Best tune for golf r

[Fastlax16]

No bolt-ons on the DSG, right?

same bolt ons but 11.8 vs 12.5.

no tcu tune. 115 is on pace with a lot of the stage 2 cars on drag ladder.

 

[Brigillon]

I recently got my golf R and almost immediately tuned it to stage 1+ through unitronic. I couldn't be happier with it. The car pulls all the way up to 7000rpm now and I absolutely smoked a 2019 M4 comp on some backroads in North Carolina. Honestly, any prominent and reliable tuning company you go through will be fine. its just gonna come down to personal preference. Cobb is nice though because you have the access port.

 

[Spoolin]

I wanted to support my local shop so I went with GIAC. Just went from stage 1 to stage 2 and the car is buttery smooth. They have a handheld flasher for no additional charge if you want to flash the car yourself. They don't sell any hardware and focus solely on the software, very knowledgeable and responsive when I've reached out to them. They've also been tuning European cars since the 90's. Okay, I'm done rambling now, sorry...

 

[FB-GTI]

Hi everyone I just joined this group and wondering what is best tune for my 2016 golf R. Friend recommended to go with Cobb since he has it and it’s very compact and easy to set up and use and can be removed anytime and plus u don’t have to deal with shops. Just trying to get one that will give best results overall. Thanks

I chose a custom tune from United Motorsport, mainly for the Flex Fuel option, and have no complaints.

I've never come across a shoot-out type of event where multiple tunes were loaded onto the same car and dyno'd to see how they compared. Identifying the best will probably come down to some other consideration, best for me was getting the ethanol flex fuel.

 

[Westy11]

If you just bought your car you could already have a tune on it that's not activated. That would be what I checked first. If you car still has any factory driveline warranty left on it I

Are you talking buying a used car that has been put back to factory settings?

would have the car checked out very carefully before thinking about tunes. You might need it, even if it's only for a few months.

 

[ego7.5R]

I recently got my golf R and almost immediately tuned it to stage 1+ through unitronic. I couldn't be happier with it. The car pulls all the way up to 7000rpm now and I absolutely smoked a 2019 M4 comp on some backroads in North Carolina. Honestly, any prominent and reliable tuning company you go through will be fine. its just gonna come down to personal preference. Cobb is nice though because you have the access port.

I went Uni 1+ almost immediately after getting mine. Very impressive. Such linear, top end oriented power delivery. I got tired of waiting until spring and got my downpipe installed/Stage 2 reflash.

WOW. Way more immediate low end response, with all that top end and more. I can't wait to take it to the strip. Do you have E85 by you? Try an E30 blend...

 

[Jargon]

I recommend you look at what you want to do with the car. Are you going to track the car? If so brakes need some attention. CAI? Intercooler? What other mods are you planning. Goals? Many have recommended EQT, great tune loaded via a Cobb AP. A real advantage here is the ability to log data and have the tune optimized for your setup. EQT tcu tune highly recommended as well. Stage 1 tune is biggest bang for the buck and suitable for street driving and an occasional canyon run.
I could go on but my point is think about what you want out of the car and research the path. His platform has much support and many good options. Another thought is dealer support. APR must be done through dealer. For me that is a 100 mile round trip. I have run several APR tunes and they are not bad. My EQT custom tune is much smoother all across the rpm band.

This is the biggest factor for me because while it's good to have a plan in terms of your bolt ons and what you want to do with the car my vehicles rarely follow my intended plan.

Right now I have a Borla Cat-Back and IE intake. These two items were definitely not my planned first upgrades but my Dad bought them for me (how you gonna say no). I've been reading lots of threads new and old on different opinions. My main concern is I have a manual. I only have 8K miles but I know once I get any tune the clutch is on borrowed time. So really I need to be prepared (have the money) to do both within 6 months.

 

[Dr Dad]

This is the biggest factor for me because while it's good to have a plan in terms of your bolt ons and what you want to do with the car my vehicles rarely follow my intended plan.

Right now I have a Borla Cat-Back and IE intake. These two items were definitely not my planned first upgrades but my Dad bought them for me (how you gonna say no). I've been reading lots of threads new and old on different opinions. My main concern is I have a manual. I only have 8K miles but I know once I get any tune the clutch is on borrowed time. So really I need to be prepared (have the money) to do both within 6 months.

If you are 100% sure you are going to tune, I'd get the clutch first and as soon as you have the money. Break-in can be long, but you'll be happy you already got it taken care of.
Driving on a slipping clutch and then having to wait the 500-1000 miles for proper break after you've been tuned is frustrating.

 

[THEREALVRT]

sneeky and stratified have great tunes

 

[Dog Dad Wagon]

it’s worth it. You can get 9/10ths of the way there or better w a jb4 on the R. GTIs don’t respond quite as well for whatever reason.

the IS38 just pushes more boost lol

 

[Jargon]

If you are 100% sure you are going to tune, I'd get the clutch first and as soon as you have the money. Break-in can be long, but you'll be happy you already got it taken care of.
Driving on a slipping clutch and then having to wait the 500-1000 miles for proper break after you've been tuned is frustrating.

I had not really considered that before but that's seems like good advice.

All my cars previous to the R have always been older and higher mileage. I have replaced the clutch's and driven with a slipping clutch a multiple times in my life. The idea of coming out of pocket for a new one with such low miles is something i'm still coming to grips with.

 

[sterkrazzy]

I had not really considered that before but that's seems like good advice.

All my cars previous to the R have always been older and higher mileage. I have replaced the clutch's and driven with a slipping clutch a multiple times in my life. The idea of coming out of pocket for a new one with such low miles is something i'm still coming to grips with.

None of that mattered to me after someone let me sit in a stage 2 R lol

I bought my tune and clutch on the same weekend and the clutch was installed a few months later after I really fucked it up with not even 12k miles on the car.

I didn't see a point in waiting when there was that much fun to be had.

 

[Dr Dad]

I had not really considered that before but that's seems like good advice.

All my cars previous to the R have always been older and higher mileage. I have replaced the clutch's and driven with a slipping clutch a multiple times in my life. The idea of coming out of pocket for a new one with such low miles is something i'm still coming to grips with.

The stock clutches in these cars can be really awful anyway. I don't think many hold stage 1 for long.
The previous owner of my R put in the ECS Stage 2 kit (apparently good for 400ft/lbs) and that lasted about 2 months after stage 2 before it started slipping (even in low gears).

 

[GTI-G]

Anyone try unitronic?

 

[RapGameBlueberryWaffle]

Stage 2 Unitronic