Let me start off by saying that I've been visiting this thread for the past two months. First reading everything I could find (especially on chip upgrades) then starting to comment and ask questions. I've been through the archive, but a lot of the info there is dated. I see that a lot of newbies are starting to ask the same questions and though it may be a good idea to put what I know down and try to get comments.<p><br>Choice 1: MTM stage 1<br>I'm leaning towards this choice because of a few things. <br>1. I've not heard nearly as many customer's complaining about problems with their upgrades.<br>2. MTM is the most closely associated with Audi, and is one of the most highly respected tuners in Germany.<br>3. Their stage 1 does not have the larger HP gains as the other vendors, however this seems (along with their stated philosophy) to suggest increased reliability with only a small sacrifice in power. Everyday drivability is also good.<p>Choice 2: TAP Stage 1<br>I was leaning towards this before the MTM.<br>1. Out of all the chips, this one had NO pinging in the European Car review.<br>2. Many customer's say that they've never had pinging in the stage 1. This shows more thorough testing in extreme conditions. Also shows less agressive timing.<br>3. Its $200 cheaper than the MTM and Wett.<br>4. TAP seems to be really good at getting back to you when you have a problem.<br>5. Runs at 11psi, whereas the other two hit 14.x psi<p>However, the problem with TAP is that almost all I've heard on this site is negative.<p>Choice 3: Wett 1 bar<br>1. Great performance.<br>2. Many customer seem to be quite happy.<br>3. Post- sale support seems to be quite good.<p><br>Basically, it comes down to what you feel comfortable with. That's why I've been leaning towards the MTM. I want to increase my performance as much as I can while sacrificing the least amount of reliability,..... I know Catch 22. Also every day drivability is a lot more important to me that sheer HP and numbers, and when it comes down to it, I think that these three choices are VERY similar.<p>Please if you own either of the above, please relay your experiences good and bad !!<p>Thanks

Adrian, Although I do not have my car yet (99 1.8 on order), I have already done the same research on chip upgrades it seems you have done, and come to the same conclusion - I am going with Hoppen (MTM). As you say, MTM is like audi back door stuff. As I understand it,<br>Mayer used to work at audi in engine development, so I'm sure there are sill alot of links there.<br>The max power is not that much of a concern to me for a road car, but rather what does the torque curve look like....... From what I have seen, the Hoppen (MTM) has the flatest torque curve of any stage 1 upgrade - much better driveablity than a peaky HP upgrade. In my opinion<br>a flater torque curve makes for a better road car, and carries more weight than more peak horsepower. As I understand it the MTM chip starts pulling with increased torque at 1750 RPM and is relatively flat to 5000. Also, as you say, reliability becomes an issue when you over boost and do not change exhaust, intake, turbo and intercooler.

Why not get the Neuspeed chip? It's even less of a drastic change, has gotten good reviews here, and costs a HECK of a lot less than Wett and MTM.<br>

I thought this would be the obvious choice, especially given the comments about what Adrian liked about the MTM flat curve. I wonder why this was'nt included on his list? I don't think there is any archive period that does'nt mention a Neuspeed product at least a half dozen times!

that's why I did not include it. Even though there were plenty of good comments about it, I still could not acutally read anything about it.

crap

crap

I decided on Wett beacuse of the following:<p>1. I sent TAP and email to ask about the Stage II(as compared to the Wett 1.0Bar) and the how load was the Scorpion exhaust....the reply only told me the exhaust had a sport tone and said nothing about the chip. I guess the Wett is better in TAP's opinion.<br>2. I like the dyno charts of the Wett...much torque to be gained, more so than the HP which in my opinion is more important.<br>3. Wett A4's seem to be the majority here with few problems plus the free upgrades.<br>4. Although the boost may push the limits above 5500...with the torque increase you probably won't need to rev that high 99% of the time.<br>5. The Neuspeed is probably the best buy, but not as much power.<p>I will have my ECU back on Thursday and I will be headed to Englishtown NJ on Friday Nite to test it out...anybody want to come???<p>Rich<br>99 A4 1.8tqm<br>

Hope you did'nt buy thinking you were getting free upgrades. If you did, they are pretty good about refunding your money. Just a thought.