Overview MD4-2D

This transaxles has beefed up all the weak areas of the VW 091 with a completely new heavy duty case and gear set for off-road applications up to 550hp. It includes a 10" diameter spiral bevel design ring and pinion gear set. This ring and pinion tooth set is designed for maximum power delivery to the rear wheels for race applications. It's the same gear set currently used by the World Of Outlaws sprint cars, NASCAR Super Modifieds, and the Craftsman Super Truck series, so you know it's strong.

At a glance the physical attributes of the Mendeola MD4 are similar to VW, but they are as different as night and day when you need brute strength to harness lots of horsepower. A close look and you'll see a massively reinforced case. The bell housing mates to air cooled VW motors as normal, but places the starter motor at 12 o'clock instead of the 10 o'clock position on the VW. Adapters and clutch kits for almost any engine you want are available from KEP (Kennedy Engineered Products).

Another nice benefit is the Mendeola case is narrower, allowing the axles to be longer, which in turn reduces the angle the CV joints must work. But most important to note are the transaxle chassis mounts. The MD4 added more strategically positioned chassis mounts to absorb all the shear load of more powerful motors. In addition, the MD4 case is physically larger to accommodate the bigger ring and pinion, which affects chassis mounting when compared to a VW transaxle. In road racing applications the MD4 can be flipped upside down with adaptors clocked 180 degrees, available from KEP. Flipping upside down allows your engine to be positioned extra low to the ground to achieve a low center of gravity for ideal weight distribution.