What is the cheapest Stage 1 option?

[arjun90]

What is the cheapest Stage 1 option? Is Integrated Engineering the way to go for Stage 1? I was thinking of maintaining the same intake box, but instead of using the stock inlet, was thinking of the Silicone 034 Motorsport, will it make any difference?

[johnhol78]

Persoanlly I'd go with 034 (it's what i have) the team over there are very responsive and they have the TCU tune which is a huge benefit for the stage 1 tune.....any stage 1 tune.

Silicon hose will work - just mod the inlet box.

[Discipulus]

Persoanlly I'd go with 034 (it's what i have) the team over there are very responsive and they have the TCU tune which is a huge benefit for the stage 1 tune.....any stage 1 tune.

Silicon hose will work - just mod the inlet box.

Ditto - if I was to start over again I'd go with 034 as well. Really the TCU tune makes the car so much more driveable and friendly in D mode as well as snappy and responsive in the perfect way in S mode.

[RoofRails]

I believe the 034 STG 1 tune just went off sale but they dropped the regular MSRP down to 850.00. So Im another vote for 034.

[Norskie]

Persoanlly I'd go with 034 (it's what i have) the team over there are very responsive and they have the TCU tune which is a huge benefit for the stage 1 tune.....any stage 1 tune.

Silicon hose will work - just mod the inlet box.

I think their TCU is only for the DSG, not the ZF8.

Cheapest appears to be the JB4 but it's sort of an 'unknown' regarding comparing it with EPL / IE / 034 S1's.

Cheapest might be a used EPL S1 if you can find / negotiate it.

[arjun90]

I see the 034 Tune for $850, but is it only for the ECU? https://store.034motorsport.com/b8-b...al-pulley.html

Is there a TCU Tune? I plan to stick with single pulley

I don't want to go with coilovers yet, but as far as general suspension components go, any thoughts on swapping out the front and rear sway bars to complement this tune? Or would I be fine with the stock suspension?
I have two sway bar links by Lemforder; planning to remove the plastic links from the Q5 and install these all-aluminum sway bar links

[Me_in_NY]

034 does have a ZF8 TCU tune , but it’s not advertised yet. If you reach out to them they can provide you with an invoice including price of TCU file.

[RoofRails]

Once you buy their ECU they will set you up with their ZF8 Beta tune for 250.00.

I see the 034 Tune for $850, but is it only for the ECU? https://store.034motorsport.com/b8-b...al-pulley.html

Is there a TCU Tune? I plan to stick with single pulley

I don't want to go with coilovers yet, but as far as general suspension components go, any thoughts on swapping out the front and rear sway bars to complement this tune? Or would I be fine with the stock suspension?
I have two sway bar links by Lemforder; planning to remove the plastic links from the Q5 and install these all-aluminum sway bar links

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[arjun90]

Is anyone here against maintaining a single pulley?

[miggity02]

I have the 034 ECU stg1/TCU tune and they are great. You will need to add the end user cable though as you are not local so add $150 but that means you can flash through the stages and log as well as adjust the tcu tune to your heart's content. Add in the 034 silicone hose, mod the oem box and add an aFe performance filter and you're all set for some fun! My final plan is stage 2 single pulley so that I can minimize my cat burnout risk that some dual pulley cars see.

[johnhol78]

So I went with the Stage 1 034 and an intake, plus the TCU tune.

Then went with the crank pulley from 034 over the upper SC pulley as it's a weak point....then the upgrade to Stage 2 was cheap.

Ypu really wouldn't be disappointed. Turns it into a different animal. The SC whine with a single pulley upgrade is addictive...and turns head as I found earlier when i pulled away and some dude spun around.

[miggity02]

As johnhol78 said above, I will be going with the crank pulley as well as the OEM one is a 2 piece design that is a wear item and tends to fail and the new 034, jhm etc crank pulleys are one piece design so you eliminate the problem while adding powa!

[arjun90]

I don't want to ruin my cats, thus going with the 034 crank pulley might be the best choice. I won't get the SC whine if I don't modify the stock air box, right?

[johnhol78]

I don't want to ruin my cats, thus going with the 034 crank pulley might be the best choice. I won't get the SC whine if I don't modify the stock air box, right?

Slightly more whine as it’s spinning faster and the silicon tube adds a tiny bit.

But won’t be loud like mine with an open intake


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[skroll116]

You don't have to mod the air box. Just replacing the throttle body hose with the 034 silicone one will get you more whine. It will get louder if and when you go Stage 2.

I went EPL ECU and TCU and am currently at Stage 2 single pulley and not going anywhere from here as I don't want to worry about cooling. Stage 1 was fun, but going Stage 2 gets that supercharger spinning quicker and the initial low end power it provides it what I'm really liking. You go from 5mph to 40mph rather quickly which is what I can do where I live and drive. Obviously it keeps pulling well beyond 40mph, but with just Stage 1 I found you didn't notice much until you got above 30mph and then it kicked in.

Off the line it's quick, but if that is your focus you will be looking at more than Stage 2 single pulley. But, when driving (at any speed) and you drop it into Sport and get on it she moves and pushes you into your seat.

[simy]

Wondering if it's worth switching to the 034 tune from my EPL Stage 1 (91 octane). 034 states about 430hp crank HP and I think EPL is a touch under 400hp. Sounds like 034 has a ZF TCU available now as well so that's ideal. I'll go stage 2 single pulley (prob 179mm crank) at some point but wanted to know if it's worth switching. EPL customer service is top notch.

[johnhol78]

Wondering if it's worth switching to the 034 tune from my EPL Stage 1 (91 octane). 034 states about 430hp crank HP and I think EPL is a touch under 400hp. Sounds like 034 has a ZF TCU available now as well so that's ideal. I'll go stage 2 single pulley (prob 179mm crank) at some point but wanted to know if it's worth switching. EPL customer service is top notch.

EPL is a more reserved tune compared to 034 and IE. You’re not getting the full potential from a stage 1 but it’s what your comfortable with....personal choice.

Seen a lot of people selling their EPL tunes and switching.....


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[miggity02]

Wondering if it's worth switching to the 034 tune from my EPL Stage 1 (91 octane). 034 states about 430hp crank HP and I think EPL is a touch under 400hp. Sounds like 034 has a ZF TCU available now as well so that's ideal. I'll go stage 2 single pulley (prob 179mm crank) at some point but wanted to know if it's worth switching. EPL customer service is top notch.

I would recommend the switch if you're able to swing it. Email 034 and see if they have a switch over discount (I think they do), that should help with the cost aspect. Then get the TCU at the same time and I'm sure there's a deal to be had. OR keep your EPL and just get the 034 tcu flash. They are about to release all that 2-step launch control blah blah stuff in the tcu tune so if you're into that stuff it'll be there!

[FellowM3]

I have the 034 ECU stg1/TCU tune and they are great. You will need to add the end user cable though as you are not local so add $150 but that means you can flash through the stages and log as well as adjust the tcu tune to your heart's content. Add in the 034 silicone hose, mod the oem box and add an aFe performance filter and you're all set for some fun! My final plan is stage 2 single pulley so that I can minimize my cat burnout risk that some dual pulley cars see.

Do you have a link you could send for stock intake box mod? Seems there are so many different takes on this, not sure what is the easiest/cheapest while maintaining stock.

Just ordered the 034 stg 1 ECU tune and the TCU tune, and got the silicone tube as well.

[Clun9]

As johnhol78 said above, I will be going with the crank pulley as well as the OEM one is a 2 piece design that is a wear item and tends to fail and the new 034, jhm etc crank pulleys are one piece design so you eliminate the problem while adding powa!

I don’t think I have seen you around. I’m in UC.

Dual pulley 034 Stage 2 (57/190) 91 tune and one of the early ZF Beta tunes being that I have been running it since the beginning of the year.

[flyfishing]

cheapest is waiting for someone to sell their epl tune.

[MSq5]

EPL is a more reserved tune compared to 034 and IE. You’re not getting the full potential from a stage 1 but it’s what your comfortable with....personal choice.

Seen a lot of people selling their EPL tunes and switching.....


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I agree that it may be a bit softer, but they seem to be better at avoiding cat failure and S/C tank leaks. My speculation is that EPL is more careful about exhaust gas temps and perhaps a degree or so conservative on timing. Not a bad thing if the car is your daily driver.

Customer service is outstanding.

I started out with their stage 1, then single pulley stage 2, now running their dual pulley stage 2 93 octane tune. Stock cats are still holding. 0-60 is 3.8, quarter in about 12.1. Stock exhaust all the way back. Some other tunes might be a couple tenths faster, but many of those guys already have gutted cats or test pipes.

All their tunes have been very smooth, with no odd behavior in any mode, whether part-throttle or wide open. I'm now running HP Tuners ZF8 self-tuned TCU with start-up help from others here, shifting at 7,000 rpm and 7,300 for 4>5.

[miggity02]

Do you have a link you could send for stock intake box mod? Seems there are so many different takes on this, not sure what is the easiest/cheapest while maintaining stock.

Just ordered the 034 stg 1 ECU tune and the TCU tune, and got the silicone tube as well.

There are a few threads about the stock box mod:

https://www.audizine.com/forum/showt...e-stock-airbox
https://www.audizine.com/forum/showt...t-to-fog-grill

[miggity02]

I don’t think I have seen you around. I’m in UC.

Dual pulley 034 Stage 2 (57/190) 91 tune and one of the early ZF Beta tunes being that I have been running it since the beginning of the year.

Hey! Yeah I don't get down that way a whole lot but maybe a local SQ meet is in order? I think I've seen a few of us here on the forum.

[djn876]

I don't want to ruin my cats, thus going with the 034 crank pulley might be the best choice. I won't get the SC whine if I don't modify the stock air box, right?

Correct on whine. Cats can fail and do on a stock tune, and I don't think one tune over another is going to make much of a difference especially at stage 1 as long as you aren't putting a ton of unburned fuel into the catalyst. This was more prevalent in early s4 models and I haven't seen nearly as many q5s with issues. I've been dual pulley for a few years now and my cats look fine. A lot of people do them proactively so who knows how long they would have lasted.

Personally I think the cat issues are more caused by intercooler leaks or excessive oil consumption, but that's just a theory. It seems though that as the IC failures went down with later revisions, the cats became more reliable.

Doing the crank or SC pulley makes no difference in reliability as they both cause the charger to spin at a particular speed and will result in the same power generation.

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[MSq5]

Do you have a link you could send for stock intake box mod? Seems there are so many different takes on this, not sure what is the easiest/cheapest while maintaining stock.

Just ordered the 034 stg 1 ECU tune and the TCU tune, and got the silicone tube as well.

Just pull the box out and open up the molded circle near the bottom of the cold side, like this:

[Clun9]

Hey! Yeah I don't get down that way a whole lot but maybe a local SQ meet is in order? I think I've seen a few of us here on the forum.

Yah, we have a local fb messenger group for a lot of the local SQ/Q5 guys.
I may have added you recently on IG as well?