Audi A3 Performance

[cosmoschick]

Having bought an Audi A3 1.9TDi to replace my BMW 320i, I'm now interested in increasing the performance. I'm really pleased with it but compared to the beemer it lacks the power to overtake and this is highly frustrating. Unfortunately, it is not the 'red eye' model!

So, what can I do guys/gals? Can I get it chipped and, if so...

* How much will this cost?
* What increase in bhp can I expect?
* Will any mods be necessary to accommodate the extra bhp?
* Are there any pitfalls in doing so?

Advice most welcome

[mustard]

www.sussexmobiletuning.co.uk/audi-chipping.htm

[Trefor]

AMD or Forge Motorsport will chip it for you. Should be nice and nippy afterwards.

[DustyC]

One of the VW mags had a review on all the chip upgrades available. It was a pretty good review too.

I had a chat to my mechanic about chipping my TDi90.
He said that what it really does is increase the power in the 3000-4000 area and get rid of that flat/slow spot.

I think the increase in BHP are roughly
(for each engine)
90 > 110
110 > 130
130 > 150
150 > 190 (Max)

[iguana]

cosmoschick said:

* How much will this cost? * What increase in bhp can I expect? * Will any mods be necessary to accommodate the extra bhp? * Are there any pitfalls in doing so? Advice most welcome

1- from approx £400 dependant on the tuner used & if chip/diagnostic port upload or plug in tuning box
2- dusty c's list seems about right, although ive known 130's get to 190bhp/320lbft.
3- no
4- not really, but perhaps a good idea to tell your insurance company

[edc]

There's a few Seat chipped PDs reporting slipping clutches from over 300lbft torque.

[Qube]

cosmoschick said:

Having bought an Audi A3 1.9TDi to replace my BMW 320i, I'm now interested in increasing the performance. I'm really pleased with it but compared to the beemer it lacks the power to overtake and this is highly frustrating. Unfortunately, it is not the 'red eye' model! So, what can I do guys/gals? Can I get it chipped and, if so... * How much will this cost? * What increase in bhp can I expect? * Will any mods be necessary to accommodate the extra bhp? * Are there any pitfalls in doing so? Advice most welcome

Hi, I've got a 2003' A3 1.9 TDI 130 Bhp Sport, last of the old shape, the car in standard form was o.k with a flat spot upto 1500 rpm and no power at all after 3500 rpm, This seemed daunting as the last car i had was a TVR Chimaera 400, I searched the internet and found a company called www.tunit.co.uk , I purchased a PD tunit and a K&N air filter form them which cost around £500 and took about 40 mins in total to fit, the difference was incredibly, the tunit was adjustable and after a few weeks i was up to the max adjustment setting, according to a few website quotes the car was pushing out around 170 bhp with around 275lb of torque, more torque than my TVR, The car drives superb, not that i am a boy racer , it will out perform the BMW 2.0 Diesel compact easily, and leave most petrol cars standing, putting your foot down in 6th puts you back in the seat with the only downside a miserably 47 MPG, LOL, The tunit eliminated the flat spots completely giving a rev free power band from 1200 - 4500 rpm, a well worth purchase i think, you can also try www.mrhoot.com for tuning modules, as EDC said i've heard that the clutches are prone to slip around 300lb
Hope this helps.

[edc]

In addition to the box methods and chip tuners above you could consider Revotechnik and APR. Lots of very happy PD runners on these and a stealthy choice too, switchable, but no free trial for diesels IIRC

[snap-on]

I've just fitted a digital chip box to my 110hp 98 vw Passat that has the same engine as your audi. After looking at endless websites and reading lots of write ups I went for the digital box for various reasons.
1. It is very easy to install just a matter of plugging it in at the feul pump all of five minutes work.
2. The company I bought it from garantee the box and your engine for 60,000 miles from fitting. That's against the box damaging your engine!
3. They are happy to tell you how the unit works and what to expect, something I found that ither companies were reluctant to do!
4. The unit only alters the fueling to the engine by re-processing the information from the ECU. So turbo pressure is not changed something that is done when the car is "chipped" or the ECU reprogramed.
%. The digital unit is quicker to respond than an analog unit. These are the units that plug in just the same but have a screw on the unit to "increase" power all it does is put in more fuel and put out more smoke!
Once the unit was fitted the difference was noticable straight away. I have had the Passat against my freinds 130tdi golf 03. Now that has the newer PD engine has only 17K on the clock is a lighter car.
Mine has 60K is older and heavier but on a head to head race from a standing start there is nothing between the two!
The company to get in contact with is East coast racing. Good luck. John

[cosmoschick]

Thank you for your replies chaps. Now that I know there are some viable options available to increase the bhp, I feel a little happier that I didn't make a huge mistake in not buying the 'red i' model.

I wasn't really bothered about purchasing a high-spec A3, just a daily run around. Afterall, I've got my Chim for the exhilarating driving experience. But having said that, it's the lack of power for overtaking that really concerns me. I'm increasingly finding myself stuck behind vehicles that I would normally have overtaken without a second thought. And that's bad news for me.

[cazzo]

www.auto-amd.com/a3enginetdi.asp