Clubsport Tuning/Mapping Help

[sdGT]

Hi all, I'm after some advice/opinions please...

I'm looking at having my stock MK8 Clubsport DSG mapped to Stage 1. This will be my first time having a car mapped.

I'm leaning towards Lichfield's stage 1 ECU tuning and TCU calibration, which offers over 390bhp/500nm for £780.

I'm also entertaining Racingline's OEM+ Stage 1 400bhp (£720 480nm low torque no TCU, £960 520nm high torque with TCU, if my 2021 CS TCU isn't locked),

And APR's ECU Stage 1 upgrade, which is £691. Their TCU upgrade is an additional £596 , but that's said to be for 2022+ models, so I'm not sure if that'll work on my 2021 CS.

APR could offer more bhp with a range of "398-442" (which is super vague), but the torque is limited to factory limits without their TCU upgrade.

From what I've read, I feel as though I should have a TCU calibration on my DSG, so that's playing a part in my decision.

Any advice or thoughts? Anyone had experience with any of these 3 tunings? 

Cheers

[sdGT]

Depending on where you are, you could do worse than Unicorn Developments in Stockport

Their stage 1 + TCU is £599 I believe, you will give you 400-ish and 520-560nm depending on what you want..

I have no experience of them but they’re well regarded from what I see..

Thanks for the tip. They're a bit too far north for me. I'm in Newport, south wales, so that's a 3hr drive. I've also gone off the thought of APR after some advice, someone recommended TVS though.

I haven't got local TVS pricing yet, but their ECU/TCU stage 1 is €999, and stage 2(2+ TCU) is €1,250. The stage 1 could be cheaper than RL, and stage 2 shouldn't be much more expensive, so may be worth a shout.

I'll call Litchfield tomorrow and talk about what exactly their TCU calibration entails, as it may not be comparable to RL and TVS anyway. I'll also pop to my local RL dealer and check if my DSG can have their TCU installed.

[sdGT]

I’m sure you’ve read this ? Albeit stage 2..

https://www.evo.co.uk/volkswagen/golf-gti/205846/litchfield-volkswagen-golf-gti-clubsport-2023-review

Yes I have read the evo review. It did sound promising. Great to have a pro review on one of these tunes, even if it is at stage 2.

[fredgroves]

Do they change the VDM setup as well?

I'd have thought with the way the Mk8 works you'd need some sort of tweak to that...

[sdGT]

Had another word with Litchfield and got pricing for TVS..

Stage 2 ECU map and stage 2+ TCU map comes to £896 all in. I'll probably be going for that. They're my closest for a TVS ECU anyway, Bristol transmissions only do TSU, unsurprisingly 

Had my DSG scanned at my local tuner just now, TBC if OEM+ TCU can be installed on my CS. Chap said he had to send the info off to Racingline for confirmation, so I'll be waiting a few days for that.

[sdGT]

Any update on this ? Did you decide which to go for ?

The TVS ECU Stage 2 and TCU Stage 2+ with Litchfield. Haven't had it done yet though. It's booked in for 20th of June!

Having a Racingline trifoam panel filter installed at the same time, give the turbo a little more breathing room. Will probably upgrade to the R600 at some point, but not until at least May 2024 when my warranty is up.