I have a 2002 A6, 2.7T. I'm getting a bit bored with it, since it's my daily driver. Today, I put on some BBS 18" wheels. It's a start in the right direction. What else can I do to make things more interesting?

I heard recently about chipping the 2.7T for additional power. My 911 is chipped, but it's a non-Turbo, so I'm not worried about turbo wear.

What are the pros and cons of doing this?

About how much does it cost?
Is it bad for the engine?
Will the engine/turbos wear out faster?
Is it worse on gas?
Is it really worth it?
Is there that much additional power?
What's the best product?

etc...

Thanks,

 

I have a 1.8t that is chiped
yes its harder on the turbo
and YES its worth I have 200hp/243lb-ft now (with APR chip)

you will be looking at 318hp/382lb-ft should be alot more fun to drive then
just cool down you turbo after a hard run and change oil regularly with a good syn oil

 

I agree with white fish, the chip mod will bring your boost levels from stock 8-9 psi up to about 13psi. thus turbos are working harder. If you take care of your turbos ie. no hard runs to immediate shut down, warm oil up before running hard in the boost.. then you should be fine for miles to come. I was not nice to my first set of turbos, the added power of the chip didn't help my driving style either. Thus my turbos and head gasket blew at the same time, oh yeah that f%#ked the heads too. You see, be nice to your car or it will bite you. That being said, I dont believe that my chipping had anything to do with my turbo failure, purely my neglect to drive appropriately.

 

Chipping a 2.7T with APR / GIAC / etc will bring boost up to ~15psi from the OEM ~9psi.

Even tho the chipped pressure is still within the K03's efficiency range, it will definitely be harder on the stock K03 Turbo's. The increased boost will spin 'em faster and apply more pressure to the Turbo seals. Proper handling can help them last longer but failure risk does increase. Best be prepared in advance for installing K04's for when the time comes.

Note stock intercoolers were designed for 9psi and are much more prone to heat soak at 15psi so IATs will go up in warm weather. Also, OE Intercoolers create ~2psi pressure drop at 15 psi so upgrading the IC's will help reduce heat soak / lower IATs / increase boost pressure at intake / increase performance and be easier on the little K03's when chipped.