HOW TO GUIDE - DTUK FSR+ Tuning Box Fitting / installation guide – S3 8V model.
** THIS IS NOT A INSTRUCTION MANUAL BUT A ROUGH GUIDE TO COMPLIMENT THE DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS THAT DTUK PROVIDE. FOLLOW AT YOUR OWN RISK. **
There has been a lot of talk on the forum concerning tuning of the S3 8V model and the pros and cons etc. This rough guide is not stating that the DTUK box is better than any other option it’s simply one of the many routes that are available should you wish to add performance to your car. As part of that process many people consider the DTUK FSR+ tuning box as it offers performance gains whilst providing the ability to put the car back to stock for servicing and warranty work with relatively little effort.
However I noticed that there have been lots of questions on the forum around the physical fitting of the device. I think that many people are put off by the thought of having to get under the car and basically a little of the “unknown“ in terms of what is required to fit the device to the car. So I thought I would put together some additional notes with photos and info gathered across the forums on what is involved in fitting the DTUK FSR+ tuning box and hence people can make their own decision.
Quick points to note:
Hopefully this will encourage more of you to give it a try to see what your car is capable of. Having driven an S3 in stock / standard form and then with the box fitted I think most people instantly see & feel the performance and more to the point drivability and torque are greatly improved and well worth the little effort and time to fit.
DTUK quote the following performance enhancements on their website for the European cars:
Stock: 300 PS Tuned: 375 PS
Stock Torque: 380 NM Tuned: 527 NM
Time Required for installation - Allow 1.5 Hours for 1st installation. Hear me out on this..
I say 1.5 hours as if you have never jacked your car up or are familiar with the process of putting the car on axle stands, the first time you do this it might be a little unnerving/daunting. Also you need to familiarize yourself with where all the connections go and how they all fit together. You also need to lay the wiring harness loom along several safe passage routes to each sensor and cable tie in place. Once you have fitted the device I would fully expect future installations (i.e. if you remove for a service and re-fit etc) to be considerably quicker, I would estimate 30 – 40 mins or so at most (including jacking the car up). Actual connection of the DTUK box and physical connectors is a simple push and click process. Most of the time is spent locating the sensors, removing the plastic under tray and laying the wiring harness in a safe path around the engine components and double checking and triple checking everything!. Of course DTUK can fit the device for you, but that means taking the car to them, which is not always convenient or physically possible.
So here we go…..
What’s in the box that you receive through the post:
1 X Detailed instructions with colour photos for reference.
1 X DTUK tuning box – Small in size about 4 to 4.5 inches in length.
3 X Black Cable ties.
1 X Wiring loom / harness with connections to Battery and 3 sensors.
Tools / Items needed for the job :
Things to consider:
Fitting Details:
1) Jack car up / place car on ramps - Ensure handbrake is on if jacking - Jack the car up using the jacking points in the handbook. Ensure the car has chocks on the rear wheels and place axle stands under the sub frame to support the car should the jack fail. You can actually double up here and used not only the trolley jack but also the standard Audi jack on the other side so the car was supported potentially 4 times. Of course if you have ramps use them instead of jacking the car up.
2) Remove the top engine cover – Gently wiggle each of the corners until it lifts. The cover is held on with rubber grommets. Ensure that none of these pop off during removal of the cover.
3) Remove under tray plastic cover / shield. Slide under the car and remove the TORX screws holding the bottom plastic shield in place. (There are about 8 or so). The shield will remain in place until you also remove the bolts which are located at the back of the plastic shield (in line with the wheels). You will need to remove all screws and bolts to release the plastic shield. If you do not you risk damaging the shield. You will need an Allen key to remove the bolts. You will also need to gently leverage the plastic inserts at the front of the cover out of their slots. Once these are removed the shield should just gently fall away (presuming you are supporting it with your hand!).
4) Locate all sensors - Slide out from under the car and stand up looking over the top of the engine. Locate the Manifold pressure sensor – This is at the front of the engine virtually in the
middle.
5) Locate the Camshaft sensor – This is at the back top right of the engine.
6) Locate the Boost pressure sensor – This is the one which is under the engine (hence the removal of the plastic under tray) It’s at the front right hand side – basically in line with the S3 badge. Obviously you will need to get back under the car to locate this sensor.
Note that DTUK do provide a detailed colour illustrated guide showing where the plugs are.
Here are the top 2 sensors when looking at the top of the engine. Pics show the new DTUK connectors in place.
Here is a picture of the bottom sensor when looking straight down from the top of the engine when standing up above. If you look closely you will see it right at the bottom.
7) Now take the wiring harness and place along the route required to each sensor. (Each sensor and associated cable is colour coded with a sticker/label (Green, Orange, Purple). Carefully follow the suggested cable route that DTUK supply to each sensor.
8) Connect sensors from the loom into the cars systems. Start with the Camshaft sensor (at the back top right of the engine). Carefully unplug from the car and plug into the wiring harness. (Ensure you follow the detailed colour coded diagram to ensure you are connecting the correct sensor to the correct plug!) Now take the DTUK wiring harness and plug that into the port where the sensor was. Each plug is either a 3 pin or 4 pin connector which have a locking lever on them. To open the plugs you need to pull on the locking lever. Repeat this process for each sensor. Manifold sensor is at the front of the engine, and the boost pressure sensor is under the engine in line with the S3 badge. You will found the ones on the top of the engine, i.e. the Camshaft sensor and the Manifold sensor very easy to unplug and reconnect. The Boost pressure sensor under the engine is slightly more awkward, despite being basically the same type of plug. The locking lever can be stiff and may need a little patience (along with a cup of tea to calm down and a digestive!). A gentle wiggle with a small flat screwdriver may help to release the pressure here and allow the plug to disconnect. BUT take care not to be too aggressive with it, you do not want to break anything here !. Each sensor once located correctly in the plug sockets should click firmly into place. Looking at them you can really only fit them one way round, so you need to ensure they slide and click home correctly. ( the older FSR design did allow for the plugs to be connected differently, so if in doubt check back with DTUK )
9) Connect Battery cables. Open the cover for the battery. Connect the 12V red cable to the positive terminal. MAKE SURE RED POSITIVE GOES TO RED CONNECTION. You simply loosen the nut off and slide the V connection into the gap. Connect the negative black cable to the chassis ground point up and above from the negative battery terminal. DO NOT connect to the negative battery terminal. Once again loosen the nut and slide over. To do this you may need an extension arm to reach the nut as it’s at an angle and a little awkward. The thin battery cables which connect the wiring harness should be easily hidden down the side of the battery and inside the black battery cover for neat appearance. Once complete cover the battery backup with the black cover.
10) Connect the DTUK tuning box – This just simply plugs into the appropriate connector on the wiring harness. Leave this gently placed on the top of the battery cover, until you have chosen the program to use. DTUK suggest starting with program 1. See below for further details of programs available.
11) Cable Tie – Tidy up the cabling with the supplied black cable ties and add more if you feel this is necessary. 3 Should be fine.
12) Check all connections are “Clicked” into place. Once this is done I suggest starting the car to ensure everything is fine. If the car starts and the DTUK box shows a LED light you know everything is connected correctly. Turn engine off (you do not want a hot engine bay).
13) Reassemble the vehicle – Put the plastic under tray back on by gently holding it in place (making sure the front plastic inserts are fitted correctly in place). Put back in reverse order. I.e. Bolts back in at the back of the plastic cover using Allen key then TORX screws etc. Put back the top engine cover (ensuring all rubber grommets line up). At this point make sure the top engine cover does not crush any of the new wiring loom. If it does then you have threaded the loom through the wrong place at the top of the engine.
14) Remove car from ramps / axle stands etc – Remove the car from the axle stands / ramps etc. Gently pull away the jacks and remove all chocks. (Walk around the car ensuring all tools are removed and that nothing is left under the car before lowering the jacks etc.)
15) Unlock the software and choose program on DTUK box – The DTUK box comes locked. In order to unlock them you need to press and hold + and – buttons for approx 5 seconds until the LED’S flash and the P light becomes solid. To choose a program you simply press the P button until the desired LED lights up.If you press the + or – buttons you can increase or decrease the performance of the selected program. DTUK do warn that not all cars can run all programs so start on program 2 or 3 at its lowest setting with only 1 + light lit and see how you get on. (Previous software versions DTUK recommend starting with Program 1). To activate the setting (i.e. save it) press and hold P button for about 3 seconds. Once complete tuck the DTUK tuning box down between the battery and the air filter. The gap is a perfect fit.
Available Programs:
Programs available at point of writing this are based on V3 (Introduced June 2015):
V3 software is as follows along with a brief note of feedback from across the forums of each program:
1) 500-2-6 - produced 380hp at MSL Performance in Birmingham (DSG Audi S3 with APR Cold Air intake plus FSR+ box. Torque up to 527 NM). CAUTION – This is the most aggressive of the current programs with very impressive torque levels (cars pull very hard from just over 2000 revs). The cars feel like they have a pedal box on them, making the throttle response close to instant with faster upshifts. This however may not be to everyone’s taste as throttle can have a bit of an “on” / “off” feel about it. Caution for DSG owners, some users have reported gear changes feeling notchy (however this might be a result of them feeling more aggressive) when running with higher levels of boost: ie +2 / 3.
2) 500-2-6DL - This is similar to V3 program 1 but feels less aggressive with torque and power tapering off higher up the rev range. The advantage here is that the cars feel a little more “ revvy “ in nature than program 1 and feel marginally more powerful than program 3 ( the original fastest map). Throttle response is a little less snatchy than program 1, ie the cars feel like you have more travel in the throttle but still feels quicker response than program 3.
3) 100-1-6 - The original map 3 – (Approx 345 – 365+ bhp and 450 - 485 NM’s on various dynos). This map apparently feels the closest to stock allowing the cars to pull well with a progressive nature through the gears and maintain a more “revvy “ nature. From what I can gather this is the only program from the new V3 software that does not make the cars feel like they have a pedal box fitted. Ie Throttle response feels more like stock. Users have reported that 3+3 settings feel the best, however those with DSG may prefer 3+2 settings.
Final Notes:
1) Don’t forget the car should be run on 97 unleaded or better fuel not standard 95 unleaded for best performance once the box is fitted. This is basically the same/true as stock really.
2) Take your time with each of the programs and boost +/- levels so that you can choose the one that suits your car and driving technique. Do not rush to the most powerful program / setting first. If in doubt contact DTUK direct for technical advice.
3) Make sure you add the DTUK box to your insurance. Obviously each insurance company and each person’s situation will be different. DTUK do offer insurance service.
4) VCDS / Ross-Tech software is very useful to view/remove any error codes which a car might throw on higher levels of program boost ( +2/ +3 etc ). Once again useful to remove codes if car is going in for a service / warranty work.
5) Forums state that it is advisable to remove both the box and wiring before any warranty/service work to avoid the TD1 flag issue which has become more prominent since March 2015 amongst the VAG group. There are no guarantees re TD1 flags but If you leave the device attached or any additional wiring you do so at your own risk. (From what I can gather, no users have so far reported a TD1 flag with the box etc fully removed from car, but I repeat there is no guarantee).
6) Don’t forget the forum is lucky to have Andrew from DTUK (ABYSS) as a forum member who can answer questions and has provided a discount code off the RRP. Code is ASN80. Another discount code is from FASTTEACHER. Code is FAST80.
And finally and most importantly after a safe install …. Enjoy your S3 and the improved performance the DTUK box offers!
** THIS IS NOT A INSTRUCTION MANUAL BUT A ROUGH GUIDE TO COMPLIMENT THE DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS THAT DTUK PROVIDE. FOLLOW AT YOUR OWN RISK. **
There has been a lot of talk on the forum concerning tuning of the S3 8V model and the pros and cons etc. This rough guide is not stating that the DTUK box is better than any other option it’s simply one of the many routes that are available should you wish to add performance to your car. As part of that process many people consider the DTUK FSR+ tuning box as it offers performance gains whilst providing the ability to put the car back to stock for servicing and warranty work with relatively little effort.
However I noticed that there have been lots of questions on the forum around the physical fitting of the device. I think that many people are put off by the thought of having to get under the car and basically a little of the “unknown“ in terms of what is required to fit the device to the car. So I thought I would put together some additional notes with photos and info gathered across the forums on what is involved in fitting the DTUK FSR+ tuning box and hence people can make their own decision.
Quick points to note:
- The full installation requires the car to be up on ramps / axle stands to easily reach the bottom sensor. Some people have done it without this however for the average person it’s far easier to raise the car. Especially when fitting for the first time.
- Although the box can be fitted and removed at the roadside, (simple slot and click and when removing using the blanking plug) the physical wiring between the 3 sensors cannot be removed easily without raising the car to access the bottom plastic under tray and relevant bottom sensor. So make no mistake this not an item you can really remove at the roadside.
- Performance gains are impressive and in most people’s opinion well worth the effort.
Hopefully this will encourage more of you to give it a try to see what your car is capable of. Having driven an S3 in stock / standard form and then with the box fitted I think most people instantly see & feel the performance and more to the point drivability and torque are greatly improved and well worth the little effort and time to fit.
DTUK quote the following performance enhancements on their website for the European cars:
Stock: 300 PS Tuned: 375 PS
Stock Torque: 380 NM Tuned: 527 NM
Time Required for installation - Allow 1.5 Hours for 1st installation. Hear me out on this..
I say 1.5 hours as if you have never jacked your car up or are familiar with the process of putting the car on axle stands, the first time you do this it might be a little unnerving/daunting. Also you need to familiarize yourself with where all the connections go and how they all fit together. You also need to lay the wiring harness loom along several safe passage routes to each sensor and cable tie in place. Once you have fitted the device I would fully expect future installations (i.e. if you remove for a service and re-fit etc) to be considerably quicker, I would estimate 30 – 40 mins or so at most (including jacking the car up). Actual connection of the DTUK box and physical connectors is a simple push and click process. Most of the time is spent locating the sensors, removing the plastic under tray and laying the wiring harness in a safe path around the engine components and double checking and triple checking everything!. Of course DTUK can fit the device for you, but that means taking the car to them, which is not always convenient or physically possible.
So here we go…..
What’s in the box that you receive through the post:
1 X Detailed instructions with colour photos for reference.
1 X DTUK tuning box – Small in size about 4 to 4.5 inches in length.
3 X Black Cable ties.
1 X Wiring loom / harness with connections to Battery and 3 sensors.
Tools / Items needed for the job :
- Trolley Jack + (Puck if cup size on Trolley Jack is too large for snug fit on jacking point – Clarke 2.25 Ton low entry Strong Arm Trolley jack is fine without puck.) or Ramps to raise the vehicle.
- Axle Stands – 2 Ton combined min recommended rating.
- Wheel Chocks.
- Flat + TORX Screw Driver set.
- Allen Key 5.5 or 7/32 should fit.
- WD40 – May help with some of the screws and will assist with removal next time.
- 10mm Socket Set with extension – used to connect to battery terminals.
- Crimpers / cutters (for cable ties).
- Cable Ties – some are supplied in the DTUK box.
- Additional Lighting – always helpful.
Things to consider:
- Before installing the box it is advisable to run a full diagnostic check using a VCDS cable with the Ross-Tech software to ensure there are no errors anywhere.
- Ensure the engine is switched off and the keys are not in the ignition. Wait Approx 5 mins to ensure all systems are fully shut down.
- The entire engine bay should be cool / cold. Never work on a hot engine for obvious reasons.
Fitting Details:
1) Jack car up / place car on ramps - Ensure handbrake is on if jacking - Jack the car up using the jacking points in the handbook. Ensure the car has chocks on the rear wheels and place axle stands under the sub frame to support the car should the jack fail. You can actually double up here and used not only the trolley jack but also the standard Audi jack on the other side so the car was supported potentially 4 times. Of course if you have ramps use them instead of jacking the car up.
2) Remove the top engine cover – Gently wiggle each of the corners until it lifts. The cover is held on with rubber grommets. Ensure that none of these pop off during removal of the cover.
3) Remove under tray plastic cover / shield. Slide under the car and remove the TORX screws holding the bottom plastic shield in place. (There are about 8 or so). The shield will remain in place until you also remove the bolts which are located at the back of the plastic shield (in line with the wheels). You will need to remove all screws and bolts to release the plastic shield. If you do not you risk damaging the shield. You will need an Allen key to remove the bolts. You will also need to gently leverage the plastic inserts at the front of the cover out of their slots. Once these are removed the shield should just gently fall away (presuming you are supporting it with your hand!).
4) Locate all sensors - Slide out from under the car and stand up looking over the top of the engine. Locate the Manifold pressure sensor – This is at the front of the engine virtually in the
middle.
5) Locate the Camshaft sensor – This is at the back top right of the engine.
6) Locate the Boost pressure sensor – This is the one which is under the engine (hence the removal of the plastic under tray) It’s at the front right hand side – basically in line with the S3 badge. Obviously you will need to get back under the car to locate this sensor.
Note that DTUK do provide a detailed colour illustrated guide showing where the plugs are.
Here are the top 2 sensors when looking at the top of the engine. Pics show the new DTUK connectors in place.
Here is a picture of the bottom sensor when looking straight down from the top of the engine when standing up above. If you look closely you will see it right at the bottom.
7) Now take the wiring harness and place along the route required to each sensor. (Each sensor and associated cable is colour coded with a sticker/label (Green, Orange, Purple). Carefully follow the suggested cable route that DTUK supply to each sensor.
8) Connect sensors from the loom into the cars systems. Start with the Camshaft sensor (at the back top right of the engine). Carefully unplug from the car and plug into the wiring harness. (Ensure you follow the detailed colour coded diagram to ensure you are connecting the correct sensor to the correct plug!) Now take the DTUK wiring harness and plug that into the port where the sensor was. Each plug is either a 3 pin or 4 pin connector which have a locking lever on them. To open the plugs you need to pull on the locking lever. Repeat this process for each sensor. Manifold sensor is at the front of the engine, and the boost pressure sensor is under the engine in line with the S3 badge. You will found the ones on the top of the engine, i.e. the Camshaft sensor and the Manifold sensor very easy to unplug and reconnect. The Boost pressure sensor under the engine is slightly more awkward, despite being basically the same type of plug. The locking lever can be stiff and may need a little patience (along with a cup of tea to calm down and a digestive!). A gentle wiggle with a small flat screwdriver may help to release the pressure here and allow the plug to disconnect. BUT take care not to be too aggressive with it, you do not want to break anything here !. Each sensor once located correctly in the plug sockets should click firmly into place. Looking at them you can really only fit them one way round, so you need to ensure they slide and click home correctly. ( the older FSR design did allow for the plugs to be connected differently, so if in doubt check back with DTUK )
9) Connect Battery cables. Open the cover for the battery. Connect the 12V red cable to the positive terminal. MAKE SURE RED POSITIVE GOES TO RED CONNECTION. You simply loosen the nut off and slide the V connection into the gap. Connect the negative black cable to the chassis ground point up and above from the negative battery terminal. DO NOT connect to the negative battery terminal. Once again loosen the nut and slide over. To do this you may need an extension arm to reach the nut as it’s at an angle and a little awkward. The thin battery cables which connect the wiring harness should be easily hidden down the side of the battery and inside the black battery cover for neat appearance. Once complete cover the battery backup with the black cover.
10) Connect the DTUK tuning box – This just simply plugs into the appropriate connector on the wiring harness. Leave this gently placed on the top of the battery cover, until you have chosen the program to use. DTUK suggest starting with program 1. See below for further details of programs available.
11) Cable Tie – Tidy up the cabling with the supplied black cable ties and add more if you feel this is necessary. 3 Should be fine.
12) Check all connections are “Clicked” into place. Once this is done I suggest starting the car to ensure everything is fine. If the car starts and the DTUK box shows a LED light you know everything is connected correctly. Turn engine off (you do not want a hot engine bay).
13) Reassemble the vehicle – Put the plastic under tray back on by gently holding it in place (making sure the front plastic inserts are fitted correctly in place). Put back in reverse order. I.e. Bolts back in at the back of the plastic cover using Allen key then TORX screws etc. Put back the top engine cover (ensuring all rubber grommets line up). At this point make sure the top engine cover does not crush any of the new wiring loom. If it does then you have threaded the loom through the wrong place at the top of the engine.
14) Remove car from ramps / axle stands etc – Remove the car from the axle stands / ramps etc. Gently pull away the jacks and remove all chocks. (Walk around the car ensuring all tools are removed and that nothing is left under the car before lowering the jacks etc.)
15) Unlock the software and choose program on DTUK box – The DTUK box comes locked. In order to unlock them you need to press and hold + and – buttons for approx 5 seconds until the LED’S flash and the P light becomes solid. To choose a program you simply press the P button until the desired LED lights up.If you press the + or – buttons you can increase or decrease the performance of the selected program. DTUK do warn that not all cars can run all programs so start on program 2 or 3 at its lowest setting with only 1 + light lit and see how you get on. (Previous software versions DTUK recommend starting with Program 1). To activate the setting (i.e. save it) press and hold P button for about 3 seconds. Once complete tuck the DTUK tuning box down between the battery and the air filter. The gap is a perfect fit.
Available Programs:
Programs available at point of writing this are based on V3 (Introduced June 2015):
V3 software is as follows along with a brief note of feedback from across the forums of each program:
1) 500-2-6 - produced 380hp at MSL Performance in Birmingham (DSG Audi S3 with APR Cold Air intake plus FSR+ box. Torque up to 527 NM). CAUTION – This is the most aggressive of the current programs with very impressive torque levels (cars pull very hard from just over 2000 revs). The cars feel like they have a pedal box on them, making the throttle response close to instant with faster upshifts. This however may not be to everyone’s taste as throttle can have a bit of an “on” / “off” feel about it. Caution for DSG owners, some users have reported gear changes feeling notchy (however this might be a result of them feeling more aggressive) when running with higher levels of boost: ie +2 / 3.
2) 500-2-6DL - This is similar to V3 program 1 but feels less aggressive with torque and power tapering off higher up the rev range. The advantage here is that the cars feel a little more “ revvy “ in nature than program 1 and feel marginally more powerful than program 3 ( the original fastest map). Throttle response is a little less snatchy than program 1, ie the cars feel like you have more travel in the throttle but still feels quicker response than program 3.
3) 100-1-6 - The original map 3 – (Approx 345 – 365+ bhp and 450 - 485 NM’s on various dynos). This map apparently feels the closest to stock allowing the cars to pull well with a progressive nature through the gears and maintain a more “revvy “ nature. From what I can gather this is the only program from the new V3 software that does not make the cars feel like they have a pedal box fitted. Ie Throttle response feels more like stock. Users have reported that 3+3 settings feel the best, however those with DSG may prefer 3+2 settings.
Final Notes:
1) Don’t forget the car should be run on 97 unleaded or better fuel not standard 95 unleaded for best performance once the box is fitted. This is basically the same/true as stock really.
2) Take your time with each of the programs and boost +/- levels so that you can choose the one that suits your car and driving technique. Do not rush to the most powerful program / setting first. If in doubt contact DTUK direct for technical advice.
3) Make sure you add the DTUK box to your insurance. Obviously each insurance company and each person’s situation will be different. DTUK do offer insurance service.
4) VCDS / Ross-Tech software is very useful to view/remove any error codes which a car might throw on higher levels of program boost ( +2/ +3 etc ). Once again useful to remove codes if car is going in for a service / warranty work.
5) Forums state that it is advisable to remove both the box and wiring before any warranty/service work to avoid the TD1 flag issue which has become more prominent since March 2015 amongst the VAG group. There are no guarantees re TD1 flags but If you leave the device attached or any additional wiring you do so at your own risk. (From what I can gather, no users have so far reported a TD1 flag with the box etc fully removed from car, but I repeat there is no guarantee).
6) Don’t forget the forum is lucky to have Andrew from DTUK (ABYSS) as a forum member who can answer questions and has provided a discount code off the RRP. Code is ASN80. Another discount code is from FASTTEACHER. Code is FAST80.
And finally and most importantly after a safe install …. Enjoy your S3 and the improved performance the DTUK box offers!
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