Water-Cooled Volkswagen Performance Handbook (Motorbooks Workshop) (Paperback)

by Greg Raven (Author) "A surprising boost in performance can be gained through the use of bolt-on components-parts that do not require taking the entire motor apart to install..." (more)
Key Phrases: cam belt cover, adjustable cam sprocket, front wheel torque, United States, New Beetle, Darrell Vittone (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Introduced in 1974, Volkswagen's water-cooled four- and six-cylinder engines have seen duty in the Rabbit, Golf, Scirroco, Jetta, Passat and Corrado. The huge aftermarket that has arisen from the wake of this quarter-century of production, proves that it's possible to wring a surprising amount of performance from these robust engines.

Published in 1987, the first edition of this book guided owners through the sea of performance modifications and aftermarket parts available for VW's various water-cooled power plants. This updated edition includes information on the parts that have been introduced in the interim ten years, as well as the new engines, body styles and modifications now at hand. A sprawling gallery of 500 black-and-white photographs provides views of the engines, parts and modifications described.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Motorbooks (March 29, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0760304912
• ISBN-13: 978-0760304914
• Product Dimensions: 10.5 x 8.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #302,563 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #25 in	Books > Nonfiction > Automotive > Mechanics > Engine
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best way to begin going fast in your VW!, May 4, 1999

By A Customer

I bought the first edition of this book and also the second. Though some of the information remains the same, there is a wealth of new stuff on the A3 platform VWs. The author even stretches out a bit and gives performance advice for A4-platform cars. The photos are crisp and clean. The author really knows his material and the advice he gives is to be trusted. I have already done a number of things to my A3 Jetta based on this book and have really noticed the improvement in my autocrossing performance, as well as just plain street fun! This alone has made the book worthwhile! Buy it, try it, and then go fast!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good presentation but lack of any 1.8T info, July 18, 2000

By	Christos Chalkiopoulos (ATHENS. GREECE) - See all my reviews

Very well written stuff, especially for non-experts. The forced induction chapter very well covered, but outdated. It is a pitty this book does not give any in-depth info for the famous VW/Audi 1.8T engine. The only reference is on page 22 where the legend says that the new 1.8T may be the wave of the future (although it is released since 1997) BUT mistakenly the photo shows the V5 engine instead of the 1.8T. Very unfortunate to refer to an engine just announced, and not mentioning the state-of-the-art 1,8T being in production since 97... Any way someone may fing a lot of usefull information in this book, although primarily adressed to American owners.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Water Cooled Performance Handbook, January 27, 2000

By A Customer

This is a good book for general information, but many of the pictures are outdated, and the author fails to incorporate discussions of the newer technology. There are a few new photos, and a limited amount of focus on the newer cars on this "Revised" version.