3B vs. ABY is there much difference?

[thetatau87]

How much difference is there between the 3B and ABY? Is it worth it to buy an ABY powered S2 with the 6-speed or will a 3B 5-speed be about the same? Assume that mileage and condition on each engine is the same. I'm looking for opinions and driving impressions from anyone who's driven both or better yet has owned both.

Sorry if this is a FAQ. I searched but didn't find any info on 3B vs. ABY.

[caterpillar]

the org aby may have (some)bigger torque.... the parts are the same in the engine... the 6tranny from 94-95 are not bulletproof i think....

[Sweeper]

engine parts are not the same , check s2central.net

Take ABY it younger and a bit stronger.

[audiman]

Not sure its any stronger Vadim? The 5 speed gearbox isnt the strongest, but then nor is the 6 speed unit. ABY has very expensive ignition components that seem to fail quite a lot. But the 3B uses an old dizzy that can also fail, but its cheap enough to fix. 6 speed ratios are a lot nicer, but there isnt much in it. I find the 5 speed gearchange smoother and less notchy compared to a 6 speeder.

Power wise there isnt much in it. The ABY in stock form has more torque but not that much.

They drive exactly the same either way tho.

[S2central.net]

The main difference I find in driving them is you can feel the more raucous character of the 3B because of its lighter flywheel and desire to rev that little bit better.

3B gearbox is a smoother shift but isn't near as strong as ABY item. 1st gear is the only real issue on 6-speeders but many were recalled and you've got to be doing punishing standing starts to abuse 1st gear anyway.

Agree on concerns about costs of some ABY ignition parts, but it is a more elegant solution than the jurassic distributor and HT leads of the 3B.

ABY has a slightly bigger intercooler than 3B and has the overboost capability that gives it more mid range torque in stock form.

ABY has bigger inlet manifold and airbox than 3B. An RS2 upgrade is easier to perform on an ABY than the 3B, but either way its no biggie... Except the following important things I almost forgot -

ABY has stonger big end bearings than 3B. ABY spec is same is RS2 from memory
3B had paper head gaskets, late ABY and RS2 has metal ones - much stronger.
Lack of battery in ABY engine bay creates slightly more room.

If I could change one thing on the ABY to improve it - it would be the flywheel. As smooth and silky as the ABY engine is with its DM flywheel - I hate spinning all that extra weight around all day long...

Paul

[audiman]

Basically the ABY does have some advantages apart from the DM flywheel, i forgot that Paul!! My car feels a lot more savage than Dougs car and we can only put this down to a nice light flywheel. (I know mine is lighter than stock, but it was the same before its slimming world session).

[Jamo]

Basically the ABY does have some advantages apart from the DM flywheel, i forgot that Paul!! My car feels a lot more savage than Dougs car and we can only put this down to a nice light flywheel. (I know mine is lighter than stock, but it was the same before its slimming world session).

I agree your car is savage!

I know i've poked fun at the ABY vs 3B, but IMHO i prefer the ABY because it is smoother and refined and it allows me to use it as a daily driver through traffic.

The 3B drives more aggressively because the way it feels allows you to throw the car around alot more because of the flywheel and less weight. (can i have my stomach back please Tom!)

If i was after it purely for a weekend driver then maybe thats a better option.

[thetatau87]

Thanks for all the info and opinions! This is great stuff!

I'm going to either buy an S2 to take to the States or if I can't find any way to do that I'll have to convert a 20v Coupe quattro by shipping all the parts off an S2 to the USA. I do have a couple more specific questions that came up from your discussions:

Can a metal head gasket be used on the 3B?

Is the battery tray location on the 3B S2 the same as 20v Coupe?

Is a 3B flywheel interchangeable with the ABY?

[S2central.net]

You'll be shipping parts sir - unless you have a massive reserve of cash to get the S2 thru US DOT approvals and crash test !!!!!!


Paul

[martinjs]

1, yes absolutely.

2. Its only UK 3b's/20v's which have the battery under the hood.

3. Yes, you need to remove the 10mm spacer ring thats between the aby gearbox and block, i think. Dunno about the spigot bearing. it has been done though.

HTH

[thetatau87]

US 20v's have the battery under the hood too. A 3B would be easier to mount in a 20v engine bay because the battery doesn't interfere.

Either way I do this it's going to cost a lot of money and time is money too. It would cost much more to import a complete S2 to register in the US, but there is much more work involved in shipping all the parts and converting a 20v car to 3B or ABY. I still need to do a lot of research to figure out which will be best for my situation. Another consideration is that the newest coupes in the US are 1991. Audi stopped selling the coupe in the US long before the S2 in Europe.

[1975DCS]

Lack of battery in ABY engine bay creates slightly more room.

Are you sure? I have an 1991 S2 (that means 3B) and the battery is placed on the rear seat... Maybe I do have ABY coils as well?

[4WheelDrifter]

Only RHD 3Bs have the battery under the bonnet.
So your LHD 3B should have the battery under the seat.

[newsh]

The normal way to make an S2 in the states is to use a coupe for the shell and the motor from a 20vt 200? Known as an ES2 (Erzatz S2)

[1975DCS]

Only RHD 3Bs have the battery under the bonnet.
So your LHD 3B should have the battery under the seat.

Hmm well hmm... What should I say... Never would have thought that to make a big difference...