S3 Bluefin experience

[sparky72]

After 2 1/2 years of happy motoring I decided to get a Bluefin Stage 1 upgrade to my S3 at the end of October - the 20% discount was just too hard to resist! I've had a couple of remapped cars before, 1 with Bluefin, so knew what to expect. Unfortunately things didn't quite go according to plan...despite the extra boost being immediately obvious (actually higher than expected), the map introduced a stutter on full acceleration which would occur several times between 3500 and 6500rpm. Anyway I got back in touch with Superchips explaining the issue and they suggested that it could be fuel pressure related, so they sent me a revised map with lower boost settings. This cured the stuttering, however I wasn't 100% convinced that the acceleration was as smooth as it should be, and it was also noticeable that some of the extra boost was missing.

I spoke with Ed @ APS regarding the issues, and he recommended changing the spark plugs to NGK ones (car had done 35K on original plugs so were due for a change anyway). I had also purchased the Autotech HPFP internals from W8 Performance, following the recommendations of forum members. I decided to wait until the service was due to get the work done - this was done yesterday. Still early days but am happy to report that the car pulls really well and is now running as I would expect for Stage 1 - the hesitation issues on full load seem to have completely gone.

Been wanting to post my remap experience for a while but wanted to get it sorted first...I was surprised to experience similar issues to REVO owners here, and it does suggest that the OEM spark plugs either struggle the extra load, or are not lasting as long as they are supposed to (I did ask Ed about their condition and he said they looked fine). However the HPFP upgrade may well have helped smooth out the acceleration...

Anyhow just want to say thanks to the guys here who reported issues with their maps recently, and I wanted to state that S3 remap issues are not just REVO-related!

The only question now is whether to request the original map from Superchips to see if it can now handle the extra boost...right now though I'm happy as it is.

 

[Farhan]

very good review and thanks for sharing the info. Im now considering bluefin aswell as the price for the map, Warranty and controller are just perfect.

 

[S3Alex]

I spoke with Ed @ APS regarding the issues, and he recommended changing the spark plugs to NGK ones (car had done 35K on original plugs so were due for a change anyway). I had also purchased the Autotech HPFP internals from W8 Performance, following the recommendations of forum members. I decided to wait until the service was due to get the work done - this was done yesterday. Still early days but am happy to report that the car pulls really well and is now running as I would expect for Stage 1 - the hesitation issues on full load seem to have completely gone.Been wanting to post my remap experience for a while but wanted to get it sorted first...I was surprised to experience similar issues to REVO owners here, and it does suggest that the OEM spark plugs either struggle the extra load, or are not lasting as long as they are supposed to (I did ask Ed about their condition and he said they looked fine). However the HPFP upgrade may well have helped smooth out the acceleration...Anyhow just want to say thanks to the guys here who reported issues with their maps recently, and I wanted to state that S3 remap issues are not just REVO-related! The only question now is whether to request the original map from Superchips to see if it can now handle the extra boost...right now though I'm happy as it is.

The OEM plugs are fine even on pretty heavily modified engines(mine is using stock plugs,and turning out around 460bhp),but they do need to be changed every 5000 miles or so,if you want to avoid problems like this....they may be long-life if you leave the engine unaltered,but if modified,they need to be changed more often.

 

[sparky72]

The OEM plugs are fine even on pretty heavily modified engines(mine is using stock plugs,and turning out around 460bhp),but they do need to be changed every 5000 miles or so,if you want to avoid problems like this....they may be long-life if you leave the engine unaltered,but if modified,they need to be changed more often.

Yeah I never had any problems when car was standard. Will consider changing them at every service now, cheers

 

[S3Alex]

Yeah I never had any problems when car was standard. Will consider changing them at every service now, cheers

You may not need to be changing them every 5000 miles,but it's a decent and cheap precaution.....mine are changed every 5000 miles along with the oil,which,no matter what is said about it being long-life,looks pretty nasty if you leave it for anything like the normal service intervals,and if you remap/uprate the power,it's another service item which is best done regularly and often.

 

[akash_sky1]

OEM plugs are fine as Alex said even on highly tuned cars. I've had OEM and Denso Iridiums on mine with no difference at all. My tuner also ran OEM ones on his highly modded hybrid ko4 car.

 

[S3Alex]

OEM plugs are fine as Alex said even on highly tuned cars. I've had OEM and Denso Iridiums on mine with no difference at all. My tuner also ran OEM ones on his highly modded hybrid ko4 car.

Exactly.....the advice I've had from a few places now,is to use the stock plugs,and mine has a GT3071,water/meth kit and a pile of other bits,plus running about 1.7bar currently,and no significant problems.

 

[sparky72]

very good review and thanks for sharing the info. Im now considering bluefin aswell as the price for the map, Warranty and controller are just perfect.

No probs...yeah I went for a Bluefin for exactly the reasons you've mentioned. They may not be the strongest maps available compared to REVO/Shark etc. but I believe it represents good value for money. Plus, if you have any issues with the generic map you can contact them and they will adapt the map for you.