Stage 1 Tune for 2018 RS245

[whichonetoget]

Any recommendations for which brand to go for or are they mostly all the same?


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[Lucas_R]

Most stage 1 tunes are much the same and will only vary by a few kilowatts and newton metres from one another.

Depending on your location in Sydney, the more important factor is choosing a tune and tuning shop that is convenient to you.

Personally, I like to DIY as much as possible, so I chose the Integrated Engineering tune which you can apply and remove at home and all you need is the cable and software that they sell. You then connect to their servers and download the tune.


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[whichonetoget]

Most stage 1 tunes are much the same and will only vary by a few kilowatts and newton metres from one another.

Depending on your location in Sydney, the more important factor is choosing a tune and tuning shop that is convenient to you.

Personally, I like to DIY as much as possible, so I chose the Integrated Engineering tune which you can apply and remove at home and all you need is the cable and software that they sell. You then connect to their servers and download the tune.


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Would love to go the DIY at home route. Have looked at IE tunes but can’t conclusively tell if they will work with a ŠKODA, even though it should - all references to VW/Audi only.

I reached out to one online store and the only response I got was ‘sorry it won’t’, which I find hard to believe.


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[Lucas_R]

Stage 1 Tune for 2018 RS245

Reach out to either Tim at DubAddiction (who i believe is the main IE dealer in Australia) or perhaps speak to VW Central. Both places are in Melbourne. But id try DubAddiction first.

Another DIY option you would try is 034Motorsports and the main dealer for them is VAGParts in Sydney.

I can’t imagine why they wouldn’t work on a Skoda…….unless something is different and because both IE and 034 are American companies they don’t get Skodas there to test on.

If that fails then try Ben from Tarmac Engineering in Brissy. He has a DIY tune option which is called SpecTune and he will definitely be able to tune a Skoda.

[Sharkie]

1 of the best tunes available can now be done at home.

OEM+ Racingline
Racingline PDM Power Delivery Module - Flash at Home [VWR031000] - Harding Performance

Racingline OEM Performance ECU Software - 2.0 TSI MQB IS20 - Harding Performance

This would be where I'd be spending my money.

[Lucas_R]

1 of the best tunes available can now be done at home.

OEM+ Racingline
Racingline PDM Power Delivery Module - Flash at Home [VWR031000] - Harding Performance

Racingline OEM Performance ECU Software - 2.0 TSI MQB IS20 - Harding Performance

This would be where I'd be spending my money.

About time another company came up with a DIY option, but holy wow the DIY dongle is pricey!! The other companies mentioned above have the dongles for $150-200.

Might be ok to grab the Racingline tune when they have a sale on.

[Pineapple_162]

I would be keen to know if anyone on here has the 034 from VAG, as it is only $900 including dongle.

I know you typically get what you pay for in this world, but the next option I am looking at is almost 50% more expensive.

[Lucas_R]

I would be keen to know if anyone on here has the 034 from VAG, as it is only $900 including dongle.

I know you typically get what you pay for in this world, but the next option I am looking at is almost 50% more expensive.

My brother has the 034 tune (engine and DSG) as well as some 034 hardware (intake etc) on his Audi S4. The engine in the S4 (supercharged 3.0L V6) is what 034 Motorsports and Integrated Engineering are best known for and have literally only recently stopped developing parts for this engine.

The hardware is excellent quality and the car rips with the new tune on it.

[Pineapple_162]

Thanks, that's handy to know. I'm looking at a basic Stage 1 (034 Motorsport - Skoda Octavia RS 162 TSI Tuning - Stage 1 & 2 ECU Tunes– VAGPARTS Australia) no DSG needed as I am manual.

The listing certainly talks the talk, much better than many competitors.

[Sharkie]

Note that 034 tunes are USA specific (that is where they are based) and no work is done to ensure that the tunes are compatible with Australian delivered cars (of any VAG brand) or local conditions.

These days less than 2 tunes are actually optimised by the tune developers for Australia. And no, no tuner in Australia actually tunes any car from scratch. They all use a tune file from overseas and some attempt to "customize" it to you car ... some with better results than others.

[Pineapple_162]

I'm guessing Tarmac are one of the two 😢

[Lucas_R]

Note that 034 tunes are USA specific (that is where they are based) and no work is done to ensure that the tunes are compatible with Australian delivered cars (of any VAG brand) or local conditions.

These days less than 2 tunes are actually optimised by the tune developers for Australia. And no, no tuner in Australia actually tunes any car from scratch. They all use a tune file from overseas and some attempt to "customize" it to you car ... some with better results than others.

Realistically, apart from the 91=95 and 93=98 fuel octane/RON conversion between USA and here, whats really going to be different that the cars ECU cannot accomodate with its smarts. Sure, some of the DIY tunes will be slightly milder than APR/Racingline etc, but are you really going to notice 5kw and 15nm on a street car?

Ive had multiple DIY tunes across various car brands (and tuning brands) over the past 10 years and never had an issue (with the exception of Superchips which was ok on stage 1, but when I went to stage 2 it ran rich as a pig - swapping to a different tune brand fixed this).

Superchips = stage 1 was ok (although a mild tune) but would not recommend and they are out of business now I believe anyway
DNA Tuning = Heavily focussed on VAG tuning, but they do tune other brands too. Would recommend. Mk6 Golf R made 212kw at the wheels on their stage 2 tune.
DNA Tuning = this time on a Mk6 GTI. Car made 165kw at the wheels on their stage 2 tune.
RR Racing = on my Lexus IS-F. USA company and Lexus tuning specialist. Car gained 15-20kw and fuel economy improved slightly.
Integrated Engineering = on my Mk7 GTI. Never dyno'd this car, but stage 1 made a very noticeable gain in power and torque. Hardware is fantastic quality (downpipe/intake etc).
VUDU = on my current Fiesta ST. UK company. Haven't dyno'd yet but once again, a very noticeable gain in power and torque over stock. They also produce a vast range of nice quality hardware.

[Sharkie]

I've only had 2 DIY tunes over the years, 1 was a total nonstarter and the other had an initial 50% success rate. Both was from overseas suppliers.

Nonstarter was not on a VAG so leaving that 1 be ....

Have (and still have it) IE tunes on my Golf R. Stg 1 was easy and brilliant out of the box (249kw at all 4 wheels with the Stg 2 hardware in place).... Stg 2 not so much. Initial attempts at going Stg 2 after all the hardware was in place was a disaster. Took weeks to fix with support from IE.

Nothing special on the R, it is a standard MY19 July 2018 build Golf R manual but for some reason that particular ECU had not been seen by IE on an R before (suspected because it was Aus spec and not USA spec), so could not even do data logging to get to the root of the problem. Some weeks later with the ECU added to their list and then being able to log data, the tune worked. Its pretty good (has not been dynoed but obviously more power than Stg 1) but I always have the nagging feeling it may not be perfect. Going to go the Stg 2 HPFP tune soon, but only after satisfying my nervousness about no fuel leaks being present after the HPFP upgrade.

Went local for the T-Roc R with a tune calibrated for Australia after many hours on a dyno and it is excellent.

[Pineapple_162]

Anecdotal evidence suggests the stock clutch is good for the stage 1, would people generally agree?

[Sharkie]

Anecdotal evidence suggests the stock clutch is good for the stage 1, would people generally agree?

If you have some mechanical sympathy for your car, Stg 1 and stock clutch on an MQ350 gearbox (GTI and R) should happily coexist.

I am running Stg 2 on my R on a stock clutch and have done Stg 1 for about 25,000km and now Stg 2 for 5,000km with no issues at all.