APR chip first impressions...
12-12-2002, 06:31 PM
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APR chip first impressions...
Short story:
The power band where the turbo kicks in at 2000 rpms and pulls harder, but still maintains a smooth feel. There's definitely more torque at 3500 RPMS in all gears. Noticably in 5th gear on the freeway as well (needing to accelerate from 70+). 80 mph is still 4000 rpms in 5th, but with the chip its faster to get there. The chip also causes the turbo to make a more noticable sound (but still pleasant sound). I'm still curious to see how the GIAC and Neuspeed chips perform, but I'm still a happy APR chipped customer. I'd do it again in a heart beat.
Long story:
So I went to New Dimensions in Santa Clara. It was an easy process. I'm planning on going the full APR Stage II+. Unfortunately ND didn't have the injectors in stock, but no matter. I worked it out with Jason@ND that since they didn't have the part in stock we'd work out the injector and APR exhaust upgrades later, but the pricing would reflect the discount for the total Stage II+ package pricing
I told him that I had a 10/01 build of the A4, so I didn't have the chastity belt across the ECU. What this means is that they didn't have to replace the screws to access the ECU to flash it. Its only about 2 screws at about $3 a screw, no biggie. ND charges half an hour of labor to program an ECU (upgrades are free, but you still have to pay for labor to flash them). It takes 10-15 minutes to remove the ECU, and 10-15 minutes to replace it. So we agreed that it would take about an hour of labor. If I did have a chastity belt it takes about 30 minutes long for the install. After we worked out all these details, he took the car and about an hour later I had my APR chipped car back..
The programs that I got were for stock and 91 Oct. I don't expect to put 93 Oct. (it isn't easily available to me in the Bay Area), and I doubt I'll be tracking the car, so I won't really need the 100 Oct. program either. I passed on the security program ($199), mainly because I park in relatively low crime areas. Also the Immobilizer III is good enough for me for now. If I start hearing news of B6 A4s getting stolen, I may go back to get to the security program.
Jason told me it would take about 50 miles to fully break in the chip. I needed to get to South San Francisco in an hour (30 miles away), and I didn't want to sit in 101N traffic so I hopped on less busy 280N.
Now how does the car perform...
I have never driven or been in a chipped A4 (maybe tonight at the KK run someone will show me what a chipped B5 A4 pulls like), so I didn't know what to expect. The only comparison I can give is to my brother's '01 1.8T GIAC GTI. And that thing pulls like a monster. I started driving first with the stock program to give myself a good base line. I'm not really planning on launching my car (yet), so I set myself to drive the car like I normally would. I switched to the 91 Oct program and gave it a whirl. The 91 Oct. program seems to open the engine faster while the stock program tends to be more reserved at all rpms. While the engine definitely spools and revs faster, the added power is noticeable. The power application at 2K rpms to 3K rpms pulls harder, yet still maintaining a smooth power band. To compare this to my brother's GTI, his turbo has an on/off feeling. If you are pressing on the accelerator, and hit the right rpm you feel the turbo kick in immediately. If you stop depressing the accelerator, the car stops pulling. On the APR chip, the power band is VERY smooth.
I also did notice that with the chip, I hear my turbo more. I wasn't expecting to hear anything different from my car, but I did hear it over the soft music I had playing. It was noticable over soft music.
Do I like the added power? Yes, I'm hooked. Does it satisfy my needs for more power? No, I think its merely an appetizer. I don't think the chip alone is enough to meeting satisfy my hunger for power, but maybe I still need to break it in. I'll post more later this week and see if there's more power after break in. But if it doesn't offer more power than it is at right now, I definitely up the ante with injectors and exhaust.
The power band where the turbo kicks in at 2000 rpms and pulls harder, but still maintains a smooth feel. There's definitely more torque at 3500 RPMS in all gears. Noticably in 5th gear on the freeway as well (needing to accelerate from 70+). 80 mph is still 4000 rpms in 5th, but with the chip its faster to get there. The chip also causes the turbo to make a more noticable sound (but still pleasant sound). I'm still curious to see how the GIAC and Neuspeed chips perform, but I'm still a happy APR chipped customer. I'd do it again in a heart beat.
Long story:
So I went to New Dimensions in Santa Clara. It was an easy process. I'm planning on going the full APR Stage II+. Unfortunately ND didn't have the injectors in stock, but no matter. I worked it out with Jason@ND that since they didn't have the part in stock we'd work out the injector and APR exhaust upgrades later, but the pricing would reflect the discount for the total Stage II+ package pricing
I told him that I had a 10/01 build of the A4, so I didn't have the chastity belt across the ECU. What this means is that they didn't have to replace the screws to access the ECU to flash it. Its only about 2 screws at about $3 a screw, no biggie. ND charges half an hour of labor to program an ECU (upgrades are free, but you still have to pay for labor to flash them). It takes 10-15 minutes to remove the ECU, and 10-15 minutes to replace it. So we agreed that it would take about an hour of labor. If I did have a chastity belt it takes about 30 minutes long for the install. After we worked out all these details, he took the car and about an hour later I had my APR chipped car back..
The programs that I got were for stock and 91 Oct. I don't expect to put 93 Oct. (it isn't easily available to me in the Bay Area), and I doubt I'll be tracking the car, so I won't really need the 100 Oct. program either. I passed on the security program ($199), mainly because I park in relatively low crime areas. Also the Immobilizer III is good enough for me for now. If I start hearing news of B6 A4s getting stolen, I may go back to get to the security program.
Jason told me it would take about 50 miles to fully break in the chip. I needed to get to South San Francisco in an hour (30 miles away), and I didn't want to sit in 101N traffic so I hopped on less busy 280N.
Now how does the car perform...
I have never driven or been in a chipped A4 (maybe tonight at the KK run someone will show me what a chipped B5 A4 pulls like), so I didn't know what to expect. The only comparison I can give is to my brother's '01 1.8T GIAC GTI. And that thing pulls like a monster. I started driving first with the stock program to give myself a good base line. I'm not really planning on launching my car (yet), so I set myself to drive the car like I normally would. I switched to the 91 Oct program and gave it a whirl. The 91 Oct. program seems to open the engine faster while the stock program tends to be more reserved at all rpms. While the engine definitely spools and revs faster, the added power is noticeable. The power application at 2K rpms to 3K rpms pulls harder, yet still maintaining a smooth power band. To compare this to my brother's GTI, his turbo has an on/off feeling. If you are pressing on the accelerator, and hit the right rpm you feel the turbo kick in immediately. If you stop depressing the accelerator, the car stops pulling. On the APR chip, the power band is VERY smooth.
I also did notice that with the chip, I hear my turbo more. I wasn't expecting to hear anything different from my car, but I did hear it over the soft music I had playing. It was noticable over soft music.
Do I like the added power? Yes, I'm hooked. Does it satisfy my needs for more power? No, I think its merely an appetizer. I don't think the chip alone is enough to meeting satisfy my hunger for power, but maybe I still need to break it in. I'll post more later this week and see if there's more power after break in. But if it doesn't offer more power than it is at right now, I definitely up the ante with injectors and exhaust.
12-12-2002, 07:32 PM
#6
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It's your choice what program you would like to have or
you can have both if you like. With our EMCS system you may have up to 4 programs at one time.
You may choose between-
1.Stock
2.91 Octane
3.93 Octane
4.Valet
5.100 Octane
With the introductory offer you get 2 programs for only $449(normally $648)
Happy Holidays,
Stephen/APR
You may choose between-
1.Stock
2.91 Octane
3.93 Octane
4.Valet
5.100 Octane
With the introductory offer you get 2 programs for only $449(normally $648)
Happy Holidays,
Stephen/APR
12-12-2002, 07:44 PM
#7
AudiWorld Expert
what happens if you have a 93 program and put 91 gas in your tank?
Like let's say you travel to California and have to fill up with 91 because that's all they have over there.
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12-12-2002, 07:44 PM
#8
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Is this a mail order price or can it be had at your dealers?
Do they charge to install the chip?<ul><li><a href="http://www.eurocarservice.cc/">http://www.eurocarservice.cc/</a</li></ul>
12-12-2002, 07:48 PM
#10
AudiWorld Expert
I suspect you just get a decrease in performance, just like...
the stock A4 requires 91 octane, but it will run on 87 or 89 with someone of a performance loss.