Audi Q2 Tuning

"Thanks for reading my Q2 tuning guide."

The Q2 is similar in size to the A3, so sits in the small SUV crossover range. Whilst not a proper SUV the additional height and space add practical value to this car for families and weekend breaks.

Petrol engines offered

• 1.0 TFSI 999 cc I3 turbo 114 hp; 116 PS @ 5500 rpm 200 Nm (148 lbf⋅ft) @ 2000–3500 rpm 6-spd. manual (standard)
  7-spd. S tronic DSG (optional) 118 mph
• 1.4 TFSI COD 1395 cc I4 turbo 148 hp; 150 PS @ 5000–6000 rpm 250 Nm (184 lbf⋅ft) @ 1500–3500 rpm 6-spd. manual (standard)
  7-spd. S tronic DSG (optional) 128 mph
• 1.5 TFSI COD Evo 1496 cc (from 2019 replaces the 1.4TFSi) I4 turbo 150 hp; 152 PS @ 5000–6000 rpm 250Nm(184 lbf⋅ft) @ 1500–3500 rpm 6-spd. manual (standard) 7-spd. S tronic DSG (optional) 128 mph
• 2.0 TFSI 1984 cc I4 turbo 188 hp; 190 PS @ 4200–6000 rpm 320 Nm (236 lbf⋅ft) @ 1450–4150 rpm 7-spd. S tronic DSG 219 km/h
  136 mph

Diesel engines

• 1.6 TDI 1598 cc  114 hp; 116 PS @ 3250–4000 rpm 250Nm(184 lbf⋅ft) @ 1500–3200 rpm 6-spd. manual (standard) or 7-spd. S tronic DSG (optional) 118 mph
• 2.0 TDI 1968 cc  148 hp; 150 PS @ 3500–4000 rpm 340Nm(251 lbf⋅ft) @ 1750–3000 rpm 6-spd. manual (standard) or 7-spd. S tronic DSG (optional) 128 mph
• 2.0 TDI 1968cc 188 hp; 190 PS @ 3500–4000 rpm 400Nm(295 lbf⋅ft) @ 1900–3300 rpm 7-spd. S tronic DSG 135 mph

The light weight of the Q2 and extensive range of engines offer a great reward to the tuner as relatively minor power increases create noticeable driving improvements.

Audi offered the 1.0 TFsi which in our opinion is a little underpowered and best avoided but it is economical and perfectly serviceable.

The 1.4 TFSI with COD (Cylinder on Demand) tech, which is actually a really nice engine, and, thanks to it's light weight feels far more powerful than it should. A later 1.5 TFSi engine is offered on the Q2 and replaces the 1.4  TFSi (June 2019 was roughly when this changed.)

The 1.5 TFSI COD is a nice rev happy engine and offers just a little more of everything and sounds a bit more grown up at high revs compared to the 1.4.

I personally have the 1.4 TFSI COD engine and it works really really well, the fuel economy is in another league and the power comes on when you need it. The 1.5 doesn't feel much faster but sounds a little more throaty at high rpm and gives slightly better fuel economy.

The 2.0 TFSi is plenty of power for this chassis and makes a good basis for a track day car, but don't overlook the smaller 1.4 or 1.5 as they are surprisingly good and make the 2.0 a hard choice to make.

On the diesel front we have the 1.6 TDI and the 2.0 TDI with all manner of eco friendly mods and tweaks. Both engines suit the Q2 well and offer good gains when tuned and modified.

Keep your Q2 looking standard but remap the engine, add a sports catalyst and fast road cam and you'll be track day ready!The Q2 is a good tuning project to play with. Take your time and research Q2 tuning to avoid making the usual common mistakes we regularly see.

Don't just look at the peak power figures, you need to see the whole torque curve when determining if a mod is right for you Q2.

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.

Engine Tuning.

These mods motorsport parts are usually installed by our members, decide how far you wish to go in your tuning project before you start.

Getting the best performance upgrade kits for your planned usage of the car is essential. Stage 3 motor sport mods just won't work well on the road and will make the car undrivable.

Please watch TorqueCars Video tutorial on car tuning. And be sure to subscribe and support our new channel.

Stages of Tune

Stage 1 mods: Alloy wheels, Sports exhaust, Lighter flywheel, Remap, Panel air filter, Suspension upgrade (drop 30-40mm).

Stage 2 mods: fuel pump upgrades, Fast road cam, Ported and polished head, high flow fuel injector, Power/Sport clutch.

Stage 3 mods: Competition cam, Adding or upgrading forced induction (turbo/supercharger), Engine balancing, Internal engine upgrades (pistons/head/valves), Sports gearbox.

Peak power is all well and good but for a daily driven car you need a wide power band and perhaps extending the rev range.In this article we shall give a little insight into the world to the best modifications for your car, but we'd encourage you to spend some time on the site looking into the details of each type of performance upgrade.One of the best mechanical mods you can do to your NASP engine is to fit a fast road cam .

It maximises the intake and exhaust durations and increases the power if done right. Ideally you'd add other mods and finish up with a reflashed ECU. TorqueCars would caution you not to go with a competition cam as this affects the engines idling and general town driving characteristics.

Don't forget to look at the fuelling when you are increasing the power - it makes the car more thirsty.

Using higher octane petrol is another option if you find you are suffering from pinking or premature ignition on your Audi project after fitting other motorsport mods. Higher capacity injectors will enable you to supply sufficient fuel to the engine.

A fuel pump will only deliver a finite amount of fuel, so you may need to uprate this if your injectors are demanding more fuel.

Intake and Exhaust Tuning.

Now we move on to the intake and exhaust and ensure proper flow through the engine. Please note that WE DO NOT FIND IMPROVEMENTS WITH INDUCTION KITS, unless you have tuned your car extensively and are finding that the standard air intake has become a restriction.

Derestricting the air feed into the engine is the primary part of tuning so get a freer flowing air filter if you find that the car is running lean only if you find the car is running lean. Induction kits can sound great but due to the warm air in the engine bay they will not do much to increase power and often rob you of power on most cars.

Sports exhausts can help balance the flow of gases through the engine. But if your exhaust pipe is too large, ie: it's over 2.5 inches bore, you will lose a lot of the exhaust flow rate and end up losing power and torque.

Getting a professionally gas flowed head with larger valves can fully maximise your power gains. In nearly all cases of Q2 tuning your clutch will start to suffer and this needs an upgrade - read our article on clutches for more information. The best mods we would do for your Q2 are remaps, sports camshafts and induction improvements.

NASP engines do not achieve big power gains if you remap them, unless you have done extensive modifications. With turbocharged engines this is another story. A remapped turbo will give impressive power gains and take full advantage of the strength of the block.

We've also seen some tuners toying with twin charging applications and making some impressively high power figures.

Despite the large cost involved adding forced induction to a NASP engine will give large power gains. Superchargers are often easier to add than a turbo. With a turbo the power curve is related exponentially to the engine speed making it harder to map.Superchargers, however will give a boost which is correlating to engine speed so is simpler. Adding forced induction will often require a lower compression ratioor water injection.

Handling/Suspension upgrades

Many Q2 owners uprate the handling of their cars with modified suspension parts as a priority, this will certainly increase your enjoyment of the car.

If you set the toe out to 1 to 2 degrees on the front, and add a small amount of negative camber then cornering will usually improve.

We would go to a maximum drop of 27mm - 39 mm on most models. You risk rubbing on the arches if you go lower than this.

Alloy wheel upgrades.

Due to the fact that alloy wheels are less heavy they improve performance and they will help to cool the brake disks. If you are serious about performance then you will need to carefully choose your tyres - ideally with a directional tread pattern tyre. Large Q2 alloy wheels can decrease performance. If you get big alloy wheels you will be changing your final drive ratio.

Although some people have with bigger wheels without problems we would stick to a 17 inch rim size as the maximum.

There is a more updated version of this Audi Q2 Tuning article on TorqueCars.com.
For more information on Tuning your car please join us in our friendly forum where you can discuss Q2 options in more detail with our Q2 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.

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