APR DTR Golf R vs various cars

[Covelight]

I had a few run-ins over the past two weeks with some cars - temperatures were low to mid 40 degrees outside.. 2 Honda Accord 2.0Ts (both stock), a brand new Civic Sport hatchback, and a brand new BMW X3 xDrive30i today. Something must be wrong with my car because I cannot believe I'm actually making the power APR advertises for stock fueling Rs. All aforementioned cars seemed to accelerate quicker than I could've, especially the BMW. That thing was the definition of quick, and it wasn't even an M40i or M anything. I'm on the fence about wanting to upgrade the fueling whilst on this stock downpipe if the tune is just gonna pull back power to preserve the stock cats. I guess I'll wait it out and get one of the ECE-approved HJS/EPA-certified GESi downpipes because everyone and their mother has some sort of catless/catted downpipe here in NYC. I found this little write up not too long ago (specifically the 3rd post): https://www.vwvortex.com/threads/apr-dtr6054-turbo-kit-review.9542312

I was bone stock prior to this kit. I didn't get the chance to do HPFP/LPFP because the HPFP I bought had a recall on it and it took a few weeks after the install until I received the revised unit. I thought it'd be better than trying Stage 2 on the stock IS38 after I read mixed reviews of people's IS38s failing. 90% of me wish I tried Stage 2 first. I miss the low-end shove to zip around yellow cabs that pull over in front of me without warning, even when I was stock.

My video link:

Mods:
• APR DTR6054 ECU/TCU on stock fueling, 93 octane
• APR coil packs/spark plugs
• 4-inch/100mm intake with a 120mm filter (Blaze Performance AToM Race V2 intake)
• do88 intercooler
• 17-inch BBS wheels in General GMAX tires (from the previous owner)

This isn't my first DTR turbo as I had a wastegate actuator issue two days after installation. I was without my car for weeks, so now that the turbo itself is running without problems, I'm not certain I want to go through the experience again with a hybrid of some sort.

 

[19birel]

An X3 30i and a Civic Sport outran you? My Stage 1 GTI absolutely clapped a stock Civic Sport, and as someone who sold BMW's and is very familiar with X3s, a stock R should have walked an X3 30i.

What I'm trying to get at is, I think something is wrong with your car, whether it's an issue with the tune or the a hardware issue something isn't right

 

[jay745]

Still slower than a k04+water meth mk6 gti though

 

[Covelight]

An X3 30i and a Civic Sport outran you? My Stage 1 GTI absolutely clapped a stock Civic Sport, and as someone who sold BMW's and is very familiar with X3s, a stock R should have walked an X3 30i.

What I'm trying to get at is, I think something is wrong with your car, whether it's an issue with the tune or the a hardware issue something isn't right

Well the X3 definitely outran me. I got back on throttle and the power wasn't what it should've been. I feel like I have better power when the stock cats are just warming up lol.

My oil temperature went up to 220 degrees with the X3. It normally stays at or around 207 under normal driving and maybe the highest I've seen it go is 216 since I got tuned. Highest ever was 225 degrees when I was bone stock and on a 90-degree summer day. I know the tune is designed to pull power to prevent the stock cats from overheating + the fact I don't have upgraded fueling installed, but I wasn't pleased to say the least lol. APR says Rs/S3s need fueling upgrades to get the best on pump gas, and an APR rep suggested I switch out my stock charge pipes for their APR pipes to further cut any restrictions (stock downpipe is THE restriction imo). It's been pretty breezy with temps in the 40s, bone dry weather except for the rain storm we had on Monday.

I never had any fault codes/issues with the tune since I got it back though.

 

[Covelight]

Still slower than a k04+water meth mk6 gti though View attachment 296865

Funnily enough, I still have my Mk6 GTI, though it's only APR Stage 1. I use my R while my parents use the GTI for runaround errands.

 

[Superfreak]

Well the X3 definitely outran me. I got back on throttle and the power wasn't what it should've been. I feel like I have better power when the stock cats are just warming up lol.

My oil temperature went up to 220 degrees with the X3. It normally stays at or around 207 under normal driving and maybe the highest I've seen it go is 216 since I got tuned. Highest ever was 225 degrees when I was bone stock and on a 90-degree summer day. I know the tune is designed to pull power to prevent the stock cats from overheating + the fact I don't have upgraded fueling installed, but I wasn't pleased to say the least lol. APR says Rs/S3s need fueling upgrades to get the best on pump gas, and an APR rep suggested I switch out my stock charge pipes for their APR pipes to further cut any restrictions (stock downpipe is THE restriction imo). It's been pretty breezy with temps in the 40s, bone dry weather except for the rain storm we had on Monday.

I never had any fault codes/issues with the tune since I got it back though.

That oil temp is still pretty low. I’ve seen 260°+ on spirited mountain drives and even higher on track. Nothing to worry about, imo.

 

[Covelight]

That oil temp is still pretty low. I’ve seen 260°+ on spirited mountain drives and even higher on track. Nothing to worry about, imo.

That's good to know. It's my first time actually trying to pay attention to any changes since it's my first turbo upgrade.

 

[Superfreak]

That's good to know. It's my first time actually trying to pay attention to any changes since it's my first turbo upgrade.

There’s some threads referencing oil temps from others that you might want to check out, as I’m not an expert. This particular thread gets into IATs and oil temps, though I’m sure there’s more if you search.

https://www.golfmk7.com/forums/inde...ection-all-your-logs-are-belong-to-us.425356/

 

[19birel]

Well the X3 definitely outran me. I got back on throttle and the power wasn't what it should've been. I feel like I have better power when the stock cats are just warming up lol.

My oil temperature went up to 220 degrees with the X3. It normally stays at or around 207 under normal driving and maybe the highest I've seen it go is 216 since I got tuned. Highest ever was 225 degrees when I was bone stock and on a 90-degree summer day. I know the tune is designed to pull power to prevent the stock cats from overheating + the fact I don't have upgraded fueling installed, but I wasn't pleased to say the least lol. APR says Rs/S3s need fueling upgrades to get the best on pump gas, and an APR rep suggested I switch out my stock charge pipes for their APR pipes to further cut any restrictions (stock downpipe is THE restriction imo). It's been pretty breezy with temps in the 40s, bone dry weather except for the rain storm we had on Monday.

I never had any fault codes/issues with the tune since I got it back though.

Yeah an X3 30i only makes ~250hp at the crank and I think APR quotes 420ish crank on 93 for the R. The only thing I can think of is that maybe you've got bad fuel in the tank and it's pulling timing or something. Do you have the ability to datalog? If not, I'd maybe throw a bottle of octane booster in the tank and see how the car responds.

As far as the oil temps go, that's well within the safe range, I wouldn't be concerned there

 

[Covelight]

Yeah an X3 30i only makes ~250hp at the crank and I think APR quotes 420ish crank on 93 for the R. The only thing I can think of is that maybe you've got bad fuel in the tank and it's pulling timing or something. Do you have the ability to datalog? If not, I'd maybe throw a bottle of octane booster in the tank and see how the car responds.

As far as the oil temps go, that's well within the safe range, I wouldn't be concerned there

I used Mobil 1 93 whenever I fill up. I'm not sure if they're the best but I've used that gas station for a while now omw to school and work. I'll give the octane booster a shot. I've never datalogged before and don't know where to begin lol.

 

[Diggs24]

https://www.golfmk7.com/forums/index.php?threads/ecu-logging-capability.420890/

 

[timmyturbo]

I had a few run-ins over the past two weeks with some cars - temperatures were low to mid 40 degrees outside.. 2 Honda Accord 2.0Ts (both stock), a brand new Civic Sport hatchback, and a brand new BMW X3 xDrive30i today. Something must be wrong with my car because I cannot believe I'm actually making the power APR advertises for stock fueling Rs. All aforementioned cars seemed to accelerate quicker than I could've, especially the BMW. That thing was the definition of quick, and it wasn't even an M40i or M anything. I'm on the fence about wanting to upgrade the fueling whilst on this stock downpipe if the tune is just gonna pull back power to preserve the stock cats. I guess I'll wait it out and get one of the ECE-approved HJS/EPA-certified GESi downpipes because everyone and their mother has some sort of catless/catted downpipe here in NYC. I found this little write up not too long ago (specifically the 3rd post): https://www.vwvortex.com/threads/apr-dtr6054-turbo-kit-review.9542312

I was bone stock prior to this kit. I didn't get the chance to do HPFP/LPFP because the HPFP I bought had a recall on it and it took a few weeks after the install until I received the revised unit. I thought it'd be better than trying Stage 2 on the stock IS38 after I read mixed reviews of people's IS38s failing. 90% of me wish I tried Stage 2 first. I miss the low-end shove to zip around yellow cabs that pull over in front of me without warning, even when I was stock.

My video link:

Mods:
• APR DTR6054 ECU/TCU on stock fueling, 93 octane
• APR coil packs/spark plugs
• 4-inch/100mm intake with a 120mm filter (Blaze Performance AToM Race V2 intake)
• do88 intercooler
• 17-inch BBS wheels in General GMAX tires (from the previous owner)

This isn't my first DTR turbo as I had a wastegate actuator issue two days after installation. I was without my car for weeks, so now that the turbo itself is running without problems, I'm not certain I want to go through the experience again with a hybrid of some sort.

Simostools is incredibly helpful for logging. It's what I use all the time. I know we have communicated through DMs a bit so you know I've been running this turbo for a while now. Something certainly sounds off, but we will really only know from logging. I've run lots of logs on both the stock fueling setup and with upgraded fueling. While you will definitely benefit from the fuel upgrade on the R, the car should by no means be a total slouch. I ran the DTR on the stock intercooler for atleast 6 months before installing one, no real issue but certainly not ideal. I wouldn't let the fear mongering on the thread you linked get to you. Typing in all caps and saying your an "ASE certified tech" doesn't mean shit, for all we know the guys cats were on the way out before the turbo. If you want anecdotal evidence, I'm at 26K+ miles, half of that with upgraded fueling, haven't melted my catalytic converters.
To summarize you need some logging capabilities. I had an issue come up that I discovered only through logging. Sometime after upgrading fueling, I was getting an underboost soft code and sometimes a full limp mode hard code. It was making me crazy, couldn't figure it out, but I could see there was a pattern. I even had @Diggs24 take a look at a log (thanks again). With lots of back and fourth with APR I got them see that I had an issue that was not mechanical or a boost leak. I had a complete unicorn of an ECU. Basically VW/Audi used leftover ECUs in the transition years of the golf R and S3 getting the DQ381 and newest version of ECU. So I had a protection that was in the old ECU that wasn't something used in the latest ECU. Long story short APR was able to figure it out and I worked with them doing datalogs with their high-speed logger and after some multiple revisions the car runs great. I'm NOT saying you have this particular scenario, the takeaway is we will only know what's going on with logging. There are great members on this site with lots of knowledge on the subject.

 

[Diggs24]

Simostools is incredibly helpful for logging. It's what I use all the time. I know we have communicated through DMs a bit so you know I've been running this turbo for a while now. Something certainly sounds off, but we will really only know from logging. I've run lots of logs on both the stock fueling setup and with upgraded fueling. While you will definitely benefit from the fuel upgrade on the R, the car should by no means be a total slouch. I ran the DTR on the stock intercooler for atleast 6 months before installing one, no real issue but certainly not ideal. I wouldn't let the fear mongering on the thread you linked get to you. Typing in all caps and saying your an "ASE certified tech" doesn't mean shit, for all we know the guys cats were on the way out before the turbo. If you want anecdotal evidence, I'm at 26K+ miles, half of that with upgraded fueling, haven't melted my catalytic converters.
To summarize you need some logging capabilities. I had an issue come up that I discovered only through logging. Sometime after upgrading fueling, I was getting an underboost soft code and sometimes a full limp mode hard code. It was making me crazy, couldn't figure it out, but I could see there was a pattern. I even had @Diggs24 take a look at a log (thanks again). With lots of back and fourth with APR I got them see that I had an issue that was not mechanical or a boost leak. I had a complete unicorn of an ECU. Basically VW/Audi used leftover ECUs in the transition years of the golf R and S3 getting the DQ381 and newest version of ECU. So I had a protection that was in the old ECU that wasn't something used in the latest ECU. Long story short APR was able to figure it out and I worked with them doing datalogs with their high-speed logger and after some multiple revisions the car runs great. I'm NOT saying you have this particular scenario, the takeaway is we will only know what's going on with logging. There are great members on this site with lots of knowledge on the subject.

Glad to hear you got on them to sort it out.

 

[Covelight]

Simostools is incredibly helpful for logging. It's what I use all the time. I know we have communicated through DMs a bit so you know I've been running this turbo for a while now. Something certainly sounds off, but we will really only know from logging. I've run lots of logs on both the stock fueling setup and with upgraded fueling. While you will definitely benefit from the fuel upgrade on the R, the car should by no means be a total slouch. I ran the DTR on the stock intercooler for atleast 6 months before installing one, no real issue but certainly not ideal. I wouldn't let the fear mongering on the thread you linked get to you. Typing in all caps and saying your an "ASE certified tech" doesn't mean shit, for all we know the guys cats were on the way out before the turbo. If you want anecdotal evidence, I'm at 26K+ miles, half of that with upgraded fueling, haven't melted my catalytic converters.
To summarize you need some logging capabilities. I had an issue come up that I discovered only through logging. Sometime after upgrading fueling, I was getting an underboost soft code and sometimes a full limp mode hard code. It was making me crazy, couldn't figure it out, but I could see there was a pattern. I even had @Diggs24 take a look at a log (thanks again). With lots of back and fourth with APR I got them see that I had an issue that was not mechanical or a boost leak. I had a complete unicorn of an ECU. Basically VW/Audi used leftover ECUs in the transition years of the golf R and S3 getting the DQ381 and newest version of ECU. So I had a protection that was in the old ECU that wasn't something used in the latest ECU. Long story short APR was able to figure it out and I worked with them doing datalogs with their high-speed logger and after some multiple revisions the car runs great. I'm NOT saying you have this particular scenario, the takeaway is we will only know what's going on with logging. There are great members on this site with lots of knowledge on the subject.

Oh so that's what happened with you. I'll have to check the build date of mine as now I'm curious if that's my case. But I will definitely look into Simostools.

 

[Covelight]

https://www.golfmk7.com/forums/index.php?threads/ecu-logging-capability.420890/

Thank you. I'll get to reading asap.