Re. A4 1.8T chips-- why not factory?

[Peter Henriksen <peterhe@microsoft.com>]

When the (a) factory tunes an engine, they have to keep an eye on a number
of parameters: saleability, service, market positioning, reliability etc.
etc. For example, if every A4 shipped with the sport suspension, there'd be
people who'd complain about the lack of ground clearance (and rightly so, in
some cases :-). If they gave the 1.8T as much, or more, power and torque
than its 20% more expensive brother product, how'd they sell the more
expensive model? And, probably most important, the average car owner does
not do the kind of care and maintenance that most of us on this list do.
They - to quote somebody on Jet's A4 board - don't do any preventative
maintenance and don't bring a problem to a mechanic's attention until
something falls off or becomes just too embarassing to drive around with.

Besides, Audi does do it "from the factory". quattro GmbH (Audi's equivalent
to BMW's M division) makes a 190 hp version of the 1.8T model in Europe with
a lowered, firmer suspension and other little tricks. Sounds like a very
nice package too...

- peter, peterhe@microsoft.com, http://www.geocities.com/motorcity/1001
  98 volvo v70 t5 - 5-speed
  94 acura legend gs - 6-speed!

------------------------------
Date: Mon, 16 Feb 1998 13:28:58 -0500
From: frank@zk3.dec.com (Douglas Frank USG)
Subject: A4 1.8T chips-- why not factory?

Say, if chipping the 1.8T is such a good idea, why doesn't Audi just do
it at the works?

Quoting the Wetterauer web page (http://www.chip-tuning.com/mainmenu.htm):

	"When we chip-tune your vehicle
         we alter these [fuel pump voltage]
         maps [and other parameters?] to
         shift the overall vehicle
         compromise with a bias
         towards performance."

The obvious nervous question is, what do they bias away from?

- ------

Related question: it seems to me that just upgrading the power/torque curves
are half the job.  What suspension/tire mods are recommended?  My A4 (still
on the boat from Deutchland) is coming withOUT the sport suspension (I
wanted
the ground clearance for New England snow).  Wouldn't it be silly of me to
boost the engine to 200 BHP while running on stock tires & suspension bits?

Last, what about California emissions?  Does a chip make your engine dirty?

- -- 
- --Doug

Douglas Frank  Digital Equipment Corp.
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