Was on the fence with my Mk7 on what to get for a while and ended up just going APR stage 1. Really enjoying it, lots of power, haven't had any issues or weird/odd things with how it's performing. Pulls like a freight train. That said, I've been out of my warranty for some time now (2015 with around 80K on the clock) so I don't have to worry about voiding my warranty or anything like that. If something goes wrong, it goes wrong, and it's on me at this point, so that definitely plays into it. With a factory warranty and everything still intact, something like a JB4 is definitely more appealing, but I really am enjoying my Mk7 with the APR tune. I haven't gotten the DSG tune yet, might consider it in the future, but I don't feel it's completely necessary with a stage 1. With a 2 or more, probably, but I wouldn't say it's absolutely required when you flash, though you start to really notice how lazy the stock programming for the normal mode is and that your power band shifts if you use sport mode where it makes a bit less sense trying to hold onto revs where you have more torque now, but when I'm driving quick/having fun, I'm pulling gears myself, so it's not necessarily a "have to have it" kind of mod right now. Either way though, a flash/tune regardless of make or brand is a killer upgrade for the Mk7 platform. They make dumb power with just software, it's crazy. I don't think I'd go past stage 1 APR for a daily. Short of highway pulls, it's tough to use that much torque as it is going through the front wheels alone, especially in corners, in first, second, and even third gear in good weather (and I'm running a set of Michelin Pilot Sport 4S on their own set of BBS wheels) and when it rains? Forget it. Stage 1 is enough in the GTI as far as I'm concerned, the fun of the GTI is the handling first, then the power, but hey, the power doesn't hurt. Now in a Golf R where you have AWD? Yeah, that's the platform to start dumping power. That thing can put it to the ground and you can make a missile out of that car quick.
@@minhajuddin1769 roughly the same. I average 31 altogether, city alone around 24 I'd say. It's honestly no different than the stock ECU tune for fuel economy
@ oh for sure, tuned R's on a good set of tires are straight weapons on a backroad. I think the GTI is a bit more "fun" because it's less competent if that makes sense, but the R is more precise. If your goal is to go fast and absolutely bomb a canyon road, the R is your car, but if you're trying to hoon it, I think the GTI is better at that because it's less of a scalpel so to speak. Both are excellent, and me personally, I'd get the R if I could do it all over again, but I love my GTI and don't regret it one bit, and when you throw price into it, I'm not convinced the R is 15k more car than a GTI with a tune.
@@Krauser1226 as far as owning it since then, what type of maintenance you do on the gti? Did you upgrade the R8 coils and colder plugs or are you running it stock? As with the DSG fluid, did you service it at 40-50k miles range for a satefy measure? Im looking to get myself a 2 door S with PP either a 16 or 17 but its hard to come by as Ive seen them plenty with 4 door model instead. Btw I appreciate your feedback and insights! I'm looking for 300-350 whp to run reliably... and I get why you said it wont go wrong with either car, GTI vs R... i think GTI is like 600lbs lighter than the R just because the drivetrain is heavily weighted on R model...
A custom tune is the best tune. As for o2 sensor, it doesnt get turned "off" You still need the rear o2 for closed loop fueling. You can get "forced ready" or if you get a proper real tune you wouldn't need to be forced ready. It would just work.
I strongly disagree I would say out of all tunes Unitronic and apr gives the most power, just stage 1 Unitronic gives the car about 90hp and that’s a lot for any hatch not only the golf
Custom tunes are better than just a tune that you plug in a laptop and send you home. Having no idea about boost, timing. Also you know that your car can handle the power.
@@Peter-mm4ot you are right that they put it thousands of ours but every car that comes out from the factory aren't the same. Not all cars handle the same power. Custom tunes ensures that for every car your car with the mods you have you get the max power without the risk. Plus just to say if you add methanol or intercooler you can't adjust the tune to add boost or timing meaning it's a waste of money
@@Peter-mm4ot reason also why they are more expensive is because they can charge you that and you just pay that amount willingly. Also these companies won't fix your car if something goes wrong they don't know you
@@Peter-mm4ot Is that why my custom tune runs over half a second faster through the quarter compared to the closest tune only OTS tune? Cause this car is making far more power than an OTS tune. What you said is absolutely not true.
Vincent V I went to roc euro in Rochester for the downpipe install and tune. Tune is what it says on apr website. Downpipe install...the guy knows me and is super nice and didn’t charge me so I just bought him lunch. It shouldn’t be very long install really. Downpipe with no cat was 300+? It’s been a while. Oh, cantech in Syracuse can tune the car for u as well but I think they charge like 15 bucks on top for labor or something. I would ask them. Ps: I’m actually running a golf r is38 now :D loving it so much.
I try to tell people to go custo. Regardless of the manufacturer or mods. If there's a reputable tuner in your area it will be the safest tune you can get.
Ahhh ha! The turbo is only covered under the bumper to bumper warranty, I used to be a finance manager for Honda and Hyundai and that was the case, I bought my GTI used and somebody ask about the turbo warranty on the forums and I said that most likely it’s only part of the comprehensive warranty and not the power train, and every body told me I was wrong. 😂😂😂
Btw I have a cobb Accessport with a 5150 tune and its great 👍🏻, some people say that he takes way too long but look at it this way, you buy a stage 1 map but the time you get the map you already have all the stage 2 hardware installed 😂😂😂, jk I love my tune.
Lucas what percentage tint do you have? I live in queens and have 5 percent all around and 50 percent on the windsheild in my gti. Never been stopped in a year 4 it.
I’m also on Long Island/NYC. On my FXT, I had 20% front, 5% rear, and nothing on the windshield. I never got stopped just for tint. Once I got stopped for making a right on red without full stop and the cop gave me a tint ticket instead of the moving violation, which is fine by me.
Love this channel. What should be the first tune for the MK7 for increase in HP and no major changes to the engine to exhaust? Is there such a tune and who make the best tune for this particular car? I have 59K miles on the odometer should I of gotten a tuned earlier or does it not really matter?
I’d suggest eqt they’re more focused on powerband and torque curve than power numbers to really maximize the usability. But I have a stage 1 tuned 2016 gti at 67k miles and it only has an intake.
@@ak_shavar also I’m eurodyne tuned not eqt, when I wanted to purchase the tune originally the access port was on back order. Eurodyne also offers a little bit more adjustability on the user end allowing you to set max boost pressure, octane rating, and ethanol content
Hey bro I'm also looking to mod mk7 gti, any recommendation? Is it also necessary to get is38 swap to reach higher output or I could just go stage 2+dp with the is20 to achieve that 350whp? heard Tyrolsport is a good shop to do the tune, whats your thoughts? And cost as well please if you can give your feedback.. thanks alot bro!
Thanks for the information. I'm thinking about buying a used MK7 under 50,000 miles on it ,any advice of what to be aware of? I would like to have as much torque/HP as it can handle reliable. I did enjoy that ridiculous exhaust sound, too. Any tuner shops in the Southeast anyone could recommend? Can these do the 1/4 in the 11's or faster as a reliable daily driver? Thanks
I spent a lot of time investigating piggyback boxes, tunes, and the MK7 capabilities to decide this. In the end for my MANUAL mk7 GTi PP, I went for a custom 'Low-torque' map on a rolling road to preserve the clutch. 290bhp up top, so it is much quicker than before, but its running standard boost and only slightly more torque than before, so reliability should be very good. I prefer the engine character now, it feels like it wants to pull all the way to the redline now rather than making a ton of torque down low and then going flat.
Minhaj Uddin yup they do, however in the UK their tunes are really quite expensive (£600/£700). Celtic tuning did it all custom for me on a full rolling road for £300. I based what I wanted on the ‘low torque’ APR tune.
First mistake... and the most popular one clients and even tuners make (more so to make a quick buck) As soon as you touch the standard tune automatically reliability goes straight out of the window. The manufacturers spend hours creating the most reliable tune for the vehicle, altering the stock software adds risk depending on far you take the tune (light, medium or strong tune / aggressive or standard tune) Yes, you can alter the tune to be lighter on fuel but you are still changing values on the coding. There is only one reason for tuning and thats chasing numbers. Dont fool yourself 🤙🏼
Word. Cobb is the worst for customer service. They’re rude, condescending, and seem to go out of their way to not provide any support. So glad I’m done with them.
