Hello!
I recently went in for APR stage1 ECU and TCU tunes (at Awesome). I thought i'd write up a little review for anyone considering it. It hasn't been dyno'd yet, due to a minor coolant leak, but I expect it makes quoted power as these engines are so consistent. My car ran ~410bhp stock, so a bit over quoted. I'm not too fussed about peak power numbers, i'm more bothered about drivability as it is a daily.
My Summary
Get it done, if only for the TCU changes. It is how the car should've been delivered from the factory IMHO.
City Driving
The TCU tune along with the extra torque available from the ECU makes a massive difference in city driving and traffic. All the annoyances of the DSG are gone, fuel usage is improved and drivability is much better. The D and S shift-points are much more sensible, and in S you don't have a constant 2nd/3rd change in 30mph traffic. The clutch engagement is might less sloppy and everything is much more responsive. In 'D', gears are held a bit longer and you're not finding yourself in 6th in 35mph traffic with weak torque available, rather 4th is held and you don't need to kick-down to perform a quick lane change or overtake. For the UK market at least, this is how the DSG should've been delivered and i'd never go back to the stock map on the gearbox. I don't know if the TCU tune makes sense without the ECU map, but if it does, everyone should do it. I'd usually get around 16-17mpg around town, but easily see 22mpg+ now and drivability is night and day.
On boost
Power wise, it is pretty insane what some software can do. The ~80bhp increase puts the car's power/weight in a much better place. Low end torque is much improved, and when you floor it and the boost kicks in ... it is much more savage. Gone is the linear German feeling, where you can hit 100mph without really "feeling it" and it is now a kick up the bum with wheel spin to match. The front pitches up, you can feel the rear engage. I'd say the car is much more crashable now. It also feels like a much lighter car, much more nimble and with so much more character. Kickdown in 'D' is much more savage when mashing the right foot at 50mph/7th gear for an overtake. I didn't feel before like you could overdo it and end up in a hedge, but more care is needed now. Some might prefer a more linear map, but I enjoy the drama of the APR map.
Extras
I got switchable maps, (stock, 95RON, 98RON) and anti-theft. I recommend both. They're really easy to use. The immobiliser is hilarious, as it allows you to start the car but the throttle is disabled ... so any thief would have to travel under idle torque at a snail's pace.
Complaints
In 'D', 2nd gear engagement has a bit of hesitation in slow/parking/stop-start situations, but nowhere near as annoying as the constant gear confusion of the standard map. Clutch engagement in 1st/rev is much more sudden, meaning much more car is needed edging up to walls in parking spaces. As expected, temps seem a bit higher, and you can feel that in the footwell meaning aircon goes on much sooner ... reminds me of a MK1 TT where engine heat would cook your feet!
I recently went in for APR stage1 ECU and TCU tunes (at Awesome). I thought i'd write up a little review for anyone considering it. It hasn't been dyno'd yet, due to a minor coolant leak, but I expect it makes quoted power as these engines are so consistent. My car ran ~410bhp stock, so a bit over quoted. I'm not too fussed about peak power numbers, i'm more bothered about drivability as it is a daily.
My Summary
Get it done, if only for the TCU changes. It is how the car should've been delivered from the factory IMHO.
City Driving
The TCU tune along with the extra torque available from the ECU makes a massive difference in city driving and traffic. All the annoyances of the DSG are gone, fuel usage is improved and drivability is much better. The D and S shift-points are much more sensible, and in S you don't have a constant 2nd/3rd change in 30mph traffic. The clutch engagement is might less sloppy and everything is much more responsive. In 'D', gears are held a bit longer and you're not finding yourself in 6th in 35mph traffic with weak torque available, rather 4th is held and you don't need to kick-down to perform a quick lane change or overtake. For the UK market at least, this is how the DSG should've been delivered and i'd never go back to the stock map on the gearbox. I don't know if the TCU tune makes sense without the ECU map, but if it does, everyone should do it. I'd usually get around 16-17mpg around town, but easily see 22mpg+ now and drivability is night and day.
On boost
Power wise, it is pretty insane what some software can do. The ~80bhp increase puts the car's power/weight in a much better place. Low end torque is much improved, and when you floor it and the boost kicks in ... it is much more savage. Gone is the linear German feeling, where you can hit 100mph without really "feeling it" and it is now a kick up the bum with wheel spin to match. The front pitches up, you can feel the rear engage. I'd say the car is much more crashable now. It also feels like a much lighter car, much more nimble and with so much more character. Kickdown in 'D' is much more savage when mashing the right foot at 50mph/7th gear for an overtake. I didn't feel before like you could overdo it and end up in a hedge, but more care is needed now. Some might prefer a more linear map, but I enjoy the drama of the APR map.
Extras
I got switchable maps, (stock, 95RON, 98RON) and anti-theft. I recommend both. They're really easy to use. The immobiliser is hilarious, as it allows you to start the car but the throttle is disabled ... so any thief would have to travel under idle torque at a snail's pace.
Complaints
In 'D', 2nd gear engagement has a bit of hesitation in slow/parking/stop-start situations, but nowhere near as annoying as the constant gear confusion of the standard map. Clutch engagement in 1st/rev is much more sudden, meaning much more car is needed edging up to walls in parking spaces. As expected, temps seem a bit higher, and you can feel that in the footwell meaning aircon goes on much sooner ... reminds me of a MK1 TT where engine heat would cook your feet!
