new vw owner. 2001 gti 1.8t upgrades? help

so i'm new to the whole turbo'd car thing as well as 4 cylinders...   what are some cheaper upgrades i can do...and is there anyway i can get that turbo blow off noise out of my automatic with stock turbo?  

I too have a 2001 GTi 1.8T, however it is a 5spd. This is one of the most tuneable cars around, with really big gaines available for not a whole lot of money. The first thing everyone is going to tell you is to "chip" it, or get a reprogrammed ecu. You should have the AWW engine code, so 150bhp and 155ft/lb, depending on who you choose for your reprogram, cost will range from $300-$600. Most are around $500, with great gains, you pay more for options of changing how the car runs, vallet mode, chipped mode, or regular (APR). I went with just one program and don't regret it for a second, $500 no tax or charge to install (you shouldn't have to pay any extra fees). Gains will be between 30-60 hp depending on your engine code, AWW have the highest b/c they are essentially the same as AWP (2002-2005 180hp) engines, but "turned down", so after chipping they will have equal #s. Here's a great guide http://www.vwfixx.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=8357, but the info is pretty old, doesn't include some of the newer tuners for ECU upgrades, Unitronic being one of the most popular companies out there now (my choice after researching for 4 yrs, and finally deciding to get one). Getting a cold air intake makes the diverter valve (dv) noise sound pretty loud (you can look it up on youtube, I'm sure it will be all you need). I wouldn't even think about doing a bov swap, waste of money and problematic. I don't know how it would sound in an automatic, if you would get a release of the charged air when your car shifts or not? AEM Cold air intake (CAI) is about $300. You can instal it yourself in a few hours, with little mechanical skills, it comes with good instructions. After the ecu upgrade you should look to get a new dv, most people seem to be using Forge 007, but I can't say anything because I'm still waiting for mine. I kept using the stock dv since getting my ecu flashed a year ago, and it still hasn't failed. I'm cheap and only like to replace things as I need. THat link should answer all your other questions. You can find everything you need to know on either VWFixx.com, vwvortex.com, 1.8turbo.com... there's a lot of info out there.
Good luck, and enjoy an awesome car.  

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Hello

If you've seen the audio/visual setup in Project Envy, it's no secret the '01 Golf is excessively heavy. Its power-to-weight ratio is miserable, resulting in a loss of available horsepower. To compensate for this, and to build a more complete car, we turned to leading aftermarket tuner, GReddy Performance Products, to squeeze more power from our 1.8T motor. And the most effective way to do that is with a bigger turbo
GReddyBased in Irvine, CA, GReddy Performance Products is well known in the import market for exhausts, turbo kits, cooling systems and electronics. Established in '94, GReddy has expanded into the European market with the G2 exhaust for Mk4 VWs, B5 Audi and BMW E46. The company even branched out into front-mount intercoolers for the Mk4s.
Today, the company maintains a steady pace toward breaking into the European market, and we were interested to see an Audi A4 1.8T B6 turbo kit displayed at the 2005 SEMA show. GReddy will soon be releasing a new stainless steel exhaust lineup for several Audi and VW applications, utilizing an oval muffler and dual 76mm tips.

Thanks for sharing  
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