Just got MY car chippe with APR

[jafzali]

It's been about 4hrs since I had the chip. I got the 91 and stock ecu chip from APR. The gas still in my tank is regular gas( I know I'm putting premium from now on) so I didn't get to feel the full performance of the 91 ecu chip. But just with regular gas I already notice a difference. The chip seems to get rid of the lag and picks up a lot faster. The car is no S4 but I'd say it is a big difference and defiantly the best bang for the buck. Once my tank is done and I put 91 in it and drive it, I'll write a follow-up.

I'm also thinking for near future to add an apr exhaust, and apr intake system then for free I can upgrade to stage 2 APR.

[nramsey]

Why would you have less than 91 octane anyway? I'm 99% sure our cars require premium. I'd never put less than premium in a turbo'ed car...

[jafzali]

Note* I said I know I'm putting premium from now on because I know everyone gonna give me crap for it. Premium here in Orange County is over $2.55 lol that's why I didn't do it.

[jbrown7815]

You're supposed to run it stock too. YOu have an audi, but cant afford premium gas?

[osag52]

APR FTW

[jafzali]

hey OSAG-does the catback sound good? and cabono intake you notice a difference?

[ElCapitan464]

dude still put prem in regardless, i live in OC too still put it in

[kitae80325]

91 is the minimum for our car...even with stock...WTH wrong wit u

[osag52]

hey OSAG-does the catback sound good? and cabono intake you notice a difference?

sounds nice and classy...the carbonio does make a bit of a difference. i am now going for the test pipe and a bov. a must get dude[drive]

[wayneB7]

You're supposed to run it stock too. YOu have an audi, but cant afford premium gas?

Hehehe ... good point. And on a board about modding?? Doesn't compute. [:)]

Seriously to the OP -- if premium gas is a problem, get a different car that does not require premium. These cars won't break down if you use regular, but will perform better and give better mileage using premium. So while you might be saving a few cents filling up with regular, you are also losing money on the mileage.

With regard to the APR91 program, I opted for the 93 since the premium around here is 93. But even if it were not, using 91 with a 93 program was not a problem (just won't make as much power) but at least you would have the flexibility of having a 93 program should you happen to come across 93 gas somewhere. The same cannot be said about having a 100 program and using gas that is less than 100. The APR manual strongly warns against this but has no such warning about 91 gas with a 93 program.

Moral of story -- you might want to consider getting the 93 program in place of the 91, possibly under the "30-day Money Back Guarantee.

Good luck either way.

[jayphil82]

I doubt he will purchase 93 for is car since he did not want to put 91 because of the price when he was stock ;)

Please stick with at least 91 octane whenever your running stock program or 91... Anyway like other said you gas/milage should be better and in long run it is better for you engine!

[Kschroers1]

I am completly surprised that you purchased an Audi that require premium fuel, but you didn't want to buy it because it was $2.55? You make no sense. Just under a year ago we were paying almost $5 for premium. Im stunned because it costs us now maybe $35 to fill our tanks these days? Not long ago it was costing me almost $75 to fill my tank. And if you search the boards, a little heads up, the carbino intake is pretty much worthless and minimum gains, if any at all. Wouldn't want you to waste $200 that could go toward your gas budget.

[pw211]

thats no way to treat an audi!

[scoobycarolan]

The ECU actually adjusts for the octane of fuel in the original program. Read your manual.

APR offers the 2 different tunes, optimized for that octane. You can't necessarily get 93 everywhere. Luckily I can!

Jaf, burn your whole tank of crap. Fill it with love and then switch to stock and back to 91. that'll reset the throttle body and then enjoy!

[rnp614]

Wow, who puts regular in a premium fuel car?! Might as well dump in diesel! ;)

[smcgann]

Hehehe ... good point. And on a board about modding?? Doesn't compute. [:)]

Seriously to the OP -- if premium gas is a problem, get a different car that does not require premium. These cars won't break down if you use regular, but will perform better and give better mileage using premium. So while you might be saving a few cents filling up with regular, you are also losing money on the mileage.
.

Wont break down?

Minimum octane rating is to prevent detonation. High compression and forced inducted engines require higher octane fuel to prevent detonation. Detonation can and will over time destroy your motor. Never never ever put in less than the recommended octane rated fuel. [headbang]

[chaze]

C'mon guys quit flaming!! The REAL solution is that APR should develop an 87 Octane program for the frugal enthusiast. Duh.

[smcgann]

lol I can see the ad now:

"For $400 you can now run 87 octane fuel in your car and you only have to give up 50hp."

[jafzali]

Alright Alright, From now on.... 91 and only, I'll kill someone before I put 87 in my car again.... I'll waste my oil currently in my car(since America has so much oil lol) Then I'll fill it up with this 91 reset my crap back to stock then 91 and floor it every light...

[adub]

Alright Alright, From now on.... 91 and only, I'll kill someone before I put 87 in my car again.... I'll waste my oil currently in my car(since America has so much oil lol) Then I'll fill it up with this 91 reset my crap back to stock then 91 and floor it every light...

you have been trained well young grasshopppa. 87 bad... 91...good. 100..best[evilsmile]

[Undisputed]

ROTFL. I wouldn't have even mentioned that I put 87 in my car. Sorry your high got killed. lol.
The software makes a big difference though. Get some supporting mods and you'll be in heaven all over again. I can't express enough how much of a difference that an FMIC makes. Get the FMIC, tp, dv, etc.

[TheHeggi]

The ECU will adapt to the 87 but 91 is definitely more beneficial in every way possible. A tank of 91 costs on the avg $2-3 more a tank than 87 man, c'mon...[:|]

[TX-A4]

Wont break down?

Minimum octane rating is to prevent detonation. High compression and forced inducted engines require higher octane fuel to prevent detonation. Detonation can and will over time destroy your motor. Never never ever put in less than the recommended octane rated fuel. [headbang]

Quoted for truth!! [up]

[wayneB7]

Wont break down?

Minimum octane rating is to prevent detonation. High compression and forced inducted engines require higher octane fuel to prevent detonation. Detonation can and will over time destroy your motor. Never never ever put in less than the recommended octane rated fuel. [headbang]

Don't bang your head too hard. [;)]

I believe you forgot "premature" in front of the word "detonation" above. All our IC engines undergo "detonation" -- that's how they work. the spark detonates the air-fuel mixture.

See scoobycarolan's message above re: ECU adjustment, and although he did not mention it, the ECU does this with the help of the knock sensor.

Does this mean that we should all switch to regular gas? No, and I never did say so. Read this --

"GAS
As a general rule, put in precisely the octane level that the manufacturer recommends—and nothing more. Some cars, particularly those with turbocharged engines or older models that are prone to knocking (higher-octane gases reduce premature detonation, which causes engine knock), require the higher octane levels found in premium gas. But most can be very safely run on medium-grade or even regular gas, saving those precious dimes at the pump. Increasing the octane level if the engine doesn’t require it has little advantage—in most cases it won’t make your engines any cleaner and it won’t increase your horsepower." ["Decision-making doesn't end when you drive off the lot (http://www.popsci.com/cars/article/2005-07/decision-making-doesnt-end-when-you-drive-lot)", Popular Science Magazine, 07.06.2005]

Bottom line -- if the OP put some regular gas in his car, whoop-de-do. Let him be duly advised of this oversight and hopefully he will start using the correct (i.e. recommended) octane gas. [:d]

BTW -- I put in a couple of tankfuls of regular gas by mistake (force of habit as my other 2 vehicles drink regular happily) and the car took it in stride with no discernible change in power, smoothness, knocking, or whatever else.

[AudiWxGuy]

You guys realize that in most places the differece in our cars between 87 and 91 or 91 and 93 is less than 2 bucks with gas where it right now.

[JRMSLINEA4]

C'mon guys quit flaming!! The REAL solution is that APR should develop an 87 Octane program for the frugal enthusiast. Duh.
The real solution is if you are going to run 87 octane in your car buy one without a turbo.

[AlexK]

I believe you forgot "premature" in front of the word "detonation" above. All our IC engines undergo "detonation" -- that's how they work. the spark detonates the air-fuel mixture.

Not true. Detonation, by definition, is when your fuel/air mixture autoignites, not from the spark like it is meant to. That is not how gasoline engines work. Combustion and detonation are different things.

I do agree with the rest of your post though [up].

[AlexK]

Wont break down?

Minimum octane rating is to prevent detonation. High compression and forced inducted engines require higher octane fuel to prevent detonation. Detonation can and will over time destroy your motor. Never never ever put in less than the recommended octane rated fuel. [headbang]

I think what he was getting at is our cars have a very advanced system to prevent detonation (retard timing, etc.) so a few tankfuls will not do any harm.

[RVT]

Not true. Detonation, by definition, is when your fuel/air mixture autoignites, not from the spark like it is meant to. That is not how gasoline engines work. Combustion and detonation are different things.

I do agree with the rest of your post though [up].

+1

As a side note (more an attempt to be informative to some of the younger owners, and not an endorsement for using lesser octane than recommended by the manufacturer)

It has been quite difficult to get a modern designed car to detonate since, oh, maybe the mid to late 1980s. This came from relieving the distributor of the responsibility of controlling spark advance and retard of the ignition timing (via Centrifugal force weights). Now in the hands of a modern ECU, when a knock/ping sensor detects problem, the ECU will begin to retard the timing for compensation. It will continue to retard to the point where the sensors are no longer triggering, or it reaches the limits of its control range. It is quite feasible to operate a car like this, provided you do not place performance demands on the motor (ie getting on the boost).
There are several things you loose with the timing retarded, performance being just one of them, and the safety net that when you get on the boost, your ECU may already be at or near full retard, and will not be able to compensate further. Your ECU will attempt to hunt out the best timing for the situation it is given. (I would assume that if an ECU bottomed out its timing limits, and still detected pinging, it would trigger a CEL)

If you were a savvy driver, driving flat and level interstate with grandma in the passenger seat, you could feasibility get nearly identical fuel mileage from 87 octane as you would from 91, and not be damaging your modern motor. It is just walking a finer line between pinching pennies, and what is unhealthy for you engine.

Again, this is not an lesser octane endorsement, nor is it an assessment of the Audi ECU of which I have little knowledge. This is simply the general capabilities of nearly any modern ECU I have studied so far.

I personally think that even if you were able to squeak out a minor cost savings in using 87 octane, loosing the "power on demand" that may be needed to avoid an incident makes you far less safe on our streets.

just another humble opinion, of course

Keep it shiny side up!
Vince

[wayneB7]

Good post. Exactly what I was getting at. Thanks for expanding on the subject better than I did.

[GEkido]

I think everyone here just rained on the OP's parade...lol

[SilverBullets]

I put 89 in my A4... my mom puts 89 and 87 (yes I know 87) in her 5 series.. none of the cars have ever 'knocked'... in fact studies show cars are very unlikely to knock anymore because the new technology in the ECUs... back in the day (10-15 years ago) the differnece between 91 and 89 was drastic because 91 was "cleaner" than 89.... now most large fuel providers put detergents into all of their octanes ensuring you engine isn't going to get 'dirty' depending on what octane you use... using 91 has become for preformance only... the difference between 89 and 91 is very slim... 89 to 93 is obviously a little bit more a differnece than 89 t0 93... sure its only like 10 to 20 cents less per gallon, but do the math over a year... it adds up... and yes I can afford 91 and 93 octane but why?? I normally run my car at 89 and sometimes (maybe once a month) will fill up with 93... in normal daily driving I don't feel a thing... on the track, thats another story... most automakers have now stated 91 or 90 as a recommended octane to use but also in the fine print have 87 is minimum.... besides.. gas pumps hold anywhere from 1-3 gallons of what the person before you filled up with.. you if you pull up to a pump where someone got 87 and your filling up with 93... geuss what, 1-3 of your 14 gallons you're buying is going to be 87...

[festerfm]

from day 1, all she's had is 93... sure, it sucked when it was $4.29/gallon... but like was stated before, its' usually only $.20 dif per gallon. say u'r almost empty and throw in 15 gallons or so, it's only $3..

[Koby]

Just think, at a $2/ tank savings for 87 vs 91, a free APR chip is just 90,000 short miles away...

[SilverBullets]

did anyone say they put 87 in? because that is bad... im just making a point for 89