I'm new to this forum & recently bought a 2015 Launch 1.8 TSI. Curious if anyone out there has modded this engine. I know the GTI/R is preferred but this is what I have. My plan is turbo back, cold air & tuning software. Curious if anyone has done this & what realistic hp/tq #'s are. Is it worth doing an is20 swap or is it too much for this motor. I've read the con rods, crank & pistons are different. I want more performance but not trying to bend a rod or spin a bearing. Thanks!
7
Mk7 launch 1.8t upgrade questions
- Thread starter MK7Launch
- Start date
TwinDad
Autocross Newbie
- Location
- Fort Lee, NJ
Have you read through any of the threads posted below. All of your answers are right there.
tplociniak
Go Kart Newbie
- Location
- NEPA
- Car(s)
- 2017 Alltrack SEL
1.8 is a great motor to modify. A lot of people on here are having great success with pretty big numbers on these motors. Start researching about the JB4 for tuning, a cold air intake wont do much, search for the "air box mod" on here, the downpipe is where the power gain is if you want to save some money, and the IS20 is an excellent and fairly affordable upgrade, especially if you are installing it yourself.
There is a bunch of information on a forum, tough to know where to start, but check through the JB4 tuning thread and also the IS20 installation guide, both of those have a lot of great stuff
There is a bunch of information on a forum, tough to know where to start, but check through the JB4 tuning thread and also the IS20 installation guide, both of those have a lot of great stuff
MeltedSolid
Autocross Newbie
- Location
- San Francisco Bay Area
- Car(s)
- '15 Golf, e36 328i
So far I've heard our motor is good up to and beyond 380 whp (400+ chp with an IS38). The two instances of engine failure I have heard of were from someone who screwed up their tuning (user error), and one who had an injector fail so it ran lean and melted a piston. As far as I'm aware there have been no instances of the 1.8t failing because of too much power, though your clutch will probably start slipping around 320-350 ftlbs of torque.
The IS20 and downpipe (with software) are great mods for our cars, and those alone can double the stock output (~300 whp). https://www.goapr.com/products/ecu_upgrade_18tsi_gen3_mqb.html
I don't recommend an aftermarket intake for our engine because it will maybe make 5-10hp if you're lucky, and they are all massively overpriced.
These are my best guesses for expected power gains (this is mostly based on my own experience with my past setups):
Just tune (stock hardware): +65 hp
Downpipe: +15 hp
IS20: +65 hp
E30: +25 hp
IS38/meth: I don't know, a lot.
When I have access to E30 on my current setup I think I'm making about 310-320 whp (150 stock whp + 65 + 15 + 65 + 25 = 320, which matches what I should expect from my quarter mile trap speed).
The IS20 and downpipe (with software) are great mods for our cars, and those alone can double the stock output (~300 whp). https://www.goapr.com/products/ecu_upgrade_18tsi_gen3_mqb.html
I don't recommend an aftermarket intake for our engine because it will maybe make 5-10hp if you're lucky, and they are all massively overpriced.
These are my best guesses for expected power gains (this is mostly based on my own experience with my past setups):
Just tune (stock hardware): +65 hp
Downpipe: +15 hp
IS20: +65 hp
E30: +25 hp
IS38/meth: I don't know, a lot.
When I have access to E30 on my current setup I think I'm making about 310-320 whp (150 stock whp + 65 + 15 + 65 + 25 = 320, which matches what I should expect from my quarter mile trap speed).
Hey thanks! I appreciate the feedback. That's the type of info I'm looking for. What's the difference between a cold air intake & an air box mod? Also fo you need to upgrade the intercooler when you go a turbo swap? I'm overall looking for some legit power while maintaining a daily driver. I love my platform but want to get the motor where it should be. I bought it with aftermarket wheels & lowered covers. The handling is really good so that parts taken care of I feel. Thanks again.
Sparky589
Drag Racing Champion
- Location
- San Francisco Bay Area
A cold air intake is really an aesthetic mod more than a performance one. Sure there are some gains to be had, but with the price most aftermarket intakes go for you could probably grab yourself a used is20 or downpipe for some real meaningful gains. There are however drop in filters for the oem airbox that allow for faster flow than the stock filter. Some people also play around with the stock air inlet to improve airflow.
As for an intercooler it is not required per-say. The car will operate just fine with the stock setup, but what an aftermarket intercooler allows you to do is avoid heat soak. Tuning up an engine makes it run hotter than stock, and living in a particularly hot climate only exacerbates the issue. Without proper cooling the air flowing into the turbo isn't dense enough to bring out the full potential of the block, and you'll noticeably begin to loose power.
A larger aftermarket intercooler solves this issue by ensuring charge temps stay low. I'd say that living in Alabama you should look into getting one on the car around the time summer rolls around.
As for an intercooler it is not required per-say. The car will operate just fine with the stock setup, but what an aftermarket intercooler allows you to do is avoid heat soak. Tuning up an engine makes it run hotter than stock, and living in a particularly hot climate only exacerbates the issue. Without proper cooling the air flowing into the turbo isn't dense enough to bring out the full potential of the block, and you'll noticeably begin to loose power.
A larger aftermarket intercooler solves this issue by ensuring charge temps stay low. I'd say that living in Alabama you should look into getting one on the car around the time summer rolls around.
Thanks man! I got another one for you. Unironic vs jb4? If you just take their word for it companies will list big gains. Unironic seems to boast the biggest hp/tq gains. JB4 is by no means claiming a ton but I've seen enough people in these threads listing it as an upgrade they've done. Any thoughts?
Sparky589
Drag Racing Champion
- Location
- San Francisco Bay Area
Unitronic is actually known to be rather conservative with their tunes compared to the other off the shelf tuners out there. For most people the appeal of a piggyback over a flash tune is that by comparison, the JB4 tends to be dealer safe. However if warranty isn't an issue, it's worth it to flash the ECU, as that is capable of modifying far more variables than the JB4.
So in most cases you'll get more out of a stage 1 flash than just running a JB4. But at the same time you can stack a JB4 on top of a flash tune to really push your numbers as far as they can go. Both Melted and I have good experience with APR, but my recommendation is that you should just go with whatever is closest to you.
Basically go stage 1 if you are out of warranty. If there is still some warranty left and you want to try and keep it, go JB4. If you want to get everything out of the engine, stack a JB4 on top of a flash tune.
So in most cases you'll get more out of a stage 1 flash than just running a JB4. But at the same time you can stack a JB4 on top of a flash tune to really push your numbers as far as they can go. Both Melted and I have good experience with APR, but my recommendation is that you should just go with whatever is closest to you.
Basically go stage 1 if you are out of warranty. If there is still some warranty left and you want to try and keep it, go JB4. If you want to get everything out of the engine, stack a JB4 on top of a flash tune.
MeltedSolid
Autocross Newbie
- Location
- San Francisco Bay Area
- Car(s)
- '15 Golf, e36 328i
Hu? No, Unitronic's gains are definitely the least. The numbers you see on Burger Motorsports site are from waaay back when before anyone even began pushing their tunes (also it's whp, not chp like unitronic lists). Unitronic plays it safe and conservative, which isn't bad if you are okay with that, but both APR and a well tuned JB4 will out-do Unitronic any day in terms of power. APR also claims quite a bit more power than Unitronic, so I guess you haven't looked at them?
I may have what I looked at backwards. Warranty isn't an issue for my car so I'm fine pushing it. APR is definitely a company that is on my radar. As far as down pipes go, is it better/ not better or indifferent when it comes to staying with one company when going turbo back? I think it was AWE that had a DP that was $1300! I can't seem to justify a dp that's almost 2-3x's that of pretty much all other companies. I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around the d.c. ifference.Thanks for your feedback.
Sparky589
Drag Racing Champion
- Location
- San Francisco Bay Area
What's nice about AWE's downpipe is that it'll pass smog in all states that aren't California as well as avoiding a check engine light. If you're tuning to stage 2 the latter isn't an issue, and if smog regs are lax where you live you probably don't need their down pipe either.
Going off what you've said in this thread, I'd recommend your first mod to be a stage 1 apr flash. Couple that with a clutch of you have a manual, and some sticky summer tires once weather permits. With just a flash and good rubber you're going to be able to outrun stock GTI's all day long.
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Going off what you've said in this thread, I'd recommend your first mod to be a stage 1 apr flash. Couple that with a clutch of you have a manual, and some sticky summer tires once weather permits. With just a flash and good rubber you're going to be able to outrun stock GTI's all day long.
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I think I may start that way. Any improvement over stock will be good. Also it will give me time to see what direction I want to go. The mechanical side of the build is no problem so I'll save money there. I'm running Continental Extreme Contack DWS right now & have driven the car on 100° days & the car handles great. Corners flat & have yet to feel it want to break loose. I still need to get it in the air to see what exact suspension I have & if the previous owner added anything else. You mentioned a clutch upgrade. Is the stock clutch not capable of handling a stage 1 upgrade or is it just making sure every bit of power gets to the wheels?
MeltedSolid
Autocross Newbie
- Location
- San Francisco Bay Area
- Car(s)
- '15 Golf, e36 328i
For the 1.8t I think start saving for a clutch after you go stage 2. You shouldn't need a clutch for stage 1, and your clutch should at least last a while on stage 2.
For the downpipes, like Sparky said the main thing that influences the price is the quality of the catalytic converter. Catless can run you as little as just a couple hundred, but you have to deal with the smell and the equivalent of clubbing baby seals. My own downpipe is a VWR racing one, which is made by Miltech who uses the same cat as AWE. New it's slightly more than AWE's downpipe, but I got it used for cheap, and it has served me very well with no smell or CEL.
For the downpipes, like Sparky said the main thing that influences the price is the quality of the catalytic converter. Catless can run you as little as just a couple hundred, but you have to deal with the smell and the equivalent of clubbing baby seals. My own downpipe is a VWR racing one, which is made by Miltech who uses the same cat as AWE. New it's slightly more than AWE's downpipe, but I got it used for cheap, and it has served me very well with no smell or CEL.