EA288 (150hp 2.0L CR) Power upgrades?

keaton · Dec 7, 2017

Well I upgrades my DD form a 2005 1.9 BRM to a 2015 2.0L CR 150hp.
I really don't see much out there in terms of power adders.

has anyone here started playing with these? this is a DSG car (not my 1st choice but it's all i could find and its slowly growing on me) so from my reading around i'm pretty Torque limited...

Owain@malonetuning · Dec 7, 2017

Since they're so new and with limited numbers there's only so much on the market. A normal ECU + DSG tune and maybe deletes would probably be your best option and is a solid improvement over stock. Mark has messed around with tuning 1752VRK, CR190, and 2260 turbos.

Longer you wait to do a turbo swap the better the support, software, and parts selection will be. Plus the stock one works just fine.

keaton · Dec 7, 2017

Owain@malonetuning said:
Since they're so new and with limited numbers there's only so much on the market. A normal ECU + DSG tune and maybe deletes would probably be your best option and is a solid improvement over stock. Mark has messed around with tuning 1752VRK, CR190, and 2260 turbos.

Longer you wait to do a turbo swap the better the support, software, and parts selection will be. Plus the stock one works just fine.

Kinda what I though, I had a hard time finding any VW diesel period.

your own website says the CR190 turbo is no longer supported.

CR190 Turbo. No longer available, because this turbo's performance is unsatisfactory: It is prone to boost creep (hardware limitation) and thus does not allow much more power without risking overboost. We recommend a bigger turbo with Stage 4 instead.

so there doesn't look to be many options. short of a full tube header + all the goodies. would be nice to look as stock as possible as i have a feeling this are going to be looked at harder come emissions time because of the dieselgate thing.

Owain@malonetuning · Dec 7, 2017

The CR190s take a bit of fine tuning and data logging to make it work like OEM, unfortunately there's only so many hours in the day and Mark is only one person. We've still tuned a couple since then and support our customers. A lot of changes here next year that should save Mark a considerable amount of time which can be put into working on more custom setups.

Macradiators.com · Dec 7, 2017

That DSG with good remap is good for 550Nm so i dont see problems in a good tune

Just need some HW mods to arrive there.

Owain@malonetuning · Dec 8, 2017

Yes by about 400-420nm readings in VCDS the NA spec start to get a little moody on the stock mapping from 1400-1800 or so, nothing too crazy and can easily drive around it, post-fix dsg mapping seems to be a little more aggressive too and shifts better. Thankfully companies other than alientech are on top of it, just sucks having a lot of kess units circulating and having to rent out other tools for the ea288 golf DSG tunes.

Macradiators.com · Dec 8, 2017

17-18 bar clutch pressure will hold nice torque without issues. A guy in italy that tunes mainly big turbo tfsi is doing 550-600nm on stock clutches.
x17 , kess and cmd, all do dq250 iirc

Owain@malonetuning · Dec 8, 2017

Kess can't do the MQB DQ250s yet in the NA market, CMD does though. DQ250 clutches will normally hold 700nm or so at those pressures. boba was running 850 https://youtu.be/FCzv4x13B34?t=1m20s

MD2010jsw · Dec 8, 2017

Hard for me to understand what is being said with the abbreviations and units but are you saying that with an ecu power upgrade flash and without dsg reflash the dsg has issues? If I misunderstood then disregard.

keaton · Dec 8, 2017

well i'm defiantly not after those power levels... I have a C6 Vette if i wanna go fast.
would be nice to be 200-240hp/340-375tq, still keep my fuel econ (45+mpg, car is reporting ~53MPG if i stay under 75mph and don't floor it to often), turn the DEF (ad blue) system off.

I use this car as a daily (50+ miles a day) and i want it to hold up like my mk5 TDI

on a side note I had my OBD2 to Bluetooth adapter hooked up and was driving it. was a bit interested to see that it pulls a rather large vacuum, -12 -16 inHg, as where my other TDI is maybe -0.5 -1.5 inHg. wonder if that is a restriction or for the EGR systems

jerrymander · Dec 8, 2017

keaton said:
would be nice to be 200-240hp/340-375tq

Need to get a GTB****VK turbo and a Stage 4 tune. (No DSG flash is needed until you start changing turbochargers.)

keaton said:
still keep my fuel econ (45+mpg, car is reporting ~53MPG if i stay under 75mph and don't floor it to often)

If we all could live in a perfect world... Learn to draft.

keaton said:
turn the DEF (ad blue) system off.

Any tuner can do this.

keaton said:
I use this car as a daily (50+ miles a day) and i want it to hold up like my mk5 TDI

Honestly? Buy a Mk5 TDI then. I strongly suspect the Mk7s are going to fall apart around their engines.

Owain@malonetuning · Dec 8, 2017

MD2010jsw said:
Hard for me to understand what is being said with the abbreviations and units but are you saying that with an ecu power upgrade flash and without dsg reflash the dsg has issues? If I misunderstood then disregard.

MQB is a chassis code, DQ250 is transmission code, and CMD is a flash tool. The kessV2 unit is what a lot of tuning shops use since it's more affordable and covers a huge array of cars. There's a ton of other tools out there for flashing, we have more than ten different tools in house but mostly use alientech's since that's what our dealers use.

Without a DSG tune on the 2015 EA288s, if you try (and torque isn't intentionally limited) you can at times get shudder at low RPMs. The transmission will downshift before you can typically cause it to happen, so you would have to go in 5th/6th and stomp on it from very low RPMs. This is bad for the car in the first place and shouldn't be done regardless. It varies a bit per car, the DSG tune is well worthwhile and livens the car up a lot as well. Software on the 2015s is different from 09-14s, best to bump up the clamping force on either and the changes to the shift pattern are night and day. I'd consider dsg tuning mandatory for turbo swaps on the ea288, and nice to have on a stock car.

plus launch control is pretty hilarious.

jerrymander · Dec 8, 2017

Owain@malonetuning said:
plus launch control is pretty hilarious.

nobody expects it

keaton · Dec 8, 2017

jerrymander said:
Need to get a GTB****VK turbo and a Stage 4 tune. (No DSG flash is needed until you start changing turbochargers.)

what is the stock turbo? what is it capable of?

jerrymander said:
If we all could live in a perfect world... Learn to draft.

car is reporting 53 no drafting... i'll get a better average as i get more tanks through it... i just want to keep it if i keep my foot out of it. generally MPGs go up after mods if you keep your foot out of it, better breathing and mapping.

jerrymander said:
Any tuner can do this.

Honestly? Buy a Mk5 TDI then. I strongly suspect the Mk7s are going to fall apart around their engines.

not every tuner know what they are doing. I already have a mk5, still sitting in the driveway. gonna clean it up and sell it... and its a mk6 for the jetta, mk7 for the golf in 2015

Owain@malonetuning said:
MQB is a chassis code, DQ250 is transmission code, and CMD is a flash tool. The kessV2 unit is what a lot of tuning shops use since it's more affordable and covers a huge array of cars. There's a ton of other tools out there for flashing, we have more than ten different tools in house but mostly use alientech's since that's what our dealers use.

Without a DSG tune on the 2015 EA288s, if you try (and torque isn't intentionally limited) you can at times get shudder at low RPMs. The transmission will downshift before you can typically cause it to happen, so you would have to go in 5th/6th and stomp on it from very low RPMs. This is bad for the car in the first place and shouldn't be done regardless. It varies a bit per car, the DSG tune is well worthwhile and livens the car up a lot as well. Software on the 2015s is different from 09-14s, best to bump up the clamping force on either and the changes to the shift pattern are night and day. I'd consider dsg tuning mandatory for turbo swaps on the ea288, and nice to have on a stock car.

plus launch control is pretty hilarious.

i get shuttering in 4th or 5th not sure as i cant see the gears, but generally at low speed and a step on it.

Owain@malonetuning · Dec 8, 2017

I personally love the mk7 platform and interior, emissions systems seem a lot more reliable too and they can put down solid power stock. Stock turbo puts down around 170whp/300lb-ft on our dyno tuned, 130-135/230-235 stock pre and post fix software. That's as far as you can go without banging off EGT limiters and over-spooling. Past that you'll need deletes and a bigger muffler bearing.

Are you getting shudder with stock ECU software or is the car already tuned? these things like to lug a bit and hang under 1500 even with a medium load, little low RPM wise.

MD2010jsw · Dec 8, 2017

Owain@malonetuning said:
MQB is a chassis code, DQ250 is transmission code, and CMD is a flash tool. The kessV2 unit is what a lot of tuning shops use since it's more affordable and covers a huge array of cars. There's a ton of other tools out there for flashing, we have more than ten different tools in house but mostly use alientech's since that's what our dealers use.

Without a DSG tune on the 2015 EA288s, if you try (and torque isn't intentionally limited) you can at times get shudder at low RPMs. The transmission will downshift before you can typically cause it to happen, so you would have to go in 5th/6th and stomp on it from very low RPMs. This is bad for the car in the first place and shouldn't be done regardless. It varies a bit per car, the DSG tune is well worthwhile and livens the car up a lot as well. Software on the 2015s is different from 09-14s, best to bump up the clamping force on either and the changes to the shift pattern are night and day. I'd consider dsg tuning mandatory for turbo swaps on the ea288, and nice to have on a stock car.

plus launch control is pretty hilarious.

Do you have a dsg tune for the 2015+?

keaton · Dec 8, 2017

Owain@malonetuning said:
I personally love the mk7 platform and interior, emissions systems seem a lot more reliable too and they can put down solid power stock. Stock turbo puts down around 170whp/300lb-ft on our dyno tuned, 130-135/230-235 stock pre and post fix software. That's as far as you can go without banging off EGT limiters and over-spooling. Past that you'll need deletes and a bigger muffler bearing.

Are you getting shudder with stock ECU software or is the car already tuned? these things like to lug a bit and hang under 1500 even with a medium load, little low RPM wise.

as far as i know the car is stock and has the emission fix (tune + DEF tank)

yeah its lugging with medium load and low RPM

adjat84th · Dec 9, 2017

Anything other than the CR190 (GTD1449vz) is going to take quite a bit of custom parts like oil feed and return lines, some creativity with a couple coolant hard pipes, and TIP and charge piping. I'm hoping for ~220hp/375ft-lbs with my GTD1752vrk. Will be getting it on the dyno once the tune is all buttoned up. Fuel economy on my last tank (with LOTS of data logging!) was still 51mpg.

ryanp · Dec 9, 2017

Our GTD1752vrk kit should be 100% bolt on when we iron the creases out

Let me know how Mark gets on with the tuning!

Owain@malonetuning · Dec 9, 2017

MD2010jsw said:
Do you have a dsg tune for the 2015+?

Yes, only working direct though for the golf/sportwagen since our normal dealer tools won't flash them.

Looking forward to it Ryan! That turbo seems to spool great, considering one for my BEW as well

Been messing around with a lot of BMWs lately so sure Mark will get it running well.

IndigoBlueWagon · Dec 9, 2017

Owain@malonetuning said:
Stock turbo puts down around 170whp/300lb-ft on our dyno tuned

That mirrors projected power for Rocketchip Stage 2. I have that on my '15 and it makes a big difference in midrange torque, and especially accelerating in 6th (manual transmission).

I've owned a lot of TDIs with a lot of different hardware and software setups. These days a tune with stock hardware seems pretty attractive. Back in the rotary pump days you'd have to swap out a lot of hardware to get to the power numbers a tune alone will provide on the new engines.

Owain@malonetuning · Dec 9, 2017

Yup, imagine all of the good tuners are making roughly the same power, Jeff is usually on the higher side and certainly knows what he's doing. Curious to see what kind of features he comes since he's been daily driving one since the summer and messing around with things a lot. I'm really happy with the way the EA288s perform on fully stock components, always consider buying one when we have them in for a couple days.

IndigoBlueWagon · Dec 9, 2017

He tuned my car back in June (when it had 900 miles on it!) and last month updated it to improve power delivery on tip-in. That makes a bid difference, as I think power from launch is a weak point on CR TDIs, compared to tuned rotary pump cars which, frankly, have spoiled me.

dieselherb1 · Dec 12, 2017

The guys in Europe say the engine to start with is the CKRA. Came in the 12-14 Passat I believe.

EA288 (150hp 2.0L CR) Power upgrades?

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