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The Who Knows thread about mods

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Old 06-19-2018, 12:40 PM
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Default The Who Knows thread about mods

Ok I am a new Audi owner. So far I really like my TTS. I chose the 2016 because it was basically an mk2 RS after the upgrade in terms of speed performance. I was looking at the 2014 TTRS and according to factory specs it was the same as the refresh MK3 TTS. Now the RS is a bad scooter at 3.6 0 to 60. It definitely became a major sports car in terms of speed.

So I have 19K on my car. The warranty expires next October 2019. right now I have an appointment for the seat repair with Audi in Nashville. I have toyed with the idea of changing the rear spoiler but it seems like it will be kind of expensive and a little complicated. Here is the meat of the post. Why is there so much misinformation or misunderstanding when it comes to any performance modification?? I have searched the forums for solid information. I have also searched Youtube as well. other than TT owners there really is not a lot out there about a Stage 1 tune. Most videos are about the 500 to 600 HP mods which is insane for me as a daily driver.

So I called a german tune shop in Nashville. According to him I will see a 66 gain in horsepower and a bigger gain in torque. He said at the lower setting it is still one of the best Stage 1 mods that he has seen for any vehicle. obviously they deal with all German brands. He stated that he has done several Stage 1 tunes and that there has been no problem with the engine or any other issues. So after the Stage 1 my TTS should reach 0 to 60 in about 3.7 to 3.8 seconds. That is almost RS territory and that is quick for most cars. Most real world owners of the Hellcat will admit that the 0 to 60 or even the quarter mile is not what the factory claims unless you really know how to drive a car with that kind of HP. Just a reinforcement that sub 4 second times are strong and the quarter mile time would improve as well. I am very interested in this. For $1200 out the door I am super tempted. However if I knew that this was a sure fire way to void the warranty then I can't do this until it is out just to be safe. I do not want to throw away almost 16 months of coverage.

Now the big-foot part of this (real or fake)
No one seems to know if it will cause a major issue. Most say No as it does not replace any parts. No bigger turbo or air intake ETC.
No one seems to know if most Audi dealers will care if there is a problem that would lead to big bucks.
No one seems to know if the uninstall is 100% traceable unless the tech is really looking for this issue. Does Audi train these people to watch dog this area???
No one seems to know if Audi has told their dealers to really look out for this in the event of a major engine issue. In other words they don't care or look unless there is a major engine failure
I have read many of the opinions but for every one statement on one side, there is another to counter it. I do not have a friend who is an Audi tech or shop manager. So naturally the tune shop feels that a Stage 1 is very low risk. but their job is sell their services so is that a reliable opinion? Furthermore a few people have remarked that any issue with the Stronic transmission would be very expensive. Is there anyone out there who is in the same boat as me? The car is really quick as it is but getting below the 4 second mark is very impressive to me. I don't street race but if I could gain this much for $1200 then I am tempted. Again Yes this is a 1st world problem. I was curious if the members here could offer any info.

Last edited by robbky48; 06-19-2018 at 01:32 PM.
Old 06-19-2018, 01:02 PM
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no matter what anyone tells you, a dealer, especially in an investigation with Audi can tell if the ecu has been flashed. Always. sometimes they miss it or they don't look for it....but can they tell ultimately, yes
Old 06-19-2018, 01:35 PM
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Originally Posted by ZTTRS
no matter what anyone tells you, a dealer, especially in an investigation with Audi can tell if the ecu has been flashed. Always. sometimes they miss it or they don't look for it....but can they tell ultimately, yes
so I think it’s fair to say that if a major engine failure occurred they would probably have that on their list to check. That does make sense from a business standpoint. any warranty claim that they do not have to cover is obviously a benefit for them.
Old 06-19-2018, 03:54 PM
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Originally Posted by robbky48
Ok I am a new Audi owner. So far I really like my TTS. I chose the 2016 because it was basically an mk2 RS after the upgrade in terms of speed performance. I was looking at the 2014 TTRS and according to factory specs it was the same as the refresh MK3 TTS. Now the RS is a bad scooter at 3.6 0 to 60. It definitely became a major sports car in terms of speed.

So I have 19K on my car. The warranty expires next October 2019. right now I have an appointment for the seat repair with Audi in Nashville. I have toyed with the idea of changing the rear spoiler but it seems like it will be kind of expensive and a little complicated. Here is the meat of the post. Why is there so much misinformation or misunderstanding when it comes to any performance modification?? I have searched the forums for solid information. I have also searched Youtube as well. other than TT owners there really is not a lot out there about a Stage 1 tune. Most videos are about the 500 to 600 HP mods which is insane for me as a daily driver.

So I called a german tune shop in Nashville. According to him I will see a 66 gain in horsepower and a bigger gain in torque. He said at the lower setting it is still one of the best Stage 1 mods that he has seen for any vehicle. obviously they deal with all German brands. He stated that he has done several Stage 1 tunes and that there has been no problem with the engine or any other issues. So after the Stage 1 my TTS should reach 0 to 60 in about 3.7 to 3.8 seconds. That is almost RS territory and that is quick for most cars. Most real world owners of the Hellcat will admit that the 0 to 60 or even the quarter mile is not what the factory claims unless you really know how to drive a car with that kind of HP. Just a reinforcement that sub 4 second times are strong and the quarter mile time would improve as well. I am very interested in this. For $1200 out the door I am super tempted. However if I knew that this was a sure fire way to void the warranty then I can't do this until it is out just to be safe. I do not want to throw away almost 16 months of coverage.

Now the big-foot part of this (real or fake)
No one seems to know if it will cause a major issue. Most say No as it does not replace any parts. No bigger turbo or air intake ETC.
No one seems to know if most Audi dealers will care if there is a problem that would lead to big bucks.
No one seems to know if the uninstall is 100% traceable unless the tech is really looking for this issue. Does Audi train these people to watch dog this area???
No one seems to know if Audi has told their dealers to really look out for this in the event of a major engine issue. In other words they don't care or look unless there is a major engine failure
I have read many of the opinions but for every one statement on one side, there is another to counter it. I do not have a friend who is an Audi tech or shop manager. So naturally the tune shop feels that a Stage 1 is very low risk. but their job is sell their services so is that a reliable opinion? Furthermore a few people have remarked that any issue with the Stronic transmission would be very expensive. Is there anyone out there who is in the same boat as me? The car is really quick as it is but getting below the 4 second mark is very impressive to me. I don't street race but if I could gain this much for $1200 then I am tempted. Again Yes this is a 1st world problem. I was curious if the members here could offer any info.
I wrote the guy responsible for this at AoA and this is the response:
"Thank you for your email of May 23 to our Senior Vice President, Product Quality &Technical Service, Jamie Dennis. I apologize for the delay in our response due to Mr. Dennis’ hectic travel schedule. On his behalf, please accept the below response:

Audi does not recommend using non-OEM parts or programming to modify or “tune” your Audi vehicle. Audi of America does not endorse or favor any such non-OEM parts or programming. The use of such non-OEM parts or programming may impact the vehicle’s compliance with state and federal laws and regulations, and potentially render the vehicle unlawful or unsafe to operate on public roads.

In terms of impact on the vehicle’s applicable manufacturer warranties, the use of non-OEM parts or programming can impact the availability of warranty coverage depending on the nature of the failure, the repair needed, and overall facts and circumstances at hand. It is difficult to provide a more direct answer in the abstract – but suffice to say we would always recommend maintaining your vehicle in its original equipment configuration."

I would add that the most important variable in the equation is your dealer. They get a lot more money if you pay for a repair that if AoA pays for it under warranty so they have an incentive to find reasons not to do a repair under warranty. That said, some dealers like mine are tune friendly and will avoid scanning your ECU and thus find evidence of tunes without your permission. Further, because I do a lot of business with my dealer, they stand up for me on any warranty claims and actually got AoA to pay for a full engine head replacement ($4-5K) on a previous TTS when it was out of warranty by over 4,000 miles. Best suggestion is to have a talk with your dealer to see where you/they stand.
Old 06-19-2018, 04:46 PM
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Originally Posted by McTTRS
I wrote the guy responsible for this at AoA and this is the response:
"Thank you for your email of May 23 to our Senior Vice President, Product Quality &Technical Service, Jamie Dennis. I apologize for the delay in our response due to Mr. Dennis’ hectic travel schedule. On his behalf, please accept the below response:

Audi does not recommend using non-OEM parts or programming to modify or “tune” your Audi vehicle. Audi of America does not endorse or favor any such non-OEM parts or programming. The use of such non-OEM parts or programming may impact the vehicle’s compliance with state and federal laws and regulations, and potentially render the vehicle unlawful or unsafe to operate on public roads.

In terms of impact on the vehicle’s applicable manufacturer warranties, the use of non-OEM parts or programming can impact the availability of warranty coverage depending on the nature of the failure, the repair needed, and overall facts and circumstances at hand. It is difficult to provide a more direct answer in the abstract – but suffice to say we would always recommend maintaining your vehicle in its original equipment configuration."

I would add that the most important variable in the equation is your dealer. They get a lot more money if you pay for a repair that if AoA pays for it under warranty so they have an incentive to find reasons not to do a repair under warranty. That said, some dealers like mine are tune friendly and will avoid scanning your ECU and thus find evidence of tunes without your permission. Further, because I do a lot of business with my dealer, they stand up for me on any warranty claims and actually got AoA to pay for a full engine head replacement ($4-5K) on a previous TTS when it was out of warranty by over 4,000 miles. Best suggestion is to have a talk with your dealer to see where you/they stand.
killer info. Thank you. I need to see what Audi of Nashville has to say. Thanks for sharing
Old 06-20-2018, 03:55 AM
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the issue is your friendly "mod" selling dealer wont help you if you have a big failure. germany will ask for a scan, they'll see the tune, removed or not, and flag the car TD1. your only solution is JB4. do your heavy reading on the MK7golf R forum.

Last edited by ourlee; 06-20-2018 at 03:59 AM.
Old 06-20-2018, 06:44 AM
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Default You are misinformed

Originally Posted by robbky48
Ok I am a new Audi owner. So far I really like my TTS. I chose the 2016 because it was basically an mk2 RS after the upgrade in terms of speed performance. I was looking at the 2014 TTRS and according to factory specs it was the same as the refresh MK3 TTS. Now the RS is a bad scooter at 3.6 0 to 60. It definitely became a major sports car in terms of speed.
First, the Mk 3 TTS is nowhere close to a Mk 2 TTRS. According to Audi USA, The Mk 3 TTS has 292 HP and 286 ft-lb and the Mk 2 TTRS has 360/343. 0-60 for the Mk3 TTS is 4.6 while the Mk 2 TTRS is 4.1. Car and Driver Lightning Lap at Richmond Speedway has the Mk 3 TTS with a lap time of 3:07.7 (not significantly faster than the Mk 2 TTS surprisingly) and the Mk 2 TTRS at 3:04.8 (as fast as the original 2007 R8 at half the price). Furthermore, Mk2 TTRS sales in the US ended in 2013MY so I don't know where you got the 2014 info. Even with a Stage 1 ECU tune, the Mk 3 TTS is not going to equal the Mk 2 TTRS over the power band. You will need a FMIC too to get close.

IMO most Stage 1 manufacturers are snake oil. Unless they show you dyno tests before and after - don't believe it. First, Audi tends to underspec their engines and the tuners claim this underspec as part of their "improvement". A single number "XX HP" improvement spec is worthless because it may only exist over a few RPM, you need to see the entire performance band.

Beginning with the Mk 2 TT, dealers can easily tell if an ECU has ever been flashed. There are "piggyback" stage 1 tunes out there (Race Chip is one example) that do not require a flash and can DIY install/unstall in about an hour but results have been mixed. If it works, great, but many get codes either immediately or after a few months.

Last edited by Vegas-roadster; 06-20-2018 at 06:50 AM.
Old 06-20-2018, 08:18 AM
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I saw 2013’s listed as 2014 models online on car gurus,cars.com
motor trend and car and driver had the mk2 ttrs as 0 to 60 4.2. I guess before the refresh 3.6 times
several sites have the Mk3 TTS as 4.2 tested results. I have seen the 4.6 to 4.2 listed on different sites as well.
Good info on the other options. Guess I have more research to do
Old 06-20-2018, 08:57 AM
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Originally Posted by Vegas-roadster
IMO most Stage 1 manufacturers are snake oil. Unless they show you dyno tests before and after - don't believe it. .
Instead of opinions, let me inject some real facts. I have had MKI TT, 2 MKII TTS's, 1 MKIII TTS, now have a MKIII TT RS with APR tunes and have collected some performance and dyno data before and after tunes along the way.

First up is one of the MKII TTS where in the image below where comparison runs 3 and 4 are before the tune and the main run and comparison run 1 are after the tune:

Second up is a MKIII (2016 launch edition) where the main run is before the tune and comparison runs 1 and 3 are after the tune:

Lastly the dyno results of the same 2016 MKIII TTS done on my car while I watched before and after the tune:

If these results are what you get from snake oil, I'll take a case!
Old 06-20-2018, 10:27 AM
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Originally Posted by McTTRS
Instead of opinions, let me inject some real facts. I have had MKI TT, 2 MKII TTS's, 1 MKIII TTS, now have a MKIII TT RS with APR tunes and have collected some performance and dyno data before and after tunes along the way.

First up is one of the MKII TTS where in the image below where comparison runs 3 and 4 are before the tune and the main run and comparison run 1 are after the tune:

Second up is a MKIII (2016 launch edition) where the main run is before the tune and comparison runs 1 and 3 are after the tune:

Lastly the dyno results of the same 2016 MKIII TTS done on my car while I watched before and after the tune:

If these results are what you get from snake oil, I'll take a case!
my goodness. Killer information. So from what I can see the numbers that I was working from our fairly accurate . Mk3 4.27 to 60
3.6 after stage 1. So fairly close to the numbers that I had posted that were challenged.
thank you for such in-depth information. Have you had any issues with your 2016 stage one ?


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