Is VR6 swap worth doing?

[geniushanbiao]

I've seen some people swapping VR6 engines into the new beetle but I wanna talk about whether it's worth doing...Let's see the engine specs:

A 2000 Jetta VR6 2.8L engine is rated at 174hp@5800rpm and 181 lb*ft@3200rpm;
A 2003 Passat V6 2.8L engine is rated at 190hp@6000rpm and 206lb*ft@3200rpm(I don't know if it's a VR6...)
Let's see beetle's:

The 1.8T engine is rated at 150hp@5800rpm and 162lb*ft@2200rpm on a 1998-2005 new beetle;
The 2.0L engine is rated at 115hp@5200rpm and 122lb*ft@2600rpm on a 1998-2005 new beetle;
The 2.5L engine is rated at 150hp@5000rpm and 170lb*ft@3750rpm on a 2006 new beetle and increases to 170/177 for the 2012 new model.

Compared with the power, and considering that the VR6 engine has a significant weight increase than the 4 cylinders, I can say that it's not always worth doing the swap since you have to do some modifications. So it depends on the VR6's donor car. If it's donated by like a 2000 Jetta then the power won't increase too much compared with a 1.8T or 2.5L engine. But if it's from like a 2003 Passat then it's a significant change.

[2004NBTURBOS]

You have to take in cosideration that the Passat motor sits sideways in the engine bay.

Also a 1.8T awp motor turns out 180hp.
But, you can tune any 1.8T to get more ponies then a stock VR6.

[Smileybug]

Yes, the Passat engine is mounted differently in the car. Most NBs did come with the 150hp 1.8T (even though all over mk4 cars got the 180hp after '02) but the Turbo S came with the 180hp awp.

And the Passat is a regular V6, not a VR. A VR is a tight enough fit as it is...I'm not sure I'd want to see the V6 in a NB engine bay.

[geniushanbiao]

Originally Posted by Smileybug

Yes, the Passat engine is mounted differently in the car. Most NBs did come with the 150hp 1.8T (even though all over mk4 cars got the 180hp after '02) but the Turbo S came with the 180hp awp.

And the Passat is a regular V6, not a VR. A VR is a tight enough fit as it is...I'm not sure I'd want to see the V6 in a NB engine bay.

OK got it. So I think I can understand this: They designed VR6 smaller than V6 by sacrificing power...or to say that VR6 is only a I4 turbo power with larger volume and weight but has 6 cylinders and a larger displacement.