I own a 2001 1.8t 150bhp golf and am thinking of getting a Revo remap. I do have a few questions though, (at the risk of sounding thick) that I hope all you experts out there can help me with... 1. Will the extra power increase have any negative effect on the life expectancy of the gear box/drive shafts? (Are Audi TT drive shafts etc uprated to handle extra torque) 2. If these engines can handle 225hp+ and be tuned for better fuel efficiency and far better performance, why do VW seemingly de-tune them to 150? 3 Will a remap of this kind have any effect on the servicing schedules? (I currently have it serviced by VW main dealer.) i.e will they now say "sorry mate you've ****ed about with the engine so we wash our hands of it" 4 What are your opinions of the Revo system?
Hi mate i also have 1.8t golf,revo is a vw approved remap this will not affect any service schedule or warranty on the car,the 1.8t engine can handle a big increase in power revo is just the 1st step. I have seen and test drove revo'd golfs in the hundreds of miles and their still going strong.Revo is great and will change your car completely and value for money theirs not many cars you can walk into a shop spend 400 and walk out half hour later with an extra 40-50bhp go for it mate.
how else would vag charge heaps loads more the more powerful versions if everyone knew they all had the same engine just detuned if you do remap, do the sensible thing and upgrade the brakes & clutch
Presuming yours is a drive by wire car, probably AUM engine code, then yours would have a K03s turbo as std, which would allow a bit more than earlier golfs running k03. SPS units are available which allow you to play with your settings both ign and boost up and down, as well as being able to switch back to stock performance for those "dealer" visits. Code is not detectable during routine servicing, but if left switched in performance mode, a road test makes it pretty obvious it aint std. lol the car is flashed thru its OBD port inside the car so no opening up of ecu, soldering of chips and all that stuff. takes about 20mins plus road test typically. Price from 399+vat for the performance code plus the SPs switches if you wanted em (not mandatory) 150bhp golf motor as AUM can go up to low 200's with 240lbft torque regards bill@badger5.co.uk
a remap with shorten the lifetime of your clutch. spend the money on a performance cluth first, then get a remap
Many thanks people, it sounds like it might be a good option then. Good point about the clutch, i hadn't thought of that. Is there any particular clutch you'd recommend? Also I reckon I'll take it in and get the 5 hour free trial Revo are offering. Thanks again
Still perplexed as to why VAG marketed their (then) new Gti with only 150bhp when the very same engine was putting out 180 - 225 in the TT. Surely the car would have recieved rave reviews instead of being seen as a luke-warm attempt to re-kindle the Gti badge. ......or perhaps they didn't want to steal the R32's thunder?
I have Revo on my Mk4, and it's great. I haven't bothered with uprating the clutch, I just decided to drive it until it broke. Glad I did, because I have put over 50k miles on it. First thing I did upgrade was the suspension, that is way too soggy for the extra power.
thats the sum of it its all marketing when they released the 150, they knew exactly what was to follow for at least the next 5yrs, as they do now.
im sure the pistons are forged in the 225bhp engine, with engine codes BAM and AMK, assuming strengthened con rods as well, they still bend though @ approx 289bhp
when people are saying its the same engine they're glossing over the details which make a difference. 210/225 engines run lower conpression engines and have the larger k04 turbo, run more advanced engine management systems, have twin intercoolers, different pistons and rods (in some respects worse rods however) Essentially tho, the base is not very dissimilar. my own motor started life as a 156bhp engine and now runs 517bhp.
I had my 1999 Golf Gti Turbo remapped at chippeduk for 250, absolute bargain and had no problems whatsoever on a 103000 mile car, they keep the power down to keep a gap between there different brands, ie VW and Audi, plus insurance groups and cost would be higher too, thats the reason why the cabin in the mk5 is not quite as good, becuase they were making the Mk4 like the Audis but charging more for the latter, if there is no difference why would you pay more for an Audi. I think the earlier Gti mk4 had the AGU engine which came with the crap turbo but the better Engine, big port or something.
So basically, for a power increase up to 180-190 the engine (60k miles) would be able to cope without any adverse effects on components? I think I'll do as Sparrow said and just see how long the current clutch lasts and then upgrade if neccessary. thanks everyone who contributed, your wealth of knowledge is invaluable.
Yeh I have just fitted 312mm brakes to cope with the extra stopping required. But basically with a remap you should be fine as long as the car is looked after and its got good service history with it, its possible it might shorten the life of a few components but not to any extreme amount.
Hi mate your standard clutch will be fine i spoke to http://www.bigboystoys-uk.com/ vag tuner in thurock and they said they run their track car on a standard clutch and gear box and don't have any probs,save your money mate for the extra tyre costs when all ya motor will wana do is light up with ya extra power,good 1st engine mod.
Oh ok dude,nice one. Upgraded brakes should be compulsory with any remap - sadly most dont realise hte necessity. Your engine will be fine! People on other websites are remapping with 150k on the clock! However, id still be sceptical about running std clutch, esp on a track day.
rubbish mines been chipped for over 8 years now and 90,000 miles and I'm still on the original clutch with no problems
