SamLV

When doing my homework for a toy car, I did some fair amount of research before choosing an A6 over an S5. I drove a lot of cars, BMW, MB, Infiniti, and so on. The A6 won because I am in sales, and I'm 6'2" so the added cabin space was mandatory. Plus, I snagged a very very good deal fast on the A6 with almost exactly what I wanted.

That being said, of course I really wanted an S6. Recently divorced, that will have to wait, but the upside is the A6 will be the daily driver in 2015 with another car perhaps with an R in the name will be added.

I'm not entirely risk averse, and that means tuning the A6 in addition to aesthetic mods is on the table.

What I want to know is this -- is there any such thing as smart ECU tune on any stage which won't blow the engine?

Friends with big bags of money do tune their M5s and M3s fearlessly. But I'm not so lucky after the X wife event, and I know I'll void the warranty on some level and Audi is likely to find me out, so, fire away with your thoughts. What is my risk profile when tuning if I touch the ECU?

And is there really much of a boost from air intake and exhaust mods which, I think, will not void the warranty?

Thx in advance for putting up with what must be the 1,000th new guy to ask exactly those questions. Redirect to the right threads is most welcome, or, if there's a specific solid search term to hit pass it on.

SamLV

By the by, apologies for the typos. I'm typically on an iPad. It has a mind of its own sometimes. I'd edit the posts, but it doesn't look like I get that button. Yet.

jr'sAudiA6

There are 2 primary sources for tuning your A6. The companies are APR and GIAC. They both have excellent tunes. I have had GIAC's tune for about 2 years, with the stage 2 tune done about 1 year ago. I have had zero problems and regrets with the tune. GIAC's tune does offer the ability of switching between a stock, pump, race and valet tunes. The stock tune is not available once you get the stage 2 tune. A stage 2 tune for this engine changes the supercharge pulley to a smaller diameter pulley and changes the ECU SW to take advantage the pulley change. Hope this info helps.

SamLV

Gorgeous color on that car. I've read that if you can flip back to stock, then maybe, just maybe, Audi won't notice. I do see value in the valet mode, because nobody wants a Ferris Bueuler moment.

I think if I tune the engine at all kit will be a stage one and I'll beef up the brakes too. It already feels like I need more stopping power stock. And the radar/laser systems.

jr'sAudiA6

As far as I know if the car is scanned by Audi via the dealer, regardless if you are in the stock tune, your car will get flagged TD1. That said, my dealer knows the car is tuned and as far as I know has not had the car scanned by Audi. I have had 2 recent, back in April of this year, warranty issues resolved with no problem by dealer. One was a bad thermostat causing overheating and the 2nd required replacement of my driveshaft due the failure of the center support bearing rubber tearing all the way around causing the driveshaft to move in the center support bearing assembly. I am almost out of warranty with 44K+ miles on the car. I have driven this car at many HPDE track events. The last track event back in April I ran the car both days using the race tune on 100 octane fuel and it performed great until I heard the driveshaft noise on the last lap of my last session of the day. I did not know at the time it was the driveshaft.

SamLV

Thx. Track day sounds like a blast. I'll get to one, for sure, with all three cameras in hand. I think it is time to build a rolling mount for the cameras. Gotta love shots with motion blur involved especially of such gorgeous machines.

NVThs1

This is my first car with a tune I went with APR personally. I have nothing bad to say about GIAC and they were my next choice, however I just decided that APR was more my speed. As to warranty repairs, my car has been pretty flawless. I have not had anything major go wrong with my 27k miles on the clock so far. My dealer knows as well my car is tuned. My advice would be to make friends with the service guys. I have 2 at my dealer that are big audi fans and aftermarket nuts so we talk about it often and they know how to handle the car in the shop.

Now as for intake and exhaust and the power boost. Honestly, there is some boost in power, but it is not significant. I had those two mods put on first and the exhuast was nice and sounds good and maybe I felt a boost, but it could be the placebo affect as well. The intake increases the cool sounds of the super charger, but again, no significant changes in my opinion to power. If the budget is tight, sink the money in the tune only. However if you want some sound with the go, look into the intake and exhaust. It is a nice finish.

As for track days, be prepared to eat up rubber. I have only done a couple and my summer tires are already showing wear. Not every mile of the 27k is on the summer rubber, yet if I did one more track day, I would have to replace them afterwards.

DB22

The first thing to do in tuning an A6 is to buy an S6. (I like something to look forward to)!

SamLV

Oh yeah, that thought is on my mind. Have to wait for the next bonus post divorce.

My guess is a track day will burn it into place.

huntergts

So which tune did you decide on? I think I'm going to go with APR since it lists higher HP an TQ gains then GAIC. Anyone know if they include a dyno run with the tune to demonstrate the effects?