hi, audi a3 1.8 sport. 2001 reg. Not a turbo lol

[Rob24]

Just bought a audi a3 1.8 sport, put a deposit down and picking it up tuesday. Im new to audi's an i've always wanted one. I was going to get the 1.9tdi but in a rush to buy a car for work, i have picked up the 1.8 sport, i must admit i thought there wasn't a standard 1.8 sport without the turbo so i'm a bit dissapointed to only have 125bhp rather than 150 bhp.

And noticed the 1.8 gets looked down to compared to the 1.8 turbo. What are the best changes i can make to improve the bhp on mine. And i am not in a position now to sell it and get the turbo.

Also i would like to know the common faults to look out for?. When i went to the dealership to have a look at it, it had just come in as part ex, and they were working on it. A few pipes had perished slightly in the engine bay which were getting replaced and a spring at the back.

thanks peeps Rob

[HDi fun]

Firstly, Rob, welcome to Torque Cars. Secondly, thanks for not asking the very common question 'How Can I Add A Turbo'.

You'd be staggered how many think it's as easy as fitting an air freshener

Your 1.8 20v unit is quite flexible even in standard form. It is possible to gain about 10bhp from chip tuning or ECU remapping. But as a non-turbo car this will all happen at the top of the rev range, thus compromising fuel economy. if you make regular use of the (small amount) of extra power.

There are other mods you can do, including air intake and exhaust changes.

I'm not a fan of these because they all tend to come with one common problem. Noise.

Enjoy the site.

[Rob24]

Thanks for the reply HDi fun. I know theres the usual air filter and exhaust changes, and i am abit like yourself and don't really want to be heard a mile off. The chip tuning or re-map sound quite interesting though and i might look into that a bit more.

[turbonutter69]

Welcome mate.

[T9 man]

Greetings and Welcome!

[pgarner]

hey and welcome to the site mate

ohh you bought the non turbo, well at least you didnt buy the 2.0

there are a few options open to you re tuning but youll not see the gains that you would from the turbo or turbo diesel

[HDi fun]

Originally Posted by Rob24

Thanks for the reply HDi fun. I know theres the usual air filter and exhaust changes, and i am abit like yourself and don't really want to be heard a mile off. The chip tuning or re-map sound quite interesting though and i might look into that a bit more.

PGarner is the VAG man par excellence. Whatever I suggest should be cross-checked with him, without hesitation.

He's [PGarner is] right, anything without forced induction (generally without turbocharging, although some mechanically supercharged engines can be tuned well) is quite hard to tune cost effectively.

Superchips, that stalwart of electronic tuning, does offer a 10bhp upgrade for your car, in return for £239. In addition to increasing the top end push a little bit, they will probably also round off the peaks and troughs in the torque curve, giving a drive that possibly feels faster than the extra 10bhp might suggest.

125bhp is not at all bad for a 1.8 litre engine - and VW made good use of the 20 valve head in making it feel surprisingly lively.

The A3 1.8 was never a fast car, but one that never feels underpowered either.

Try a VVTi Vectra 1.8 claiming 140bhp and you'll discover a whole new world of spineless performance and tiresome driving.

There are many makers of drop in panel filter replacement elements which claim to improve breathing. In my opinion, the claims outweigh the benefits.

Exhaust system mods always cost noise in my opinion. Further, if you choose to remove the catalytic converter (which is not, contrary to popular opinion, illegal) and replace with a straight pipe it's very unlikely that the car will meet required emissions standards.

TBH, the 150bhp 1.8T 20 valve is not an electrifying performer. Not in standard tune anyway. It pulls a bit more convincingly in the higher gears, of course, but it's not truly fast.

The upside of the 20 valve engine your car has is that it is capable of outrageously impressive fuel economy, even when driven in a 'spirited' fashion.

[waynne]

Check the rear bushings, these go after about 10 years or so, the rear will clump a bit over bumps if it is badly worn. The temp sensor can also go. Check the service history, especially oil changes have all been kept up with.

Cambelt on my 1.8T is something like 80 or 90k miles but I change them at about half this to be on the safe side and get a metal water pump as the plastic ones can break up.

[HDi fun]

That water pump by cambelt trick is a favourite. My 406 had the same setup but they included the high pressure fuel pump in the mix as well. In fairness though, the change interval was 96,000 but I caved in and had it done at 75, basically through fear.

[Rob24]

Thanks for the reply's and welcoming me to the site chaps, took all the information on board and no doubt will be asking for more advice in the next few days when the car arrives. Rob

[BAD63R]

I think I need to catch up on saying my welcomes lol. So Welcome to the site mate, enjoy. Real friendly bunch on here who are more than happy to help with anything.