matt

Can anyone tell me if there is much difference in the 0.8 bar vs the 1.0 bar chips in terms of true meaningful performance and if there any deleterious effects of adding either one to the engine longterm..especially the one bar chip. Who has the best chips for sale?<p>Matthew

BDW

<br>There is no best chip, or so I've learned, just chips with slightly different torque and horsepower curves for a slightly different driving experience.<p>The .8 bar chips generally seem to have about 11 pounds of peak boost to the turbo, while the 1 bars are about 14 psi. (Stock is 7 psi) So, obviously, there is a margin of "safety" with the .8 bar chip in that you aren't pushing the stock turbo to it's maximum rating (14 psi) even at peak boost. However, Sean G. had an excellent post a while back that revealed (with a boost gauge) that peak boost is hardly ever attainted in normal street driving anyway. Basically, only wide open throttle situations.<p>I haven't chipped yet, but will after first change. Since I don't intend on doing any track driving, I will probably go ahead and get the 1 bar chip from somebody. If I were going to be doing some really hard driving, I might just get a .8 bar just to make me feel safer. I know a lot of people on this board do track events with 1 bar chips and their cars do just fine, however. One other thing, I would think turbo "whine" would be a little more prominent with the full 1 bar during spirited driving. That maybe something to consider if you don't want to hear too much of that.<p>Good luck in your decision ...<p>BDW '99 1.8Tqms