AD: RaceChip's Driving Modes Explained
Overengineering is part and parcel of building a car. Most carmakers are conservative about the outputs of their cars, often limiting the maximum potential of a car using the ECU for a variety of reasons; emissions, fuel economy and reliability included.
RaceChip is engineered to unlock this potential. And based on our previous test of the RaceChip GTS in an Audi A5 2.0 TFSI quattro, it clearly did its job in upping the horsepower and torque limits of the German four-door coupe – impressive for a device that only takes 10 minutes and no special tools to install.
On top of finetuning the car for better acceleration and responsiveness, RaceChip GTS offers seven fine tuning mappings for different driving conditions, three of which are accessible from the Bluetooth-enabled RaceChip app. This means that the three key modes – Efficiency, Sport and Race – can be engaged via your mobile phone. Here’s what they do…
EFFICIENCY
Our A5 test bed comes with a factory-claimed combined fuel consumption of 7.2l/100km. RaceChip’s finetuning directly impacts the rate and timing of fuel injection as well as charging-air pressure. Fuel consumption is dependent on these parameters. So naturally, some fuel savings can be observed when the GTS is set to Efficiency.
Differences were hard to identify during our drives in the city. But on the other side of the spectrum, we noted a 10-percent improvement in fuel consumption while cruising on the highway. That’s approximately 30-40km extra, depending on how light on the throttle your foot is.
Obviously, this mode doesn’t deliver the most driving thrills, but it does deliver on its ‘Efficiency’ claims indeed.
RaceChip GTS & XLR Installation - both products complement each other for maximum performance
SPORT
Of all modes offered, Sport offers the highest degree of performance improvement without impeding day-to-day usability. Pickup is evidently quicker on open straights, and you can feel the aging engine approaching the peak of its torque curve with much more enthusiasm than before.
Remarkably, the tests with the RaceChip modules demonstrate that the vehicle can achieve the century sprint half-a-second faster than the claimed 6.4s – going down from 6.4s to 5.9s under Sport Mode.
The notable hike in torque and power is reflected on the fact that lesser gear shifts are required during short bursts of acceleration. Power delivery also felt more linear, with less fluctuation in the throttle response thanks to in part to a more consistent air/fuel mixture injected into the engine with the use of GTS. Increased output aside, the turbocharged engine never sounded stressed at any point, with no changes in overall driving refinement levels to report of.
RACE
Power delivery under the Race Mode cannot be understated. The engine response of the A5 is at its sharpest here, quicker even when compared to Sport Mode. Torque is up too, elevating driving pleasure thoroughly with quicker gear shifts to boot.
As with most high-performance cars, Race isn’t for everyday driving simply because the extra kick comes at the expense of reduced fuel economy. The near-instant response is certainly pleasing, but driving at a constantly raised RPM also takes its toll on the senses over long periods.
RaceChip GTS with Bluetooth connectivity as tested retails for RM4,899 in Malaysia. However, local distributor, RaceChip Chiptuning Malaysia, is currently offering the product at just RM3,333 as part of its limited-time Christmas and year-end sale.
For more details and retail information on the RaceChip GTS and RaceChip XLR, contact RaceChip ChipTuning Malaysia at 03-7772 7229 or via their Facebook page.
