yabi

It's been since six weeks since I installed the DTUK piggyback tuner on my B9 S4 and I wanted to take a moment to share some feedback of the purchase, customer service, and performance of the device. Before I begin to share my experience, I want to set the level straight that I am not a car guy - meaning I cannot tell you about engine sizes or how a car actually works, but I do enjoy cars. From driving them, attending car shows, and visiting my local auto park on a regular basis to see what's new, cars are something that gives me pleasure. Every car I've owned I've modified to make it unique to me and I am very open minded that not everything people do to their cars will be agreed upon by someone else. I preference that because I know that some people are very hesitant on installing any piggyback on their vehicle; if that's you, great - for those who like to explore, I hope that you find value in what I am about to share.

Prefix
My first experience with a tuner was for a previously owned Dodge Charger R/T. While the car had a decent amount of go for a full size sedan, I stumped across a Jet chip which guaranteed improved throttle response, acceleration and low end torque plus a 25 horsepower gain. The simplicity of the install and the way the car handled was well worth the $300+ asking price. Out of all the modifications I did to the Charger, the simple little Jetchip made all the difference in the world to me with that car at that time. This experience is what I was seeking with the B9 S4 which lead me to where I am today.

Pre-purchase and Purchase
Like most, I was very hesitant in choosing a tuner that's based out of the UK. I spent countless hours navigating the rather useless DTUK UK website until I stumbled on Aaron from DT-Power. At the time, Aaron just became a local US distributor of DTUK and launched a very clean and easy to navigate website. After reading countless forums post from various websites, I decided to reach out to him to learn more about the device and was greeted by prompt, friendly service unlike I've experienced before. Within two or three PM's, Aaron reached out to me via the telephone and spend almost a good hour discussing the DTUK, Audi, S4, and other cool products to consider (which he does not represent). I was in awe of this charisma and knowledge about the car that I decided to take the leap into the DTUK Tune Box. Within moments I received an email confirmation and delivery was at the door within two business days. Needless to say, the shipping and handling was extremely fast and unexpected from a family-owned business.

Unboxing and Installation
The package arrived in perfect condition. Inside the box was the tuner, the wire loom, wire ties, and a multi-page guide that covered installation (with pictures), programing steps, and a little about the device it self. I spent a good 20-30 minutes reviewing the instructions and looking at my engine on how I would connect the device and run the wires in a way that would allow for seamless removal and reinstallation. I decided to go with velcro tape for the tuner and to run the wires in a weaving pattern that would eliminate the need to use the wire ties, yet well enough routed that they would not shift around during driving. Once I've laid out my wires and mounted the box with velcro it was on to connecting the sensors. There are three sensors in total that you will need to disconnect from the car, plug into the wire harness, and plug the wire harness into the car. Disconnecting the factory sensors was fairly simple as they are secured with a retractable clip which once pressed down allow the plug to slide out effortlessly. The only caveat is the plug to the far left (facing the engine). Do to the position of this plug it can take a little time to finagle it out and slide the tuner's plug in. My recommendation is to take your time and do not rush. Once you learn how to slide the plug out it's easy to do again, your fingers just need to learn how to release the clip and move it away in a limited amount of space.

After the unit was connected I did take an opportunity to review the install with Aaron who was kind enough to FaceTime me to verify that the unit was connected properly and spent extra time walking me through assigning maps.

Tuning and Results
The unit has three maps. As I understand, all the maps provide the same gains it's more about how the gains are applied (faster/harder or slower/softer). Map 1 is the most aggressive while Map 2 is considered conservative. If you purchased the DTUK directly from the UK, Map 3 is economy while if you purchased the unit from DT Power, Map 3 is a special USDM map made specifically for US-based vehicles. Each map has seven settings, 3,2,1,0,-1,-2,-3. At first I assumed that 0 was baseline and the + and - either made the map more or less intense; however, I later learned that the map starts at 0 and increases each step from -3 up to +3. For example; you start at Map 1/0, then go to Map 1/-3, then Map 1/-2, and so on up to Map 1/+3. Based on Aaron's recommendation, I started out with map 3/-2 based. I took the car out of the garage and immediately noticed a difference in the way the car responded. As I drove down the highway the car felt like it was more nimble. If I hit the gas, the car went without a sensation of lag or hesitation. In one moment I was transported back to when I chipped the Charger - that feeling that you are one with the vehicle. If you want to go, you go. Immediately I saw the value in the tuner and was extremely satisfied with the results. The next morning I was excited to go to work, specifically the "driving there" part. Personally anything that makes going to work more enjoyable should be priceless to begin with. Please don't get me wrong, I love my job but now I love the commute as well (can't believe I just said that). Recently a co-worker who owns a new RS3 took a test ride with me and commented that he thought the car pulled just as hard as his and is now looking to purchase a tuner for himself. I'm not extremely familiar with the RS3 but I took it as a compliment.

After six weeks I've must have adapted to the extra performance as removing the box to take the car into service made the driving experience feel surprisingly flat. My service was fine, everything checked out normal and there was no trace residue of the tuner being installed (which is what you'd expect from a piggyback). Once I got the car back from service the box went immediately back in taking only minutes to reinstall and set the tune.

"Picky" Criticism
1. I'm very grateful that Aaron provided the time to explain each map with me. Without him there is really no guidance on map settings or even where to start. As I understand, no two cars perform the same so it makes it hard to create baselines and recommendations which makes this hard for someone like me that's learning as I go.
2. Having to open the hood to change the Map setting each time can be annoying when you first start experimenting with the settings. Once you find a setting you like it's less a problem since you won't be changing it as frequently. Also, there is now a Bluetooth controlled version that's out which would eliminate this hassle.
3. While the car is more agile then before there still seem to be an initial pedal to acceleration lag. It's minor and it's most likely the ECU trying to make the engine more efficient based on my driving daily habits. But when I need to go, I need to go! I am hoping that the PedalBox further eliminates this feeling and will post a review once I acquire one.

Conclusion
Overall I am deeply satisfied with the performance and have been wow'ed by DT-Power's customer service. Even after a week of owning the box, Aaron reached out to see how everything was going and we still keep in touch for the occasionally "this is what I done to the car recently" talk. I mentioned before that I am not a car guy and lack the talent to replace engine parts or even know what half of the stuff is under the hood, so if I can install and operate this tuner anyone can. Finally, while it may be pricey at first glance the dollar to performance gain is extremely good. I've seen people add air intakes for almost the same amount of money with much less performance gains and this is less intrusive than such. In short, my wive is looking at an A5 for a future purchase and my gift to her will be a DTUK tuner from DT-Power.

Lessons Learned: Some maps might be too aggressive if your S4 is stock which might throw a CEL. This happened to me while I experimented with various tunes to see what worked best. When I experienced a CEL I simply pulled over, dialed down the map, power cycled the car and drove normal. The CEL was non-persistent and the car operated as expected once the power cycle was completed. Also, before you install be sure to allow your engine to cool. Your hands will be really close to parts that could potentially burn you if the engine is too hot. Finally, there is a Facebook group for DTUK owners that purchased through DT-Power. While there's not a lot of chatter on the group today I can see this being a hidden value as people use it to discuss settings, results, etc. Be sure to ask for an invite and say "hi" when you join.




Clean and easy to remove install of a DTUK tuner in a B9 S4