DTUK FSR+ Tuning Box - 1.8 TSI 180 - Fitting and Review

After a couple of very useful conversations with Andrew and Chris @ DTUK I have ordered one. The pre sales assistance was excellent - Andrew was responding when on a weekend away on Sunday!!

I hope to receive it tomorrow having received a Royal Mail SMS stating that they have it and it is on its way.

Very excited at closing the BHP gap and getting this car under my skin. Having had a Mk7 Golf R prior to this car (lease ended - couldn't source a suitable replacement - long story!) and buying the Leon as a 6 month "stop-gap" I've struggled to connect with it. Who knows, it may end up being a permanent resident yet (with a couple of sensible mods)!

DTUK Delivery and Fitting

OK - so it has arrived and to get straight to the conclusion - its awesome!

I guess I should have taken a load of photos but decided that there is little point as it just looks like it does on the website - a black box containing the loom, DTUK FSR+ tuning box, wiring loom, cable ties, a blanking/loop back plug, receipt, fitting instructions and some bumf that I took no notice of as it was marketing stuff (I'll double check tomorrow and if meaningful post an update).

Fitting:-
I decided that rather than doing my usual approach of "how hard can it be" and jumping straight in I would read the instructions from cover to cover and absorb every word to see if the installation was as easy as the website leads us to believe. I noticed that the car in some of the pics was an Audi but that shouldn't detract as the rest of it looked familiar to the oily bits of the Leon.

I ventured out to the car, ran a diag scan of the engine ECU (using a cheap Amazon £6 bluetooth OBDII reader linked to my Android "Torque Pro" app - full version at not much money at all) to ensure that all was well prior to install.

Next, using the instructions provided I located the 3 sensors that would be patched into the new loom. The 1st 2 were very obvious, but the boost sensor is very much hidden from the top of the car. The instructions show the location from the bottom, and you have to remove the under tray to get to it. Needless to say, having the car raise so you can get somewhere underneath to see is essential. I happen to have some small drive on blocks that I use to raise the car about 4 or 5 inches and this was enough (my suspension is still in standard "moon buggy" spec and not lowered). The boost sensor is located right by a water pipe temp sensor so be careful to select the right one! It is a little tricky to remove but using the one on the new loom as a reference, you can see how it works and it pries off quite easily once the locking tab is released - you don't need force, but do need to be a little firm.

With each sensor plug removed, I ran in the loom feeding the fat end that will house the tuning box under the air intake pipe and resting it between battery and airbox, then using the supplied guidance to route the cables to their locations. I attached the positive battery lead directly to the battery terminal and then as per the instructions, connected the negative to the negative bonding point on the bulkhead just behind the battery (the instruction is very specific not to connect to the battery negative terminal). I left it all loose and then only applied the supplied cable ties once everything was connected fully and tested. To test the cabling, I simply installed the blanking plug supplied and started the car. I let it run, rev'd it a couple of times and then switched off. Scanned ECU for errors. None found.

Next I swapped the blanking plug for the DTUK box. I set the program to Map 3 +2 as I'd been advised by Andrew@DTUK and then retested as above. No errors.

Checked cabling routes for any potential fouling and then tightened the cable ties. Worth checking that the loom can't interfere with the fan on the rad, and that the ties are not rubbing water hoses etc.

Put the under tray back in place, put the engine cover back on (keeping cabling well hidden) and then went for the first drive.

DTUK Testing Maps

After each setting was tried across the same 5 min thrash of straights and slightly twisty stuff, I checked the ECU for errors. On all maps, the same power figures are reached, but the power delivery characteristics are altered (as per the supplied instructions from DTUK)

Map 3 +2 Selected
the first thing I noticed was audible turbo whistle. This is supposed to be a more even power increase across the range so I am assuming that the waste-gate (if it's still called that) is being leveraged to regulate the boost and power to give a more even build to the max numbers. It is a smooth map that is deceptive in terms of how quickly you are accelerating as it has little drama attached - it just gets on with the job without any fuss. No errors

Map 3 +3 Selected
I didn't notice any major difference between this and the +2 setting. It is slightly more torquey I guess but not a night and day difference. No errors.

Map 2 +0 Selected
You feel the torque rising fairly earlier and with more of a peak lower in the rev range but flattens off fairly quickly to something more gradual - a bit of a halfway house between Map 1 and Map 3. It feels more sporty than Map 3 for my tastes and I prefer it to Map 3. No errors.

Map 2 +3 Selected
I didn't notice any major difference between this and the +0 setting. Again, a little more torquey but only a subtle difference but noticeable. No errors.

Map 1 +2 Selected
Now this is my kind of map! A lot more responsive and more akin to Revo power delivery that I have had on a 1.8 S3 and PD150 Leon FR in the past. A little delay after pressing the pedal and then in it comes - pretty hard. On the salty roads around these 'ere parts it gave the traction control something to do in 1st and 2nd gear, but then 3rd was a wave of torque to the red line. Awesome and everything I had hoped, but more than I had expected. No errors.

Map 1 +3 Selected
Subtle difference - perhaps a little more shove over +2, but not much more. However, this mode did throw me a boost error code but no EML. I accidentally deleted it but will try and trip it in again when I have time just to list it.
Now, before panic sets in and a flurry of negative feedback is assumed, I have to state very clearly that for me, this would be expected behaviour with a tuning box (but not on a remap). My reasoning is that a tuning box causes the ECU to be told lies about the output from the sensors that it captures. It therefore tricks the ECU into pushing more fuel, more boost, amending timing etc (or whatever it does!) so you have to expect that on the upper limits, some cars may register error codes. This is the upper limit of this map and it feels pretty aggressive. I have cleared the codes, backed off slightly to the +2 setting and all is well. In my view this is not a negative at all.
EDIT: - I have tried a number of subsequent runs on this setting and no error codes have been logged at all. I've left the above text unedited as this is what I experienced. I also noted that when you drive the car on Map 1 +2 for a while as we have been, Map 1 +3 is very slightly flatter on my car than +2. I am leaving mine on Map 1 +2 as my preferred setting, but this may vary from car to car.


There are some untested settings but given that I tried a wide range I don't see them adding anything to the review so didn't feel the need.

DTUK Conclusions

As time passes with the box installed I will add to this post. Please note that my comments are in reference to the DTUK FSR+ fitted to the 1.8 2013 MK5 Leon FR 180 TSI with 31k miles.

Performance
My car has a notable power increase, is smooth and now has a wave of torque that was completely missing prior. It runs to the redline cleanly and without issue, yet potters around the village as the family wagon that it mostly is.

The Firm - DTUK
My initial impressions are of a company that seems to want the business and as a result has been excellent with the purchase, the research into the product, open and honest, helpful in getting the most from the product post purchase. It has felt like a very personal service throughout which is sadly lacking a lot of the time at other firms I've dealt with.

Product Quality
The product is well made, and robust. The wiring loom is good quality - connections better than OEM in my view and the cabling looks to be stronger too. It fits easily and cable lengths are not excessive or short, thus feeling tailored to the car.

Ease of Fitting
Instructions are reasonably clear for fitting although fitting time was a little optimistic for the first time installer - allow and hour to ensure that you do it properly and not in a rush. Know that you need to get under the car and that the instructions need to be followed - you can't simply just hook it up to the battery for example.

Worth It ?
The finished article - in my view I can see no reason why a remap on an otherwise standard car would be any better than this tuning box (and believe me, I was very sceptical having remapped a number of cars in the past and never having used a tuning box). As DTUK themselves point out on their website, a remap would be better for cars with other mods but against generic remap codes I am happy to admit to being ignorant as to what results can be achieved with these devices. There is also the added bonus that this can be reprogrammed for the next car, or simply sold on so you can reclaim some of the outlay in the future. Is it worth getting one of these boxes ? Very much worth it on an otherwise pretty standard car (i.e. perhaps with an intake and exhaust).

luigi33 said:

Did you buy directly from dtuk?

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I did, yes. Very helpful, next day delivery if ordered before 4pm (I think that is correct!).

Stagsfell said:

Currently thinking about what to do with my 1.8 (improve or swap?), so many thanks for a very thorough and helpful review.

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I was in the same boat. It just wasn't quite quick enough. I am much happier with it now - obviously not a patch on the Golf R we had prior, but greatly improved without turning it into some dog of a car. It has retained all of the usability and smoothness. It's also a lot cheaper to buy the box than to change the car!

p.eco said:

@S3 AKR nice input! can you tell whether the consumption values on dashboard have changed compared to actual consumption? Are they way off?

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Not sure as I've only done about 70 miles on it. To my logic though it shouldn't be any different as the tuning box tricks the car into chucking more fuel in at any given revs. The ECU will still know how much fuel has been thrown in as it controls the injector cycles etc that deliver it. Therefore, the consumption on the display being fed from the ECU should still be as accurate (or inaccurate!) as it ever was.

Edits applied to the main review in post 3 to add Map 2 reviews and an edit to the Map 1 +3 review - click here