TDI box good or bad

[paulgood10]

TDI tuning box good or bad

Hi A bit new to this My question I own a seat Alhambra 1.9 tdi 130 and have seen a lot of these " tuning boxes" ( on eBay). Very happy with my diesel although it's not as quick as my old 1.8 20vt version I had,although I am enjoying an extra 12 mpg (50% increase). anyhow I have read that these tuning boxes increase power speed and fuel efficiency with no adverse effects!(if you believe the salesmen) There also seems to be 2 types available digital and analogy.What is the real story and are they really worth fitting.

Thanks

Paul

 

[yellowperil]

You will gets lots of info on here about them mate, just try searching a few threads for all the info you could need.
As for the tuning boxes you say about, analogue is normally in its most basic form a resistor in a box to trick your car into running in a cold start mode and therefore adding extra fuel throughout the injection cycle.
A digital box is more technical in that it fits between your ECU and the fuel pump and alters in info it recieves only adding more fuel at the points it is programed to do so.
I have a psi digital tuning box in the ibiza cupra tdi with good results and no fault lights on the dash.
As i am sure someone will point out the best route is a "remap" of your ECU this alters so many more parts of the program not least the boost presure. The main problem with a remap is you can't take it off when you sell your car and some versions cannot be turned off when you need a service or warranty.
Hope some of this helps

 

[paulgood10]

Thanks for the reply My car is only 6 months old so I don't want to risk damage and although the benefits may be less, being able to un plug the device before service (or warranty) work is done is important.I assume re mapping is less straight forward.I had a bit of a look around on the sight but will search more toughly.

If anyone has any recent experience good or bad it would be helpful.

Thanks

Paul

 

[PhatPhil]

Can fault my Revo remap on my PD150 - http://www.revotechnik.com

More expensive than a tuning box but you will see better performance, MPG and drivability over a "tuning box".

Had mine for 2 years now. VAG dealer has never even commented - they actually offer remaps on new/used cars from http://www.starperformance.co.uk

 

[muddyboots]

being able to un plug the device before service (or warranty) work is done is important.I assume re mapping is less straight forward.

If anything, a serial port remap is probably easier, no need to even lift the bonnet - all done via the disgnostic port in a few minutes.

Some remaps, like Revo, can be switched between standard and remapped at will, if you buy their plug in switch box. Just what you need for trips to the dealer.

 

[stoneyfordNI]

ive got a proper tunin box not the resistor mod thing, and it hasnt been used in months, its far too peaky and sudden , smoky and not at all good, far better savin a bit longer 4 a good remap.......like me

 

[paulgood10]

Hi

I am quite interested now in the re mapping (particularly the revo plug in thing) and I'm waiting for some info from one of there dealers.In the meantime I fortunately / unfortunately won a resistor type on eBay and think that I may give it a go although most of you aren't that impressed with them. B4 I plug it in is there much danger of doing any damage or causing any un removable warning lights / fault codes on my car.

Any comments appreciated

Paul

 

[Red Eye]

What's the problem ??

So whats the real deal then, why are people opposed to the E-Bay tuning boxes?

Do they cause engine problems or is it just that they give a bit more power but only at a certain rev range and not all the way through the revs like the digital boxes?
How about running both what would this do? or would you be geting your car home via a tow truck ;-)

any info would be great as I'm just about to get an E-Bay special !!

Cheers.

 

[Tiny130]

They just overfuel, I tried an Ebay special an adjustable one for £40 plugs in easy enough in under a minute, works too in a fashion but popped the check engine/pollution light on almost straight away, only way to clear it is with vag-com which i did. So imo yes they will give u more power and are cheap but in the long term your going to have a very black sooty engine and an exhaust full of crap, God knows what it does to the CAT and ports.

I've just recently had my PD130 Custom Code remapped and it's like a new car 177bhp/290lbft no warning lights or any nastiness, everything enigine wise works as it should, just with more of it it's the only way to go if your serious about more power.

 

[SCORPION]

Does anyone know what a Leon PD150 would increase torque to with a REVO box or remap?

 

[Tiny130]

Er Revo is a remap m8 about 40 to 50 bhp and hopefully 50 - 60 lbft torque

 

[PhatPhil]

My Revo PD150 put out 196.5bhp and 296lb/ft on the Star Performance rollers.

 

[joebailie]

My dad also has a 1.9 tdi 130 and he put in a tuning box which he got of hh tuning because he didn't like the thought of getting one off ebay. The box cost £50 and brought the bhp from 130 to 156.

 

[davestretty]

Ebay tuning box

Hi - I bought an L shaped plugin box off Ebay (from Germany) for £25 quid, guess it's a resistor in a box type. Fitted it to 2003 Cordoba pd130. Brilliant effect, linear and smooth power increase right from <1500rpm, now revs out easily. Very Little smoke, not at all peaky. Makes 6th gear usable right from tickover (well nearly). Dropped 30-70 time from 8 down to 7.3 secs (cheaper than a rolling road and real world improvement). Fuel economy maybe 2-3mpg better (45mpg daily brim to brim). Only downside is fuel computer now reads 52mpg average due to resistor altering fuel temp reading to boost injection and power. Oh and it's hard to resist the grin factor so watch for cameras. Thought about trying an obd tune but don't think it will be a value improvement.
Anyway i think it's worth a punt for £25.

Cheers
Dave

 

[JBS Sales]

Hi
You will get lots of replies to threads like these.
You will get "well I had mine done at so and so and it is the best as I know I drive one"
So the best thing to do is to look in to this well.
It can be alot of money you shell out.
Just be aware of the ROLLING ROAD LOTTERY as Badger5 explains it as.
Some rolling roads can read up to 25bhp over the correct bhp reading.
Have a check on the rolling road days.
I am not going to push Custom-Code on to you I am just asking you to take the time out to read the web site www.custom-code.co.uk
This is slightly cheaper than others but check it all out.
Sarah

 

[FSiLeonMike]

Well, I ain't gonna try persuade people to go the way I did, but I fitted a "Tunit-I" to my 2002 1.9TDI (90), and all I can say is, its added maybe 5mph to the top end, so it'll do 120mph maybe (not bad for the base model), but the difference is on acceleration, its not exactly a sports car now, but it does pull away pretty damn quick. Yeah, if you don't take time to set it up, it'll smoke, but a good set up, and a K&n type filter, and the extra smoke is minimal. Not saying this is the way to go for all people, but if you want something that increases the acceleration, but is removable, a "good quality" programmable tuning box is an option.
(OK, so some one say it "there isn't such thing as a good quality tuning box")

 

[niw2500]

Who know what size of resistor to use? I might try this but i'm just buying a resistor to try first.

Cheers

 

[FSiLeonMike]

Which size resistor???????

Don't use one, they are no good. They just over fuel your car through the entire rev range, and you'll end up with a dash thats lit up like a xmas tree. Fault lights every where and a car that drinks like a petrol engine.

If you are on a budget, a good quality tuning box is the way to go, they deliver the extra fuel where they are programmed to (eg "where its needed"), and reduce or eliminate faults. I've had a Tunit fitted for 12 months with ZERO PROBLEMS.
A PSI or Tunit are the best, this will be anywhere between 200 and 400 quid

If money is no object, get a re-map, will be 400 quid and upwards, depending on where you go, and how much power you want to squeeze out of your car.

These are just my opinions, and I'm sure there are others out there who will disagree

 

[niw2500]

I'm just lookin to try it out on a car i use for goin out a stage and doesn't matter about. Resistor values would be good 700 ohm or 1.5k variable

 

[muddyboots]

Don't use one, they are no good. They just over fuel your car through the entire rev range, and you'll end up with a dash thats lit up like a xmas tree. Fault lights every where and a car that drinks like a petrol engine.

That's not entirely true.

While I agree that they are pretty crude ways of gaining a bit more power, using a resistor mod won't necessarily provide any faults codes / warning lights or result in higher fuel consumption. Yes it'll be smoky and might end up being a bit lumpy, but you can get a bit more power this way.

If you just buy one of these resistor boxes, you are relying on someone else having chosen the resistance and yes - if it's too low, you will get a fault. If you do it yourself though, you can experiment and do it carefully.

IIRC on a stock PD130, the lowest resistance to use is 150 ohm.
If you're sensible and start experimenting with slightly higher resistances first and then dropping down, there's no reason why you shouldn't get a bit more power.
It's so easy to do - with a bit of skill you can just get a resistor, fold it's legs and insert them into the connector removed from the fuel temp sender. Just keep everything taped, insulated and supported and you're away.

Have a read of this old thread of mine - and bear in mind I was tinkering with a car that was alreadry remapped: http://www.seatcupra.net/forums/showthread.php?t=27267

Would I tinker with resistor mods again ? No - remaps are definitely the way to go, especially as there are several reputable tuners with good feedback that'll "only" charge £200-300.