I don't drive an eclipse, but a buddy of mine has a 1997 Elcipse GS 5 speed with the 140hp Chrysler Motor. He was driving the other day and his motor broke. The mechanic said something slipped in it and it's causing a clunking sound in the motor. The mechanic said that the motor is a "disposable" motor and that since it's still under warranty, it'll be replaced for free with a new motor. Anyways, the car was stock except for an intake, not a cool air intake, just a regular air intake. Another friend of mine has a 2001 Jetta 1.8 turbo automatic. They wanna race. The eclipse has 140hp, 130 torque, and the Jetta has 150hp, 155 torque. Does my friend's eclipse stand any chance whatsoever against the Jetta after he gets a new engine put in?

 

probably not because the jetta has about 180 hp and 174 torque not 150 hp and 155 torque

 

No, it's a 2001 VW Jetta, the first year that a turbo was an option on a Jetta.
In 2001 and 2002, it had 150hp and 155 lb/ft. torque. In 2003, they upped the
power to 180hp.

 

your right but in 2002 is when the upped the power. since the jetta is an automatic your friend will get him off the line and probably hold him off if he can drive it right

 

Thanks for the reply. I asked that question at a Honda site and they said that
there was no way a 5 speed 4 banger eclipse GS will even hang with a turbo 2001 Jetta....stock for stock, so I thought I'd ask some Eclipse owners what they thought.

 

The eclipse can take a jetta turbo automatic. And it won't be close either. If you ever ridden in a jetta turbo auto, audi a4 1.8t auto, or passat 1.8t auto.....they are *horrible* on take off and gear shifting. Despite all the low-end torque those engines produce, the automatics on those cars just aren't up to the engine. And i don't blame VW for that either since those auto tranny's are meant for the "non-performance" minded driver. A jetta 5 speed will take the eclipse, but the auto's aren't meant for drag racing at all. I'm serious, tell you friend to take you out on his jetta and do a run....you'll see how "economized" the tranny is.

 

Yo my buddy is a VW fanatic...1.8T has 175 to the fly...theres no way your buddy stands a chance in hell....come on..5-speed v.s auto to begin with...ur buddy needs a GST or a GSX...then he can blow his buddies dorrs off...By the way my '97 GST is for sale...lots of GReddy upgrades...

 

I wouldnt say he doesnt have a chance.. I have raced alot Jetta.. they aint that fast.. I usually beat them by 2 cars length.. I got a 01 Spyder GS...
My friend got a 90 Jetta Wolfberg Edition, I raced him 5 times. ad I always end up 1 car length ahead..

 

Well im no VW enthusiast...i hate the little damn german junkers...but your talking a '90 jetta...thats almost when they used to call them a "fox" i believe...that little 2.0 8-valve is pushing prolly like 110-115 h.p...id hope you would win...

 

why would the jetta having an auto make it so great. The power loss through an auto can be a big disadvantage against a 5 speed with a driver who knows how to shift. Mind you, knowing how to shift has little to do with moving the stick. Its all about knowing when to shift (below red line) and how to make accurate high speed shifts without damageing the car or loosing power through the shift.

Practice takeoffs with you 5 speed. find the right rpm to shift at... should be somewhere around 1 grand below red line. anything above that and you would be making more power in the next gear...