New Beetle Tuning

"Penny (fast) Lane is in your heart!"

The Beetle is a fantasic car loved by it's owners. Buying one brings you membership to an exclusive club of drivers.

Now that it uses many VAG group parts there are plenty of car tuning parts around for them and some serious performance can be yours for a relatively small outlay.

Many were somewhat concerned when VW announced they were going to remake the VW beetle. Die hard fans of the classic original were never going to approve of it. If this is you then try viewing this as a totally new car rather than a replacement.

The new Beetle was updated in 2011 - the A5 and we have an A5 Beetle Tuning Guide here.

(We also have a mini site for Vdubbers who are fans of the classic beetle here.)

There were a couple of popular engine options.

The NASP 1.8 - forget this it really is quite lifeless and the only way to make substantial power gains is to do an engine swap with the Turbo. Even adding a turbo to the NASP 1.8 is an engineering nightmare.

So the 1.8T is the engine of choice and can be very easily tuned without requiring extensive mods. A later 3.2 RSi model was released showing just how much performance this capable chassis can handle.

Please watch our video introduction to VW Tuning.

You can have either the 150ps or 180ps in the 1.8T guise but both offer similar tuning potential, the injectors and intake ports are slightly better on the 180. (Other performance choices include the extremely rare 3.2 RSi and the silky smooth 2.3 V5 engine). A fuel pressure regulator will help deliver enough fuel to your tuned Beetle engine especially if you had the 150ps version.

The new beetle didn't get the powerful diesel engines with a maximum of the 1.9TDi 105bhp which can incidentally be chipped easily to around 130bhp.

Engine swaps are quite popular mods for this model, here are engine guides to all the VAG engines we've covered.

• 1.4 1.5 TFSi tuning
• 1.4 TSi/TFSi/Twincharge tuning
• 1.8T engine Tuning
• 1.8 & 2.0 TFSi (mk1) Tuning
• 1.8 2.0 TFSi (ea888) Tuning
• 2.0 TFSi carbon issue & care guide
• 2.5tfsi tuning
• 3.0 V6 24v TFSI Tuning
• 2.8 V6 30 valve, 24 valve 3.0 V6 30v and 3.2 VR6 Tuning
• 3.6 VR6 Tuning
• 1.6 TDi tuning
• 1.9 TDi tuning
• 2.0 TDI 140-170 tuning
• 2.0 TDI tuning (EA188)
• 2.5 TDI tuning
• 2.7 & 3.0 TDI tuning

Handling is a little skittish, probably due to the height of the car, we would therefore advise that you lower the car with stiffer springs and shocks. Get adjustable shocks so you can set this up to suit your driving style.

Most of the modifications we see are visual mods, and this car lends itself nicely to the depiction of a trendy lifestyle. Engine mods are easy to find as the 1.8T VAG engine is shared with so many other models from Skoda, Seat, Audi and VW. A tune/remap is the best value modification, with the addition of a sports exhaust and induction kit you can create a more aggressive sounding car.

The following modifications are usually performed by our members, decide how far you want to go before you begin.

Getting the right mods for your planned usage of the car is vital. Stage 3 (competition) mods just don't work well on the road.

Please watch our video which covers the 5 principles of tuning your car. Be sure to keep up with our latest YouTube content and subscribe.

Best mods for your Beetle

1. Lighter flywheels - a reduced weight flywheel will improve the engines free revving nature. But not always suitable for all Beetle engines.
2. Internal engine mods - crank, pistons, conrods & compression ratio including balancing and blueprinting
3. Brake Mods - Improve your Beetle's stopping power needs to be listed in your priority list.
4. Tunes - Beetle engine tuning/remapping ensures the most power in terms of cost, aftermarket ECUs, and piggyback ECUs are all alternatives.
5. Air Induction and Sports Exhausts - NB: on their own these mods won't ADD POWER in most cases, but they can help lift power after other mods by losing a restriction.
6. Turbo upgrades - forced induction is the most efficient approach to increase air supply, which permits you to burn more fuel and make power gains. It is one of the most costly modifications but provides the best gains.
7. Fast road Camshafts are significant power adders, but they must be fitted by someone who knows what they are doing and you might struggle to find one but you might have a local firm to regrind a stock cam .
8. Beetle Suspension Upgrades - Fitting a more sporty Suspension kit greatly enhances your Beetle road holding and cornering. Coilovers and Bushings are the usual go to mods

Beetle Tuning Stages

Typical stage 1 mods often include: Exhaust, Panel air filter, Engine Tunes/Remapping, lighter flywheel

Typical stage 2 mods often include: Ported and polished head, Fast road cam, fuel injector & fuel pump upgrades,power clutch

Typical stage 3 mods: Engine balancing, adding or upgrading forced induction (turbo/supercharger), Internal engine upgrades (pistons/head/valves), competition cam, sports gearbox.

Upgrades to the Beetle's braking system

Before you start thinking about disc modifications, consider the brake pads you'll be using. In terms of stopping power, the brake pads are more important than the discs, and worn brake pads may cause the braking system of your Beetle to fail altogether, therefore it is necessary to maintain them in good condition.

Brakes are essential because they must be able to bring a vehicle to a full stop fast while travelling at a greater rate of speed, which is characteristic of a car tuning project.

A brake delivers pressure to a friction pad against the disc, converting the vehicle's motion into heat. This may result in a great deal of wear and tear, and it is undoubtedly a source of stress that should be addressed immediately.

TorqueCars recommend that you uprate your brakes as one of your first modifications. You will probably find that the Audi TT, RS and Golf VR6 larger discs will fit quite happily and there are plenty of aftermarket brake upgrade kits around now for the Beetle.

Beetle Alloy wheel upgrades.

As alloy wheels are less heavy they improve performance and they will help to cool the brake disks.

We can't go into too much detail here about tires but they are how the car puts the power down on the road so are a critical choice. soft compound tires work well on Beetle, and make a big difference over budget tires.

The downside to large rims on your Beetle is that you're altering your effective final drive ratio and this will have a detrimental effect on acceleration and performance.

Due to this try to keep the overall rolling diameter of the wheel your OEM settings. In all cases not going over 17 inches.

The large arches are just crying out for bigger wheels but we suggest that you read up on the pros and cons of wheel mods in our tuning section.

TorqueCars suggest a maximum size of 18" wheels (with 225-40 tyres) but, have seen larger rims fitted with no adverse affects with a few other modifications.

Remapping the Beetle

What is the best way to determine if maps are the best option? Consider the challenge VW faces, in most cases, some tinkering with local fuel emission regulations and operating temperatures is necessary in order to get a universally applicable setting.

Weather changes, slight manufacturing errors, and bad weather conditions are all accounted for in the OEM factory Map. It is uncommon for nations to set separate targets for CO2, HC, and NOx emissions so usually a map will conform to the lowest common denominator.

VW also utilise engine tunes or remaps to increase the power of their engines in order to cut insurance costs, improve fuel economy, and improve the overall performance of their vehicles offering two or more models based on the same mechanical parts but with different maps.

Additionally, since the vast majority of TorqueCars users will be updating their components to better spec ones, a tune/remap makes sense and should be performed after any other modifications have been made to the vehicle.

In addition to needing more frequent routine maintenance, clogged air filters and injectors, as well as filthy plugs and leads, are some of the issues that may arise which wouldn't have shown up on the OEM map.

If you want to improve the performance of your Beetles engine, you may want to consider engine tuning/remapping it.

All turbocharged VW engines have the potential to be tuned/remapped to provide an extra 20 percent to 30 percent in power.

Beetle Turbo Upgrades

NA (naturally aspirated) engines need quite a lot of work when you add a turbo, so we have a separate guide to help you take into account the pros and cons of going this route on your Beetle

The more air you can get into an engine, the more fuel it can burn and uprating the induction with a turbocharger upgrade makes superb power gains.

If a car is fitted with a turbocharger parts are giving better power gains and turbo charged engines are made using many forged and stronger components.

Turbo limits - safe should retain factory reliability and longevity, the Max however is pushing to the limits and will certainly shorten the turbos lifespan.

Each of the K03, K03s, and K04 models is different but generally the K04 is the most powerful and better turbo, but has a little more low end lag.

There are reliable limits for every engine, with some being incredibly solid and some only just able to handle stock power

See where you'll find these limitations and install more solid crank and pistons to survive the power.

We see many people spending a loads of money on turbo upgrades on the Beetle only to experience the engine block explode soon after it's been enthusiastically driven.

Larger turbochargers will usually suffer no power at low rpm, and smaller turbochargers spool up much more quickly but do not have the high rpm torque gains.

Over the last 20 years the world of turbochargers is always increasing and we commonly find variable vane turbochargers, where the vane angle is altered according to speed to lower lag and increase top end performance.

Twin scroll turbochargers divert the exhaust flow into 2 channels and flow these at differently angled vanes in the turbo charger. They also help the scavenging effect of the engine.

You'll commonly see there's a limit in the air flow sensor AFM/MAP on the Beetle when considerably more air is being sucked into the engine.

We note 4 bar air sensors coping with quite large power gains, whereas the OEM air sensor limited performance at a much lower level.

The K03 turbo was in production from 1996 to 2000, when it was superseded by the K03s turbo, which was introduced in 2001. However, depending on the nature and origin of the vehicle, it may have been outfitted at any point between these dates.

For automobiles, the 1.8T AGU engines with K03 turbochargers were made Other features of these engines include a mass air flow sensor, a cable-operated throttle, and smaller injectors, among other things.

In AUM engines, MAF and MAP sensors are installed as standard equipment. These engines are more efficient and responsive as a result of the improved drive-by-wire throttle systems. Even though Stigan and BorgWarner are two of the most well-known turbocharged K03, K03s, and K04 engine manufacturers in the world, there are countless others as well.

K03 and K03s were available in two different sizes: the teeny K03 and K03s and the larger K04. Despite the fact that the K04 is more powerful than the K04, it takes up much more room.

The KO3 and KO3s are distinguishable from one another in a variety of ways.

The number of blades included inside each turbo is the most significant distinction between them. Unlike the K03, the K03s has just eight blades, whereas the K03 has eleven. This is owing to the fact that the K03 has a larger blade count.

Despite the fact that the kind of turbos does not matter, the actuator that opens the turbine bypass valve might differ significantly. A two-port actuator is included in some models, and it is available in a torque range of 65 N to 85 N.

Stronger actuators are often needed to open the valves on 180-horsepower engines because of the increased boost pressure provided by the engines.

Increased power is not uncommon for hybrid turbochargers, which are equipped with larger intake compressors. Several hybrid automobile manufacturers have used this strategy in their product development.

Join us in the forum to discuss all aspects of Beetle tuning and modification with our friendly and enthusiastic members. We have quite a few VAG owners among us who are absolutely moddin mad!

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This article is flagged for an update, so please pass on specific tips below that I can include. All articles, and content was written by me, Waynne Smith TorqueCars founder. Some outlines are just too general so I appreciate your feedback and suggestions. This entry was filed under Volkswagen. You can leave a response below or join our forum to discuss this article and car modification in detail with our members.

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