The topic of Audi diesel tuning is very, very broad. If you are reading this, you are probably curious about Diesel technology or at least an Audi Diesel owner who wants to increase the power and, therefore, the performance of your car. In any case, you might find it interesting to read more about the history of Audi Diesel engines. Let's return to the 80s and 90s for a moment to discuss Audi Diesel history and then jump quickly back to the present day and the options we can offer for tuning your Audi.
The first AUDI performance diesel engines
The writer is of the opinion that the initial success of Audi diesel engines originated in the use of the turbodiesel propulsion unit (also used on the legendary Golf GTD), which is a 4-cylinder in-line 1600 with 2 valves per cylinder, waste-gate turbocharger, and mechanical injection system with rotary pump. The first version of this engine had about 70hp, and then, with the addition of the air-to-air intercooler, the power increased to 80hp with further improved performance and consumption.
This engine was already used on the Audi 80, and Golf GTD owners immediately appreciated the response and performance. Although this may be considered poor today, it was a new benchmark for the time, especially for a small 1600, and many began to tune it. Tuning was relatively simple since adjusting the waste-gate valve and fine-tuning the injection pump by loosening a locknut and adjusting the fuel delivery screw provided increases of 10-15 horsepower and more without compromising the exhaust fumes and fuel consumption.
Many drivers in the second half of the 80s and the beginning of the 90s had to reconsider their opinion on the performance of diesel engines, previously considered suitable only for high mileage drivers always on the road like salesmen and businessmen. Audi was definitely a key manufacturer for this mental shift, along with other brands that changed the history of diesel, like BMW with its 6-cylinder in-line TDS. It was an engine with unique characteristics at the time (if you are interested in the history of BMW diesel, you can read about it here https://seletron.com/it/shop/bmw).
AUDI diesel tuning, a 1900 that introduced crucial innovations.
In the '90s, a major innovation marked a turning point in turbocharging: the variable geometry turbocharger (VGT) used on the 4-cylinder 1900TDI, which initially mounted a traditional turbocharger (appreciated even then) with a waste-gate valve and an air-to-air intercooler that increased the power of the 1900 to 90hp. With the introduction of the VGT, turbocharging pressures became available at lower engine speeds, while at higher engine speeds, the conditions became favorable for generating greater power.
The 1900TDI with this type of turbocharger used on all the VW-AUDI group ( including SEAT but then also sold to Ford for its Galaxy) reaches a record power of 110hp. This engine has been tuned thousands and thousands of times in Italy, and the 1900TDI uses an injection system with an electronically controlled rotary pump (direct injection). By altering the electronic injection control and turbo pressure, it is possible to obtain very high increases in power and torque. Newer 1900TDI units then gained a more sophisticated injector-pump injection system, i.e., injectors with individual electronically controlled pumping units mounted on their heads. The 1900s equipped with this revolutionary injection system have power outputs of 101hp, 105hp, 115hp, 130hp, 150hp, and even 160hp.
AUDI diesel tuning, early experiences on the 5-cylinder TDI
Among the earliest electronic upgrades of Audi Diesel are those implemented with additional digital control units on the 5-cylinder in-line 2500TDI used on the A6. This engine has 2 valves per cylinder, a fixed geometry turbocharger, air-to-air intercooler, electronic management of the rotary injection pump with 5 outputs, and power of 140 hp. This Audi engine produced an extra 30 hp with our VP37 chip tuning unit.
AUDI diesel tuning, the arrival of 2000 TDI injectors-pump
Audi's first 2-liter turbodiesel units use a pump-injector injection system and have an 8-valve or 16-valve cylinder head, depending on whether there is a particulate filter. In both cases, they have 140 hp, which we have increased on several occasions with our PDE chip tuning units. They read the standard injection times and prolong them sequentially together through the electronic management of the turbo pressure. These more modern 2-liters always use a variable geometry turbocharger. Significant increases in power and torque are obtained even for this 4-cylinder, with peaks of over 25/30hp.
AUDI diesel tuning, the arrival of the common rail
Then, the well-known common-rail system was also launched by Audi. The engines benefiting from this injection system are the 3000TDI and 2700TDI V6 that replaced the old 2500TDI V6 available with 150 hp to 180 hp and powered by a special high-pressure injection pump with radial pistons and fully electronic control (also with CAN bus).
The 3-liter TDI engines are another big step forward in not making those who bought these V6 TDIs regret their gasoline engines. The power varies depending on the model, starting with the generous 204hp and going up to 218hp, 224hp, 233hp, 240hp, and then beyond with the more powerful 245hp 272hp, 313hp, and 326hp versions that also use 2-stage turbocharging systems.
Audi TDI V6 engines are a technological gem, and they compete with the excellent and powerful 3-liters produced by BMW and Mercedes. They deliver high performance even on heavier models such as the A6, A5, A8, and the various Audi SUVs. The elaboration of these engines with our additional control units gives great satisfaction, with increases on some models of over 40hp and over 80Nm! Even the 2-liter 16 valve TDIs are all common rail, with powers of 120hp, 140hp, 150hp, 170hp, 177hp and 190hp.
We continually receive requests for chip tuning additional units to increase the power of the Audi 2.0TDI, and the increases obtainable with CHIPBOX are very generous. Depending on the model, this can mean an extra 25-30hp with high torque increases. A considerable advantage of Audi common-rail tuning is that, compared to the previous ones with pump injectors or electronic rotary pumps, no electrical connections are needed. The installation of our chip tuning modules for increasing the power of Audi Diesels is very easy and doesn't leave any fingerprints, just connect to the engine wiring in a few points of the injection system and the boost pressure control system, and it's done. Just a few minutes for a clean and completely reversible job, the control unit can be removed at any time to restore factory settings when needed.
Returning to the smaller engines, it is important to note that the common rail has been used with great success on all VW-AUDI 1600TDIs. All these engines with four valves per cylinder and intercoolers are available in a variety of power ratings, and all Audi 1600TDIs can be tuned with our additional chip tuning units, just like their two-liter and three-liter V6 older brothers.
Great increase in power, notable increase in torque, and (linked to the engine torque) the chance to optimize diesel consumption. Usually, an engine with more torque available at low rpms ( by installing our chip tuning additional units) is capable of using longer gear shift ratios with less need to downshift, improving mileage per liter of diesel.
As you can see, tuning your Audi does not just provide an excellent increase in power (and therefore in driving pleasure and engagement) but also the possibility to optimize the diesel consumption of your Audi turbodiesel.
We hope you liked this article about Audi Diesel tuning, with its historical automotive references. If you want to know what kind of power and torque increase you can get on your Audi TDI, look at our catalog and find out which chip tuning unit is perfect for your engine. Moreover, you'll learn about another opportunity to install (always easily and without changing the engine) an additional kit that can further increase the driving pleasure of your Audi... to find out what it is,search for your model here >>>