Stage 1, 2, 3 +

[dajonic]

My question is...do you start off with stage 1 and build the base from there or do you jump in at a higher stage and possibly bin it in the nearest hedge when it comes back from the tuners? Obviously theres a matter of cost involved but then surely over the course of time if you always step up to the next stage then the costs will be higher. I've read a few of your posts and it seems that not everyone has used the same tuners so obviously there are different factors at work so what do you all recommend? 

[Top Cat]

I wouldn't dive straight into stage 3. that is a big step for the serious modder.
I would personally need to uprate everything else before bolting on a big turbo.   
really you should sort out the suspension and brakes before you start on with the maps. But the best way is to get a map first and you will be addicted to the buzz and the rest will just have to be done.
If you go Revo or Superchips then going the next stage doesn't cost to much if anything. 

[VC]

like the cat says, to go faster you must stop quicker

i went straight for a stage 2 with an eos after a few mods first

but its worth remembering that sometimes the journey is more enjoyable than the destination

ie if you pace your mods you can enjoy each one for its own merits as you go rather than shoot your load early so to speak 

[dajonic]

I think spiderman said it best...."with great power comes great responsibility" I was looking at VW Racing website as a base for all the Stage work and they have Chassis and engine stages....which is the way I was heading. As you say there'sa no point getting somewhere if you can't stop at the end and you might aswell enjoy the jouney in between. I've also been reading posts about the ED30 as being more tunable so would migration of bits from a donor engine be a possible good move?