APR ECU Upgrade MK6 Golf - Customer perspective

[Guy_H]

You should be fine with an MY 11 GTI, we have done quite a lot.

There is always the chance, when new cars roll off the boat, they have a different part number or version (or in the case of the new Jetta's & Passat's - totally different ECU's).

It's nice to know that if you are the one case in 50 that has something new, it will be a two visit trip.

If I was a betting man, I would say you are 97.3% safe as our own MY11 GTI is a week old & we just did it.

[spiff]

Aye. Quattro are the only place here to go for APR. They're good at what they do. My experience with them was a no-nonsense straight-talking service. Not much banter, but they know what they do. I'd have said "their support" (and the support I got) came via way of Guy and VWW, but I see that Guy's already replied. top stuff.

Hi Guys,

Recently emailed my local APR dealer Re Stage 1 on my 2011 GTI, and got the below response.

"As this vehicle is very new it may not not yet have the program written for it. We will need to sight the ECU and find out from APR."

Just wondering whether it is normal to have to take the car down for an inspection before organising an appointment to have the upgrade done? Does this response also imply they will want to remove the ECU?

The dealer in question is Quattro Motors, in Perth. As far as I'm aware they're the only option available to me for APR here in WA.

Thanks Guys.

[cavinsoo]

Hi,

I've read up on APR Stage 1 tune. kw and torque gains... blah blah blah.

How about 0-100? How fast would it be if the car still has the stock components. Just an ECU flash. No component upgrades. Thanks!

[brad]

Hi,

I've read up on APR Stage 1 tune. kw and torque gains... blah blah blah.

How about 0-100? How fast would it be if the car still has the stock components. Just an ECU flash. No component upgrades. Thanks!

Not sure about 0-100 as i think they are irrellevant in daily driving but I knocked up to 18% off my in-gear times when I Bluefinned the 1.8TSI. Reduction in overtaking times is the important bit - justifies the remap on OHS grounds.

40-120 in 3rd gear. 40kmh is just off boost at just on 1500rpm.
Before: 10.99 / 10.92 / 10.96 - call it 10.95?
After : 8.82 / 8.80(det)/ 9.02 - call it 8.95?
~2 seconds/ 18% reduction

40-140 in 4th gear. 40kmh is way off boost at about 1000rpm
Before: 14.99 / 14.74
After : 13.79 / 13.48 / 13.72
Call it 1 second better? 6% improvement?

[Guy_H]

Oettinger claim .5 second quicker 0-100 - that's very conservative to say the least. There are a lot of factors involved in setting 0-100 times.

[cavinsoo]

I couldn't visualize the improvement when it comes to hp, kw, or Nm.

If someone tells me that it's 0.5s faster, I can visualize it.

[brad]

There are a lot of factors involved in setting 0-100 times.

That's why I like in-gear times. Takes the numpty out of the start & the gear changes. No tyre spin or traction issues. Less abusive on the vehicle. More like the way most people drive.

[AdamD]

I couldn't visualize the improvement when it comes to hp, kw, or Nm.

If someone tells me that it's 0.5s faster, I can visualize it.

The best (believable) Golf R DSG 0-100 I've read is 5.3. A number of members (with reliable, relatively accurate equipment) have achieved high 4s (~4.8-4.9) with a stage 1 flash. A few users have claimed much faster times (eg mid 4s), however I'd be inclined to disregard these as either recorded with inaccurate timing equipment, or else influenced by other factors. Fab_R achieved a reputable mid 4-s with a stage 2 flash and several hardware mods.

Your experience may vary - dramatically. But 0.4 - 0.5 seconds would probably be a fair and reasonable target to aim for. At this end of the performance spectrum, a half second is a lot of extra go.

[cavinsoo]

By the way, any problem with the car overheating at Stage 1 because there is no modification to other parts of the car?

It's like overclocking a computer and not giving it more cooling.

[DNA Tuning]

No not really, but that is a good analogy. Think of a Stage 1 upgrade as say, overclocking a Pentium 4 chip by 20%, which is quite achievable on the standard cooling. A Stage 2+ upgrade on the other hand is like overclocking a Pentium 4 chip by 30% and increasing the voltage, thus necessitating better cooling, downpipe, etc. =)