Tuners tips on "EA888 Modifications"

How to modify and upgrade the VAG EA888

"Comprehensive guide to tuning the VAG EA888 engine!"

EA888 engine – a powerplant developed by Volkswagen Group that has become synonymous with modern turbocharged excellence. Now in it's 4th Generation it has become a reliable powerhouse.

The EA888 engine, introduced in the late 2000s, is a series of four-cylinder, turbocharged engines that power a range of vehicles across the Volkswagen Group portfolio, including Volkswagen, Audi, SEAT, and Skoda models. It represents a significant leap forward in Volkswagen's engine technology, emphasizing both performance and efficiency.

In terms of specifications, the EA888 boasts a 2.0-liter displacement, and it comes in various iterations, including different power outputs and technologies.

The engine features a turbocharger, allowing for increased air intake and, consequently, higher power output. The EA888 also incorporates direct fuel injection, contributing to improved combustion efficiency and fuel economy.

One notable feature of the EA888 is its adaptability to different models and performance levels within the Volkswagen Group. Whether it's powering a sporty Audi S3 or providing efficient performance in a Volkswagen Golf, the EA888 showcases versatility in application.

The EA888 series incorporates advanced engineering features, including Double Overhead Camshafts (DOHC) and variable valve timing, enabling precise control over the valvetrain for optimal performance across a range of driving conditions.

As we explore the intricacies of the EA888 engine, we witness the evolution of Volkswagen's commitment to creating engines that balance power and efficiency. The EA888 serves as a testament to the brand's dedication to pushing the boundaries of what is achievable in a turbocharged four-cylinder engine.

The Volkswagen Group's EA888 engine stands as a symbol of modern turbocharged excellence, where performance, versatility, and efficiency converge. Its role in various models across the brand spectrum contributes to the legacy of engines that provide a thrilling driving experience while meeting the demands of contemporary fuel efficiency standards.

TorqueCars often are getting emails asking how to improve the EA888 from people wanting to know what are the best tips for EA888 power upgrades. So let us look into VAG EA888 upgrades and outline the best upgrades on this great engine and point out some potential pitfalls along the way.

The VAG EA888 are popular engines and with the optimum modified parts like ECU maps, turbo kits and camshafts you will certainly increase your driving fun.

Here we review and look at EA888 tuning and summarise the ultimate mods that work.

Just because particular upgrades are are common on EA888 it doesn't mean its worth having, instead we will focus on the best upgrades that will give your EA888 the best power gain for you money.

Without us subscribing to the popular mentality of 'if it's shiny and makes more noise it must be good' you seem to get in many tuning magazines and on car forums'.

Improving air intake on the EA888

You need air and fuel for an engine to work. If there is insufficient fuel then it will run lean, if there is not enough air it runs rich resulting in lost power and potentially damaging the engine. We'll pick up on fuelling later in this article but for now we shall look at air supply.

So Pulling air into your EA888 is the main goal to any engine modification task.

It is not unusual that there is a restriction in the air flow sensor MAP/MAF/AFM on the EA888 when a lot more air is being sucked into the engine.

We note 4 bar air sensors coping with quite large power gains, whereas the OEM air sensor was restricting torque at a much lower level.

Air Intake manifolds flow the during the engines suck phase from the filter and allow it to be drawn into the engine cylinders.

Design and flow rate of the Intake headers can make a noticeable improvement to fuel delivery on the EA888.

Many mass produced engine headers are needing aftermarket parts, although a few manufacturers provide fairly well optimized headers.

Increasing the EA888 valve size, doing a bit of port matching and head flowing will also improve bhp, this will afford you a better bhp increase on other parts.

EA888 performance cam tips.

Each engine responds better to less aggressive camshaft durations so view each engine as unique.

The ecu map and fuel pump and injectors also have an effect on the torque gains you'll get.

Extending exhaust or intake durations can alter the torque band and on most engines the exhaust and intake durations do not need to match, although most cams and tuners use matched pairs there are some advantages to extending the intake or exhaust durations.

Significant air intake, and exhaust improvements on the EA888 can be made from camshaft upgrades. Changing the camshaft profile alters the intake and exhaust durations on the engine and can dramatically change the bhp and power output.

NB: Fast road cams commonly push up the bhp and torque across the rev band, you could sacrifice a little bottom end bhp but the high end rpm power will improve.

Motorsport and race cams, push up the high end rpm power band but as a result the car will not idle smoothly and low end power nearly always suffers.

A Motorsport cam makes it harder when driving in heavy traffic.

You should ideally match your torque band to your typical driving style so for a car used daily stick with a shorter duration EA888 cam

Stage 1, 2 and 3 mods for the EA888

Before we break the best tuning upgrades down into stages of tune, let's list the most effective tuning upgrades for you.

1. Suspension Upgrades - always improve your cars handling
2. Brake Upgrades - Even before adding power improve those brakes
3. Intake - make sure the intake is not restricted, use filters and intake upgrades to improve this
4. Exhaust - as with 3 ensure there is not restriction in the exhaust, cats are the usual bottleneck
5. Tunes - remapping, piggyback ECU's and aftermarket ECU's can all make decent gains
6. Fuelling - when you've increased power you'll need to match this with more fuel
7. Turbo upgrades - Improving the intake with a large turbo and better flowing intercooler will be the biggest power gain you'll see (but one of the most complex).

This video guide to tuning cars is a great starting point to work from in your project.

Stage 1 EA888 parts:

Drilled & smoothed airbox, Remaps/piggy back ECU, Fast road camshaft, Sports exhaust manifold, Intake headers, Panel air filters.

Stage 2 EA888 parts:

induction kit, high flow fuel injectors, fuel pump upgrades, Ported and polished head, Fast road cam, Sports catalyst & performance exhaust.

Stage 3 EA888 parts:

Competition cam, Internal engine upgrades (head flowing porting/bigger valves), Twin charging conversions, Engine balancing & blueprinting, Crank and Piston upgrades to alter compression, Adding or Upgrading forced induction (turbo/supercharger).

A remap will help to establish the full potential of all the upgrades you've done to your EA888.

You will typically expect to see gains of approximately 20-30% more power on turbocharged vehicles and you can expect to see around 15% on NASP engines, but power output often depend much on the upgrades you've applied and the condition of your engine.

Turbo modifications on the EA888

To get a turbo working on a NASP engine there is a lot involved, from lowering compression ratio to improved fuel supply and mapping, so we have found a great guide to helpavoid the common pitfalls or end up with an unfinished project because you were not told what you were getting into by doing this on the EA888.

The more air you can get into an engine, the more fuel it can burn and uprating the induction with a turbocharger upgrade makes significant power gains.

When an engine has a turbo already fitted upgrades are simpler to install and you'll see that turbo charged engines already contain many forged and stronger components.

There are weak spots for every engine, with some being over specified and some only able to handle stock power

It is important to find these restrictions and install better quality crank and pistons to survive the power.

There are many car owners spending a lots of money on turbocharger upgrades on the EA888 only to see the whole thing throw a rod on it's first outing after it's been finished.

Large upgraded turbo chargers tend to suffer a bottom end lag, and little turbo chargers spool up quickly but won't have the high rpm engines power gains.

Thankfully the selection of turbo chargers is always evolving and we now see variable vane turbo chargers, where the vane profile is altered according to speed to lower lag and increase top end power.

Twin scroll turbo chargers divert the exhaust gases into 2 channels and feed these at differently designed vanes in the turbo charger. They also improve the scavenging effect of the engine.

Beefing up the air intake by adding a supercharger or additional turbo will help you achieve very large torque gains, although more complex to setup. We have this article covering twinchargers if you want to read more.

Tips about fuel supply on the EA888

Don't omit to pay attention to the fuelling when you are increasing the bhp - it makes the car more thirsty. Don't forget to be generous with your injector capacity.

The rule of thumb is to add 20% when buying an injector, this takes into account injector deterioration and affords you some spare capacity should the engine require more fuel.

Don't forget that different fuel grades will usually require different settings, a high octane fuel will burn more efficiently than lower octane fuel for example. A car will trim fuel supply to keep within the ideal air fuel mix but at the extreme ends you may need to adjust your injector capacity, or the mapping or you'll get flat spots and potential lean or rich fuel issues..

Recommended EA888 performance exhaust upgrades

You only need to to improve your exhaust system with an upgraded one is if the existing exhaust is creating a flow problem.

On most factory exhausts you'll find the exhaust flow rate is still good even on modest power gains, but on a serious tuning project with a big boost in power you will certainly need to get a better flowing exhaust.

Sports exhausts can usually air flow through the engine but avoid an exhaust that is too wide or you may end up will reduce the flow rate. Stick to one and a half to two and half inches for best results.

Usual exhaust restrictions come around the catalyst and filters installed, so adding a better flowing high performance alternative will help avoid this restriction.

Decats (NB:catalysts reduce harmful engine emissions) is illegal in most countries and regions.

Faults issues and things to look out for on the EA888

Like most engines an EA888, should have few issues if it gets properly serviced and looked after.

We cannot stress enough the need for oil changes with the correct grade of oil on the EA888, failure to do this will exacerbate engine wear, on a tuned EA888 this is more important than ever and close attention should be paid to your maintenance schedule.

If you are interested in learning more or getting impartial tuning advice for your EA888 why not pop over to the forums at TorqueCars where you can chat about EA888 tuning options and read about others projects who may be planning to do similar modifications on their EA888.

We need your help to complete and improve this page, so do give us your feedback in the comments box below.

We want to know your experiences with tuning parts on your EA888, it helps us improve our tips and keeps us current so please use the comments box to drop a tip.

This entry was posted under Makes and Models. Tags: engine, VAG
You can leave a response below or join our forum to discuss this article and car modification in detail with our members.

If you liked this page please share it with your friends, drop a link to it in your favourite forum or use the bookmarking options to save it to your social media profile.

Check out TorqueCars new YouTube channel, and see their awesome new content...