Stage 1 - Strange Results

[scottiecb19]

Hi All, I hope you're well and can help with this headscratcher.

 

I have a 2020 SQ7 TDi, and recently had it stage 1 tuned. Outcome was ~100BHP improvement and ~150NM torque improvement. Very pleasing indeed.

 

A quick scoot over to a quiet, straight flat road for a 0-60 test (60mph road, ICYWW) and the 0-60 times were no different, despite manual and auto launches. The guy who did the tune sounds pretty knowledgeable and I have no reason to disbeleive his reasoning for this (I'm not technical enough to challenge), but he said he did not remove the torque caps from 1st gear as this can lead to damage to the rear diff. If so, I'm happy for this to stay in place and will have to accept the results as they are, but it just doesn't accord with different modding/tuning vids on YT where they do get 0-60 gains. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a boy racer wanting to go drag racing from the lights, but it's the only way to measure the improvement for me at the moment. Am I missing something, or is this right.

 

Should also add, not the most scientific but I tried to compare like-for-like before and after (fuel, weather conditions, occupants etc), and the times were exactly the same.

 

Any thoughts? Thanks in advance. 

[Stevey Y]

8 hours ago, scottiecb19 said:

Hi All, I hope you're well and can help with this headscratcher.

 

I have a 2020 SQ7 TDi, and recently had it stage 1 tuned. Outcome was ~100BHP improvement and ~150NM torque improvement. Very pleasing indeed.

 

A quick scoot over to a quiet, straight flat road for a 0-60 test (60mph road, ICYWW) and the 0-60 times were no different, despite manual and auto launches. The guy who did the tune sounds pretty knowledgeable and I have no reason to disbeleive his reasoning for this (I'm not technical enough to challenge), but he said he did not remove the torque caps from 1st gear as this can lead to damage to the rear diff. If so, I'm happy for this to stay in place and will have to accept the results as they are, but it just doesn't accord with different modding/tuning vids on YT where they do get 0-60 gains. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a boy racer wanting to go drag racing from the lights, but it's the only way to measure the improvement for me at the moment. Am I missing something, or is this right.

 

Should also add, not the most scientific but I tried to compare like-for-like before and after (fuel, weather conditions, occupants etc), and the times were exactly the same.

 

Any thoughts? Thanks in advance. 

Hi how was the extra BHP/TORQUE proven, did you have it on a rolling road? or did he just tell you what you wanted to hear, want to hear my theory?, 2020 on all the ECUs and other modules on VAG vehicles are protected by SFD which wont allow you to do anything like that to the ECU or any other module on the car, you would need the correct software to present a challenge code to the dealer mainframe and if accepted the mainframe issues a clearance code to allow the function to be carried out, if the mainframe has any issue with the function it simply refuses access.

Steve.

[scottiecb19]

Hi Steve, 

 

Thanks for your reply, interesting.

 

The guy did have a dyno and produced an output graph before and after. I've read a lot of reviews for him and he definitely seems legit so I'm not trying to undermine what he's done (I'm actually pleased with the work if the results are to be believed, and the fact he has stopped the startup judder which would have cost a fair amount at a main dealer to sort). I'm just trying to understand the science/engineering behind this. 

I did take it out for a longer run earlier and gear changes felt snappier and shifting before the readline (looking where the peak BHP was) I did shave a couple of tenths of the acceleration time, better than I've gotten before.

[Stevey Y]

8 hours ago, scottiecb19 said:

Hi Steve, 

 

Thanks for your reply, interesting.

 

The guy did have a dyno and produced an output graph before and after. I've read a lot of reviews for him and he definitely seems legit so I'm not trying to undermine what he's done (I'm actually pleased with the work if the results are to be believed, and the fact he has stopped the startup judder which would have cost a fair amount at a main dealer to sort). I'm just trying to understand the science/engineering behind this. 

I did take it out for a longer run earlier and gear changes felt snappier and shifting before the readline (looking where the peak BHP was) I did shave a couple of tenths of the acceleration time, better than I've gotten before.

Hi I was in no way trying to cast aspersions but based on what I know about the SFD guarded software system and how it works I am a bit sceptical as to the reason why the test drive results are not like night and day, as an example I have owned many Fords and had MK4 Titanium X 2.2 175bhp 320nm torque, I then got the big boy the MK4/5 facelift 200bhp and 400nm torque, the difference was astounding, so based on that I would consider that the figures you gave would be shatteringly different from standard.

Steve.

[scottiecb19]

So I had to take the car to my local mechanic for new brakes, and he asid the explanation given by the tuner seems reasonable (though the mechanic conceeded he did not tune cars)... so maybe it is right?

 

I'd still be interested on thoughts from others who have had a tune, without the torque caps removed. 

[Stevey Y]

8 hours ago, scottiecb19 said:

So I had to take the car to my local mechanic for new brakes, and he asid the explanation given by the tuner seems reasonable (though the mechanic conceeded he did not tune cars)... so maybe it is right?

 

I'd still be interested on thoughts from others who have had a tune, without the torque caps removed. 

Hi the condensed version is, you have had this remap and according to the alleged power gains you dont seem to find your vehicles performance to be any different from normal, therefore you now seek ratification that it is better than before but your own tests disprove that, I have no doubt the car was fast enough from the factory,, so why the obsessive thirst for more power which you definitely have not had for your money, I fully understand the remap tuning dynamics but before all of this started the only way to truly tune a car was to improve the air intake, fit higher lift cams to increase the exhaust valve duration fit a free flow exhaust manifold and of course bigger capacity injectors, then the performance was greatly improved, the most obvious flaw in this whole thing is 150nm of torque but if the limiting part of the program is still in place how the hell are you ever going to experience that gain.

Steve.