AUDI-O-PHILE

I have a 2.8 30v w/tip in need of some low end grunt. Which mods would you all recommend - short of a $ 5k supercharger.

Scott

First thing i would do is chip it. i heard that the Wett chip gives about 20hp and torque. Go for an exhast and filter. All this should run $1500 or so. You should be around 220 hp or so. You can probably sqeeze out another 10 with, headers, throttle body. that should be about the most you can get out of it being budget minded. I say, save up for some time and get the SC.<p>Scott

KLHI

1) K&N Air Filter. This is must. It will cost you less in the long run than a papaer filter becuase it is re-usuable. A cone filter (As opposed to a panel filter) won't get you mcuh more HP, will cost more, and will require some serious duct work to make sure you don't damage your engine with hot air). This is probably the best bang for the buck, but it won't make a big difference in low-end torque.<p>2) A Chip, of pretty much any brand, will solve your problem. They vary a lot in price. I can give you list of brands if you wan't. E-mail me.<p>Beyond that, most mods short of the PES SC won't get you very much juice. If you decide you wan't an SC, I would skip the chip. The PES SC comes with one so it won't be worth your while to buy 2 chips.<p>Just my 2 cents.

MichaelB

The Wett chip doesn't get 20hp. I dyno'd mine and the peak power went from 195.5 (stock reading) up to about 202 if I remember correctly. There was a nice increase in torque and hp throughout the rev range which made it worthwhile though. <p>There is a distinction to be made between power increase and peak power. The difference in peak power wasn't affected all that much. However, throughout the rev range, there were spots where the chip did provide nice increases (nowhere near 20hp however).<p>Get a chip, get a cat-back. This will bring you to about 210 hp, but will change the feel of the car to one that is more responsive as well as a bit quicker. Add a K&N filter, but don't expect it to make any noticeable difference. At best, the filter may give you a 1 or 2 hp gain, which wouldn't be noticeable. The chip and exhaust together will probably give you what you are seeking. The PES kit will make a more dramatic change.<p>Mike