Type IV.... one more time... please.

I've had this thought to change my engine over to a Type IV. Please help with any and all advice. First off... I'm really not that mechanical. But as for thoughts... I'd love to gain some perspective.

I've thought to tow a teardrop trailer. Heard I'd probably need a bigger engine (currently I have an 1835). Heard a Type IV would handle the necessary torque, especially going up hills, also potential overheating issues.

Sooooooooooo... perhaps everyone can provide their thoughts about engine requirements for towing a trailer in the first place. And if what I've got (engine-wise) could handle going across the country this summer or not.

David

Dave,

Please accept one flippant response before the T-IV Big Dogs jump in.


Screw the tear drop behind a Speedstetr thing, get a strong torquing T-1 from Pat Downs. Take your speedster and a sleeping roll, a case of good beer, a $50 tent and go see America.

If you want to pull a Tear Drop, Buy a cool 61 Lark SW with the saved change over a TIV.


Ok, Alan, Jake and Rabid ravers, I was having fun. Give the man what he wants to know!


Jokin'
Jim

Get a bus

Paul, call Dale. He has sumpthin for you! xox Jim

just turbo whatever you already own, now thats torque.

None of the above......

Contact Jordan Christianson on this forum via email. He towed a small, motorcycle trailer to Carlisle behind his Speedster with no problems that I know of. It was NOT a teardrop, nor could you ever sleep in it, but it was certainly big enough to stow a decent size tent, cooler and a bunch of other (lighter) stuff. I also believe he's running a 1915cc engine, but don't quote me on that.......check his write-up in the registry.

Towing a small motorcycle-style trailer CAN be done successfully with a Speedster, you just have to set it up properly for the load with a really good trailer hitch to the frame, AND take it easy as you go along (ie; don't overload it - it's a VW after all.....)

Gordon
One of the "Speedstah Guys" from Beaufort

I've got a Raby T4 in my Speedster and at 4,000 RPM from the Dyno it's
got 138 ft/lb torque and 105 HP. I can cruise all day at that RPM with no problems. Going up hills is no problems and I live in the hills of TN.

Wonder what the best T1 has for torque at 4,000 RPM. Any of you T1 guys know ?????

Also, my T4 is 2270 cc.

Bob, you have a cool Speedster with a killer T-4 engine and I admire your set up 100%. But somehow I just can't see you pulling a trailer with it. No doubt it can be done, but the question begs to be asked; why?

Jim .. I agree with you about who wants to pull a trailer behind a Speedster, not cool. Just saying it can be done with the right engine and that's a T4 ;-)

Can't wait to see pictures of your new IM Speedster. Seems like yesterday when we bought our VS Speedsters, think the same week.

Add about 1000 lbs of weight to the car, upgrade to Wilwood 12" Discs all the way around and then put the hitch on. Use a big stroke motor Type 1 or Type 4, strong tranny with cooling and there you go.

I have towed beetles behind my 66 Beetle with even a stock TIV engine.

The edge that a TIV has over a TI in towing is the 23% more cooling surface area to pull the heat from the engine and dissipate it much more efficiently. HP and Torque do you no good if you thermally overload the engine because it lascks cooling capability. Without cooling capability no cooling system is effective at managing engine temperatures. The DTM for the TIV works so well because of the awesome engine platform it is working to cool, not just because of its design.

If you are not towing the engine can run excellent head temps with the TIV because the load placed on it from the vehicle is nothing compared to it's rated output. Load = Cylinder head temps.

No Type I can equal a TIV in that regard, atleast with the current cylinder head selections. The aftermarket heads are made for all out power and not for getting that extra heat away from the engine. Typically extra cooling fins that are designed correctly and placed in critical areas don't sell parts like huge ports and flow numbers do-

I many times tow my beetle behind my Bus with a 2109cc Stroker engine installed with my CIS Fuel injection arrangement. Thats a 5,000 pound bus loaded with 2-3 engines towing a 1700 pound full bodied bug across the Smokey Mountains to car shows... I seldom need 3rd gear and even with the stock Bus cooling system (which is severely crippled when compared to my DTM for an upright install) the heads never get over 360 degrees. Without an external oil cooler the oil seldom gets over 210 degrees and thats only when I'm running 80+MPH at 4600 RPM on the freeway- Thats simply from increased friction with the added RPM.

Take a trip into the 4th dimension here
www.type4store.com

In the mid 60's a good buddy used a 1200cc beetle to tow his race car Sprite to races and then use as an only car. Later he towed a Formula V with the bug and never heard of any trouble. He did say it was somewhat hill challenged but in the Midwest there were not many hills.
The race cars were on a trailer and not a tow bar, it can be done.

Bruce

In 1976 I towed a VW Dune Buggy from NY to AZ with my VW Camper. I decided to take a short cut in NM through Silver City. My map didn't say I had to go through some mountains. It was a long drive in 1st and 2nd gear, but I made it with no problems. Guess you can tow anything if you've got a 1st gear.

Jake, nice website! Those engines are very inviting. D-man

I had a friend that towed a 19' boat (with coolers and all sorts or gear, luggage, etc. in it) all over Colorado with a VW "Thing" (type 181 with stock type 1 engine). He had three passengers and never experienced any problems.

George,

....you can't be serious I'm sure that those three passengers did some pushing along the way :)

Never had a problem huh??? He probably could have walked over those summits faster than he drove over them.
If he would have had instruments I'm sure he would have been watching his heads bake....

Like Gordon said above, Jody Christiansen pulled a small trailer from Ohio to Carlisle and back and no problems to my knowledge. I believe he said Henry at IM built the hitch setup fo him. There are a couple of photos of Jody's car and the trailer here, it's the red car in photos #4 & 5:

speedsterseast.home.att.net/images/eventpix/show/show02.htm

I would like to have that extra space on long trips, especially when lugging all the stuff for the Carlisle meet last year.

Ah, Jake, always the doubting Thomas; methinks you are totally type IV blind.

And proud of it.....

Towing with a Beetle engine? I can remember back in the 70's when half the Hobie Cat sailboats in southern California, and there were a LOT of them, were behind standard Beeles. Apologies to all you mid-continent guys. Personally, I towed a 16 foot outboard skiboat all over the place with a 98 Hp Corvair with a two speed automatic yet. Sorry, I'm feeling nostalgic today.

David,

I agree with you, as long as what you were towing it was entirely possible. Don't know how much life were in the clutch's but my buddy trade his bug in for a Chev Suburban after a couple of years with the bug.

When you headed up this way? Starting to get pretty nice, was 60 today and sun, cooler and a little wetter for a few days next week.

Bruce

I remember a few years back, motoring along on a narrow Irish back road, when we met someone towing what looked like a 26 foot fiberglass fishing boat behind a Volvo wagon. We even saw a lot of the old style Mini's towing all sorts of contraptions. Sometimes that's not half as impressive as the size of the electrical connector for the trailer - I swear it's about the size of a grapefruit!!

Where there's a will, there's usually a way...

Bruce,
It's been raining in San Diego for near a week now. Holy cow, 15 inches of rain in the last YEAR! This town can't hardly stand it. Houses are sliding down hillsides, underpasses are flooded, sinkholes are appearing in several roads. I thought I WAS in Oregon! Probably won't get back up your way until late March or April. Let me know when the spring flowers bloom around your pond.