I Tried Chipwerks But Now I Want a Real Tune

[kcrunch]

I know there are a million threads on this, and I've actually read through most of the 50+ page Chipwerks vs Stage I thread. I've tried the Chipwerks Pro and I was impressed by the power gains, but even trying different settings the jerkiness just made it unpleasant as a daily driver. I'm not looking to go to the drag strip but more power would be fun as long the car is still comfortable as a DD. I'm mainly interested in Stage I. So I have a few specific questions:

1) Are the various Stage I tunes from EPL, APR, Revo etc. smooth for daily driving, and do the add a noticeable improvement without stage 2? I'm hoping for some unbiased personal experiences here?

2) Is DSG tune necessary if I'm not racing or trying to get the best drag times?

3) What is the best deal for Stage I tune or Stage I + DSG? Are any companies giving some discount for upgrade from CW? It seems like there are always specials going but some are expired etc.

[TexasDfwS4]

Unitronic and you tune from home. I love my tune and it's nice to change back to stock at will.

[taythecoug]

Same thing happened to me. Loved the pull of Chipwerke and the power, but the jerkiness was not ideal.

I think for a 6MT it would be awesome. I do like was TexasDfwS4 said - that is interesting.

[DKo5]

I went from CW Pro to EPL Stage 1, then added TCU a few months after that. Now I have dual pulleys waiting to be installed.

CW to Stage 1 was similar in overall power, but with the tune just being much smoother and livable for daily driving. I had the weird bogging between shifts with the CW Pro, and it was smoothed over entirely with EPL Stage 1.

TCU tune does make the DSG slightly more comfortable in daily driving, with the added benefit of higher redline since I've got a B8.5. The increased redline helps tremendously for freeway onramps and such. I appreciate it daily, despite not being a track guy.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

[sangaroo]

1) Gains are noticeable with both stg 1 and stg 2. And my car was smooth with stg 1 and still smooth with stg 2.
2) DSG tune adds more fun. It's worth it.
3) I haven't seen any company giving discount for CW users. I recommend using a shop/dealer whoever is most convenient.

Sales are normally around major holidays and during tax return season.

[kcrunch]

Thanks for the replies. I like the idea of Unitronic or EPL where you can switch from home. Unitronic does not have a DSG tune available for B8.5 as far as I can tell. How well does Unitronic Stage 1 and/or 2 do without the DSG?

[jimrobbington]

You could hold out a little longer. Last I heard 034 could maybe have some news this month on their impending software release. Could be an interesting introductory pricing I would imagine too.

[SR7D1]

You could hold out a little longer. Last I heard 034 could maybe have some news this month on their impending software release. Could be an interesting introductory pricing I would imagine too.

This. I have a CW-S and am also waiting on 034 as well.

[ojmcneill]

I picked up a Chipwerke Pro from a buddy on here. UPS says it's arriving later today and I'm like a kid at Christmas waiting. I fully realize I'll run this for about four months before pricing tunes. I'm leaning more towards EPL and Tony. All you hear is great things about his customer service and the ability to switch/do about everything from your home.
Man, is it COB yet??? Come on UPS driver!

[Chris@EPL]

Yes with our software you are able to flash at home, flash back to stock and install any updates. And we have the TCU tune as well as the stage 1, stage 2, stage 1 E85, stage 2 E85, stage 2 with dual pulley and stage 2 with dual pulley and E85.

[cjw]

I'm currently EPL stage 2 with TCU and had the Chipwerke Pro. I was happy with the Chipwerke, but would some bogging at times.

I ran EPL Stage 1 for a few months and it felt stronger than the Chipwerke and going from Stage 0 to 1 felt like a bigger jump than 1 to 2, so it's worth it. The TCU tune mostly feels like stock, but faster shifts, higher redline, more responsive paddles.

Unitronic would be considered, especially since they price their tunes in Canadian dollars, but they had no TCU tune.