ECU Tuning is without doubt one of the easiest ways to quickly
unleash more power from your engine. Chips can add in the ballpark
of 10+ bhp to VR6 engines and 25+ bhp to 1.8t engines without
other modifications. This process does not come without issues
and complications, however.
A chip is simply a new program, similar to the factory program,
designed to take advantage of the fact that cars are built
with tolerances. Volkswagen, like most other
carmaker, makes cars that have more horsepower potential than
what is advertised so they can ensure the final product
lives up to specs in the real world, running low quality
gasoline. The bottom line is that chips are based on the
assumption that you are running high-octane fuel
One of the biggest problems you are likely to encounter when
researching chips is a lack of real and reliable evidence
for making a choice concerning which chip to use. Each manufacturer
claims to have a superior product while pointing out faults
in competitors' products. The companies listed at the bottom,
with the possible exception of Neuspeed, are generally accepted
by the German tuning community as quality products.
One of the other issues involved in chipping is the voiding of
the factory warranty. This only applies, of course, to people
chipping cars that are still under factory warranty. The best,
easiest, but unfortunately NOT the cheapest way to deal with this
is to simply buy a new ECU to use exclusively with your aftermarket
chip (while leaving the stock chip soldered on the original ECU).
This will set you back about $400 more, but gives you the piece
of mind that comes with being able to access your factory warranty
(by putting the stock ECU/chip in whenever the car goes to the
dealership). The other way to deal with this is to use a technology
like that employed by APR and RevoTechnik. They reprogram your ECU in place
through the serial OBDII port, making soldering unnecessary, and
also making your new program that much more invisible to dealers.
Let's move on to complementary equipment now. Chips are rarely added
to bone-stock cars, since there are other items that will help
unleash even more power. In my mind, someone on a budget
should also allow for an aftermarket intake and
a cat-back exhaust (add a diverter valve if you're
chipping a 1.8t). Someone with a higher budget should also opt for
things like a high-flow turbo inlet, downpipe, high-flow catalytic converter,
and a more aggressive suspension and brake setup for
keeping this new beast under control.
Needless to say, things get expensive quickly! If you're not on a
budget and want to tune the hell out of your car with reliable results,
buying a prepackaged Stage 3 upgrade kit may also be an option.
The added benefit here comes from the kit manufacturers countless
hours of tweaking and testing all the parts together to produce
a system that is symbiotic. APR is one manufacturer I know of that
sells this type of kit, and it will set you back about $4000.
THE MANUFACTURERS:
