geedoh

Hello all!

Not a regular poster, but a frequent reader and 6 month Sepang Blue owner!

Love the car, mostly, but find the low-end torque in "D" to be lackluster. "S" is MUCH better, but hangs in 2nd for waaay too long. So, I'm considering a tune.

I was first considering an ECU Stage 1, but increased power is not much of a concern - I think it is plenty fast! Question is: can I perform a TCU upgrade on stock ECU? And more importantly, will I notice a difference while in "D"? Or should I plan on doing both updates?

Thinking about Unitronic - I like the ability to flash at home. THANKS!

markN1689

yeah it takes time to get used to it. when i'm in s mode i manually upshift from 2nd to 3rd. if you hold the paddle for the upshift it won't put the trans into manual mode.

will13k7

it still hangs in 2nd w/ the apr tcu tune in 's' mode, but 'd' is way more useable and responsive to the need for acceleration by willing to downshift way way sooner that the oem programming would.

geedoh

I'm really looking for a more useable Automatic mode - more aggressive than "D", with better shift points than "S". I've also been "manually" upshifting from "D2", but a bit cumbersome (and slow to upshift).

@will13k7 - how is it more "useable" in "D"? does it idle higher, feel like there is more low-end torque?

will13k7

It basically defeats the annoying econo programming of the throttle. One of my biggest gripes with modern cars.

As an example, often times I get stuck behind some idiot trying to merge onto the freeway going 40-50mph, I want to quickly speed up and get over, but I don't need anywhere near WOT to gain enough speed. With the oem programming, the car won't shift down right away, you have to give it 50%+ throttle for multiple seconds before it will finally shift down, meanwhile, your not getting the accelerating you want and the time lost ruins your chance to get over, and sometimes you end up giving it way more throttle to get the damn car to downshift and suddenly your accelerating way too much for the need. With the APR TCU tune, it will downshift immediately, giving you the acceleration you want right away.

scutchins

I really like my car, but I must admit that the transmission programming does it's best to ruin the experience on a daily basis. I can't stand how quickly it upshifts, drives me absolutely crazy.

Make a right from a stopsign, by the time you're half way through the turn but still at single-digit speeds and ready to accelerate you're already in 2nd.

Cruise down the road at 36mph, go to lightly accelerate and the car is flat on its face in 6th gear. What the hell?!

Another one... slow down to make a right turn from 6th gear, make your turn at a fairly low speed, let's say 15 or so mph, go to acccelerate and.... you're in 4th. You could always pull the shifter back into S but that ups the revs of the engine which I don't need during normal around-town driving.

949

I have noticed with posts that these tcu upgrades are mostly aggressive mapping geared towards wot driving styles. I have no experience with these tunes but I have now hesitated towards this. as you will notice that the adverts states the tcu tunes are recommended with ecu power tunes they sell. that will lend to the fact that the tcu tunes are meant more for power shifting and not daily driven modes. I would like to see adverts that say this particular tcu tune is perfect for the stock ecu.

arU4ic

Sorry to be a dry blanket at your wet blanket party, but really S mode? D mode? Why aren't you manually shifting when accelerating sporty-like? (I'm really asking, not just being obnoxious).

will13k7

I used to always put the car in manual mode when merging on freeways, after the tcu tune, I just leave it in D. Not always in the mood for manual mode, tired/lazy sometimes. Also partly why I stopped driving manual cars after 15yrs straight.

Jjc23

I would recommend getting the go fast bits diverter value. I installed it on my 2016 A3 about 3 weeks ago now and what a huge difference it makes. Throttle response is much smoother, faster and it really holds the turbo longer. I was very skeptical about the product before I bought it but it is one of the best mods I have done. Just a recommendation