A3 1.8T 150bhp AGU engine Mods/Upgrades

Gerry2many

Gerry2many

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Hi all, Just bought my first Audi which is a 2000 a3 1.8t AGU 150bhp a few weeks ago and was wondering what you guys recommend for a bit more bhp.

Car came with a front mounted intercooler (which sticks out through the bumper) also a K&N cold feed (non filter version, direct from intercooler), upgraded SS exhaust (not sure of brand) dump valve and boost gauge.

The guy who sold me it claims it has been remapped to 180bhp but had no receipt to prove as his friend apparently mapped it. The car feels quick so this may be true but I've never had an audi a3 so I'm not a great judge.
My boost gauge also seems to max out at 0.5 and was also wondering if this is right?

Seen a few posts about the ko3s turbo upgrade and was thinking about going for one but would like to see what you guys think before I go ahead with it.

Any ideas welcomed! Would like to add that I've recently serviced the car to prepare it for any extra mods.
 
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been looking at the stickies but wanted to know what is the best route to take with what's already on my car
 
Also depends on who you can find to tune AGU ECU's as tuners than can and have the tools for these old ECU's are getting thin on the ground...

<tuffty/>
 
well let's say my budget is £300 at the moment, what is the next best thing to install, bearing in mind I'm no mechanic and couldn't do a turbo upgrade myself

Also forgot to mention my car has 150k on the clock so is there anything that I should be looking to clean out or replace at this point?
 
what would my car benefit from the most at this point to improve bhp by a decent margin apart from the turbo? And say I did get a ko3s, I guess the car would need another remap?
 
Not much for that as a remap cost that Yeah it would need remapping again if you did
 
Put it on a rolling road and see if it's been remapped if it's not get a stage 2 map on put on it but as tuffty says you might struggle to find someone that can do it
 
how do I tell if the car is ready for a stage 2? I've only just got the car and its my first turbo car, never done remaps or anything, sorry if I seem a bit clueless.

also anyone know if my boost gauge is supposed to only go to 0.5 bar? Or is it broke?
 
I'm no expert but why would someone make all those other mods without a map first.

surely it is already mapped to 180-190 bhp ?

you can buy Android Torque and OBD2 Blue tooth which will give you a rough idea of wheel torque and HP as long as you use the tool correctly on a straight flat road and the correct vehicle + fluids and passenger weight if that is 140-150 you know if has already been mapped as you can add 15% to those figures.
 
I read something about Agu engines have a crap ecu and not compatible with the Bluetooth thing and torque app ☹
 
If it has the exhaust, front mount intercooler get and a aftermarket tip (turbo intake pipe) than it's ready for a stage 2 map
 
right so it should be ready for a stage 2 if what ur saying is correct, I'm thinking of upgrading the turbo in the next 6 months so should I just wait till i get the ko3s then get the stage 2?
 
and would it be possible to swap the ecu from an aum engine? Or that too far fetched...
 
I would and in the mean time try to find someone to map it. Also I'd look at improving the handling and brakes you can get s3 brakes and coilovers fairly cheap. It might not be rapid but it will handle better in the corners
 
not that Iif you are going to upgrade the turbo get a decent hybrid K03 framed turbo rather than one slightly better - its not a 5 minute job to remove it and if you are as unlucky as me you will find no end of other bits requiring an upgrade too.

http://r-techperformance.co.uk/vag/...-seat-skoda/1-8t-k04-k03-hybrid-turbo-tuning/

not that I have upgraded my turbo - just getting to it highlighted no end of issues.
 
think its already been lowered, I'm hitting speed bumps and scraping the front bumper spoiler/splitter every time, the front calipers look pretty new too but don't know if they are a3 or s3's
 
does anyone think I could be wasting my time on a car with 150k miles on it or are these engines bombproof and worth the risk?
 
from what I read on another post the ko3s is the best option since it is apparently a straight swap and should give about an extra 30bhp straight away without a remap
 
Any ko3 hybrid is a straight swap turbo wise. It's your turbo but with the insides changed/upgraded to make it more powerful but cost more and will also need a few other bits but would gain a lot more power (300 HBO) how much you plan to put in the car.
 
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yeah I read that too when looking at the various 1.8T cars to buy

"straight swap" is still potentially - removing the sump, changing the oil pump, oil pickup, oil lines, turbo bracket, maybe drilling off the seized manifold bolts and downpipe bolts, setting up the actuator etc.

--- regarding the 150K - my car has done 137K and I am still trying to improve it bit by bit and although it is used daily - it doesn't matter if it breaks down as I have a spare car. I think of it like overclocking a PC its worth the risk for the fun side but if it overheats and breaks I did too much and will have to shrug it off.
 
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ok well that helps a little, someone said u cant polish a **** but I'm gonna give it a go anyway haha
 
Stuart B said:
yeah I read that too when looking at the various 1.8T cars to buy

"straight swap" is still potentially - removing the sump, changing the oil pump, oil pickup, oil lines, turbo bracket, maybe drilling off the seized manifold bolts and downpipe bolts, setting up the actuator etc.

--- regarding the 150K - my car has done 137K and I am still trying to improve it bit by bit and although it is used daily - it doesn't matter if it breaks down as I have a spare car. I think of it like overclocking a PC its worth the risk for the fun side but if it overheats and breaks I did too much and will have to shrug it off.
Click to expand...

Yeah the "few other bits" made it sound easy
 
tj that link u gave for the ko3 is £750, I've seen brand new ko3s on eBay for £200 so what's the difference apart from the £500 extra?
 
This is not a ko3s a ko3s is 180 Bhp the hybrid is capable of 300bhp basically they take a ko3 and make a whole lot better. Those new ko3s on eBay will be cheap Chinese copy's that you want to avoid phone Audi and see if you can get a genuine ko3s for less than 700 (I doubt it)
 
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wow interesting, I thought u made a typo earlier when u said 300... Lol
 
well thanks everyone who posted, some very good points were made and I appreciate your input

will make a new thread when I get my next upgrade and let you know how it goes
 
No don't get me wrong it's not just a case of slap on the turbo you will also need a new exhaust manifold,bigger injectors,new fuel pump,custom map and forged engine internals like I said before it all depends on how far you want to go. Hope I didn't mislead you that it was a simple job
 
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that's if I wanted to go down the 300bhp route yeh? I'm aiming for 220-240 then ill be happy
 
I will be surprised if you get 220-240 out of a k03s (maxed out at 210 as far as I know they are quite small and only go from 2500 - approx 5000 rpm whereas an S3's K04 will go from 2800 - approx 6400) - the next common step is to replace all the S3 / LCR bits in to get 250-265 (turbo, TIP, charge pipe, maf, ecu, fuel rail, injectors, inlet, exhaust etc etc. new downpipe will be needed as it is side exit etc. second hand people sell that for > 1K


to be fair you only really get the max BHP at max RPM so unless you want to drive around on the red line all the time you wont usually see that - I think 250 lb/ft is ample torque for a bit of fun in the lanes or to overtake especially in an A3 is it is 400KG lighter than an S3

https://www.torquecars.com/audi/18t-tuning.php <-- this is quite interesting although a bit old now - and doesn't discuss beach buggy turbos or the alternative newer designed hybrids.
 
feeling quite embarrased... Just got beat by a fiesta St 3 times in a row on the motorway... Need to do something asap! Lol help
 
should get 220-240 out a ko3s, the car has 180 bhp just now with the standard turbo remapped, even if I only get to 210 I would settle for that, not far off
 
Which model? They are quick I ve been had in my s3 before (250 bhp) after all the st is a hot hatch
 
Gerry2many said:
and would it be possible to swap the ecu from an aum engine? Or that too far fetched...
Click to expand...
Not a straight swap... Me7 is drive by wire not cable throttle for a start so lots of wiring and fail potential especially when you can just buy one already done...

<tuffty/>
 
I would set your sights on 200-210 if you're set on getting a K03S, but you're unlikely to get more Getting the standard exhaust manifold ported will help if you want to push the turbo as far as it'll go.

As said, there are only a few tuners that will map your ECU, i'd call a few and see what they advise they can realistically do with your set-up.
 
audi upgrades
Erikn89nl said:
Or look into a wideband ecu conversion, if you are serious about tuning this car.
Click to expand...
He mentioned using an AUM ECU in a previous post dude... not realistically viable dur to the amount of stuff you need to change on an AGU to get it working with an ME7.5...

Better off doing what Prawn did and go Emerald standalone with the plug and play cable then any decent tuner should be able to map the car... (even Prawn manages it!! ;) )

<tuffty/>
 
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