Tuning - Part 2: The Research
Not wanting to spice into the factory loom and honestly harbouring significant doubts over the consistency and reliability relating to ‘piggy-back’ tunes, I have decided to focus my research on ‘off the shelf’ tunes vs ‘tuning houses’. Both methods approach the task of performance enhancement in a variety of ways with equal variation in quality, reliability and diligent development.
For the sake of clarity:
Off-the-shelf tune = a file that is purchased and uploaded, overwriting the factory ECU maps to alter performance metrics
Tune house = Tuning houses will upload their map to your car’s ECU as above, on site. Often, but no always done via dyno.
In this instalment, I will provide information on several companies and their tuning products. As mentioned, I am not a mechanic or tuning expert. Please do your research and use the information I have provided as a starting point for your decision-making process. The focus will be on what is generically referred to as stage 1 tunes. Stage 1 is the entry level of tuning, where no hardware modifications are required. The map simply rewrites the car's existing ECU to enhance performance across various parameters.
Please note that tuning companies will say their product ‘improves’ performance. I choose not to use this word deliberately. As previously mentioned car manufacturers seek an equilibrium between performance, reliability, efficiency and longevity. To say a tune improves performance is therefore not entirely true, personally, I like to think of it as enhancing a car to achieve ‘peak’ performance. Perhaps subtle, or only semantic, but I consider it more accurate.
Consider for a moment the MQB platform and AE888 engine. This motor is used in the Tiguan, Passat, and Golf, in addition to Skoda, Audi and Cupra models. The AE888 is then tuned and altered for GTI, R, TCR, VRS and other performance derivatives. Therefore it is reasonable to conclude that the AE888 is robust enough to receive a tune.
Be aware that if you plan to service your car via a dealership, they can tell if the ECU has been ‘flashed’. They cannot specifically see the brand or intellectual property behind the tune, but they can see that something was changed and the date it was done. As such some may refuse or at the very least be reluctant to work on your car. If this is the case you prefer a product that facilitates a return to factory settings.
Off the shelf-tunes:
APR is likely the first company that comes to mind for tuning the VW suite of vehicles and derivatives such as Skoda and Cupra. APR has been in the tuning game for almost 30 years and boosts a large testing and development site in the USA. In addition to a variety of tuning maps, they produce engine hardware, suspension, brakes and cosmetic enhancements on top of electronic componentry and upgrades.
A remap for a car's stock ECU involves a lot of research and development and as such contains some serious intellectual property. Specifically how the APR map works, what parameters are altered, by how much and how this varies depending on driving conditions is not clear. Exacerbating this is the fact that a licensed supplier must install an APR tune. You don’t receive a tangible product, nor the ability to alter or customize the tune.
Broadly speaking APR alters timing, ignition, air-fuel ratio and boost pressure. APR also offers a limited power-train warranty that can be purchased in addition to a remap. And, there is also a DSG tune available to complement the engine remap.
With regards to testing and development, I strongly suggest checking out this article for detailed information:
https://www.holley.com/blog/post/how_a_performance_ecu_tune_is_developed/.
Whilst written by APR, it does provide a comprehensive and reasonably transparent view of how their tunes are developed. A lot of RnD goes into ensuring the tune is reliable without risking the engine.
APR will recalibrate the factory sensors to ensure the car’s ECU can accurately monitor all driving information and respond accordingly post-tune. In addition to enabling any sensors that may not be turned on for some models. In the RnD phase, APR reportedly checks how the car’s transmission, plugs, cooling system and other workings respond post-tune, both on the dyno and road.
COBB: https://www.cobbtuning.com/
Like APR, Cobb is based in the USA and also boasts nearly 30 years of product development. Originally starting life providing performance parts for Subaru, Cobb now offers a variety of upgrades for VW, Ford and Porsche platforms. The largest difference between APR and Cobb, and indeed most other tunes, is using the ‘Accessport’.
The Cobb Accessport utilises the car’s OBD port to access the ECU, enabling the car owner to install the tuning maps. That is you receive a tangible product, a simple-to-operate piece of tech to tap into the car’s ECU. A licensed reseller does not have to do the installation.
The Accessport enables customisation of tuning maps, selection of the most appropriate map for your driving style and tuning goals, the ability to return to the factory settings, monitor and clear any diagnostic issues. There are maps for fuel type which is important as some markets have limited availability to high octane fuels and/or a greater prevalence of ethanol-based fuel. Additionally, the access port has a variety of gauges to monitor engine operation, health and performance, whilst also data logging performance or faults as they arise.
Given the breadth of capability, the Cobb tune is significantly more expensive than the APR equivalent. However this varies according to the market, alas here in Australia the ternary of distance increases costs significantly.
When stating it is ‘easy’ to install, you likely need a battery charger to prevent the battery from dying and causing the ECU to become bricked. On the issue of bricking, if you aren’t confident, or not great with cars or tech, it may be wise to consider a professional doing the installation, an added cost. A bricked ECU means that the original map has become corrupted and the car’s brain is effectively scrambled, needing reformatting as per OEM specs.
Revo: https://www.revoperformancecentre.com/
Revo was established in 2002 in England. Like APR and Cobb it references research and develops facilities to inspire confidence in their products. They also utilise the authorised dealer network to collect data on their products from a variety of climates, conditions and fuel varieties. Scrolling through their website recently, there was a litany of broken links. As the internet is a primary tool for disseminating information and selling products, make of this what you will.
Revo tunes require an authorised deal to install the enhanced performance maps to the car's ECU, and like APR, there is no tangible product. Revo does provide performance packs that include ECU, TCU, intake and intercooler upgrades. Very frustratingly when you look up your engine code the performance data may not necessarily be taken from your car, but instead from the engine family. That is to say, I looked up the performance figures for a 2019 Golf GTI, and the data was obtained from a Cupra Leon. Whilst not a big deal given the MQB platform's ubiquitous nature, it is annoying as the engine is often tuned differently between models.
Unitronic: https://www.getunitronic.com/
Unitronic is a specialist in VW (an associated suite of manufacturers) performance product development, with experience spanning some 15 years. Unitronic uses proprietary hardware, UniCONNECT+ to allow customers to install performance maps by interfacing the car's ECU with a laptop. This facilitates data logging, remapping and diagnostic information. The tune for the aforementioned GTI is more conservative as opposed to APR, Cobb and Revo, with performance (power and torque) metrics lower, make of this what you will. Producing the highest figures for power and torque does not necessarily equal the best result for you needs.
Racingliine: https://www.racingline.com/
Racingline was originally born out of VW Motorsports, and as such has a long association with developing products for the MQB platform. Based out of the UK, Racingline is a tier-one supplier to the Volkswagen group. Short of being officially endorsed by VW, this is a positive vote for their bonafides.
I will note that their website is easy to navigate in terms of finding your specific engine code. Sounds simple, but there are a lot of variants across the globe. Racingline is another supplier that utilises an authorised dealer network for installation as opposed to a tangible product for home upload. They do specify that an engine health check is performed on your car to ensure it is ready and willing to successfully receive the remap. As with Unitronic, quoted figures are conservative compared to Cobb, APR and Revo. The website has useful data sheets from dyno testing related to power and torque figures, to enable comparison across tuning providers.
Mountune: https://www.mountunestore.com/
Found in 1980 by David Moutain, Mountune has been designing and building race engines for over 40 years. Moutune was primarily a Ford performance company based in the UK, however with the growth of the performance market, they started developing products for the VW platform. Note Mountune for a time now has been a factory-backed option at Ford dealerships. Such a certification isn’t easily obtained without achieving high standards in reliability and performance.
Mountune uses an OBD connection and your smartphone to download the ECU and TCU maps to your vehicle. Given our reliance, familiarity and general comfort with smartphones. This makes a lot of sense for the DIY car enthusiast and novice and is an intuitive option for off-the-shelf tuning houses to provide. The app allows data logging, diagnostic tools and a performance dashboard with gauges and fault code reader. The ECU and TCU package was also reasonably priced, and as mentioned, seemed less daunting to install.
Integrated Engineering: https://performancebyie.com/
Like Mountune, Integrated Engineering provides OBD connection via smartphone using their proprietary Powerlink app. However, this is purchased as an additional option/addendum to the tune you have purchased. You will need a Windows laptop to install the ECU and TCU maps, using this power link cable. Personally I think it a bit of a stretch to ask customers to purchase connection equipment on top of a tune. Nonetheless, IE does offer free updates post purchase, data logging and a variety of performance gauges once connected via Bluetooth. Their website also has an interesting blog on topics related to tuning the VW suite of vehicles.
There are many more off-the-shelf tuners, these are a few of the most well-known, or at least those with the biggest presence online. I’ll be honest, as I was writing this I thought I had all but decided to go with an in-house dyno tune. Why? A phone conversation with the tuner provided a lot of detail and reassurance, and a health check that customised the tune to my vehicle made sense. However in completing the above research, the ease of installation, level of detail online, and industry presence have left me leaning toward Mountune. No decision made yet. I am prone to over-researching and consequently paralysis by analysis. So more research to come, and more insight into my decision-making process. Thanks for reading, pardon the pun - stay tuned.
Next I will investigate dyno-based tuning houses. Thanks for reading.
