Not Another Chip question ???

1009 Views 10 Replies 4 Participants Last post by PSM20VT, Jul 6, 2004

PSM20VT

Discussion Starter · Jul 5, 2004

Sure is guy's, sorry

Ok i have spent the afternoon (i'm in the uk) reading topic's on chip tuning on the forum, specifically for the 'Upsolute' chip, i think i found about 115 topics when i did the search.

What i am after is any members opinions on the following 3 chips, as these are the main ones that are available to me in the UK and i want to get my 98 1.8T (AEB engine code) chipped, i will also be looking at a dump valve upgrade and maybe exhaust if it gives any descernable performance increase :

APR
UPSOLUTE
SUPERCHIPS (not overly sure you get them in the US but there might be some UK members on here)

I would like to know good and bad experiences that people have had with their chips and what they suggest i get please.

The 3 chips seem to offer the following performance figures after installation:

APR 200bhp - 243nm of torque (£500/$900)
Upsolute 199bhp - 270nm of torque (£300/$540)
Superchips 186bhp - 256nm of torque (£519/$934)

Obivously the Upsolute chip on paper seems to offer the best package pound for pound but i have read alot of topics on the Upsolute forum about problems with surging etc with the chip.

Apr is the most well known to me, is it worth it to spend the extra money for a known brand??

I was also looking at changing the Turbo hoses and notice that although 'samco' list a set of 4 hoses for the Audi A4 1.8T they don't for the Passat, anyone know if the Audi hoses would fit.

Thanks in advance.

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PSM20VT

Discussion Starter · #2 · Jul 5, 2004

Bit slow on here today isn't it :thumbup: :b5:

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TwoLitreVW

· #3 · Jul 5, 2004

yeah, it's slow. it's the day after our independence holiday from you brits.

most are hungover and/or taking the day off.

but to answer your question, one of the favorites around here on CB5 due to the price is the wett chip. however, that requires you to remove your ecu and send it out. and the gains on it are not as impressive as some of the others.

the big power makers on US spec cars seem to be APR and GIAC. plus they offer switchable programs, as well as security and valet programs as well. they also offer cloaking, which means that even if the dealer did plug in a diagnostic tool, they wouldn't be able to tell the chip was there.

however, seeing as how you've got an AEB engine, you'll have no choice but to remove your ecu and send it out. you can still get switchable programs from APR, but you'll have to put in a button to switch between programs.

i'd recommend the APR 91 or 93 octane program and a better DV and "H"n75 valve.

with those mods and nothing else, my variant manages to spike at ~22psi and hold 19-20psi till about 5K RPM.

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PSM20VT

Discussion Starter · #4 · Jul 6, 2004

Thanks 2lt.

Were you the only one not drinking then, or can you handle it better than the others?

I think the APR programs are different over here as our standard fuel is 95 octane with 98 available and if your very rich a 102 octane fuel.

Come on guys surely there are some of you with Upsolute chips with opinions out there.

Thanks

Peter

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scotty_passat

· #5 · Jul 6, 2004

surging has never been a problem on AEB motors. Biggest "surger" was the AWW motor in the golf/jetta when the tuning first came out (all chip vendors had problems), and even those motor codes have been revised for smooth operation.

exhaust will add ~10-15 hp.

UPsolute can be installed locally which would be a big plus given you're not in the US. Might also be the only option as the US-guys might not have tuning for your Euro ECU code.

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PSM20VT

Discussion Starter · #6 · Jul 6, 2004

scotty_passat said:
surging has never been a problem on AEB motors. Biggest "surger" was the AWW motor in the golf/jetta when the tuning first came out (all chip vendors had problems), and even those motor codes have been revised for smooth operation.

exhaust will add ~10-15 hp.

UPsolute can be installed locally which would be a big plus given you're not in the US. Might also be the only option as the US-guys might not have tuning for your Euro ECU code.

Would an exhaust really give that much hp gain, would the ecu compensate for this gain without the engine running lean or is that in conjunction with a proper rolling road chip tune to set up the fueling and boost??

The local 'Upsolute' dealer (20 miles away) will come out to me to do the upgrade, all in for £305 ($549) and can supply me with a 'Forge DV' for £90 ($162), just have to fit it myself.

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scotty_passat

· #7 · Jul 6, 2004

PSM20VT said:
scotty_passat said:

surging has never been a problem on AEB motors. Biggest "surger" was the AWW motor in the golf/jetta when the tuning first came out (all chip vendors had problems), and even those motor codes have been revised for smooth operation.

exhaust will add ~10-15 hp.

UPsolute can be installed locally which would be a big plus given you're not in the US. Might also be the only option as the US-guys might not have tuning for your Euro ECU code.

Click to expand...

Would an exhaust really give that much hp gain, would the ecu compensate for this gain without the engine running lean or is that in conjunction with a proper rolling road chip tune to set up the fueling and boost??

The local 'Upsolute' dealer (20 miles away) will come out to me to do the upgrade, all in for £305 ($549) and can supply me with a 'Forge DV' for £90 ($162), just have to fit it myself.

ECU should adapt ok to exhaust. if you dyno it, get an A/F plot to be sure. UPsolute can create a custom file for you if needed for an extra fee.

here is a plot from TT's website:

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00Psst

· #8 · Jul 6, 2004

I've got the Upsolute chip and am really happy with it. In fact scotty_passat did the install. I've not had the car officially dyno'ed but my butt tells me the gains are significant. I've had no problems with my car since chipping a few months ago (about 8-10k miles ago). I do recommend installing an upgraded DV - the Forge is a good one from what I hear. I have the DV from the Audi TT and its worked flawlessly once I had it installed correctly (I forgot to tighten a clamp when I first did it

) IMO you can't go wrong with the Upsolute chip - and local installation is a big plus in my book too.

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PSM20VT

Discussion Starter · #9 · Jul 6, 2004

Is the techtronics exhaust expensive and loud to give those sort of gains and did it have the cat removed ?

I only asked about the fueling with an exhaust as i know alot of Subaru's have mega problems if they fit hi flo exhausts without getting them set up on a dyno.

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scotty_passat

· #10 · Jul 6, 2004

PSM20VT said:
Is the techtronics exhaust expensive and loud to give those sort of gains and did it have the cat removed ?

I only asked about the fueling with an exhaust as i know alot of Subaru's have mega problems if they fit hi flo exhausts without getting them set up on a dyno.

Not sure about the details of the TT exhaust, I'm sure it had a cat installed.

this might help (jetta related but gives info on the various manufacturers):

http://www.europeancarweb.com/tech/0111ec_exhaust/

your fueling concern is a valid one...however our cars are adaptable so it should be ok assuming the exhaust gain is pretty uniform across the rpm and load range (which it looks to be) MAF and O2 sensor should see flow and A/F differences and make adjustments as needed.

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PSM20VT

Discussion Starter · #11 · Jul 6, 2004

Thanks

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