Stage 1 tune

[kambouris]

I’m trying to run a stage one tune but I can’t spend that much money and I want something reliable. Anyone have a tuning company in mind?

[naiku]

They all cost about the same, if you know someone with a JHM cable then you could go that way, think it is $595 for the tune (if you need the cable, its an additional $150, but at least you could resell the cable). Think APR is $700? Not sure how much Unitronic costs.

[kambouris]

They all cost about the same, if you know someone with a JHM cable then you could go that way, think it is $595 for the tune (if you need the cable, its an additional $150, but at least you could resell the cable). Think APR is $700? Not sure how much Unitronic costs.

Thanks for the help I’ll look into it

[EvolutionArmory]

If you’re worried about the cost of a quality tune, maybe modding isn’t right for you?

A good tune is going to set you back about 600. Save up until you can part with the money to do it right and not worry about it. Stay away from the basement or garage tuning companies that ask you to send in an ECU for 350 bucks and give you some unproven tune.

GIAC, Unitronic, APR, United Motorsport and the rest are all going to get you about the same gains so when you’re ready, get a tune from the tuner that has a dealer closest to where you live.

[vce1232000]

here's your opertunity to purchase a stage 1 tune from JHM for $500.00 [;)] https://www.audizine.com/forum/showthread.php/860668-JHM-tune-credit?highlight=tune

[IronAudi]

034 motorsports has one for $400

https://store.034motorsport.com/034motorsport-b7-audi-a4-2-0t-fsi-performance-software.html

[kambouris]

How reliable are these tunes

[Jay-Bee]

How reliable are these tunes

It correlates to exactly how reliable "your" car is...

[kambouris]

It correlates to exactly how reliable "your" car is...

I mean I had a carbon clean on it not too long ago always fill with 91-94 and timing chain done with new dv and I don’t really drive it that fast often so it’s been good to me

[EvolutionArmory]

I mean I had a carbon clean on it not too long ago always fill with 91-94 and timing chain done with new dv and I don’t really drive it that fast often so it’s been good to me

Any tune will make your car perform outside of what the OEM part was meant to operate at on a daily basis. The tunes are generally considered safe but not all tuners are created equal and not all cars have the required maintenance to stay reliable with a tune.

Your question has a multifaceted answer. There is no yes or no. Stick with the name brand tuning companies and make sure your maintenance is up to date and you’ll probably be fine though.

[Theiceman]

I considered getting a tune for my son for christmas. I thought it would be a neat idea and something different. Besides, im sure his mom would hate it , so the perfect gift right ?

But after doing a bit of reading i found quite a few people underwhelmed with a stage one tune.. so i might spend more and get a K04 at some point as i think he would like that better.

With the exchange it is really expensive for even a stage one .. so if im going to spend coin i want him to get good bang for the buck ....

Im juust a little concerned with all the other things i would have to do to the car and im not sure this platform is worth investing that much money in .

Im not a "mod" guy so not sure what would give good bang for the buck.

[vce1232000]

I considered getting a tune for my son for christmas. I thought it would be a neat idea and something different. Besides, im sure his mom would hate it , so the perfect gift right ?

But after doing a bit of reading i found quite a few people underwhelmed with a stage one tune.. so i might spend more and get a K04 at some point as i think he would like that better.

With the exchange it is really expensive for even a stage one .. so if im going to spend coin i want him to get good bang for the buck ....

Im juust a little concerned with all the other things i would have to do to the car and im not sure this platform is worth investing that much money in .

Im not a "mod" guy so not sure what would give good bang for the buck.

Your opertunity also[;)].$500.00 Xmas gift https://www.audizine.com/forum/showt...highlight=tune

[Jeevan]

It correlates to exactly how reliable "your" car is...

I have to applaud this answer. Salute

[EvolutionArmory]

I considered getting a tune for my son for christmas. I thought it would be a neat idea and something different. Besides, im sure his mom would hate it , so the perfect gift right ?

But after doing a bit of reading i found quite a few people underwhelmed with a stage one tune.. so i might spend more and get a K04 at some point as i think he would like that better.

With the exchange it is really expensive for even a stage one .. so if im going to spend coin i want him to get good bang for the buck ....

Im juust a little concerned with all the other things i would have to do to the car and im not sure this platform is worth investing that much money in .

Im not a "mod" guy so not sure what would give good bang for the buck.

A K04 kit and all the supporting mods to run correctly it will cost more than the car. Keep that in mind. A turbo, injectors, tune, high pressure fuel pump upgrade at the minimum. Then add a turboback exhaust and FMIC. Then add the maintenance expenses of running an extra 150 HP. You’re an awesome pop for just considering a gift like that for your kid but that’s a lot of dough. 🤣

Maybe a stage 2 tune, high pressure fuel pump upgrade and a turboback exhaust would be a better present. That’s still 2000 USD but better than 6000 USD.

[Jay-Bee]

I considered getting a tune for my son for christmas.

...

But after doing a bit of reading i found quite a few people underwhelmed with a stage one tune..

The only way you'd be underwhelmed with a stage 1 upgrade is if your previous car was something with 300+ hp and you were only really happy at that power level.

Stage 1 is quite an impressive gain, and it's the best Horsepower per dollar ratio you can get IMO. I've had mine tuned for 5-6 months and it's quite enjoyable and I haven't experienced a single issue. Now it just feels like how the car should have been from factory, the extra torque at part throttle is where the benefit really shines.

There's a great thread detailing 3 of the big name tunes and some further into on them, but it is a bit dated; APR-vs-GIAC-vs-REVO-software-comparison-with-datalogs-and-dyno-charts (https://www.audizine.com/forum/showthread.php/85612-APR-vs-GIAC-vs-REVO-software-comparison-with-datalogs-and-dyno-charts/page2?highlight=apr+vs+giac+vs+revo&pp=30)

[krewbrew]

I agree with the previous post. A stage 1 tune is cost-effective and will wake that ride up.

[kambouris]

I considered getting a tune for my son for christmas. I thought it would be a neat idea and something different. Besides, im sure his mom would hate it , so the perfect gift right ?

But after doing a bit of reading i found quite a few people underwhelmed with a stage one tune.. so i might spend more and get a K04 at some point as i think he would like that better.

With the exchange it is really expensive for even a stage one .. so if im going to spend coin i want him to get good bang for the buck ....

Im juust a little concerned with all the other things i would have to do to the car and im not sure this platform is worth investing that much money in .

Im not a "mod" guy so not sure what would give good bang for the buck.

I wish my dad would get me a tune for Christmas I’m 17 that would be the best gift ever

[Jayz691]

I considered getting a tune for my son for christmas. I thought it would be a neat idea and something different. Besides, im sure his mom would hate it , so the perfect gift right ?

But after doing a bit of reading i found quite a few people underwhelmed with a stage one tune.. so i might spend more and get a K04 at some point as i think he would like that better.

With the exchange it is really expensive for even a stage one .. so if im going to spend coin i want him to get good bang for the buck ....

Im juust a little concerned with all the other things i would have to do to the car and im not sure this platform is worth investing that much money in .

Im not a "mod" guy so not sure what would give good bang for the buck.A stage 1 tune is the best bang for buck mod. $600 for bout 40-50hp and 70-80ftlb tq. Can't beat it.

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[Jayz691]

I'm looking at going stage 1 in spring, and prob going IE. Greatvprice, home flashing, great diag with their dongle, and you can log, and send them your logs for adjustments on tune. All that for $600 or less.

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[Jay-Bee]

Unitronic is advertising 100$/10% off tunes right now, not sure if Canadian distributors are on board, use their site to find nearest dealer and check in.

Maybe watch for some boxing day sales.

[kambouris]

Unitronic is advertising 100$/10% off tunes right now, not sure if Canadian distributors are on board, use their site to find nearest dealer and check in.

Maybe watch for some boxing day sales.

There’s a unitronic dealer in the city I live in Canada I’ll ask them

[jamerican1]

I know my JHM stage 1 tune was far superior to my Unitronic stage 1+. It's a newer tune than most of what is available from APR, Unitronic and etc. Just my $0.02

[lumberwood]

How long have you been running the JHM tune? Any comments or concerns to note? I'm also in the market for an ecu tune soon...

[gotrek]

If you go jhm I have a cheetah cable I could lend you since you're in canuckistan. Just pay for shipping to you and back to me.

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[lumberwood]

If you go jhm I have a cheetah cable I could lend you since you're in canuckistan. Just pay for shipping to you and back to me.

Sent from my SM-G950W using TapatalkMight kind of you, thx!
Which tune do you have? Like it, love it, hate it?....

[gotrek]

No tune :) I was planning on getting jhm tune but my other car died and diverted funds temporarily.

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[lumberwood]

No tune :) I was planning on getting jhm tune but my other car died and diverted funds temporarily.

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I'm actually very on the fence now having just read EvolutionArmory's long thread "Please help me figure out why my car is so slow" about dealing with JHM and their products....
But if I do go their way I'll DM you. Thx again.

Sorry to hear about the dead car, hope it works out! [emoji123]

[EvolutionArmory]

I'm actually very on the fence now having just read EvolutionArmory's long thread "Please help me figure out why my car is so slow" about dealing with JHM and their products....
But if I do go their way I'll DM you. Thx again.

Sorry to hear about the dead car, hope it works out! [emoji123]

Find a GIAC dealer. If their stage 1 tune is half as good as their K04 tune, you’ll love it. GIAC doesn’t get much press around here but their tunes have always been good.

[lumberwood]

Find a GIAC dealer. If their stage 1 tune is half as good as their K04 tune, you’ll love it. GIAC doesn’t get much press around here but their tunes have always been good.Thanks for the recommendation. Looks like there are a couple dealers listed in my area. Will check them out.

[UniDubber]

I would recommend APR stage1. I had it installed on my B5 Passat years ago. It really woke the car up and made it fun to drive. Ran it for about 50k miles with zero issues, then the car was totaled. I’ve been running the same tune on my B7 A4 for over 100k miles, and again zero issues. Tune was installed around 50k miles, car now has 158k, still on original turbo, and still pulls hard. By far the best money I’ve spent on performance upgrades!

[StylinS-line]

I would recommend APR stage1. I had it installed on my B5 Passat years ago. It really woke the car up and made it fun to drive. Ran it for about 50k miles with zero issues, then the car was totaled. I’ve been running the same tune on my B7 A4 for over 100k miles, and again zero issues. Tune was installed around 50k miles, car now has 158k, still on original turbo, and still pulls hard. By far the best money I’ve spent on performance upgrades!

I literally just did this to my avant , apr was the closest tune available to my location and had a sale going on til the end of December ,had it done Monday and instead of 11lbs of boost , it’s at 17 and it pulls so much better than before , I didn’t tell the misses (saving for house) and we were in traffic next to each other today and it just walked on her Car (hers is a 6spd ) I didn’t have a good excuse as to why my heavy ass wagon was so Much faster than her sedan lol, I just said I’ll blow this bitch up before I lose to ya lmao.

But any reputable stage 1 tune will Be waaaayyyy better than stock, I may upgrade the exhaust (it needs it)and go stage 2 and pay the small fee to upgrade in the spring, overall for the 2 days I’ve had it, I’m happy

[jamerican1]

How long have you been running the JHM tune? Any comments or concerns to note? I'm also in the market for an ecu tune soon...

I had a B5 A4 1.8t back in 06 or so (still have it). Ran Unitronic's stage 1 then went k04 and used Unitronic for that set up too. Got my first B7 in 2010 and of course stayed with Unitronic since I hadn't had any problems with them. JHM released their stage 1 2014 and after multiple positive reviews I figured I would give it a try. It out performed my Unitronic tune and I was so impressed that I ended up buying a bunch more of their stuff. Long story short, my experience with SOME of their products, including a couple of their off the shelf k03 tunes has been great.

At the end of the day, go with what makes you comfortable. I still have 2 b7's with JHM's tunes. But I definitely would not be running their k04 tune if I had a k04.

[lumberwood]

I had a B5 A4 1.8t back in 06 or so (still have it). Ran Unitronic's stage 1 then went k04 and used Unitronic for that set up too. Got my first B7 in 2010 and of course stayed with Unitronic since I hadn't had any problems with them. JHM released their stage 1 2014 and after multiple positive reviews I figured I would give it a try. It out performed my Unitronic tune and I was so impressed that I ended up buying a bunch more of their stuff. Long story short, my experience with SOME of their products, including a couple of their off the shelf k03 tunes has been great.

At the end of the day, go with what makes you comfortable. I still have 2 b7's with JHM's tunes. But I definitely would not be running their k04 tune if I had a k04.

Glad to hear you're happy with the tunes. They wouldn't still be in business if they weren't getting something right, so makes sense there are JHM highlights to note as well.

Reliability is really important for me, this is my daily. So far everyone seems to be really pleased with their respective tunes and still loving them after many miles which is awesome, it means I have a list to choose from and can pick a favourite shop to do bring my business to and not be too trapped by the tunes on offer (or not on offer).

Thanks to all for the input. Happy new year!

[Jeevan]

Glad to hear you're happy with the tunes. They wouldn't still be in business if they weren't getting something right, so makes sense there are JHM highlights to note as well.

Reliability is really important for me, this is my daily. So far everyone seems to be really pleased with their respective tunes and still loving them after many miles which is awesome, it means I have a list to choose from and can pick a favourite shop to do bring my business to and not be too trapped by the tunes on offer (or not on offer).

Thanks to all for the input. Happy new year!

There is a proverb out there. “Never tune your daily”


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[EvolutionArmory]

There is a proverb out there. “Never tune your daily”


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I stage 3’d mine. 60K on it since the upgrade and the car’s never been better. 😀

[lumberwood]

I stage 3’d mine. 60K on it since the upgrade and the car’s never been better. [emoji3]Exactly! Plenty of tuned daily's on this site, just doing my best to eliminate the shit tunes and unknowns before taking an acceptable level of risk (at least what I'm comfortable with, can't speak for others).

[vce1232000]

I stage 3’d mine. 60K on it since the upgrade and the car’s never been better. 😀


Exactly! Plenty of tuned daily's on this site, just doing my best to eliminate the shit tunes and unknowns before taking an acceptable level of risk (at least what I'm comfortable with, can't speak for others).

Ive [wrench] KO4 & tune going on 100k now [up]