Malone tuning Stage 2 or 1.5?

ecala001

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Hi,

I have an 03 golf tdi ALH 01m with over 236k miles on it. Im trying to decide between a stage 1.5 and 2 tune from malone. I was looking for better mpg and torque (especially going uphill).

The rep at malone tuning said with either tune I would need at least .205 injectors. Are there any other recommendations besides the injectors if I choose a tune?
 
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Nero Morg

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Make sure your transmission is up to sniff. It's no secret the 01m is a glass transmission as it ages.
 

OhCdn

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2002 Golf MK4
Hi,

I have an 03 golf tdi ALH 01m with over 236k miles on it. Im trying to decide between a stage 1.5 and 2 tune from malone. I was looking for better mpg and torque (especially going uphill).

The rep at malone tuning said with either tune I would need at least .205 injectors. Are there any other recommendations besides the injectors if I choose a tune?
Thats super weird he said you need nozzles I got stage 2 with nothing and car ran awesome, you might take a minor hit on fuel but smiles per gallon my dude;)
 

ecala001

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Thats super weird he said you need nozzles I got stage 2 with nothing and car ran awesome, you might take a minor hit on fuel but smiles per gallon my dude;)
Wonder what the advantages is with or without nozzles.
 

Nero Morg

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I've bought the car used and went through 2 owners before me. How can I tell if transmission needs to be replaced?
Biggest thing is change the fluid. If there's no shifting issues, maybe think about doing the line pressure mod, only do MAX of 5 clicks. Past that, really difficult to tell how long it'll last, or any other issues that will surface.
 

ecala001

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Biggest thing is change the fluid. If there's no shifting issues, maybe think about doing the line pressure mod, only do MAX of 5 clicks. Past that, really difficult to tell how long it'll last, or any other issues that will surface.
Yeah I had already changed it twice as I filled too low and caused a slippage code. I then filled it properly and no more code for over 1000 miles.

I honestly dont know how to check if shifting is an issue as rpms are pretty steady especially at cruise 70-75mph. Forgot to mention I have an auto. Only time i notice fluctuations on rpms is probably 3rd or 4th gear at around 40 mph between 200 rpm.
 

Nero Morg

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All good, we know the 01m is an auto round here. It would be obvious if it was acting up, early signs are codes for torque converter lockup faults, then obvious miss shifts and hard ****s. But if it's driving fine,you should be fine for a while.
 

OhCdn

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Wonder what the advantages is with or without nozzles.
Well the advantages would be more smiles haha, because that will allow a more aggressive fueling in the tune resulting is more powwa, but i mean what are you looking to do ive been through all stages
2-5 if you want more information feel free to message man. Once you feel the power tho its a never ending addiction to add more:)
 

ecala001

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Well the advantages would be more smiles haha, because that will allow a more aggressive fueling in the tune resulting is more powwa, but i mean what are you looking to do ive been through all stages
2-5 if you want more information feel free to message man. Once you feel the power tho its a never ending addiction to add more:)
I mainly want more power to take on hills as I max out at 65mph with 2 kayaks on top lol. I also heard you save some mpgs with a tune? I just can't decide between 1.5 or stage 2.
 

Mongler98

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Tune is usually just a hole in your wallet without supporting mods. Step up your nozzles and get a tune. Whatever you do, just contact malone or whoever you get the tune from and tell them what you have and they will write the best tune for it. Stage 1.5 for stock.
You can up the boost a few psi on stock turbo but you need the tune for it.
 

Lightflyer1

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Tunes almost never give better fuel economy as the driver usually uses the new found power and wastes fuel. There will be no money savings, only costs you will never get back through fuel economy. If you want the extra power and can afford it then go ahead. But don't think you will save money that will repay the cost of the tune and anything else you do.
 

OhCdn

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I mainly want more power to take on hills as I max out at 65mph with 2 kayaks on top lol. I also heard you save some mpgs with a tune? I just can't decide between 1.5 or stage 2.
Well stage 2 without nozzles would be perfect for you in my opinion cause the power will be there for sure and mileage, just my 2 cents. If your going to upgrade nozzles you usually want to start looking at clutches etc.
 

Andyinchville1

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HI,

I have a stage one and often regretted not going big to start with ... (mainly because it costs more $$ to upgrade again)

If you worry about breaking stuff just go easier on the Accelerator.

It would be interesting to hear somebody from Malone or other tuner chime in on this but my initial though is go big on the tune ....

Andrew

PS - FWIW - even tho a little expensive, a tune is a definite must get in my book ... the car without it is gutless in comparison ... (even with the lowly stage 1 tune).
 

ecala001

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HI,

I have a stage one and often regretted not going big to start with ... (mainly because it costs more $$ to upgrade again)

If you worry about breaking stuff just go easier on the Accelerator.

It would be interesting to hear somebody from Malone or other tuner chime in on this but my initial though is go big on the tune ....

Andrew

PS - FWIW - even tho a little expensive, a tune is a definite must get in my book ... the car without it is gutless in comparison ... (even with the lowly stage 1 tune).
Malone rep recommended 205 nozzles with stage 2
 

ecala001

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Well stage 2 without nozzles would be perfect for you in my opinion cause the power will be there for sure and mileage, just my 2 cents. If your going to upgrade nozzles you usually want to start looking at clutches etc.
Would it be fine even though the malone rep said to go with 205 nozzles?
 

Nero Morg

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Go with what Malone recommended, they've been doing these for so long they know what is best per tune.
 
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OhCdn

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Would it be fine even though the malone rep said to go with 205 nozzles?
Yes it will be fine my dude cause he will know you have stock nozzles and just tune it down a bit i ran it no issues. Save yourself some money and a clutch haha
 

Fahrvegnugen

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To take advantage of the stage 2 torque you need a nozzle upgrade. My tuner said stage 2 would run like crap without nozzles. If you get a stage 1 and want to upgrade it later, the upgrade cost subtracts what you've already got. If you get stage 2 and dial it back that is the most expensive unless you know you'll get supporting mods.
 

Nero Morg

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As long as all your emission equipment is present and your readiness monitors are set as passed, you'll pass emissions.
 

Nevada_TDI

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Generally speaking upgraded nozzles (.205) are usually for Stage 3 tunes. I would suggest getting the .205 nozzles and have Franko6 set them up, even if you only go to Stage 2 right now; that way if you get to the Stage 3 tune the upgrade cost will be minimal. I have a 5 speed, but after I got .205 nozzles, a Stage 3 tune from VWMikel (TDTuning.com) I drove across country with 4 adults, luggage, and the cruise set at 75 MPH -which was actually 72 MPH my solid FE all the way to Tulsa and back was 52 MPG without the A/C running, and BTW, I had a TON of power too. I suggest you look for other sources of tunes than just Malone, or Kerma, each tuner has a slightly different tune even though the numbers-boost/torque may be the same the tunes may drive very differently.
 

Andyinchville1

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Malone rep recommended 205 nozzles with stage 2
HI,

I had read somewhere that the 205 nozzles were better for fuel economy than the 216s so I went with the 205's ( I kinda also think / thought (maybe incorrectly) that as the 205 nozzles wear they would eventually become 216 or larger so I didn't want to start off too large ... I could grow (wear) into them!

I did speak with somebody over at malone before getting the nozzles / tune and they recommended the 205s also for me since I was concerned about mileage also ... they also did discourage too high of a tune with my old stock clutch and smallish turbo (of course in hindsight I think I should have gone bigger tune wise because I am disciplined enough to stay off the pedal ....).

I do seem to read that many people here have larger nozzles and seemingly get as good as or better MPGs than me.... of course I'm still i'm still on stock exhaust and intake (I do have a 3" Kerma Turbo back exhaust system ready to install but have not gotten it done yet ( no muffler ... has resonator) .... after awhile I'll probably get all new intake piping even tho most people say that isn't helpful at the power levels I'm at.

With my set up I can get 52 to 54 MPGs when driving at 1950 rpm which is about 60 MPH

I would like to run a few day trips so I can up the speed ( I mostly drive at night in deer areas so I run slower just in case) to see what MPGs I get there but I doubt I'll be near where I am currently .... of course maybe the larger injectors ARE better for MPG's (the theory being more fuel is put in at the optimal point rather than spread over a larger timeframe ... PLUS larger holes means less resistance to the pump so maybe less friction and power losses because of that ?).

On my next set of nozzles I will go bigger just to see .... Of course unless I get a second TDI that may be awhile.

Andrew
 

Nevada_TDI

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My experience with Malone is they kill the power at 3500RPM even on a Stage 3 tune. These ALH motors will pull solidly to 5000 RPM even when mildly tuned. Consider this: you need to pass a car in traffic and your power goes flat at 3500 RPM. I hope you had enough run up room to make a safe pass. I did not got scared, and got rid of my Malone tune.
 

ToxicDoc

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My experience with Malone is they kill the power at 3500RPM even on a Stage 3 tune. These ALH motors will pull solidly to 5000 RPM even when mildly tuned. Consider this: you need to pass a car in traffic and your power goes flat at 3500 RPM. I hope you had enough run up room to make a safe pass. I did not got scared, and got rid of my Malone tune.
I'm on my second Malone tune. No flattening out in my stage 1 and stage 2 tunes. It pulls hard to 4500. I don't rev my engine any higher
 

ecala001

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My experience with Malone is they kill the power at 3500RPM even on a Stage 3 tune. These ALH motors will pull solidly to 5000 RPM even when mildly tuned. Consider this: you need to pass a car in traffic and your power goes flat at 3500 RPM. I hope you had enough run up room to make a safe pass. I did not got scared, and got rid of my Malone tune.
So basically after 3500rpm the power flattens? What is the difference between VWMikels tune from tdituning vs karma and malone?
 

Nero Morg

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I'm curious if others are flattening out at 3500 on a ALH
Mine doesn't appear to, but I typically shift between there and 4k when driving hard, otherwise I keep my shifts under 3k. I do also have a stage 4 and a handful of additional supporting mods, not sure if that impacts it at all.
 

Owain@malonetuning

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So basically after 3500rpm the power flattens? What is the difference between VWMikels tune from tdituning vs karma and malone?
It's not a problem. Peak power on stock turbo setups is usually around 3800-4200rpm though. So if you want more power up top, a bigger turbo would make the most sense rather than trying to over-spool a stock one, especially at altitude. The VNT17 bolts up like factory and is a considerable upgrade, although with an auto you won't be able to adjust your shift points and it is capable of around 160hp/300lb-ft to the wheels @ 24 psi.

Keep in mind an 11mm pump on an automatic with 205 nozzles flows nearly 20% more than a manual car with a 10mm pump. The difference between a 10mm and 11mm pump on 216 nozzles (pp520 or similar) with a vnt17 @ 24-26 psi is approx 140-145 vs 160-165whp, with fueling safely maxed.
 
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