Not really on the original thread itself but I am wondering if I should avoid Turbos in general. The high temperature and mechanical complexity frequently result in costly failures (not to mention of Octane 91 gas requirement). For ones who use the turbo's mighty hp only at times, would it be better go with nonturbo but larger engine (to achieve the similar hp)?

 

Personaly, I'm a turbo fan.. You have a point regarding expenses though, it can get costly when you hit high miles or have an incident.
I also owed an 2001 Audi S4 (has the same engine) and had no problems with the turbos. I had installed a GIAC chip and S-flo intake on that car aswell so plenty of HP being pushed through the system.
So utimately it could be the case of luck.

 

The tiptronic transmission is built to withstand up to 300 ft/lb of torque. If you go to stage 3, you will be well over that amount of torque... probably pushing 400 ft/lb. If you do that, you might be back here next month complaining that your transmission took a dump on your next business trip. You don't wan that to happen!

So, your shop is trying to keep you within the tolerances of the transmission. That's a good thing.

You could still go with aftermarket parts, and even increase the performance somewhat without going full tilt to stage 3. It might be a good idea to talk with the guys at APR (www.goapr.com). They are very knowledgeable and I'm sure they'd be willing to offer some advice.

 

You should post this in audiworld.com allroad forums. Lots of experience over there...you'll get a lot of feedback.

 

I had a '88 Ford Thunderbird Turbocoupe years ago that the original owner had hot rodded a bit. It was pushing about 275 hp (stock was 190) and my dad drove it from 100K to 200k (HARD) I got it then and thrashed it for another 50k and sold it. The engine and turbo was still strong then and didn't even get synthetic oil. I suspect turbo durability is largely just luck.

 

Is 300 ft/lbs the absolute limit for the 5 speed tip or would the GIAC reprogram change that?

 

I would talk to GIAC personally, or ask this question on the audiworld.com forums. There are many more highly knowledgeable people over there.

My assumption is that the limitation is a physical, mechanical limit. Changing the software isn't going to change the limits of torque that a main shaft or gear set can withstand. I'm sure there is a margin of error, and you will probably be okay. There are many people who chip them, and I'm not aware of any transmission failures.

However, pushing it to 400 or 450 HP (as noted above) will be taking a big risk for sure. I just know that with both of my 2.7T allroads, I chose not to chip just for that reason. I didn't want to risk a $10k bill for a new tranny.

 

I'm sure as hell am never going to push 400 through the auto. I was looking at the pump gas chip good for 310 and around 330 ft/lbs.

 

APR chipping is supposed to be good for 358 ft/lbs and available through the Audi dealership. I like to think that they wouldn't be setting customers up for failure by overpowering their transmissions.

 

Any mod you do to add hp will make your car less reliable and more at risk for problems. 10 or 20 hp from intakes and exhaust won't cause your tranny to break or your turbo's to blow. But you chip your car and add an intake, exhaust, downpipe, etc your talking close to a 100hp and torque increase. This will put added stress on your car, don't let anyone lie to you and say it will be more reliable than stock, so on and so forth. That's why Audi made these cars so detuned because detuning= longer lasting. Now you may get lucky and not have problems for years or you could be like me and have your turbo's go out a month after a chip. Coincidence? Maybe? I had 100k on my car so chipping it with that many miles I knew I was taking a chance. My Tranny is still fine but I did service it at 90k (don't believe that it never needs a filter change). I enjoy the added power of the chip and other mods I have done. But do so knowing that if something breaks that's the price you pay for fun. If you want a car as reliable as possible leave it stock. And on second thought don't get an Audi especially the 2.7t. German cars ain't cheap to fix and the 2.7t is possibly the most maintenance hungry engine of all time. But damn its fun to drive.