Whose Stage II, then?

Aussie R said:

Tortoise, If I was you I'd stay stage 1. Stage 2 isn't that much of an improvement that it's worth all the time, effort and $$ for you.

I'm in Melbourne Australia and we don't have ongoing testing so modifying stage 2 is fine but get caught with a catless exhaust and it's $10k fine, we have fixed speed cameras everywhere where you can get fined for as little as 2km/h over speed limit.

Many speed zones now are 40/50km/h. Many people call us the "nanny state" due to these things. MK7R and v8s prohibited for Probationary drivers.

We're constantly in worlds most livable cites but house prices now totally out of reach of first home buyers. You need $5-600k to buy house that's at least 1hr away from city, to be anywhere near city in a house is around $2M+

Car prices and taxes insane other than VW the cost of BMW/Porche etc here insane. Last time I checked same car was 3 times the price here than USA and that was when Aust$ was matching US.

There is obvious flaws and positives in every society, location. If you're happy where you live and your main issue is regarding car testing laws then that's nothing.

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tortoise said:

My understanding is that spacers can lead to fueling issues. Beyond that, I'm personally opposed to cutting corners to evade the law.

Massachusetts' excessive regs annoy me and I look forward to moving out of state as soon as the kids are done with school. In the meantime, so long as I choose to live here, I feel compelled to live by the rules.

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tortoise said:

Here in Massachusetts, we have an annual vehicular proctology exam that drives otherwise law-abiding folks to register their cars in South Dakota.



If you install the APR catted downpipe, you're going to pull a CEL on a Stage I tune and then you're in for it. The only way to get around that is by uninstalling your APR downpipe and reinstalling the OEM downpipe prior to your automotive bend-over at your local inspection station.



Speaking for myself, no thanks. Which means, I guess, I'll be looking at the AWE catted (and resonated, just because) downpipe.



And before you gag at the idea of spending $1100 on, well, a pipe, remember this: I live in Massachusetts, so it's just kind of another tax. This time on fun.



With that out of the way, there's the question of the tune.



Currently, I'm APR high torque, 93-octane Stage I. So why wouldn't I just cough up the $175 for APR's Stage II?



Maybe because APR seems to be running a bit of a...well, for a lack of a better word...racket on its Stage II tune. Yes, the tune shifts the torque curve and a bit to the left but, really, isn't its primary achievement shutting off those pesky O2 sensors that throw check engine lights all over your dash? Check engine lights that wouldn't light off in the first place if it offered a decent cat?



In other words, would it be reductive to say that they give you "for free" a Stage II tune that basically disguises the fact that the catalytic converter in their pipe isn't exactly OEM-level?



So if I'm going for the AWE dp, with its robust (and expensive) cat, why would I spend money on a tune that primarily switches off 02 sensors that won't bedevil it anyway?



Am I misunderstanding something here?



And in that case, what kind of stage II tune should I get?



Included in this tune is an upgraded (APR) intercooler, (APR) cai (about which I am suspicious as to its utility).



My understanding is that stock exhaust will be just fine.



Oh, and I'm driving a 2018 m7.5 R 6MT.



Nominations, anyone?

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Gti jake said:

Sounds like AWE is your best bet. They’re the only ones putting “cel free” in writing

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Cool Hand Luke said:

Move to Minnesota, you'd love the car scene here as well. If not then IMHO upon reading further back posts. If emissions testing is only once a year I'd personally be more than willing to go full Stage 2 in my Golf R which I am lol and just reinstall all the original OEM emissions passing parts re-tune and then after passing throw them back in again and continue on enjoying the 360+ days left in the year till next inspection and testing. To me that's worth a full day's work to have fun the other remaining 99 percent of the year. I love working on cars and fixing cars and have my weekends off so to me it would be worth the sacrifice for even that small extra performance gain. Heck I'd undo all the stage 3 goodies as well but that's me. I've got all APR parts and I couldn't be happier at the reliability and performance.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

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Aussie R said:

Tortoise, If I was you I'd stay stage 1. Stage 2 isn't that much of an improvement that it's worth all the time, effort and $$ for you.

I'm in Melbourne Australia and we don't have ongoing testing so modifying stage 2 is fine but get caught with a catless exhaust and it's $10k fine, we have fixed speed cameras everywhere where you can get fined for as little as 2km/h over speed limit.

Many speed zones now are 40/50km/h. Many people call us the "nanny state" due to these things. MK7R and v8s prohibited for Probationary drivers.

We're constantly in worlds most livable cites but house prices now totally out of reach of first home buyers. You need $5-600k to buy house that's at least 1hr away from city, to be anywhere near city in a house is around $2M+

Car prices and taxes insane other than VW the cost of BMW/Porche etc here insane. Last time I checked same car was 3 times the price here than USA and that was when Aust$ was matching US.

There is obvious flaws and positives in every society, location. If you're happy where you live and your main issue is regarding car testing laws then that's nothing.

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Sumfuncomet said:

I feel sorry for anybody that lives in mass. and puts up with their BS laws and overbearing regulations. I am from Mass., joined the service at 17 in 1965 and never looked back. Yes, i am a firearms person and would never live in a libtard state that trampled second amendment rights AND dictates how and what you should put on your car. Exactly how many hobbyist cars do they think are out there polluting anyways??
Most of my relatives have moved to Vermont, NH or Maine where you can be out from under the thumb or ridiculous liberal agenda. Lest you think I am a Republican, I am not.
BTW APR downpipe on a stage one, never tripped CEL. However the pipe did split at the flex joint and I bought IE as APR was of ZERO help resolving the issue.

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tortoise said:

Yes, I went with AWE. I'm really happy with it.

For shits and giggles, I pulled the trigger on the APR Stage II tune, despite the fact that it (apparently) exists mainly to switch off the 02 sensors so the APR dp doesn't trigger a CEL (yes, I know: It also "shifts the torque curve a little bit to the left.")

But then a funny thing happened when I had the APR intercooler installed.

A CEL light appeared: P2006 error code, stuck manifold flap.

So I dutifully had the ECU returned to stock in preparation for a visit to the mod-friendly VW dealer.

Then another funny thing happened: The check engine wasn't on anymore.

And it's stayed off.

Then an even funnier thing happened:

I was expecting the car, now returned to stock tune, to drive like a pig in a poke after all that Stage II glory. And...

My gosh, maybe I like it better like this.

Clearly, it's not stock: Between the single-mass flywheel clutch, the fluidampr harmonic drive pulley, the dieselgeek short-shfter, the AWE turboback, the APR intercooler, the various bullshit charge pipes and boost hoses and CAIs and turbo muffler deletes and what-have-you...and the dog-bone mount and the 19" flow-formed OEM Pretoria wheels that save about five pounds rotational mass per corner over the stock 19" cast alloy...and the UM Haldex tune...clearly, it's not stock.

But the engine ECU is at stock settings. And the car just dances. I don't know how much whp and wtq I'm getting over a stock Golf R, but all of these bits clearly have had a cumulative effect: My butt dyno says the sum of the parts is at least half, perhaps two-thirds, as potent as the Stage II delta over stock. But, again, that's just seat-of-the-pants, and I'd have to drive a true stock R to know for sure. What is indisputable is that the car is fast and unstressed and buckets of fun at street-legal (ok, responsibly illegal) speeds. I can run 91 octane gas now (it was strictly 93 on the tune) and my gas mileage is the best it's ever been. And, perhaps best of all, I don't have to run to an APR dealer and shell out $50 every time I take the car in for inspection or a check engine light flashes on and I have to take it to a dealer.

Oh, and now I'm actually taking advantage of the benefits of the AWE no-CEL design.

Someday, when my turbo gives out, I'll go to stage III, so I suppose that's how I'll justify the $800 I spent on APR tunes. In the meantime, maybe I'll just enjoy the car as it is...at Stage 0++.

Once I've finished with a few suspension tweaks.

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