K04 on Ebay

intensity

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Canada
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'03 A4 1.8T
Hi Guys,
First time poster here :)

What are the general thoughts on purchasing a K04 turbo off ebay? It would be for my A4 1.8T. Would I see a big boost in power or . . .?

Thanks!
Tyler.
 
Hi Guys,
First time poster here :)

What are the general thoughts on purchasing a K04 turbo off ebay? It would be for my A4 1.8T. Would I see a big boost in power or . . .?

Thanks!
Tyler.

In all probability you would see an increase in power. I have no idea what other work would be required but you will definitely need to get the ECU map altered.

Whether the power increase is at the expense of driveability is a more subjective issue.

By that I mean that 35,000 bhp at 250,000,000 rpm is undoubtedly impressive but a bit of a white elephant if it takes 20 minutes to persuade the thing to get above idle revs in first gear.

Pgarner is the VAG man par excellence.

He's going to end up hating me for these referrals but his knowledge is extensive and accurate.

So, in short. over to you, PG. And. yes, the make up brush is used daily and I'm not even going to consider disclosing how it's deployed. :blink: :lol:
 
lol, that sounds a little bit personaly Paul are you sleeping with him or something?

anyways back to the original post, we aren't all weird like HDIfun is (most of the time) and welcome to the forum,

something to take into consideration is that, is it a quality product you are interested in buying? is it a trusted seller? and does it include the wastegate? because I'd say these are your main concerns at the moment before you get the thing,

and yes using one of those will give you very good performance gains, i can't give you exact figure though as I'm not really a VAG man, (PSA man yes,) something i would say is a more efficient intercooler would be a wise move, so would a more free flow exhaust and a diviter valve upgrade, apparently they are prone to breaking, and of course a remap to make use of everything
 
lol, that sounds a little bit personaly Paul are you sleeping with him or something?

anyways back to the original post, we aren't all weird like HDIfun is (most of the time) and welcome to the forum,

something to take into consideration is that, is it a quality product you are interested in buying? is it a trusted seller? and does it include the wastegate? because I'd say these are your main concerns at the moment before you get the thing,

and yes using one of those will give you very good performance gains, i can't give you exact figure though as I'm not really a VAG man, (PSA man yes,) something i would say is a more efficient intercooler would be a wise move, so would a more free flow exhaust and a diviter valve upgrade, apparently they are prone to breaking, and of course a remap to make use of everything

I'm far far more than weird mate. I'm positively bonkers, in all of my own personalities' opinions. :p:blink:;):lol::eek::(:confused::toung:

All of my personalities gather together from time to time, around a metaphoric table, for an open discussion.

Blimey, it's hard work, still only exhibiting the first few signs of clinical insanity whilst disgusing all of the others.

Yep, HDi is a qualified eccentric.

And, why not? It's us freaks (eccentrics) which helps to keep things on the sensible straight and narrow half sensible route.

And if you believe any of that then, well...........
 
Be careful with what you buy. There is a big difference between a genuine OEM KO4 and a Chinese knock off KO4.

In the main though if you use a reliable seller then there are bargains to be had.

The KO4 will not bolt on to a KO3 exhaust mount. IIRC the KO4 does not require mapping to work but a remap is essential if you want to fully realise the potential of this modification.

Oh and a warm welcome to TorqueCars, nice to meet you - you have great taste in engines :).
 
as said by waynne alot of the stuff on ebay is Chinese copies and few last longer than couple of thousand miles

to give you an idea genuine k04-023 turbo (one used in the 225 1.8t) is around £1300 from audi. so someone selling "genuine" new ones for around £300 and i would be getting suspicious

its the same with the GT28 that are on there for the same price. couple of grand brand new but can be found on ebay or quater of the price

if it is a genuine one then tbh your really not going to see a huge gain if your after power.
the turbo youve got in just now is good for 240 as it is (providing its in good condition) and can take slightly more when hybridised. the kkk 04 is still a pretty weak turbo, more laggy than your current one and only good for 300.

concidering that you need to change the exhaust manifold - dont know if the 04 was ever fitted to a longitudinal engine 1.8t as the A4, know there used in the s4 but that was a v6 and not a 4cylinder - downpipe, injectors and possibly MAF and FPR depending on mapper you might as well go for a better turbo than the k04.
 
Wow - thanks for all the replies! I would have checked sooner had I known ;)

I figured the buying off ebay would be suspect. My car's my baby so it only gets the best. :D

Any chance at a couple more questions?
1) And this is an odd one, I'm not sure how to ask? Let's say you're doing some work to a 1.8T. You are going to be adding modification A, B, C, & D. So maybe an exhaust, a chip, an intercooler, and a new air intake. On their own you'd would see gains in power, combined even more so. However, if combined does the total power equal that of the added individual units? OR, is there a point where one mod doesn't see as much of a power gain because of other mods that have already been done.

2) I'm thinking APR for most everything - thoughts?

Again - thanks!
 
All mods are interdependent. You can't just tot up the torque gains unfortunately. ECU mapping is best left 'til last so that the tuner can accomodate other things.
 
Sorry, yes, what I'm saying is that an intake system will probably give a better account of itself if you also fit a low back pressure exhaust, for example.

But for another example, let's say you ramp up the boost pressure massively and then fit an induction kit. The effect the induction kite has will be minimal by comparison.
 
One more qeustion: I've read that some chips (APR), can actually improve fuel economy. Can anyone comment on this? Not sure I believe it?

(Can you tell I'm a complete novice :) )
 
Sorry, yes, what I'm saying is that an intake system will probably give a better account of itself if you also fit a low back pressure exhaust, for example.

But for another example, let's say you ramp up the boost pressure massively and then fit an induction kit. The effect the induction kite has will be minimal by comparison.

Ok. That's the info I was after! I'm trying to sort out my ride right now. Trying to figure on a few things. I'm icredibly thrilled for my A4. finally I get a big boy car!!
 
Don't chip it. Get the ECU remapped. Fuel economy depends more upondriving style than level of tune.

I never realized there was a difference? If I get it remmaped, isn't it stuck on that remap setup? I though that the chip would at least be able to go back to it's default no?
 
Both methods have their benefits. But chip tuning is generally reserved for cars which cannot be remapped via the diagnostic port.

I generally see chip tuning or tuning boxes are a bit of a botch, although some folks are very happy with them.

A full remap will give better results in general. The tuner can accomodate your mechanical mods as well.

They generally start off by smoothing out the torque curve, removing spurious peaks and troughs. Once this is done the re-mapper will work on the fuel delivery and permissible turbo boost to give an increase in torque and power across the whole rev range. It's very effective.

I had my 2.2 CR diesel tuned this way and it went from 136bhp to 192bhp. Torque went from 235lbft to over 320lbft. And fuel economy improved slightly. Not much, but it certainly did not deteriorate.
 
Could I assume that a remap cost less?

Probably not to be honest. It's a much more time-consuming job. But I think the results are worth it.

Many ask the question about being able to switch between std and performance tune. I cannot see the benefit of being able to do this. Just use your right foot to control the power delivery.
 
I read an article about remapping and how they manage to increase economy and performance, in a nut shell they make the engine run very lean when you are driving normally and they use a slightly rich A/R when you get your foot down but only slightly just to protect the engine, manufactures have loads of variables to take into consideration when devising a map for there car, like where it's sold and who to, everything is based on a compromise. When you get a live map then you get something that is tailored to you to suit your driving style and what you want from the car and also to take into account any modifications you have made, so that's the best way to go but like everyone else has said get it done after your mods, and don't forget that when you have your new mods on there without having it remapped to suit, don't drive around with your foot to the floor as your car will be running far too lean and you will most likely melt the pistons, so take care before your remap, and also remember to service your car properly
 
Guys I don't know any better - is that gonna work?
(I'm laughing as I type that because I really should know.!! Haha!)
 
A4s are pretty well setup brake wise to be honest. Unless you plan to use every last ounce of torque and go as fast as possible in every single situation you're unlikely to find the brakes lacking. Upgraded pads can help. To a point.

In general the more tolerant your pads are of high operating temperatures the less capable they are when cold.
 
Thanks again HDI.

What about the suspension? I'm not sure that I'd need to upgrade it if I'm getting my bhp to arpund 280-300 . . .?
 
to get 280 youll need more work than a few bolt ons and a map
suspension go with the best you can afford, springs and shocks generally give you better comfort than the equivalent coilovers
upgrading the suspension will allow the power down better, plus the stock is pretty poor even on the "sports" suspension
brakes there are plenty of upgrades avalible, but better pads are the best way

mapping - as said look to a proper custom map after youve finished everything else.
the exuast isnt too back its the downpipe that can be very restrictive and a sports cat will help
 
300bhp is possible with the 1.8T engine but it's going to be a savage beast to drive smoothly. If you really want this sort of shove then buy an S4 and have it as standard.
 
the 300 isnt that bad,abeit starting to get a big unsafe on some standard internals, especially with the a4 having a proper quattro system to put the power down. savagery is when you have have folk trying to put down around 600 in a FWD leon

but yeah it would be easier just to buy the S4 which already has 2 K04 turbos on them
 
ok we have a mag in the uk called maxpower they had afeature of apug 106 that had a twin turbos on it 1turbo was connected 2 2cy lon the exhaust and the other 1 was on the second 2 cyl making it atwin turbo 4 pot motor and abmw wth the turbo joined to exit of the exshaust check out maxpower
 
max power, unless its changed alot, is pretty poor. it used to be about loud exhausts and speakers rather than well done cars, more towards the 17-21 year olds who couldnt afford to run a decent car.

2 cylinders to run an exhaust would be pushing it due to the low gas pressures
1 decent mapped turbo would give better figures than 2 poorly run ones
 
How about a 1.4 Twin Turbo, Supercharged 206?
Delivering a massive 175 hp @ 6060 rpm and 224 nm @ 5339 rpm.
All that work for a pathetic number IMO.
 
Be very careful before you buy that turbo as I have bought some that were copies made god knows where and assembled rather crudely in Malaysia ,Singapore, Thailand or China, and sold here in India as the genuine article. They just don't last, and what is worse, they can't even be repaired as the CRA unit most likely is cracked.
 
How about a 1.4 Twin Turbo, Supercharged 206?
Delivering a massive 175 hp @ 6060 rpm and 224 nm @ 5339 rpm.
All that work for a pathetic number IMO.

that's a dp engineering project,

it's running standard internals so massive power isn't possible, the figure aren't impressive but the torque curve is though, it's flat almost all the way though the rev range and makes for easy everyday driving so they say
 
Eibach prokit springs are always good to go for, there a very good uprated spring that will work on the road and track, mainly the road though, they are progressively wound so they remain comfortable for dodgy roads while still being firm when cornering hard,
bilstien b8 shocks are good but non adjustable, if you want adjustable then koni is the way to go, but I think the FSD's are available for the A4 which is the same kind of idea as the eibach springs so they maybe the best to go for, I think you can get uprated ARB's for that as well, Whiteline is supposed to be good, but don't go much thinker on the front else the ride will become very uncomfortable
 

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