Go to:

-http://www.geneberg.com/

Then click on:

-Tech Tips

Then click on:

- Crankshaft Knowledge

Then scroll down to:

-Gene Berg Forged Cranks

Then towards the bottom of the paragraph.  GBE will make a crank FOR the
Waterboxer engine...
If he did NOT LIKE them, they would not BUILD one would they...plus they
also have a FI replacement for the DF and DJ FI systems...and other go fast
goodies...

I also challenge you to read the article about counter-weighting, and then
tell me the counterweights would not needed, especially for the 2.1L that
tend to throw rods...

Tom Wilson's statement about when to use counterweights in his book deals
with FACTORY rebuilds, AND DOES NOT apply to "Hot rodded" engines OR the WBX
ENGINE.  Bearings wear out from the crank flexing and causing the crank to
pound the bearing out, in the T1 engines with softer cases, the saddles that
hold the bearing actually get ovaled out.  In the WBX the bearings get
pounded out.  This causes the LOW OIL pressure at idle and as the engine revs
(if it is not the sensor, wrong oil or oil filter).  As the bearing get
pounded out, the bearings get so lose that oil pressure cannot be built to
keep the main and rod bearings from hitting the crank and not enough pressure
is built at running higher RPMs (The machinist that did some work on my
engine said the rule of thumb for RACING and street engines is 10 PSI for
every 1000 RPMs.)  A major difference in the WBX over the Air-cooled-T1 is
that the piston clearance are MUCH tighter than the aircooled., so any crank
flexing on the 2.1L stresses the pistons and rods more than aircooled.
AND if you are concerned SIMPLY use the 1.9 rod bolts in the 2.1L rod.

You could also get a set of $250 lightweight racing rods that can see 10,000
RPMs and live to tell about it...If I only ditched the Digifant and the stock
rods, used dual-dual throat turboed digital fuel injection throttle bodies,
used solid lifters, custom exhaust, then 10,000 in first, second, third
...whoops, its late and I am daydreaming, no night dreaming...

VW SHOULD have put CW on the 2.1L engines period.  If you are going to build
a 2.1L engine, for the $150, CWs and balancing are a must have if you plan to
increase the power much beyond stock.

CW and balance Cost per mile= $250 x 150,000 miles = $.00167    200,000
$0.00125

Here is the cost for upgrades VS  mileage per cost
$1500 of up grades x   200,000 miles = $0.0075 per mile
$2000 of upgrades x    200,000 miles = $0.01 per mile
$4000 of upgrades x    200,000 miles = $0.01 per mile
$10,000 of upgrades x 200,000 miles = $0.05 per mile

Later,

Robert