Stage 1 EPL... or Stage 2 on 3.0T

[resolute]

Hi everyone. Never tuned a car before... and dont want to mess this up and waste a pile of cash. Debating on stage 1 vs stage 2. I like the sounds of EPL as i can reflash back to stock, clear codes and not take chances with a TD1 if warranty work is needed.

From what i understand the stage 2 helps with low end torque... more grunt and more noticable off the line.

I love my A6 3.0T and Im not looking to drag race... but there seems to be a flat spot where I want more passing power and a little more mid range get up and go... Will I get that in stage 1... or am I going to only see this with the pulley upgrade and stage 2? Also I can only get 91 gas here well at most places. 93 or 94 is more rare... so that will affect it a bit I assume.

Thanks.

Sent from my SM-G930W8 using Tapatalk

[tekss4]

hi everyone. Never tuned a car before... And dont want to mess this up and waste a pile of cash. Debating on stage 1 vs stage 2. I like the sounds of epl as i can reflash back to stock, clear codes and not take chances with a td1 if warranty work is needed.

From what i understand the stage 2 helps with low end torque... More grunt and more noticable off the line.

I love my a6 3.0t and im not looking to drag race... But there seems to be a flat spot where i want more passing power and a little more mid range get up and go... Will i get that in stage 1... Or am i going to only see this with the pulley upgrade and stage 2? Also i can only get 91 gas here well at most places. 93 or 94 is more rare... So that will affect it a bit i assume.

Thanks.

Sent from my sm-g930w8 using tapatalk

stage 1 is kinda a waste of time. Just did both, no comparison between the too. Stage 2 with the pulley from epl is wicked. Hope you have an intake also. I USE 91 OCTANE WITH 2 GALLONS OF E85 PER TANKFUL

[ntsantos]

I can almost guarantee that if you went stage 1, you would be contemplating stage 2 in less than a month. Go straight to stage 2.

[SpectreGadget]

I have EPL stage 1 on my 3.0T A7. I have contemplated stage 2, but for me the incremental bang isn't worth the buck (and effort) at this point. If money isn't much of an object and you are having someone else do it, I'd say go straight to stage 2.

I have the 93 octane stage 1 tune. Right after the tune, it didn't feel much different, but once the car had a chance to adapt to them, the difference is remarkable. I feel the most difference above 2K RPM, so passing on the highway, etc. is so much better and I don't miss my S5's V8 quite as much as I used to.



https://c5.staticflickr.com/6/5806/30960211572_105bccec8f.jpg

[resolute]

E85 is not available anywhere near me. We used to have one that sold a 94 octane that had 15% ethanol - but they don't sell that anymore as people were complaining of bad fuel economy. Regarding Intake - wasn't planning other than a K&N filter perhaps...

[dc2002]

Another stage 1 here..I still have some warranty left so I wanted to keep it as stealth as possible. Bonus with the cable you can flash to stock easily.

The power increase is very noticeable while no slouch before it has that extra oomph now that like spectre says above equally or maybe outperforms the 4.2 S4/5 cars but maybe doesn't sound as cool....

I had a B7 S4 avant previously.

I say go in stages since you can diy stage 1...flash and enjoy

[resolute]

is the tune for 91 octane different from the 93 octane tune? Essentially if I buy the 91, the tune for the 93 is separate - and i have to pay more for that one? -or are they interchangable.. ie. flash 91 tune and if i get some 93+ octane, i can flash a 93 tune?

Money is certainly an object... and that is the debate. Not only the tune - but I have to buy a cable AND a pulley puller kit so I can replace the pulley myself - or pay megabucks to have someone else do it for me... I called a few places to get a quote for the change out on the supercharger pulley - and was quoted anywhere from $450 to $1100 just to change the pulley. I guess its rather specialized - but geez... i figured a couple hours labour - maybe $200.

[LINDW4LL]

There are indeed different files for 91 and 93 octane. Not sure if EPL charges more to access both of those.

Labor should be about 3 hrs for the pulley install. Stage 1 is definitely the better value as far as horsepower/$, but the performance with the pulley upgrade is great and I'd recommend it if you can get a reasonable labor quote.

[dc2002]

I would just pick the octane you can get the easiest..while the flashing is easy I would think you want to limit it somewhat...there is always "some" risk anytime you mess with flash memory.

For the pulley yes you need a special tool which is pricey and I think I read you ruin the old pulley in the act of removing it.

A 20+% increase for stage 1 is not trivial.

[SpectreGadget]

Not sure if EPL charges more to access both of those.

I believe they do charge for additional tunes based on octane. I think most other tunes are priced that way. Like dc2002 recommended, I would go with what you use the most. For me 93 is readily available, so that's what i use.

[14S4GWM]

You just missed out on a big sale with epl. You might get lucky and they might let you in on it if you get a hold of them asap.

I would definitely just stick to the map that you have the most access to all of the time, 93 or 91.

[tenspeed]

is the tune for 91 octane different from the 93 octane tune? Essentially if I buy the 91, the tune for the 93 is separate - and i have to pay more for that one? -or are they interchangable.. ie. flash 91 tune and if i get some 93+ octane, i can flash a 93 tune?


There are indeed different files for 91 and 93 octane. Not sure if EPL charges more to access both of those.


I believe they do charge for additional tunes based on octane. I think most other tunes are priced that way.

EPL doesn't have a web site that could answer those questions. Well, they have a site that's always under construction.

There's no price list, dyno graphs, install instructions, etc.. The majority of their customers have never installed a tune before and pay the money to learn as they go.

[SpectreGadget]

EPL doesn't have a web site that could answer those questions. Well, they have a site that's always under construction. There's no price list, dyno graphs, install instructions, etc.
That would be nice, but much of that can be had from EPL themselves, plus direct help from them when needed for the install


The majority of their customers have never installed a tune before and pay the money to learn as they go.
Is that from a survey you made? [:D] I can't speak for others, but I did a lot of research before dropping that kind of money, even when it's 20ish% less than the competition. Lots of information from those that have the tune, and lots of information from Chris and the guys at EPL.

[dc2002]

EPL doesn't have a web site that could answer those questions. Well, they have a site that's always under construction.

There's no price list, dyno graphs, install instructions, etc.. The majority of their customers have never installed a tune before and pay the money to learn as they go.

Chris responds to emails same day often within the hour or sooner. Dono charts are out there in this forum for the B8 S4 which was close enough for me. If/when you order you get very specific instructions what to do...it could not have been easier. I'm happy to support the guys that prioritize the work over fancy websites.

[resolute]

Thanks for all the feedback. Its really appreciated. Anyone got around the TD1 from dealerships? I heard that flashing back to factory, clearing any codes and driving around for a while before bringing into the dealership will not work anymore... any truth to that? I guess my biggest concern at this point (as factory warranty is finished at the end of this month), is the 10 year warranty extension for the CEL for carbon buildup. I hear that this is quite an expensive procedure and, well, if this happens with my car - I would like them to do the work. Any input on this?

[Sanjman]

Well this is the first I've heard of the extended warranty for carbon buildup

[LINDW4LL]

Well this is the first I've heard of the extended warranty for carbon buildup
There is an extended warranty, but it covers carbon buildup in the secondary air injection ports; not the intake ports.

[25th AE GTi]

EPL doesn't have a web site that could answer those questions. Well, they have a site that's always under construction.

There's no price list, dyno graphs, install instructions, etc.. The majority of their customers have never installed a tune before and pay the money to learn as they go.

I was also very turned off by their lack of "commercial presence". I did roll the dice and took advantage of the holiday sale. I based my decision on his pricing and good reviews. In reality I got the ECM & TCM tunes for the same price as the APR stage 1. APR does not offer a TCM tune for my car so that was a deciding factor as well. Even if the EPL tune is a few HP less, it will be inconceivable given the amount of HP the engine produces, I'm not drag racing my daily. Chris was very helpful and prompt in responding to emails; although I just sent them a $1000+ so I do expect good service. The flash was easy and took about 15 mins to do. First impression is the feel and response of the car is much sportier. Doesn't feel like it has the lazy unresponsive throttle pedal anymore. Car definitely scoots a little better to although I don't get as much of a HP gain for having the uprated SQ5. Need to get more miles to get a true impression but overall I'm happy. Money well spent and the Mrs. doesn't know [:D]

[Spitfire007]

There is an extended warranty, but it covers carbon buildup in the secondary air injection ports; not the intake ports.

Not to threadjack, but do you know which cars this applies to.
I have a 2016 with dual injection so I doubt it’s covered...

EPL did respond to me very quickly with a price quote. You need a PC, which I don’t have and don’t really wanna buy just to tune the car, so not sure where I’ll go from here when it’s time to tune.
Biggest plus for me for EPL is the TCU tune...anything to make it more responsive is good for me, coming from 20 years of manual transmissions..


Sent from my iPhone using Audizine (http://r.tapatalk.com/byo?rid=87676)

[25th AE GTi]

I guess it depends on your needs but It serves multiple functions for me. I bought a $100 tablet w/ keyboard off eBay. Works with Vag-com, flashed my BMWs, logging/tuning w/ Eurodyne software on the race car, family en