Re: \"Wetterauer\" performance chips?
Jon_E, check out SkyPup's numerous posts regarding his Wetterauer-equipped Jetta and New Beetle. His frenzied ravings finally convinced me, and I placed my order yesterday. By the end of the week, I'll be able to post my own review. From what I've heard, Wetterauer's performance claims seem completely justified by "seat-o-the-pants" testing. Apparently, their product opens up the very Gates of Hell!
-mickey
p.s. I sense a bit of skepticism in your post. I don't blame you. I don't know how mechanically inclined you are, but here's a little info on exactly why chip tuning works so well on a TDI: In a standard, non-turbo engine there is relatively little you can do to boost performance without major mechanical modifications. Performance chips can provide moderate increases in power output, at the expense of emissions. It's like the old trick of advancing your ignition timing and fiddling with the mixture once you've passed your emissions test! But there's only so much performance to be gained by changing timing and mixture before you actually make the car run so sick it's barely producing any power at all. On the other hand, if you have a gas or diesel turbocharged engine with a computer-controlled wastegate, the sky's the limit! The new chip closes the wastegate at a lower altitude, thus increasing the boost pressure. It also recalibrates the fuel injection to take advantage of the sudden surplus of available oxygen. Result: VAVOOOOOM!!! (Within the mechanical limits of the engine and turbo, of course.) It's like bolting a Holley 650 cfm carb on a small-block Chevy. (With fewer skinned knuckles.)
The Wetterauer upgrade available in the US is a relatively modest one, because of our relatively small turbo. It basically boosts the engine's output up to the level of a 115 hp European model. (Which uses a larger turbo and a fancy new injector system.) Chips are available in Europe for the stronger TDI motors which can boost them up to something truly EVIL!
