Opinions on value for money e.c.u. Tuning

[Jay Gee]

Hi, I am seeking some opinions on the best value for money E.C.U. Tuning Upgrades on MarkVI GTI. It will not be used on the track and I am mainly looking for torque and smoothness. Mostly city driving and some country trips. Many thanks in advance. Jay.

[team_v]

Viezu or DNAtuning.

APR cost more but has more features.

[T Go]

I got my Bluefin unit for $700 and it gives a nice upgrade over the stock Mk6 GTI's power/torque.
I'm sure you will find many a different opinion if you search the forum.

[BSR Tuning]

We can send over a ppc unit with stage 1 tune for your Golf GTI for $1360
the ppc unit allows you to tune your car to stock mode or tune mode whenever you like within 10minutes

You will see an increase of 25hp and a torque increase of 54Nm

[brad]

my Bluefin was $660 as a self import a couple of years back. local prices are almost down to that now.
Viezu are good value. Revo are about $900 and give a bit more power than the handhelds.

There's a bit more to it than just price. Self-load or get a workshop to do it, do you want peak power gains or a general increase across the rev range, switchable maps, lifetime map updates, drivetrain warranty, etc

[DreamensioN]

I just got the Viezu tune done on the Golf R earlier this week. Even though I haven't tried any other tune, I have to say - I am very pleased with the $$ vs results. I've done 150km since the tune and have gone through 1/4 of a tank. I just filled up again this morning, and once I do a bit more driving, I'll write a report on what I (honestly) think of the tune. So far though - I am quite impressed.

I say this coming from a 200rwKW 200sx that had a lot of work done to it.

[Jay Gee]

Many thanks for the input. I'll do some research and get some quotes.

[TomC]

John from DNA is fantastic. I've been very happy with their tune and John's customer service is excellent. And price was extremely competitive too.

[DNA Tuning]

Thanks for the kind words Tom.

Jay Gee, we have chosen to extend our SRS-II bundled with 2 tunes for $880 into 2012 as this seems to be a popular option.

Brad, the amount of power a tune makes has nothing to do with whether or not is it from a handheld - it is down to the tuner and what their objectives are. As most people know, Bluefin's tunes for the GTI are quite conservative but they are also capable of a more potent tune upon request.

We rate our 2.0TSI Stage 1 tunes at 188kW/405Nm and our power delivery is the smoothest in the industry; we have higher spec'd tunes available just like the competition as well and also offer a full 14 days money back satisfaction guarantee on all upgrades.

[rockDAhouse]

Hi John, are all DNA tunes now comes with a handheld device for ease of swapping tune?

[Greg Roles]

Bluefin has to be the bang for buck handheld, but so too the DNA is pretty good for a handheld. Our handhelds are a cost option on top of a flash now, but Viezu offers insurance and free rewrites for mods, plus it would seem they are up there with any of the tunes powerwise. If you have DSG, Viezu also include a light DSG tune, which at this stage seems to also be unique. It does indeed make the DSG a LOT smoother, so I'd challenge John as being "the smoothest" : )

There is also the option for some handheld devices to buy someones old handheld, but you have to see which tuners allow that.

[DNA Tuning]

Our standard remap is $730 without the SRS-II handheld but it's a good value option to opt for the SRS-II bundle as you get an additional tune and the ability to switch back to stock, etc. It also doubles up as an error code scanner which could potentially come in handy at some point during the life of the car.

Greg, as for smoothness, I was referring to the engine power delivery, not the gearbox - that said, I'm interested to know how you provide a DSG remap to customers as the handhelds can't reprogram the DSG control units. There are certain tools to do the DSG remap which I have access to, but unable to provide for an interstate customer; is this the same for you too?

[Greg Roles]

A lot of companies want to know, but yes we can do the light DSG tune via a handheld. Viezu magic.

[brad]

Brad, the amount of power a tune makes has nothing to do with whether or not is it from a handheld - it is down to the tuner and what their objectives are. As most people know, Bluefin's tunes for the GTI are quite conservative but they are also capable of a more potent tune upon request.

Yeah, I didn't explain myself well.
Bluefin Stage 1 is a very conservative tune because they are distributing it worldwide so it has to work with vary climates, fuels, etc. I made an assumption that the other handheld self-tuners would have to be equally conservative. I realise that Bluefin can offer a more potent tune in conjunction with other engine mods but the results vary a lot because Bluefin has no control over what parts are fitted (or how they are fitted). eg: Stage 2 remap for vehicles with intake & exhaust mods but the poor tuners at Bluefin have no control over what intake or exhaust is fitted. It's a sum of the parts equation in the end and a best guess as to what the tune should be.