Retune/remap a tuned wolfie?

[gabbaking]

Hi all,

I recently bought a used 2018 Tiguan, Wolfsburg edition, which has been upgraded with Garrett PowerMax GT2260S, intercooler, Powerteck ECU, and Trans tune from the previous owner.

The main issue I'm facing is sluggishness at the low end and hesitation in the DSG. I'm looking for cost-effective solutions to improve drivability and support any future modifications. I'm considering upgrading the intake and ECU/DSG but I'm unsure if the previous owner had an upgraded intake or if the stock intake was sufficient for the upgraded turbo.

I'm wondering if it would be worthwhile to return to Pulse Racing for a re-tune? Based on Powertek's website, they appear to specialise in Subarus. Alternatively, I could consult another tuner for a custom ECU/DSG tune.

Any suggestions, would be much appreciated.

[petemac110]

The GT2260 is an OEM+ style turbo which is only ever so slightly bigger than the IS38, so I would have thought that the tuning would be pretty straight forward and a known quantity.

Paul Fisher at Pulse is certainly well known in the Subaru game and is no hack - why not get in touch with him and discuss your concerns?

One thing to bear in mind that there's generally a bit of low speed clumsiness in the DSG, including poor throttle response, that is difficult to entirely dial out.

Many people use throttle controllers to address this - myself included - on both standard and tuned examples. For $150 or so, it's a cheap option worth trying.

[Lucas_R]

Look what I just found. I assume this is your car because they only do Subaru's otherwise. https://fb.watch/xR4jEKEAXi/

Can only assume the guy who owned the Tig before you is a very good customer of Pulse - probably owns several modified Subaru's.

[petemac110]

Look what I just found. I assume this is your car because they only do Subaru's otherwise. https://fb.watch/xR4jEKEAXi/

Can only assume the guy who owned the Tig before you is a very good customer of Pulse - probably owns several modified Subaru's.

Good sleuthing!!

Even though Paul is a Subaru specialist, Ecutek tuning is also available for MQB chassis vehicles and the DQ250/DQ381 gearbox as per the following link. For a relatively sane setup such as the GT2260, it's a pretty straight-forward affair with the extensive use of base-mapping and a bit of tweaking here and there to accommodate the slightly higher flowing turbo.

VW AG EA888 Engine Tuning - Support - Confluence

[gabbaking]

Paul Fisher at Pulse is certainly well known in the Subaru game and is no hack - why not get in touch with him and discuss your concerns? Many people use throttle controllers to address this - myself included - on both standard and tuned examples. For $150 or so, it's a cheap option worth trying.

Thanks Pete, this is great info and probably good to reset my expectations, coming from a mk5 diesel who was extremely easy to drive around the town with a high torquey engine at the low end (and fumes to complement).

Look what I just found. I assume this is your car because they only do Subaru's otherwise. https://fb.watch/xR4jEKEAXi/.

Lucas, Good find and that's the vehicle! Impressive number at the dyno.

Thanks again team, yesterday, I gave Pulse racing a call and awaiting to hear back from the owner/mechanic. I am wondering would it be worth looking at it from TCU/DSG tune perspective.

Based on Pete comment's, mapping these turbos seems to be quite straight forward.

[petemac110]

Based on Pete comment's, mapping these turbos seems to be quite straight forward.

Yes, it's not rocket science!

Bear in mind that if you're talking about low-end tractability or response, there's only so much that can be done with an IS38-or-larger turbo. The boost threshold is what it is. Very different characteristics to a turbo diesel. Modern high compression, direct injection petrol engines are already massively more impressive down-low compared to older generations of low compression turbo engines.

[gabbaking]

Thanks, Pete. This car is quite different from my previous ones, which included a Mazda 3 MPS, a Mk5 GTI, and a Mk5 TDI. Looking back, both the Mazda 3 MPS and the Mk5 GTI were a bit of a pain to drive in stop-start traffic.

Here's an update: I spoke with Paul at Pulse Racing and had a very informative conversation about my concerns. He was an absolute gentleman. The key takeaways were:

- Retuning: Paul mentioned they no longer tune these cars, so I'll need to explore other tuning options down the line. He emphasised that the current tune focuses on maintaining drivability while adding power without causing any breakdowns.

- Paul suggested that replacing the engine and transmission mounts would likely improve the DSG's clumsiness. After reading other threads, I've seen members mention similar symptoms, such as a "bang" when shifting from reverse to drive on an inclined driveway, and a feeling of the engine hitting the engine bay in stop-start traffic.

I'm now looking for suggestions from the community regarding appropriate engine mounts and bushings to tighten up the steering and handling. I've seen recommendations for Whiteline sets, but I'm having trouble finding the relevant threads.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated, as always.

[Lucas_R]

I would stay away from the polyurethane bushes and inserts from my experience. You should at the very least do the "dogbone" mount insert and for this I would recommend one of the metal inserts. I have tried several poly bush inserts (and complete replacement mounts) and they all had an increase in NVH, wheras the metal inserts do not.

I am very sensitive to increased NVH in the car and experimented with various options when I had my MK6 Golf R. After some trial and error, the poly bushes were out and I settled on one of the metal inserts which did:

- Firmed up the engine/gearbox movement nicely
- Had very little change to NVH
- Can easily be removed if you decide you dont like it (this cannot be done with the poly bushes as they break when you try to remove them).

So when I moved on from the Golf R and moved to a Mk7 Golf GTI I went straight to a metal insert for the dogbone and never thought about it again. https://www.autoinstruct.com.au/prod...L7SJOAUd92ikdA

[gabbaking]

I would stay away from the polyurethane bushes and inserts from my experience. You should at the very least do the "dogbone" mount insert and for this I would recommend one of the metal inserts. I have tried several poly bush inserts (and complete replacement mounts) and they all had an increase in NVH, wheras the metal inserts do not.

I am very sensitive to increased NVH in the car and experimented with various options when I had my MK6 Golf R. After some trial and error, the poly bushes were out and I settled on one of the metal inserts which did:

- Firmed up the engine/gearbox movement nicely
- Had very little change to NVH
- Can easily be removed if you decide you dont like it (this cannot be done with the poly bushes as they break when you try to remove them).

So when I moved on from the Golf R and moved to a Mk7 Golf GTI I went straight to a metal insert for the dogbone and never thought about it again. 034Motorsport Billet Aluminium MQB Dogbone Mount Insert Version 2 '-' VW Mk7, Audi 8V | AutoInstruct

Thanks mate, I share your thoughts on NVH and prefer to keep it minimal as possible especially being a family car.

034 kits sounds promising, do you suggest going down the path of both upper and lower inserts? would it worth changing the OEM rubber puck if its damaged?

[Lucas_R]

Retune/remap a tuned wolfie?

I only had the lower insert on my car and never had an issue. The upper mount may improve things more but may introduce additional NVH over just the lower insert. Its only more recently that they are selling the upper and lower mount as a package.

[petemac110]

I would stay away from the polyurethane bushes and inserts from my experience.

Yes, there is definitely more vibration with poly bushes. I'm probably going to remove my red (softest) Powerflex bush and fit a metal item instead. Feels great, but there is certainly more vibration as a whole.

[petemac110]

Yes, there is definitely more vibration with poly bushes. I'm probably going to remove my red (softest) Powerflex bush and fit a metal item instead. Feels great, but there is certainly more vibration as a whole.

Further to this, I was inspired to remove the Powerflex bush last night and install the metal insert that I've had lying around for a while. It was a 15 minute job and the poly bush slid straight out without breaking.

The metal insert has significantly lowered vibration levels. Happy days! Let's see how long this $12 aliexpress insert lasts!

[Lucas_R]

Further to this, I was inspired to remove the Powerflex bush last night and install the metal insert that I've had lying around for a while. It was a 15 minute job and the poly bush slid straight out without breaking.

The metal insert has significantly lowered vibration levels. Happy days! Let's see how long this $12 aliexpress insert lasts!

Wow im surprised the old poly bush came out without ripping!! I have installed and removed several on the Mk5/Mk6 Golf platform and every one of them has become hard with heat cycles and then ripped/broken when ive removed them. Perhaps the design of the Mk7/MQB subframe is kinder on the poly bushes.

Good to hear that the vibration is lower with the metal insert. See if you notice any different (better or worse) in performance, probably not.

[petemac110]

Wow im surprised the old poly bush came out without ripping!! I have installed and removed several on the Mk5/Mk6 Golf platform and every one of them has become hard with heat cycles and then ripped/broken when ive removed them. Perhaps the design of the Mk7/MQB subframe is kinder on the poly bushes.

Good to hear that the vibration is lower with the metal insert. See if you notice any different (better or worse) in performance, probably not.

I'm probably lucky that I don't do all that much driving - probably only 3,500km in the 16 or so weeks that I had the Powerflex installed. A few heat cycles no doubt, but it could be a different story after a year or two!

The metal insert is not as tight-feeling, that's for sure - there is more movement and flex in the engine/gearbox assembly relative to the chassis and crossmember. Nothing too terrible, but its there.

The reduced vibration is worth it though.

[petemac110]

I'm probably lucky that I don't do all that much driving - probably only 3,500km in the 16 or so weeks that I had the Powerflex installed. A few heat cycles no doubt, but it could be a different story after a year or two!

The metal insert is not as tight-feeling, that's for sure - there is more movement and flex in the engine/gearbox assembly relative to the chassis and crossmember. Nothing too terrible, but its there.

The reduced vibration is worth it though.

A little update - the metal insert has been removed and I modified the poly bush by shortening it by a little more than half of the original "depth".

The result is no vibration on startup, creeping forward and reversing. During normal driving, it also feels great - tighter overall than the metal insert, but less NVH.

I'm finally a happy man!