Hi guys,
I have a 2016 Seat Leon Cupra 290 ST FWD with DSG and I’m currently planning the next steps with the car.
Current setup:
For now I’m thinking about going Stage 1, but in the longer term I would like to upgrade the turbo, probably to a Garrett PowerMax Stage 1 setup, aiming somewhere around the 430–450 hp area rather than pushing it to the absolute limit.
Before that, I’m considering the Bull-X downpipe with the 200-cell HJS catalytic converter and ECE approval.
I’d be interested in hearing from anyone who has actually used this downpipe on a Cupra / Golf R / similar EA888 Gen 3 MQB car.
How is it in terms of:
I already have some drone from the Bull-X exhaust around 3,000–3,500 rpm, so I’m particularly interested in whether the downpipe made this noticeably worse.
I’m also trying to decide which ECU software route to take. At the moment I’m mainly looking at APR, Integrated Engineering and Ecotune, although I’m open to other recommendations.
The car is a daily as well as a fun car, so I’m more interested in smooth power delivery, good drivability and reliability than having the biggest possible dyno number. I also don’t want an aggressive torque spike low down, especially as the car is FWD.
For the DSG I’m also considering TVS rather than necessarily matching the ECU and TCU software brands.
If anyone has tried more than one of these tunes on an IS38 Cupra/Golf R, I’d especially appreciate your experience with how they compare in terms of throttle response, power delivery, DSG behaviour and general daily drivability.
Thanks!
I have a 2016 Seat Leon Cupra 290 ST FWD with DSG and I’m currently planning the next steps with the car.
Current setup:
- RacingLine R600 intake
- RacingLine intake hose
- RacingLine turbo inlet
- Bull-X valved cat-back exhaust
For now I’m thinking about going Stage 1, but in the longer term I would like to upgrade the turbo, probably to a Garrett PowerMax Stage 1 setup, aiming somewhere around the 430–450 hp area rather than pushing it to the absolute limit.
Before that, I’m considering the Bull-X downpipe with the 200-cell HJS catalytic converter and ECE approval.
I’d be interested in hearing from anyone who has actually used this downpipe on a Cupra / Golf R / similar EA888 Gen 3 MQB car.
How is it in terms of:
- sound compared with the stock downpipe
- drone at motorway speeds
- fitment and build quality
- CEL / emissions issues
- long-term reliability of the HJS catalyst
I already have some drone from the Bull-X exhaust around 3,000–3,500 rpm, so I’m particularly interested in whether the downpipe made this noticeably worse.
I’m also trying to decide which ECU software route to take. At the moment I’m mainly looking at APR, Integrated Engineering and Ecotune, although I’m open to other recommendations.
The car is a daily as well as a fun car, so I’m more interested in smooth power delivery, good drivability and reliability than having the biggest possible dyno number. I also don’t want an aggressive torque spike low down, especially as the car is FWD.
For the DSG I’m also considering TVS rather than necessarily matching the ECU and TCU software brands.
If anyone has tried more than one of these tunes on an IS38 Cupra/Golf R, I’d especially appreciate your experience with how they compare in terms of throttle response, power delivery, DSG behaviour and general daily drivability.
Thanks!
