I made a lot of fuss about my issues with United Motorsport’s MK7/MQB Platform tune for the Golf R. It really was a frustrating time but a lot has happened since this post in November. At the core, I was able to eliminate all of my issues just in time to enjoy the insanely cold Winter months of NH/VT and basically lose all traction that would make the tune a lot of fun.
Over the past 6 weeks, I’ve received emails, comments, messages, forum replies and YouTube contacts from people asking me for an update on the tune. I guess I sort of left them hanging but the reason for my silence isn’t some embargo from United Motorsport. It comes down to not having the data to show everyone.
In short, everything is perfect.
Long version, well you know how long-winded I can be.
The Dyno above is exactly why I wasn’t going to post an update. This is from my first run after installing the Stage II file and my 3” Catted Downpipe back in November. That drop at 4500 RPMs was caused by an aftermarket Turbo Diverter controller that couldn’t handle the 30PSI of boost that came on around 4K RPMs. Note, the stock ECU file from VW only requests 1.8 bars (18PSI of boost) so we’re hitting close to 30 in the new file.
I visited United Motorsport in December and they did testing and confirmed that the DV was the culprit so I ordered an OEM part from VW for $130 and replaced by my stock DV (which had failed) and the aftermarket DV and that fixed the problem..When I floor it, the car goes fast. No lag, hesitation or boost drop until that 5K RPM slope reflected in the above graph where the Turbo pressure starts to drop. This drop-off is just the turbo itself, you can’t beat physics and if I wanted that to go away, there are $2500 turbos I could throw in to replace the stock one but that’s not happening any time soon.
Since I haven’t had a Dyno run since then, I’ve held off on publishing but the car is putting down a lot of power and since I’m on winter tires (winter-performance Blizzak LM-32), I honestly can’t floor it because all I get is wheel spin and I want these tires to last more than one Winter.
Next steps are in April I’m going to be returning to EFI Express to have an APR Intercooler installed which adds 20 wheel horsepower and reduces heat-soak and allows the Turbo to cool off much faster than the stock IC. After we install it, I’ll get the upgrade United Motorsport Stage II High-Torque file and we’ll do a front & all wheel drive Dyno and I’ll post the numbers to the blog.
Thanks everyone for your inquiries on the car status but UM has been fantastic. They’ve offered top-tier support and the car is working great now.