Engine mods

[07audi]

Hi guys, picked up my a4 a month ago now and have been toying with the idea of a few engine mods to up the performance a bit.

What mods (cheapish) are available for the 1.8t engine, and where would be a good place to start? Airbox/Induction?

Any help is appreciated

[rojdag]

In all honesty the only thing i would bother with is a re-map £300-500 save up for that. you wont be sorry and alot of places offer a money back garauntee if your not satisfied. and maybe a air filter but only after youve got the remap.

also using 99 fuel e.g. tesco/shell all the time will bring your power slightly up over a couple of tanks.

i see your in london i would recommend AMD essex (lakeside shopping center) if its not too far. did mine v happy with it.

[SammoVWT]

The simpler ones will be exhaust/intake.

Expensive = remap. The standard map will be able to give you some performance improvement, but you will get significant gains if you get it mapped after your new inatke and exhaust imo.

Its more cost effective to do the remap after the cheaper bolt ons, it all depends on how far you want to go.

Although for the 1.8t there are forge divert valves etc etc, so you have a number of options to think about.

[rojdag]

The simpler ones will be exhaust/intake.

Expensive = remap. The standard map will be able to give you some performance improvement, but you will get significant gains if you get it mapped after your new inatke and exhaust imo.

Its more cost effective to do the remap after the cheaper bolt ons, it all depends on how far you want to go.

Although for the 1.8t there are forge divert valves etc etc, so you have a number of options to think about.

Exhaust = not cheap! also very small gains be lucky to get 5hp, also divert valves not for performance. if youre after noise get an exhaust and diverter valve.

[SammoVWT]

You will get a lot more than 5hp from a good exhaust and it costs about the same if not cheaper than a remap

[rojdag]

You will get a lot more than 5hp from a good exhaust and it costs about the same if not cheaper than a remap

i disagree with the gains from an exhaust, on this car the exhaust is not that restrictive therfore will not give great gains on its own and like you said maybe a little bit cheaper than a remap. but if your talking a full system with sports cat which you may actually see some gains from then its gonna be way more expensive than a re-map.

not saying exhaust isnt worth considering, but if the guy is short on funds and wants performance for maybe £100 more than exhaust costs remap gives the best bang for your buck

[SammoVWT]

I guess youre right on that score, I would stretch to one with a high flow cat anyway - you keep the same safe map but with the extra benefits was my reasoning maybe just save up and get it all done in one go!

He could get a remap but it will cost him more in maintenance, lots of oil changes and plugs ahoy, plus the need to run on premium (I do this anyway but, if hes penny pinching its worth considering), an exhaust would give more peace of mind motoring

But in terms of extension, may mean if he wants to upgrade again, he needs to shell out another £300-400 on a map again

Perhaps the answer is a hi-flow cat

[07audi]

Thanks for the help guys...

Just wondering...what kind of gains could I expect with a remap? Also...I didnt know that after a remap plugs and oil would have to be replaced more often. Are there any other drawbacks to a remap? What about fuel consumption?

Not really to keen on a exhaust system though, Ive never been a fan of aftermarket exhaust systems for some reason, out of interest what kind of gain would you expect from a full catback?

Im a big fan of the engine note given by induction kits and the like. What kind of gains could I expect from one of these? Also are there particular brands which would give slightly higher gains? Are aftermarket panel filters any good, sound/ performance-wise?

[SammoVWT]

Its the same with any modification really, the harder you make something work, the more things need changing. You will definately be making the oil hotter, so it will break down quicker, plus the plugs will be exposed to more heat, but thats general maintenance.

I wouldnt expect it to dramatically increase, its just something you need to be aware of i think (the fuel change is the big one though if you are using standard at the mo), turbo remaps can give in the region of 20-40% im lead to believe.

I guess the advantage of a remap is you can generate more power at a lighter throttle load, which in theory could save you some money but i think the right foot temptation would be too great

Aftermarket exhausts arent bad, depends on the make (jetex are a good brand for example without looking 'rude' or sounding too loud), and your existing setup. If youre on less than a 2" bore you would probably get some gains. I think the old mk5 golf gti gained about 45+ hp from a catback if i remember correctly, cant remember off the top of my head.

The best thing is to do a bit of research on what your car has first and then see whats on offer, I spent 6 months researching things before I started tinkering with my golf

Intakes are a tough one, as it really depends on how restrictive your current intake is, these days they tend to be quite clever and pretty much have an 'induction' system already. You might not see as much on a new car as you would on an older one. You probably wouldnt gain much more from a filter than standard considering your car is a turbo. Maybe a slight increase if you manage to get a full flow system on your car, but not worth spending £100 on a filter system imo, unless your intake is sucking in warm air, which i doubt

I got 'massive' gains because I had a nasty pancake box previously, with no shielding from engine bay temps, the cones do make a nice sound though, a bit more throaty!

[07audi]

Looks as though the remap may be the best thing for me then. I may just go with an induction kit too, even though there wont be much of a power increase the engine sound would be right up my street, any ideas which brands are available with a nice tone?

I think I will get a few of my cosmetic mods done first and then possibly get the map done in the next 6months or so.