How can I make my Audi faster? This a question we get often at our shop. The short answer is, if your Audi is naturally aspirated, then you can’t do it economically. But if you Volkswagen or Audi has forced induction with a turbo or supercharger then how up to date are you on your maintenance and what is your budget?
With some mods and a tune most turbo or supercharged Audi models can make a bit more power. All engines require air, fuel, and spark to run. The more air and fuel you can cram into each cylinder the more power your engine can make. Naturally aspirated engines are limited by atmospheric pressure and rely on engine displacement (how many liters) to cram air into each cylinder for the combustion process to make power. Naturally aspirated engines do have some options to make more power such as more aggressive cams shafts, differentials with shorter gears, or turbo kits. All of these mods tend to be time consuming to install, expensive to buy parts, and require computer tuning for the car to receive the full benefit from these mods. All this can be quite costly if you aren’t able to do it yourself. Also the horsepower and torque gains might be marginal.
Engines equipped with factory turbos or superchargers are a bit easier to mod and tune to get more power out of them. Turbos work as mechanical air pumps driven off your exhaust gas that force much more air into your engine. That way the engine is not dependent on displacement and atmospheric pressure to draw air and make power. Superchargers are very similar except they are driven off a belt to spin twin rotors to cram more air into your engine. Turbo and Supercharged engines can be modded and tuned to force more cool air and fuel to make substantially more power.
The typical mods for turbo and supercharged cars include intake and exhaust. Upgraded intercoolers and fuel systems. And a computer tune to take advantage of the improved parts. These mods can drastically increase the engine power output on make Audis and Volkswagens, but there are negatives. Usually you’ll notice reduced fuel economy as you upgrade the fuel system and make more power. There will be a lot more heat being produced in your engine bay, which will require careful monitoring to make sure you don’t melt any connectors or damage other components due to excessive heat. Finally need to make sure that your engine is also in top shape as it will be under more strain from the added power and will wear out faster, so maintenance is even more important unless you want to be replacing the engine down the life of the vehicle. It all depends on how much power you want to get out of your engine and the type of mods you decide to do. If you have questions or interest in modding your Audi, Volkswagen, BMW, or Mercedes feel free to contact S-line Autoworks with any questions your might have.
