Tuning Tdi 150

[BoraTDI]

engine code ARL (IIRC)

What sort of options are out there for me?

The car is a 2003 model '03 plate, with 70000miles on the clock, after having the car for two years now and with no warranty to worry about any more I think its time I got some more power out of the old girl. Obviously I want maximum power gain for minimum outlay, who wouldn't :p but I'd also like something that was not too obvious to the insurance companies ;)

[ian]

a engine remap should see a 30bhp gain and about 60 in torque (there abouts)

also induction kits for better air supply and sports exhaust will help.

im planning the same for my golf gt tdi 150.:biglaugh:

ian

[devonutopia]

I think someone needs to browse www.allardmotorcompany.co.uk ;)

Check out their stage 1,2,3 & 4 tuning options. I'm around stage 3 now, and going to be pushing for stage 4 pretty soon.

Your note about insurance companies worries me! Please do not try to enhance the power without telling your insurers. It's not clever. If you find your insurer is going to charge you tons for a remap, then go elsewhere. Companies like Chris Knott, Adrian Flux and others will insure a remap. I'm lucky to be with Liverpool Victoria under their "any mods" policy, which has since been removed to new custom, but as a 4 year+ customer, I still get that privilege.

[BoraTDI]

Your note about insurance companies worries me!


me too :D

I haven't even thought about the insurance implications yet, the only experience I had with insurance companies and modded cars was way back when I was 18, they laughed at me then :o . I've a few more years on the clock now ;) I'll have to decide what I want to do and see how it effects the insurance.

Thanks for the replies, I'll check that link out.

[lee2u]

go for a remap u will love it. [url]www.turbochip.ltd.uk ;)

[rick]

a engine remap should see a 30bhp gain and about 60 in torque (there abouts)

also induction kits for better air supply and sports exhaust will help.

im planning the same for my golf gt tdi 150.:biglaugh:

ian
you'll get a hell of a lot more than 30bhp out a 150, my mate had his 130 put up to 190bhp but then you got problems like clutch gettin ****** early etc.. due to a shed load of torque

and there is absolutly no way the insurance can tell if yr car is remapped, i work for vw as a technician and all the coding of the controll units stay the same, the program is encripted and insurance companys dnt have the equiptment to check it ;)

[BoraTDI]

I've done a bit of looking around and I have a couple of questions.

1) What are the differences between installing a simple plug-in module to increase power and a full remap? As a high mileage driver (600+ per week) I need to retain the excellent fuel economy when I cruise steadily at 70mph, but on the other hand when I'm in a more lively mood I would like a nice jump in power from the 150 I have now. If I am correct i think that both the re-map and the plug-in modules increase power, torque and fuel economy so whats all the extra expense of a remap for?

2) Are there any long term negative effects on the engine that I should consider? other than the increased wear and tear on the clutch.

ok so theres more than two quesions :D

3) Is a boost gauge worth fitting as I am upping the power?

4) Once a car is re-mapped how easy is it to go back to the original state? I have seen some plug-in modules that have a switch installed so you can turn it on or off whilst out and about.

edit:
maybe I should add that my car has now done 70000 miles

[devonutopia]

1) a module only increase fuelling, and often will cause more damage to the engine, and worse economy. A custom remap will give you more power, but also make the car better in all conditions. i.e. you should gain economy on normal driving, driving the same before the remap (need less throttle in theory to maintain same pace) - I still get over 50mpg from my pd130 despite it being custom mapped to 220bhp.

2) A good custom map should not cause any extra engine wear compared to normal. Engine wear will be due to not keeping an eye on the oil levels, coolant, etc etc - not the power. Treating it nicely when cold too, so allowing a good 5 minutes warm up before using 100% full throttle, and also not boosting the turbo in the last minute of driving will preserve the turbo. Essentially, it's the driver which maintains the engine reliablilty, not the remap. ;)

3) Worth fitting to keep an eye on the turbo when its on boost. Can show irregularities, etc. I have one. :)

4) Many tuning places will revert the car back to standard for free. They store the standard map on their computers incase. Jabbasport do this I believe. (my tuner) Revo offer a switchable map, but not sure how custom it is. I'd rather have a one-off unswitchable custom map and let my right foot be the "switch" :D

Hope this helps.

[BoraTDI]

Thanks Jason.

Sorry to keep troubling you but if the remap makes my car better across all driving conditions, ie more economical at low power and punchier at the top end, albeit at the cost of fuel then why on earth do VW sell them in such a configuration? Would they not be better off selling remapped vehicles from the start because they could then quote much higher MPG and power figures in the propoganda?



I still get over 50mpg from my pd130 despite it being custom mapped to 220bhp.


If I am driving with the fuel in mind I can get my car upto 60mpg by the time I am nearly home. Where I work is 1mile off the A303 so 5 mins warming up in the carpark and then 2mins later I am on the A303 doing 65mph, after 20mins I can up that to 70-75mph and get 60mpg all the way home. To get such high figures I must be very steady on the throttle with acceleration kept to an absolute minimum, it helps to accelerate downhill as well, then gradually slow down going up the other side.

If I am booting it around its more like 40-50mpg, which is still way better than most petrol guzzlers and I can leave them in a cloud of diesel smoke :D



pd130 despite it being custom mapped to 220bhp.



:eek: thats quite a pocket rocket you have there, I'll bet you have fun on those lovely devon/cornwall roads :D

Did you uprate your clutch or brake system?

[devonutopia]

Yes - have 312mm brakes from a TT, soon to be replaced by 4 pot brembos 323mm. :D

400 lb/ft kevlar clutch too.

[skymaster]

The reason VW dont sell a remapped version of the car is due to reliablity factors. Every engine they sell is capable of more power but they need to dumb them down a bit so that they are not running at maximum.

This is to counter all the abuse many engines get including not getting it serviced on time, allowing the oil level to drop. Your mum accidently putting a litre of the wrong fuel in when she borrows it. Or it being in a country where the fuel is of poor quality.

Also bearing in mind they plan to sell 1000s of each engine type world wide they need to reduce their warranty liability as best they can.

A remap is fine as long as you look after the car well. If done properly it's very very hard to tell it's been done. Even the VW diag equiptment wont see it.

[skymaster]

Just to add...
I would not advise putting an induction kit on your MK4 golf / bora. Does not do it any favours. If you use any oil soaked filters they can ruin the Air mass meter pretty fast.

[heedthebau]

You could look at this site, I belive they are down south. One of my work mates has just had it done to his Passat for £300, I dont know if this is a good price or not but they come to your house.
www.celtictuning.co.uk

[BoraTDI]

Thanks Heed.



Yes - have 312mm brakes from a TT, soon to be replaced by 4 pot brembos 323mm. :D

400 lb/ft kevlar clutch too.


Is it a fairly straight forward swap to put TT brakes on then?

I'm an aircraft engineer so anything is possible but I really want to keep work to a minimum as I have recently become a father, and finding the time is a major concern.

[S2AVANT]

Yes - have 312mm brakes from a TT, soon to be replaced by 4 pot brembos 323mm. :D

400 lb/ft kevlar clutch too.
How much is the BBK conversion and who is doing it?
If you don't mind me asking ;)

[Premier-Tuning]

Just been reading through the post and thought I could be of some assistance to you.

We can offer you a remap on your car, no problem at all. You will see great performance increases from either a general remap or a race remap.

With a general remap you should see 190-195BHP and with a race remap you should see 205BHP. Please check out our site www.premier-tuning.co.uk (http://www.premier-tuning.co.uk) for more information on our current services.

Also available, we can offer economy remaps for anyone wanting to see more miles out of their fuel tank whilst not decreasing engine power in anyway.

Where abouts are you located?

Hope this is of use to you.

Andy

[devonutopia]

How much is the BBK conversion and who is doing it?
If you don't mind me asking ;)

The kit is second hand and comes complete with the brackets etc to fit on to my vRS hubs (had to change them as my old hubs had carriers incorporated in them) - So will bolt on. Rumour has it I may need 6mm spacers to clear the calipers, but I have pretty wide 17" alloys on, so hoping I may not need them. :)

I will be fitting them "myself" with the assistance of a mechanic mate. :D

[BoraTDI]

Thanks Premier-tuning.

I'm in Bucks, but only just over the border from Berks :D

As I've recently renewed my car insurance I will probably wait to early next year before I undertake any work on the car. The premium will probably not be as steep with an extra years NCB and another year on my own odo. :D

[Premier-Tuning]

Ah ok, not a problem. So you were thinking of declaring it to your insurers then I take it...?

Rgeards
Andy

[devonutopia]

Ah ok, not a problem. So you were thinking of declaring it to your insurers then I take it...?



I sure hope so. Hate nothing more (well not much) than people who modify cars without telling their insurers. Its pretty much as bad as not having insurance at all.

[skymaster]

If you modd your car and dont tell insurance they will use it as a reason to totally invalidate a claim should they find out.

A former work mate of mine was moaning how her insurance company charged her an extra £80 for the used BMW she had just bought because of it's large stainless exhaust system. The fact that it had been lowered so much you could not see the tops of the tyres seemed to pass her by!

Having modded my last car very heavily I have decided not to do it again. Instead put all the money I would spend in a pot towards my next car. If I had done that last time I could have got a much newer, nicer A4 with all the extra cash!