The Car :	1999 VW JETTA
	Owner :	GREEDSPEED
	ENGINE TESTED :	Volkswagen AEG
	APPLICATIONS :	1999 Golf GTI IV, GL, GLS
	COMMON SWAPS :	1999 Jetta IV, GL, GLS
	REPLACEMENTS :	1998 Beetle GL, GLS

>>> In the early 1990s Volkswagen was in dire straights in the U.S. market. Sales were floundering and there was talk of pulling out of America all together. About this time, VW went back to its GTI roots and infused power and a high degree of Euro styling into its products. The Golf was revitalized, the Jetta found a niche in the highly competitive sedan market and VW was on the road to recovery. The addition of a turbo 1.8-liter engine and the coming of the New Beetle helped move VW back to the head of the class.

THE ENGINE
The backbone of Volkswagen's lineup is the 2.0-liter AEG engine. This four-cylinder engine is a single-overhead cam proposition with two valves per cylinder and hydraulic lifters. The engine is factory rated at 115 horsepower and 122 Ibs-ft of torque. As a mainstay of watercooled VW performance, the AEG rates an eight on a scale from one to 10 when it comes to aftermarket parts availability.

PERFORMANCE COMPONENTS
Because of the popularity of the 2.0-liter AEG engine, there are limitless possibilities when it comes to tuners and product manufacturers. For this battery of mods, we contacted VW tuner GreedSpeed and manufacturer Neuspeed to pump up the volume of a '99 Jetta. The performance ledger called for the addition of a computer chip, intake system, exhaust, a cam and wires and plugs. This extensive schedule calls for basic boltons and one more involved upgrade (cam) and showcases the power potential of the 2.0-liter engine.

The Neuspeed P-Chip is designed to provide more aggressive fuel and ignition timing tables and extract more power out of the engine. The ECU upgrade also helps with, future mods. The Neuspeed P-Flo is the company's air filter system. The system features a low-restriction filter element and a stylish pipe to add both form and function under the hood. Like all aftermarket exhaust systems, the Neuspeed system's mission is to increase flow by using larger diameter pipe, smoother mandrel bends and a high-flow muffler. The Neuspeed Sport Cam, like most import cams, is set up to deliver the goods on the high end.

DYNO TESTING
Product evaluation was conducted at Neuspeed in Camarillo, California on the company's Clayton Chassis dynamometer. Our test subject was a 1999 Jetta with 2300 miles on the clock. The VW sported a five-speed manual gearbox and OBD-11 engine control. Prior to running baseline numbers the car was given a tune up with new spark plugs from Beru and Neuspeed wires. With the Jetta secured to the rollers, we sampled for baseline numbers, coming up with 103 ponies at the wheels. The P-Chip added power throughout the curve with notable additional thrust from 4000 to 6000 rpm. The exhaust freed up nine peak horsepower and gobs of power from 4500 rpm on up-with no sacrifice on the low end. The intake system continued the trend, making gains over the full powerband with an increase of 6 hp at peak. The cam had no impact on the low end-it neither gained nor lost power. At peak only 2 additional hp were realized but inspecting the graph shows the cam expanded the breathing capacity of the motor. On the high end where the stock-cammed engine would drastically fall off after peaking, the Neuspeed bumpstick increased output by about 7 ponies.

THE CONCLUSION
The bolt-on performance parts netted the expected gains. The performance chart displays how each mod performed in relation to the others. The Test 2 run with the addition of the Neuspeed exhaust system showed the most impressive gain, making usable power from 4500 to 6000 rpm. This represents the sweet spot of the 2.0-liter AEG engine and as a result can really be felt in the seat of the pants during test runs between wrenching sessions. Another interesting piece of data can be gleaned from the cam test. Where peak power is measured there was only a 2-hp jump in output. Cams change the breathing ability and the power curve of an engine. In this case we can see the power curve falls off a great deal less after peak power is realized.

GREEDSPEED PERFORMANCE
Dept. 2NR
3481 Old Conejo Rd. #106
Thousand Oaks, CA 91320
(805) 376-9277
WWW.GREEDSPEED.COM