Absolutely false lol. The downpipe is actually a mod that doesn't really need a tune to show its gains.
The downpipe does a LOT on this car, the stock one is extremely restrictive. The thing that most people don't realize is that they just look at peak gains and say it only adds a little bit. The downpipes main function in reducing restriction is to increase turbo spool and reduce how hard the turbo has to work to create boost and subsequently greatly increase the area under the curve of both tq and hp. No tuning is necessary to see the majority of these increases.
It is generally suggested to get a tune with a downpipe to turn off the CEL
The main reason aftermarket pipe designs are this beneficial is pipe design, diameter and smooth transitions in the curves. Aftermarket catless downpipes show next to 0 increase over catted versions, so don't cheap out and get one with a good cat.
Are there some gains sure, are they perceptible? I don’t think so having driven an untuned car with one for a bit. How much time have you spent driving a car with a downpipe and no tune?
I actually don’t have a tune now, just a jb4. Next time I’m out in the country I’ll set it to stock and do some dragy runs, see how they compare to the bone stock runs I did before putting any parts on. Not expecting a huge difference.
you don’t really need a tune to cancel out the cel. 5 dollar Amazon spacer has done the trick on multiple mk7s I’ve owned.
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