"Chipping" questions (Audi A4)

[Alienwho]

Ok I have some questions on the 1.8T, just broadening my horizons.

What is Chipping?

How do you chip?

What are the different stages of chipping and HP gain?

How miuch does it cost?

Can you chip all the 1.8T engines? (A4, GTI, Jetta)

Anything else that should be known.

 

[TuffGuy]

VW Vortex

Forums

 

[Stifko]

You ask in the forums here too.

 

[Triumph]

both of those are good forums, but i'll give you the lowdown, right quick. Modern cars have an Electronic Control Unit (ECU) that manages pretty much everything in your car, such as the spark plug firing, the amount of fuel sent, air/fuel ratios, etc etc etc. Aftermarket tuners make their own chips that alter these parameters to increase horsepower and fuel economy. Most cars only get a couple of horsepower boost from this, but the 1.8T is different because the chip increases the turbo pressure. This equals Big horsepower gains, on the level of ~50hp and ~75 pound-feet of torque. So, you have the tuners pop this "chip" into your car, and voila! Yes, it actually works, and works incredibly well. It also won't destroy your engine or affect long term reliability. The major drawback of it is that some dealers may refuse warranty work because you have altered your car. That is pretty much the only drawback.

 

[notfred]

On non-turbo cars, a chip rarely gives more than a few horsepower. I know that replacing the chip in a stock mustang will give you 5-10hp at most, despite the fac that they advertise 25hp or more.

However, some turbo cars allow the computer to control the boost level, making a chip a much more valueble mod.

I don't know if the A4 is turbo or not.... before you get a chip, talk to some people who've done it, see if it helped on thier cars.

 

[Alienwho]

Well the 1.8T (turbo) engine in the A4 is turbo. I don't have an A4 but I am in the market for a car, and now the 150HP 1.8T engine with chipping capabilities is looking a lot better then the 190HP 2.8.

 

[sohcrates]

Sounds like you're not looking to buy a 2002 A4, but if you are you should know that APR has not officially released a new chip for the '02 1.8T.

GIAC has one out already, but it has problems reportedly.

All pre-'02 1.8T's can be chipped very nicely from APR....gains of 40 HP give or take.

If you're looking to save money, it's usually suggested that you chip a 1.8T rather than blow the money on the 2.8. Much cheaper route.

edit: oh yeah, chips are close to 500 bucks or so. but you can usually either get them so they are defeatable via a switch or you can just remove them when you take them into service.

 

[StrangeRanger]

Changing the chip out in your car does not ruin the motor as someone mentioned above. The point about the dealer not working on it or doing any warrenty work is correct though. But, it is very easy to have the company doing your chip put it in a socket for you so you can change the chip out if it does need to go to the dealer for some reason. I've done a butt load of these and have never had one "destroy the engine". Far from it, they allow the motor to run the way it really wants to
I will say this though, having worked on these motors a lot, the turbo on the 1.8's sucks. It's built like crap and does not last. I've seen many, many of them crap out after only 40-50K miles! And yes, it is very hard to tell if one is going or not with out a lot of tearing down. The best way for Joe Public to tell, is to drive a similar year vehicle and compare by the seat of your pants.
j

 

[Triumph]

No one said that it ruined the motor.
On the point about the turbos, I spend more time at vwvortex than I do here, and I can't remember the last time I heard someone complain about a blown turbo. And rest assured, they would complain. Maybe your perception is biased because you only ever see the broken ones and not the millions that run around unbroken?

 

[TuffGuy]

the only thing that the chip would affect would be the turbo's life.

 

[Emos]

<< the 150HP 1.8T engine with chipping capabilities is looking a lot better then the 190HP 2.8. >>


I bought the 1.8T knowing ahead of time that I would be 'chipping' it...best darn $400 I ever spent on something car related! My A4 felt like a totally different car after putting in the APR chip; I would recommend it to any Audi/VW 1.8T owner.

 

[ElFenix]

i assume you then need a better grade of gas?

how the mileage after chipping?

and what octane does th 2.8 require?

 

[RGN]

<<

<< the 150HP 1.8T engine with chipping capabilities is looking a lot better then the 190HP 2.8. >>


I bought the 1.8T knowing ahead of time that I would be 'chipping' it...best darn $400 I ever spent on something car related! My A4 felt like a totally different car after putting in the APR chip; I would recommend it to any Audi/VW 1.8T owner. >>



I've driven my friends A4 extensively, both before and after he chipped it with APR. Honestly, I may not be worth it. It does give more top end power, however it does nothing to the low end, and it still feels like pushing it would help get it off the line.

Simply put: no power until 4K RPMS. Before or after the chip. If your looking for bawls, you should not have bought the 4cyl engine.

 

[N8Magic]

<<

<<

<< the 150HP 1.8T engine with chipping capabilities is looking a lot better then the 190HP 2.8. >>


I bought the 1.8T knowing ahead of time that I would be 'chipping' it...best darn $400 I ever spent on something car related! My A4 felt like a totally different car after putting in the APR chip; I would recommend it to any Audi/VW 1.8T owner. >>



I've driven my friends A4 extensively, both before and after he chipped it with APR. Honestly, I may not be worth it. It does give more top end power, however it does nothing to the low end, and it still feels like pushing it would help get it off the line.

Simply put: no power until 4K RPMS. Before or after the chip. If your looking for bawls, you should not have bought the 4cyl engine. >>



Another +thumbs up+ for the chips. I have driven a chipped '02 GTI 1.8T with the Upsolute chip, and let me tell you, the difference is quite astonishing. The chip does more than simply crank up the boost on the turbo, it also makes a lot of smaller changes like advancing the engine timing. Mileage will generally increase marginally, although not at first as you usually have a heavy foot for the first little bit while you are enjoying the newfound power.

For the person who asked about doing damage to the vehicle, the only thing I have heard of is clutch slippage and damage. As a previous poster has said, I don't recall seeing anything regarding turbo damage on the VWVortex forums, or through word of mouth.

As a matter of fact, once the break-in period for my brand new '02 Golf TDI is up, I am taking it to get chipped. I have seen dynos that take this 90hp/155lb.ft. stock engine to 110-115hp/200lb.ft.

Not bad for a car that gets 55+mpg eh?

 

[RGN]

<< [As a matter of fact, once the break-in period for my brand new '02 Golf TDI is up, I am taking it to get chipped. I have seen dynos that take this 90hp/155lb.ft. stock engine to 110-115hp/200lb.ft.
>>



at what, 7000k?

 

[N8Magic]

<<

<< [As a matter of fact, once the break-in period for my brand new '02 Golf TDI is up, I am taking it to get chipped. I have seen dynos that take this 90hp/155lb.ft. stock engine to 110-115hp/200lb.ft.
>>



at what, 7000k? >>



LOL!

Not much wrong with these numbers. I can dig up a dyno if you like.

 

[RGN]

Nice healthy torque increase. But my point is, high torque is really only "fun" when its in the low RPMs.

Your not going to get a completly different feel from a chip. More robust, yes.






Remember you don't have a honda that you can up the HP by adding stickers and such..

 

[N8Magic]

<< Nice healthy torque increase. But my point is, high torque is really only "fun" when its in the low RPMs.

Your not going to get a completly different feel from a chip. More robust, yes.

Remember you don't have a honda that you can up the HP by adding stickers and such.. >>



You do realize that this is a turbo diesel engine that redlines at 4500RPM right? :Q

I looked, but couldn't find that dyno I saw the other day. Anyways, the diesel makes maximum torque at ~1800-2000RPMS, and it has a nice fat powerband right up to redline.

A chipped TDI would surprise a LOT of people.

 

[Stifko]

N8Magic, nice car! I want a Golf TDi too. Do you hang at Fred's TDi forums? There is a cone shaped K&N air filter that is supposed to be a popular mod for that engine also. What color did you get? Auto or 5 spd?

 

[Masas]

nicely informative thread here...
but are there any other cars other than vws and audis that can get as significant increases by chipping?

 

[N8Magic]

<< N8Magic, nice car! I want a Golf TDi too. Do you hang at Fred's TDi forums? There is a cone shaped K&N air filter that is supposed to be a popular mod for that engine also. What color did you get? Auto or 5 spd? >>



You mean this Fred's TDI Forums? If so, yes. Between there and VWVortex I can get all the VW info i'll ever need. The K&N filter will be added once the break-in period is over as well.

As for the car, I got a 2002 Golf GLS TDI in Indigo Blue with the luxury package (sunroof, etc.) and the cold weather package. I pick it up on Thursday!

 

[RGN]

<<

<< Nice healthy torque increase. But my point is, high torque is really only "fun" when its in the low RPMs.

Your not going to get a completly different feel from a chip. More robust, yes.

Remember you don't have a honda that you can up the HP by adding stickers and such.. >>



You do realize that this is a turbo diesel engine that redlines at 4500RPM right? :Q

I looked, but couldn't find that dyno I saw the other day. Anyways, the diesel makes maximum torque at ~1800-2000RPMS, and it has a nice fat powerband right up to redline.

A chipped TDI would surprise a LOT of people. >>





No, I didn't know. That does make a difference... However my comment still stands for the A4 people.

 

[worth]

RGN, try riding in a TDI before making comments about it

The car might not have a lot of horsepower, but it sure does have low-end torque. Shifting usually happens @3000RPM in a TDI...

 

[N8Magic]

<< No, I didn't know. That does make a difference... However my comment still stands for the A4 people. >>



Cool... at least you are one of the few people that will admit when they didn't know.

BTW, i've heard that the newer 1.8T engine in the '02 vastly outperforms the older 1.8T from <2001. As i've never ridden in anything but chipped '02's I can't really comment on your experience in the older A4.

 

[Triumph]

<< i assume you then need a better grade of gas? >>


The stock engine is designed for 91 or better. Anything less and the engine retards the ignition timing, and you lose horsepower.


<< I've driven my friends A4 extensively, both before and after he chipped it with APR. Honestly, I may not be worth it. It does give more top end power, however it does nothing to the low end, and it still feels like pushing it would help get it off the line.
Simply put: no power until 4K RPMS. Before or after the chip. If your looking for bawls, you should not have bought the 4cyl engine. >>


Something must be wrong, because you are part of a very, VERY small minority. Actually, your experience is totally backwards from everything I've read. The chips increase low end torque which certainly makes the car feel head-snappingly fast. And they are also known for less-than-stellar performance above 5k RPM's, simply because the small turbo can't provide enough airflow at those speeds. Not saying you didn't experience what you said, just that it isn't the same thing thousands of other people have experienced with the chip.


<< but are there any other cars other than vws and audis that can get as significant increases by chipping? >>


Maybe some of the Saab and Volvo turbo engines would benefit as much, but I don't know anything about those cars. The key here is the turbo tho: increasing the boost pressure of the turbo is an incredibly easy and effective way of increasing horsepower by large amounts. Off the top of my head, I can't think of any other new turbocharged cars besides VW/Audi, Saab, and Volvo. Oh yeah, Mercedes Kompressor is a supercharger.