i'm thinking about getting the tap chip(stage 1), anyone done it, did it make much of a difference

that obvious huh!? need all the help i can get. bought a 1.8t in july, any advice??

Douglas, tons of data on the different chip developers in the archives...do a search on " chips and salsa" and you will get one of Alan Adamson's mega posts. That is a good place to start.

Most people here "probably" have the Wetterauer 1.0 bar chip. The hot chip lately, APR, is worth considering due to the fact that you get an "additional" ECU. Each chip has something to offer, you gotta decide how much you want to spend and what you want to get in performance.

Other manufacturers are: Neuspeed/Greedspeed, ABT/AMS, Hoppen/MTM, TAP,
Autothority, and Garrett. Lots of people on this board have each one. Did I miss
one?

There is also User Reviews (look at the top of this page..on the right)

Steve S.
97 2.8QM
00 S4 (jan?)

thanks for helpin out a rookie

Under the message posted (by you?) about Alan's return to the board. The archives now have more references to the posts than you can shake a stick at. Here they are, haven't tried them though:

part 1 http://www.a4.org/bbs/a4/9907/messages/1035.shtml

part 2 http://www.a4.org/bbs/a4/9908/messages/644.shtml

part 3 http://www.a4.org/bbs/a4/9908/messages/995.shtml

part 4 http://www.a4.org/bbs/a4/9908/messages/1266.shtml

Regards,
Rodney

'99 A4 1.8tqms

There are a bunch of folks here with the TAP stage 1 and stage 2 chips, not to mention every other chip out there, well except Oettinger...don't think anyone has that one. Anyway, you're looking at roughly a 20% increase in the car's power across most of the rev range. If I remember correctly that drops the 0-60 time by about a second on a 1.8t manual with quattro. There's a reprint of a European Car magazine article comparing the performance of stock and 4 chips (about all that was available at the time) in the news archive. Good reading, and hard numbers there.

For more info. search the archives (you'll probably be overwhelmed by how much there is in there on chipping) and post some specific questions on the performance board. Also, check out Don P's chip survey on his web site Audi Zone, you can find it on the links page.

Finally, my thoughts on the topic. Everyone seems pleased with the chip they have chosen. I have ridden in cars with 5 different chips (4 different companies) and the improvement was significant in every case. If you have a tuner near you, that may be a factor as it means no downtime, and if there is a problem (like pinging) they can correct it immediately. Also, consider how long the tuner has been in business (TAP's been around a while), their history and experience. Good luck.

Regards,
Rodney

'99 A4 1.8tqms