[Mk2] [Turbo] TDI deisels are sleepers

[spannerman]

Just thought i'd gather the thoughts of fellow forum users.

These TDI's can catch you sleeping at times. Not very hot off the line but say 50 - 70MPH they get there rapid.

I've a Rev3 Tubby estomated around 270BHP so say around 250lbft torque.

Some of these TDI's make more torque and hense can catch you Napping once rolling, say 60MPH to 80 or what eva.

Anyone else find this?

Spannerman

[deadhumancollector]

nope, i had a dad trying to give me stick off every set of lights lastnight on the way to the cinema in his audi a3 2.0tdi s-line, good for 170bhp i think. I was laughing at him after the fifth set of lights, i was nailing him off the mark every time.....i then began to play, giving him head starts and then rolling starts and still he had nothing to give.

Nice to drive but no match for our machines, especially in a rev 3 matey

[Ed209]

nope, i had a dad trying to give me stick off every set of lights lastnight on the way to the cinema in his audi a3 2.0tdi s-line, good for 170bhp i think. I was laughing at him after the fifth set of lights, i was nailing him off the mark every time.....i then began to play, giving him head starts and then rolling starts and still he had nothing to give.

Nice to drive but no match for our machines, especially in a rev 3 matey

I had pretty much the same thing coming into work with a Golf Tdi ! was so funny watching him try to catch up...i ate him for brekky..and ive got a totally standard Rev 2

[raptor95GTS]

off the line you can beat them providing you do give it the beans but as the original poster said, once rolling they are pretty rapid.

I usually find out of roundabouts or slow corners they gain a couple of car lengths then they need to change gear, at which point it's all over for them.

[mattcambs]

I usually find out of roundabouts or slow corners they gain a couple of car lengths

You must be in the wrong gear then!

[deadhumancollector]

i'm not being funny here, but they are nice to drive, driven my old mans 1.9tdi passat and hsi new saab tdi 150 and they are lovely to drive and have some boot, but they arent tubby territory at all.

I find dads the best people to wind up in BMW 320s, saab convertibles who think they have 'fast cars'. you can play all day and wind them up so much, i love it.

If you wanna talk fast, i got spanked by a scooby on the way home lastnight, was pretty even on the straights, but he was a lunatic and overtook me on a stupid corner, those things have crazy grip......shame they look like poo

[spannerman]

Everyone knows an MR2 tubby will spank any TDI off the line, its a no brainer.

The reason I created this post was to gain opinion of how, when on the move a TDI can catch you napping.

They have almost zero spool time and make a lot of torque which provides them with good 30-50 or 50-70 times.

Theres the likes of the BMW 330d's and the Tourag W10 TDI (500+lbft) which can increase from 50 - 70 pretty rapid.

Yes, they don't Rev, go Guttless after 4000RPM and sound W&nk.

[deadhumancollector]

that is the thing that annoys me so much about diesels you get very liitle time with your foot to the floor in low gears, they hit the limit too quickly.

[dawolf]

To be honest a TDI will be no match for any rev turbo. Even my N/A usually beats them although I have to make sure I pull off cleanly and get the revs high otherwise it becomes difficult to keep up. I once had a Skoda Fabia 1.9 TDI as a hire car, it was okay to drive and had a bit of poke but above 4000rpm there's nothing there.

[cantfindausername]

I've been in an N/A that got eaten by a toureg W10. That thing almost jumped off the line and was gone.

Also the bmw 330d's are rapid.

Yes they're not sports cars and in theory our cars should beat them, but who really "races" to a point of saying who won. This thread is about being caught out by them, and yes they can/will catch you out. Even if its just an eye opener to say "I wasn't expecting that!"

Same goes for Mercedes Sprinters when they're empty!! Especially in the hands of an angry white van man!

[raptor95GTS]

I usually find out of roundabouts or slow corners they gain a couple of car lengths

You must be in the wrong gear then!

aye, very good

[mattcambs]

I usually find out of roundabouts or slow corners they gain a couple of car lengths

You must be in the wrong gear then!

aye, very good

Where he shifted up a gear to get into the torque band - you must shift down!

I've found powerful TDi cars to be relaxing to drive and easy to get that extra turn of speed once moving. In fact it's hard not to accelerate fairly rapidly for that brief peak torque band - so the average driver thinks they have a fast car. They'll never be sporty, but have it where it counts for overtaking. Perfect for reps in a rush!

I rented a new VW Jetta in Spain recently. It had the 1.9TDi (100bhp I think) and it was the most gutless piece of cr@p I've ever driven. When the turbo did pick things up a bit it was then all over in a split second. I've never driven such an under-engined car in my life.

[paulmann]

If you are in your powerband you will be fine in any rev turbo.

Its just they generate a lot of torque low down but they have a narrow powerband and generally crusing speed is right in the power.

It is for my Civic 2.2 Diesel, got the worst turbo lag ever though in it

[C50]

I think TDI's are quite formidable especially when chipped

Loads of torque/ power and still amazing fuel economy. Not to mention less mechanical wear.

I think audi has even got a diesel powered Le mans.

[Mike]

To be honest I think alot of it is just down to most diesels being driven aggressively.
If you think about it most diesel owners buy one for the fuel economy so its unlikely that they've ever had a powerfull petrol car, suddenly they're driving a 2.0 Tdi which is a bit quicker than the 1.4 petrol they owned before and they think its the fastest thing in the world.

One Passat 1.9Tdi owner on Pistonheads described the acceleration of his car as "immense" ! Its fair to say he got flammed!

[mattcambs]

Talking about 1.4 petrols: I just got 47mpg from my 130K mile, S-reg, 1.4 Civic hatch on the last tank. Not that I could ever compete with the immense speed of your average TDi beast whose owners often seem to think that they own the road.

TDi often = Total D1ck inside

[dawolf]

Talking about 1.4 petrols: I just got 47mpg from my 130K mile, S-reg, 1.4 Civic hatch on the last tank. Not that I could ever compete with the immense speed of your average TDi beast whose owners often seem to think that they own the road.

TDi often = Total D1ck inside

Yeah, I like that. Lol.

It's true though, most TDI's are pretty boring and not challenging to drive. With a 16v engine you have to pull off at the right speed, rev it up high and change gear just at the right time.

[Si_Crewe]

I know what the OP is talking about.

I used to have a Vectra 2.3 diesel as a long-term hire car and, as has been said, it wasn't terribly fast off the line but it was pretty good on A-roads.

Through town it sounded like a tractor and it probably would have been quite nippy except that it sounded too embarrasing to really give it the berries.

On the open road, in 4th gear, you could put your foot down and, once the turbo spooled up, it'd accelerate fast enough that you'd never feel stupid driving it.

Obviously a turbo petrol car is usually going to be quicker but an aggressively driven diesel can give you a shock if you're sitting in 5th watching the world go by.

[fizz]

Im going against the norm going by most of the replies but when i had my rev 3 tubby (252bhp & 275 lb-ft torque) i was very much supprised by a A3 soot chucker!

From 70 onwards he was on my bumper when i put my foot down in 5th gear. Thought.. its only a A3 i wont need to drop a gear but my god i was wrong!

Must have been remapped as they are very receptive to a new map. It was soot chucking a load of black smoke as well which is a good sign its been done and only till i got to triple figures did i start to gain a gap on the bu88er!

Im now driving a Bora Tdi 115bhp with 205 lb/ft torque. With a £275 remap it can go up to 145bhp and 250lb-ft torque which is insane.

Now imagine a PD150 bora with a remap and then you would certainly be supprised by one once rolling.

[spannerman]

Thanks for that Fizz, its the likes of the A3 you mentioned that i was trying to describe.

Its the BIG torque that gives you the quick over taking / 50 - 70 speeds of which a lot of these TDI's seem to have.

I aint trying to plug Tubby diesels just saying they can go quite well.