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From YourSITE.com Technical Features When an owner does power upgrades his or her car, it’s natural to want to measure those gains. This curiosity for reporting is even more apparent in test-cases such as our Project A3. Having installed an APR exhaust, APR ECU and Carbonio intake, such testing and reporting is long overdue. This car received its first engine upgrades roughly one year ago in preparation for the SEMA show in Las Vegas, and with a full system having since taken shape, the expected trip to the dyno wasn’t just expected, it was mandatory.
Initially, this was the only car with the exhaust and the StageII reflash was programmed to take full advantage of the 3-inch exhaust system and its ability to flow more air. Given that the car was running beta software, it was believed that dyno testing should wait until a finalized program was flashed onto the A3 – another reason it was decided to wait to test. Now on the final product, we can report that the car is running beautifully and used as a daily commute vehicle as well as a periodic autocrosser. Simply installing an exhaust on a 2.0T car will net an audible change, but minimal power gains without software upgrades as well. An upgraded software program or StageII reflash is necessary to make use of the newfound ability to remove excess air more quickly than is done via the factory exhaust.
After the reflash is done, our A3 gained considerable torque and horsepower, making the exhaust system worth the upgrade. As shown on the dyno charts, with 91 octane gasoline, the car is consistently putting down about 210 whp and roughly 225-230 wtq. All dyno sessions were performed at Dyno-Comp in Scottsdale, AZ. DynoComp uses an Australian dynamometer from Dynamax. More information can be found about Dyno-Comp and their tuning facility via the company’s website at http://www.dynocomp.com/tuner.php. Dyno-Comp’s Dynamax hardware utilizes low roller inertia that produces perfect accuracy and sensitivity for numbers generated. The Dynamax is said to produce lower numbers than other dynos, but these numbers are said to be very true to what the car would actually experience out on the road. This is important to mention because these numbers may appear lower than results of similar upgrades from other types of dynamometers. The torque curve for the APR software bolsters the very drivable behind the wheel impressions, showing relatively flat power and torque curves.
Another concern consumers have about chip tuning is how the new software will effect economy. We’re pleased to report that fuel consumption since the ECU upgrade remains at a good 24-26MPG over a whole tank during mixed driving on and off highway – about the same as we’ve experienced in previously tested A3s with the same drivetrain. Another significant addition added to our A3 Project is a new Eurojet Racing front mounted intercooler (FMIC) upgrade. Already having a factory FMIC, the A3 is already quite effective at cooling during the intense summer heat our particular car experiences in Arizona, however Eurojet saw room for improvement.
Eurojet racing was started by two hardcore Audi/VW enthusiasts in Tempe, Arizona. In addition to one of the first 2.0T FMIC upgrade kits on the market, Eurojet is busily developing other offerings such as even more intercooler kits, coolant hose kits, their own racing seats and more. Eurojet’s FMIC kit is constructed of fully-polished, large radius, mandrel bent 2.5” stainless steel. The intercooler core and end tanks are sized specifically for the fifth generation A-platform from Volkswagen AG, which includes the Audi A3. As with other Eurojet kits, our A3 upgrade included Eurojet’s own 5-ply silicone couplers and stainless steel T-Bolt clamps.
Installation of the kit is a bit more involved than designs for previous-generation A-platform cars, but still nothing to be scared of. On the A3, as well as the corresponding fifth-generation Volkswagen GTI and Jetta models, no trimming is needed to make the core or pipes fit. From the engine bay you can see the polished piping peak from below the throttle body, and Eurojet will also be offering satin black powder coating soon to draw less attention and offer the “OEM/sleeper” look. Installation is fairly straightforward, but best left to a shop if you are not up to the task. Our A3 owner chose to go with installation, which Eurojet was kind enough to provide. First impressions of the car marked noticeable gains. During the first drive, the performance increase was immediately apparent. The A3 pulled with more grunt in the mid and high range because it was breathing more easily, due to the cooler air helped through the veins of the intercooler and the less restrictive pipes. There is much speculation whether an aftermarket intercooler would outperform the factory front-mount unit. Eurojet stands behind their product with technical data and logs to show that their aftermarket system does outperform the OEM piece, especially in desert environments such as the one that our A3 project car calls home.
The Eurojet core is not as tall as the OEM piece but the tank is larger and not positioned directly behind the radiator or in front of the A/C condenser, allowing it better access to the airflow. As you can see from the pictures, like most aftermarket FMIC’s the EuroJet piece sits right up front, behind the large opening of the center grill, in order to gain access to as much cool air as possible. Initial dyno tests and logging showed a base 12 WHP gain on Eurojet’s 2.0T-powered Volkswagen GTI (6spd manual). From their back to back dyno session from stock FMIC to our upgraded system, the gains were immediately evident. After 12 back-to-back runs on the stock core heat-soak effectively drained 20 WHP and almost 30 ft/lbs of torque. After the dyno session the following day, with the upgraded system and on top of the base power gains, only 3-4 WHP and 4-5 ft/lbs were lost by the 6th run. Continuing from there, by the 9th and 10th runs the numbers were back up to where they had started all the way to the final and 16th back to back run. Also while the dyno, logs were made on both days for Intake Air Temperature (IAT) and Pre-Intercooler Temperatures, first with the stock core, then with the new FMIC. After the upgrade, not only did the average temperature drop (while ambient temperatures stayed constant), they also actually dipped as the core dissipated heat rather than spiking as they had previously. Results would likely vary from car to car, expecially with different transmissions.
In other news, Fourtitude is proud to announce that the newly printed inaugural issue of DubFest Magazine (DFM) recently reported on our Project A3 DSG as a feature car. Thanks to DFM for giving the car additional recognition. With so many modifications made to Project A3 DSG, one can easily surmise that this project series has reached its twilight. Virtually every aspect of this car has been modified where there is an aftermarket solution available for an upgrade, and in some places where no one had yet addressed, such as our S4 Recaro seat upgrade. Fourtitude’s Project A3 DSG series has reached its twilight, and many may have already seen the car up for sale by its owner in our classifieds forums. Expect one last installment for Project A3 DSG, focusing on engine mounts from VF Engineering before the end of the year.
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