APR Plus - worth it?

YamR1rider · Mar 22, 2019

Revolver1966 said:
High output on my fully stock GTI felt like it wanted to rip the darn car apart...the power was useless at low speeds. IMO 380 ft/lb is overkill for FWD without a bunch of supporting mods.

Went and got 91 Low (same tune as APR Plus) within 4 days. It’s only like 5 HP less than 93 and gives some leeway for bad gas or if I am traveling through states that primarily offer 91 (such as IL and GA). Also the station near my home sells 92 for some odd reason which saves a few bucks on fill ups.
It would nice if APR offered program switching on the Mk7s.

Sent by raven from Castle Black

Was that the APR st1 high torque you had for a while? I was wondering how it compares. Is there much more noticeable stomp in the mid range during roll ons, for instance, 60-130 pulls and so on?

Totally agree with you the lo torque is a great balanced power level - not too overwhelming for the tires if you have good quality rubber etc. I can imagine the hi torque getting wheel hoppy off the line but I would think it shines in roll ons?

Abbott Martin · Mar 22, 2019

YamR1rider said:
Was that the APR st1 high torque you had for a while? I was wondering how it compares. Is there much more noticeable stomp in the mid range during roll ons, for instance, 60-130 pulls and so on?

Totally agree with you the lo torque is a great balanced power level - not too overwhelming for the tires if you have good quality rubber etc. I can imagine the hi torque getting wheel hoppy off the line but I would think it shines in roll ons?

The high torque tune has a ton of power during rolls. It pulls like a friggin train on the interstate. Feels “beefy”.
Had the low & high torque v2.4 tunes on my Mk6 and there was a very big difference there too.
High torque = great for interstate
Low torque = great for back roads and 0-60

Adding some bolt on mods to low output will probably help get an even nicer HP/TQ balance.

Sent by raven from Castle Black

odessa.filez · Mar 22, 2019

If the car's brand new, it's a great idea. My car was around 35k miles and only a 60k powertrain warranty, so I passed.

Make sure you read the warranty as they do require additional maintenance.

YamR1rider · Mar 22, 2019

Cool, thanks for the info Revolver Ha, it's one of them - I'd like to give it a go to see... But must resist till I've got my warranty's worth out of the Plus! &#55357;&#56833;

YamR1rider · Mar 22, 2019

odessa.filez said:
If the car's brand new, it's a great idea. My car was around 35k miles and only a 60k powertrain warranty, so I passed.

Make sure you read the warranty as they do require additional maintenance.

Yep - its basically just doing oil changes every 5k/6months vs 10k/year. No biggie at all if you can do your own.

Abbott Martin · Mar 22, 2019

YamR1rider said:
Cool, thanks for the info Revolver Ha, it's one of them - I'd like to give it a go to see... But must resist till I've got my warranty's worth out of the Plus! &#55357;&#56833;

APR Plus aka Stage 1 low output is sufficient. 295 HP from a 2.0L weighing only 3100 lb are good numbers. Similar power:weight ratio as a CLA45 AMG.
APR will let you add an intake on Plus. That should get you over 300 HP
Again those are basically the same numbers as the GTI Club Sport.

Sent by raven from Castle Black

MeltedSolid · Mar 22, 2019

ZuMBLe said:
Do you actually tow with that hitch mount? Because if you actually tow... a bit more boost really adds torque to the car. It will help you pull your load up hills etc. It's really a safety issue.

Have you ever drug someone uphill with a 2000 lb trailer, and 500 lbs in the trunk? This car is so satisfying with power...

tigeo · Mar 23, 2019

Revolver1966 said:
APR Plus aka Stage 1 low output is sufficient. 295 HP from a 2.0L weighing only 3100 lb are good numbers. Similar power:weight ratio as a CLA45 AMG.
APR will let you add an intake on Plus. That should get you over 300 HP
Again those are basically the same numbers as the GTI Club Sport.

Sent by raven from Castle Black

He has a GSW with the 1.8. APR Stage 1 (the same as the Plus tune for this car) is ~245hp.

Abbott Martin · Mar 23, 2019

tigeo said:
He has a GSW with the 1.8. APR Stage 1 (the same as the Plus tune for this car) is ~245hp.

Well oops....was involved with another thread on APR Plus and got thrown off.

Sent by raven from Castle Black

ZuMBLe · Mar 23, 2019

MeltedSolid said:
Have you ever drug someone uphill with a 2000 lb trailer, and 500 lbs in the trunk? This car is so satisfying with power...

Wait.. are you disposing of bodies with your car?? Don't answer that.

MeltedSolid · Mar 23, 2019

ZuMBLe said:
Wait.. are you disposing of bodies with your car?? Don't answer that.

Uh... I use boost for safety purposes only.

YamR1rider · Mar 23, 2019

Revolver1966 said:
Well oops....was involved with another thread on APR Plus and got thrown off.

Sent by raven from Castle Black

Oops from me too - I think we went off on a tangent talking about the Gtis.

But I think it's all still valid for this discussion in the OPs case with the 1.8 - asides from the power figures the principal is the same in that he would get with APR+ a very noticable useful uplift in power over stock but still retaining very good reliability and driveability.

benjbark · Mar 25, 2019

odessa.filez said:
Make sure you read the warranty as they do require additional maintenance.

This is probably the most useful piece of info yet. Thank you!

And thank you all for the replies. I’ve been working all weekend so I’m just sorting through them. I think I’m going to do it - just need to square the finances away (a month in Nepal this fall takes priority). Psyched to be a part of this community!

Abbott Martin · Mar 25, 2019

Fall in Nepal. Nice!

Sent by raven from Castle Black

sherbet · Jul 8, 2019

MonkeyMD said:
Me .either.

Started with APR stg1 tune.

Then obd11 and a whole bunch of programming changes.
Clutch stop.

You know, just some small things.

Then some Audi wheels that I got a great deal on.

But that's it, I'm done.

Oh those Dinan coilovers are half off. Alright, that's it.

Well I don't want any rubbing with those 245 and want better turn in, so some 034 camber mounts.

4th set of tires in 75k miles because you have to have high performance rubber.

Oh Damn...someone just posted Stoptech brakes massively discounted. Alright, last mod, some ST40 355mm BBK.

This time I'm really done.

But not really, EQT or DBV2 and intercooler is in the future.

And I am really conservative when it comes to modding.

That being said, probably would have been hard to do the tune if I had a 70k warranty or whatever it is vs 36k.
But I have now had the tune for 72k miles, since 3k miles on a 1.8t and its been trouble free.

Hahaha.....as soon as you utter the words “I’m not modding this one”, or “just a tune and then I’m done” you’d better buckle up because it’s a slippery slope.

I don’t need an Is20 I said, I already have a 500+ B5 S4 for highway shenanigans, and a 63 tbird in show shape for looking cool. Well, I needed tint on the Golf, then oh, well, let’s buy an intake and turbo inlet it’s only $200 on ECS. And now, there is an IS20 sitting in my garage waiting for me to find a free weekend, taunting me. I’ve even questioned “should I really do this”? Well we know where that one is going too Lol...at the end of the day modding is just entertaining and as car people, it’s just flat out wrong to drive a bone stock car.

Do the tune, Don’t bother with APR plus, it’s a waste of money. You’re not going to blow it up with a flash, these cars are pretty damn stout for what they are and are incredibly reliable now. But, if you do get the tune. Do yourself a favor and go for 91 or 93, 91 isnt great still but 87 is crap and just feels wrong to run in a turbo car.

APR Plus - worth it?

YamR1rider

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