Best ECU Tune?

Ascetiq · Nov 11, 2013

Hey guys, haven't seen a lot of people around running ECU tunes, I was curious who all here has actually done a tune, what brand you went with, and if you think it was worth it.

I'm looking to tune mine soon, just wanna juice the car up as much as possible within mild driving parameters. I know APR is a great and reliable brand, but I'm a little disappointed that for $599, it's a freaking chip that I have to rip everything apart to install, rather than just plugging up under the dash like other vehicles I've tuned in the past. So at the moment, I'm considering the BullyDog tuner, seems like an easier, run of the mill, ecu tune install.

Trolleyvw · Nov 11, 2013

Not many tunes that I know of can be tune through the obd sensor. Most, you take the ECU out which really is a matter of unplugging like 2 things, and then either shipping it overnight or doing a quick bench flash at a dealer.

I went APR and it was at a reputable dealer, and it took like 45 minutes. Definitely a significant power increase but more importantly, as with most tunes, it was a huge improvement in the power curve.

JSWTDI09 · Nov 11, 2013

All 2010+ CR TDIs must have the ECU removed to tune it. There is security software in a portion of memory that is not accessible through the ODBII port. The ECU can actually be tunes through the ODBII port, but the security program will "brick" your ECU until you either bypass, patch, or modify that security program. This requires connecting directly to the circuit board. This is why the ECU must be removed.

As for who is best - most are quite similar in performance. Many people choose a tuner by finding out which tuner has a dealer in their area. If you go to a tuner's dealer, they can tune it in a short time. If there is not a dealer in your area, you must ship your ECU off to the tuner and your car is dead until it is returned. Some members here have had some trouble with APR tunes. They are a well respected tuner for gasoline VWs, but they are relatively new to tuning diesels. Malone, RocketChip, and Revo all have excellent tunes. The differences between them are fairly small (assuming you stay with a stage 1 tune).

One more consideration - do you have a DSG or a manual transmission? If a DSG you might want to consider a DSG tune as well. Without a DSG tune, you will have issues with the DSG controller limiting engine torque during shifts. This can be very annoying and the better (more powerful) the ECU tune, the more annoying this torque limiting will be. This is not an issue if you have a manual transmission - the engine can put out as much torque as your clutch/flywheel can handle.

Have Fun!

Don

P.S. The BullyDog box is not a tune. All a tuning box can do is to lie to the ECU about one (or more) sensor readings. This can increase power, but it cannot do everything that a real ECU tune can do.

skinnyb · Nov 11, 2013

I can't speak of other brands but I have Malone 1.5 and a DSG tune and it is fantastic... I have driven mine about 5K miles since being tuned and it is much better than stock.... DSG shifting is smoother and the power and torque increase is VERY noticeable...

pdt165 · Nov 12, 2013

skinnyb said:
I can't speak of other brands but I have Malone 1.5 and a DSG tune and it is fantastic... I have driven mine about 5K miles since being tuned and it is much better than stock.... DSG shifting is smoother and the power and torque increase is VERY noticeable...

Same here less the DSG tune, I have the Malone 1.5. I had a local dealer who was/is mobile and came right to my house. Had it out and back in in less than an hour. Went for a test drive with him and am so happy that I made this purchase. IMO, you should stay away from the tune boxes, I have read that the true ECU tunes are much better for our CR TDIs. However best thing to do is search thru here and do some more reading.

Votblindub · Nov 12, 2013

I am looking for tunes at the moment as well. I don't think there's one single best tune out there, or we'd all be seeing the same tune one everyone's car, right? There's really a tune that works best for you and your needs. Personally, I'd like some more power and economy, I'd like to up my injectors a bit and turn off/disable the EGR mess. I'd like more economy for obvious reasons. Also, I'd like more power for being able to get into traffic a bit quicker and to get around cars during passing. I plan to upgrade the exhaust as well. I am leaning more towards Malone, since that one has the features I'm looking for. Things may definitely change, but as of right now it's best for me and my needs and requirements. You should look around, see what people have added/removed with their cars, what they do(race, daily driving, towing etc) and ask what they have for a tune and how it's been. Have a list of reasonable expectations from your car and then find a vendor that matches it. I originally wanted to get an APR tune for my Jetta, but they don't have one. I have APR's software on my A6 and I love it, that was my basis. Like I said, for now I am leaning towards Malone, but Kerma is also a great one that's a possibility.

Savageman69 · Nov 12, 2013

as far as cr tunes go malone has the highest customer count here by far and has been doing them the longest...tons of guys making great power on malone and ive yet to see any complaints.

Mine well cant get any better..dyno 194.2hp...and 60.1 mpg (us) what more could i want

vwztips · Nov 12, 2013

Check out TDTuning as well. You can buy a programmer with the program loaded on to it.

pdt165 · Nov 12, 2013

vwztips said:
Check out TDTuning as well. You can buy a programmer with the program loaded on to it.

Since the ECU on the CR TDI is locked out I would guess this doesnt work for the newed TDIs

Savageman69 · Nov 12, 2013

yes please check the forums your posting in and relevance to motor and ecu...NO manufacture does a plug in tune for the cr...it cant be done or at least not yet

JSWTDI09 · Nov 12, 2013

vwztips said:
Check out TDTuning as well. You can buy a programmer with the program loaded on to it.

pdt165 said:
Since the ECU on the CR TDI is locked out I would guess this doesnt work for the newed TDIs

I believe that Mike does now have a tune for CR VWs, but you are correct that most (see below) CRs cannot be tuned through the OBDII port. The ECU must be removed.

Savageman69 said:
yes please check the forums your posting in and relevance to motor and ecu...NO manufacture does a plug in tune for the cr...it cant be done or at least not yet

...almost true. Most (all?) 2009 CRs can be tuned through the OBDII port (mine was). It is the 2010+ CRs that have the security "feature" that effectively blocks OBDII tunes. Many tuners do remove the ECU on 2009s (it always works), but at least one tuner (Revo) says they have never seen a 2009 CR that can't be tuned through the OBDII port without any issues. However all tuners must remove the ECU and get direct access to the main circuit board to tune any 2010 or newer TDI.

Have Fun!

Don

Savageman69 · Nov 13, 2013

Thank you don..my expression still holds then because this is mk6...so 2011+

TDSA · Nov 13, 2013

skinnyb said:
I can't speak of other brands but I have Malone 1.5 and a DSG tune and it is fantastic... I have driven mine about 5K miles since being tuned and it is much better than stock.... DSG shifting is smoother and the power and torque increase is VERY noticeable...

How much was the total cost to get the DSG and Malone 1.5 tune, including labor?

JaredC01 · Nov 14, 2013

TDSA said:
How much was the total cost to get the DSG and Malone 1.5 tune, including labor?

http://malonetuning.com/20l-cr-tdi

vwztips · Nov 15, 2013

Savageman69 said:
yes please check the forums your posting in and relevance to motor and ecu...NO manufacture does a plug in tune for the cr...it cant be done or at least not yet

you are correct I posted in the wrong forum. thought I was in the A5 area

Paulinski · Nov 15, 2013

I like my Malone tune. Had Stage 1.5 / DSG done first. Then upgraded to Stage 2 when had Rawtek install the exhaust.

Car drives like stock with lots of power when needed. Mark also replied in timely manner to all my questions.

That was my experience.

nullsignature · Nov 15, 2013

Paulinski said:
I like my Malone tune. Had Stage 1.5 / DSG done first. Then upgraded to Stage 2 when had Rawtek install the exhaust.

Car drives like stock with lots of power when needed. Mark also replied in timely manner to all my questions.

That was my experience.

Did you notice a fuel economy increase with the 1.5? I was thinking about getting it.

Paulinski · Nov 15, 2013

No increase with 1.5.

nullsignature · Nov 15, 2013

Paulinski said:
No increase with 1.5.

Interesting, that's what they recommend for added fuel economy.

azthegame · Nov 16, 2013

All of malone's tunes can give economy increases, as long as your foot can avoid the temptation to use the new found power so much lol..

But it's hard haha

lemminglife · Apr 1, 2014

Does anyone know anything about the Kerma DIESEL POWER(TM) Performance Module 2.0 TDI 140 hp? Pau
At Kerma tells me he us testing a new batch of modules this month. Would the security bypass issue matter with this Module on my 2012JSW?

John_Nutt · Mar 17, 2016

I am very interested in one of these tunes but where I live emission tests are required for registration. Are there any tunes that will pass a emissions test or do they all require removal of dpf and other such parts?

pdt165 · Mar 17, 2016

Have a look at Malone's site. Not all do require a DPF delete. They will still pass

atifvw · Mar 17, 2016

Here you go....you can put the tune on or take it off as you please whenever you want, these guys also have tune for 2015s. I'm thinking of getting it. Another good thing you, for folks in the US you can use your $500 dealer credit here.

http://www.kermatdi.com/common-rail-ecu-tuning-2009-2014/

ProjectB7 · Mar 17, 2016

I just got my Malone Stage 2 tune done and have straight pipe from cat back. Mileage is supposed to get better but I can't keep my foot of the gas because of the fun factor. I did dyno the car since and below are the results.

r4ndys1ngh · Mar 18, 2016

I have my car schedule for next week Wednesday to get the Malone stage 2. Hate how the car drives after the dealer re flashed the ECU for that recall. Hope it drives a lot better after that.

Savageman69 · Mar 18, 2016

r4ndys1ngh said:
I have my car schedule for next week Wednesday to get the Malone stage 2. Hate how the car drives after the dealer re flashed the ECU for that recall. Hope it drives a lot better after that.

lol you wait its not even the same car after....i ended up getting to malone stg 3.5 before i sold mine and wow it was so fun

6DOF · Mar 19, 2016

If you can afford to upgrade, the difference in the car is remarkable. We had our 2011 into the dealer last July for emission issues and they flashed the ECU with the full on emissions spread without asking us about it. Afterwards the car ran like crap, with a noticeable power and performance loss. I went from getting 42 MPG down to 35 MPG over night. About 2 months later the DPF cracked and VW will not cover it.

Been saving up for the EGR/DPF delete and Stage 2 upgrade with a Malone tune. Pulled the trigger on that upgrade 2 weeks ago. Completely different car now. I am up to 45 MPG on the ride to work if I can manage to keep my foot off the throttle

The car pulls really hard and burns rubber through second gear if you are so inclined. The entire cost was a little over $2K and worth it.

This is now my favorite car to drive. When I can get into it, turns out that it's everyone's in the house favorite ride now too.

canada_man · Mar 22, 2016

Anyone have reports on the KermaTDI Tune? I know Malone is highly respected. Just interested in the OBDII flash and the fact that they reportedly accept dealer credits...

Tgilb2007 · Mar 22, 2016

I've been exploring the idea of getting a tune done, but I am more worried about the life of the clutch more so than anything else.

Looking at either APR (dealer warrenties it), or maybe a Malone tune (one of the best out there).

Should I keep a slush fund around just for a new clutch? Or is this something that where, if you don't regularly beat on it, the clutch should be fine for a while?

Best ECU Tune?

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