Has anyone else tried this on there b9 available from tmc motorsport? The cost is £299 I've just used it on my 3.0 tdi 272ps and like some others have found the 8 speed tiptronic a bit laggy it claims quicker changes etc I've found it does improve the way the gearbox behaves but have only done around 50 miles so far I'm also running a tdi tuning box since new.
I'd be interested to see what your thoughts are once you have a few more miles under your belt. I'm thinking about how it gets off the line and the smoothness of the shifts at lower speeds as mine is surprisingly jerky sometimes?
Glad you got the joke.
That aside, if it can help the take off and the rough gear shifts of my ZF box then it might be a worthwhile investment.
I am actually at work and I have to be care of what I search for in Google as they have a internet safety monitoring tool installed on every desktop/laptop.
I really don't know to be honest. I guess maybe if you had a gearbox failure they might interrogate the gearbox ECU, but I don't know what it would send back. The website does say that it's 'untraceable' though.
From the site: 'The device uploads the new settings within 30-90 seconds and will not add a count to the ECU flash counter, programming is started and completed with audible beep sounds and an LED, it is also not dealer traceable'
Nice to see another member with the same engine/tune combo, thought I was the only one!
Btw have you got the latest map on your tuning system from tdi? And what are your 0 60 runs if any between just the tune and the tune/tcu flash?
I was soon going to be going down the same route as you, but with JR tuning who mention that it's only a partial remap of the gearbox for £199
Might now consider the one you went for if it's worthwhile and offers more usable performance.
@Daggerit I've also found the gearbox to be slightly jerky at times from low revs (especially in dynamic)
Hi syed123
I'm running the older style tdi box at the moment it only plugs into the fuel rail. I was running the tuning box on the middle setting but since tuning with the autoflash I've reduced it down a setting as it felt like it was over fueling in dynamic mode so far it feels better now in all modes. Need to run it for a while now to see how mpg are. As for the autoflash so far I feel it improves the 8 speed zf box. As for the 0-60 I reckon around 4.5 but I don't have a device to time it. Still waiting to see if revo come out with a tune
I'm running the older style tdi box at the moment it only plugs into the fuel rail. I was running the tuning box on the middle setting but since tuning with the autoflash I've reduced it down a setting as it felt like it was over fueling in dynamic mode so far it feels better now in all modes. Need to run it for a while now to see how mpg are. As for the autoflash so far I feel it improves the 8 speed zf box. As for the 0-60 I reckon around 4.5 but I don't have a device to time it. Still waiting to see if revo come out with a tune
Oh right I see, 4.5 is still very good! have you had any diesel knock/rattle around 1700rpm when the change in fueling kicks in? I was getting this quite often which ruined the character of the engine ( I know it's a diesel but before the tune there wasn't any hint that it was a diesel as it made a very muted v6 rasp ) I went in to get this rectified and its mostly gone but still there on occasion.
I wonder if the gearbox flash might smooth this out? I'm running the top setting and have timed the 0 60 at around 4.3/4.4 using launch control and just under 5 flat out.
Will certainly report back when I get the software and hope you get on well with it.
How exactly do you install the flash?
I was getting that noise a little when pulling away quickly seems OK now I've adjusted the tuning box. Today I've just kept up with a 67 plate s3 which isn't bad for a diesel! To install the flash you just plug into diagnostic port under dash on drivers side and it bleeps after around a minute. Then idle for 5 mins and ready to go
What exact setting are you on? I'm hesitant on changing the setting down as don't want any effect on performance etc
That's really impressive! I've raced a number of golf rs and s3s, always neck and neck off the line but I've constantly had the edge when it comes to mid range acceleration! Probably due to the massive torque advantage.
The flash seems very easy to install, can't wait to get my hands on it!
Update***
I purchased the TMC motorsport TCU upgrade about a week ago.
Initial impressions:
- Noticed a big difference in gear changes at first, but after I had completed the first 100 miles the gearbox started acting confused.
I've done over 500 miles since then and the car seems to have adapted to the new software (almost) and there is a noticeable increase in mid range torque, almost as if it was an ecu remap. Gearchanges are very crisp but I'm sure the best is yet to come!
Just a shame that the adaptation took this long unless I'm missing something..
I purchased the TMC motorsport TCU upgrade about a week ago.
Initial impressions:
- Noticed a big difference in gear changes at first, but after I had completed the first 100 miles the gearbox started acting confused.
I've done over 500 miles since then and the car seems to have adapted to the new software (almost) and there is a noticeable increase in mid range torque, almost as if it was an ecu remap. Gearchanges are very crisp but I'm sure the best is yet to come!
Just a shame that the adaptation took this long unless I'm missing something..
It's been a fair while so I was wondering if you had any updates for this? Does it feel crisper when accelerating and things? Does it help the sloppy throttle response?
It's been a while indeed.
So far I'd say the changes are definently more firmer and feel more crisp.
Performance has slowly got better too but I did get a new custom map on the tuning box by tdi tuning just recently so that's also helped.
I do find the car acting like before at a few rare occasions, don't know why..
It's not as bad as before though.
Overall a big improvement in driveability compared to how the gearbox behaves stock and better mid range torque.
I agree, I purchased the TMC one after reading this a few weeks ago. I’ve done about 1000 miles and I’d say it’s made a big improvement. Throttle response is much quicker so you don’t get a long pause when you press it. In comfort mode you can hardly feel it changing, nice and smooth even at a lower speed 1st 2nd gear. Dynamic I would say it is quicker but not massively. Although I have the 272 tractor engine so it might be different on the S4. I do about 500 miles a week mostly on the motorway, so not sure how it reprograms itself. I would imagine it would have to do a certain amount of miles on each driving mode.
Any other mods? A tuning box works very well with the tmc gearbox tune I find.
The torque and acceleration is quite a lot to handle when you open it up on a big road.
You definently have to feather it in general when in dynamic on small roads - u can't just go ahead and floor it as even though it's quattro because the torque feeling is quite intense. Feels like you'll end up in a ditch if you don't be careful lol
Yes the increase in torque must make life interesting. Even with quattro the potential to understeer with all that grunt most be higher...
No other mods as of yet, I’ll be getting a remap done hopefully in the next month or so once the ecu can be hacked into. I’ve heard it’s close, next few weeks apparently!
Not interested in a tuning box, I know it’s a big debate, but my own personal opinion is I just don’t like the way it works. I had one (tdi tunning) on a VW Passat for 2 years and I must admit it was good for about a year but after that the car just acted strange. It would nearly stall in in 6th gear going up a slight hill at 70mph (didn’t do it when I took the box off), it wouldn’t idle properly and it would give a stupid read out on the mpg from were it was tricking the ecu. Had it looked at and egr valve and all the pipes were 75% clogged up. The car was only used on the motorway doing 120 miles a day 5 days a week so it wasn’t as though it was a mileage. Could have been a one off or nothing to do with the box. But the chap that come to clean it all out said he’s seen a massive increase in cars with tuning boxes getting clogged up, especially petrol cars.
I can certainly relate to Ur experience with past tuning boxes.
On my last a3 I had a tdi tuning box and it did occasionally throw up error codes.
However the new technology they've put in to their latest box is night and day different.
I've never had any issues like I did on the old one and the power delivery is smooth and consistent.
Which company are going to have the ecu unlocked soon? Is it revo?
I would go for a remap too if there are notable differences in performance/driveability but otherwise I'm content for now
The company is a local one to me that is well known in the area for doing remaps https://www.maprotuning.co.uk/. i also spoke to a few other company's https://www.amdtuning.com/ and they said the same. From what i was told its a company in Germany that finds how to unlock the ECU and then all the individual mapping companies get the maps from them and then adjust it to the car. As far as i'm aware the map for my car is available as the same engine is used on the A6, it's just the ecu that's different.
Oh right that makes sense.
Do let us know when it's out and when you get it done! Any 0 60s etc
The results of the tuning box I've got are very noticeable and good enough so would be interesting to see how different the remap would be.
Any idea how much an ecu remap will be by them?
The remap will be £270. Plus if Audi do an update and wipe it they will put the map back on for free. I thought that price was pretty good.
Thats very worth it.
I just had a look at the amd website and its listed there.
Do let us know how you get on. It works cheaper than the tuning box also
Yeah a few tuning companies show they can do it but when you actually ask them they say it can be done. See below response from AMD.
Good Afternoon,
Thank you for your enquiry.
These cannot be mapped at the moment as the hardware that is used to map the ECU's cannot bypass the software security. This is being worked on by the hardware manufacturers in Germany and should be possible in the next few weeks.
Hope this helps but if you do have any further questions please do not hesitate in contacting us.
Hammerhead
Registered User
You have to ask yourself why a company like TMC can write better software for the ZF gearbox than Audi can
I doubt if TMC actually write, from the ground up, any software. It has always been normal for a automatic gearbox to be more sluggish than a dsg and less efficien. A dsg can always change gear more smoothly and quicker, although the dual clutch can be caught when the first clutch engages sometimes.
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Well if BMW can do so much better than Audi then I'm sure that an external company can too! Lol.
Jokes aside, having driven a 3 series back to back with my car, the BMW's transmission and throttle response was way better so I'm confident that there's room to improve the way it shifts and responds to throttle inputs.
I'm sure that you could use your same argument for the engine mapping, but there's always someone willing to come up with a new map that unlocks more horsepower!
I got the wife a bmw 335d x drive for a year on my company car scheme at work. The gearbox in that is a lot smoother than the one in my A4. Although since doing the gearbox flash it’s getting better and nearly at the same level as the bmw.
This is the point though, engineers have to compromise with everything, which is why engine maps are set below the output they can easily and reliably achieve, then why we remap them or buy tuning boxes. We don't know why Audi actually use the ZF8 gearbox in the first place, when they could use one of their own. We don't know the contracts, the terms or what licensing constraints ZF and BMW have placed upon Audi by allowing them to use a gearbox from another car either.
One thing is sure is that the engineers from Audi are just a capable as any, take the VC compared to the BMW version, or that Audi engines are more refined than most of the 4 cylinder diesels that BMW and Mercedes produce for example. So to use the simplistic argument that they cannot program software, whilst sounding good in a pub, may well be far removed from the reality.
Well, I've now installed a transmission tune on the S4 (bought from DTUK rather than TMC as Andrew offers it for a better price), and I have to say that for the <15 miles I've driven it the shifts are noticeably better. Downshifts are crisper for sure and the slow speed shifts are smoother. The only thing that I haven't been able to try yet is some of the lag issues when going from braking to needing power like when approaching a roundabout. It's also still in the stage of learning and adapting so I'd like to think that it'll be even better as the miles go on.
Hammerhead
Registered User
Thanks for the feedback, definitely keep us posted, primarily about the lag issue, as you say approaching roundabouts, if it eliminates the need to shift into 'S' I'll definitely be buying one too
Sounds very promising Daggerit. I did not know they did gearbox tunes.
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DTUK have just started doing them as a trial at the moment but I believe will be offering them in the future? You could get hold of them and see the full scoop if you're interested in one.
DTUK have just started doing them as a trial at the moment but I believe will be offering them in the future? You could get hold of them and see the full scoop if you're interested in one.
How much was it? Would be interesting to see if the software is any different/better than the tmc one
I think that it comes in at about £395 (but don't quote me) versus £480 delivered for the TMC one. And I think that it's actually the exact same unit so the software is identical...
