JamesD
05-11-1999, 10:45 AM
chipped my '99 1.8tqms w/ 6K miles yesterday...<p>arrived at GreedSpeed after a fairly quick journey from L.A. in the late morning. the guys there were great and eager to share information about all of the latest products coming out of the Neuspeed camp. (look for that exhaust in about 30 days. twin 2" or maybe 2-1/2" round tips with slight angle cuts.) the new Jetta they've got looks pretty good, too.<p>total install took about 20 minutes, but i had to wait a little bit longer for the ECU to be run over to Neuspeed for modification and returned to GreedSpeed. once the ECU and air filter were in place, the key was turned to the 'on' position and we waited for the throttle to recalibrate itself. <p>once that was finished, i started up and headed out onto the street to check it out. just backing out of my parking spot, i noticed a difference. i tend to give the engine too little gas in reverse, resulting in a stumble and, embarassingly enough, sometimes a stall. but without thinking, i dropped into reverse and began backing out my spot. the car just moved backwards smoothly even though i'm certain that i used the same throttle input that i normally use.<p>i turned onto the street and drove until the engine warmed up. then i opened up just a little bit.<p>1st gear - hit the redline too fast to make any impression, fun!<br>2nd gear - much more noticeable whine and a kick in the butt at 4K rpm, hits 6500rpm in a flash.<br>3rd gear - now the turbo demands an audience, here comes 70mph.<br>4th gear - ease off and shift to 5th.<p>everything checked out on my short test drive and i returned to GreedSpeed to thank the guys and took off for L.A.<p>101 South was nearly vacant until the West Valley. 5th gear at 70mph had plenty of power to pass without a downshift. even on the mild inclines through Ventu and Thousand Oaks, i was pleased with the new power. i used to feel very comfortable cruising in this car at about 75 mph. now, it begs for higher cruising speeds. and the trip comp. says i'm getting about 2mpg more while cruising.<p>this car now drives the way it should from the factory.<p>my only regret is that i can't cheat and fill up with 89 octane when premium prices rise above $1.69/gallon.