Stage 1 Tune

[Entheos]

The car is so much nicer to drive now, it feels like a brand new vehicle. Next time I won't wait this long to get the tune done. I was being conservative and wanted to wait out the warranty period, but I don't think I'd bother next time. Mind you, it's kinda nice to wait a few years because it's like getting a new car again without anywhere near the outlay!

Yeah - I felt the same when I did Stage 1. Unlike you, with a 5 year warranty, there was no way I was waiting for warranty to expire - I just waited a year between Stage 1 and Stage 3

I reckon that VW should release an R version with power similar to Stage 1 - it would be an instant hit.

[Entheos]

How did it go today?

See my full response over here (Tiguan IS38 and Big turbo upgrades) near bottom of the page.

In short, when I picked up the car, the cabling connecting the waste gate solenoid on the turbo had popped off so the car behaved like a dog.

Got it sorted on Monday and OH BOY, what a weapon. I'm preferring the power delivery to Stage 1 - a bit more linear between 2-3K (no surge) and some decent top end. Is it worth the huge cost over Stage 1 as you really need air intake bits, downpipe and intercooler along with the IS38 turbo? No, probably not. Also with Stage 1, the car still feels very stock to anyone in the car whereas with Stage 3 there is no denying that it has been modified.

But am I going back to Stage 1? Not a chance!

[VW Convert]

How did it go today?

To compare notes, I had the Underground Performance tune applied to my Eos today at Pacortech, not a huge opportunity to give it a workout on the way home but I can say there is a noticeable difference. Effortless acceleration on the freeway, noticeably more torque. I did give it a boot full in S mode off the mark at one stage but I think this could be a good way to fry tyres!

I had bought a Bluefin a few weeks ago but the tune wouldn't load and after a bit of to and fro with Superchips they said they couldn't tune it so I returned it. With the benefit of hindsight, I think I dodged a bullet.

I had planned to get the DSG tuned also but UP were unable to offer a file for the DSG in the Eos, I'm not that surprised as I was always aware the shift points in the Eos are different to other models probably due to the extra weight compared to say a GTI.

If the tune is as good as I think it is, it's a a good deal as there is a 20% off sale until end of month so it was only $799.

[Gladbach]

$799 sounds like a pretty good deal. Not sure how it compares to APR, but that's almost 40% cheaper so I'd be happy with that. Even if it doesn't push the engine as hard and achieve quite the same performance figures as APR, it's probably not such a bad thing on a slightly older model vehicle (6 years old?).

I didn't really get an opportunity to test sports mode on mine until a few days later when I had a bit of open road to play with. The obvious difference with the Tiguan is the 4motion. Another reason by the way why aiming for max performance isn't that important with a FWD. I used to have a 147TSI Jetta, and even with the stock tune ESP would start going mental when I gave it some from a stand still.

[Gladbach]

p.s. had a 2012 and 2006 Jetta. I see you had a 2006 Jetta as well. I loved that car, it was miles better than the 2012 in terms of build quality, handling and to some extent, performance. It was my first brand new car and I was damn proud of that thing. Didn't want to get a GTI at the time because I wanted the boot space. Should have got a GTI instead of the 2012 Jetta though.

[VW Convert]

p.s. had a 2012 and 2006 Jetta. I see you had a 2006 Jetta as well. I loved that car, it was miles better than the 2012 in terms of build quality, handling and to some extent, performance. It was my first brand new car and I was damn proud of that thing. Didn't want to get a GTI at the time because I wanted the boot space. Should have got a GTI instead of the 2012 Jetta though.

Yes, the 06 Jetta was a great car, Mexican built and I thought the build quality was terrific. Later Jettas were built in South Africa but I think they switched back to Mexico at some stage.
I was really unlucky with that car, got hit whilst stationary at a set of traffic lights, was touch and go whether it would be repaired. When it was repaired, a few weeks after the (very expensive) 60,000KM service, at the same set of traffic lights I got hit again, this time it was a write off. My reasons for buying the Jetta were much like yours, it had a deceptively large boot.

[Gladbach]

So its been a few weeks and I can honestly say that I'm really happy with the Stage 1 APR tune. My wife actually loves it too which surprised me.

A few observations now that I've done a fair bit of driving (good, bad, and neutral):
-There is a bit of a surge in power/torque early down which on occasion can be unwanted, but honestly, it's not that big a deal. It's a bit like driving a V6 automatic where it kind of wants to leap forward initially. Can be helpful as well, I don't seem to have the same lag that I had previously and haven't had that annoying thing where you put you foot down and the engine and DSG just pause for a few seconds trying to work out what to do. I put my foot down now and it just goes.

-I'm using sports mode less. Sounds crazy given that I've just done a performance tune, but I was in the habit of constantly shifting to sports mode on the daily commute when I needed to change lanes or do something where I knew I'd need an instant response from the engine. I just have so much more confidence with it in D or E now that I've stopped putting it in S and can just drive normally.

-When I do put it in S, it's an absolute beast. It's just relentless and pulls like a train and makes it so enjoyable to drive.

-It's more fuel efficient. I'm using less fuel, it just delivers more torque and I'm not finding that I'm putting my foot down as much as I used to because it just effortlessly pulls forward.

-This one might sound weird, but it handles better. Of course there was no mod to anything else but there is less body roll through corners. Again, I put it down to the fact that there is more torque pulling the car through the corner without me really needing to do anything. I'd often find myself kinda rolling though a corner in D despite trying to give it a little bit, but because there was no initial power delivery the weight would shift to the outside. Now it just feels more assured and planted through corners. I first thought I was imagining this, but my wife actually said the same thing without me prompting her at all. She said that when she was driving around corners it felt a lot more like a hatchback than an SUV. I asked her what she meant and then she said that it doesn't move around as much through the corner (I then asked if she means that it doesn't feel like it rolls to one side and she responded "yeah, exactly").

-I'm a little uncomfortable with using the standard Economy driving mode. I was playing around with the different modes and was driving in that mode for a little while. When in that mode, it "coasts" when you're not accelerating, then re-engages when you put the gas back on. Because of that torque/power hit that comes in, it sometimes hits a bit hard right when it's engaging and can shudder a bit. I felt like that but some unessary wear on the drivetrain so I don't use that mode. I actually have the Individual mode set to use E for the DSG, and when in individual mode it doesn't employ the coasting feature for whatever reason, so if I want to drive it E I just use that mode instead.

In any case, I feel like I have a new car and I'm having a lot of fun driving it.

[iDiesel]

Good to read you are happy with the tune.

[Gladbach]

I drove to Canberra and back this weekend (from Sydney) and when I checked the millage it was at 6.6L/100km. I would struggle to get below 8L/100 on a long trip prior to the tune. Pretty happy with that.

[jeremyc]

Has anyone tested one of these power box obd2 tuners yet?
AU Power Box OBD2 v3 for VW Tiguan Mk2 II 2.0 TSI 220 HP Chip Gasoline | eBay