I hear a lot about the different chips out there, APR, GIAC, etc. I know they all have there advantages and what not, but what about getting your ECU/engine custom tuned? I heard that a chip is just blanket software and that custom tuning is the way to go if you plan on making other performance mods to your engine. Is this true? Does anyone have any recommendations for companies that provide this service?

 

My recomendation? Search the f*cking articles.

 

ha^

ya go speedtuning if you are looking to save money and still get a great chip!

 

well chips like you said are pretty stiff, if you want a new program on there it would have to be done by the company (ship it to them or what ever they ask for)

tuning, is A LOT more expensive if you can't do it yourself. you will first require a tuning platform weather it be the 034 system or which ever EMS you chose. then you have to find someone that does know how to tune, and pay them for like 5 hours of work. I don't think the 034 stuff will cause this, but any other standalone will lose function of your CEL, and make it a lot more difficult to pass emissions because they also need to plug into your OBD2 which won't respond with anything. You have to be pretty set on going the distance if you want a full tune, otherwise there are chip companies that have sage 3 programs to handle the highly modded cars, you'll have to search around for exactly what those are and which you like

 

if you want to pay $1000 for dyno time to have yours dialed in then go for it. or you can buy a $300 chip that already has what you want. its up to you.

and im pretty sure any stand alone will make it almost impossible to pass most emissions tests. even 034's, they replace the factory computer which is what the emissions places hook into. they cant test something if its not there.

 

Thanks a lot guys that definitely answered my question, and i will look into that. As for euro 2nr, I always search before starting any thread. I didn't find anything that answered my question. How about doing something constructive for the Audi community, instead of leaving smartass posts.

 

in his defense, there are stickys explaining the differences between the different chips, and i just did a quick search and found the answer to this question. and you arent even close to the first person to ask this question, although i havnt seen a thread like this in a month or two. now you have your info and hopefuly the next person to ask this question finds this thread

keywords:
chip tuning vs custom dyno tune

 

Well, you do have a fairly stock engine and you want to skip software programmed by known tuners and think you can have custom tuned software for you, THEN build your engine and upgrading your FI. Yah sounds like you didnt search or know what you're talking bout pal

BUT if you want better suggestions.... depending on the power goals you have, properly build your engine, get the right BT for you, then get a correct tune from Uni, CTapp etc. They have 550, 630, 850cc etc. files for whatever sort of power you want. These are available as plug n play. Then you can data log and further tweak your tune. Thats for a BT, 30+ series usually. But if you just want a tune for your K03 get that Speedtuning one for real cheap or any of the other tuners you listed. A "custom" K03 tune would be worthless.

 

Well, none of the keywords I used gave me the answers I wanted, that's why I started this thread.

Thanks for the info, those were definitely the answers I was looking for.

 

Problem is, there really isnt anyone out there that can actually tune the ecu besides the big chip companies, and even some of them suck at it. This isnt DSM/Evo world where there is sw to unlock the ecu and have custom maps installed. Its either a chip, or full standalone. For a stock turbo car, a chip will get you just as far as a full tune would and for far cheaper. As for going with a bigger turbo, most chips now are just as good as a custome tune and less cost than just the standalones hardware with no tune. Only time a full standalone should be used is with a high hp setup and with every part changed (manifolds, cams, head work, etc).