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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[redhot]

Showden,
Tune done by Harding Perf.,Brisbane. 18x8's= some increased tyre roar,effect on ride comfort minor,speedo MORE accurate.Need to shield
debris from front wheels (mudflaps?).Pics asap.

Redhot,

who did your Stage 1?

I take it from comments above that once it's turned off/locked, Dealers can't "see" it.

Also, what is the process fitting your 18's... is re-cal of speedo etc something you did yourself. Much impact on ride/steering, and do you have any pics to upload. Also of chrome grille?

cheers

SB

[sbowden]

Redhot,

who did your Stage 1?

I take it from comments above that once it's turned off/locked, Dealers can't "see" it.

Also, what is the process fitting your 18's... is re-cal of speedo etc something you did yourself. Much impact on ride/steering, and do you have any pics to upload. Also of chrome grille?

cheers

SB

[redhot]

Do exactly the same as Ryan R for servicing, plus removal of C.A.I.

[Ryan_R]

Visiting a dealer is just about the only time I turn my tune off, and is the actual only time I make use of Security Lockout.

[The_Hawk]

Has been serviced once, plus end-of-warranty check recently.

Do you have the option to switch tunes? And do you switch back to stock for servicing? Or do you leave it on the performance tune? (and if so has anyone said anything?)

[redhot]

Had my APR stg1 installed May '11, later version March '12. Has been serviced once, plus end-of-warranty check recently. TRANSFORMED
the car, love the result. Plenty of grunt from 0 rpm. so much more enjoyable to drive. Willowbank test 'n' tune 14.9 sec. Go APR asap.

[sbowden]

found this in the link to 6sp dsg

re my query on torque and 7sp DSG, this is from the link on 6sp, and is possibly the best answer I could hope for:

Transmissions are highly overengineered bits of kit for which you wont be readily able to find a specific "breaking torque". The frequency and style of abuse is far more important to the life of any transmission. As craigy suggests the clutch will slip before the transmission breaks.

I suggest that anyone in the right frame of mind would have no problem successfully applying much more torque through a 6 speed DSG than you will easily acheive with a 4 cylinder diesel engine - just as anyone with a detuned VW diesel could break the same transmission if they were so inclined.

Therefore, a "safe torque" is just about as variable a number as is the IQ of the driver. (posted by gldgti)

So, if I can drive 'responsibly' then the uprated power should be just fine...

Would still like to hear from some folk with ecu stage 1, who have had it for 12 months +, and one or more service intervals.

cheers

[sbowden]

Many thanks guys.

[The_Hawk]

They are some hard questions... Tuning company vs tuning company… well I think the results are pretty close in terms of performance, the differences are more about service and support as well as who you feel comfortable giving your money to. How about we leave the which tuner question for a different thread.

Onto the rest of your questions.

AFAIK the 7 speed DSG you have in the 118TSI is the newer dry clutch system and is rated for ~250Nm of torque (which funny enough is just above the max power produced in stock form. (the 6 speed wet clutch DSG is apparently good for ~350Nm). Bottom line, it seems VW are rating their components just enough to cover what they specify them to do rather than what they are capable of… which is fair from their perspective really.

Using the APR Stage 1 tune you are talking about for reference, it provides you 317Nm (according to the APR website) of torque to play with which is above the "specified limit" of the DSG box. In reality plenty of people are pushing more power through them without issues.

There is some talk over here about the 6 speed:

http://www.vwwatercooled.org.au/forums/f28/6speed-dsg-maximum-torque-43760.html

And some details on the 7 speed here:
Volkswagen Group The 7-speed DSG

The best answer is it will probably be OK, but you are taking a risk in pushing a piece of equipment past it's "intended" outputs (ditto for the engine).

Fuel economy is supposedly better, but then with more power you might just push it harder. I think in most cases economy is more about the right foot than anything else.

Fitting time is about an hour unless it needs to be bench flashed. Then it could take a bunch of hours. This all depends on the place that's doing it for you, their work load etc etc.
The other potential fly in the ointment is a question of if there is a tune available for your particular engine/ecu combo. Chances are there is, but if not the computer needs to be dumped and a tune built which is likely to take a couple of days.

Stage 2+ means intake, intercooler, down pipe and exhaust then onto the more expensive things like bigger turbos, injectors etc. In the 1.4TSI stage 1 is probably all you need…

From my investigations and discussions/readings on here an intercooler will help reduce heat soak and a custom down pipe and exhaust (since there is no off the shelf option) can help it breathe a little better too, but when you look at the costs for these parts vs the power gains the return on investment really isn't very big. It's probably money better spent on suspension upgrades over that extra bit of power. If your running an '09 model it may be worth upgrading the fuel pump as that is a limiting factor on the older MK6's.

[Ryan_R]

Tested to make sure no issues with DSG.

Fuel economy improves a bit since you don't have to rev as much for the same amount of acceleration.

Takes about 30 mins depending on the Internet download speed your dealer has

6 hour ignition time test is try before you buy (can't turn on/off via cruise control stick or try other features in trial mode)

Stage 2 is different version of software designed to work with modified exhaust, etc and to prevent fault codes registering on some sensors.

Love the APR tune, go for it.

[sbowden]

Great thread, thanks Hawk.

I have a stock 118TSi DSG with sports pack which (I have just discovered) has 12 days until warranty expires. So first up I'm booking it in for the shims to be replaced to cure my (intermittent) clutch shudder in 2nd and also reverse. Wish me luck...

And THEN.... I want to boost it's power. From what i've read in this thread, the APR ECU stage 1 is what I'm leaning towards. Because it's readily available, has a good website, has many positive mentions and seems to give a great deal of 'bang for your buck'.

I'm unlikely to do much more than this...car will perform more satisfyingly, but still look and sound the same.. and that's important to me.
I note that Guy H from HP in Brisbane also owns a 118TSi, so interested in his - and all others - thoughts re following:

Likely impact on transmission?

Any effect on fuel economy?

How long to fit (I'll be travelling to & from Lismore so need same day trip)

What is the purpose of the 6 hour test... is this a 'try before you buy' customer service offering? (nice).

What is stage 2 and beyond?

I would also love to hear from 118TSi owners who have fitted the APR ecu stage 1, or another make of ecu upgrade at similar $$

I'm a new member, pls be gentle on me if I've asked too much from one post.

cheers

[Ryan_R]

Err, DSG Torque (pick either clutch). Save log to CSV or whatever and open that with Excel, and it's a pretty standard process to turn a list of values into a graph (Google it). Besides that you're asking me to remember details that I've only ever performed once in VCDS a lonnnnng time ago

[AdamD]

Using a program called Microsoft Excel

Which particular parameter(s) were you recording? Instructions please?

[Ryan_R]

Using a program called Microsoft Excel