# mk2 8v 1.8 chip csw vs ams vs ...



## 8vgtiofdoom (Mar 8, 2004)

i've been looking into getting a chip for my little mk2 and was wondering what the ups and downs of the various chips are thanks a ton


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## MDVDuber (Nov 20, 2002)

*Re: mk2 8v 1.8 chip csw vs ams vs ... (8vgtiofdoom)*

I've seen you posting all over the Tex, sounds like you are looking to do quite a bit with this car. Very Cool, you'll enjoy it.
Let me jump in here and suggest a few things.
- Buy the Bentley (I know, everyone says this...everyone can't be wrong!)
- Listen to the guys in the Suspension Forum, They know what they are talking about. No matter what your road quality, dropping your car till the a-arms are past parallel is not the way to increase handling.
- You've got a good engine there. Nothing crazy but one that is essentially bomb proof. It will respond well to many different types of modifications; if you plan them intelligently...the way you are looking for info says you are trying to do just that.
Think about where you want to be in the end. Do you want a peaky track car that is a dog from stop light to stop light or do you want a fun daily driver that will put a smile on your face every day, and if well driven will walk on VTEC's from stop lights? (till they hit the performance part of their cams anyhow) 
Figure out what engine management system you have. Normally I'd say Digi II, but since you are in California, you might have Digi I and that changes everything! Maybe I missed this info in one of your posts, but this is crucial info for choosing a chip.
That said, your chip selection should reflect what you really want to do. If you are going to do exhaust, cams, maybe P&P, an ABA bottom...then cool do it, but don't waste your money on a fancy chip up front, cause it won't be programmed for your final engine configuration, which means that though it will help, it won't tie everything together and be the frosting on your cake. If you are just getting a chip, well ok, but you won't be as happy as you would be if you used it as part of a tuning plan.


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## mrkrad (Nov 9, 2000)

its actually easier to chip digi-1 obd-1 (non-g60)








heh, i went through the maps n stuff a while back and upped the rev limiter but for the life of me forget where i put my notes. 
heh.
i'd rather have digi-1 cali obd-1 than digi-2. Thats for damn sure.


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## 8vgtiofdoom (Mar 8, 2004)

as i've said before im new to vw about 3 weeks in and im not sure if its digi 1 or 2 how do i know also im planning on p&p head with 266 cam and the block i got right now. and 2.25 with a hi flow cat and trying to figure out what chip... how much does an aba block run? and im looking for a fun daily drive/ canyon car and i got the swing idea from the suspension guys now


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## MDVDuber (Nov 20, 2002)

*Re: (8vgtiofdoom)*

Someone else is going to have to step in and tell you what a Cali Digi I looks like, mrkrad would be a good bet...
ABA blocks are pretty variable in price. I've seen them go for $200-450, and not entirely dependent upon their quality. Earlier blocks are better if you plan to get really wild (Turbo etc.) I think 94-95 are the stronger blocks, then the 96-98's are not quite as desireable. That will be a huge research project, so be ready.
Almost everything you do now will translate to the ABA block if you decide to go that route.


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## 8vgtiofdoom (Mar 8, 2004)

*Re: (MDVDuber)*

is there anything wrong with my block from my stock 1.8 92 gti 8v? or should i really consider getting an ABA block?


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## Batan (Dec 15, 2000)

*Re: (8vgtiofdoom)*


_Quote, originally posted by *8vgtiofdoom* »_is there anything wrong with my block from my stock 1.8 92 gti 8v? or should i really consider getting an ABA block?

Early 2L block has extra oil squirters and forged crank so it's better then the later one.
Your 1.8 block is great block and there's nothing wrong with using that. Arguably best piece of mechanical engineeing that was put in a VW.


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## MDVDuber (Nov 20, 2002)

*Re: (Batan)*

You get an ABA block for the 200 cubic centimeters of additional displacement.








Seriously, your current plan is very sound. You will notice a large improvement in performance. The ABA mod is for those looking for even more power. Again, what you are planning to do will work fine with an ABA block if you decide to go that route in the future. http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


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## 8vgtiofdoom (Mar 8, 2004)

*Re: (MDVDuber)*

ya if i kill my 1.8 i might consider getting a ABA







and my new head will be good incase i blow that haha can trhow the old one on







haha i got it all planned out well working on it


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## 8vgtiofdoom (Mar 8, 2004)

*Re: (8vgtiofdoom)*

but back to my question what would the best chip for the setup im looking be?


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## Danbodia (Sep 3, 2003)

*Re: (8vgtiofdoom)*

Ive got an AMS chip. It's mapped for a cam. Run a TT 268. The car has a TT exhaust and is in good state of tune. I like the setup and it was a noticeable difference than before. Having said that, I also have to say that is the only chip I've had in the car so I cant' give you a fair comparison.


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## SimonH (May 28, 2000)

*Re: (Danbodia)*

The Cali Digi 1 does not have throttle body switches, nor an ignition control unit on top of the computer. It will have a "check engine" light on the dash that lights up when you start the ignition. There is no known chip for the Cali Digi 1 Mk 2, but someone may want to shoot me down to correct me. I believe Mrkrad does the Digi 1 G60 chip, but that is a different beast from what I have heard. 
I have an ABA short block swap on my Cali Digi 1. It swaps fine and runs well. The Cali Digi 1 is geared toward emissions control, the computer makes all the adjustments, and so there is not much room to tamper with it.


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## mrkrad (Nov 9, 2000)

*Re: (SimonH)*

you can tamper with the timing and afm quite a bit more on the cali digi-1 and iirc i did reset the rev limiter to 7200 but im not sure if they put a speed limiter in it.
But then again whatcha really gonna gain? 5-8hp on 93? woop.
waste of time.


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## 8vgtiofdoom (Mar 8, 2004)

so no chips for my digi one? :/


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## mrkrad (Nov 9, 2000)

*Re: (8vgtiofdoom)*

never said that at all.. i just said whats the point?


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## MDVDuber (Nov 20, 2002)

*Re: (SimonH)*

The best chip depends upon which engine management system you have. If it's Digi II then you have two choices:
1) Send your ECU away to ahve a chip soldered in
- AMS is the best known of these companies, and most folks who have these chips see fairly significant gains $200-$300 depending upon how customised the chip is. This is where I was saying, wait till you finish everything else, then chip it, so you can match your chip to your other mods. I don't think AMS shows this chip for sale anymore, but last I checked they could still produce it. http://www.advancedmotorsport.com/
- Bildon - Was showing a Race Digifant chip for a while too. Price was $199, but there isn't too much word of mouth experience for this one.
http://www.bildon.com/
2) Replace a chip yourself, this is a different chip on your board than the one AMS or Bildon would replace.
- CSW - Offered by VW_pilot. I have this one. It's a good chip, helps with some of the digifant lag, and seems to help power, but not WOW! I think my car still leans out above 4K. Very affordable IIRC $60 or so . E-bay I think.
- TT offers a chip for the Digi II, along with an altered knock sensor. Not too much info out there on this one either. IIRC $100 or so 
http://techtonicstuning.com/
- SNS - makes a Digi Cam chip that they say is similar to the CSW but offers some additional fueling in the higher RPM. Again not much word of mouth info on this one, but really inexpensive, Maybe $40 or sohttp://snstuning.com/index.htm
My prices are from memory, so don't get upset if I'm off by quite a bit. I would check out the SNS site for some cool DIY mods that will help with fueling issues as well. My guess is (perhaps with the exception of the SNS chip) that the more costly and difficult the chip install, the better performance you will get.
Ok, if you have Digi I...well, I imagine with some effort the folks at SNS could help, but they'd probably need a car to play with to get it right. Again, check out their web site for more info... or listen to mrkrad above,hit him up with questions, he's very helpful.


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## 89JettaCoupe (Jan 27, 2004)

*Re: (MDVDuber)*

Anybody know more or tried the SNS tuning DIY "converting digi2 to digi1"?


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## mrkrad (Nov 9, 2000)

*Re: (89JettaCoupe)*

its not worth it. If you had say 10 digi-2 harnesses,and 1 digi-1 harness.
and wanted to sell pre-made converted harnesses, i would go through the trouble.
WHY? Both digifant-1 g60 and Digifant-II (notice how i spell it) had running changes in both the ecu's and harness through the production years, and countries.
So for one, its not worth it, to do a batch, sure, make some cheddah. If you can't find a complete digi-1 ecu+harness+co+pot for less than $250, its probably not worth converting.
Converting to digi-1 on an 8v is pointless without boost. The motors do not have the potential that the 16V 2.0's do n/a. period. end of story.
There's a point at which you have to say, screw it, go standalone, prices are getting cheaper every day. Digifant-II is nearly 20 years old, digifant-1 is nearly 15 years old. It's hard to compete with modern technology.
Compare the pc's of back then to today. Point made.
You can only post the dead horse pic so many times.
If you are however blessed to live in the city of atlanta or nearby, i do enjoy tinkering, and would be glad to muck with your car with our excellent array of tools to extract the last drop out of it. 
But i would not charge for that, it would be for fun. I don't think you'd see the gains you expect.. 
Sometimes n/a is great, no replacement for displacement (i love my LS1), but sometimes it makes no sense at all when the gains outweigh the costs$$ time and money.


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## 8vgtiofdoom (Mar 8, 2004)

hm well would you say its smart to get a p&p and a 266 cam or is that pointless too?


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## oceanjetta (Jun 12, 2002)

*Re: (8vgtiofdoom)*

Get a good exhaust (cat-back), and a good intake air box. Then, get a chip. Then get a cam, then a header.
I stand by TT for the cat-back, ABD Q-Flow (for the box).
And believe it or not Tornado Air http://www.tornadoair.com It really works on these cars (Mk2's). Then get the chip. I just bought a TT chip and need to install it.
Ohh!!! Since your in cali. MAKE SURE EVERYTHING YOU DO IS SMOG LEGAL, those guys will bitch about everything and make sure you get smog legal decals to ensure they don't reject you in the emission testing process. Happend to me. I had no sticker and they saw the ABD and were like, failed visual inspection. As soon as I put the decal on that stated the smog # it was clear.


_Modified by oceanjetta at 4:34 PM 4-3-2004_


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