PD Tuning

I recently bought a Bora Variant (station wagon) from December 2000 with a 100 hp 'Pumpe Düse' (PD) engine (ATD). I've been looking into performance optimization options. Every 'tuner' I've asked has told me that it's best to avoid tuning a PD engine. Of course, no one could give me a specific reason why. I don't want to make any major changes. I was thinking about a power box that can be plugged in, as I don't want to directly modify the engine control unit. Which company would you recommend for this, and what kind of power increase can I expect? Or are there really so many disadvantages to tuning that I should just leave it alone?

Hi,

It's strange. Even on TV, I've occasionally seen PD models with 115 hp or even 100 hp that have been chipped to produce 130-140 hp.
The two engines are supposed to be almost identical in every respect.
Only the PD components and the software are likely to be different.
(Probably also the transmission.)

What reason did the tuners give for why the engine's performance cannot be increased?

Greetings,
Thomas.

Thomas wrote:

What reason did the tuners give for why the engine's performance cannot be increased?

I don't understand that either. The PD can be easily tuned with a chip.
My wife also drives a 115 model with a chip, and it's incredibly powerful (380 Nm, the same as a current 911!). We haven't experienced any disadvantages so far, except for very high tire wear, and no increased fuel consumption. You can drive more lazily; it has plenty of power even at 1,600 rpm.
The 100 model doesn't lend itself to significant tuning because there are substantial differences in the engine. However, the results are still impressive. The tuners all offer a value of just under 300 Nm, compared to the standard 240 Nm, which in practice means something slightly above 300 Nm due to the power distribution.
Contact a reputable chip tuning specialist, preferably one located near you.
If you want to improve its performance, this car has very good potential.

Best regards,
Uwe

Okay. The so-called 'tuners' near me (I'm from Salzgitter, near Braunschweig) said it's too dangerous to chip a motor with this kind of technology. They claim the engine is already running at its performance limits. They believe that engine damage from chipping is almost guaranteed.

Hi!

So, the tuners in your area should know this, since the TDI is manufactured in your region. However, my own experience suggests otherwise. I've had the chip installed for about 20,000 km. In my other car (110 hp), I've also had a chip installed for over 100,000 km. In both cars, there have been absolutely no problems. So, get it chipped with an engine warranty.
By the way, in neighboring countries, the TDI is offered with a chip tuning solution from the factory (more precisely, from the importer), and it comes with a full warranty!

Best regards,
Uwe

Hey Uwe, hey Sniper.

I also think what Uwe is saying is correct. I can't imagine that there's a pre-programmed engine failure.
On the other hand, why would a tuner want to not make any money for once?

But what about others? How many kilometers does yours have on it?

Greetings,
Thomas.

It now has 57,000 km on the odometer. I've done some more research online. There are many providers, some of whom make quite significant claims about performance gains. Roughly, what kind of performance increase can I expect? And more importantly, which provider should I choose? Good doesn't always have to be expensive.

Hello.
I have a Golf with a 100 horsepower ATD engine, manufactured in March 2001.
'Now I have 45,000 km and haven't had any problems. I've had a chip installed for 10,000 km. It has a power output of 145 hp and a torque of 350 Nm. It performs like a 115 hp PD with a chip. The only drawback is the 5-speed gearbox.'
I've also had some pretty extreme setups before, with 160 horsepower and 390 Nm of torque, but that's too much power for the clutch. The clutch in the 100 horsepower ATD is the same as the one in the 110 horsepower TDI.
Fuel consumption is approximately 6.5 liters per 100 kilometers. I also tried something different once:
I have a front-wheel drive vehicle. I simply reprogrammed the control unit for all-wheel drive, and then, without making any changes to the control unit itself, I saw a torque increase from 260 Nm to 300 Nm when using VAG-COM.
You can find the torque value in a display group using VAG-COM on a PD engine. It's usually somewhere between 10 and 20.
I saw an ad on gechippen claiming 370 Nm of torque.
I don't think it's 100% accurate, but if you subtract about 10-20 nautical miles, it seems to fit.
I haven't had any bad experiences so far.
Quite different: When the PD model was released, Tuneline offered a rally version that increased the horsepower from 115 to 210. This car was used in rallies and for regular road driving.

Hmmm, I highly doubt that the standard Fabia, tuned to 158 hp from its original 101 hp, will last very long. Why does *** only offer a power increase to 125 hp? And those acceleration times seem a bit off to me, from 60 to 100 km/h in 4th gear in 7.0 seconds? I measured 6.5 seconds with my G3 AFN using a stopwatch, and it certainly doesn't have more than 140 hp and probably not more than 300 Nm of torque.
Can you explain the times?

Best regards,
René K.

zzzZZ wrote:

Hmm, I seriously doubt whether the standard Fabia, tuned to 158 horsepower from its original 101 horsepower, will last very long. Why does *** only offer a power increase to 125 horsepower?

Hi!

The tuner develops a modified program specifically for the engine in question. For this, he then commissions an expensive exhaust emissions report and a TÜV (German technical inspection agency) report for the vehicle. Performance enhancements beyond a certain limit are subject to additional requirements, such as improved brakes, a higher tire load index, and so on. Within these limits, he can simply install the chip and have it registered with the TÜV. A chip with more horsepower can only be sold to those who are willing to circumvent regulations (more "Russians," meaning people who are willing to ignore the rules) and cannot be advertised.
"He can certainly build a chip that increases power by 57 horsepower. My chip does that too. However, it won't have TÜV approval (German technical inspection), and it might not necessarily have significantly higher wear and tear, which depends on how it's driven. Continuously driving at full throttle on the highway with such a chip is definitely risky, and *** should be aware that someone might destroy their engine by driving like that. Basically, you can drive a car with such a chip for a long time and at high speeds. Dose Motorsport uses vehicles with similar power increases for long-distance races and even wins occasionally."
According to my tuner, a torque of approximately 400 Nm and around 175 horsepower is achievable for the 115 PD engine. The TÜV-approved chip offers 340 Nm of torque and 143 horsepower.
The transit times are always relative. They are determined by factors such as weight, gear ratio, and other parameters - see DZR.

Best regards,
Uwe

I don't understand it either. Companies like ***, Ottinger, and Wendeland offer it. The only thing that is discouraged is the use of an additional module (from Wendeland); instead, chip tuning should be considered.

Matte

Sniper3 wrote:

I bought a Bora Variant, manufactured in December 2000, with a 100 HP common rail diesel engine (ATD). I've already inquired about the possibilities of performance optimization. Every so-called "tuner" I asked told me that it's best to avoid tuning a common rail diesel engine. Of course, no one could tell me exactly why. I don't want to make any major changes. I was thinking about a power box that can be plugged in, since I don't want to directly modify the engine control unit. Which company would you recommend, and what kind of power increase can I expect? Or are there really so many disadvantages to tuning that I should just leave it alone?

Hello Sniper3,

Why should PD TDI tuning be more harmful than VP-TDI chip tuning?

I had my 115 hp engine (PD) tuned by Oettinger to 140 hp with approximately 32,000 km on the clock, and now, after about 2.25 years and approximately 70,000 km, the car is still running to my complete satisfaction!!!

Best regards,

Frank.