I can't compete with Darlo's amazing photos and and write up but I've had a go with the DTUK box now too.
A bit about my background - I've been messing about with VW's since the late 80's from modified engine internals on elderly GTI's to remaps and suspension upgrades (plus the usual alloy wheels and other subtle but effective mods). Obviously I've been around the VW scene a long time and know lots of people who share like minded interests in buying a perfectly good car then taking it apart to make it better.
Some people do it to computers, some people do it to houses and some people like to do it to their family transport. Buy it, mess about with it, enjoy it, move on.
I'd obviously taken a lot of interest in the DTUK boxes for the TSI's as soon as I'd heard about them knowing full well that even from mk6 ECU's they were becoming harder to crack and seeing even the big German tuners looking to alternative ways of upping power and staying in business long term by keeping up with technology.
I'd experienced tuning boxes back in the late 90's and early noughties when VW had long since lost the plot with GTI's and I was running around in fuel guzzling VR6's that lacked any mid range punch unless you spend serious money on them.
Just for the hell of it I bought an ex-demo Ibiza TDI not long after they were announced and set to work on a project to make a cheap fun car in the ethos of the original GTI.
First thing that was noticed after the silky VR6 was the godawful vibrations at idle sat at traffic lights but the fuel economy and light body shell made up for that and once a decent quality tuning box was added it made a very quick cross county car that really showed up the standard chassis.
It was really hard to get sensibly priced tuning parts for the Ibiza mk2 at the time and so I went back to a mk2 GTI for a while as I was covering a tiny mileage, that was followed by another VR6 I picked up cheaply until the urge to have another play with a turbo car was too much. The Ibiza 1.8Ts were all the rage by then and I noticed a lot of owners were selling the standard parts on cupranet off these as they upgraded nearly new cars so a little plan formed. I'd build a TDI track car as tuned TDI's were still very much a minority thing until the PD engined Ibizas and Golfs arrived a couple of years later.
This next Ibiza TDI ran initially a tuning box to get the ball rolling, then bigger injectors supplied by Van Aaken who were the forefront of TDI tuning in the UK (previously to TDI's, tuning turbo Diesels just involved cranking up the fuel pump til it smoked at full acceleration then wind it back a bit til it stopped smoking - ta da! Extra power for no expense!). Then I added an UPsolute chip as I was keeping a close eye on the US forums seeing some of their craving for more power from their 90bhp TDI's.
Anyway, that's my history with tuning boxes - simple, maybe slightly crude, but effective.
After that I went for OBD remaps from the usual suppliers and I'm not talking one or two here - I change cars every other year so have chalked up quite a few from the likes of AmD, REVO, Bluefin etc on both TDI's and 1.8T's, TFSI's and TSI's.
So, I'd never consider myself an expert on anything but I do have a bit of experience under my belt.
Those that question why people modify their cars would never understand, but the average forum user will know where I'm coming from!
Anyway, to cut the waffle, I'd spoken to Andrew at DTUK and discussed the boxes a little and told him I was keen to try one. I bought a PedalBox as soon as I could as I consider this an essential modification. It makes the GTI feel so much 'lighter' to drive without affecting anything much.
Chance to try out a DTUK box came in the last week or so as a good friend of mine who I often mention on the forum is a manager at a car leasing company and is my first stop for anything info wise on cars as he has sooooo much experience of cars backed up by a huge enthusiasm for all things VAG.
Said friend had just been given a mk7 GTI on loan to trial for a while. Conveniently their insurance covers them to use third party software as they try out tracking devices and other driving monitors (spy in the cab) on their hired out vehicles.
Guinea pig vehicle sourced! My own insurance hadn't been updated and as my car has a minuscule mileage I was reluctant to try it out just yet on my own vehicle.
The car in question is a standard white 5 door GTI.
After an almost random chat with Andrew before I went out on New Years Eve I'd acquired myself a DTUK box (Andrew being very helpful and enthusiastic as ever and on call at all sorts of weird times of day and night unlike a lot of business owners - so take note potential customers as this is what stands aside a good company to deal with compared with just an anonymous internet supplier or worse still some guy who buys a load of bulk boxes and flogs them on ebay with no proper understanding of their product).
The box arrived the day after NYD which was a Friday, so a super quick dispatch, and was duly fitted on a horrible wet and very windy saturday once the car had been dropped off to me and my friend had vanished back to his family.
Now it was hardly ideal conditions for fitting something like this, in my very cramped garage once my own GTI had been moved out. It was peeing down, bad light and there was a hurricane blowing up my back freeing my builders bum! But on the flip side, if a cretin like me can fit the box in about an hour in those conditions then anyone can. And if anyone local to me buys one I'll happily help them fit it.
It does take about an hour. Firstly locating the hardest to see plug which unlike Darlo I did manage to access ok from the front of the engine (and yes, I did bleed slightly!) which is tight but doable. The other connectors are a cinch and it's all pretty idiot proof if you're patient. In fact one of the hardest things for me was getting a tidy installation on the battery terminal as I just wanted it to look factory finished with tidy cable runs as I'm fussy like that! If I get time I'll have another go at it.
Once the car went back with my friend I took the tuning box off but kept the loom on there so I can have another go with it at the weekend.
On to the bit everyone has been waiting for if they're still paying any attention - What's it like?
Initially the engine feels the same as untuned, no turbo surge and resulting torque spike that kills clutches and dump valves. Perfect!
This is on the standard setting too. Andrew says it can happily go up a notch or two via simple adjustment. Time was my enemy so I just stuck with standard.
To cut a lot of description out that 's not really necessary I'll describe the map as a bit like a Bluefin remap on a mk5 or mk6 - it feels factory smooth but just more power and torque everywhere. it's quite subtle in it's delivery but you can feel the extra oomph on part throttle and I didn't really get chance to use it on full throttle which I'd guess was a lot better again due to the horrendous stormy weather.
I think driving it in that sort of weather also throws up how well the basic chassis of the mk7 copes so very easily with the upgraded power output. It just feels like the car should have come out of the factory like this and in fact feels like it was designed for this sort of power and performance.
Too often I've seen people buy GTI's and plaster their extensive mods all over forums and then find out that it has pushed it beyond what the GTI was really about and lost sight of why they chose a GTI in the first place.
If you want a rip snorting performance car then just buy one.
A GTI is about so much more. Push it too far in any direction you lose that balance of talents.
I'm happy to report that the DTUK box just compliments the GTI's character and keeps it within the happy balance of talents. Like standard but just more everywhere. Just how it should be and belying the apparent simplicity of how the tuning box works (in theory).
And thanks to Andrew. Great service.
And thanks to next doors kitten who climbed all over me and the engine bay during installation just to make it even more difficult in the horrible weather conditions - but at least she kept me amused!!!!
I'll report back more when I get chance. Darlo's installation looks a bit better than mine so I'm going to get the car back and have another fiddle with it when I can.
