Chip+ Power Box: A personal test

As some of you may know, I drive a 90 horsepower TDI from 1997, which has a chip from ******** that boosts the power to around 125 horsepower. I've had it for 110,000 kilometers and haven't experienced any problems whatsoever.
The AGR (Abgasrückführung) system is broken, and the diesel particulate filter is also out.

I recently bought a power box from MAL on eBay for a friend. I couldn't resist the urge to install it on my chipped TDI. I immediately drove onto the Höhenstraße in Vienna, and I can only describe the result in three words:
Brutal, brutal, brutal!

My already powerful TDI engine is now accelerating like crazy. The increase in Russian influence is also limited.
No clutch slippage or emergency mode.
Only when you turn the dial into the red zone will you be jolted forward when the engine cuts out.
I would cautiously estimate the power output to be around 140 horsepower.
Please don't hit me if you don't believe me, but as I said, it's just an estimate.
Today, I have to deliver this box to my friend.
I didn't plan on leaving the box in for too long anyway, because I'm not sure if it's good for it in the long run.
I definitely plan to install the larger injectors from the AFN engine, so that the injection timing stays within the optimal range and the pistons don't melt.

Tagessuppe wrote:

I would cautiously estimate the performance at around 140 horsepower. Please don't hit me if you don't believe me, but as I said, it's just an estimate.

Do you have time for a DZR measurement to refine things further?

Respect!!!

Were you able to log any data?

The boost pressure was far too high for a turbocharger designed for 90 horsepower. Since you pushed the engine to its maximum power output, supposedly 140 horsepower, and ran it all the way to the rev limiter, the turbocharger could have failed at any time!!!

What you can get out of a 90 hp TDI engine is amazing.

Bravely, bravely...

Hello Ulf.

Okay... Ulf's penetration test would be very interesting.
I'll read your article and then try it out after work.

I believe the boost pressure should be the same as when running with just the chip, since the P-box only extends the injection time.

The older, fixed-wing aircraft of the 1Z should not be underestimated. I'm just saying that these things can probably handle more than some VTG loaders.
Furthermore, the boost pressure is not affected by the installation of the PBox; the boost pressure is determined by the chip.

Well, mine isn't a 1Z, but an AGR.

But when you're right, you're right.
When I installed the Supersprint catalytic converter replacement pipe, I manually rotated the turbocharger. It didn't have any play and turned smoothly, like it was on ball bearings. And that after countless billions of rotations and speeds exceeding 100,000 RPM.
What would we possibly do without our beloved turbos ?

I'm sorry if I've offended anyone.

In the first post, it wasn't mentioned what all the settings are available for this parking box. There are also some models where you can significantly increase the boost pressure, and even bypass the turbo protection system (at least, that's what I've read).

If, in this case, the chip is regulating the boost pressure, then everything is fine.

Okay, even more respect!

'140 horsepower compared to 90 horsepower, and without any boost increase from a P-box, that's quite impressive...'

You never stop learning...

So, after 3 attempts, I arrived at an average of 4.7 seconds.
All information is provided to the best of our knowledge and belief. Ultimately, I want to find the correct values myself.
The test was in the third [grade/year/month]. The speedometer displays approximately 51 km/h at 2000 RPM and approximately 101 km/h at 4000 RPM.
The unladen weight of my A3 is 1170 kilograms. I weigh 70, the car was fully tanked +55kg 0 kg for the 225 tires + 20 for my MTX triple subwoofer, and let's say 10 in total for Easy Entry, air conditioning, split rear bench, etc., so 1335 kg.
Unfortunately, I don't have a reference value for how quickly it accelerates with 90 horsepower.
But maybe Reinder just happened to have it. He has the same A3 as me.

Okay, I'll see if I can figure out how to properly analyze the data.

As a reference, I can also offer you my A3. It's configured in a similar way to yours. Base: 110 horsepower.

Summer times are approximately 5.3 seconds, and even with cold winter temperatures, I can achieve 4.7 seconds. In sauna-like conditions, it goes up to 5.6 seconds. Unfortunately, no values are available for the default state.

Modifications: Chip with 290 Nm of torque and approximately 145 horsepower.

My tuner also offered me a higher performance level, but I haven't implemented it yet due to my turbocharger issues. Now that there's a new one, I'll think about it again.

Best regards,
Uwe

Thank you, Uwe.

It seems like my information wasn't that far off after all.
But I took the box out again.
That seems a bit too extreme for an AGR engine.

Sure, here's the translation:

"Best regards."

I think it's not a mistake to take the box out again.

However, it's still clear how much potential lies within our engines. With the right modifications, the 1.9-liter engine can achieve up to 400 Nm or more, of course, starting from a non-AGR base. And it holds true even in everyday use!

Best regards,
Uwe

Uwe wrote:

The chip tuners increase the torque of the 1.9-liter engine to up to 400 Nm or more, and of course, they do not use any AGR (Abgasrückführung) as a starting point. And that also holds true in everyday operation!

The question is, for which driving profiles.
Someone who only uses full throttle occasionally (e.g., for overtaking) and never exceeds the factory-set maximum speed on the highway might actually be able to drive such an engine for a long time without any problems.

However, I wouldn't make such a claim for a consistently "tuner"-focused engine. After all, why does the VAG group, even in times of cost-cutting, continue to use increasingly expensive materials to increase performance, instead of, for example, simply making the AXR engine software-equivalent to the ARL engine?

ulf wrote:

. . . why does VAG, even in this era of cost-cutting, still use materials that increase with performance, instead of, for example, simply making the AXR engine software-equivalent to the ARL?

To make the motors durable and safe to operate, even under all kinds of misuse and improper handling!

We have a similar car at home. My wife drives it (the AJM model), and she tends to accelerate more than I would like, especially early in the morning on the way to work. After driving about 500 meters, the road becomes very steep. That's one of the few opportunities to overtake other cars. I would prefer to avoid any engine load and instead opt for a gentle warm-up phase. My wife, despite my strong warnings, sees things differently and is really pushing herself, as if she were Lance Armstrong himself.

The chip has been installed for approximately 70,000 kilometers, of which 40,000 kilometers were driven with the higher performance level (previously 340 Nm). Any problems = zero.

I've also had a chip installed in my own car for 150,000 km, and it provides a significant power increase. Combined with the natural variations in production and your tuning device, I'm getting over 300 Nm of torque. It works well, but with reasonable power consumption.

Best regards,
Uwe

ulf wrote:

... instead of, for example, converting the AXR to ARL only via software?

"... that's not going to work! The AXR has far too weak drive components (transmission, clutch...)." Significant savings have been achieved.

I had a (rather brutal) chip in my tooth a couple of weeks ago. It's an amazing experience on the highway, driving at 120-130 km/h, to see the speedometer drop and the engine RPM rise .
I was unable to perform a meaningful DZR test because the slip control system, which operates via the accelerator pedal, had to compensate for the slipping clutch. In any case, my time was significantly below the 7.5-second series time.

The experience, however, was not from bad parents...



P.S.: Looking for a 6-speed transmission with a matching clutch.

@Uwe

It's normal, my mother also only uses gas, whether the engine is cold or warm.

Best regards, WarLord.