swap. Is it plug and play or would it require major harness work. Would it be easier to just find a different car or truck to trade for. The VW would be nice because it is the first paid off car I have ever driven. Thanks Chad

Made to go, not to tow. VR6 has a big torque curve, but not as big as a truck. I'm one of those guys that believes if you want to tow anything bigger than a bike or a jet-ski, get a truck.

Im one of those guys who thinks an s10 or ranger isnt any better for towing than a 3000 lb car is as far as stability or brakes.

The VR6s are not very fuel efficient if that matters at all. I had a friend with a '99 VR6 with a 5 speed and it got 25 on the highway at best. Towing something would kill that mileage even more and you'd be better off getting a crossover or small truck that could handle the towing better and get the same mileage (while towing).

I'm not a fan of the VR6. Neat engine, but the 1.8T is better, IMHO.

While I understand you're desire to keep the car that's already paid for, a swap is a lot more trouble than it would be worth. But if you feel the need to forge ahead, the best way is to buy a donor car with the drivetrain of choice, park them side by side and then spend the next 2 weeks swapping parts over. It's not just the physical engine, but the wiring harness as well and on a heavily computerized car like the Mk IV, that is no small task.

In Europe, with the factory/dealer installed Bosal hitch, the Mk IV is rated for a 1500 kg (about 2600 lbs) trailer with brakes. About half that w/o brakes. That said, the Bosal, while available through some US vendors, is technically not DOT approved. In the more sue-happy US, the tow rating is bit more vague. VW US does not really endorse towing with a Jetta at all and the US market aftermarket hitches are Class I with a 1500 lb rating.

If your A-Mod car is light and you have a light trailer, it should be ok. One of the guys in our region tows his F-Mod car on a 5x10 trailer with his STX prepped WRX.

I would sooner hitch my grandma to a beer wagon than tow anything with a VW Jetta, but then I keep an antique '85 C-30 Dooley around for towing and hauling purposes.

SyntheticBlinkerFluid wrote: The VR6s are not very fuel efficient if that matters at all. I had a friend with a '99 VR6 with a 5 speed and it got 25 on the highway at best. Towing something would kill that mileage even more and you'd be better off getting a crossover or small truck that could handle the towing better and get the same mileage (while towing).

x2 on fuel for the VR6. In my Corrados, they're schizophrenic. I've seen 33 on long highway trips, but only 15 (at best) around town. And the C is probably the lightest thing they've ever been in. If you're towing a load with one, you'll probably never get anything close to the average (24 on a commute with 30min of highway & 10min of stop-n-go).