neezer

Was wondering where to find the best engine and/or transmission chips for the 97-99 A8s. Which website? I know most people like to change the exhaust, but ah...even though I read the MTM stainless is very good and sounds great, I am kinda sick of the loudness of my previous cars with modded exhausts (they were all turbo or supercharged by the way). So I think I wanna stick with engine and/or tranny chips.

I read that the tranny chips vastly cut down on the time the thing shifts, but is that safe for the components? Premature wear? As for the 4.2 engine, I know that thing is definitely over-engineered as are most German engines. So a nice chip mod would mean zero reliability problems, unless someone can tell me otherwise.

Thanks.

RCBENZ2

See the posts by PaulW down a few about recoding the tranny!

skiracer

that first, there are NO aftermarket chips available for the '97 01L transmission. There are chips available for the >'98 model years with tiptronic, but I'm not sure how effective they are. The best bet for a '97 is the 00012 recoding found by PaulW (mentioned by HeyA8 above) and the 00333 recoding for the tiptronic boxes. I've done it to my '97, and it does help considerably. As for a chip for the 4.2 engine, there are a few out there but the reports from people that made the change were that the difference was barely noticable and certainly not worth the $500. Since the 4.2 is normally asperated, the gains that can be made by chipping are minimal (unlike a turbo engine where the chippers can mess with the boost). If you want to improve your already astounding A8, the best bets are brakes, suspension, and wheels/tires. The stock brakes are just adequate, and many have had problems with front rotor warping. As for the suspension, an upgrade to the S8 suspension or coilovers will greatly improve handling without significant impact to the ride quality. As for wheels/tires, I would go with at least an 18" wheel with ultra-high performance tires (for summer, anyway). The A8 has an astoundignly stiff body, and with the right suspension, wheels, and tires it can keep up with some very fast sports cars (just ask Ryoung!). As for your question:
1.) FREE- Re-code tranny to 00012 with VAG-com tool (free $$ if you have the tool or a friend with one)
2.) $$$ Tires- the stock Goodyears that they put on the A8 in the US are AWFUL. Search this forum for tires and see what everyone likes. Pirelli, Dunlop, Yokahama, Bridgestone.
3) $$ Brake rotors and pads. Unless you want to spend big $$, the best upgrade is to go with good aftermarket rotors and pads. Again, search the forum.
4) $$$ - $$$$$$ Wheels- if you have the stock 16" or 17" wheels, I would recommend something in the 18"-20" size, brand and style are very personal choices. Just don't get a lightweight wheel- the A8 is heavy and will destroy cheap and/or lightweight wheels.
5) $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ Buy an S8 - it's the only way I know to significantly increase the horsepower of the 4.2 engine (not to mention the suspension upgrades etc.).

neezer

Ok definitely not doing #5. ;-)

#4, I think I like the stock 17 inch wheels, and they are forged anyway which is good.

#3 (brakes), I'll seriously consider it. The brakes feel quite capable on my car, but I think I know what y'all mean.

#2 most definitely will do. Tires DO suck. =)

#1 How much VAG-com tool cost? Better yet, anyone reading this that has one and lives in MA? =)

wws03

What a difference! I just did mine 2 days ago. Why didn't Audi ship them out coded like this?

PaulW

If so, what was the default code in the computer, 00002 or 00013? And did it accept 00012 or 00033? Make a change?

Funny that I found that code, I found it on alldatadiy.com, if you look at the chart on the Bently, it doesn't have the 00011 or 00012 code.

My alldata was about to expire, so I choose to renew it. It's a heck of a lot easier to find stuff as compared the Bently, I think it was the original Audi tech manual copied and scanned in.

BTW, my car's transmission works SO MUCH BETTER with the code change. Give it a little gas doing 40 MPH and it downshifts one gear, do it while going 35, it downshifts two gears....

So has anybody tried it on a 98 or 99?

pw

neezer

Ok the A8's have been out for a while now (at least the 4 valve/cylinder models). Is there a definitive word out now re: the reliability of chipped A8's? I've seen claims of over 20HP from chips like you'd get from Wetter, Evolution, MTM, etc.

I know that to do best, you should change the muffler, intake plumbing and air filter, but if you just wanted to shell out a few hundred bucks and get 20+ HP gain (plus maybe response gain) is it very reliable? Anyone had problems with dealers finding out about the mods and denying service?