APR ECU Upgrade MK6 Golf - Customer perspective

[G-rig]

APR Stage 1 with Carbonio installed today. About bloody time.

Congrats, can't believe your patients but glad you like how the car goes now.

I still haven't got a Carbonio but that's next on the list.

[elisiX]

lol - too true. My other hobbies kinda took over the past 10 months or so. Im actually deliberately 'investing' a little time and money into the car now to switch things up a bit.

I think for a long time I was regretting not waiting for the R - but at the end of the day, the GTI (especially now) suits my needs perfectly. TT-RS or the like in another year or two I imagine.

[Corey_R]

My only regret was waiting till I ticked over 10,000KM this week - today in fact.

I really should have been keeping note of peoples comments for the past year+ that I've been reading every post in the MK6 forum, but if my memory serves me correct (which it usually does), this is the leading regret about the APR Stage I tune... waiting so long to get it! hehe

Congrats elisiX, and thanks for your comments. I don't see you around here anywhere near as much now that you actually have your car!

[elisiX]

APR Stage 1 with Carbonio installed today. About bloody time.

Anyway, got to drive the car home and I am truly impressed. I'm not new to tuned VAG cars as I used to own a 2006 TT-Sline Quattro (very last of the MK1) with APR Stage 1+ (including an intake). From what I recall the TT was about 165KW stock and the gains were really nice. That was some time ago but I think for the money (less than I paid back in those days especially with the xmas sale now on), it's a great improvement. Best $14xx i've spent on the car (not including the $599 on the Carbonio). I would absolutely recommend it to anyone considering a pretty basic upgrade to their MKVI. Worth every cent. The car certainly feels much quicker and punchier. Particularly in the mid range. The turbo and whole experience is on steroids and the sound difference is noticeable too. It farts much louder now! My only regret was waiting till I ticked over 10,000KM this week - today in fact. However with other seriously expensive hobbies - the car took a backseat. This is a welcome change of focus though.

[Corey_R]

I just had my 118 TSI APR'd today, curtesy of Dean & Brett from VolksPower Burwood. I only used about 1 hour of my 6 hour trial before turning around to head back and seal the deal.

Hehe, that's happened quite a bit. That's why I always tell people not to do it until they've got the spare cash and not until they've got a day few a few hours free. Because once you get the trial, you'll be back within an hour or two to get it made permanent!

[Ryan_R]

I just had my 118 TSI APR'd today, curtesy of Dean & Brett from VolksPower Burwood. I only used about 1 hour of my 6 hour trial before turning around to head back and seal the deal.

When taking off in D, the clutch bites much quicker, you can hear the supercharger a lot more (it sounds like your wasting fuel, but a quick check on the MFD shows otherwise). The extra power in D made me think that there wouldn't be much more to gain when switching to Sport mode, but on a quiet uphill road around Sherbrook/Emerald I found out that wasn't the case.

Dean recently got his Golf R and has chipped it, the exhaust sounded great, and he hasn't changed any hardware back there yet.


I got the 98 RON Stage 1 program plus the Security Lockout for $1317.50 incl GST thanks to the 15% off.

If you were thinking about getting this done at all - now's the time. VolksPower close at 11am on the 24th of December, after which they're having an open BBQ.

[Capercat]

2 seconds is impressive in fast talk.

[Guy_H]

I just had a DSG 2.0 cut 2 seconds off it's 0-100 time.

It happened to be a Transporter 2.0 Bi Turbo 7 speed DSG, but that was still a good number (See transporter section!)

[G-rig]

Yes but that is a GOLF R. Its AWD and 0-100 like AWD. Its NOT A GTI or FWD that is what I am talking about.

0.5-1.0s gain on a GTI isn't that hard to believe, there may be more loss of traction but there is also an additional ~10% drivetrain loss to the extra power you are giving the R as well, so you don't get as much extra power that you are paying for.

Guy also already linked a video showing 5.51..

[Corey_R]

Personally I agree, I don't believe a MK6 Golf GTI with a chip only will do better than 5.5s (DSG or manual), having driven them, but close to that certainly and that is a good 1.5s improvement, which is a great return for the money spent.

Exactly, I'm not sure that the Golf GTI will do a 5 second flat, but I know it will do a 5.5 second, which is still a 1.4 second improvement. REXman can use bold and caps all he wants, but he's arguing against things that many of us have already experienced first hand with our own eyes in real life.

[Corey_R]

Personally I agree, I don't believe a MK6 Golf GTI with a chip only will do better than 5.5s (DSG or manual), having driven them, but close to that certainly and that is a good 1.5s improvement, which is a great return for the money spent.

Exactly, I'm not sure that the Golf GTI will do a 5 second flat, but I know it will do a 5.5 second, which is still a 1.4 second improvement. REXman can use bold all he wants, but he's arguing against things that we've all already experienced first hand with our own eyes in real life.

[Sharkie]

But taking a 150kw Fwd to a 190kw FWD will never yield a 1.0-2 sec increase 0-100. EVER.

Maybe not in a MK6 Golf GTI, but most definately so in a MK5 Polo GTI .... going from 110kw to 152kw will net you a 2s 0-100 increase .... every time ... ... and that is FWD

Personally I agree, I don't believe a MK6 Golf GTI with a chip only will do better than 5.5s (DSG or manual), having driven them, but close to that certainly and that is a good 1.5s improvement, which is a great return for the money spent.

[REXman]

You can do all the maths you want, but one of our own forum members has already shown an increase of 1 second from JUST a tune on the Golf R. From the stock Golf R DSG time of 5.7sec to 4.68 second from simply having the APR Stage I ECU.

Yeah, 5 seconds flat would be very difficult...

Yes but that is a GOLF R. Its AWD and 0-100 like AWD. Its NOT A GTI or FWD that is what I am talking about.


Im fully aware of other cars performance, a GTR R33 for example with just a TBE and Tune will net 400HP. Amazing returns.

But taking a 150kw Fwd to a 190kw FWD will never yield a 1.0-2 sec increase 0-100. EVER.

Its just not possible. I know its not, If you think your chipped GTI can run in the 5 sec bracket, that is great. Just dont run a 5 sec M3 thinking you have a chance..

Guys Im not hating on the tunes.. I love the tunes.. I have nearly always had fully custom tuning done on all my cars.. They yield great results, Im not denying that.

But please dont think a tune can take your car from nice hatch to ferrari with a tune!!

[brad]

Ps I'm sorry but I'm an old school modder and find it very hard to believe a tune alone, could give more than 0.5 secs off a 0-100 time.

0.5 sec is a lot!! I know a tune, or a TBE feels like heaaaaps and it is a good mod no doubt, but the difference between an older WRX and an STI was a bout a sec or less and they were completely different cars, and fared differently on the quarter too.

0.5 sec on a 0-100 run could equate to more than that on a quarter mile run.

You can't grab a sec or more from a tune alone, especially on a FWD.

My non-APR tune gave me a 2 second improvement on my 3rd gear 40-120. 80-120 was just under 4.5secs. I have no idea how that equates to 0-100 but hope that shows that significant, measurable increases are possible.

40-120 in 3rd gear. 40kmh is just off boost at just on 1500rpm (didn't really look).
Before: 10.99 / 10.92 / 10.96 - call it 10.95?
After : 8.82 / 8.80(det)/ 9.02 - call it 8.95?
~2 seconds/ 18% reduction

[Sharkie]

Ps I'm sorry but I'm an old school modder and find it very hard to believe a tune alone, could give more than 0.5 secs off a 0-100 time.

0.5 sec is a lot!! I know a tune, or a TBE feels like heaaaaps and it is a good mod no doubt, but the difference between an older WRX and an STI was a bout a sec or less and they were completely different cars, and fared differently on the quarter too.

0.5 sec on a 0-100 run could equate to more than that on a quarter mile run.

You can't grab a sec or more from a tune alone, especially on a FWD.

Sorry I can't believe it, but wiling to eat my words.

Start eating .....

It really depends on the car and what the tuners have to start with. Some are more receptive to power gains from just a chip than others .

Mk5 Polo GTIs pick up 38% in KW and 49% torque with the APR chip alone. Stock quartermile of 16.8s drops to 14.2s in the hands of a good driver and 13.9s (thats 3 seconds faster) in the hands of a great driver. Slips have been posted on this very forum.

Stg 2 Polo GTIs (Mk5s) do 80-120 in 3.2s and drops STIs and MPS's quite easily once moving ..... something about 350NM+ and 1100kg .... the Polo's however have huge problems launching as the FWD's struggle to cope with that power output.

0-100km/h improves (for stg 1) from 8.2s to 6.2s .... a whole 2s just from a chip. Tested a 5.7s personally in my own Stg 2 using a G-Tech Pro SS (same as Fabs)