The great big MK6 Golf 118TSI tuning thread

[Rawcpoppa]

Have you guys heard of Protune for remaps? A rep sought me out and is offering to remap my 118 tsi mk6 jetta from 160 hp to 195hp and torque from 240Nm to 300Nm.

He claims that they take a copy of my oem ecu file and they modify it and since it is the modified oem file that is used in the remap my dealer won't be able to find out the car has been tuned.

He also offered another remap for max power of 210hp. They can go higher but the bearings of the turbo would be severely stressed. I'm very tempted to do the 195...


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[Brendan_A]

Never heard of them. Your dealer will know its tuned when they drive it

[Ryan_R]

Hehe, that almost deserves a

Now that I've got my new clutch kit it'll be interesting to see how long I last trying it out before running back to Volkspower for my APR.
Also in the Polo GTI section Guy_H mentioned there's a new ~$1000 DSG tune coming soon (this week?) that doesn't shift up so early. Not APR branded and not able to turn on/off like the engine tune.

[Rawcpoppa]

Ugh. It's my first car and only had the 1000km service done so didn't remember the tech takes the car out for a test drive.

Armed with this new "info" i'm going to ask Protune about this and hopefully make them squirm lol.

Protune is based in the uk by the way but seem to be branching out. Trinidad was the last place I thought they would come. Figured they would go to Australia first.


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[The_Hawk]

When it comes to tuning there are a few schools of thought when it comes to VW service people.

The line "they can't tell" has a few caveats in most cases. AFAIK what they mean is that it doesn't jump out and bite the technician while he is changing the oil in your car, nor does it set off any flags/warnings when the tech scans your car for errors. In the vast majority of cases your car is unlikely to break so the "normal" services won't have to look any deeper so they have no cause to look any harder. That said, he may notice that things seem a little strange during any test drive, but then it depends who actually drives it and if it's just between the car park and the service bay or if it's further.

The reality with tunes is that when a tech who knows his stuff checks out some of the logs and notices it boosting to ~1.6 bar instead of the stock ~1.0 bar it might just set of some warning lights in his head In short no it's never going to be 100% hidden.

Of course you could always use the company who tunes your car for servicing, that way there is no need to "hide" anything and they can be aware of all the factors when servicing. Plan B, if you have the ability to switch things back to stock, do that then get it serviced at the dealership. As I said, they can find it if they want to look hard enough, but if you don't draw their attention to it it may very well go unnoticed.

Bottom line, you are toying with parts of your warranty, get informed on what the potential implications are and always remember that in the absolute worst case you end up with an engine you have to replace/rebuild out of your own pocket (of course you can just consider that the chance to build it bigger and better!)

[Ryan_R]

Well summed up, should sticky that somewhere


Having the GTI steering wheel and pedals retrofitted in your 118TSI might also raise their suspicions

[Ryan_R]

BTW here's the thread with the DSG tune info:

http://www.vwwatercooled.org.au/forums/f20/polo-gti-apr-ecu-upgrade-52856-36.html#post830804

[sbowden]

BTW here's the thread with the DSG tune info:
http://www.vwwatercooled.org.au/foru...tml#post830804

This sounds exciting, and a must-have.... Ryan_R, I take it from your posts in the Polo thread that the upgrade is good for our Golf 118TSI 7sp DSG's also?

Looking forward to the posts from those who are first to have this installed

[Ryan_R]

I assume Guy would've mentioned if it wasn't suitable. Polo GTI has much the same engine and gearbox afaik (some subtle differences only). My initial enthusiasm was before I heard the price, but after a few people try it and share their thoughts and videos I'll probably end up getting it. Just had a new clutch pack installed so I might wait a tad longer to make sure I'm happy with the repair.

[Dazedconfused]

Hi guys. Long time reader, first time poster. This is a great thread, well done.

I have a 2008 Golf GT Sport (not sure what Mk that is I'm sorry) with the 1.4 twin charge engine, and I am just at te stage where I'm considering a couple of performance mods for the car, so this has been a great read for me.

I don't actually know a lot about engines, so please speak in simple terms for me if that's ok?

I guess what I'm after is a performance boost without going too nuts to start with and something that won't alter the quiet car i have now. From what I've been reading, the APR tune is the way to go to begin with? Now is that simply a computer chip upgrade? How much coin would I be looking at to get that done, and where could I get it done in Adelaide?

I'd love to upgrade my cooler, exhaust and add a short shifter later on, but for now I want to start small.

I'd really appreciate some advice on this from everyone in the know.

Dave

[The_Hawk]

Hi Dave!

The reality of the various stage 1 tunes is that they are pretty damn close together in terms of improved output. Pick the service provider who you are comfortable with, who you think will provide good service and go with them and the company/ies they may offer. In terms of price they vary from about $800 to about $1,400.

Stage 1 is ECU update only, no hardware mods and they simply flash the stock ECU.
Stage 2+ starts to get into the hardware mods too like intercoolers, intakes,exhaust, injectors etc etc.

On a bang per buck scale stage 1 is awesome, stage 2/3+ starts to cost a lot for less and less gains.

Intercooler = less heat soak = max power for longer
On a road car this is less relevant, but if you tend to get up it for long(er) periods could be worthwhile.

Exhaust/Intake mods will help with getting more air (and fuel) into and out of the engine so it can make moar power. If the stock system is half way decent the exhaust is more about the sound, intake is very similar.

Injectors can be upgraded to supply more fuel and are used when adding more air through a bigger turbo. Getting into the more crazy space at this point and probably not the best of idea's when starting with a 1.4L If you want to go crazy I'd be starting with a GTI

In your case the fuel pump might actually be worth upgrading too for some extra go (I'm assuming the MkV uses the older fuel pump same as the early MkVI twinchargers which was updated to a higher flow pump).


Long story short, get stage 1 and see how you go then consider if it's worth the $$$ for the few extra kW you might get.

[Transporter]

How much coin would I be looking at to get that done, and where could I get it done in Adelaide?

I'd love to upgrade my cooler, exhaust and add a short shifter later on, but for now I want to start small.

I'd really appreciate some advice on this from everyone in the know.

Dave

Hi Dave, how many km on your MK5 GT? And where in Adelaide are you? You can PM me if you like.
Cheers,
Miro

[Brendan_A]

Hi Transpoter, what power figures do Viezu have to offer for the 1.4 twincharge?

Only ever hear about GTI and R

[Transporter]

The Performance tune is approx. plus 30 HP and 60Nm torque.

[Dazedconfused]

Hawk - Thanks very much for the detailed yet simple breakdown for me, that's exactly what I wanted.

I will be pricing the Stage 1 this week or next then I think. I'll have to look into the fuel pump thing...tbh I wouldn't have a clue, nor do I know how to find out, but I'll look into it. I think there are a couple of APR reps in Adelaide, but I'll have to look into that as well.

At times I wish I'd have grabbed the GTI (I miss the power sometimes), but ultimately I have to keep telling myself I got the GT Sport for fuel savings and for the fun factor, both of which it does well. I guess the upgrades are to bridge the gap a little and make me feel a little better about NOT having a GTI. Frankly it's too good to sell so I'm just going to mod it slightly.

Transporter - It's just rolled around about 63000kms. It is my primary transport, and I run the misses around a bit as she doesn't have her own wheels as yet. Thankfully both our jobs are pretty close to home. We live out North Adelaide, in one of the many "RAAF (read: Defence) central" areas :p

So has anyone had any dealings with German Auto on the south side of Adelaide? Apparently the only APR rep that's NOT a Porsche dealership listed on the APR site. Sadly they don't list the ECU for the 1.4 on their home page. I'll call them tomorrow though.
Volkswagen Performance Parts - Adelaide, South Australia - German Auto Melrose Park