newbee here
Is 20K miles too late to chip a 98.5 1.8TQ?

 

certainly not!

 

faaaar too late, thanks for checking though-(no chip content)

 

nt

 

Did you run into many problems with it? I mean I hear all sorts of differeing opinions about this. Some say it will ruin the engine, others say its no problem. I always kind of figured that the engineers who disign a car, do things for very specific reasons and when people start messing aroung with them, things start to go wrong.

 

This is a real "hot-button" topic here on A4.org. I follow the "Audi de-tuned the 1.8T engine so as not to steal sales from the 2.8 engine" camp. There is literally TONS of info in the archives...I suggest searching on "chips & salsa" for some in-depth discussion of chip-tuning on the 1.8T engine. IMHO, a simple chip upgrade does not add much stress to the 1.8T engine. In fact, folks that have chips and later installed boost gauges notice that most of the time the engine is off-boost and it's really only when you put your foot to the floor that you're developing full boost. Most of the chips out there develop either .8 or 1.0 bar of boost pressure, and the KKK K-03 is capable of running at a full bar of boost, so don't believe people who say you're over-spinning the turbo with a 1.0 bar chip.

Personally, I did experience a wastegate rod failure on the turbo unit, but this was a problem with the early 1.8T engines and there are numerous reports of the same failure on non-chipped cars, so I probably shouldn't even be mentioning it.

<A HREF="Mailto:andy_hedin@hotmail.com">Andy Hedin</A>
'97 A4 1.8Tqms, Wett 1.0 Bar, ABT Filter, Euro Headlights, APR/Borla Exhaust (coming soon!)...

 

Joe, I posted this earlier in the week but in case you didn't see it - it's relevant to your situation. Also, although it is logical to assume that more HP/Torque will put greater strain on the engine, there have been few, if any, reports of chips causing premature engine failure.

My advice... get chipped and REALLY enjoy your A4!

Chris

_______________________________________
First, the disclaimer - I am not affiliated with AutoThority and do not/will not benefit at all from the success of their products.

The reason I'm posting this now is b/c I have been extremely satisfied with my AutoThority chip and wanted to share my positive experience since reading personal 'field reports' on this forum
was a huge factor in my decision making process.

I installed the chip about two months ago with about 18,000 miles on the odo and now have about 23,500 miles. I have a 98.5 1.8TQS Tip and installed a RamAir filter with the chip. I also
run Mobil 1 (20w-50 in the summer 10w-30 in the winter). I use either Amoco Premium (93 octane) and occassionally Sunoco Ultra (94 octane).

Now for the glowing review.... The car plus the chip is awesome. It's pretty much stock under
2200 rpm and then the turbo really pulls the car up into the redline. The only way to describe
the difference from stock is to imagine accelerating your stock 1.8T down a hill with 20 degree decline - that is what a chipped car feels like all the time. Yes, the turbo lag is more pronounced but I'll take that downside for the extra power. My inexact 0-60 times are around 7.5 seconds from about 9.5 seconds stock. The real pleasure however is downshifting from 5th to for 4th and sprinting from 50 to 80mph - I've left several drivers of lesser cars scratching their heads!

Good news and bad news on gas mileage. First the good news - on recent long hauls I squeezed 31 mpg averaging 75mph, about 10% higher than stock. The bad news - I average about 21mpg in everyday driving, down about 10% from stock (most likely due to lead-foot syndrome with my newfound power).

I have had absolutely NO pinging , stalling, check engine lights, etc.

The only negative experience that I can report was one night I was first in line at a stoplight leading up an entrance ramp to a major highway. I was all psyched to execute a spirited run up
to 80mph as the ramp was more than 1/4 mile long and clear of all traffic. Well, about 1/3 up the
ramp with my tach at about 6400 and the speedo reading about 45mph, I was stunned to see this red 'blur' pass me on the shoulder doing about 90mph - I could barely make out the markings on the tail... V-I-P-E-R. Oh well, even the AutoThority chip has it's limitations!

I am very hopeful that Chris C. et al can pull together the chip shoot-out as I would love to see
some objective statistical data on these chips.

For those sitting on the fence... Just do it!

Chris

 

I took delivery of my '97 1.8TQMS on September 11, 1997 (9/11, easy to remember), and added the Hoppen chip on October 31, 1997. In nearly 2 years I have driven 37,000 miles, and have had no chip-related problems. The list of problems thus far:

1. chimes inoperative- replaced instrument cluster
2. A/C compressor- replaced
3. oil leak around valve cover- repaired
4. horn inoperative- replaced

This list does not include the damage from an accident in February of this year, when car was hit from the back. Nor does it include the needed repainting of the hood due to some unknown substance dripping/being sprayed onto hood.

All in all, I am very happy with my A4 and with the decision to "chip" it. Quattro is a terrific feature (especially in the rain), and this car continues to make me smile.

 

Thanks to all who took the time to read my post. I appreciate the info and will start looking around for chips. Tschuss