[pekosROB]

I posted this over at the tdiclub forums so some of y'all may have seen it.

Hey guys, new to the site and this is one of my first threads to start, so if I missed it in the search, I apologize. If there is an ongoing discussion for 2011 models (most of them seem to be fore 2010 and earlier), a link would be greatly appreciated.

So I'm new to modding vehicles. I have a 2005 Tacoma that all I did was add a Borla exhaust. My questions:

1. I see companies like Revo Technik that can do chip tuning, are they the best? Anyone have experience with them? Do the Revo partners cost about the same to get them done? I'm in Texas and see plenty of places I could take my vehicle to and would like to know some recommendations, if any.

2. How many different options are there? Do the different companies (if any) that offer tuning all go about it the same way? I.e. it's software based and they all give about the same amount of hp and torque increases?

3. Do you think they're worth it? How fast do you think it "pays for itself?" Or is it merely more fun to drive and actually decreases fuel economy or wear down quicker/harder on your vehicle?

I would like to convert mine to a GTD over time, but I have no clue where to start...

Again, sorry if I'm an epic fail on the search function!

 

[chittychittybangbang]

Revo is well known amongst VW-Audi. I don't know if the sponsor kermatdi.com does the 2009+ cars yet but they are an option. The advantage of revo is that I believe that if it's dealer installed (you pay a premium) they will honor the warranty even if VW doesn't.

They're all software based. You can get a tuning box which is a box that you plug into the engine wiring that tricks sensors to give the engine more power. Software based will pretty much always work better. From what I've seen, power differences are negligible. Extra wear/tear is also negligible. Check out the DPF FAQ, maybe the extra fueling could affect the system but I don't know.

On the bright side, some chip tuners claim to have improved/fixed the stutter or hesitation going over a hill. I don't know but they've been playing with it.

No mod pays for itself. Don't put money into your car and expect to get it back at resale either. It gives the car more power but remember that you only use that power when accelerating. Some people like to put money into suspension, interior, or audio systems. Just remember that everything on your car is a depreciating asset.

The DSG also can limit overall power.

 

[Keithuk]

Yes there are plenty of tuning kits available but as Chitty suggests your better of gettng the tuning box which just plugs into the existing loom and isn't registered in the ecu this is useful while its under the 3 year warranty.

So what do you have at the moment 140PS?

 

[pekosROB]

Thanks for the replies guys! I only want to do mods for myself - the only reason I would trade this in would be because of constant repairs/mechanical failure. If it treats me well, I'll probably drive it as close to a million miles as possible. I do still see some VW Golfs on the road from the 80s...

Looks like I gotta get my Taco forum stuff back out and remember where I signed up!

Revo is well known amongst VW-Audi. I don't know if the sponsor kermatdi.com does the 2009+ cars yet but they are an option. The advantage of revo is that I believe that if it's dealer installed (you pay a premium) they will honor the warranty even if VW doesn't.

They're all software based. You can get a tuning box which is a box that you plug into the engine wiring that tricks sensors to give the engine more power. Software based will pretty much always work better. From what I've seen, power differences are negligible. Extra wear/tear is also negligible. Check out the DPF FAQ, maybe the extra fueling could affect the system but I don't know.

On the bright side, some chip tuners claim to have improved/fixed the stutter or hesitation going over a hill. I don't know but they've been playing with it.

No mod pays for itself. Don't put money into your car and expect to get it back at resale either. It gives the car more power but remember that you only use that power when accelerating. Some people like to put money into suspension, interior, or audio systems. Just remember that everything on your car is a depreciating asset.

The DSG also can limit overall power.

I am starting to lean towards messing with this after I get out from the 36,000/3 year warranty. Looks like I'll just use my money to mess with my Tacoma since I don't have any plans on getting rid of it anytime soon, let alone expect to make any money back.

Yes there are plenty of tuning kits available but as Chitty suggests your better of gettng the tuning box which just plugs into the existing loom and isn't registered in the ecu this is useful while its under the 3 year warranty.

So what do you have at the moment 140PS?

140PS? Sorry, not familiar with all the lingo around here... I just have the default 2011 TDi with DSG.

 

[snorlax]

I am starting to lean towards messing with this after I get out from the 36,000/3 year warranty. Looks like I'll just use my money to mess with my Tacoma since I don't have any plans on getting rid of it anytime soon, let alone expect to make any money back.

APR is another major player in the software world (maybe the biggest in the US) that is just getting into software for the TDI engines. They have an intake system prototyped (although it might only be good for sound) and are planning to introduce software for our cars by spring. The nice thing about APR (besides the quality and customer service) is that they offer switching, so you can select the original factory maps if you need to go to a dealer. I've had it in several cars over the last 10 years, and no dealer has ever mentioned it. So you may want to start working on putting aside money for it well before your warranty is up.

140PS? Sorry, not familiar with all the lingo around here... I just have the default 2011 TDi with DSG.

PS is the abbreviation for Pferdestärke, which is horsepower in German. It's in metric units so it's 1.0135 "US" hp. So our engines commonly dyno at 136-138 hp. Not that anyone could tell.

The engine is also referred to as the CR140 around the world, after the common rail technology in the injection system. The engine in the GTD is known as the CR170 in other world markets.

 

[Keithuk]

140PS? Sorry, not familiar with all the lingo around here... I just have the default 2011 TDi with DSG.

In your car spec you have 2011 Golf TDI. Yes in the US they still prefer to use bhp so they say the US spec is 140bhp not PS. Now I don't think they give the US models a couple of more bhp that every one has its just they don't convert it properly which is 138.082bhp. They won't say come and buy our new Golf 138.

 

[pekosROB]

PS is the abbreviation for Pferdestärke, which is horsepower in German. It's in metric units so it's 1.0135 "US" hp. So our engines commonly dyno at 136-138 hp. Not that anyone could tell.

The engine is also referred to as the CR140 around the world, after the common rail technology in the injection system. The engine in the GTD is known as the CR170 in other world markets.

In your car spec you have 2011 Golf TDI. Yes in the US they still prefer to use bhp so they say the US spec is 140bhp not PS. Now I don't think they give the US models a couple of more bhp that every one has its just they don't convert it properly which is 138.082bhp. They won't say come and buy our new Golf 138.

Thanks guys, I figured it had to do with the HP but wondered what in the hell PS stood for.

But I like "Golf 138." Totally random number (well not really random but people would think it is) and make people wonder what happened to 1-137.

And just because I wanted to share, I finally hit over 40 mpgs this weekend. I took a long 1500 mile round trip and got 42.2 mpg to show on the computer. Of course it's off from fuelly's calculations but whatever. Fuelly calculated 41 mpg so at least I got what the EPA estimate is. And this was in 20-something degree weather (F) with a little bit of altitude.

 

[Keithuk]

Fuelly is only very factionally out. I calculate my average since I've had the car at 41.97mpg and Fuelly says.