Golf R Performance Mods - ECU Tune or JB Box?

**aj84763** · 08-04-2018, 01:13 AM

Hi Guys,

I'm thinking of getting a tune to my 2014 R manual but haven't had any of my cars modded before so I wanted to get some advice on which one I should get and which shop to get it done at. I'm based in Parramatta so somewhere local to there would be easiest.

The cars still under warranty so I'm leaning more towards the JB1 mod as I've read it cannot be detected by the dealership where ECU tunes such as APRs stage 1 definitely will even when flashing back to stock.

What's the difference between the JB1 and JB4? Detection wise is one safer than the other?
Any reason or con to the JB boxes which would prevent people from choosing them and going a full ECU tune instead?

I know the stage 1 tunes seem to be giving slightly more performance than the JB boxes but I'm really not fussed about that I'd rather rest in mind that if something does happen I have a slightly smaller fight to fight with VW to get it fixed. Especially considering all the warranty issues I've already had to run through them. (Door handle snapped off, turbo sensor failed, auto start stop system failed, christmass tree error lights upon startup, air con leak, sun roof visor clip snapped). I've had more issues with this thing in 3 years than 10 years on my Peugeot 206 GTI! And I bought that when it was 4 years old!

I was also looking at getting a haldex tune as well. Is there any issues or anything I need to be aware of before going into this?

Second last mod I wanted to do is get some pops and bangs that the DSG models have into my manual R. I know you can do this by a new exhaust, but I really don't want to go chopping and changing hardware on the car. Is there a software thing you can do to add this?

Last mod, well not really a mod but ever since I bought the car I've REALLY wanted to change the paint colour. Unfortunately at the time of purchase only my car in white was in stock, if I wanted a black one the dealership said they would have to trade for it which would take weeks if not a month. Then they would have to add the paint protection that mine already had applied causing even more delays. At the time I had no car so I really couldn't wait.
I got a few quotes for a wrap thinking it would be significantly cheaper than a respray. But every quote I've got back is about 5K!
Anyone know of any simpler cheaper ways of achieving the same effect? I really wanted to go with a matte black effect but it's not worth spending 5K to get there,
Especially when in a years time max I'll be getting rid of it.

One last thing, I'm due to get some new tyres next week. I'm thinking of getting the Michelin PS4S, thoughts?
I was looking at the Pirelli PZ4 but have heard the wear on them is no where near as good, and the grips not quite up there either.
Where do you guys normally get your tyres from? Every shop I contact it seems Michelin must set the pricing because everyone's charging $370. Jax is the cheapest I've found so far, same price as everyone else but for some reason there the only ones offering the $100 rebate if you buy 4.

Thanks for your assistance!

**Kachingg** · 08-04-2018, 02:43 AM

If your getting rid of the car in a year or even earlier put the money you are thinking of pouring into this car towards your next one you won't get any of it back and might even lower the price you get for it
Best time to mod car is just after you get it so you get max value and time out of the mods cause they are for yourself not someone else
I have spent about 10k over my purchase price on my car in the 8 months since i got it and will not get 1 cent of it back if i sell it
I went into the mods with the knowledge that's the way it is but i love everything i have done and intend to keep it for a long time so its worth it to me

**Mattlock** · 08-04-2018, 08:15 AM

OP, the best mod for the manual R is the removal of the clutch bleed block restrictor. This will give you a much better feel around the bite point. Takes about 15-20mins to do.

As for the PS4s - they’re great. I’ve had my set on for about 6 months now and they rock. Much better feedback, higher grip levels and almost no difference in road noise.

On the mods, I have a JB1 and PedalBox that I have run intermittently (depending on mood). I like that I can add and remove these things myself as I feel like it. Plus when I sell the car (coming soon) I can sell these bits separately on here to recover a small porting of my initial cost.

Pops and bangs - yeah, give up on that. I’m probably going to replace my 7R in the coming months with an i30N instead!

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**tigger73** · 08-04-2018, 08:33 AM

If you tune your car you’ll likely need to upgrade/replace the clutch.

No point spending a lot on it now if you’re planning on selling soon as others say you won’t get much if any $ back and may reduce your resale.

In fact in terms of resale if you still have some warranty left you’re best selling privately while still under warranty.

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**aj84763** · 08-04-2018, 12:06 PM

Originally Posted by Mattlock

OP, the best mod for the manual R is the removal of the clutch bleed block restrictor. This will give you a much better feel around the bite point. Takes about 15-20mins to do.

As for the PS4s - they’re great. I’ve had my set on for about 6 months now and they rock. Much better feedback, higher grip levels and almost no difference in road noise.

On the mods, I have a JB1 and PedalBox that I have run intermittently (depending on mood). I like that I can add and remove these things myself as I feel like it. Plus when I sell the car (coming soon) I can sell these bits separately on here to recover a small porting of my initial cost.

Pops and bangs - yeah, give up on that. I’m probably going to replace my 7R in the coming months with an i30N instead!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Thanks for the advice. The mod for the clutch if that helps improve the feel of bite points I'll definitely be getting that.
One of my pet peeves with this car, its so hard to feel where the bite point is I'm constantly revving through it and worried I'm accelerating the wear of the clutch. It was such a adjustment going from the 206 to this. That clutch bit literally right at the top of the pedal the complete opposite to this.

Replacement wise it will probably be longer than a year, I really want to swap this for the new A45 and I don't think that's due here until 2020.

**rosslm** · 08-04-2018, 12:27 PM

JB4 is best bang foe the buck and not intrusive as mentioned can be removed completely and sold later. Comment on mood above was appropriate I find myself switching between Map 0 (stock) and Map 1 when I want to go a bit quicker on a back road. Map 2 I only use in cooler weather. So I'd recommend JB4 with either the USB cable or Bluetooth kit and the phone App to adjust settings as required. If you are going to keep the car after warranty you can go a Stage 1 tune then.

**aj84763** · 08-04-2018, 12:30 PM

Originally Posted by rosslm

JB4 is best bang foe the buck and not intrusive as mentioned can be removed completely and sold later. Comment on mood above was appropriate I find myself switching between Map 0 (stock) and Map 1 when I want to go a bit quicker on a back road. Map 2 I only use in cooler weather. So I'd recommend JB4 with either the USB cable or Bluetooth kit and the phone App to adjust settings as required. If you are going to keep the car after warranty you can go a Stage 1 tune then.

Thanks for the advice. JB4 seems the way to go, just gotta get some quotes now see what the costs like.

**Mattlock** · 08-04-2018, 02:03 PM

Originally Posted by rosslm

JB4 is best bang foe the buck and not intrusive as mentioned can be removed completely and sold later. Comment on mood above was appropriate I find myself switching between Map 0 (stock) and Map 1 when I want to go a bit quicker on a back road. Map 2 I only use in cooler weather. So I'd recommend JB4 with either the USB cable or Bluetooth kit and the phone App to adjust settings as required. If you are going to keep the car after warranty you can go a Stage 1 tune then.

Yeah, that is the downside of the JB1 - you have to get out a laptop and a cable to make map changes

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**Mattlock** · 08-04-2018, 02:07 PM

Originally Posted by aj84763

Thanks for the advice. The mod for the clutch if that helps improve the feel of bite points I'll definitely be getting that.
One of my pet peeves with this car, its so hard to feel where the bite point is I'm constantly revving through it and worried I'm accelerating the wear of the clutch. It was such a adjustment going from the 206 to this. That clutch bit literally right at the top of the pedal the complete opposite to this.

Replacement wise it will probably be longer than a year, I really want to swap this for the new A45 and I don't think that's due here until 2020.

Yeah, the difference is massive and I now rarely slip the clutch. The electronic park brake releases consistently every time too.

Best mod to the car ever and one of the cheapest - $13 for some DOT4 fluid to top up the reservoir after you’ve bled the air out.

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**aj84763** · 08-04-2018, 02:50 PM

The haldex tunes they do that’s part of the ECU tune isn’t it? So you can’t get them done with the JB4? Really want to get that done if I can as the traction control light comes on way too much. It feels like the car never sends power to the rear wheels kinda defeats the purpose of buying a R.