Tuning From The Beginning

[Codehook]

Hey,

So I've read through like 20 different threads here and I've gotta say that I'm confused.

The problem is where to begin with all this tuning/modification stuff. Obviously I don't wanna do something wrong and end up f**king my car.

So where's a good place to start? I was thinking of Revo Stage 1 + 2 to begin with? And then what, an Autotech fuel pump? Don't laugh at me lol.

Basically what I'm looking for is a nice hard mid-top range boost. Acceleration from what, like 0-40 seems brilliant, but after that it seems to slow up unless your revs are caning the 4k+ margin. As you can probably tell, I'm a complete noob with all of this, and I'd probably enjoy some direction on how to get the best out of driving the car in the first place (in terms of where you should be hitting the revs etc.).

Help is much appreciated, I'm really looking to get into tuning my car. Oh, and what modifications will void the warranty?

Cheers,

Nick

 

[Pummy]

Need more info. Car you have, budget, location in your profile so you can see tuners in the local area, other users who may take you out to show you what their's is like.

All mods will void the warranty, "technically", however play it safe and do the investigations on the root of the problem as much as possible with an indie before leaving with a dealer, and you are usually OK. It also helps if you look after the car too. No point blaming a dodgy clutch / gearbox if you are always doing donuts in a car park.

 

[FR Scott]

Im guessing by the 4k+ your not talking about diesel....... the Fr TFSI?

I cant offer much (well... any) advice im afraid as I am new to this myself, only had my Fr Tdi a couple of months and am loving it. However, I do know how you feel with he confusion..... I have read through countless pages of info on here regarding re-mapping mine and then the DPF issues etc, it confused me to say the least so in the end I just decided I’m gonna enjoy it for the moment until there is a clear route/choice to take.

I hope you get the info you’re looking for mate.

Scott

 

[m0rk]

Says Leon Cupra K1 in profile.... not sure why you're not giving the engine some revs, it's a revvy engine

however, if you can, just go straight to stage 2, with a FP - you might as well since you will do it anyway.

 

[Codehook]

Need more info. Car you have, budget, location in your profile so you can see tuners in the local area, other users who may take you out to show you what their's is like.

All mods will void the warranty, "technically", however play it safe and do the investigations on the root of the problem as much as possible with an indie before leaving with a dealer, and you are usually OK. It also helps if you look after the car too. No point blaming a dodgy clutch / gearbox if you are always doing donuts in a car park.

Thanks for the heads up.

Car: Leon Cupra K1 2.0 TSI 240PS
Budget: £1500ish
Location: Windsor, UK

Added those details to my profile as well.

I might be wrong about the 4k+ boost, but it always seems like it picks up a bit more around that region. As I say, I think I need basic tips on driving it properly in the first place. Call me an idiot...and you're probably right! ;-)

 

[Pummy]

Depends on what you want to do. For handling, change the shocks and springs for Koni FSD's and eibach springs. Then move onto decent rubber and you will be set. For power upgrades, in my opinion only, get the pump and a map that is adjusted to take advantage of the 130bar pressure available instead of 110bar. Then check the cam wear as per the guides in the FAQ. This should give you the same power profile as m0rk's car with 300 ft/lbs;bhp across the range. You may also wish to consider the S3 intercooler also as this should fit into the £1500 budget. I say to do this as £1000 for an exhaust will give you higher top end figures, however I cannot justify that amount on an exhaust for top end power when I would rather have mid range grunt. PS, try and get down to Ace Cafe on VAG night as you are up the road (practically) and there are a few lads out there on VAG night. Also the Kingston meet may be near you as is the Reading Meet. Check the meets section.

 

[Pummy]

As I say, I think I need basic tips on driving it properly in the first place. ...

If you can get onto a driving day like carlimits or something that provides driver training, that is by far the best money spent on getting more out of the car than any mods in my opinion. This will reduce the gap between potential of the car and the amount of talent you have driving it. 1 day course is something like £99 and whilst it eats tyres, will give you a lot more skill in driving the car at the limit. It is a lot cheaper and insurance friendly too (as in there is no mods to the car just yet)

 

[Codehook]

Depends on what you want to do. For handling, change the shocks and springs for Koni FSD's and eibach springs. Then move onto decent rubber and you will be set. For power upgrades, in my opinion only, get the pump and a map that is adjusted to take advantage of the 130bar pressure available instead of 110bar. Then check the cam wear as per the guides in the FAQ. This should give you the same power profile as m0rk's car with 300 ft/lbs;bhp across the range. You may also wish to consider the S3 intercooler also as this should fit into the £1500 budget. I say to do this as £1000 for an exhaust will give you higher top end figures, however I cannot justify that amount on an exhaust for top end power when I would rather have mid range grunt. PS, try and get down to Ace Cafe on VAG night as you are up the road (practically) and there are a few lads out there on VAG night. Also the Kingston meet may be near you as is the Reading Meet. Check the meets section.

Cheers.

What I'm really looking for is as much acceleration and top end speed as possible. Handling I'm not so concerned about, as I'm not currently planning on using my car for any sort of race driving or crazy-ass driving on normal roads. It might be something to consider for the future, though.

I mean, as it is the low-end acceleration is easily good enough, so I'm really looking for some mid-high range boost. I suppose the revo stuff would give it a lot in the way of that, as well as a new FP? What do you mean by the 130bar/110bar thing?

That carlimits thing sounds interesting as well, but I'm not sure I want something as intensive as that. As I say, I'm not planning on using my car for any track racing at the present time, I'm just interested as to how much I should be revving it, when gear changes are appropriate, that sort of thing.

I guess at the end of the day I'm looking to get the most fun out of putting my foot down. I absolutely love this car (which is why I got it immediately after a test drive!), so I'm just looking for that bit extra.

 

[Poverty]

Cheers.

What I'm really looking for is as much acceleration and top end speed as possible. Handling I'm not so concerned about, as I'm not currently planning on using my car for any sort of race driving or crazy-ass driving on normal roads. It might be something to consider for the future, though.

I mean, as it is the low-end acceleration is easily good enough, so I'm really looking for some mid-high range boost. I suppose the revo stuff would give it a lot in the way of that, as well as a new FP? What do you mean by the 130bar/110bar thing?

That carlimits thing sounds interesting as well, but I'm not sure I want something as intensive as that. As I say, I'm not planning on using my car for any track racing at the present time, I'm just interested as to how much I should be revving it, when gear changes are appropriate, that sort of thing.

I guess at the end of the day I'm looking to get the most fun out of putting my foot down. I absolutely love this car (which is why I got it immediately after a test drive!), so I'm just looking for that bit extra.

driving is easy, 1st gear, keep it in there till you get near the rev limiter and the car doesnt start to pull as strongly and simply change up. And so on and so on. Its not rocket science

If your not overly confident do you think its really a good idea to be heading towards 340hp straight away?

 

[Pummy]

driving is easy, 1st gear, keep it in there till you get near the rev limiter and the car doesnt start to pull as strongly and simply change up. And so on and so on. Its not rocket science

Drive it like you stole it you mean

If your not overly confident do you think its really a good idea to be heading towards 340hp straight away?

Driving courses here would make a big difference. Not so much for track driving but learning when the car is at the limit and what to do to bring it back into check.

 

[Codehook]

driving is easy, 1st gear, keep it in there till you get near the rev limiter and the car doesnt start to pull as strongly and simply change up. And so on and so on. Its not rocket science

If your not overly confident do you think its really a good idea to be heading towards 340hp straight away?

Ha I think I've come across as a bit more stupid than I am lol. I know that much, I was more kind of thinking of precision. Like, when I'm in 5th let's say...is it a good idea to rev it as much as 4,500/5,000 or is that detrimental? I find it hard to tell whether my car is still pulling as strongly once I get to faster speeds.

Generally when it comes to handling and other things, I'm very confident with it. I like to think I know the limit of the current stock handling, I've had it on the ropes a couple of times.

 

[Poverty]

Ha I think I've come across as a bit more stupid than I am lol. I know that much, I was more kind of thinking of precision. Like, when I'm in 5th let's say...is it a good idea to rev it as much as 4,500/5,000 or is that detrimental? I find it hard to tell whether my car is still pulling as strongly once I get to faster speeds.

Generally when it comes to handling and other things, I'm very confident with it. I like to think I know the limit of the current stock handling, I've had it on the ropes a couple of times.

oh ok, yeah rev it as much as you want, it will like it as long as its warm and you dont mind your fuel economy dropping like a stone in a lake.

5000rpm in 5th would be breaking the law in the uk though lol

 

[Pummy]

5000rpm in 5th would be breaking the law in the uk though lol

There are a number of "private roads" in the Windsor area I am sure he will be able to do that on

 

[Codehook]

There are a number of "private roads" in the Windsor area I am sure he will be able to do that on

There certainly are! Some nice little back roads just round the corner. And of course, very private

Alright so apart from the obvious, I guess it's just a case of whatever feels good and isn't obviously breaking the law

I think I'll go for this stage 2 with a new FP at some point then. What FP would you guys recommend?

 

[MarkE]

I think I'll go for this stage 2 with a new FP at some point then. What FP would you guys recommend?

FP comes down to a choice between AutoTech (buy the bits and the dealer removes your existing FP and swaps out the internals for the new ones) and APR (buy a complete FP prebuilt and pretested with the new internals). Price for the APR option is higher as you would expect.

Whatever you go for, have fun.

And, please, rev the damned thing. It's what it wants.