GTI_Joe1
Ready to race!
- Location
- Portland, OR
Friday afternoon, I decided to pull the trigger on Integrated Engineering’s DSG tune for my otherwise stock 2019 GTI (DQ381). I know that I’m picky about shift points and driving style and was nervous the tune might be too aggressive for my tastes during daily driving. However, they have a 45 day money back policy (minus 10% restocking fee) and I really can’t stand the OEM shift points in D mode so I went for it. I paid extra for next day delivery because I wanted something fun to do this weekend. I’ll just mention that I have no affiliation with IE or any other company. I’ve gained a lot of knowledge from the people on this forum, I hope this info will help other’s in their decision making process and am just happy to give back a little.
Because saying things like “it shifts great now”, etc, etc leaves just way too much for interpretation and everyone has different driving styles and expectations for shift points I’m going to primarily be showing a few comparison video clips between OEM & IE. That way you can decide for your self if you like what you see.
First up is D mode slow acceleration shift points:
OEM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhrI2Pidm_0
IE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdSP8rclYB4
My thoughts/opinions: I think they mostly nailed it. 1-2, 4-5, 5-6 & 6-7 are perfect. Note that it shifts to 7th at 61mph in the video but once you reach 59mph, if you level off on the throttle it will shift to 7th at 59mph. My issue with the 2-3 upshift is it’s 2500rpm/21mph minimum shift point is too high. It works for me a fair amount of time, mainly when I’m well on my way to higher speeds but what happens is when I get stuck maintaining 17-20mph like in my neighborhood or slow traffic, I really want a shift to 3rd gear. Video example here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGVMsSvzJls My thoughts are similar for the 3-4 upshift, which now occurs no lower than 30mph. I think most people will think that’s totally fine but I’d like to see it shift to 4th around 26-27mph IF I level off the gas to just maintain speed. I have no prob with the shift point if I’m still accelerating slowly. (See, I told you I was picky).
D mode deceleration shift points:
OEM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCe6xLd08Co
IE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HD73_9gEag
My thoughts/opinions: Okay, I could have just told you they are unchanged from stock but now you have video proof, lol. What this means is the IE tune will still let you coast down deep into what I call the “Lug Zone”. That may sound discouraging but the IE tune totally saves it by being very responsive to throttle input. For example, you’re in D mode 7th gear, you’ve coasted/braked down deep into the Lug Zone at 47 mph, (note at 46mph it will downshift to 6th per above video) you now tip into the gas pedal ever so lightly and bam, it grabs 6th to prevent the lug. Video example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1AYLsi0gVI If you’re not so deep in the Lug Zone the lightest of throttle inputs will hold the gear and you lug out of it but it is still WAY more responsive than OEM tuning to shift down, a small stab of the throttle and you get yourself a downshift! Video example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ujsVT8e0UM In that video I gave it a small stab (1/2” of pedal) to get it to execute a downshift into 5th. For my driving style this is perfect. In my opinion, IE has done a good job in their strategy to not have minimum shift points be unnecessarily high in RPM for day to day driving and to prevent gear hunting.
Responsive to throttle inputs:
IE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHZSzVShCms
My thoughts/opinions: Didn’t I just talk about this? Well yes, but I wanted to show this video as another example of how well IE’s tune responds to throttle input as this is a MAJOR shortcoming of the OEM DSG tune. In the video above I go from basically maintaining throttle in 7th gear at 1500 rpm to a quick ¼ throttle input. I seriously don’t think the OEM tune would have given me a downshift into 6th gear even, let alone grab 4th gear! And it’s really smooth in doing it!
D mode medium acceleration shift points (25-35% throttle):
OEM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1fpyPEh3aQ
IE: https://youtu.be/qeWenKu5GOA
My thoughts/opinions: IE tune holds gears appropriately higher. Basically, I’m finding that the IE tune does what you expect/want given the throttle input you’re applying. OEM tune often upshifts even when I felt like I was giving it enough gas to tell the car to not shift so early.
One thing that is super annoying about this new 7-speed is the 1-2 upshift in manual mode (and D mode to a lesser extent) under light throttle low RPM conditions. Basically it takes 3 seconds from the time I click the paddle to upshift to execute the shift and fully engage the clutch again.
OEM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEM8ZGOMGPY
IE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txBT_n1N69I
My thoughts/opinions: It doesn’t appear that this is something IE worked on for whatever reason. Not the end of the world but it is annoying.
S mode slow acceleration shift points:
OEM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Usd1_PKsVdQ
IE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-gGqv_zCfA
My thoughts/opinions: First off, compared to the 6-speed DSG, OEM S mode on the 7-speed is (in my opinion) WAY better and 100% usable as is. IE has tuned the minimum shift points to be a bit higher but still seems perfectly useable. I’ve spent very little time in S mode thus far on the IE tune so I don’t have a lot of impressions to share. My apologies for not figuring out when S mode will shift into 7th gear yet!
S mode medium acceleration:
OEM: I didn’t take a video of this (Sorry)
IE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azfPF-MHxgY
My thoughts/opinions: Don’t have much to comment on here. Seems well executed to me, though.
M mode shift speed (25-35% throttle):
OEM: I didn’t take a video of this (Sorry)
IE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ui5i8-G05_c
My thoughts/opinions: I was curious to find out if any and all delay from the time I click the paddle to a fully executed shift would be significantly reduced. I’m not sure there’s much if any difference from OEM here.
Final thoughts:
I’ve had the tune for less than 24 hours but my initial impressions are that it is a really good tune. D mode has me in the gear I actually want to be in for all the driving situations I’ve been able to throw at it so far. It does a fantastic job (2-3 upshift complaint withstanding) of putting you in the right gear based on actual driver intent (throttle position). It completely solves the OEM hesitance to give you the downshift you want and forcing you to lug the engine or basically requiring you to give it 80% throttle before downshifting. It also reduces the famous DSG lag from a standstill by engaging the clutch faster on take-offs. I’m going to reach out to IE about reducing the minimum 2-3 upshift point, I have no idea if they will have any interest in doing that but the rest of the tune is so good that if that’s all I have to work around I’m still happy with it. I hope this was helpful and if you have any questions I’d be happy to try and answer them for you!
Because saying things like “it shifts great now”, etc, etc leaves just way too much for interpretation and everyone has different driving styles and expectations for shift points I’m going to primarily be showing a few comparison video clips between OEM & IE. That way you can decide for your self if you like what you see.
First up is D mode slow acceleration shift points:
OEM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhrI2Pidm_0
IE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdSP8rclYB4
My thoughts/opinions: I think they mostly nailed it. 1-2, 4-5, 5-6 & 6-7 are perfect. Note that it shifts to 7th at 61mph in the video but once you reach 59mph, if you level off on the throttle it will shift to 7th at 59mph. My issue with the 2-3 upshift is it’s 2500rpm/21mph minimum shift point is too high. It works for me a fair amount of time, mainly when I’m well on my way to higher speeds but what happens is when I get stuck maintaining 17-20mph like in my neighborhood or slow traffic, I really want a shift to 3rd gear. Video example here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGVMsSvzJls My thoughts are similar for the 3-4 upshift, which now occurs no lower than 30mph. I think most people will think that’s totally fine but I’d like to see it shift to 4th around 26-27mph IF I level off the gas to just maintain speed. I have no prob with the shift point if I’m still accelerating slowly. (See, I told you I was picky).
D mode deceleration shift points:
OEM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCe6xLd08Co
IE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HD73_9gEag
My thoughts/opinions: Okay, I could have just told you they are unchanged from stock but now you have video proof, lol. What this means is the IE tune will still let you coast down deep into what I call the “Lug Zone”. That may sound discouraging but the IE tune totally saves it by being very responsive to throttle input. For example, you’re in D mode 7th gear, you’ve coasted/braked down deep into the Lug Zone at 47 mph, (note at 46mph it will downshift to 6th per above video) you now tip into the gas pedal ever so lightly and bam, it grabs 6th to prevent the lug. Video example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1AYLsi0gVI If you’re not so deep in the Lug Zone the lightest of throttle inputs will hold the gear and you lug out of it but it is still WAY more responsive than OEM tuning to shift down, a small stab of the throttle and you get yourself a downshift! Video example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ujsVT8e0UM In that video I gave it a small stab (1/2” of pedal) to get it to execute a downshift into 5th. For my driving style this is perfect. In my opinion, IE has done a good job in their strategy to not have minimum shift points be unnecessarily high in RPM for day to day driving and to prevent gear hunting.
Responsive to throttle inputs:
IE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHZSzVShCms
My thoughts/opinions: Didn’t I just talk about this? Well yes, but I wanted to show this video as another example of how well IE’s tune responds to throttle input as this is a MAJOR shortcoming of the OEM DSG tune. In the video above I go from basically maintaining throttle in 7th gear at 1500 rpm to a quick ¼ throttle input. I seriously don’t think the OEM tune would have given me a downshift into 6th gear even, let alone grab 4th gear! And it’s really smooth in doing it!
D mode medium acceleration shift points (25-35% throttle):
OEM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1fpyPEh3aQ
IE: https://youtu.be/qeWenKu5GOA
My thoughts/opinions: IE tune holds gears appropriately higher. Basically, I’m finding that the IE tune does what you expect/want given the throttle input you’re applying. OEM tune often upshifts even when I felt like I was giving it enough gas to tell the car to not shift so early.
One thing that is super annoying about this new 7-speed is the 1-2 upshift in manual mode (and D mode to a lesser extent) under light throttle low RPM conditions. Basically it takes 3 seconds from the time I click the paddle to upshift to execute the shift and fully engage the clutch again.
OEM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEM8ZGOMGPY
IE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txBT_n1N69I
My thoughts/opinions: It doesn’t appear that this is something IE worked on for whatever reason. Not the end of the world but it is annoying.
S mode slow acceleration shift points:
OEM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Usd1_PKsVdQ
IE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-gGqv_zCfA
My thoughts/opinions: First off, compared to the 6-speed DSG, OEM S mode on the 7-speed is (in my opinion) WAY better and 100% usable as is. IE has tuned the minimum shift points to be a bit higher but still seems perfectly useable. I’ve spent very little time in S mode thus far on the IE tune so I don’t have a lot of impressions to share. My apologies for not figuring out when S mode will shift into 7th gear yet!
S mode medium acceleration:
OEM: I didn’t take a video of this (Sorry)
IE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azfPF-MHxgY
My thoughts/opinions: Don’t have much to comment on here. Seems well executed to me, though.
M mode shift speed (25-35% throttle):
OEM: I didn’t take a video of this (Sorry)
IE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ui5i8-G05_c
My thoughts/opinions: I was curious to find out if any and all delay from the time I click the paddle to a fully executed shift would be significantly reduced. I’m not sure there’s much if any difference from OEM here.
Final thoughts:
I’ve had the tune for less than 24 hours but my initial impressions are that it is a really good tune. D mode has me in the gear I actually want to be in for all the driving situations I’ve been able to throw at it so far. It does a fantastic job (2-3 upshift complaint withstanding) of putting you in the right gear based on actual driver intent (throttle position). It completely solves the OEM hesitance to give you the downshift you want and forcing you to lug the engine or basically requiring you to give it 80% throttle before downshifting. It also reduces the famous DSG lag from a standstill by engaging the clutch faster on take-offs. I’m going to reach out to IE about reducing the minimum 2-3 upshift point, I have no idea if they will have any interest in doing that but the rest of the tune is so good that if that’s all I have to work around I’m still happy with it. I hope this was helpful and if you have any questions I’d be happy to try and answer them for you!
