Totally right, no doubt about it!

Hmmm, this is interesting. I guess Audi's are different, but the EVOs (and other turbo cars) respond very well to reflashes, piggyback computers and "chips", particularly because they allow you to run higher boost levels.

True, turbines are limited by their design. Generally they cannot make any more boost than a certain level, however that does not necessarily translate into lower life or engine damage. The life of the blower is mostly affected by heat and lubrication. The engine failure can result from excessive pressure (too much boost) and more frequently by detonation or knock. The latter is due to insufficient octane fuel or too lean mixture or too advanced timing for a given amount of boost.

 

umm a electronic boost controller is about 500 bucks.ok yes more boost means less life but its not like ur cuting 5 years off ur moter and second more u dont have to boost 16 and 17 psi all day long u can set it when needed.and it is more likey to blow if u put a manuel boost controller cause the ecu dose not want more boost.when u put a manual boost controller its like ur raping the ecu u will get what u want but it wont be as good.now with a electronic boost controller u go thru the ecu and it will do it willing u wont have to rape it.and as long as u keep it like 2 or 3 psi lower then ur fuel cut off u aint going to see no moter blowing up.i had a wrx and i had an apexi boost controller and i was boosting 17 psi and my fuel cut off was 18 and i drove that car for 2 years with that boost and there were no problems

 

This quote is from your Need Specs on A3 2.0T thread:

"hey im 16 geting a new a3 2.0t.and just wanted some specs on it like. power to weight ratio.and how much the turbo boost from stock.and any info will help thanks"

So you've been driving a WRX since you were 14?

The problem with a boost controller is, when boost is dialled up, does the car know to add more fuel to maintain the air/fuel ratio? On a "chipped" Audi, fuel level, timing, and many other maps are remapped to match the increased boost levels. A piggy back boost controller, e.g., the APEXi unit, will not control these factors with the level of precision that a reflash offers. I am not sure that the APEXi unit can even control the fuel delivery aspects of the A3. Keep in mind that the 2.0T is a FSI engine. So essentially you are relying to the stock ECU to compensate for the increased boost within its own maps.

THe A3 2.0T also responds very well to reflashes. A "reflash" is also $500 ~ $600, and is definitely the better option, both from a performance as well as a reliability viewpoint, although it does not offer a "the fast and the furious" cool factor.

 

Yuppie is correct. The fueling on the FSI engine is very precise and much different than any other car on the road.

Also, my point was that these little turbos have a breaking limit. What, how long, and how much hasn't been real world tested in our cars because they are very new. If your turbo fails, it may very likely take the rest of the engine with it. That was the additional caution I was throwing out there. It's one thing to boost enough pressure that the turbo itself goes, but quite another when it takes the rest of the engine with it.

Maybe someone will want to take a leap for the rest and do a long-term boost test? I'm just not willing to risk my nice ride for 5hp more.

Cheers!

 

First of all please don't think I'm being an a$$, but could you please use standard English and a little better grammar? I want to read what you say, but it's painfully hard.... As for the EBC vs MBC comments, my experience and that of many experts is that the MBC is effective, safe and much cheaper than any EBC. There are plenty of articles written in the trade magazines about this topic. Sport Compact Car did a great article on that subject comparing a lot of high end EBCs (including the Apex-I) and they were all found more complicated, cumbersome and less precise than a ball & spring MBC. I owned a WRX as well and had the UNICHIP (POS) in it along with a MBC. The beauty of the MBC is that you set it and forget it. The main advantage of it is that it will hold whatever boost you set it to without the usual boost taper that the manufacturers build into the car for safety. Of course, if you put one of those in there and you don't compensate the fuel maps and/or the timing maps, you are very likely to granade your motor.

You are right. The Audi is different from other cars because of the direct injection. I don't know if something like the SAFC-2 or similar piggyback can successfully manage the fuel for added/modified boost curves. As for your fear of the engine going when the turbo fails, I think you worry for nothing. The blower is in the exhaust side and unless the impeller blades break (highly unlikely) and manage to go through the intercooler, throttle body, and intake valves into the cylinders, nothing is likely to happen to the engine. The biggest thing you'll notice is that the power goes waaay down. Also you have a fairly expensive repair bill in the horizon. Perhaps a good opportunity to consider a blower upgrade?

 

How can that be? AFAIK, only turbocharged engines can gain very much power from aggressive tuning. N/A engines can maybe get a little more timing here and there or maybe a bit more fuel....All I know is that you can change the fuel cut rpms and the top speed. Things like that wont yield much more power. Of course, I'm no expert on Audi's so I welcome any comments that will contribute to my edification.

 

Eh... the T in 2.0T stands for turbo. APR cites +49HP and +75ft-lbs, so even if you take those numbers with a grain of salt, those are still tremendous gains, considering that it's from a stock K03 turbo.

 

Sorry, my bad. you wrote "A3 2T", I read in your post "A3 3.2..." I really need to take more time reading or change the resolution of my screen. It's hell getting old

 

No problem... old guy with an Evo MR, I am digging it! When my eyes / contacts are dry after a long day, I read a lot worse, and I am not even that old, as most members who have attended the GTG's can attest to.

 

Well, I always loved cars but I was not able to indulge in really fast/modified cars until my late 50's. Of course, now I'm getting too old to really drive fast. The damn reflexes are going fast [sm=gears.gif]. By now I've been through 3 forced induction Miatas, a supercharged GSR, modded WRX, a 24 valve Mercedes, 300 Z and I'm in my second EVO... Now I'm thinking A3 2.0T......