ECU remap, tuning, chip with OBD2 opinions???

Medzid22

Active member
Joined
Jul 2, 2018
Location
Bosnia & Herzegovina
TDI
Audi A3 SB 2.0 TDI (140/ Bmm) DSG (2006 year)
Hi everyone,

I'm considering to chip tune (only softwer tune) my Audi A3 from stock 140hp to 150/160hp max.
Just to recover some HP wich an engine loses over time and optimize the engine a litlle bit after 229.000km.
I don't want to overtune it and damage the engine or the DSG!!
But I'm very sceptic because some people say its bad it will hurt your engine and trans, some that is good and it will improve my car.

So I would like to hear your comment and sugesstions.

The firm that would do the tuning don't use alredy "finished" maps. They take your stok map and modifiy it and than upload it back to the car. The whole procces is done through the OBD conector.

My cars spec:

Audi A3 SportBack 2.0 TDI PD engine
(140hp/BMM engine code),
DSG 6 speed,
2006 year.
 

Mongler98

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 23, 2011
Location
COLORADO (SE of Denver)
TDI
98 Jetta TDI AHU 1.9L (944 TDI swap in progress) I moved so now i got nothing but an AHU in a garage on a pallet.
Hurt your car, No I don’t think so, not unless you’re running high boost or very high EGT's. For the Trans, a simple up in a few HP will be fine and the clutch should be good. There are plenty of threads here in (performance) section of the forums about software turning like you want. It has a very high learning curve but can be done by anyone with enough research and trial and error. A few things you can consider is that even an engine that has 300K on the clock is only suffering from power loss due to other factors like soot build up from older fuels back in the day or other minor factors. There is no reason an engine that has been decently maintained to maintain 99.9% of the power output it had at 50-100K. Diesels don’t really finish the (prime) of its life until after 200K. Things like slightly more blow by and slightly lower oil pressures, gummed up and caked up parts are the main contribution to power decrease. Best bang for your buck (if you spend any) is a nozzle swap and a tune from Malone. Upping a few PSI from a manual boost controller can’t hurt to help eliminate smoke if need be. Most of us suffer from clutch issues once we have done what is considered medium to moderate power mods. A few light tunes and adjustments can’t do any harm.
The #1 selling point behind more power is an increase in MPG to boot. By definition in chemistry, if you do not change the amount of fuel being consumed and you gain more power, you are increasing the efficiency of the consumption of fuel. If you change the nozzles it will improve the spray characteristics but not necessarily add much more fuel to the mix in comparison. AKA you burn a bit more fuel but its so much more efficient way to burn it increases your MPG. Most of us who do some moderate and reasonable power upgrades find that out once 43mpg is now a happy 50mpg+ with an extra 50HP to boot (give or take)

You have lots of reading my friend. Search more on this topic and look towards one of my favorite and first inspirations (Scott's stealth TDI)
 

Ol'Rattler

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jul 3, 2007
Location
PNA
TDI
2006 BRM Jetta
There are tunes available that will improve the shifting behavior of your DSG as well. I don't have a DSG but I have heard that they are a good mod even if you don't tune the engine.
 

Medzid22

Active member
Joined
Jul 2, 2018
Location
Bosnia & Herzegovina
TDI
Audi A3 SB 2.0 TDI (140/ Bmm) DSG (2006 year)
Hurt your car, No I don’t think so, not unless you’re running high boost or very high EGT's. For the Trans, a simple up in a few HP will be fine and the clutch should be good. There are plenty of threads here in (performance) section of the forums about software turning like you want............

Thanks a lot for such detailed response.

I'm already reading and searching a lot about this but it seems to me that everyone is calling himself a tuner (with knowledge and a lot of practice and without it). So thats why I'm scared that someone don't f**k up my ECU or even overtune it and so breaks my trans, DMF, clutch, turbo or nozzels...

The engine was completley rebuilded, so its clean and soot free (for now).
To be honest I don't want and don't need a 'optimal tune' where everything is pushed to the limit.
For me these 10% extra of power and torque is ideal (and also engine optimization for better runing).
I'm not making a racing car or something like that... Just like u said "adding a few hp more" nothing else...

Eitherway, thanks again for your respond.
Cheers mate ����
 
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Medzid22

Active member
Joined
Jul 2, 2018
Location
Bosnia & Herzegovina
TDI
Audi A3 SB 2.0 TDI (140/ Bmm) DSG (2006 year)
There are tunes available that will improve the shifting behavior of your DSG as well. I don't have a DSG but I have heard that they are a good mod even if you don't tune the engine.

I heard for this too. They can make amazing things with the dsg. Shfting, torque limiter, redline and so on... Maybe I do the DSG to, not for getting more power, than to lets say 'fine tune' it like an instrument (although it's very precise and sihifts like butter right now)...
 

Medzid22

Active member
Joined
Jul 2, 2018
Location
Bosnia & Herzegovina
TDI
Audi A3 SB 2.0 TDI (140/ Bmm) DSG (2006 year)
After a lot of research I've decided what performance increase I want.

The car will be ECU tuned "by hand" to this:

Stock: ----------------- Tuned:
140 HP ----------------- 161 HP
320 Nm ----------------- 350 Nm
103 Kw ----------------- 120 Kw

The tuner doesn't used already tuned maps (wich u just reflash... Italian, German, French maps). He uses the cars basic map and edits it to my personal will. It will take about 1-2h. Can't wait to do all this and test the car in regular driving and the max speed on the highway ������
 
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Medzid22

Active member
Joined
Jul 2, 2018
Location
Bosnia & Herzegovina
TDI
Audi A3 SB 2.0 TDI (140/ Bmm) DSG (2006 year)
So who is the tuner? Why not just mention this upfront? Most people here know the major tuners in the US.

The tuner has a firm called "Euroremap" and he lives and works in my country capital city(in Europe, not US). He has worked for a "Tuner shop" in Austria for couple of years. Price for tuning 150€ (about 180$). He is 24 yrs old and for now he has done some very good cars (BMW F10, Audi A6 C7, Seat Cupra, Audi A4 and some older cars too) soo I assume he has some knowledge.

The reason I picked him is because of the fact that he can edit my base map to my personal will. Everyone else just offers "optimal tuning"(pushing to the limit) wich i don't need.
The goal is not to breake the car for these 150€ and spend another 500€ for fixing it.
 

Lightflyer1

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Sep 13, 2005
Location
Round Rock, Texas
TDI
2015 Beetle tdi dsg
Our tuners will work with you on a custom basis from what I have seen. But they probably won't do it at that price. Sounds like you are set for what you want. I didn't see that you were out of the US.
 

JB05

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Oct 20, 2005
Location
Il.USA
TDI
Golf,2005,anthracite blue
A tuner may want to see a VCDS log to see what exactly your ECU is putting out.
 

BobnOH

not-a-mechanic
Joined
May 29, 2004
Location
central Ohio
TDI
New Beetle 2003 manual
That price is right in line with what our tuners charge. Noticed you euros have much different options, more in-house tuning available.
Sounds like a nice mild tune, it's good to work out any other issues you may have first. Tunes don't fix problems (with some exceptions), they exaggerate them.
 

Medzid22

Active member
Joined
Jul 2, 2018
Location
Bosnia & Herzegovina
TDI
Audi A3 SB 2.0 TDI (140/ Bmm) DSG (2006 year)
Well to be honest in my country 250€ is a monthly paychek, so these 150€ for the tuning are not so cheap. My engine was recently completely rebuilded. Everything was changed from gaskets to timing belts. The only issue I had after that was with my EGR valve. I removed it (only software disable) and now everything is fine. No error codes at all. The DSG was also serviced last years soo when it comes to the cars health, its really really good.
 

Medzid22

Active member
Joined
Jul 2, 2018
Location
Bosnia & Herzegovina
TDI
Audi A3 SB 2.0 TDI (140/ Bmm) DSG (2006 year)
A tuner may want to see a VCDS log to see what exactly your ECU is putting out.

Sure thing, he said he needs to test the car first before tuning while plugged on the vcds to see some parameters, what the car feels like and to check for possible issues. After he confirmes that the car is ok he will start the remaping procces...
 
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Medzid22

Active member
Joined
Jul 2, 2018
Location
Bosnia & Herzegovina
TDI
Audi A3 SB 2.0 TDI (140/ Bmm) DSG (2006 year)
Our tuners will work with you on a custom basis from what I have seen. But they probably won't do it at that price. Sounds like you are set for what you want. I didn't see that you were out of the US.

In my country there are so called "tuners" who work for even less money (60-70€). But you can't let everyone to work on your car...


And I think that any "real" tuner with some knowledge wouldn't work for such litlle money. These can only be "youtube" tuners who have buyed some custom maps and their only job is reflashing (without any check or testing)...
Eastern Europe (Bosnia ) :D :cool:
 
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Juris_V_TDR

New member
Joined
Apr 5, 2020
Location
Riga, Latvia
TDI
Seat Leon TDR
Hi guys!
Don't know it is or isn't the right forum, but I have a serious question. How you get from 1.9 TDI PD engines 350-400hp without NOS>

On my project we cannot get over 300...
1.9 ARL engine. Ported head, Custom exhaust manifolt, GT2264V hybrid turbo. 70mm downpipe, 76mm rest exhaust, custom intake, ported PD130 intake manifold, 700x300x65 intercooler, performance camshaft with 9.5mm lift. A bit bigger nozles than firad +120%.

Can you give a hint about remaping>
 
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