80 Tuning

"Are you an 80's child?"

The Audi 80 showed that large practical executive cars could be fun and involving to drive. The solidly built German engineered Audi 80 has stood the test of time and there are plenty of great examples still on our roads. 

Improving the handling should be your first priority in your 80 tuning project. When pressed hard the Audi 80 saloons have a tendency to lift a wheel.

An anti roll bar and strut brace can help keep the wheels on the ground - the early 80's were prone to kick up a wheel at the rear under heavy cornering.

TorqueCars also suggest that you fit uprated suspension and lower the car by 30-35mm. Larger drops require arch work - especially on models already equipped with sports suspension.

Our aim in Audi 80 engine tuning should be to increase peak power and Torque at the top end.

The best power gains come from larger engine sizes. The more you start with the bigger the return on investment so engine swaps are good value mods for small engined cars. An interesting Audi 80 Tuning project would be dropping in the new 1.8T  engine.

This gives a massive power hike and a great base to base your Audi 80 Tuning project on. We have also seen the amazing 2.2 Turbo engine dropped into an Audi 80 with stunning results.

Just remember though that anything is possible when it comes to engine swaps, but not everything is viable.

Audi 80 Tuning modifications.

A fast road cam will be one of the best power mod you can do mechanically to your engine. Don't forget to uprate the fuelling when you are increasing the power - it makes the car more thirsty. 

Match the timing carefully to your mods, a little advance is usually all that is needed to maximise the power delivery.

Original cars were carb fuel fed. Uprating this to some twin 40's or even going to an electronic fuel injection system will dramatically increase the power of your Audi 80. We have also seen some impressive engine swaps utilising the newer Audi turbocharged engines. 

Audi 80 Intake and Exhaust Tuning.

The next area for modification is the intake and exhaust. For smaller Audi 80 engine sizes go with a washable high performance air filter.

Do not go with the biggest exhaust you can find this will slow up the exhaust flow rate - the best for power gains are usually between 1.5 to 2.5 inches.

Head work including a polish and port and 3 or 5 angle valve job will really help to release the potential of the engine.

As these engines are quite old now they will really benefit from a strip down and rebuild anyway. Fit larger valves whilst the head is off and if you want to stay NASP increase the compression ratio to take advantage of modern high octane fuel.

Audi 80 Wheel modifications.

Alloy wheels will help the brakes cool down and are usually lighter than the steel ones. Large alloy wheels will decrease performance so don't go to big, the original wheels had very high profile tyres on them so match a larger rim with lower profile tyres and you can keep the overall wheel size the same. It will also look much better with bigger rims.

For more information on Tuning your car please join us in our friendly forum where you can discuss Audi 80 options in more detail with our Audi 80 owners. It would also be worth reading our unbiased Audi tuning articles to get a full grasp of the benefits and drawbacks of each modification.

This article was written by Waynne Smith on TorqueCars, and I appreciate your feedback and suggestions. This entry was filed under Audi. You can leave a response below or join TorqueCars forum to discuss this article and car modification in detail with our members.

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