cheap performance upgrades?

[supamannn99]

what are some cheap performance upgrades? cheap as in under $400 that actually makes a noticeable difference. i know Carbonio makes a cold air intake for about $350, but does that help? i also heard getting a K&N filter increases hp.. is this true?

i'm getting an apr chip for sure.

[AudiWxGuy]

Just to give you my opinion...I didn't love the APR chip. I actually got my car flashed back to stock today. In my opinion, the chip took away from the smoothness these cars have. However, you have a tip and maybe it wont be so different for you. IMO, if you are interested in chipping, go with O.CT Tuning. No, they don't have the same numbers as APR and GIAC, however the toruqe/hp curves are exactly the same as the stock curves, just higher. So you'll have more power at all RPM's speeds. That's what I'm going to get in a few months.

YOu also may want to consider exhaust first, since coupling that with a chip will yield the most power. I've heard some things about how chipping w/out exhaust could eventually cause some problems due to increased backpressure.

[Silververtu]

I feel K&N filter makes the car smoother if you do the kick down, but it's just me. I also agree with AudiWxGuy regarding the smoothness of chipping. If you drive on highway alot, you will love it because it has so much power waiting for you to release it. But if you drive in local, i can definitely tell you that it's not as smooth as stock mode.

For about $400, i doubt you can do anything that will have a noticeable difference.

[AudiWxGuy]

Ehhh...I didn't really feel it. If your cruising at 80 and drop it into 4th to pass someone, yeah there is a little more power...but not amazingly different than stock. But, if your doing like 60 and drop it into 3rd, it was a whole different world. 3rd was the best gear, in my opinion. 4th was good...but at that point your starting to lose the torque.

[supamannn99]

Yeah I read your thread about the APR chip. i was hoping it would be a little better on 91 octane but i guess i'll look into O.CT tuning. I was definitely getting exhaust first though. I can't wait to hear about your stasis exhaust coming in this weekend though. i'll look forward to reading about that :D

[AudiWxGuy]

I'll have some pics...& I'll be the first person to post a Stasis sound clip/video. From what I've read it's very similar to AWE. I'm psyched.

[audib7a4]

testpipe? very noticeable gain, but alot to give up for that power, it smells like shit

[supamannn99]

Yeah very noticeable it is, and its a $2500 fine in California if you get caught.. anyways the air quality is bad enough. I don't want to make it any worse.

Does you guys know if the Carbonio CAI makes any difference? I heard it helps with the reliability of the turbo and on the website it says it increases horsepower and stuff..

[supamannn99]

So I checked out the O.CT tuning chips on their website and it appears that they only have chips for 1.8T...

[Sanjman]

I think you should do a FREE trial run with APR, Revo, etc. Most people on this forum are happy with their chipping.

Go to a APR/Revo/GIAC X dealer you feel comfortable with around you.

Those are the big three chipping kings for the B7.

There is also Statis (i think it's a detuned giac version) and Neuspeed, but not many have those.

[supamannn99]

do they charge labor for chipping it temporarily though?

[dave405nyc]

Usually they do, maybe about 20-70 bucks. But if the shop is mad chills, they'll do it for free. Afterall, it only takes a couple of minutes.

[ed@mtl]

I agreed, get a trial run with the chips manufacturers mention above. From there you can decide which one to go with. For performance wises, there's nothing else you can really do in your price range that will give you what you want.

[chrislane31]

The exh will not give much of a power gain and will cost a lot. No point of exh without a chip first. BTW I love my APR worth every penny.

[704b7]

Im one of the other 95% of us that are happy with our apr/giac/revo chip. Its like a whole new engine. Only thing under 400 to increase hp is a tp, but it sounds like you're too into tree hugging to go for that. Search for some threads a few months back about Carbonio. The consensus is any performance increase is debatable at best. Seems to improve throttle response and sound more than anything...i got better throttle response and sound with a $40 K&N drop in, so spend wisely.

[AudiWxGuy]

The exh will not give much of a power gain and will cost a lot. No point of exh without a chip first. BTW I love my APR worth every penny.

Yes..but coupled they work great together. If your going to do a chip, you should do exhaust first. Like I said, with higher boost pressures there is more back pressure and no where for it to go. The engine needs to be able to breathe before/when you chip it. The gains will be great. My audi dealer, who sells both chips and exhaust wouldn't do the chip w/out the exhaust. But they are doing it vice versa.


O.CT does not have dyno's of the 2.0T's but I know for a fact they sell them. I called Stratmosphere yesterday and confirmed this.

[bhvrdr]

Just to give you my opinion...I didn't love the APR chip. I actually got my car flashed back to stock today. In my opinion, the chip took away from the smoothness these cars have. However, you have a tip and maybe it wont be so different for you. IMO, if you are interested in chipping, go with O.CT Tuning. No, they don't have the same numbers as APR and GIAC, however the toruqe/hp curves are exactly the same as the stock curves, just higher. So you'll have more power at all RPM's speeds. That's what I'm going to get in a few months.

YOu also may want to consider exhaust first, since coupling that with a chip will yield the most power. I've heard some things about how chipping w/out exhaust could eventually cause some problems due to increased backpressure.

Your car may have been having problems or you may not be a chip kind of person. If you look at this dyno of my old car you will see APR mimics the stock torque curve about as well as I have seen in any graph...

http://www.mjbmotorsport.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/Stock-APRDyno-1.jpg

Keep in mind that O.CT does not have any stock program at all so if you need your car to go to the dealership you will have to drive to an O.CT tuner and have the car flashed back to stock. Then after the dealership visit you will have to drive back again to the O.CT tuner and flash the car back to performance again. Also keep in mind there are very few O.CT dealers so if you want the car flashed you may have to send them your ECU which will mean grinding off the chastity belt and them opening up the tamper proof glue on the ECU. Just something to keep in mind. I know you mentioned getting 'stage 3' software for your car. This is not applicable to your car.

To the OP, the mod that will give you a huge bang for the buck for sub $400 is a pair of HSPort S4 or RS4 swaybars available from www.purems.com . Power is one thing but the bang for the buck these sways provide in perceived roll control is very well noticed. A fun and rewarding mod. I wouldnt recommend an exhaust AND a chipped car without a fuel pump upgrade. I would do either/or until you upgrade the fuel system, but that is all more than your budget so I vote HSport sways.

cheers! Mike

[Phrost]

We have turbo engines... Any chip will GREATLY increase the boost it generates, and that is where majority of our power comes from. Our turbo has barely any turbo lag, although it is inevitable... but there is always going to be sort of a shock as all of a sudden the turbo spikes then holds at max psi of pressure.

I think the only "roughness" is when you suddenly mash on the pas pedal, then .5 seconds later the car jerks forward when it spikes. But it's a turbo, it's not naturally aspirated or supercharged making constant power.

[AudiWxGuy]

Your car may have been having problems or you may not be a chip kind of person. If you look at this dyno of my old car you will see APR mimics the stock torque curve about as well as I have seen in any graph...

http://www.mjbmotorsport.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/Stock-APRDyno-1.jpg

Keep in mind that O.CT does not have any stock program at all so if you need your car to go to the dealership you will have to drive to an O.CT tuner and have the car flashed back to stock. Then after the dealership visit you will have to drive back again to the O.CT tuner and flash the car back to performance again. Also keep in mind there are very few O.CT dealers so if you want the car flashed you may have to send them your ECU which will mean grinding off the chastity belt and them opening up the tamper proof glue on the ECU. Just something to keep in mind. I know you mentioned getting 'stage 3' software for your car. This is not applicable to your car.

To the OP, the mod that will give you a huge bang for the buck for sub $400 is a pair of HSPort S4 or RS4 swaybars available from www.purems.com . Power is one thing but the bang for the buck these sways provide in perceived roll control is very well noticed. A fun and rewarding mod. I wouldnt recommend an exhaust AND a chipped car without a fuel pump upgrade. I would do either/or until you upgrade the fuel system, but that is all more than your budget so I vote HSport sways.

cheers! Mike

I had a very lengthy disco with stratmosphere yesterday in regards to the OC.T chip. And from what he told me, adding exhaust to OC.T is Stage III, however maybe I was misinformed. My local Audi dealer actually suggested OC.T to me, since they are a Stratmosphere dealer. In regards to the chip, at this point, with my job and where I am living, I have no need for it. I enjoy the smooth ride, and that chip just wasn't doing it for me.

What I would like to do is get to a dealer that sells GIAC and go for a ride with someone that has it. Do the same for O.CT and see which I like better. Braman Audi in West Palm is an O.CT dealer. My parents live down there and visit them from time to time, so it is something that could be done on a weekend.

For now though, I'm just going to enjoy my exhaust and suspension upgrades and will be adding a chip (most likely) again in the spring.

Thanks for the info!

[ChriS4]

Cheapest performance upgrade: weight reduction.

[Sanjman]

Cheapest performance upgrade: weight reduction.

speaking of... i need to lose some weight after this crazy thanksgiving weekend.

[supamannn99]

Alright thanks guys for all your inputs. I'm going to pick up a K&N filter right now and i'm probably going to get a Carbonio CAI and RS4 sway bar next week ..

[TWiST]

the carbonio is useless, more like a HOT air intake. and why would u get a K&N if ur going to get a CAI ? My audi tech advised against the K&N sighting the MAF oil buildup situation from before. Just my 2 cents from my local audi technician.

[AudiWxGuy]

I'm going to go with the EvoMS CAI. A little cheaper and the dyno results where encouraging.

[704b7]

No intake has yet to produce proven gains on a chipped a4 2.0t. While the carbonio may increase airflow especially at higher revs, it also raises air intake temp. and does not increase power. Same with the evoms intake, it just raises the intak temp.


the carbonio is useless, more like a HOT air intake. and why would u get a K&N if ur going to get a CAI ? My audi tech advised against the K&N sighting the MAF oil buildup situation from before. Just my 2 cents from my local audi technician.

Yes, the K&N and Carbonio are mutualy exclusive, it makes no sense to do both.

When using the K&N, to avoid oil build up on the MAF sensor simply clean the excess oil off the filter before installing it. It also can't hurt to clean the filter periodically.

[704b7]

I'm going to go with the EvoMS CAI. A little cheaper and the dyno results where encouraging.

What dyno results did you see?

[kevin2.0]

testpipe? very noticeable gain, but alot to give up for that power, it smells like shit

I've read alot about this but haven't really come to a conclusion. People have said that if you already have software, or software and exhaust, (I'm not sure which) the test pipe makes only a marginal difference. Is there any truth to this?

[Sanjman]

Overall,

DO NOT get blind sighted by aftermarket "performance" results claimed by the manufacturer. Cool air intakes can really help improve airflow in a lot of cars... but not by much on our cars. Some cars have factored in ideal systems for this matter and some have not.

IF YOU REALLY WANT TO do add true performance mods I would first look at CHIPPING + FUEL PUMP.

I am not fully sure about this but, if there were some speculation in other threads that if you buy APR's fuel pump, you may be able to get their software included in the price.

Personally I would not consider either CAIs as a "cheap performance upgrade".

[supamannn99]

hmm. i think a K&N filter is the cheapest :D

people say it "improves throttle response" . so i'm gonna go with that for now since its only 40 bucks.

as for the testpipe, yes it is benificial for our cars. if we remove the catalytic converter, there is less restriction of exhaust flow out the back. you will feel the difference if you get a test pipe. my friend has one to prove it. he doesnt even need dyno results to notice the difference.

[Silververtu]

supamannn99, don't feel bad with the 6 speed tiptronic, it's still a fun car to drive!!!

[supamannn99]

haha but my friends all have manual transmission and i'm always drooling all over theirs because my auto is more boring to drive :P. but then again its an audi so its all good

[4-tified]

I think the only "roughness" is when you suddenly mash on the pas pedal, then .5 seconds later the car jerks forward when it spikes. But it's a turbo, it's not naturally aspirated or supercharged making constant power.

In my 2.0T, with stock, take off from a stop is smooth. You give a bit of throttle and let the clutch out smoothy, and the take off goes nice and smooth.
With APR 93, taking off smoothly is much more difficult and the result is a slight buck or stall when taking off from a stop.

When I first had the 93, take off from a stop felt easier and stronger.
However, over time with less aggressive driving, taking off smoothly is much more difficult. Also, even hard high rpm takeoffs sometimes result in a slight "bog" that isn't as prevalent with the stock program.

The overall power is much better and mid rpm torque feels very nice.
I've had the 93 software installed twice and it's still there.
I don't want to call it "rough", but "drive-ability" seems to suffer.
And, in bad traffic where it's 1st most of the time, forget it. It just plain SUCKS. Stock is MUCH better while in 1st gear type traffice.
APR needs to address this IMO.