You Cobb snobs act like you're on professional race teams or something. Some people want a little bump in power without the hassle of having to find a reliable tuner who knows what he's doing, then paying for dyno and/or street tuning sessions. There's nothing wrong with the power levels APR stage 1 or even APR plus gives you. My last car ran E85 and put down close to 500whp on a conservative tune. I spent 10s of thousands of dollars on that car and it was a constant worry and never-ending addiction. I rarely was able to enjoy the power, unless it was on the highway. I didn't drag race, so it was pointless for me. I'd rather have a refined and sophisticated car with nearly 300whp and a full warranty.
7
APR, 5150, Unitronic or what?
- Thread starter Loadblaster17
- Start date
My friend's A4 APR stage 1 tune has compressor surge between 3k-4k RPM, APR has confirmed it in their tune (other A4 owners have reported the same problem), and the remedy APR gave is "avoid that RPM range when WOT." To me, that's a poor solution, however, if you think that's a good company ethic, by all means go with APR.
For most people, a custom tune (or piggyback) no matter what platform of JB4, Cobb, Eurodyne Maestro, or any other, is about making more power safely and knowing it's safe on your specific engine. If you run into problems with an OTS tune, you're SOL, since all you can do is hope the company cares enough to update it eventually. My personal opinion is, if you have the option to avoid that issue, why not avoid it?
BronxBomber
Ready to race!
- Location
- Orlando,FL
If you want a “refined and sophisticated car with nearly 300whp and a full warranty “, why are you on a Golf forum on a post discussing tunes that will void your warranty no less? Buy yourself an S3 or Golf R if it’s “refined” and “sophisticatedl” enough, or buy yourself a 3 series and call it a day. APR + won’t get you to 300whp and it won’t make a GTI refined and sophisticated
JerseyDrew77
Autocross Champion
- Location
- Virginia & NC
- Car(s)
- 2016 TR GTI S 6MT
geokilla
Go Kart Champion
- Location
- Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Car(s)
- 2018 VW GTI DSG
He's not wrong though. Everyone is like pro tune or GTFO. In this thread anyways.
Going back to my track example, the other day I was able to hit 1:31 in my stock GTI while another member in a stock Golf R did it in 1:30. His car should be significantly faster all around given he has more power for the two long straights, and AWD which should give him more grip in the corners. Not to mention he has summer tires while I'm still running OEM Hankook all season. So it just boils down to driver skill if we're taking drag racing times out of the conversation. Just because you have more power doesn't mean you know how to use it.
We aren't saying pro tune or GTFO. We're replying to the OPs question about which tune. It's not our fault there's a good amount of people who stand behind the Cobb product and what it achieves.
And of course it comes down to driver. Don't even know why that's being debated or brought up in a tune focused thread.
And of course it comes down to driver. Don't even know why that's being debated or brought up in a tune focused thread.
Why are you bringing driver skill into the equation now? Talk about a straw man argument. Since we're all not Lewis Hamilton, we should just go buy a Yaris, right? We're talking about tuning options.
People are bringing in factual reasons why an option that allows for customization is preferable over others that don't offer that. Only one of these reasons is the potential for more power (yes, there's a potential for less power as well). However, you only fixate on this one point, while ignoring the plethora of others.
TroyI
Ready to race!
- Location
- Austin, Texas
FAKE NEWS.
Hoon
Autocross Champion
- Location
- Rhode Island
I personally think the GTI is very refined and I'm trying to avoid modifying it to the point where it ruins what I like about the car and I refuse to void my warranty. It's not a Civic Type R with fake ducts and a stupid wing on the back screaming "look at me" and that's what I love about it.
I'll look into this, thank you. If it was the fault of the tune, rather than a limitation of the turbo itself, you would think it should be an easy fix for them to patch. Does APR ever have updates to tunes you pay for?
I didn't waste any money yet. I just don't want to get drawn into the never ending rabbit hole like I did with my old car trying to chase perfection. I've read good things about the driveability of Unitronic, unfortunately they don't have a warranty like APR+.
Dealership will not honor your warranty even if you get apr+. If you think a dealership will honor a tune you will definitely go down a rabbit hole you're speaking of...
And getting a tune doesn't change the refinement you like about your GTI. It will just make it a better overall performer.
If you want a set it and forget it, get apr or unitronic. If you want to put in a few moments and log and get the most out of your car and tune, get Cobb or ED. It's simple.
And getting a tune doesn't change the refinement you like about your GTI. It will just make it a better overall performer.
If you want a set it and forget it, get apr or unitronic. If you want to put in a few moments and log and get the most out of your car and tune, get Cobb or ED. It's simple.
Wrath And Tears
Go Kart Champion
- Location
- Azusa, CA
- Car(s)
- 17 Sport, 99 E36
BufLon
New member
- Location
- Buffalo, NY
As it stands right now my money is going to (in order)
1. tires
2. track days/instruction
3. tune (likely some Cobb solution)
probably will want better brakes too but it starts with the wrong letter
1. tires
2. track days/instruction
3. tune (likely some Cobb solution)
probably will want better brakes too but it starts with the wrong letter
TroyI
Ready to race!
- Location
- Austin, Texas
That's probably a wise order. And the reason I say WISE, is if you did a tune first, you have a completely different list after a week. I remember saying "I'll just get a stage 1 tune and THAT'S IT. Now I'm lowered and full Stage 2. I really am done now.... hmmm... maybe an intercooler next summer... "no, shut up, self".
APR+ replaces the warranty that will be voided by tuning, so I don't know what you're talking about.
I never said that getting a tune would make my car more refined. My point is that I'm not willing to turn my daily driver into an obnoxious race car like I did before. You missed the point completely.
Set it and forget it is all I want and need, and it's plenty of power for most people. There's nothing wrong with that and that was the whole point of my original post.
I'd love to have an R, but I spent all my money modifying my previous car and I'm not going to do it again. Why are you suggesting that I keep my car stock? I still don't understand why you're trying to look down on people who just want a quick and easy tuning solution without all the hassle.