Golf R/GTI DSG Mods - What order?

[drad81]

Alright, I know that the first upgrade would have to be the ECU tune but what do most of you think would be the next step? down pipe or DSG tune? I already have the Volant intake.

I'm asking because I'm looking at tuning the car next month but am not sure what way to go. what do you guys recommend?
I'm leaning towards the ecu and down pipe as I've heard a lot of positives about this combo. Mind you, eventually I plan on going all the way to stage 2+.

Also, I find that the car is a little slow to respond from the time you put your foot down to the time the car actually starts moving would the engine ecu upgrade help, the down pipe help or the DSG tune help?

The car is a daily driver so I intend on keeping the rear half of the exhaust standard.

[team_v]

DSG tune sounds like the one you want.

[AdamD]

If you don't know already, then you should wait till you have your tune to decide. If after tuning you think you need more power/response, then do the downpipe. If the DSG shift pattern and gear selection annoys you, then do the DSG tune. Everyone's different, and one person's perception of what needs improving might be quite different to another.

The downpipe won't improve the car's responsiveness before it actually starts moving whatsoever.

[Lucas_R]

If the throttle lag is bugging you (quite well known with the DSG's) then you should try a Sprintbooster. Little device which speeds up the signal from your throttle to the engine - making it react more quickly. This will help with starting off from a standstill somewhat. BUT the DSG is inherently slow to react off the line - so you can only improve it so much.

A tune will remove some of the laggyness that the car has below 3,000rpm by ignition timing changes and fueling. A good stage 1 tune makes a reasonable difference to overall driveability and power.

A downpipe further reduces turbo lag (a few hundred RPM) and gives you more power and torque throught the rev range.

DSG tune will mainly stop the car from going into 6th gear about 3 seconds after you have taken off from a set of lights. It holds gears for longer, and instead of trying to be in 5th or 6th gear all the time, it will hold onto a lower gear. The tune can also make the gearbox shift gears more quickly and increase the clutch pressure.

[tigger73]

If the throttle lag is bugging you (quite well known with the DSG's) then you should try a Sprintbooster. Little device which speeds up the signal from your throttle to the engine - making it react more quickly. This will help with starting off from a standstill somewhat. BUT the DSG is inherently slow to react off the line - so you can only improve it so much.

A tune will remove some of the laggyness that the car has below 3,000rpm by ignition timing changes and fueling. A good stage 1 tune makes a reasonable difference to overall driveability and power.

A downpipe further reduces turbo lag (a few hundred RPM) and gives you more power and torque throught the rev range.

DSG tune will mainly stop the car from going into 6th gear about 3 seconds after you have taken off from a set of lights. It holds gears for longer, and instead of trying to be in 5th or 6th gear all the time, it will hold onto a lower gear. The tune can also make the gearbox shift gears more quickly and increase the clutch pressure.

+1 re Sprintbooster. There is a noticeable improvement compared to stock in relation to how the vehicle responds to throttle input when getting off the line. It's not instantaneous but it is a significant improvement.

I think the answer is you'll want both a DP and DSG tune. I have the DSG tune in my Stage 2 Tiguan and it has improved the driveability so much that instead of running it 90% in manual mode I now run it 90% in "D".

I only really flick it across into manual to get better DSG farts

Which brings me to the final point that at some stage you may want to upgrade the rear section of your exhaust to get better sound (if you want a bit more noise).

I'd suggest you consider this when selecting the DP to make sure everything is going to fit/work together and give you the final "end" result you're after. Some DP's will mate up to the stock cat-back exhaust and others won't so best to be sure of where you're heading with the car to make sure you don't have to back-track/remove bits you've already bought to get to where you want to go.

[parso_rex]

I'd do the DSG tune last, the downpipe is basically free power and torque everywhere.
oh yeah you don't need a sprintbooster if you have a proper tune, all of our customers that had one took them off. It just depends what rev and load ranges the particular tune starts to add timing and boost and of course how much they might add.

A DSG tune can really make the car feel much more like it probably should have been. The mistake with some of the DSG tunes (including one I was looking at from Europe) around is that they have a tendency to go overboard in D mode forgetting that here we spend a deal of time in traffic with low load and low speed situations. S mode you go to town with it as you would expect. End of the day its a bit of a personal choice.
You can modify shift speed, launch RPM, clamp force, gear shift points both up and down in both D and S mode. Rpm limits to (along with the ECU of course). There are many tables that have to be looked at but its worth it.

[drad81]

Thanks for the input guys.

ECU stage 1 is a definite 1st mod and I'm thinking downpipe too followed by DSG tune perhaps around the end of the year.

Downpipe I'm looking at definitely mates up to the standard rear end. ultimately I'll get the rear section changed. I'm just waiting to hear the reviews on the SPM cat back system