Thought I would add a post on the VF CAI as it seemed only a few have had it installed. First off let me say I am not an engineer or mechanic. That said my understanding of cold air intakes is that they benefit a naturally aspirated engine much the same way an aftermarket exhaust does. That is they help the engine breath more, and as an engine is essentially a pump, getting air in and out more efficiently adds power. I realize it is actually by the same means of increasing power, possible to lose torque depending upon what you do with the exhaust and how that effects backpressure, so I am talking in general terms here.

Now I have seen some threads on this forum where people have discussed the application of a CAI on a turbo setup. It seemed most felt a CAI on a turbo didn't make sense as the "cold air" just ends up getting reprocessed by the turbo. So for this review I am talking about the 3.2 Quattro engine on an 08 DSG A3.
The last piece of context I'll give is I modified a BMW 540 back in 99 through Dinan and went to stage 3 on everything including engine, breaks, suspension, limited slip diff etc. The car was a monster and blew away stock M5s on the track.

Anyway, the reason I bring this up is Dinan claimed the most important engine mod amongst the software, throttle body and other changes, was the Cold Air Intake. I did my mods in steps in each area to see and feel the difference and for sure adding the CAI was very noticeable.

For my A3 it didn't seem there was a lot of choices but that is probably because I am a first timer with Audi and unfamiliar with some of the tuning options. After reading on the forums I went with Revo and the switch for the ECU and Miiltek on the exhaust. These two mods alone made the car perform very differently than the stock setup. Throttle response, acceleration at all speeds and lower end torque were clearly and significantly changed. This is largely subjective of course and with respect to throttle the stock setup is just way too tame for me so even without a power increase this would be an area of improvement through a setting change on the Revo chip. So, after the Revo/Miltek install I went from having a car which I believed was underpowered and not going to be adequate, to having a car that delivers the type of performance I want. Mind you I was coming off a 500 HP modified E55 - granted a totally different performance experience but my point is I am used to a car that can launch/take off from any speed.

So anyway, about 3 weeks ago I pulled the trigger and had Autobahn performance in Saugus, MA (http://www.autobahnperformance.com/) install the VF. They had just put in the same VF on a brand new TT and got great feedback. I can only offer my subjective assessment here as I don’t have a dyno report, but I will say the VF seemed to be the final key to unlocking the potential of the 3.2 engine. It is like the potential was there and the Revo and exhaust got the engine output and throttle response up but the CAI then provided the missing element. After driving for 3 weeks I have noticed the car simply pulls harder and longer. It also sounds better as aftermarket intakes likely usually do compared to stock.

I haven’t taken the car to the track or for a dyno as I said but just wanted to say if you have the 3.2 engine the VF CAI is worth consideration. I don’t know if it would do much without the combination of a chip and exhaust as I think all 3 of these things work together to deliver the performance and one alone will be a compromise.

 

Here's my dyno w/ the similar mods you have. Milltek, Revo, VF CAI.

 

How do you read a Dyno report? For example is this HP at the wheel as it is obviously lower than what the engine creates for HP? That seems like an awfully high loss of HP even off stock of 250.

Based upon what Revo, Miltek and VF says I figured a car with those mods makes easily 285hp+ but realize this is not what gets to the wheels (the revo is supposed to net 10-15%, the exhaust another 5-10 and the intake 5%, although clearly they are not all additive so the 3 together may have some overlap but a 35hp increase is very conservative based upon what each mftg says their product adds) but you have the same setup and the max HP number in this dyno is listed as 186.3hp. Just wondering how realistic this is and what it means. Any help explaining would be appreciated.

 

That is awesome: losing 64hp in the drive train before you get to the ground! That's a depressing factoid. . . Even worse is imagining what the dyno said before the mods! Ah well, the car is quick anywho, and fun to drive.

 

That is 64HP lost off stock. With the mods it is easily a 100HP loss which makes me question the accuracy of the dyno from Autodyne in VA.

KGW - how do you like the Gen 2 Haldex upgrade? I spoke wtih someone about it but don't believe it was you so sorry if I already asked you this.

 

I was coming from a rear-wheel drive background; I had driven front-wheel drive before and was not a fan of torque-steer, so I was really into the quattro. I put the Gen 2 in shortly after getting the car, for "more" quattro, so to speak. . .The car is rock solid on the road, and just powers thru the corners when you give it throttle: I love it!

 

Thanks kgw. I have been thinking about doing the haldex but haven't been able to get a sense of what it adds in terms of performance. Sounds like you are happy with it. When you say more quattro does that mean it changes the ratio of front to back under normal driving conditions? So for example instead of the stock setup which provides power to the front mostly unless losing traction with haldex 2 you get more of an even split?

 

Here is the info on the Gen 2, Cain:

This upgrade increases torque transmission at acceleration providing consistent performance with increased over-steer. The torque-transmission is influenced by how fast you press the accelerator down. The Haldex system can transmit torque before the engine delivers torque. At greater speeds the torque will decrease enabling less over-steer and safer driving properties.

The advantages of this HPP upgrade are it’s ability to predict the onset of torque. This upgrade takes into account the TPS signal more so than the OEM software and therefore can proactively begin applying power to the RWD clutch packs before wheel spin begins. As power is increased, more power lock occurs in the RWD unit until full lock is achieved. To summarize, the new HPP is more aggressive with how it transfers power and does so much more proactively than the OEM system. This is ideal for autocross, road racing, and street driving as well as enhancements to poor weather driving

 

This is very helpful. I found some descriptions for haldex 2 on neuspeed and hpa websites, but nothing as specific as this so thanks kgw. I am getting a quote from the shop that has done my other mods now.