APR Stage 1, thinking of taking the plunge

[P_G]

So, done searching but the results are a little inconclusive so thought I’d post to seek advice.

I’m genuinely on the fence about doing this, not because of the warranty vs TD1 thing but, instead there’s conflicting information about cylinder 5 misfire, the map frying plugs etc so for those that have gone down this route how long have you had the map, what issues if any have you had, when it was installed did you have new plugs installed or the ones you had re-gapped?

Just for the record I’ve used APR on my previous RS3 and was happy with it bar cracking the ECU rather than OBD but this car is a different league engine and cost wise so I want to make sure as much as possible I have all the information available to make an informed decision.

Thanks in advance for the feedback.


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[limeypride]

So, done searching but the results are a little inconclusive so thought I’d post to seek advice.

I’m genuinely on the fence about doing this, not because of the warranty vs TD1 thing but, instead there’s conflicting information about cylinder 5 misfire, the map frying plugs etc so for those that have gone down this route how long have you had the map, what issues if any have you had, when it was installed did you have new plugs installed or the ones you had re-gapped?

Just for the record I’ve used APR on my previous RS3 and was happy with it bar cracking the ECU rather than OBD but this car is a different league engine and cost wise so I want to make sure as much as possible I have all the information available to make an informed decision.

Thanks in advance for the feedback.


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I've had APR stage I for almost 7 months and stage II for just a few days. I've hit the misfire twice and on both occasions it was the direct result of my mashing the loud pedal before the engine oil temp was even displayed--it seems they just don't like WOT before they're at temp. Once the temp is shown (I also wait a little beyond that until 160+), all bets are off and carpet and loud peddle are once again best of friends with no misfires whatsoever.

You've probably read these testimonies before from folks with APR so I'll try and mellow my enthusiasm and merely say WHAT THE F#@K ARE YOU WAITING FOR (you should've seen the non-mellow version [:)]). I've tuned many of my cars (8 in total I think of which 5 were 700+ HP BMW M-cars) and there's nothing that compares to the brutal acceleration--especially from a dig--that these cars are capable of and that APR unlocks.

I can't speak for the Audi tuning competition since I've no experience beyond APR but their product is something to be marveled at. I don't know what you're driving right now but I'm comfortable saying that your car right now is quick, post-APR it's "knock-your-socks-off" faster.

Trust me, I'm British (I guess that's less convincing with you...) [drive]

[P_G]

Thanks for the reply, appreciated. Only one RS7 member on here that has gone with APR?


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[stevereddy]

I have a 2014 A8 4.0 with APR stage one. Car is very quick, it is smooth, linear and no misfire!

[srt8s6]

Thanks for the reply, appreciated. Only one RS7 member on here that has gone with APR?


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I have a 16s6 stage 2Apr ecu and tcu... In sports mode car pulls like like like... Put it in manual and nothing is touching it from a dig... Coming from a 300srt8

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[P_G]

I have a 16s6 stage 2Apr ecu and tcu... In sports mode car pulls like like like... Put it in manual and nothing is touching it from a dig... Coming from a 300srt8

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Any issues?


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[P_G]

I have a 2014 A8 4.0 with APR stage one. Car is very quick, it is smooth, linear and no misfire!

Is that a 4.0T?


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[limeypride]

Thanks for the reply, appreciated. Only one RS7 member on here that has gone with APR?


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Oh, absolutely not. Seriously, search this forum... there are loads of us. I was in your position just 8-months ago.

If you're not concerned with TD1 and the consensus is, as far as I and many others here are concerned, there are no known mechanical concerns (beyond the controllable cylinder 5 misfire [which happens without the tune, too]), is there something other than $$$ stopping you?

[mcouch70]

I have a 2016 RS7 and went with the Stage 1 APR tune. Although I have gotten the 'Cylinder 5 misfire' it was completely my fault, the power is so addictive I jumped on the throttle when the car was not fully warmed up so I can't fault the tune for it. All I have to say is there is nothing like a tuned RS7, it will literally make every other car you've ever driven feel pedestrian.

[srt8s6]

Any issues?


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None so far aside from dealership worries... (getting flaged)

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[lnferno]

APR stage 1 sucks. I had to upgrade to Stage 2 a couple weeks later [:D] [;)] [drive]

[limeypride]

APR stage 1 sucks. I had to upgrade to Stage 2 a couple weeks later [:D] [;)] [drive]

Folks reading this that aren't willing to hack into their exhaust system will potentially take your response as fact so I'm gonna have to differ in the strongest of terms and respond with "rubbish"--APR stage 1 does NOT suck. Stage 2 is a bit better, yes (at least it is for me so far) but stage 1 is a huge boost (pun intended) over a stock RS7... HUGE! Perhaps you need less altitude (or similarly lower expectations [:)]).

[lnferno]

I think you completely missed the sarcasm in my post. The power was so addicting I had to have more quickly LOL

[limeypride]

I think you completely missed the sarcasm in my post. The power was so addicting I had to have more quickly LOL

Ohhhhhhhhhhhh, my bad--I'm sorry, I did miss that. [facepalm]

Phew, my world is back in order...

[charlieh313]

My only regret going stage 1 is not doing it sooner


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[pez81]

You know my thoughts mate. I have tried two tuners now and APR has been a huge improvement. I know you have the RS so it's different but so many have the APR tune and have little issues. Apart from poor HeelBuff with his stage 2 AMAX issue. Wonder if he ever got that sorted? Sounds like APR will be doing a TCU tune imminently for the ZF box, that should be interesting.
How long are those sale prices on for? £1200 at present which is pretty decent.
Do it mate!!!!

[dab]

I have had apr for 11 years on two different audis, no problems at all. Had to have each one done after one week of driving stock. Easily the best mod ever.

[Ze_Nardo6]

With an RS7 you have 2 choices. APR or Uni. If you want to go fast, there’s only one choice, and you identified it.


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[jsilas]

2016 S6 here, which is 4.0T. Been Stage 1 for 1.5 years or so, and just recently went Stage 2. Been many miles of trouble-free fun and oh-so-fun power. Get the flash, and enjoy.

[Mavfan1]

I have had the APR stage 1 for a month. Best investment I have ever made. This car is ridiculously conservative from the factory. The tune is perfect. I concur that you need to have the engine and tranny warm before getting on it. Otherwise, it’s awesome.


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[IowaRS7]

I had stage I for a couple days before going stage II [:D]

This is the best time to do it too because of the crazy sales going on. I would buy the stage I tune and get the APR downpipes for the crazy prices going on this week, sweet deal honestly

As someone noted, for the RS7 APR is the best way to go for a tune right now. GIAC and UNI offer them, but performance wise they just do not compete so far and APRs dealer network on forum support is extensive. They also have a 30 day money back guarantee, so go get the stage I tune and try in on for size! Just be ready to want bigger, wider, stickier tires after the massive power increase!

[charlieh313]

Ugh I just did stage 1 recently and with the deals on the stage 2 it’s really hard not to pull the trigger.


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[Serpent]

Stage 2 RS7 here. I have also only gotten cyl5 misfire when I stepped on it before the car was up to temp. Also you should get pails of 104 so you can run race gas from time to time, warning: you might want to run the car on 104 all the time. There are some people on this forum that has done that.

[P_G]

Stage 2 RS7 here. I have also only gotten cyl5 misfire when I stepped on it before the car was up to temp. Also you should get pails of 104 so you can run race gas from time to time, warning: you might want to run the car on 104 all the time. There are some people on this forum that has done that.

We don’t get 104 over here in the UK but it would be run on 99RON permanently


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[lnferno]

We don’t get 104 over here in the UK but it will be run on 99RON permanently


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So, are you going to do it? :)

[P_G]

Thread resurrection, went Stage 1 but regrettably having issues with it. It's cold here in the Uk and on partial throttle under certain loads and predominantly under 2krpm it feels very rough. Nothing on VCDS scan but it's not running right, enough to make the engine and transmission vibrate and just feel awful. As soon as I am on WOT however it's fine all the way up to heavy load at three figure speeds and then there is a slight return again. Have run injector cleaner through and only running on VPower / Momentum which are both 99 RON.

I think it may be running rich due to the Beru plugs not being gapped properly which are only 13k miles old (or the RaceChip that was on overfuelled to the point of ruin) so getting NGK's fitted tomorrow however I wanted to know if the recommended gap is .024? It's been a while since anyone posted about this and I'd like to get it done right first time.

[Phantom75]

I'm pretty sure I've gotten the misfire on my stock 2014 RS7. When I first bought the car, on the first day of buying the car, I would notice that once in a while when I would hit it hard on the onramp heading towards work, the engine would take a shit and cut fuel. Its only happened when I haven't let the car warm up. I didn't even notice at first that the RPMs on the tac also are lower redline until the engine reaches full operating temp. Since discovering that, I've never had it happen again. I wish the dash had some kind of quick "please wait until reaching full engine temp before full fun mode or something" message pop up. Now I know! That has to be what was happening. I though maybe I needed new plugs, because that's what it felt like - the engine misfiring.

[P_G]

Not had anything like that and only really gas it when up to full temperature, very conscious of keeping it under 3k rpm until up to 90 degrees C on oil temp.

Like said, anything above 2krpm and it’s not really a problem but at motorway cruising when the car is in 8th and anywhere between 1500-2000 rpm it feels lumpy.

Nothing shows on VCDS either which is why I think new plugs and proper gaps will be the solution to Rich / over-fuelling


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[allenzhang215]

Not had anything like that and only really gas it when up to full temperature, very conscious of keeping it under 3k rpm until up to 90 degrees C on oil temp.

Like said, anything above 2krpm and it’s not really a problem but at motorway cruising when the car is in 8th and anywhere between 1500-2000 rpm it feels lumpy.

Nothing shows on VCDS either which is why I think new plugs and proper gaps will be the solution to Rich / over-fuelling


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Well, I recently had my rs7 stage 1 tuned, definitely like it, except misfire twice. It's cold here in Michigan. Never feels lumpy like you mentioned while cruising. The car is just like stock if you don't press the gas pedal down too much.

[pez81]

Thread resurrection, went Stage 1 but regrettably having issues with it. It's cold here in the Uk and on partial throttle under certain loads and predominantly under 2krpm it feels very rough. Nothing on VCDS scan but it's not running right, enough to make the engine and transmission vibrate and just feel awful. As soon as I am on WOT however it's fine all the way up to heavy load at three figure speeds and then there is a slight return again. Have run injector cleaner through and only running on VPower / Momentum which are both 99 RON.

I think it may be running rich due to the Beru plugs not being gapped properly which are only 13k miles old (or the RaceChip that was on overfuelled to the point of ruin) so getting NGK's fitted tomorrow however I wanted to know if the recommended gap is .024? It's been a while since anyone posted about this and I'd like to get it done right first time.You kept that quiet

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[OlyS6]

Thread resurrection, went Stage 1 but regrettably having issues with it. It's cold here in the Uk and on partial throttle under certain loads and predominantly under 2krpm it feels very rough. Nothing on VCDS scan but it's not running right, enough to make the engine and transmission vibrate and just feel awful. As soon as I am on WOT however it's fine all the way up to heavy load at three figure speeds and then there is a slight return again. Have run injector cleaner through and only running on VPower / Momentum which are both 99 RON.

I think it may be running rich due to the Beru plugs not being gapped properly which are only 13k miles old (or the RaceChip that was on overfuelled to the point of ruin) so getting NGK's fitted tomorrow however I wanted to know if the recommended gap is .024? It's been a while since anyone posted about this and I'd like to get it done right first time.


Yes, APR recommends a gap of 0.024" ( or 0.6mm on your side of the pond).

[IowaRS7]

There are two indicators on our car:

1. The redline will shift on the tach after the cars warms up

2. Switch to lap timer mode on the digital display and you will see a temp reading that helps to know when things are warmed up. I usually wait until 160 or so before getting into the throttle.

[P_G]

There are two indicators on our car:

1. The redline will shift on the tach after the cars warms up

2. Switch to lap timer mode on the digital display and you will see a temp reading that helps to know when things are warmed up. I usually wait until 160 or so before getting into the throttle.

I never take the car over 3k rpm before both the redline shift and the oil is up to 90 degrees C so it’s not precipitated by me mashing the throttle when the engine is cold, like said it is in cruising situations sub 2k rpm on motorways at varying loads


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[wwhan]

There are two indicators on our car:

1. The redline will shift on the tach after the cars warms up

2. Switch to lap timer mode on the digital display and you will see a temp reading that helps to know when things are warmed up. I usually wait until 160 or so before getting into the throttle.

On warmup, my 2016 S6 redline will shift on the tach, when the lap timer oil temperature just starts registering at about 145F. It is still not fully warmed up, but the oil is hot enough to burn your fingers.

[Packy]

[QUOTE=IowaRS7;12844593]There are two indicators on our car:

1. The redline will shift on the tach after the cars warms up

What exactly shifts the redline over? Engine oil temp, water temp or trans temp? Thanks

[Ze_Nardo6]

I never get on the throttle until I see 165+ on the oil operating temp

The redline drop does not dictate engine readiness for aggressive driving

[MD4Babes]

2014 RS7, I had the APR Stage 1 Tune about 6 months after I had the car. Love it!!! Had 3 misfires, All on very cold days. Not sure if it is because of wheel spin that shuts the engine down with ESC on. When ESC is off I have not had any misfire issues. All that being said. I just Stage 2 with Downpipes. I should have done the down pipes sooner. The car sounds and feels like a monster. Love the sound in sport mode. Still remains quiet in normal drive mode.
Biggest bang in terms of power still with Stage 1, Stage 2 adds more power but the sounds is intense. My dealer knows I have it chipped. When they need to run a spec on it, they ask me to flash it back to stock. Never had a problem with TD1. Anyone who hasn't gotten the stage 2, I highly recommend. I was apprehensive until I got it.

[Packy]

2014 RS7, I had the APR Stage 1 Tune about 6 months after I had the car. Love it!!! Had 3 misfires, All on very cold days. Not sure if it is because of wheel spin that shuts the engine down with ESC on. When ESC is off I have not had any misfire issues. All that being said. I just Stage 2 with Downpipes. I should have done the down pipes sooner. The car sounds and feels like a monster. Love the sound in sport mode. Still remains quiet in normal drive mode.
Biggest bang in terms of power still with Stage 1, Stage 2 adds more power but the sounds is intense. My dealer knows I have it chipped. When they need to run a spec on it, they ask me to flash it back to stock. Never had a problem with TD1. Anyone who hasn't gotten the stage 2, I highly recommend. I was apprehensive until I got it.

Did you do full exhaust or just the down pipes? Pics seem to show downpipes go half way back anyways.
I'll be getting mine tuned when my house sells. Can't wait. wife not happy but it was our deal.

[JohnnyRocker]

OK! - I'm getting an APR Stage 1 today on my 2013 A8L 4.0t. It's my daily driver but I just couldn't resist the urge to release more of this amazing 4.0t.....

Other than letting it warmup before punching is there anything else I could be concerned about or maintenance I should do anything other than the Audi recommended maintenance?