APR Stage 1 vs Unitronic Stage 1+

[Dr. Kenneth Noisewater]

Those of you who have been running Unitronic stage 1 or 1+ for a while now... Any issues? I have 5k miles and I want to do it, im just concerned about reliability/ blowing turbo or worse.

I have 33K daily driven miles in New England, tuned at 19K (52K total). I've had issues with the car, but only the suspension, the tune has been great. Did spark plugs at 40K

Great Blackstone lab reports and not a single engine light. The only issues I've had, which are to be expected:

Engine mounts died at about 45K due to increased power (probably).

Had to flash back to stock to pass CARB emissions, since the tune disabled some of the OBD processes that self monitor.

I don't race the car, and I put nearly 20K a year on it, so APRs tune was a non option. Plus I'm not paying someone to click three times on a computer. Having the fastest tune on a FWD doesn't seem like the right priority to me. Anyone with RWD/AWD and the same amount of power is going to smoke me either way.

I almost got the vanity plate: WHLSPN [emoji23]

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[John@Unitronic]

I have 33K daily driven miles in New England, tuned at 19K (52K total). I've had issues with the car, but only the suspension, the tune has been great. Did spark plugs at 40K

Great Blackstone lab reports and not a single engine light. The only issues I've had, which are to be expected:

Engine mounts died at about 45K due to increased power (probably).

Had to flash back to stock to pass CARB emissions, since the tune disabled some of the OBD processes that self monitor.

I don't race the car, and I put nearly 20K a year on it, so APRs tune was a non option. Plus I'm not paying someone to click three times on a computer. Having the fastest tune on a FWD doesn't seem like the right priority to me. Anyone with RWD/AWD and the same amount of power is going to smoke me either way.

I almost got the vanity plate: WHLSPN [emoji23]

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Thanks for your feedback!

 

[bigred1]

You must find the slowest Uni S2 cars around

I do agree S1 vs S1, APR cars will throw Uni cars a beating. Uni keeps the boost lower, especially on tunes designed for stock cats. They're more concerned with keeping the cat safe than APR is.

APR would be my second choice, but i like the option to flash at home at any time, and i like the peak boost kept lower for turbo life. I also like the lower boost because without the big mid-range TQ hit, the car doesn't feel flat up top. I hate the nose dive you get with stock turbos at high boost levels.

The car drives smoother than stock, has been reliable so far, and makes over 100whp more than stock. Until the IS20 pukes its guts, this will do just fine.

I agree having a device to flash versus bench flash a huge plus. Not everyone has a APR dealer by their house. 3300 pounds? I hope that includes a Hoon?

 

[Zx2man]

Hoon, what boost do you see peak on your Uni tune?

I think Uni makes a soild flash for these cars.

 

[PLF8593]

I think Uni makes a soild flash for these cars.

They definitely do.

While we're at it... Hey guys, you want a free Uniconnect+ ?? Sign up for Modded Euros' sweepstakes here!: http://woobox.com/cm8dfw/ji0xeb



Edit: I really wish that URL didn't sound like it was for a sex doll.

 

[dub_guy]

That sucks that the contest is only for US

 

[Hoon]

I agree having a device to flash versus bench flash a huge plus. Not everyone has a APR dealer by their house. 3300 pounds? I hope that includes a Hoon?

Yes that is with me in the car. Car is 3100 with spare removed and 1/2 tank.

Hoon, what boost do you see peak on your Uni tune?

I think Uni makes a soild flash for these cars.

I honestly never look at it on the street. I don't have any way to adjust it, so i pay no attention to it.

The only time i can remember looking at it was on the dyno. It only had a panel filter, inlet pipe and ebay downpipe at the time.

It made 21.5psi of boost and 87-89whp more than stock. 216whp SAE Dynojet stock, 303whp on the same dyno in identical atmospheric conditions after the S2 flash. Should definitely make 320+ on that dyno now.

 

[bigred1]

Yes that is with me in the car. Car is 3100 with spare removed and 1/2 tank.
.

Lol. Cool Man, because I was thinking that is one heavy GTI.

 

[marc5800]

Yes that is with me in the car. Car is 3100 with spare removed and 1/2 tank.



I honestly never look at it on the street. I don't have any way to adjust it, so i pay no attention to it.

The only time i can remember looking at it was on the dyno. It only had a panel filter, inlet pipe and ebay downpipe at the time.

It made 21.5psi of boost and 87-89whp more than stock. 216whp SAE Dynojet stock, 303whp on the same dyno in identical atmospheric conditions after the S2 flash. Should definitely make 320+ on that dyno now.

Awesome results!

Pretty pumped, I will be joining the Uni Stg 2 crew very soon. Will be stacking with JB4


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[demi9od]

Would Uni stacked with JB4 compare well to APR stage 2? Seems like it'd be nice to have the timing advance of Uni with the customized extra boost of JB4. Just hate the idea of not being able to flash @ home with APR.

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[marc5800]

Would Uni stacked with JB4 compare well to APR stage 2? Seems like it'd be nice to have the timing advance of Uni with the customized extra boost of JB4. Just hate the idea of not being able to flash @ home with APR.

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I think it does if not more. The addition of the JB4 on top could surpass the APR stage 2 depending how hard one wants to push the car

I’ll let you know how the Uni stg 2 and JB4 feel


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[demi9od]

I think it does if not more. The addition of the JB4 on top could surpass the APR stage 2 depending how hard one wants to push the car

I’ll let you know how the Uni stg 2 and JB4 feel


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I'm excited to see your datazaps, keep us updated.

 

[marc5800]

I'm excited to see your datazaps, keep us updated.

Yup will do

I’ll also be able to compare them to my latest JB4 only logs


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[Raegar]

I've had my Stage 1+ for about 6k miles now and love it. Of course saying love it means nothing when discussing comparisons, because I could very well have loved the other tunes as well.

But as far as power and how its delivered I think its great and as it is my daily/only car, I chose Uni knowing full well it was more conservative than others. Torque is managed well I think, and while wheel spin is there, I can imagine how much more there'd be with APR. That, combined with their TCU tune is excellent combination as most people would tell you. I loved the DSG tune the moment I drove it back to the parking lot from the tent at Waterfest =)

The problem with car mods (especially if you're the kind that loves power - who doesnt right) is that whatever tune you choose, you'll want more! More may mean switching boats to other company entirely, getting IS38 - hybrids - or boss kits, COBB pro tunes, etc etc.

If I could take more risk with my car and do it again, and also from a simple financial standpoint, COBB pro tune makes sense. Its putting out better numbers, its a return on investment, and can switch at home...better yet on the side of the road even.

 

[demi9od]

There was something missing that Cobb didn't have access to yet. Can't remember but I read it on another thread. I consider Cobb to be more bleeding edge at the moment. Higher risk higher reward.

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