Picking up my resurfaced 1.7 heads tomorrow, and while i'm up there figured i buy some sodium valves from my old VW shop.
He's got sodium exhaust valves for 1.7 and 1.8 heads.

Is there some good advice floating around about valve sizes for a 1.7 and making her run a little sweeter? or is stock size good to stick with.
I've got some Stainless HE's and a 2.0L muffler sitting here as well.

peace,
b.

If you change the valves, you'll need to change the seats, and possibly clean up the ports to match, and possibly have to resurface the heads again after all that. might as well stay with what you have. AFIK, and it's been a long time, there were never any sodium filled valves for 1.7s, and the 1.8 ones have been NLA for around 25 years. The Cap'n

no sodium 1.7's?

he showed me a set with the small dimple in the middle.
1.7 sodium vavles according to him. German TRW as i recall.

so if the valves are left the same is there anything else that can help these things?

clean up the ports? better springs?

The loud and clear message from all of Jake R&D is that anything that helps the exhaust flow is good for power. Don't waste $ on intake stuff until you've spent some time on the exhaust side. Bigger valves will help some, a better header system is your best area of improvement, but most lack a proper heater box.

cool. read that somewhere.

suppose i'll just put it together and go driving.

Stay away from those sodium valves- no matter the size.. 30 years ago they were leading edge technology- today the only people that think that are "not so swift"...

The intake port on a 1.7 head is very limiting, its pretty easy to throw off the valve/port margins by tossing in a set of larger exhaust valves.

I'd keep them stock, for many, many reasons.

I realize my 914 smarts are showing here...

but would 1.8 heads work on a 1.7? or is that just silly.

I believe that you can use 1.8 heads in place of the 1.7, they have bigger valves and flow a litle better than the 1.7's for sure.

Sure, they'll fit. But you'll need bigger barrels and pistons, too. The Cap'n

Not with stock 1.7 cylinders- the register size is different between the 1.7 and the 1.8/2.0

QUOTE (Jake Raby @ Sep 29 2005, 12:37 PM)

Stay away from those sodium valves- no matter the size.. 30 years ago they were leading edge technology- today the only people that think that are "not so swift"...

yea, I guess you can consider the engineers that put together the latest 500 horsepower Z06 'vet "not too swift", hahahahaha

Well they are working on a freakin car with a radiator- nope, they are not too swift!

I'll bet those valves are wayyyy different than the old sodiums used in these engines...