I tried x2 separate Bluespark Pickyback units on two different Cars. They work ok but nothing dramatic on performance increases. I noted on both cars some hesitating responses in high range - gear acceleration. Then there where the ocassional engine fault light coming on my Golf R. Since removing the Bluespark unit and wiring harness, no more engine fault lights. I say that the ECU is sensitive in having such pickyback unit attached to its system. I since opted for an APR ecu tune to follow with a DSG tune. It was a much better option, though double the price but double the power. I could there for, from my own experience not recommend any Pickyback unit. You are better off getting a proper flash tune done instead.
Thanks for sharing your experience with piggyback and ECU tunes. I will agree that overall, an ECU tune is the way to go as it uses so many more parameters to make more power. However, given the cost, the requirement to have someone tune, and the potential to void warranties, a piggyback plug-in can still be a viable option for many people.
Quick note Peter. One of the reasons people tend to think that the ECU flash tune feels faster than the piggyback is because with the ECU flash they can manipulate and adjust the timing advance (something a piggyback can’t do). This means that down low in RPM range, the car feels faster because it’s able the advance the timing much sooner. I.e. at 3000rpm the flash tune is now making 4 degrees of timing advance vs the piggyback making none until 4700rpm since its following the factory ECU settings This makes a huge difference in the overall feel, power delivery, smoothness and the sense that the car is faster (even if it’s not necessarily the case)
@ Marc Ste-Marie, I don't think you could have brought up a better point. Not only does the ECU tune look at so many parameters, it also adjusts an equal amount as well; thus, your point on "a huge difference in the overall feel, power delivery, smoothness" is spot on! Thank you kindly for your input, I hope more people share their take.
Lol. It is Faster with a propper ecu flash. I had a Pickyback... Bluespark. Went for an APR tune. You have no idea how much better on performance. Besides. The ECU is very sensitive having some Pickyback unit and tends to keep throwing engine lights as ut did with me. No mire issues as such since removing it.
I have the jb4 for my S3 and thought about getting an off the shelf tune. But now I’m fully committed to the jb4. I doubt an OTS tune is going to be any faster. Right now I’m using map 3 and peak boost shows 26/27(due to summer heat maybe) That’s pretty high already. So unless I go with UM which is super aggressive, it’s not worth it to me.
Nice summary, Peter. For my N20, I was set to get a JB4 when Bootmod came on the scene. I was more comfortable DIYing the software than the hardware. That and an impending end to my warranty swung the deal for Bootmod. And the idea of changing tunes and adjusting tune parameters were attractive. But I’ve not yet done any of that.
Hey Bill, great to hear from you. The factors which are swaying you into an ECU tune makes perfect sense. Since Bootmod3 has been around for a while, I'm sure they're on their "N-th" iteration of software and have perfected it. Give it a whirl and see how it goes! You can do it!
i dont mean to be so off topic but does someone know a tool to log back into an instagram account?? I somehow forgot the password. I appreciate any assistance you can give me.
@Gunner Riley i really appreciate your reply. I got to the site through google and Im in the hacking process now. Seems to take a while so I will reply here later when my account password hopefully is recovered.
Hey Peter, I really appreciated this video even though I'm not a audi/bmw owner. I personally own a mazda3 and after extensive research there arnt many choices. Was hoping to ask someone with more exp if you knew of any companies that could work with Mazdas. I'd prefer a piggyback system as I don't want to mess with the warranty but I'm open to both technically. Hope to hear from you soon!
@@just.a.simplejoe, I did a little research and saw a few vendors have ECU flashes for your Mazda3. The one that stands out the most, is VividRacing. I have read that their tunes are great. There is also Cobb Tuning. However, for a piggyback unit, I didn't find any.
@@TheAutomotiveFanatic Sounds good friend, ill take a good look at them as I was only really aware of Drtuned from Canada or Thailand. As far as a piggyback, I agree nothing out there looked legit. Thanks for the help!
I just picked up a apexi safc2 piggyback and get so much flack about running it, I don't understand why...people even say it will make my car run worse if I installed it. I just want to utilize the stock fuel trim to make sure my AFRs are correct
Pho, where are you hearing that a piggyback unit will make your car run worst? I've never heard that before. Though not as complete as an ECU flash, you're still making great power with the potential of keeping your OEM warranty intact.
Hi Peter, would you clarify the OEM Warranty a little more. You said that the ECU mapping/flashing would be detected certainly. And you said that the piggyback might be detected if they want to, it's not sure, but there is a chance. OK, but you buy a new car and the warranty is 5 years or it could be even 7 yrs on the engine. Or even more. You don't want to void the warranty, because the engine is a very expensive thing. So you actually don't want to do either ECU flash nor piggyback because it's very risky. In the best case you'd nullify your warranty. You don't want that. So tuning is for old cars only ? Why would I want to tune my grampa's car ?
telelaci2, thanks for the question and sorry for the confusion. Let me state this, ANY TIME you tweak or perform modifications to an engine, you risk the chance of voiding your factory warranty. With that said, tuning/flashing an ECU poses a higher chance as you're altering the ECU's database whereas a piggyback unit "tricks" the ECU that outside parameters are different to allow the ECU to make more boost.
@@TheAutomotiveFanatic What happens if you buy a new ECU (exactly the same as the original one), you remap it and you replace your ECU. Then a year later when you go to the garage to change the oil and doing the annual maintenance, you replace the mapped ECU with the original non-mapped one. Can they detect that ? Can they think that something is fishy ?
@@telelaci2 decades back, Honda and Acura guys were doing that with ECUs and it worked fine. Now that cars so are incredibly advanced with technology, swapping out an ECU is not something I would try or recommend.
@@TheAutomotiveFanatic I don't understand this. I wouldn't swap the ECU. People in the tuning garage would do the work not me. I'm not a mechanic neither a tuning master. Why would that be complicated, they do that for living anyway. It's their profession. I just want to stay undetected that's all. I don't wanna lose the warranty.
@@telelaci2 I understand that you're not swapping the ECU yourself. The shop who would perform the work for you, would need to code the ECU to recognize your vehicle again. It's not a plug and play setup.
i have a tune from IE and i take my car to soutcoast audi for service i just take out the tune everytime and i run my car 200-300 miles before i bring in my car to service
@ Julian, my bother sold his S3. I will though, give you guys some concrete dyno numbers in the next few weeks (we're going to compare it to an APR Stage 1).
Hey Peter, what map are you running on the JB4? I purchased one not too long ago and have been running map 1 due to not having access to anything over 91 octane in Los Angeles. I feel like I should have just saved some money by getting a used JB1 instead.
@ David, with my setup, I run map 6 with a custom setup. I'm local to you (in OC) and know there are E85 stations up in LA. You can safely run 2-3 gallons of E85 with 91 pump gas for a better octane rating.
Hi Peter I'm thinking about tuning my 2017audis3 what do you think the cars got 52000 miles. The guy is charging $450 from audi ecu tuning here in Illinois if that's a good deal.
Hello there cho, I saw the link you posted and without knowing who the tuner is, it's difficult for me to recommend them. In order for your S3 to run safely with a tune, there must be R&D placed into that tune. Ask this shop how much R&D they have and how many vehicles have they tuned, do they have dyno or spec sheets?
John, I have heard of owners doing exactly this where they buy a stock ECU and swap it in when servicing their vehicles. As easy as it seems, it does not always work correctly. Each ECU is programed for your cars EXACT spec and build. Most if not all these items need to be "coded" in so that your car functions correctly.
@@johndavidpaguirigan5297 it really depends on your specific needs. If you want the most power, an ECU tune is the way to go but at the sacrifice of warranty and cost. A piggyback unit may not offer the most power, but at least it's 100% removable.
Hi I’m wondering if you recommend the AFR flash tune over a chip tune? I have 08 2.0T TT TFSI it has no warranty I still want reliability at the end of the day any thoughts ?
Hey Notorious, thanks for listing the model of your Audi. Since you have the 2.0T TT, I would recommend going with an ECU flash. I had the same motor in the 8P A3 and loved how it changed the power of the car. My 8P A3 ran roughly 20K miles without a single tuning issue. You should be fine!
@@Boosted403, I never dyno'd the A3 while running the APR tune. You can expect though, close to 300hp and over 315ft/lbs TQ. It's significantly faster than stock. If you have the budget, go straight to stage 2+.
You're absolutely correct! Personally, I wouldn't rely on APR paying for any damages caused by their software. My fear would be: APR pointing the finger @ Audi and Audi pointing the finger right back at APR for reimbursement...all this while you're stuck in the middle.
