APR to offer ECU tuning for '09 TDIs by Christmas

Someone, and I forget who, pointed out to me that APR offers their tuning services for VW TDIs in Europe. I emailed APR inquiring whether or not they had any plans to offer ECU tuning for the '09 TDIs in the U.S. I received an email back from APR today and it said that they will offer ECU tuning for the '09 TDIs by Christmas. Not sure how definite that is, but that would be really sweet and definitely a tune I would consider!

I am definitely interested in their solution and how it relates to the DPF health and longevity.

Yes, I share the same curiosities. APR is a very well-known company with a huge support network of dealers so this could be good for the TDI community. I also corresponded with GIAC a while back about ECU tuning for the CBEAs and they too indicated that they would be offering a tune in the U.S., though they didn't provide any kind of timeline like APR has.

Count me in, who needs a warranty anyways?

Didn't they say the same thing about the BRM engined cars a few years ago??

I seem to vaguely recall something along that line.

Bill

Not sure about the BRMs, but it would be poor marketing on their behalf to say that they will have it available by Christmas if they have no intention of actually offering the software. As I stated before though, take the info with a grain of salt.

Hi guys, new to TDIs and tunning,

What would be the benefit and drawbacks of these type of tunes? I read on another thread that tunes improve power and fuel economy, but that doesn't compute on my book. if it can improve both why doesn't VW do it from the factory? emissions?

thanks,

Emissions for sure, reliability, etc... The right tune will help with mileage and power, which is usually achieved through higher rail pressure or increased timing. The biggest limitation right now seems to be that the DPF on the 09 is at risk of being damaged if the exhaust gases get too hot, or it has to filter too much soot.

Add more fuel=more soot accumulations in the DPF=more frequent regen=more wasted fuel doing regen=less fuel economy...

Not necessarily. There are a couple different regen situations and not all of them require extra fuel. It really depends on engine RPM, engine load, exhaust temps, etc.

In other diesels that I've tuned the first place to start has been with a Pyrometer and boost gauge. Is their a pyro probe hole in the manifold? And a convient place to put in a line to measure boost? How about places to mount the gauges. Is their a good or bad mount kit by available?

Pel, you are right..however if the conditions are not met(and the vehicle is not driven aggressively) then it will regen at idle or most inconvienced time and use excessive fuel to heat/burn the chamber..

Either way, you lose fuel economy-either from driving aggressively to try to minimize the regen cycle interval or by driving slowly and then the regen will happen and waste fuel to maintain DPF cleanliness...

Mach1 said:

Pel, you are right..however if the conditions are not met(and the vehicle is not driven aggressively) then it will regen at idle or most inconvienced time and use excessive fuel to heat/burn the chamber..

Either way, you lose fuel economy-either from driving aggressively to try to minimize the regen cycle interval or by driving slowly and then the regen will happen and waste fuel to maintain DPF cleanliness...

Click to expand...

I can deal with a slight drop in FE (not that I want it or anything, or the DPF in the first place...) but it would still be loads better than a gasser...

I could see getting a Golf VI TDI 6 spd, or Jetta TDI maybe used (wishing) in the next year or two. APR would be high on my list; I have been very happy with my APR tuned 2.0T.

Now if only VW would bring a GTD or Bluesport... then plus an APR tune... =

Mach1 said:

Pel, you are right..however if the conditions are not met(and the vehicle is not driven aggressively) then it will regen at idle or most inconvienced time and use excessive fuel to heat/burn the chamber..

Either way, you lose fuel economy-either from driving aggressively to try to minimize the regen cycle interval or by driving slowly and then the regen will happen and waste fuel to maintain DPF cleanliness...

Click to expand...

The best part of owning a TDI...even driving aggressively yields relatively high mpg Also, I would hope that someone who is willing to "chip" their car is well aware that the potential for lower fuel economy exists.

EvoTech tune

Went to the APR site out of curiosity and linked from there to my local APR dealer and found that my local shop is offering a 2009 2.0 TDI( US) tune at this time from a German company called EvoTech. Link below:

http://www.gmpperformance.com/index.cfm?PG=detail&PID=200254

anyone familiar with them?

Very interesting coolbreeze, but I thought european diesels didn't have the same DPF system that we do. I've heard of evotech tuning before, but mainly with gas turbocharged applications.

This tune is for the US model 2.0 CR TDI and for our exhuast system. They have flashed over a dozen here in Charlotte with great success they claim.

goldfish said:

Very interesting coolbreeze, but I thought european diesels didn't have the same DPF system that we do. I've heard of evotech tuning before, but mainly with gas turbocharged applications.

Click to expand...

coolbreeze said:

This tune is for the US model 2.0 CR TDI and for our exhuast system. They have flashed over a dozen here in Charlotte with great success they claim.

Click to expand...

I would think that if they had flashed that many that at least one person would be on the forums to either rant or rave about it. Lol. I'm more interested in long term DPF reliability as opposed to number of people flashed for short term gains. I sent them an email to find out what their tuning does with the regent cycles and hopefully they will be able to shed some light on this.

Agreed. That is what most worry will be effected by tuning the CR's but long term means years to find out if there will be issues and i am longing for 170 hp and 280 ft lbs of torque now. There is one (Rauss) who has been driving a tuned 09 now for over 6 months with no issues. Only great excitement over the improvements in power and drive ability.

goldfish said:

I would think that if they had flashed that many that at least one person would be on the forums to either rant or rave about it. Lol. I'm more interested in long term DPF reliability as opposed to number of people flashed for short term gains. I sent them an email to find out what their tuning does with the regent cycles and hopefully they will be able to shed some light on this.

Click to expand...

I think it's safe to say that if a large, well-known company like APR offers software for the new TDI, they have put pretty extensive testing into the software. Of course, long-term effects are still an unknown, as they are for anything like this.

Mach1 said:

Add more fuel=more soot accumulations in the DPF=more frequent regen=more wasted fuel doing regen=less fuel economy...

Click to expand...

Wouldn't those willing to tune and alter their vehicles be willing to remove the DPF as well? I mean one of the first things to go are the restrictive exhaust and intake components. right?

wild03 said:

Wouldn't those willing to tune and alter their vehicles be willing to remove the DPF as well? I mean one of the first things to go are the restrictive exhaust and intake components. right?

Click to expand...

Keep dreaming on this car. For race applications yes, street running, probably not.

The EDC16 in these cars is pretty smart. You'd need a race-specific tune that wouldn't look for the DPF and would disable the regeneration cycle.

Most people getting a chiptune want just that - plug in and power up. These folks aren't going to be doing anything to a complecated exhaust system. I'm sure in a year or so the chiptuners will have the same tune varieties they have for VEs and PD engines, an assortment of chiptunes for various turbos and exhaust setups, but first we need a good plug and play tune to put this party into awesome mode.

Did anyone get the F1Tuning tune that was available at the fest? They are tuning the '09 CR now. Nobody seems to speak of them, however they were first on the scene with general availability.

Oh, and with regard to DPF removal all of this discussion was exclusive of the fact of illegality of the whole thing. So far, the DPF has been one of the best things to happen for the TDI. Anything that can help eliminate the stereotype of the black smoke billowing diesel can only help the cause to get more diesel passenger vehicles in North America. If reliability holds up, it could be the best thing yet!

Anyone know if Evotech and APR are one in the same? This local APR tuner offers this German chip tune from Evotech. Anyone familiar with Evotech?
dzcad90
Most people getting a chiptune want just that - plug in and power up. These folks aren't going to be doing anything to a complecated exhaust system.

At least in my case you are 100% correct. i do not want to do anything extreme just want to get more of what this amazing engine is capable of.

The one thing APR will be able to release before most is the ability to "delete" the DPF. This requires changes in the mapping as well as the control system. This is not so easy as most tuners just change calibration. The company that does all the testing for has probably got the ability but will not release for legal reasons. If you get a tune for the DPF delete you will have to take off the dpf and that means about 4hrs if your are good and safe 6-8 if you are not. Sub-frame must be dropped and rack. Then you must re-align. Because if you don't remove it you will have a great running car for maybe a few hundred and then it will load up and run like poop! Oh and there is a company offering a dpf delete and pipe. It is somewhere in the range of 1000-1500 euro. If you look you will find it.

PS APR will have a nice time to get around the VAG/Bosch anti-tuning software;-) Ask us how we know!

Still going strong dude... you know there is a solution right there... available right now, seems that people are waiting for... I just don't know...

wild03 said:

Wouldn't those willing to tune and alter their vehicles be willing to remove the DPF as well? I mean one of the first things to go are the restrictive exhaust and intake components. right?

Click to expand...

Not me. People with ECU tuning on gasser cars don't really remove the emissions equipment either, though it is possible with the right tune.

Rauss said:

Still going strong dude... you know there is a solution right there... available right now, seems that people are waiting for... I just don't know...

Click to expand...

I can only speak for myself, but I am not comfortable getting a tune on my car from a company that is less than well-known. Why is it exciting that APR is indicating that they will have a tune for the CBEA? Because they are an extremely well-known VW/Audi tuning company that has proven their product to be very reliable in the gasser VWs/Audis. They also have access to a lot of R&D dollars and a very extensive R&D facility. There are some excellent TDI tuners out there (Rocket Chip comes to mind!) that may or may not offer CBEA tunes now or at some point in the future. But these smaller companies just can't compete with the R&D capabilities of a huge company like APR. Not to say that companies like RC don't know what they're doing (I had RC1 in my last TDI and would recommend RC to anyone that asks), but a large and well-known company like APR offering a tuning product for the CBEA is huge news since most large well-known companies seem to forget about the TDI. This goes a long way toward furthering our enthusiast niche of TDI ownership.

Pelican18TQA4 said:

Why is it exciting that APR is indicating that they will have a tune for the CBEA? Because they are an extremely well-known VW/Audi tuning company that has proven their product to be very reliable in the gasser VWs/Audis.

Click to expand...

On that same note, it could be said that the APR tune would be no better than any other tune as they are not Diesel tuners. Tuning a gasser and tuning a diesel are completely different animals.

APR has some good marketing and some nifty features like "select a tune" or valet lockout, but I don't think this makes them an expert in the realm of diesel tuning.

I dunno. There are a few tunes out there, but everyone seems to be sitting back and waiting for everyone else to be a guinea pig.

dzcad90 said:

On that same note, it could be said that the APR tune would be no better than any other tune as they are not Diesel tuners. Tuning a gasser and tuning a diesel are completely different animals.

APR has some good marketing and some nifty features like "select a tune" or valet lockout, but I don't think this makes them an expert in the realm of diesel tuning.

I dunno. There are a few tunes out there, but everyone seems to be sitting back and waiting for everyone else to be a guinea pig.

Click to expand...

You're absolutely correct but, and obviously I'm speaking to the character of the company and not an actual product since they currently don't offer any diesel products in the U.S., APR is not a company that will put out a product without a lot of development work. Diesels are different from gassers but the basic concepts are the same. I personally could care less about the ability to switch from stock to "tuned" with use of the cruise control switch. Those are nice-to-haves that other companies also offer. It's the development work that APR is able to afford that intrigues me. That being said, I wish GIAC would offer a tune for the CBEAs too since they offer diesel tunes in other countries.

I would be very shocked if APR were to offer a tune for owners wanting to remove their emissions equipment. On the contrary, APR's tune will be designed to work with the emissions equipment in place, much the same as their gasser tunes are.