The thing is to NOT lug the engine.  Nor run it at redline for hours on
end.  But lugging it...think about the stresses!  When the cylinder
fires...something has to move quickly...the piston.  When you have a 4000+
lb vehicle with just 4 pistons trying to move all that mass...there can be
some huge loads created, especially if you've selected a gear that make the
driveline move the vehicle a long distance for each time the cylinders
fire..(a high gear/low RPM)  Now big trucks are built with that in
mind...given very strong internals and ratios that allow big torque to come
from very low rpm...But a little 2 liter VW motor....they don't have the
strength to be floored at 500rpms without over-stressing the rods, the
pistons, the bearings, etc.  I cringe when I see or hear people going from
15mph to 80mph in 4th gear in a manual tranny in a VW...Or when  they just
sit there going uphill in 4th until their speed drops to about 20 and the
van starts bucking....
   I have never driven a WBX motor van..and I know they are meant to be
lower rpm than other VW motors...but I'd follow Scott's
recommendations..don't floor it or lug it...keep it around 2000rpms.

  Don Hanson

On Sun, Jan 30, 2011 at 5:20 AM, John Reynolds <transporterjr@yahoo.com>wrote:

> "The aluminum/ magnesium alloys in the ACVW engine reach their elastic
> state at these higher operating temps.  They over-grow, stretch, warp and
> will NEVER go back to their original shapes and sizes."
>
> Not to be picky, but that would be plastic state where things don't rebound
> back to original dimensions.  Probably meant elastic limit  - beyond that
> you are into plastic land - not a happy place with a VW engine. LOL
>
> Good analogy to the bike- I still see people pedaling in high gear all the
> time - spin baby, spin!
>
> John
>