Stage 3 Tune

[LaNOS]

Hi guys I'm aiming this question at those who have done Stage 3 upgrades to their Tiguan.

I've got a 2017 162Tsi Tiguan with
- Stage II Tune, Intake/Downpipe upgrades
- TCU Tune
- Rear Swaybar Upgrade

Am looking at going Stage 3 with the IS38 Turbo, Aftermarket intercooler associates upgrades (without) doing any of the engines internals.

The guy at Eurotune at the Goldy says this will be taking the engine with its stock internals to its design limits. Has anyone found an reliability issues with their Tig or can comment on this?

Cheers!

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[Lucas_R]

Its probably just a disclaimer that they need to tell you about when doing a turbo upgrade. You may even need to sign a disclaimer if you do the upgrade to say they are not liable if you have an engine/turbo failure.

The engine in your Tig is the same as the one in the Mk7 GTI and they can handle the IS38 (or bigger turbo) without dramas, as long as the engine is well serviced and in good health before the upgrade. They are a pretty stout engine and can make a fair chunk of power.

Also, as far as intercoolers go - consider the DO88 intercooler. Its actually one of the cheaper options (about $1200), is up there with Integrated Engineering as far as cooling performance/pressure drop/performance goes, and fits great. I recently installed one on my Mk7 GTI.

Link to buy: AUDI, SEAT, SKODA, VW / 1.8, 2.0 TSI INTERCOOLER – DO88

Link to info and pics: do88 intercooler for MQB platform

[LaNOS]

Its probably just a disclaimer that they need to tell you about when doing a turbo upgrade. You may even need to sign a disclaimer if you do the upgrade to say they are not liable if you have an engine/turbo failure.

The engine in your Tig is the same as the one in the Mk7 GTI and they can handle the IS38 (or bigger turbo) without dramas, as long as the engine is well serviced and in good health before the upgrade. They are a pretty stout engine and can make a fair chunk of power.

Also, as far as intercoolers go - consider the DO88 intercooler. Its actually one of the cheaper options (about $1200), is up there with Integrated Engineering as far as cooling performance/pressure drop/performance goes, and fits great. I recently installed one on my Mk7 GTI.

Link to buy: AUDI, SEAT, SKODA, VW / 1.8, 2.0 TSI INTERCOOLER – DO88

Link to info and pics: do88 intercooler for MQB platform

Oh awesome, definitely going to look at that intercooler. Seems like a very good option at that price point, great find!

Does our engine have different internals to the Mk7 Golf R Engine which has the IS38 from factory? I know our engines are the same as the GTI engine. Have you swapped out the turbo on yours?

[Timmy35851]

Suggest you checkout Tarmac Engineering (Spectune)
He has done mine (remotely as I'm in WA) through Eurospec Automotion, and I believe a few others here.

Also - intercooler not 100% necessary. Do your own research. I found that unless you're going to flog the car over and over on hot days, or track it - it's not necessarily required for IS38 power levels. Yes if you're going hybrid / big frame turbo.

I've been to the drag strip and done a track day once each with no issues. Doing both again soon.

As mentioned above, as long as you do regular maintenance - car should be fine. It's the turbo you should probably be most worried about. IS38's have mixed longevity when pushed hard. Have a look at the new Garrett 'Stage 1' MQB Turbos if you're thinking about IS38.

[Lucas_R]

Oh awesome, definitely going to look at that intercooler. Seems like a very good option at that price point, great find!

Does our engine have different internals to the Mk7 Golf R Engine which has the IS38 from factory? I know our engines are the same as the GTI engine. Have you swapped out the turbo on yours?

Very similar to the Golf R engine. I believe the camshafts are different but pistons/rods etc are the same.

As mentioned by Lanos above, if you are in Brisbane then its definitely worth considering a tune from Ben at Tarmac Engineering. He tunes GTI's, R's, S3's and Tiguans every day so he knows them well.

Also as mentioned above, the IS38 is a somewhat unreliable turbo (design flaws) so depending on your budget, consider either the HPA IS38 OEM+ turbo (which is modified to fix the reliability issues) which is about $2800, or the new Garrett Powermax Stage 1 which is about $2000. I am considering both of these turbos now as I will be doing one or the other in the next 6 months.

Note with the Garrett I "believe" you need to run an upgraded high pressure fuel pump (HPFP) which cost about $650, so the price for both turbos comes out basically identical. You do not need to upgrade anything to run the IS38.

HPA Motorsports OEM+ IS38 Turbo Upgrade – AutoInstruct

Garrett PowerMax Turbocharger - GT2260S - 'Stage 1' Volkswagen / Audi MQB MK7 & 8V
– VAGPARTS Australia

If you dont want to go all out on an upgraded intercooler, try to find a 2nd hand Golf R intercooler. They are a bit thicker (about 10mm thicker approx) so they will give a bit better performance than the stock one.

[LaNOS]

Thanks guys, this is all very useful info! Tarmac Engineering are on hols till Feb 6th as it seems but I'll definitely hit them up when they are back and I'm so keen to see how your car performs when you do the upgrade on the Turbo Lucas_R