Pugliese
A2OC Donor
Had my A2 remapped by Stealth on Friday. Attached are the results - with peaks of - BHP up from 77 to 101 and lb/ft (torque) up from 158 to 206.
I mentioned to Vince that some A2OC members had reported slightly higher BHP but a much lower increases in torque. He explained that this is down to a change of turbo on the later models (late 03 onwards)to one with a variable vane (don't profess to understand what this means).
So what is it now like to drive? I have a Seat Arosa that has the same engine and have always felt the A2 lacked power by comparison and potentially could deliver a lot more. It was as though the car was too heavy and you had to push it hard to get anywhere. Post remap it feels like the car has gone on a crash diet and suddenly lost 200kg.
First gear is way too short to deal with the BHP/Torque increase and basically first gear is now a bit of an inconvenience but into second and beyond and you get a very smooth delivery of power. What I particularly like is with the increased torque you can drive sedately, changing up around RPM 2k and achieve excellent MPG but if you are in a hurry you can employ 'sport mode' and just push that accelerator in any gear (excluding first) beyond RPM 2k and the engine delivers more power reving freely up to 4k. So it is now excellent for overtaking. The higher BHP/Torque is also a bonus on the motorway - you can be cruising at 70 in 5th and just squeeze that accelerator and you can rapidly be doing 90.
So in summary in layman terms - I suspect that the increased power will result in increased wear and tear on all parts of the car but from my Arosa experience (140k and still going strong) I know these engines are incredibly tough. In return you get a NEW car, one that is soooo driveable and used sensibly it is also safer with the power to get you out of trouble. The car, dare I say it, used to be a bit boring to drive and traded heavily on its style. It is now a real pleasure to drive and if you have not had a remap you really are driving a different car.
Finally a big thank you to Vince - well worth the 600 mile round trip (the remap was on last Friday and to avoid all the snow we travelled the night before and went West staying in my son's student digs in Bristol - an experience
). From talking to Vince I know he has put a lot of work into perfecting his remap and suspect that other 'off the shelf' remaps may not be the same. They also do a good price for A2OC members at £225 + vat.
I mentioned to Vince that some A2OC members had reported slightly higher BHP but a much lower increases in torque. He explained that this is down to a change of turbo on the later models (late 03 onwards)to one with a variable vane (don't profess to understand what this means).
So what is it now like to drive? I have a Seat Arosa that has the same engine and have always felt the A2 lacked power by comparison and potentially could deliver a lot more. It was as though the car was too heavy and you had to push it hard to get anywhere. Post remap it feels like the car has gone on a crash diet and suddenly lost 200kg.
First gear is way too short to deal with the BHP/Torque increase and basically first gear is now a bit of an inconvenience but into second and beyond and you get a very smooth delivery of power. What I particularly like is with the increased torque you can drive sedately, changing up around RPM 2k and achieve excellent MPG but if you are in a hurry you can employ 'sport mode' and just push that accelerator in any gear (excluding first) beyond RPM 2k and the engine delivers more power reving freely up to 4k. So it is now excellent for overtaking. The higher BHP/Torque is also a bonus on the motorway - you can be cruising at 70 in 5th and just squeeze that accelerator and you can rapidly be doing 90.
So in summary in layman terms - I suspect that the increased power will result in increased wear and tear on all parts of the car but from my Arosa experience (140k and still going strong) I know these engines are incredibly tough. In return you get a NEW car, one that is soooo driveable and used sensibly it is also safer with the power to get you out of trouble. The car, dare I say it, used to be a bit boring to drive and traded heavily on its style. It is now a real pleasure to drive and if you have not had a remap you really are driving a different car.
Finally a big thank you to Vince - well worth the 600 mile round trip (the remap was on last Friday and to avoid all the snow we travelled the night before and went West staying in my son's student digs in Bristol - an experience
). From talking to Vince I know he has put a lot of work into perfecting his remap and suspect that other 'off the shelf' remaps may not be the same. They also do a good price for A2OC members at £225 + vat.
