Sportback Custom Flex Tune with DS1 + build

[domino_z]

Hi guys

I just switched from uni stage 2 dwna beta map to custom flex with ds1, so figured I’d put a thread together

Received my exclusive merlin purple on lunar silver sportback in October 2020. Immediately flashed the uni ecu as it was only stage 2 offering available at the time

Since switching to ds1, the gain in performance and smoothness is huge. And lucky I did switch, the Uni map was doing some weird things on dyno like over boosting and knocking at redline on some runs

Glad to be on a custom tune specifically for my car, e85 is available at pump here and good quality too

Some cool tricks with ds1, such as using the power gauge to display the ethanol content, and returning all the right over run/dsg upshift/startup noises from the PFL days

Initially I felt the car was a bit too fast for street/hills, accelerating off a corner the torque was like a smack in the face. My tuner on the day also made a more linear torque map, I’ve since switched to that map and it’s a lot nicer, car builds boost off a corner and feel like I flow corner to corner a lot smoother

Will get used to the power then look to do a tte700 next, shoot for around 420 awkw and keep torque at 700nm but across a wider band

Pink line is uni map

Parts list to date:
- TVS stage 2+ TCU
- Wagner dp + 2x 200 cell midpipe
- Eventuri stage 3 intake + inlet
- forge intercooler
- NGK plugs
- stock catback and injectors
- AP racing 6 pot bbk front and rear from Reyland (custom painted calipers)
- square 245/35 ps4s on staggered oe wheels
- H&R rear sway + superpro end links
- asr exhaust valve controller

Few things I’ve learnt along the way
- srm billet throttle inlet won’t fit dwna
- uni seems to have stopped development for dwna, there is still only a single stage 1 and 2 98 map
- uni’s tcu tunes are garbage. Their stage 2 tcu has this artificial kick in the back feeling like an old semi manual set to fastest shift speed (or for anyone like me who owned an f80 m3 dct, exactly like that with trans in sport plus)
- oe exhaust valve operation has both valves open in 1st, then closes one valve below 4k rpm in all other gears. You’ll need a controller to have both valves open full time in dynamic or you can have ds1 tuner customize the tables (i prefer the oe operation, then having option to open both in right mood/setting)

Quick Sound clip here with oe valve operation

 

[scott25rsq3sb]

- oe exhaust valve operation has both valves open in 1st, then closes one valve below 4k rpm in all other gears. You’ll need a controller to have both valves open full time in dynamic or you can have ds1 tuner customize the tables (i prefer the oe operation, then having option to open both in right mood/setting)

Even with DS1, your tuner cannot customize tables to act as OE exhaust valve operation?

 

[domino_z]

Even with DS1, your tuner cannot customize tables to act as OE exhaust valve operation?

Ds1 defaults to oe exhaust valve operation - I have no idea how daza works, but dwna oe is as per i described above

You can tell your ds1 tuner to open both valves in dynamic if you wish

I personally prefer oe operation most of the time, and both valves open occasionally, so I use a controller to achieve this

 

[8YARWY]

I’m running with valves open all the time.

Daza on a custom DS1 file.


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[domino_z]

I’m running with valves open all the time.

Daza on a custom DS1 file.


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Couldn’t do that with my dp setup, far too discomforting for the gentiles in the burbs

What setup are you running, do you have a dyno plot

Dwna is still a bit of an unknown in terms of effects of what was changed internally, keen to see comparo with daza

 

[8YARWY]

Couldn’t do that with my dp setup, far too discomforting for the gentiles in the burbs

What setup are you running, do you have a dyno plot

Dwna is still a bit of an unknown in terms of effects of what was changed internally, keen to see comparo with daza

On the Dyno this Saturday fingers crossed.

Was hoping the Revo 4” elbow would be here this week, they tell me there’s a chance now.......


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[ArrEssDrei]

On the Dyno this Saturday fingers crossed.

Was hoping the Revo 4” elbow would be here this week, they tell me there’s a chance now.......


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Awesome. Hope you will share your results.

 

[Sequence]

Find it really odd how unhappy and the issues you have with Uni, have experienced none of this on the 2 98 file. The tcu is flawless on stage 2 ecu for me, on 1+ it was a bit kicky on changes but very smooth and shifts very well now on the ecu stage 2 file. The torque does come on fairly late for uni but at the end of the day this is a much safer way to go than the full wack at 3k.

 

[ArrEssDrei]

Find it really odd how unhappy and the issues you have with Uni, have experienced none of this on the 2 98 file. The tcu is flawless on stage 2 ecu for me, on 1+ it was a bit kicky on changes but very smooth and shifts very well now on the ecu stage 2 file. The torque does come on fairly late for uni but at the end of the day this is a much safer way to go than the full wack at 3k.

Are you DAZA or DNWA though? I don't think Uni is putting much R&D into DAZA tunes, and even the transmission tuning is a little different between the 2. Sounds like OP had an early beta tune as well. Might explain some niggles.

 

[Sequence]

Are you DAZA or DNWA though? I don't think Uni is putting much R&D into DAZA tunes, and even the transmission tuning is a little different between the 2. Sounds like OP had an early beta tune as well. Might explain some niggles.

DNWA, while it is true the daza stuff is fairly complete they have a big update on the way that has been pushed back a few times due to the obvious.

 

[domino_z]

there’s more to a tune than just numbers, just because uni took a bunch of torque out of midrange and the car comes on boost at 4k like an old evo doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a safe tune

Get the car on a dyno or log it, every car is unique, the combination of parts people use are unique, even the oe wastegates have a torqued tolerance, and having a canned map to try and cover everything is always going to be limiting - there are plenty of cars online (including the most vocal Canadian uni advocate on YouTube) who have blown motors on uni canned maps

Uni have been promising a big reveal for ages now, reality is there is one sole dwna 98 map still in beta with no revisions in a year, and they have moved on to the s58 platform as the next big tuning platform

I’m appreciative uni even had a dwna map back in October when I wanted to ditch the opf and restore the sound. But the game has moved on, and significantly so with addition of flex by ds1

End of day I saw what my engine was doing on a uni beta map on the dyno and glad I made the switch when I did, each to their own

 

[domino_z]

Are you DAZA or DNWA though? I don't think Uni is putting much R&D into DAZA tunes, and even the transmission tuning is a little different between the 2. Sounds like OP had an early beta tune as well. Might explain some niggles.

There is only one Uni stage 2 dwna map, it’s for 98 and always has been in beta

 

[Sequence]

there’s more to a tune than just numbers, just because uni took a bunch of torque out of midrange and the car comes on boost at 4k like an old evo doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a safe tune

Get the car on a dyno or log it, every car is unique, the combination of parts people use are unique, even the oe wastegates have a torqued tolerance, and having a canned map to try and cover everything is always going to be limiting - there are plenty of cars online (including the most vocal Canadian uni advocate on YouTube) who have blown motors on uni canned maps

Uni have been promising a big reveal for ages now, reality is there is one sole dwna 98 map still in beta with no revisions in a year, and they have moved on to the s58 platform as the next big tuning platform

I’m appreciative uni even had a dwna map back in October when I wanted to ditch the opf and restore the sound. But the game has moved on, and significantly so with addition of flex by ds1

End of day I saw what my engine was doing on a uni beta map on the dyno and glad I made the switch when I did, each to their own

I agree there is more than numbers.
Adam blew on custom code not uni like many cars.

The s58 was an April fools joke

Glad you are happy with ds1 and your tuner now.

Did you try any of the ds1 ots maps? What have they done with them for DNWA?


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[ArrEssDrei]

DNWA, while it is true the daza stuff is fairly complete they have a big update on the way that has been pushed back a few times due to the obvious.

I hear flex fuel is coming to Unitronic, but sounds like not to DNWA if it's still in Beta (didn't know that!). Being a N. American company they just aren't too concerned with the Euro market it seems, and I'm sure the EPA are stepping on the necks on anything that would cause people to remove emissions related equipment so its probably a minefield when it comes to GPF/DNWA cars. That and development much be tricky if they don't have test mules there.

DS1 definitely seems the way forward I have to say.

 

[domino_z]

Didn’t bother with ds1 ots maps for same reasons, my goal was a custom tune with ds1 from onset

I’ve seen that thread where ppl are pleading for info from uni on their flex development, but at what point do you get sick of waiting and abandon ship, plus with no e85 dwna map, how would flex even work

Driving the car without that laggy torque hole below 4k is a revelation - that was my biggest issue with the uni map, and up to a point I thought that’s how this engine just behaved tuned

With the epa tightening things and ever increasing emissions laws, I’m not sure how long this whole tuner scene will be around for. Without supporting software, will companies even develop hardware. Times ticking, gotta play around with these things while we still can

In terms of comparisons, I have to point out that ds1 is a tuning platform. Although they do have ots maps, the real benefit is in ability to custom tune. If you came from another tuning platform and bought ds1 just to use their ots map, I think you’d be wasting your time and money (provided you’ve logged your car and it’s behaving well on current ots map)

 

[ArrEssDrei]

Didn’t bother with ds1 ots maps for same reasons, my goal was a custom tune with ds1 from onset

I’ve seen that thread where ppl are pleading for info from uni on their flex development, but at what point do you get sick of waiting and abandon ship, plus with no e85 dwna map, how would flex even work

Driving the car without that laggy torque hole below 4k is a revelation - that was my biggest issue with the uni map, and up to a point I thought that’s how this engine just behaved tuned

With the epa tightening things and ever increasing emissions laws, I’m not sure how long this whole tuner scene will be around for. Without supporting software, will companies even develop hardware. Times ticking, gotta play around with these things while we still can

In terms of comparisons, I have to point out that ds1 is a tuning platform. Although they do have ots maps, the real benefit is in ability to custom tune. If you came from another tuning platform and bought ds1 just to use their ots map, I think you’d be wasting your time and money (provided you’ve logged your car and it’s behaving well on current ots map)

I'd sure love to see some DS1 OTS Stage 1 and 2 dyno and time slips. There is very little hard data. It makes them a bit off-putting and pointless other than for learning to do a few tweaks yourself - which certainly is no bad thing. Custom tuning DS1 seems a given and there's some great options available. I'm definitely headed that way myself, but am a bit apprehensive of logging on the street and tuning based on that (mostly due to lack of straight "private" roads I can do 130mph on). Hopefully more tuners with dynos will offer DS1 tunes as it grows in popularity.

Good on you for logging your Uni tune and drawing your own conclusions. Sounds like a massive improvement in drivability. The low midrange torque with Uni is surprising to hear. Likely it helps with traction and was meant to keep things safe. With over 700nm at 4000 rpm on my current tune my car struggles with traction to launch consistently, and frankly could probably use a little less. I assume given the incredible quarter mile times Uni cars put down they really are tuned to do well at that, but a little less concerned with midrange smiles and drivability. I'm amazed they haven't offered a waste gate rattle fix even.

Curious in your dyno sheet - that is hp at the wheels? Uni on 98ron vs. DS1 custom 98 vs E85 ?

Any draggy or drag strip results? I'm particularly interested in DNWA launch characteristics.

You're right on the clock ticking. My whole reason for buying an RS3 was that these will be the last few years that we can enjoy this kind of petrol powered beasts. Let's make the best of it!

 

[8YARWY]

The problem is once on OTS maps you start to want more

A friend runs Stage 2 OTS map with e30 on his TTRS and made 543hp


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[domino_z]

Pink = 98 uni
Green = ds1 on 98
Red = ds1 on e80

I don’t think there’d be much, if any, difference bw uni, apr, mrc, ds1 etc time slips with like for like parts - and again I wouldn’t choose one tuning platform over another based on that

The biggest difference for me is the drivability. Not only the torque, but little things like low speed light throttle, getting off/on power after building boost, it’s all just noticeably smoother. I would hazard to guess reason uni went so light mid range torque is because it is a beta map and they didn’t have time/understanding of what internal changes of dwna would result

Again this gets back to crux of the issue, the uni dwna is still a beta map

If I lived in UK I’d have gone straight to mrc back in October over uni, you’re just not going to beat a dyno tune with having the car logged on dyno

I too am not keen on data logging on road and going through multiple map revisions to try to sort a tune

 

[domino_z]

Not to rub salt in the uni wounds, but I also tried their downpipe so I’ll add to things I’ve learned in my op

Great quality item, that is a very high quality cat, but it was too quiet for me. Below 4k it was almost opf quiet, and lost that gruff 5 pot warble

The uni dp is best suited for someone who wants stage 2 power on stock like sound volume. It also mutes the wastegate rattle pretty much entirely

Here’s a comparo on the uni map

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[ArrEssDrei]

I guess that's why they didn't mess with WG rattle fixes, that downpipe is surprisingly quiet/effective and they do like to sell you on their own parts to go with the tune understandably.

If you get any timeslips or draggy results do post em up

 

[ArrEssDrei]

The problem is once on OTS maps you start to want more

A friend runs Stage 2 OTS map with e30 on his TTRS and made 543hp


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True of any tune I'd say! . Is that 543 at flywheel or wheels?

Ethanol is so appealing, but full e85 on stage 2 does seem to have more than a few catastrophic failures. But the power... tough to have the self control to stop at an e30 blend!

 

[8YARWY]

True of any tune I'd say! . Is that 543 at flywheel or wheels?

Ethanol is so appealing, but full e85 on stage 2 does seem to have more than a few catastrophic failures. But the power... tough to have the self control to stop at an e30 blend!

At the crank.


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[domino_z]

I guess that's why they didn't mess with WG rattle fixes, that downpipe is surprisingly quiet/effective and they do like to sell you on their own parts to go with the tune understandably.

If you get any timeslips or draggy results do post em up

ds1 has tables to add the wg coding but it’s not in any of their ots maps afaik, it’s something your calibrator/tuner will need to add

It took 3 dp setups to land on right sound profile for me, first bcs was loud and ratted like crazy being all stainless, uni was too quiet, and now Wagner is that sweet spot

From what I can tell the trick to quieting down the rattle is having the mouth of the dp cast, it reduces the vibration, but then some turbos are noisier than others from factory

 

[ArrEssDrei]

At the crank.


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How did he do on 98/99RON out of curiosity? I've seen so few OTS dyno results, I'd really love to know.

 

[8YARWY]

How did he do on 98/99RON out of curiosity? I've seen so few OTS dyno results, I'd really love to know.

He was around the 500 mark.


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[ArrEssDrei]

ds1 has tables to add the wg coding but it’s not in any of their ots maps afaik, it’s something your calibrator/tuner will need to add

It took 3 dp setups to land on right sound profile for me, first bcs was loud and ratted like crazy being all stainless, uni was too quiet, and now Wagner is that sweet spot

From what I can tell the trick to quieting down the rain more rattle is having the mouth of the dp cast, it reduces the vibration, but then some turbos are noisier than others from factory

Interesting on the cast DP, that makes sense. I have a Miltek and it's pretty thin metal and my rattle was just horrific until it was eventually tuned out, which made a huge difference to sound quality. After that the thought of going unitronic left my mind completely. It sounds fine now but can be a bit raspy at part throttle acceleration. I may yet change it to a cast one. Good to know you're happy with the Wagner. Honestly the ability to adjust WG rattle and the over run alone sell me on DS1!

 

[ArrEssDrei]

He was around the 500 mark.


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Nice. The big question now is will you share your results on Saturday?

 

[Ross_T_Boss]

It took 3 dp setups to land on right sound profile for me, first bcs was loud and ratted like crazy being all stainless, uni was too quiet, and now Wagner is that sweet spot

From what I can tell the trick to quieting down the rattle is having the mouth of the dp cast, it reduces the vibration, but then some turbos are noisier than others from factory

I agree with the cast bit. I went with the IE downpipe, it is cast to the flexi pipe, the downside is keeping stock equivalent weight but I'm not bothered about that, it has a great balance between noise and very little rattle. I just need to get through UK emissions next month now, I have almost zero faith in the supplied 200-cell cat so might have to get inventive.

Uni Stg2 (DAZA) is doing very well for me, I think it's a DWNA thing. I am making great power on 99 and E85 with no drivability issues. That said DS1 looks increasingly tempting. I blend my own E65 and this would just take all the hassle out of it with the flex option, plus I hope at some point to do a few track days and would like a low-torque map for any fuel blend. Right now DS1 is the only solution that would tick all those boxes, but going to give it till later in the year and evaluate options.