TheSamba.com :: View topic - Vanistan 2.2 engines: Lets hear some more reviews!

Mon Jan 06, 2014 9:03 pm

There are 40-50 of these things out there, and at least two posters here have recently alluded to repowering their vans with them. I'm guessing most of the owners are samba members, or how else did they land on a vanistan motor?

So why don't y'all make some noise and convince the rest of us to call the dude and hand over our $$$!

Mon Jan 06, 2014 9:09 pm

If you need your arm twisted, you have missed the boat. :wink:

Mon Jan 06, 2014 9:42 pm

I did about 3 years of weighing the options, mapping specs and cost vs. my requirements and decided to get a tencent engine which I am getting ready to install in my back yard. However, I am also delaying my coolant system overhaul to wait for some Loctite 518 if that gives you any insight into my approach.

Chris's product will fit MY requirements well.

Mon Jan 06, 2014 11:23 pm

i have fitted one to a clients syncro westy, no arm twisting needed from here, worth every penny, if only i had enough pennies :)
if you are wanting to keep true to the wbx, than there it is, get the oil cooler kit with it, it doubles the warranty ;)

with luck i have persuaded at least one other to go that route :D

yes ! buy one, mr carterzest is now getting ready to fit #51 :D

Tue Jan 07, 2014 9:06 am

My Engine is getting built right now. It will be going into a Syncro Westy spec van I am building. I can't wait. I am going to be bolting some tuned exhaust on that sweet heart too!

Tue Jan 07, 2014 9:11 am

insyncro wrote: If you need your arm twisted, you have missed the boat. :wink:

Yeah, there have to be some threads on here that you can search for. I remember doing that research when I needed a new motor and would have went for a Vanistan if the wait was shorter - 6 months is my entire camping season, so a year without using my van, and that was just too long.

Tue Jan 07, 2014 9:42 am

Rocky Mountain Westy wrote: My Engine is getting built right now. It will be going into a Syncro Westy spec van I am building. I can't wait. I am going to be bolting some tuned exhaust on that sweet heart too!

That's great! Hope to hear some more specifics from all of y'all about performance, comparison to stock 2.1, fuel economy, etc. There's a lot of positivity in samba about these engines but very few specifics (yes I've searched and read every available thread.)

Tue Jan 07, 2014 9:53 am

Smooth, reliable, hand built and a bit more powerful than stock 2.1s.
Paired with the WBXhuast, billet throttle body, VSM, new injectors and stainless steel components for the cooling system, you will know every time you fire it up that it is a quality piece.

If you are expecting tons of power and torque, it may not be what you seek.
Yes, it is more powerful than a 2.1, but not neck snapping powerful.
Smooth is more how I would describe the added power.

My experiences with Chris and Mike (RMW) have been excellent.
The support is top notch, to match the products.

Find the closest transplant and contact the owner.
If you ask nicely, I'm sure they will take you for a spin.
First hand experience is by far the best, if you ask me.

Tue Jan 07, 2014 9:56 am

Power wise, I like to think of the 2.2s as a nice way to even out the mounting of larger tire diameters.

A 2.2 will allow for 215/75/15 tires and drive like a snappy stock powered van.

Hope this helps.

Tue Jan 07, 2014 10:01 am

Red Beard wrote: Rocky Mountain Westy wrote: My Engine is getting built right now. It will be going into a Syncro Westy spec van I am building. I can't wait. I am going to be bolting some tuned exhaust on that sweet heart too!

That's great! Hope to hear some more specifics from all of y'all about performance, comparison to stock 2.1, fuel economy, etc. There's a lot of positivity in samba about these engines but very few specifics (yes I've searched and read every available thread.)

Yeah, You probably won't get specifics from me. I am just not the kind of guy that cares about 1mpg and such. Plus I don't really have time to do build threads, except the Splitzgauer thread.

I can tell you from experience it is way better then a stock 2.1 and in the Vanagon engine replacement world, It is the best bang for the buck.

Tue Jan 07, 2014 10:02 am

insyncro wrote:

Find the closest transplant and contact the owner.
If you ask nicely, I'm sure they will take you for a spin.
First hand experience is by far the best, if you ask me.

Marius Strom is up in Seattle. He loves chatting VW too.

Tue Jan 07, 2014 10:06 am

Rocky Mountain Westy wrote: I can tell you from experience it is way better then a stock 2.1 and in the Vanagon engine replacement world, It is the best bang for the buck.

Absolutely :!:
It is the lesser rebuilds that usually BANG :wink:

Tue Jan 07, 2014 10:10 am

Rocky Mountain Westy wrote: My Engine is getting built right now. It will be going into a Syncro Westy spec van I am building. I can't wait. I am going to be bolting some tuned exhaust on that sweet heart too!

"Tuned Exhaust" is a term you don't hear around here very often. I know VW had a version of a tuned exhaust. That used to be short for "Dyno-Tuned", now it just means…well What does that mean?

Here is Wikipedias definition:"In a four-stroke engine, tuned extractor manifolds are used to promote scavenging of the exhaust gases by delivering a pulse of negative pressure just before the exhaust valve closes.
In either case, the efficiency of the system is greatest at a particular engine speed, which is determined by the exhaust system geometry. Tuning the system for best effect is typically done both by calculation during the design of the exhaust system, and by trial and error during engine development."

I have noticed that VW favored quite small primary tubes, I would assume to generate greater velocity and subsequent torque at lower RPMs.

Aftermarket manufacturers tend to favor quite large tubes as well as merging equally large tubing sizes, which in my child-like understanding of header design would seem to squelch velocity , which seems counter-productive to me. Am I missing something?

I did see a few photos where RMW was building a beautiful 4 into 1 Subaru Header but I never saw it completed. Did that get tuned?

I only mention this because a Vanistan engine will be as good as it's exhaust, intake, timing, etc. as a whole.

When my Dad brought home our brand new 1987 passenger van it had plenty of torque, and very small primary tubes. I dare say a vanistan motor with the stock "Tuned" exhaust would outperform an aftermarket system, by far.

Neil2

Tue Jan 07, 2014 10:48 am

furrylittleotter wrote: Rocky Mountain Westy wrote: My Engine is getting built right now. It will be going into a Syncro Westy spec van I am building. I can't wait. I am going to be bolting some tuned exhaust on that sweet heart too!

"Tuned Exhaust" is a term you don't hear around here very often. I know VW had a version of a tuned exhaust. That used to be short for "Dyno-Tuned", now it just means…well What does that mean?

Here is Wikipedias definition:"In a four-stroke engine, tuned extractor manifolds are used to promote scavenging of the exhaust gases by delivering a pulse of negative pressure just before the exhaust valve closes.
In either case, the efficiency of the system is greatest at a particular engine speed, which is determined by the exhaust system geometry. Tuning the system for best effect is typically done both by calculation during the design of the exhaust system, and by trial and error during engine development."

I have noticed that VW favored quite small primary tubes, I would assume to generate greater velocity and subsequent torque at lower RPMs.

Aftermarket manufacturers tend to favor quite large tubes as well as merging equally large tubing sizes, which in my child-like understanding of header design would seem to squelch velocity , which seems counter-productive to me. Am I missing something?

I did see a few photos where RMW was building a beautiful 4 into 1 Subaru Header but I never saw it completed. Did that get tuned?

I only mention this because a Vanistan engine will be as good as it's exhaust, intake, timing, etc. as a whole.

When my Dad brought home our brand new 1987 passenger van it had plenty of torque, and very small primary tubes. I dare say a vanistan motor with the stock "Tuned" exhaust would outperform an aftermarket system, by far.

Neil2

Thanks for the interest. Chris, Vanistan, originally did the math on a 4-2-1 tri Y Tuned exhaust and hand built a few on his own. He knew there was opportunity and he felt the performance increase. So we discussed a Coop situation where RMW manufacturers the exhaust and Vanistan gets a royalty. We actually had a discussion last night how successful it has been. We have sold over 80 systems in 2 1/2 years. It is a hand built Tig welded stainless product that is 100% American made.

The other half of the discussion was to work on finalizing the Subaru tuned exhaust. So hopefully we will have more information coming on that soon.

Check out this link

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=471510&highlight=rmw+exhaust

Tue Jan 07, 2014 10:49 am

You can tune a piano, but you can't tuna fish :lol:

Tue Jan 07, 2014 10:51 am

One thing it can mean is LOUD. Of course that is very subjective. Some might like loud or even crave loud. My friend with that exhaust system hated it when he got it. Too loud, and he talked about his regrets to the point of offering it to me so he could go back to stock. He hasn't yet done so and may have resigned himself to the noise. So we can hear him coming from a couple blocks away as he climbs the hill to our street. My wife has been known to ask "what is wrong with that van?" A work of art it may be and art is a matter of taste.

Mark

furrylittleotter wrote: Rocky Mountain Westy wrote: My Engine is getting built right now. It will be going into a Syncro Westy spec van I am building. I can't wait. I am going to be bolting some tuned exhaust on that sweet heart too!

"Tuned Exhaust" is a term you don't hear around here very often. I know VW had a version of a tuned exhaust. That used to be short for "Dyno-Tuned", now it just means…well What does that mean?................

Neil2

Tue Jan 07, 2014 10:54 am

I will assure anyone interested that the WBXhaust does not sound like a S&S with a cherry bomb :!:

If you have no idea what those are...you didn't miss anything.
Just a blast from the Vangaon past.

Tue Jan 07, 2014 11:25 am

Rocky Mountain Westy wrote:

"he felt the performance increase."

" We have sold over 80 systems in 2 1/2 years"

So, are you saying you define "Tuned Exhaust" by someone's "feeling" and subsequent sales?

This may explain why we do not hear the term around here very often.

At 80 units, forgive me for saying so, but I would say a Dyno test has been justified.

In fact, I can't believe you have sold that many without backing up any performance (or at least not too much diminished performance) claims.

That extra noise others are talking about is more than likely caused by gasses expanding (and thereby slowing) in those massive, long sweeping, relatively thin (as compared to stock cast sections) primary and secondary tubes, which I have little doubt diminishes torque as the following gasses hit the previously mentioned expanded bursts.

Don't get me wrong I think it is a beautiful header, and actually not poorly engineered, for a turbo engine. However, I stand by my reasoning that VW used small primaries on it's normally aspirated vanagon engines for a reason, even going so far as to re-engineer the entire exhaust and continue to use relatively small primaries with the advent of the 2.1l.
.
Oh and btw read that writeup you mentioned and Vanistan's comment on Dyno- tuning. Here it is:

"
vanagonjr wrote:
Any dyno run figures?

Nope, not gonna play the numbers game. I'm selling on quality.
_________________
Please see my products at www.vanistan.com

Neil2

Tue Jan 07, 2014 11:35 am

The performance increase from the combination of Vanistan engine and the "tuned exhaust" is very real. How much of the increase is due to the engine magic and how much to the exhaust magic is a good question that would be nice to have answered.

Mark

furrylittleotter wrote: ......Don't get me wrong I think it is a beautiful header, and actually not poorly engineered, for a turbo engine. However, I stand by my reasoning that VW used small primaries on it's normally aspirated vanagon engines for a reason, even going so far as to re-engineer the entire exhaust and continue to use relatively small primaries with the advent of the 2.1l.
.

Neil2

Tue Jan 07, 2014 11:45 am

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=270833

Original Post.