Oilerlord
Veteran Member
- Joined
- Apr 7, 2013
- Location
- Edmonton, Canada
- TDI
- 2012 JSW TDI w/DSG. 700 Mile Club. 2008 BMW X3 "Beatrice", 2004 BMW 330Xi, 2014 Mercedes B-Class Electric
I just had this completed today, and in a word - wow. I thought I'd post a quick review for those interested in getting this done. My tune included:
Malone Stage 2 flash
Malone DSG flash
Rawtek Downpipe
Rawtek Midpipe with resonator & high flow cat
Performance:
The "seat of of the pants" dyno reports a remarkable difference in torque. It's a different car. Though it isn't the Audi S4 Avant I once owned, the way this VW now pulls reminds me of that car. I'd guess that a couple of seconds have come off the quarter mile time.
The DSG shifts quicker too, and manual mode is how god meant it to be - operate like a manual transmission. Though the factory DSG software does a capable job, using the tiptronic function was basically useless. For example, I couldn't do data logging since I wasn't able to hold 3rd gear in WOT without the DSG shifting to 4th at around 3000 RPM. Now, manual mode truly is manual - all the way to redline if that's what you want. The MFI now displays what gear the car is in. Again, this is how it should have came from the factory.
Sound:
I chose the midpipe with resonator and high-flow cat. Though the car has a new found rumble to the exhaust, the sound level is close to stock. Sounds more aggressive at WOT, but not objectionable. A lot of guys just do the straight pipe, but I'm not a fan of loud cars.
Smell / Smoke:
A little puff of black smoke on start & when the engine is cold. At WOT, it does smoke a little, but nothing that noticeable. I went with the cat to help reduce the diesel exhaust smell. I do notice a little diesel aroma when I park the car in my garage, but again, not that noticeable or objectionable.
Fuel Economy:
I was expecting about a 10% (4 MPG) improvement, but it looks like it's much more than that. The round trip was about 400 highway miles. The first (pre-tune) trip yielded 38 MPG. On the way home today, the MFI reported 49 MPG for the second 200 mile trip, and that was into a headwind at 70 MPH. It's too early to tell, but I'm guessing I'll get an honest 45 MPG combined city/highway number. The car seems to coast at least twice as far in neutral as well which is something I can't explain.
Cost:
A shade over $3,000. I'm planning to sell my DPF / factory exhaust system to offset some of the cost. Because I intend to put a lot of miles on this car, the savings in fuel will eventually pay for this upgrade.
Overall:
I'm fortunate to live in a country with no emissions testing which made the Malone Stage 2 tune possible for me. That's not to say I don't care about the environment, but I do believe that VW severely affected engine efficiency to comply with California Emissions requirements. I think my Malone-tuned car is every bit as "clean" as TDI's from the mid 2000's. If not for the emissions requirement, I sincerely believe that VW would have built the exciting yet fuel efficient car that I'm driving today. It really is that good.
Malone Stage 2 flash
Malone DSG flash
Rawtek Downpipe
Rawtek Midpipe with resonator & high flow cat
Performance:
The "seat of of the pants" dyno reports a remarkable difference in torque. It's a different car. Though it isn't the Audi S4 Avant I once owned, the way this VW now pulls reminds me of that car. I'd guess that a couple of seconds have come off the quarter mile time.
The DSG shifts quicker too, and manual mode is how god meant it to be - operate like a manual transmission. Though the factory DSG software does a capable job, using the tiptronic function was basically useless. For example, I couldn't do data logging since I wasn't able to hold 3rd gear in WOT without the DSG shifting to 4th at around 3000 RPM. Now, manual mode truly is manual - all the way to redline if that's what you want. The MFI now displays what gear the car is in. Again, this is how it should have came from the factory.
Sound:
I chose the midpipe with resonator and high-flow cat. Though the car has a new found rumble to the exhaust, the sound level is close to stock. Sounds more aggressive at WOT, but not objectionable. A lot of guys just do the straight pipe, but I'm not a fan of loud cars.
Smell / Smoke:
A little puff of black smoke on start & when the engine is cold. At WOT, it does smoke a little, but nothing that noticeable. I went with the cat to help reduce the diesel exhaust smell. I do notice a little diesel aroma when I park the car in my garage, but again, not that noticeable or objectionable.
Fuel Economy:
I was expecting about a 10% (4 MPG) improvement, but it looks like it's much more than that. The round trip was about 400 highway miles. The first (pre-tune) trip yielded 38 MPG. On the way home today, the MFI reported 49 MPG for the second 200 mile trip, and that was into a headwind at 70 MPH. It's too early to tell, but I'm guessing I'll get an honest 45 MPG combined city/highway number. The car seems to coast at least twice as far in neutral as well which is something I can't explain.
Cost:
A shade over $3,000. I'm planning to sell my DPF / factory exhaust system to offset some of the cost. Because I intend to put a lot of miles on this car, the savings in fuel will eventually pay for this upgrade.
Overall:
I'm fortunate to live in a country with no emissions testing which made the Malone Stage 2 tune possible for me. That's not to say I don't care about the environment, but I do believe that VW severely affected engine efficiency to comply with California Emissions requirements. I think my Malone-tuned car is every bit as "clean" as TDI's from the mid 2000's. If not for the emissions requirement, I sincerely believe that VW would have built the exciting yet fuel efficient car that I'm driving today. It really is that good.
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