I'll be Superchipping my 110 TDi A4 very soon and will post my thoughts here.
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If you do chip i would use one of the other recommended companies.
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Why?
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E-mail me. Address in my profile.
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Thanks for the responses to date, everyone. Interesting links, especially Matt's one - it contains what seems to be a pretty comprehensive analysis of the different methods people use to get more power from their engines. According to the author on that site, installing bigger injectors seems to be the best way to achieve this (for a diesel, anyway), followed by chipping, then the tuning box - anything else is too expensive, complicated or risky.
Quote from the site:
"The European 110hp model has what are known as 0.205mm injectors, and the European "Multivan" 150hp 5-cylinder TDI has what are known as 0.216mm injectors. All of these injectors are dimensionally interchangeable, so it is possible to install injectors one or even two sizes larger in place of the original ones. This will increase fuel delivery without the engine ECU knowing a thing about it, and it will do it without pushing the limits of the injector pump, nor will it extend the duration of the injection period - and not extending the duration is better for smoke, power, exhaust temperature, and efficiency."
Discuss!
For myself,in terms of cost, I don't know whether having bigger injectors fitted would be a lot more expensive than chipping (I would certainly have to pay someone to do this, as I lack the necessary know-how). I'm looking at modifying a 4-year-old Passat with a view to keeping it for another couple of years, so as a percentage of the value of the car I wouldn't really want to spend more than £500 - much more than that and it wouldn't be cost-effective enough in comparison to trading up to a newer model, if increased insurance premiums are also a factor.
andymc
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What about fitting a better intercooler? Or even a different type. That need not be all that expensive.
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Andy - changing injectors on older indirect injection engines is as easy as changing a spark plug. Just remember to ensure the old crinkle washer is removed and to use a new one.
I dunno about newer engine types, they haven't filtered down to me yet.
Off the top of my head, injectors for the newer VW engines start at around 80 quid. (Old-type ones can be had for half that.)
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Would agree also Super chips are over priced, thereare other good companies around - should't cost you more than £400.00 incl fitting.
K2
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Surely fitting 'bigger' injectors would require the fitment of a fuel pump capable of providing more fuel? I fear loads of black smoke with this modification!
I would go down the route of ECU chipping, it seems the way to go these days..
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My Passat isn't an IDI though, it's a 1999 TDi - precursor to the PD engines. £80 per injector doesn't sound too bad, and with labour probably wouldn't be significantly different from the cost of chipping.
Again according to the site mentioned above, the difference between the TDi 90 and the TDi 110 is the size of the injectors, although I haven't yet found out if there's a difference in the intercooler. I would have thought that bigger injectors would lead to higher fuel consumption, but as far as I remember, the official mpg figures for the 90 and the 110 were identical.
Another quote:
"Larger injectors are unique among the major power adders in that they inject a larger amount of fuel within the same amount of crankshaft rotation, and thus, for a given power delivery, they keep smoke and exhaust temperature to the minimum while also avoiding the increase in peak cylinder pressure caused by over-advanced start-of-injection timing. Given that the 110hp VW TDI engine is almost identical to the 90hp except for larger injectors, and that the 190hp "race TDI" developed by VW Motorsport uses even larger injectors but roughly the same injection timing and duration as stock, this method would appear to be the one favored by the engineers who develop the VW TDI."
I'll probably have a word with my local Seat dealer when the other car is serviced next week - he's a helpful chap & might be able to provide some information "from the horse's mouth", seeing they share the same engines. Anything else I find out I'll post here, not just for my own information but for everyone else too.
Likewise, at the risk of repeating myself, anybody's actual experience (positive or negative) of having done this sort of thing is very welcome!
andymc
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yeah, where's sean when we need him???
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