Dangers of re-mapping?

[Homer]

Hi I am thinking of getting this done but I wanted to know if there are any risks involved? One thing which puzzles me is why doesnt the car have those settings when it leaves the factory? Surely this would make more people want to buy the car in the first place? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[RedRobin]

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Hi and welcome to the forum, Homer.

When you are an enthusiast like everyone here it's very easy to forget all those other Golf and GTI buyers who simply aren't car enthusiasts. I know that's a bit sad regarding the very long 35-year tradition of the GTI but it's a fact. Plus the bottom line for every car manufacturer is sales and profit. So Volkswagen produce and market their cars to as wide an audience as possible and us enthusiasts are not the high percentage we can be forgiven for thinking we are.

In addition, there are numerous rules and regulations which very varied national territories impose as requirements for a car specification which VW have to meet. Also there too many people out there who hardly ever lift their bonnet and who scimp on maintenance and a manufacturer can't afford to gain a reputation for their products being unreliable.

The only dangers of remapping are if you do so to an extreme. The more you push the performance envelope the less reliable and prone to breakage a car will become. Production cars need to have a headroom tolerance - By remapping we lessen that tolerance. The trick is to do so without over compromising reliability and longevity.

A standard GTI is not a slow car and is plenty fast enough for many people. This forum though is a place where more performance orientated people gather.  

[Homer]

Hi thanks for the reply, one thing you touched on, in terms of longevity of the engine- I only want to do a stage 1, do you think this will effect the longevity of my engine? Also do I need to upgrade anyting else if I have a stage 1 remap? Thanks

[RedRobin]

Hi thanks for the reply, one thing you touched on, in terms of longevity of the engine- I only want to do a stage 1, do you think this will effect the longevity of my engine? Also do I need to upgrade anyting else if I have a stage 1 remap? Thanks

....I ran a Stage1 Revo for a while (am now running Stage2 and will not go to Stage2+) and I also did many of my hardware mods like suspension and brakes and exhaust before I remapped.

To answer your question, longevity will be much more effected by your engine maintenance/servicing, but also how you drive it. Ragging while the engine/oil is still cold is a bad habit and so are long periods in the revs red zone. I oil-service mine every 10,000 miles and change plugs every 20,000, or should I say that others do it for me. That's more often than Volkswagen's recommendations but does contribute beneficially.

Also run a high octane fuel such as V-Power. VW strongly recommend doing so. You'll potentially lose much more money than you gain by saving on fuel costs. Most established good tuners write their remap code to suit V-Power octane.

If you ever decide to upgrade further to Stage2, be aware that you'll feel the need for improved brakes and handling mods. Modding is a slippery slope and folks here encourage you to spend your money! But Stage1 is a very noticeable improvement.

Which car do you have? GTI? Ed30? VRS?

[berg]

Robin - out of interest why wont you go to stage 2+?

Also Robin, in another thread did you say you have tracked down a part number for the rear Ferodo Ds2500 via a lady @JKM? I cant find the thread it was in!

Cheers

[Snoopy]

I think a point Robin should have also pointed out was that he has had his car since new and its got over 90,000 miles on it now, most of that time it has been maped.

[RedRobin]

I think a point Robin should have also pointed out was that he has had his car since new and its got over 90,000 miles on it now, most of that time it has been maped.

....I wasn't remapped (Revo Stage1) until 23k miles, Geoff 

I'd have to look it up for the upgrade to Stage2 but IIRC it was about another 20k miles or so. Then a Revo DSG K03 remap.

[RedRobin]

Robin - out of interest why wont you go to stage 2+?

Also Robin, in another thread did you say you have tracked down a part number for the rear Ferodo Ds2500 via a lady @JKM? I cant find the thread it was in!

Cheers

....I'm not interested in going to Stage2+ because I would need to buy an aftermarket fuel pump and I'm convinced that the APR one is the best but it costs around £700. Also, I might then benefit from an intercooler. I must emphasise that I'm not against Stage2+ nor am I recommending folks not to do it - I'm only saying that I don't want to do it. It will of course stress components a bit more than Stage2 (no gain without pain) and could therefore effect longevity. I'm extremely happy with the balance and driveability of my car even if it's not the fastest. Although I'm keen to test drive the Audi RS3 when available I somehow doubt if I'll go for it and there ain't nothing out there that suits me better than my modified Mk5 GTI at present.

Re Ferodo DS2500 for rear S3/R32 brakes: I've got a brand new set in the garage but it's dark and there's no light in there. I could check the part # in the morning. I might even consider selling them but would want to check something out on Monday first before I decide.

Kate @ JKM is THE lady  - One of the very best customer service gals out there! Second to none! She's the "K" in JKM, but so is 2.0T FSI expert Keith.

[berg]

Robin - out of interest why wont you go to stage 2+?

Also Robin, in another thread did you say you have tracked down a part number for the rear Ferodo Ds2500 via a lady @JKM? I cant find the thread it was in!

Cheers

....I'm not interested in going to Stage2+ because I would need to buy an aftermarket fuel pump and I'm convinced that the APR one is the best but it costs around £700. Also, I might then benefit from an intercooler. I must emphasise that I'm not against Stage2+ nor am I recommending folks not to do it - I'm only saying that I don't want to do it. It will of course stress components a bit more than Stage2 (no gain without pain) and could therefore effect longevity. I'm extremely happy with the balance and driveability of my car even if it's not the fastest. Although I'm keen to test drive the Audi RS3 when available I somehow doubt if I'll go for it and there ain't nothing out there that suits me better than my modified Mk5 GTI at present.

Re Ferodo DS2500 for rear S3/R32 brakes: I've got a brand new set in the garage but it's dark and there's no light in there. I could check the part # in the morning. I might even consider selling them but would want to check something out on Monday first before I decide.

Kate @ JKM is THE lady  - One of the very best customer service gals out there! Second to none! She's the "K" in JKM, but so is 2.0T FSI expert Keith.

ok cheers robin for that

[RedRobin]

Also Robin, in another thread did you say you have tracked down a part number for the rear Ferodo Ds2500 via a lady @JKM? I cant find the thread it was in!

....I've visited my batcave and the DS2500 Ferodo part # for the S3/R32 is FCP1636H.

I'll PM you in the next day or two if I want to sell my boxed and unused ones.

[Homer]

Hi, thanks for all the help, I have a GTI MK5 FSI 2008 model. You said you upgraded a few things before your mods, this is what stresses me out a bit, I have no clue what to upgrade to or how to do it. Did the place you get your stage one done offer you this service or did you go somewhere else? If anyone else wants to also offer advice on these questions please feel free. Thanks a lot.

[RedRobin]

Hi, thanks for all the help, I have a GTI MK5 FSI 2008 model. You said you upgraded a few things before your mods, this is what stresses me out a bit, I have no clue what to upgrade to or how to do it. Did the place you get your stage one done offer you this service or did you go somewhere else? If anyone else wants to also offer advice on these questions please feel free. Thanks a lot.

....There isn't really a right or a wrong sequence of modifying - There are all sorts of individual factors such as how much money you've got available at the time and what you most fancy buying. Back in 2005 the remaps for the Mk5 GTI's 2.0T FSI weren't fully sorted out yet and I wanted to research before I chose. I started off with a Milltek exhaust only because I previously had a straight-six BMW with a great exhaust sound and I like to hear what's going on and the Golf was far too well sound-proofed. A course I did in exploring my car's limits prompted me to modify suspension and hence handling, so I did that next. We're all different in our approach and you canl learn a lot on this forum. JKM Portsmouth did my Revo Stage1 remap.

[Andy]

The Rule of thumb with modding cars if you go down this route is to start with the brakes to make sure they are up to rhe job and also the handling but us being human  always get a remap first

[RedRobin]

The Rule of thumb with modding cars if you go down this route is to start with the brakes to make sure they are up to the job and also the handling but us being human  always get a remap first

....Hence proving that I'm not human 

Be aware that getting more powerful brakes doesn't stop you sliding down the slippery slope of modding:

[Homer]

Hi, Redrobin-how did you know what brakes to upgrade to? did the mod garage tell you? And where did you go to have them done? Thanks a lot, as always others feel free to join in, thanks.