European Autos and APR Tuning in Salt Lake City, Utah

Alex’s Autohaus is proud to be Utah’s Premier APR Distributor and European auto tuning expert. APR’s mission is to provide the highest quality and most highly engineered aftermarket performance products available for Porsche, Audi and Volkswagen vehicle

Many folks are on a budget and that is why we have defined clear upgrade paths that build upon each other to ensure that you get the most out of your performance upgrade investment.

Stage I

Typically this includes an ECU tune. APR has an innovative program switching technology that allows you to select from up to four tune levels all through your cruise control stalk. This eliminates the need for piggyback boxes or cables clogging up your cockpit.

Depending on the vehicle an ECU tune can get up to a 50 horsepower improvement.

Stage I+

Stage I involves installing an intake system to improve airflow and reduce the turbulence of air entering the intake. The faster and calmer the air entering intake, the faster the turbochargers will spool up. Depending on the motor, FSI for example, you will also want to consider an upgraded high-pressure fuel pump here. VW/Audi utilizes a dual fuel pump setup with a low pressure intake pump and a high pressure cam driven pump. Since the high pressure pump is RPM dependent, the flow levels at lower RPM’s are not sufficient to feed a thirsty modified powertrain. We offer a high-pressure fuel pump that flows over 40% compared to stock and is capable of over 500 horsepower. With a new fuel pump, we recommend an ECU reflash to take advantage of the improved fuel efficiency.

Stage II

This is where our APR tuning and European auto mechanic experts want to start to address exhaust. You have multiple options, but we generally recommend a full turbo-back exhaust. While a Cat-back exhaust or down-pipe exhaust only will provide gains, they will not be nearly as dramatic as a full exhaust. Improving the exhaust gas velocity and flow will allow your engine to scavenge more exhaust gases out of the cylinder, allowing more fresh air to take its place. More fresh air equals more power. On turbocharged vehicles, it will also allow the turbocharger to spool up faster and improve throttle response, turbo lag and overall efficiency of the system.

We can’t speak highly enough of APR’s RSC full exhaust systems for this stage. They are engineered to give you incredible power, but they are also designed to reduce that annoying highway drone. We offer multiple options to fit your tastes and budget, but if you want an exhaust that will not rattle your head after 30 minutes of driving, consider APR’s RSC product.

On turbocharged engines are you want to consider an Intercooler. A larger intercooler will reduce the charge temperature from the turbocharger and reduce “heat soak,” and that will reduce the amount of boost pressure as the engine protects itself due to excessive heat. The APR intercooler is nearly three times the surface area of the stock intercooler.

After an exhaust is installed, we recommend an ECU reflash to take advantage of the improved air flow.

Stage III

Stage III involves upgrading the turbocharger to something such as a K04 or the larger Garrett ball bearing turbos without internal engine upgrades. Depending on your power goals, this is where things get interesting. Our APR tuning experts recommend that you upgrade fuel injectors and turbocharger plumbing to handle the increased boost pressure. We would also reflash your ECU to use a more aggressive fuel/timing map to take advantage of these power adders.

On normally aspirated vehicles, we have the option of adding a supercharger to increase the amount of air in the combustion chamber. You can see nearly 600 horsepower on the Audi 4.2L V8.

Stage III+

This is the “sky is the limit” stage. In this stage, you will need to upgrade your engine internals as the stock VW/Audi connecting rods start to have issues at the 400 horsepower level. You will also want to be looking at cylinder head work and upgraded valve train, a custom turbo to fit your application, standalone engine management, engine conversions, etc. Give our European auto tuning mechanics a call and we can match the right products for your intended use.

When you start looking at increased power don’t forget about the rest of your vehicle’s systems. Consider upgrading brakes and suspension with shocks, springs or coilovers, sway bars, and larger brake kits. There are number of options out there and we would

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