DTUK Tuning Box

[Boulton]

I’ve have recently put a DTUK tuning box on my mk7.5 GTI. Considered remap, and recognise it is probably the better long term option but the tuning box ticked all the boxes in terms of not invalidating the warranty.

So far I couldn’t recommend it highly enough. Also the service from Andrew at DTUK has been brilliant.

I’m currently fiddling around with the settings. At the moment it is on 2+3 which seems to give more power from 3500 revs onwards. Have any of you guys got it and what modes on the box have you found the best?

[Jim_mk7.5]

I would be really keen a good in depth review on the differences as I would seriously consider one but was put off by a proper tuner who said the problem with them is that is constantly fooling the ecu to get it to do what it needs to do.

Is yours a std GTI? If so, how is traction especially this time of year? I'm guessing off the line it's hard to tell and that its more mid range that feels faster?

Cheers

Jim

[Boulton]

To be honest I’ve only had it a week and not had chance to properly drive it with the weather being how it is.

There are 3 different settings on the box which determine how the power is delivered Jim. For example one of the settings I had tried gives more power off the mark but with the weather the traction is constantly interfering. Quoted figures are 316ps 457torque.

It is a standard GTI, not PP. There’s plenty of opinions on various forums in regards to DTUK. I think of the tuning box’s they are probably the dearest but the one to go for. On their site there are dyno readings showing the power increases (obviously can be open to interpretation). You could always give Andrew a call on 07977 466007.

[MjrSharpe]

I also have the dtuk box on my car. I was considering getting a revo map, as I had one on my ibiza cupra and it was excellent. In the interests of warranty however, I decided upon the box. The choice was between either a JB4 or a DtUK one. I decided upon the latter as the JB4 required a wire through the firewall.
I found the staff very helpful and had the box delievered within a couple of days. It came well packaged and the instructions were also clear. I installed it within half an hour, as only the lower boost sensor was hard to reach ( I removed the lower underbody cover.) Upon speaking with Andrew, he advised to try each setting and then settle upon the one which suited best.
After playing with it over the course of the weekend, I have settled upon map 2, boost +1, which I find perfect. As said, the power comes in slightly highter in the rev range, but in a smooth fashion. I have heard of people having over boost issues and check lights, but this has never happened to myself.
With regards to comparison with a map, I can see pros and cons to both. A revo one obviously takes account of more variables than the box, which deals with two boost sensors and the camshaft position sensor. Whilst I imagine this will allow for more precise regulation of timing advance and fuelling etc, I can honestly say that when driving with the box, it does not feel at all lumpy; it feels well judged and refined. I also like the fact that you can change map to suit your preferences.
I have a few other minor mods such as the racingline turbo elbow and the gfb dverter valve. The box has worked very well in conjuction with these and caused no issues. I imagine that if you had the like of a sports cat/decat, you would need either a bespoke map, or a stage two revo one for example. If someone was able to drive a well mapped car and one with a box back to back, then maybe a difference between the two would be apparent. If however you are driving in isolation, and want a noticeable increase in power, then I have nothing negative to say about DTUK.

Thanks, Craig

[Boulton]

I also have the dtuk box on my car. I was considering getting a revo map, as I had one on my ibiza cupra and it was excellent. In the interests of warranty however, I decided upon the box. The choice was between either a JB4 or a DtUK one. I decided upon the latter as the JB4 required a wire through the firewall.
I found the staff very helpful and had the box delievered within a couple of days. It came well packaged and the instructions were also clear. I installed it within half an hour, as only the lower boost sensor was hard to reach ( I removed the lower underbody cover.) Upon speaking with Andrew, he advised to try each setting and then settle upon the one which suited best.
After playing with it over the course of the weekend, I have settled upon map 2, boost +1, which I find perfect. As said, the power comes in slightly highter in the rev range, but in a smooth fashion. I have heard of people having over boost issues and check lights, but this has never happened to myself.
With regards to comparison with a map, I can see pros and cons to both. A revo one obviously takes account of more variables than the box, which deals with two boost sensors and the camshaft position sensor. Whilst I imagine this will allow for more precise regulation of timing advance and fuelling etc, I can honestly say that when driving with the box, it does not feel at all lumpy; it feels well judged and refined. I also like the fact that you can change map to suit your preferences.
I have a few other minor mods such as the racingline turbo elbow and the gfb dverter valve. The box has worked very well in conjuction with these and caused no issues. I imagine that if you had the like of a sports cat/decat, you would need either a bespoke map, or a stage two revo one for example. If someone was able to drive a well mapped car and one with a box back to back, then maybe a difference between the two would be apparent. If however you are driving in isolation, and want a noticeable increase in power, then I have nothing negative to say about DTUK.

Thanks, Craig

Craig, the only thing that worries me is you hear a of a few stories of the clutch slipping? Did you experience this and how many miles did you do with the DTUK box? I’m sure the GTI has the same clutch as the R to be fair. Mine is a manual.

[MjrSharpe]

Hello. I personally have never had any issues with clutch slip, although I have heard it happen with both standard and tuned cars. My friend has a leon cupra with a revo map and it has a low boost map for added clutch protection.
I've currently had the box on my car for approx 8,000 miles and it has yet to miss a beat or cause an issue. My father also has one on his Juke Nismo RS and it is also a good job. Whilst I'm sure they could cause issues with the clutch, I think if the car is driven within reason things should be fine.

[Exonian]

I ran a DTUK box on my 2013 GTI PP and it did the job pretty well.
I'd pretty much echo MjrSharpe's thoughts there, I'd come from a series of OBD remapped cars over many years and I won't say the box disappointed in smoothness and performance.
A box is always going to be playing catchup with the sensors, we're talking microseconds here, but a box doesn't quite have the responses of a good remap however there are trade off's one way and another when considering each.

I only used my car infrequently over winter and forgot to unplug the DTUK box when it was left standing in the cold for a period of time which resulted in a flat battery. I don't know if the later ones take their power from elsewhere but the early ones took their power in a feed direct from the battery. That's a downside if you're forgetful like me! Unplugging the box and putting the blanking plate on the loom avoids this if the car is parked for a period of time.

Having the power come in a bit higher up the RPM range is a sensible move with a manual box to avoid the clutch issues many people suffer with mk7's (even standard unmodified GTI's and R's seem to suffer this fate which is poor). So far none of my 4 mk7s have suffered clutch issues (touch wood) and I'd be furious if they did as a low mileage and sympathetic driver. And that's just the thing, my cars were low mileage so I'd really hope there were no clutch issues, but there's always that worry.
The settings where the power comes in a little higher will make the responses of the GTI more like an R higher up the rev band but still keep the amazing flexibility of the GTI turbo at low revs, and again, with a FWD car you don't want too much torque at very low RPM's especially in the lower gears.

I went with a JB1 on my R. Again it was a very adjustable set up (although I left it as it came out the box on default settings as they were adequate for road use) and if anything felt a tiny bit more responsive, but that could be down to the more responsive engine in the R. Thankfully the JB1 doesn't take power direct from the battery either so the car didn't suffer the indignity of not starting after being left for weeks at a time over winter...

I've still got my JB1 and intend on putting it on my Clubsport at some point but to be honest the Ed30 drives so well as a standard car I'm reluctant to mess up the balance. A JB4 is a lot more hardcore with its adjustability and flexibility but I don't plan any further mods so it would be wasted on me.

[Gnasher]

I had one on my 2014 GTI PP. Would heartily recommend it to anyone. I came from a tuned Astra H VXR (pushing approx 300BHP) prior to my GTI and couldn't have been happier with the box.

I've had (literally) a couple of instances where the clutch has slipped, but after a little bit of gentle driving it stops slipping. That said, you'll risk getting clutch slip whether it's a tuning box or remap. I think my main problem is my driving style and (as I'm an old fart) my inability to change. However 99% of the time it's fine and from what I've heard the DSG boxes don't suffer from the same clutch issues as the manuals.

Apparently it's even better when combined with a pedal box too. Some people even prefer the pedal box as it improves throttle response making the car feel better/quicker without actually being quicker/more powerful. Although both fitted will give you the best of both worlds!

[Sequence]

Had a DTUK box on my MK7 GT 2.0TDI it was great, made a huge difference to power and made a mundane 2.0tdi fun i did have a few issues after some months 5-7 with the car going into limp mode quickly resolved by cycling the ignition but no matter what map it seemed to happen once in a blue moon which was a little odd possibly over time the car did not tolerate it so well but every car is different and i soon moved into the R  so i did not persue it. Overall though i think it is a very good product and i would have one again if i was not so worried about getting the dreaded clutch slip that seems to be a widespread issue with the MK7 GTI/R

[Exonian]

I had one on my 2014 GTI PP. Would heartily recommend it to anyone. I came from a tuned Astra H VXR (pushing approx 300BHP) prior to my GTI and couldn't have been happier with the box.

I've had (literally) a couple of instances where the clutch has slipped, but after a little bit of gentle driving it stops slipping. That said, you'll risk getting clutch slip whether it's a tuning box or remap. I think my main problem is my driving style and (as I'm an old fart) my inability to change. However 99% of the time it's fine and from what I've heard the DSG boxes don't suffer from the same clutch issues as the manuals.

Apparently it's even better when combined with a pedal box too. Some people even prefer the pedal box as it improves throttle response making the car feel better/quicker without actually being quicker/more powerful. Although both fitted will give you the best of both worlds!

I think it goes without saying the pedal box is just an essential addition that needs to be fitted to any mk7 Golf which isn't just sat on cruise control all day long.
I had mine fitted to my PP GTI within a few weeks of collecting it and it's been on all my subsequent cars. I had a similar device on my remapped mk6's too. They just bring the torque into play so much more easily giving the car hot hatch responses instead of feeling like the pedal has been disconnected until it's half way down towards the carpet. The difference between ballet shoes and diving boots.