This thread is intended for those looking into tuning options for the S3, I am in no way linked to or endorsing any particular company or tuning method, just writing down some observations and thoughts.
For the last few months I have been tracking the progress (or lack of) remaps for the S3 8v (SIMOS12 ECU). In the last month or so several smaller remapping companies in the UK have started to offer remaps for the S3, thanks I believe to CMD Flashtec tools cracking ECU protection in September.
Great I thought, I will get my car remapped...
However then the reality dawned, and the excitement dissipated somewhat. I started putting my sensible head on and looking into any issues that may arise.
Principally, warranty and insurance.
Warranty :
Each time you attend the dealership for servicing or warranty work it will be connected up to OTIS (VAS in old money) which in turn is linked to VW's servers in Germany. A "TD1" warranty code can be flagged if there is a mismatch of the ECU code checksum with the OEM one. A suspicious tech could also work out a remap if they look at the output figures for the engine. Once a TD1 code is flagged it can not be removed by the dealership. Once a TD1 code is flagged for the ECU it is likely that VW/Aufi HQ would refuse any warranty work related to anything related to the ECU, i.e engine, drive train etc.
Of course, if you remove the remap prior to attending the dealership and the ECU map counter is accurate then all should be ok. This is something I considered. However the nearest reputable remap firm to me is a 130 mile round trip, which would have to be conducted twice, once to have the remap removed and again to have the remap reapplied. This is of course at cost, in the region of 50-60 quid a go.
The thought of having a mechanical failure and having to faff about taking my car on a tow truck to a tuners first to remove the remap before taking the car to the dealership did not fill me with much excitement.
A remap you could conduct yourself would solve some of the above issues, however as far as I know this is not yet in existence for the S3 8V. I believe CMD Flashtec have something in the pipeline using an android device and a small OBDII connector, however there is no firm release date for this. If/when this occurs I will reconsider remaps, pending finding the right insurer.
Insurance :
I am currently with Admiral, I pay circa 300 quid for my insurance this includes my H&R springs being declared. I recalled when I did a search on a comparison website the option to include an engine chip mod in three performance brackets. Engine chip 00-10% inc BHP, 11-25% inc BHP and 26%+ inc BHP. Note "engine chip" not remap. After some further digging I discovered that by default Admiral do no insure for remaps only "engine chips". It is possible with some haggling and pleading with Admiral that the underwriters may offer insurance, but this is very much a case by case basis, the default position is that they do not cover remaps.
It would be appear that most mainstream insurers have a real aversion to remapping, however most are ok with engine chips/tuning boxes albeit with the usual slight hike in premium. LV does cover remapping, but for the S3 required an approved tracker.
So on to the "specialist brokers"..well none of them came close to my current quote, most were in the region of double or more, with high excesses and a general poor level of cover. Many had ceiling levels for car values in the region of 25k, not much use on a 35k car.
Now for some, the above is rather academic. Some won't declare a remap to the insurer, some will state they have a tuning box when in fact they have a remap. If, heaven forbid you are involved in a serious collision, you want to know you are fully covered and backed by your insurer. There's not much you can do from your hospital bed, when your car has been impounded by the police for a forensic examination, and the ECU has been sent off for analysis. If your insurer can find a way not to pay out for a large claim, they will. A check of the ECU by an accredited person would cost them small change compared to forking out for a brand new car. Good luck getting cover once you have been blacklisted by your insurer and have a charge for no insurance. Unlikely scenario, yes, impossible, certainly not. I want to enjoy my car, and not see it as something that could screw me over.
So that leaves multi-channel tuning boxes..
For which there are many.
The DTUK (DTE) has been getting some great feedback on this forum, there have been some proven racelogic 0-60 and 0-100 times that are on a par and in some instances beating stage 1 ecu remaps on the S3.
I decided to see if there was anything else on the market, in the same price bracket that offered similar claims. I like to try new things and am all for giving things a go. The DTUK box may have been the safe bet, but nothing ventured, nothing gained. I then came across "Spider Performance".
http://www.dieseltuning.co.uk/spider-performance-pack.html
The claimed headline features of the "spider performance pack"
Adaptivscan™- "the only plug in tuning system in the world which uses Adaptivscan™ mapping software to constantly change its infinitley variable fuel mapping™ to suit the current application. At a computation rate of 40,000 per second, the Spider® can compute and adjust its fuel mapping to a level so precise, and can deliver performance at a level of quality so high, it can compete with "live mapping" whilst remaining removable and transferable to your next car."
5 year product warranty
1 year engine and drive-train warranty.
A full product overview is available here > http://www.dieseltuning.co.uk/technical.html
S3 wiring loom
(3 sensor setup it would appear)
The Spider brand appears to be run out of an office in Hatton Garden, London.
The company behind Spider appears to be Marsden Technologies Limited.
A local news article about the company is available here > http://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/Tuni...ch-Hull-firm/story-21650793-detail/story.html
Here is a nice video of the manufacturing process >
The claimed performance for the S3 is 360PS and 475Nm, no dyno graph though.
Well I was suitably impressed and for £375 inc vat and delivery appears to be good value.
I have decided to order one and see if it holds up to the claims .
Hopefully the unit will arrive tomorrow, when I will install it and give some feedback. I intend to get the car on a rolling road with and without the box over the coming weeks to get some figures and am considering in investing in a vbox or similar to assess the real world performance.
For the last few months I have been tracking the progress (or lack of) remaps for the S3 8v (SIMOS12 ECU). In the last month or so several smaller remapping companies in the UK have started to offer remaps for the S3, thanks I believe to CMD Flashtec tools cracking ECU protection in September.
Great I thought, I will get my car remapped...
However then the reality dawned, and the excitement dissipated somewhat. I started putting my sensible head on and looking into any issues that may arise.
Principally, warranty and insurance.
Warranty :
Each time you attend the dealership for servicing or warranty work it will be connected up to OTIS (VAS in old money) which in turn is linked to VW's servers in Germany. A "TD1" warranty code can be flagged if there is a mismatch of the ECU code checksum with the OEM one. A suspicious tech could also work out a remap if they look at the output figures for the engine. Once a TD1 code is flagged it can not be removed by the dealership. Once a TD1 code is flagged for the ECU it is likely that VW/Aufi HQ would refuse any warranty work related to anything related to the ECU, i.e engine, drive train etc.
Of course, if you remove the remap prior to attending the dealership and the ECU map counter is accurate then all should be ok. This is something I considered. However the nearest reputable remap firm to me is a 130 mile round trip, which would have to be conducted twice, once to have the remap removed and again to have the remap reapplied. This is of course at cost, in the region of 50-60 quid a go.
The thought of having a mechanical failure and having to faff about taking my car on a tow truck to a tuners first to remove the remap before taking the car to the dealership did not fill me with much excitement.
A remap you could conduct yourself would solve some of the above issues, however as far as I know this is not yet in existence for the S3 8V. I believe CMD Flashtec have something in the pipeline using an android device and a small OBDII connector, however there is no firm release date for this. If/when this occurs I will reconsider remaps, pending finding the right insurer.
Insurance :
I am currently with Admiral, I pay circa 300 quid for my insurance this includes my H&R springs being declared. I recalled when I did a search on a comparison website the option to include an engine chip mod in three performance brackets. Engine chip 00-10% inc BHP, 11-25% inc BHP and 26%+ inc BHP. Note "engine chip" not remap. After some further digging I discovered that by default Admiral do no insure for remaps only "engine chips". It is possible with some haggling and pleading with Admiral that the underwriters may offer insurance, but this is very much a case by case basis, the default position is that they do not cover remaps.
It would be appear that most mainstream insurers have a real aversion to remapping, however most are ok with engine chips/tuning boxes albeit with the usual slight hike in premium. LV does cover remapping, but for the S3 required an approved tracker.
So on to the "specialist brokers"..well none of them came close to my current quote, most were in the region of double or more, with high excesses and a general poor level of cover. Many had ceiling levels for car values in the region of 25k, not much use on a 35k car.
Now for some, the above is rather academic. Some won't declare a remap to the insurer, some will state they have a tuning box when in fact they have a remap. If, heaven forbid you are involved in a serious collision, you want to know you are fully covered and backed by your insurer. There's not much you can do from your hospital bed, when your car has been impounded by the police for a forensic examination, and the ECU has been sent off for analysis. If your insurer can find a way not to pay out for a large claim, they will. A check of the ECU by an accredited person would cost them small change compared to forking out for a brand new car. Good luck getting cover once you have been blacklisted by your insurer and have a charge for no insurance. Unlikely scenario, yes, impossible, certainly not. I want to enjoy my car, and not see it as something that could screw me over.
So that leaves multi-channel tuning boxes..
For which there are many.
The DTUK (DTE) has been getting some great feedback on this forum, there have been some proven racelogic 0-60 and 0-100 times that are on a par and in some instances beating stage 1 ecu remaps on the S3.
I decided to see if there was anything else on the market, in the same price bracket that offered similar claims. I like to try new things and am all for giving things a go. The DTUK box may have been the safe bet, but nothing ventured, nothing gained. I then came across "Spider Performance".
http://www.dieseltuning.co.uk/spider-performance-pack.html
The claimed headline features of the "spider performance pack"
Adaptivscan™- "the only plug in tuning system in the world which uses Adaptivscan™ mapping software to constantly change its infinitley variable fuel mapping™ to suit the current application. At a computation rate of 40,000 per second, the Spider® can compute and adjust its fuel mapping to a level so precise, and can deliver performance at a level of quality so high, it can compete with "live mapping" whilst remaining removable and transferable to your next car."
5 year product warranty
1 year engine and drive-train warranty.
A full product overview is available here > http://www.dieseltuning.co.uk/technical.html
S3 wiring loom
(3 sensor setup it would appear)
The Spider brand appears to be run out of an office in Hatton Garden, London.
The company behind Spider appears to be Marsden Technologies Limited.
A local news article about the company is available here > http://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/Tuni...ch-Hull-firm/story-21650793-detail/story.html
Here is a nice video of the manufacturing process >
The claimed performance for the S3 is 360PS and 475Nm, no dyno graph though.
Well I was suitably impressed and for £375 inc vat and delivery appears to be good value.
I have decided to order one and see if it holds up to the claims .
Hopefully the unit will arrive tomorrow, when I will install it and give some feedback. I intend to get the car on a rolling road with and without the box over the coming weeks to get some figures and am considering in investing in a vbox or similar to assess the real world performance.