Unnecessary Strain?

[Stuart_D]

Question: Does chipping a 1.4 TDi put the engine/gearbox under damaging strain or too much additional wear?

What are your thoughts?

[img=left]http://www.a2forum.net/stuart.gif[/img=left]Stuart Diamond: (mailto:Stuart@Audi-A2.co.uk) A2OC Founder | Forum Administrator

2001 TDi SE: (http://www.audi-a2.co.uk/uk1.htm) Cobalt Blue Metallic | Open Sky Roof | Kenwood Mask CD | Front Centre Armrest | Front Centre Tray

A2OC Website (http://www.audi-a2.co.uk/index1.htm) | 2004 A2OC Competitions (http://www.audi-a2.co.uk/comps.htm)

[EF MAX]

I would have to say that a lot must depend on the way you drive your car. Today's engines are built a lot better and stronger and use better materials so they should cope easily with normal driving plus a fair bit of abuse.

I don't drive mine with an less respect, it is just that I now have the ability to drive it faster if I want to.

In theory, my need to redline this or any car is dramatically reduced as the car's ability to develop so much more torque means you do not have to work the car so hard.

70mph is still 70mph regardless to car being chipped or un-chipped.

My service indicator doesn't seem to have changed much, my fuel economy seems to be good, still getting 60+mpg @ 70mph. On a full tank of fuel, on a bad day we are looking at 350mls from tank to tank fill up, but on a good day I have had just shy of 600miles. So all in all it was £300 well spent.

[Stuart_D]

EF - I agree with what you are saying, but getting to the 70mph if flooring the accelerator must create more wear over time - through the gears and of the engine. Or not?

[img=left]http://www.a2forum.net/stuart.gif[/img=left]Stuart Diamond: (mailto:Stuart@Audi-A2.co.uk) A2OC Founder | Forum Administrator

2001 TDi SE: (http://www.audi-a2.co.uk/uk1.htm) Cobalt Blue Metallic | Open Sky Roof | Kenwood Mask CD | Front Centre Armrest | Front Centre Tray

A2OC Website (http://www.audi-a2.co.uk/index1.htm) | 2004 A2OC Competitions (http://www.audi-a2.co.uk/comps.htm)

[rod_bunny]

Depends on how far you 'chip' it?
If you were to extract say 500bhp from the engine and try it, then yes, because downstream from the engine something would 'give' be it clutch, gearbox, drive train, tyres grip even.

But engines from manufacturers are rarely set up for max power/torque etc they are set up to meet emissions tests, which means that they will generally have room to spare to allow for more power. More power being the average that one could extract by normal methods, not just strapping a great bit turbo and NOS kit on the engine.

When I get a new motorbike the FIRST things I change after the first 1000km service is the exhaust, air filter and carb settings (or chipped now that most have gone to injection) and go up about 3 teeth on the rear sprocket. All these changes dont just make the bike quicker (in fact the gearing change will reduce top end but get there quicker) but easier to ride normally - it breathes better.

Best analogy is... breathe through a straw for a while... and when you breathe normally is there more wear on you lungs, heart etc???



Cheers
Rod