Increasing power for the VW TDI: basic performance upgrades
Introduction
It's easy to get more power out of a turbo diesel engine for a few reasons. A turbo engine can increase efficiency by reducing restriction in the exhaust system. For more details on turbocharging systems and exhausts for turbos, please read: 1000q: turbocharging. The diesel engine can also run well in a wider range of air/fuel ratio (AF) compared to a gasoline engine. A gasoline engine must stay in a small AF range to run well but a diesel engine can run in a wide AF range and safely get more power by adding more fuel. Just give the engine more fuel to the point of diminishing returns and you will get more power.
Past the point of diminishing returns you must upgrade other parts of the engine like the intercooler, turbo, and piping, and computer programming to be able to efficiently burn more fuel. Too much fuel in a diesel will result in some unburned fuel which goes out the exhaust as smoke. A little extra fuel from a "chip" should only create a small puff of smoke but a chip and fuel injectors that are too large for your setup might kill all the mosquitoes in the neighborhood from the massive smoke screen! An acceptable level of smoke is highly subjective from owner to owner and even varies from model to model. Excess smoke from unburned fuel is also a sign that fuel is being wasted = lower fuel economy.
Upgrading the fuel system or chipping the car will only produce gains up to a certain point. Overfueling will raise exhaust exhaust gas temperature (EGT). Way too much fuel will cause damaging EGT and even more fuel could cause engine meltdown! This is the opposite of a gasoline engine where running a little rich may lower exhaust gas temperatures.
These basic upgrades below will not significantly affect engine reliability or lifespan. Also see 1000q: advanced and extreme performance upgrades for advanced performance upgrades such as intercoolers and upgraded turbos. Some performance upgrades may cause the clutch to slip. Before you do any power mods, make sure your car is in good running condition and all maintenance is up to date!
Some
people complain about TDIs are very slow or that their TDI feels slower than it
when it was new. If this is the case, read 1000q:
constant low power or can't rev and 1000q:
limp mode solutions because there is probably a sensor or other problem
causing low power or power cutting out.
Chip and software upgrades for the VW TDI diesel
The first recommended modification would be a chip/software change. This is a
modification to the stock programs on the car's computer. Some VW TDI require soldering for some
years, in these cases I'd just ship it to a professional if you want a chip. Other programs/years don't require soldering, you just "reflash" the
data on the car's computer. Most 3rd generation (mk3) ECU
are socketed so you just pop out a chip and
install a new one by hand. (there are some early passat which use
soldered chips).
For a daily driver, this is an excellent first step since it preserves and improves stock drivability and won't significantly reduce fuel economy as long as you don't have a lead foot! I do not recommend chips for nonturbo or nonsupercharged or non diesel cars because you pay hundreds of dollars for a chip that only increases power by relatively small amounts, often only noticeable at high rpm near redline. With a turbo or supercharged car, you could gain 20-50 peak horsepower (depending on the car) with a much better power curve from chipping due to the properties of turbocharging and diesels. Some chip vendors for the TDI will also reflash/upgrade their chip software for the original owner for free or at a discount, so that as your modifications change you don't have to worry about the cost of adjusting the setup software.
TDI chip vendors include KermaTDI, Alligator, Rocketchip, Wetterauer, Upsolute, Revo Technik, Oettinger. A listing here is not a recommendation or endorsement of any specific chip! Rocketchip, Alligator, and KermaTDI have kept their programs updated with changing developments in the TDI world and would be a better choice for advanced mods. The other brands should work fine for a basic chipping but they haven't updated their programs. Some have gotten complains about retuning emails or calls. The risk of clutch slip is increased when you increase the power.
2009 2010 Jetta, Golf, Audi A3 TDI chip tuning
These engine all share the 2.0L CBEA engine.
I would wait until the warranty expires and power tuning matures for this engine
before trying it on my own car. Because of more sophisticated engine
management and the totally new emissions control system, the only power
modification available right now is chip tuning. Early chip tuning is
producing an estimated 160 hp and 290 lb-ft torque. The main difference
with the exhaust is the diesel particulate filter. See 1000q:
DPF FAQ for VW and Audi for more details.
Why you can't just raise the boost
If you're new to turbo car tuning, you may have heard that you can get more
power just by turning up the boost. More boost only equals more power if fuel is
also increased. In some gasoline cars, the fuel maps or injectors, etc.,
may not support increased boost. You must do research on each different gasoline or diesel car before modifying since turning up the boost can
cause engine damage.
In the TDI, the car's computer controlled fueling will not increase fueling solely in response to increased boost. Unlike most gasoline turbo car's open loop/closed loop control, all but 2009 and newer TDI are closed loop controlled fueling only. There is no o2 sensor to meter fueling and after the injection pump - there is no further metering of fuel by the car's computer. (2009 and newer TDI use a new emissions control system which does effect fueling.) With a diesel, you should be thinking about adding more fuel and adding enough air to control smoke, keep EGT down, etc.
Fuel injectors or nozzles
VW TDI respond well to larger fuel injectors or nozzles as an alternate basic fuel upgrade (instead of a chip).
This is easier for the 1996-2003 models so I listed the chip as a more basic
first step. This delivers more fuel to
the engine without changing the car's computer. Keep in mind that gasoline cars require a narrow AF
ratio, this can cause a gas engine to run too rich and run poorly unless you have
a "chip" for that size fuel injector, within limits. Diesel engines are variable ratio
engines and running rich will produce more power. One advantage of
changing fuel injectors vs. a chip is that it also increases the amount of fuel to the
engine and maintains stock drivability. Another advantage is that all fuel
injector nozzles will wear out over time so upgrading the fuel injectors/nozzles
may prove to be a good value alternative to buying new nozzles in the same
size. For detailed fuel
injector information and technical details, see 1000q:
fuel injector and nozzle TDI FAQ. For the updated detailed
installation procedure, see 1000q:
fuel injector / nozzle install.
For 1996-2006 VW TDI: You can use a VCDS, a car computer interface, to change the ECU "adaptation" and fine tune fueling to reduce smoke and make very small changes to fuel consumption. Note: the automatic and manual transmission VW diesels have different sized fuel injectors and injection pumps! The automatic transmission uses smaller nozzles but a larger injection pump. Putting a larger injection pump on a manual transmission car is like putting larger nozzles on an automatic transmission car because they both increase fueling. More information is in the fuel injector FAQ linked in the above paragraph.
.184 injectors: stock on 90hp North American manual transmission diesels. This would be a mild upgrade for automatic transmission cars, although recalibrating with a VAG-COM is recommended for automatic cars because they have a larger injection pump, this will adjust smoke.
.205 injectors: stock on 110hp European manual diesels. Keep in mind that they also had a larger turbo and different ECU to supply more air to burn more fuel. Note that power gains from switching from .184 to .205 will be less than .184 injectors with a chip. For most car setups, this is a good choice.
.216 injectors: stock on the 150hp 5 cylinder VW t4 diesel vans. It is not recommended since a chip with .184 or .205 injectors would be more efficient at raising power safely, although it can be done. When combined with a chip, you should be adding larger turbos, intercooler, exhaust, and fueling supporting mods. See Extreme power modifications for more details.
For 2005-2006 pumpe duse VW TDI injectors: the replacement is more complicated than earlier cars. If you have a pumpe duse, I would recommend getting a chip and seeing how you like it first before swapping injectors. If you still want injectors, kermatdi at http://www.kermatdi.com/ sells larger pumpe duse injectors. If you don't know if you have a pumpe duse, all VW diesels in North America model years 2004-2006 are pumpe duse. For more details, see 1000q: pumpe duse description. Since pumpe duse engines came with more power than earlier cars, getting a chip will give you more power than earlier cars that only have a mild chip and nozzles.
The picture shows the location of the fuel injectors on a VW diesel (non
pumpe duse) circled
in blue. Cars with pumpe duse have the injectors located inside of the
valve cover so it's harder to swap them out.
Chip + fuel injectors
Using both an aftermarket chip and fuel injectors will also produce more power than one modification alone. However, since the ECU doesn't know if you have larger injectors or not, make sure you get a chip that is written for larger injectors. Otherwise you will have unnecessary levels of smoke and lower economy which a chip can adjust. Because of the higher power levels, your clutch could start to slip due to the higher torque. Turning off the EGR with VCDS is not recommended since it could set off a check engine light and the ECU may adapt which results in lower fuel economy.
If you have an automatic, keep in mind that they have a larger injection pump than manual cars so if you are using larger nozzles with a chip, the suggested upgrade is to use injectors that are 1 size larger: .184. Any larger than .184 with an automatic transmission and you could get smoke. .205 is the suggested maximum size you can use with a chip in manual transmission with no other supporting modifications. Again, each car, each software tune, each driver, and their tolerance for smoke is slightly different. Other mods may increase or decrease the amount of smoke and power you see. Clutch slip is more likely with chip + nozzles since using them together makes more power and torque. As a conservative recommendation, the mk4 TDI should use smaller nozzles and a light tune or only a chip or only nozzles to prevent clutch slip. Mk3 and Mk5 cars seem to be have stronger clutches.
Fueling limitations
Keep in mind that delivering extra fuel at the engine must be supported by extra fuel flow in the whole system. The fuel filter must be unclogged, the injection pump must be able to supply a sufficient amount of fuel. The automatic transmission VW diesels had a 11mm injection pump, the manual transmission had a 10mm injection pump. Basically, the maximum amount of fuel that the smaller manual injection pump made was offset by using larger fuel injectors. The diesel long block, the main engine itself, is the same in auto and manual transmission cars, but the auxiliary parts such as the flywheel, the injection pump, etc., are different. As a result, if you require a lot more fuel than what the injection pump can mechanically deliver, the ECU will sense a fault and can go into a safety mode.
1996-2003 TDI did not have any electric fuel pump, the injection pump was the fuel pump. Adding a "lift pump" from a 2004+ TDI, a low pressure in-tank electric fuel pump, will boost fuel pressure to the injection pump and support higher power levels at higher rpms. In the above picture, the injection pump is the rectangular metal pump below the left two fuel injectors.
Air limitations
Remember, adding more fuel must be accompanied by more air, otherwise you are just over fueling the engine, creating smoke, and unnecessarily raising the exhaust gas temperatures. Everything else being equal, you can't turn the boost up beyond safe limits without raising temperatures and stressing the turbo. See 1000q: turbocharging to understand more about turbocharging and read 1000q: advanced performance modifications for how to efficiently add more air. Unlike many cars, an aftermarket oiled high flow air filter is not recommended for the TDI because the mass air flow sensor (MAF) is failure prone, especially the mk4 generation. There is a noticeable link between aftermarket high flow oiled cotton air filters and MAF failure when used on a TDI. In addition, to save parts and inventory costs, VW used the same air filter on most mk4 TDI and the 240hp R32 Golf, and there is more than enough air filter capacity for all generations of TDI. See 1000q: MAF faq for more details on the MAF sensor.
Advanced timing
The way advanced timing will increase power is by injecting fuel later as the engine piston is moving up and down. By adding fuel later in the stroke, you create greater pressure and energy. Note that this also increases stress and heat on the engine by a small amount. Fuel that is injected early has more time to burn and produce energy than fuel that is injected late. As long as you stay within the normal operating range of engine timing as found in your service manual, advancing the timing may result in more power, easier starting, and better fuel economy but hotter temperatures and engine stress. Note that there is an optimum point for timing. Anything other than this maximum point will decrease power and mileage, but this is impossible to know since there are too many variables involved. As long as you stay within the normal operating range of engine timing, you are safe. Slightly advanced timing will also result in easier cold starting.
Biodiesel also slightly advances the timing. It does not change the mechanical timing because that is set by the injection pump and ECU. Biodiesel should burn faster when injected because of the properties of biodiesel and higher cetane which effectively advances the timing.
Also note that there are two different ways to advance timing: physically adjusting the injection pump pulley or through VCDS adaptation. If you have an aftermarket chip, the chip maker has already adjusted the timing as necessary!
To adjust the injection pump timing, adjust the injection pump as shown in (for mk3 cars: 1000q: timing belt part 2) , OR (for mk4 ALH cars: 1000q: timing belt part 2). Use a VCDS to make sure that you are staying within the normal operating boundaries and adjust the pump as necessary. mk4 pumpe duse cars (2004+) do not have mechanically adjustable injection timing.
More advanced power upgrades
For most people, this is where they stop. You can still buy off the shelf performance upgrades to further increase your power, but past this point, the value of dollar/horsepower in the upgrades is reduced and you may also experience more reductions in fuel economy. The most common advanced performance upgrade is a larger intercooler. However, only the VW Mk4 cars have off the shelf replacement intercoolers, so I have included this modification in advanced performance modifications. Also note that beyond this point, the likelihood of clutch slipping is greatly increased. Mk4 cars may get clutch slip with just a chip, so remember that if you want more power you need more clutch clamping force!
Also note that performance tires are also recommended to get the most power to the ground. Sticky tires usually wear out faster and give less fuel economy than harder non performance tires, so take this into account when thinking about what your goals are.
Other advanced performance upgrades would include custom exhaust components, upgraded turbo systems, or custom made tuning chips. Keep in mind that one of the biggest advantages of 4 cylinder diesels is that they have enough power to serve as daily drivers and deliver nearly unbeatable fuel economy. The most common diesel passenger cars, VWs, are not very good sports cars when compared to true sports cars. They are light but the suspension setup is not that great, front wheel drive isn't good for a sports car, and you are limited by tire width (because suspension clearance of tires). None of these traits contribute to making a very good sports car out of the box. A stock used corvette will always be a better sports car than a brand new TDI and for less money. A corvette doesn't have rear seats, but this article's focus is on power upgrades, not rear seating or fuel economy.
Other cars, such as the Mercedes Benz or domestic 4wd trucks would be a better candidate for very high power they have at least 6 cylinders, start with much more power than a 4 cylinder, and have the potential for more streetable power. In the end, the whole point of modifying your car is to suit your taste and preferences, so if you want to upgrade your existing car read on to 1000q: advanced performance upgrades
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