Upgrading an SDI with a turbo?

Hello,

I would like to hear your opinions on this.

I drive a Polo 6N SDI, and I recently found an interesting website. There's a company that offers a turbo upgrade for the SDI engine, allowing you to switch between 45 horsepower for fuel efficiency in the city and 90 horsepower for highway or country road driving. They converted an Arosa SDI, and it consumes between 3.4 and 5.3 liters per 100 kilometers.
However, it has 125mm wide tires. (The rims are a custom-made design by Borbet).


Here are the links:
Arosa SDI Turbo: http://www.cartuning.com/magazin/archiv/arch0399_1.htm

KLS (unfortunately, very little information is available on the website).
http://www.kls-motorenbau.de/



I'm curious to hear your opinions.

Years ago, I saw a report about this company on TV. I remember because this company is located more or less near my hometown.

I believe the conversion for the Arosa should have cost around 2000 DM.

Unfortunately, it's unclear to me whether the TÜV (technical inspection) and registration costs (approximately 150 euros) are included or not. I wouldn't choose circular saw tires for safety reasons. Saving a little fuel isn't worth it if you end up rear-ending a truck during the first hard braking maneuver.
For a new car, I'd say that's acceptable. But for an older car, you have to decide for yourself what's cheaper: buying a different (more powerful) car or having the modification done. Because when you sell a vehicle, you'll hardly get more money for your car if it has undergone exotic modifications.

Best regards, Rainer.

Thank you for the answers!


I definitely wouldn't buy those tires, because they're so expensive that it's not worth it. The costs outweigh the savings.



My car is 4 years old and has 46,000 km on the odometer. I plan to keep it for the next few years because I'm very happy with it. Of course, if you invest in a modification like that, you won't get the money back. Only for car enthusiasts.


Someday, I'd like to convert my Polo to a TDI engine, ideally the 3-liter version from a Lupo, but with a manual transmission because I prefer a manual gearbox.
A turbocharger upgrade would be a more affordable alternative.
(Unfortunately, there was no 6N TDI model.)


I wanted to know if anyone has had any experience with this company or has had this type of renovation done by them.

Best regards,
Ingo

Hi Ingo,

The TDI engine was available in the 6N model, specifically the smaller 1.4-liter version with 75 horsepower. However, it was likely only introduced after the model update, so in the 6N2.

Otherwise, it's a well-known question whether a fully grown 1.9 TDI engine will fit in a 6N model... the current status seems to be that it does.

In the 6K model (which is slightly larger), the TDI engine already fills the engine bay quite well – take a look at the pictures I posted in the other thread, under "Bodywork," in connection with my dent problem.

Best regards,

Jan.