Revo Technik Software

[waterboy]

Hey all,

Ive recently been looking at getting my ECU reflashed to add some extra grunt to my car but I am a bit skeptical about it for a few reasons.

The increase in power from the software is 118kw to 163kw and increase in torque from 240Nm to around about 320Nm.

I pretty much want to know if this will have any side effects to the car.
Being a Vdub owner previously with my MK4 golf I know that parts can be expensive and this is my main concern as im not sure if the car will be able to handle the power.

The last thing that I want to be doing is to be buying a new clutch, gearbox and radiator because the car can't handle the power.

Please let me know if you think that it would be safe to purchase the performance software for my 1.4L 118TSI Mk6 golf.

Also, is there anywhere else to get good performance software from? The only place I have found in Sydney is Peak Performance in Parramatta.

Any information would be greatly helpful.

Thanks,

Waterboy =]

[GoLfMan]

AFAIK lots of $$$$ is spent by chipping companies to make sure their software does not turn an engine into a hand grenade. Go for it.

the wear and tear parts of the car are the responsibility of the driver. You can drive it as hard or as easy as you like!!!!

[waterboy]

The problem is that if I do drive it as hard as I like, are the parts of the car going to be a problem for me? You honestly think the 1.4L engine of the golf can handle that amount of power?

[philthy]

IMHO clutch, gearbox life etc. is strongly linked to the way the car gets driven. You can kill them with or without power upgrades.

Check out Unitronic, GIAC, APR as well. All have sydney dealers.

Custom code, Superchips and a few others will probably be able to sort you out too, but I'm not sure off the top of my head if they have dealers in syd.

The usual advice is go for something that has a dealer close by so you can take the car back if there are any hiccups. (or one that's happy to pop over from Adelaide Gav )

As Golfman said, go for it!

[idaho]

Hey all,

Ive recently been looking at getting my ECU reflashed to add some extra grunt to my car but I am a bit skeptical about it for a few reasons.

The increase in power from the software is 118kw to 163kw and increase in torque from 240Nm to around about 320Nm...

Is the standard turbo capable of making that much power? And can the fuel system flow the additional fuel for that power? Most factory turbo and fuel systems have room for maybe a 20% increase but 118 to 163kw is 38%.

[Corey_R]

The APR ECU for the 118TSI gives 151kw and 317nm.

Revo Technik's tunes are always one of the most 'agressive' of the bunch, so it seems to be about I'd have expected from them after seeing APR's numbers.

As for the comment above about "Most factory turbo and fuel systems have room for maybe a 20% increase", I think that's a huge generalisation.
The MKV GTI had 147KW as standard. The APR Stage II gave that 205KW. That was a 39% increase and was well within the factory turbo and fuel pump's capabilities.

[Bboy_Sparx]

163kw from a 1.4 piston petrol engine. Oh my goodness

[philthy]

163kw from a 1.4 piston petrol engine. Oh my goodness

This motor should make the new polo a lively little bugger

[Corey_R]

163kw from a 1.4 piston petrol engine. Oh my goodness

Hey - it's all about engineering.
Lest we not forget that in 1986 when the FIA banned the turbo chargers in F1, that a 1.5L V6 Turbo was putting out over 1200bhp (895kw or 596kw per Litre). And that same year the Lancia Delta S4 Group B car had it's 1.8L Supercharged / Turbocharged motor producing 400KW+ (222kw per Litre) - the last car to have Supercharging and Turbocharging before VW bought it back.
Also in 1986 the Ferrari F40 had a 2.9L Turbo producing 352kw (121kw per Litre) - which was detuned from the 480kw (165kw per Litre) of the development cars (for safety reasons since 'anyone' who could afford the car could buy it and drive it on the roads).

Sure, these were racing cars or supercars, but it was also 24 years ago.
120kw per litre (163kw / 1.4 = 116kw) from a forced induction engine is nothing new... just new at this price point

[philthy]

Hey - it's all about engineering.
Lest we not forget that in 1986 when the FIA banned the turbo chargers in F1, that a 1.5L V6 Turbo was putting out over 1200bhp (895kw or 596kw per Litre). And that same year the Lancia Delta S4 Group B car had it's 1.8L Supercharged / Turbocharged motor producing 400KW+ (222kw per Litre) - the last car to have Supercharging and Turbocharging before VW bought it back.

Ahem! .. lets not forget this little 1989 gem:

[Big Yellow]

The MKV GTI had 147KW as standard. The APR Stage II gave that 205KW. That was a 39% increase and was well within the factory turbo and fuel pump's capabilities.

Isnt Stage 2 include include HPFP?? if so, that means factory pumps capabilities have been reached??

[Corey_R]

Isnt Stage 2 include include HPFP?? if so, that means factory pumps capabilities have been reached??

No. For the GTI it's only required for the Stage III kit. The same fuel pump (as the GTI) is used in the R/S3/TT-S. Their Stage I kit gives them 240kw/435nm and doesn't required the HPFP upgrade. A R/S3/TT-S Stage II+ kit requires the HPFP upgrade though.

@philthy - sorry mate, I forgot about the Nissan. But then, that's not hard for me cause I've never been a fan of any car they've made, lol

[waterboy]

Don't forget that my car is a 118TSI, not a GTI and doesnt have the same capabilities as it.

With a much smaller turbo I still think that it could cause problems for the engine.

P.s. Can you fit a BOV into the 118TSI? Might seem as a really silly question but I really dont know!

Thanks for the posts guys!! Its been really helpful!

Keep them coming :p

[Corey_R]

BOV's are illegal :p

[cktsi]

Waterboy, if you are concerned, why not choose an upgrade that achieves less of an increase such as APR?

The APR option is starting to appeal to me (I'm thinking about it) cos you can switch normal mode vs tuned mode fairly easily.

I likewise have the same concern about wear on the drivetrain, but I'm beginning to justify it on the grounds in day to day commuting I want the economy. Let's face it... that's one key reason why we bought the 118TSI in the first place.

However on weekends or in late evenings when the traffic is clear & fuel economy won't suffer so much, I would switch it to the tuned setting. The idea of having a secret Q car (I think that's the term) is very appealing.

I think most of the clutch wear would occur on take-off... so in lighter traffic it's not as much of an issue.

That's my scr3wy logic anyway.