[dieselhead01]

Hey guys. I hope you’re all doing fine. About myself, I’m in quite of a dilemma right now. I’ve been driving my Skoda Octavia TDI DSG L&K, for over more than a year now with an ECU remap from Tune-O-Tronics. The car now puts down around 190hp and 400nm, haven’t dyno’d it yet but the car has proven that it puts down these figures on the road all the time. And now I believe that it’s time to up the game a little further by upgrading it a tad further as well. But the issue is I’m not really able to make my mind up on the decision. These are my three options right now:

1. Do a TCU remap (transmission control unit) for my DSG gearbox, which enhances and fastens the shifts for a better overall experience, in shorter terms maximises the overall performance (from what I heard). Also add an air filter. In shorter words, make it a complete stage 1 build.

2. Jump to a stage 2, with a downpipe and an air filter + intake, without doing a TCU remap, I really don’t know if TCU is important to move further for this build.

3. Just leave as it is.

Your inputs are very valuable to me, so please do give them so that I could come up to a conclusion. Meanwhile here are some pics of the beast I could take last week, the all-black attire has really grown on me.

[sunikkat]

Being a diesel my suggestion is leave it at stage 1 with a TCU tune, so option 1. Stage 1 itself is faster than almost all cars that we encounter on our roads. I have seen stage 2 diesel builds fuming smokes and also affecting the reliability. Also the gains after stage 1 really doesn’t justify the cost.
Why don’t you look at other mods like suspension, alloys etc.
I have a TDI MT and done below mods -

• Stage 1 tune, claimed 190 BHP and 400 NM (the way car drives, I don’t doubt too)
• Bilstein B6 dampers - made a hell lotta change
• Upsized to 17inch wheels with 225/45 section tyres. The stock wheels are seriously undersized.
• Upgraded brakes to Brembo Xtra dotted rotors and Xtra brake pads. Good improvement on braking
• Then many other cosmetic changes like aluminium pedals, android head unit etc.

All the best with your mods, and do keep us posted

[dieselhead01]

Originally Posted by sunikkat

Being a diesel my suggestion is leave it at stage 1 with a TCU tune, so option 1. Stage 1 itself is faster than almost all cars that we encounter on our roads. I have seen stage 2 diesel builds fuming smokes and also affecting the reliability. Also the gains after stage 1 really doesn’t justify the cost.
Why don’t you look at other mods like suspension, alloys etc.
I have a TDI MT and done below mods -

• Stage 1 tune, claimed 190 BHP and 400 NM (the way car drives, I don’t doubt too)
• Bilstein B6 dampers - made a hell lotta change
• Upsized to 17inch wheels with 225/45 section tyres. The stock wheels are seriously undersized.
• Upgraded brakes to Brembo Xtra dotted rotors and Xtra brake pads. Good improvement on braking
• Then many other cosmetic changes like aluminium pedals, android head unit etc.

All the best with your mods, and do keep us posted

Thank you for your valuable inputs. And I assume your vehicle especially being in the manual guise is a dream to drive, and with that remap that thing must just take off. The Octavia diesel, I believe post remap takes a complete turn in the way it performs. However like you said I’ll be doing the cosmetic mods soon, planning to get a RS spoiler & front/rear bumper for now. Now the issue I’m facing is I’m craving for more power, that’s one of the reasons why I feel like I need power at the moment. I’m finding ways to somehow channel more power into the car, without compromising reliability. But after your post, my mind now is more inclined towards enhancing the Stage1 with a TCU remap, and the air filter/intake. And about the suspension/alloys, like you’ve mentioned earlier, my next upgrade would be the B6 dampers, and would switch to Brembo real quick.

[HighRevving]

Originally Posted by dieselhead01

The car now puts down around 190hp and 400nm, haven’t dyno’d it yet but the car has proven that it puts down these figures on the road all the time.

There is no way you can tell that for sure without a dyno. It is good if you feel that it puts out that much, but a mere tune will not make +50 hp and +80 Nm unless the engine was a manufacturer detune to begin with (which in your case it wasn't).

Originally Posted by dieselhead01

1. Do a TCU remap

TCU remaps don't add power and intakes don't add considerable horses - both make the driving experience better. Typically just the S mode is remapped, which keeps the engine out of the dead zone making you feel like there is power on tap all the time.

Originally Posted by dieselhead01

2. Jump to a stage 2, with a downpipe and an air filter + intake, without doing a TCU remap, I really don’t know if TCU is important to move further for this build.

The return on investment here is not substantial. Diesels don't sound good with downpipes/exhaust especially the 4-pot ones and your practicality may be reduced especially in stop and go traffic where the cabin may become noisier.

Originally Posted by dieselhead01

3. Just leave as it is.

Best option. Upgrade your car when you can, enjoy your car the way it is until then.

[dieselhead01]

Originally Posted by HighRevving

There is no way you can tell that for sure without a dyno. It is good if you feel that it puts out that much, but a mere tune will not make +50 hp and +80 Nm unless the engine was a manufacturer detune to begin with (which in your case it wasn't).

TCU remaps don't add power and intakes don't add considerable horses - both make the driving experience better. Typically just the S mode is remapped, which keeps the engine out of the dead zone making you feel like there is power on tap all the time.

The return on investment here is not substantial. Diesels don't sound good with downpipes/exhaust especially the 4-pot ones and your practicality may be reduced especially in stop and go traffic where the cabin may become noisier.

Best option. Upgrade your car when you can, enjoy your car the way it is until then.

Hey man, thank you for your valuable inputs. And yes like I mentioned I don’t know the actual figures, the tuner has quoted approx power figures and I feel the car is living upto those figures. Many people in this forum have also got 190hp/400nm as their rough/approx power figures, so it’s not impossible with a mere tune, but you’re right, until it’s dyno’d, nothing is proven. Will dyno it soon and post it here. And my major intention isn’t
to add more horses, it’s to efficiently maximise all those horses on the road, in simpler words to go faster, reach speeds quicker in the real world conditions. And from the inputs I’ve received for now, I think the stage 2 plan needn’t be considered for now after all. But an air filter + intake would just complete the stage 1 build and make the car more engaging and involving right?

[sunikkat]

Originally Posted by HighRevving

It is good if you feel that it puts out that much, but a mere tune will not make +50 hp and +80 Nm unless the engine was a manufacturer detune to begin with (which in your case it wasn't).

This is the numbers quoted by almost all tuners for stage 1 for VAG TDI engines, including the ones who have dyno'd the vehicles post tune. Some tuners with dyno had mentioned numbers of 200 bhp and 410 nm as part of stage 1 along with the dyno reports.
But yes, agree that we cannot be sure about individual cars unless its dyno'd.

Originally Posted by dieselhead01

But after your post, my mind now is more inclined towards enhancing the Stage1 with a TCU remap, and the air filter/intake. And about the suspension/alloys, like you’ve mentioned earlier, my next upgrade would be the B6 dampers, and would switch to Brembo real quick.

Forgot to mention, mine has K&N filter too.
My humble suggestion is alloys need an upgrade. 16 inchers are too small for Octavia.

[pavi]

For the first step, why don't you just update the air filter to a performance one and see if it makes any difference. I don't think it would be a sea of difference but the engine should be breathing better with an air filter upgrade. I have done stage 1 tune on my Skoda Rapid 1.0TSI Monte Carlo along with an air filter upgrade at 15,000 kms. Agree or disagree on the quoted numbers, I can definitely feel (not a placebo) a better lower end which enhanced the driveability in city. Overtakes are taking less time, showing the improved torque in lower rpms. The fuel efficiency has been also improved as per MID, driven almost 1000 kms now. I have been using XP95 from start itself, so it's not attributed to higher octane fuel.

[dieselhead01]

Originally Posted by sunikkat

This is the numbers quoted by almost all tuners for stage 1 for VAG TDI engines, including the ones who have dyno'd the vehicles post tune. Some tuners with dyno had mentioned numbers of 200 bhp and 410 nm as part of stage 1 along with the dyno reports.
But yes, agree that we cannot be sure about individual cars unless its dyno'd.

Forgot to mention, mine has K&N filter too.
My humble suggestion is alloys need an upgrade. 16 inchers are too small for Octavia.

I know right, people can’t just disagree that 2.0TDI can make that much power with a simple remap, like you mentioned I’ve seen a sea of dyno tests where people have got 200hp and 400+nm, let alone 190hp. The 2.0TDI is remap-ready for a reason.

And yes, like you told, I’m planning to switch to 17”. I’ve decided to go for Octavia RS230 alloys/MY21 Superb alloys which are 17” and I’m a sucker for such understated yet elegant designs rather than sporty ones. I surely will post more about my build which I’m working at the moment. An air-filter upgrade will be the immediate upgrade, and I’m expecting the 0-100 sprint to be dismissed in somewhere around 7 seconds. What 0-100 times are you getting with the air filter? Please post some pictures of your car, would want to see how the 17” would look on the beast.

[dieselhead01]

Originally Posted by pavi

For the first step, why don't you just update the air filter to a performance one and see if it makes any difference. I don't think it would be a sea of difference but the engine should be breathing better with an air filter upgrade. I have done stage 1 tune on my Skoda Rapid 1.0TSI Monte Carlo along with an air filter upgrade at 15,000 kms. Agree or disagree on the quoted numbers, I can definitely feel (not a placebo) a better lower end which enhanced the driveability in city. Overtakes are taking less time, showing the improved torque in lower rpms. The fuel efficiency has been also improved as per MID, driven almost 1000 kms now. I have been using XP95 from start itself, so it's not attributed to higher octane fuel.

Thank you for your valuable inputs. I really do love the 1.0TSI in the Rapid. The same engine in the Slavia/Virtus doesn’t even come close. And have driven one with a remap too, it’s just a blast to drive especially the low end becomes much punchier. I’m planning to get the ITG air filter + intake, and can I expect the car to improve its low-end performance? I’m expecting some change when TCU remap is also done.

[sunikkat]

I have not tried 0 to 100 timings. The low end has slight improvement over stock, now the car feels more driveable and doesn’t get switched off if taken at 2nd gear on small speed breakers. Mid and top-end has lot of improvement. Car cleanly pulls from 60/70 to 120+ in 4th gear.

Here you go, a couple of pics.

[dieselhead01]

Originally Posted by sunikkat

Have not tried 0 to 100 timings. Low end has slight improvement over stock, now the car feels more driveable and doesn’t get switched off if taken at 2nd gear on small speed breakers. Mid and top-end has lot of improvement. Car cleanly pulls from 60/70 to 120+ in 4th gear.
Here you go, couple of pics.

No wonder you suggested the 17”, she looks absolutely stunning. Looks sleek, sharp and definitely one would know this Octavia is serious business just by the looks of it. Now this has tempted to switch to 17” next, and I’ll surely keep it updated here. Wish you many more miles with the beast, she’s one of a kind. miles with the German beauty/beast

[Livnletcarsliv]

The output figures of only Stage 1 will give the maximum difference to any stage of tuning. The differences in the numbers from all the later stages are only marginal with the upgraded mechanicals.

While you mentioned "crave for more power", what do you mean? What is your end goal?

A Stage 1 "tuning/remap" will only increase the numbers on paper, and to some extent on road. So to get the maximum juice out of a particular stage (stage 1 in this case), it is always recommended to do the hardware upgrades (eg - air filters, suspension, tires, brakes, etc, in your case). This way, you still get what you want while maintaining the reliability and longevity factor of the engine/car.

The more aggressive the tuning, the lesser the time car spends on-road. For eg - If it is going to be a daily driver, it is definitely not recommended to go for an aggressive tune.

[dieselhead01]

Originally Posted by Livnletcarsliv

While you mentioned "crave for more power", what do you mean? What is your end goal?

A Stage 1 "tuning/remap" will only increase the numbers on paper, and to some extent on road. So to get the maximum juice out of a particular stage (stage 1 in this case), it is always recommended to do the hardware upgrades (eg - air filters, suspension, tires, brakes, etc, in your case). This way, you still get what you want while maintaining the reliability and longevity factor of the engine/car.

Well at first, thank you for your valuable inputs. I believe I’ve already mentioned my goal in the previous posts, but still I’ll tell you: it’s to not produce more horses, it’s instead to make sure that all these horses are utilised to the max on the road, in simpler words, go faster/reach speeds faster. Real world results matter, not the ones on paper. The aim is to improve the 0-100, 60-120, 100-160 times, 1/4 mile times and make the whole driving experience more exhilarating. It’s running on Michelin PS4s. And yes you’re absolutely right, hardware upgrades like the ones you’ve mentioned and I believe the downpipe is important, which indirectly points out to stage2. Will stage2 make sure that the car puts down maximum power within the stock turbo limitations? Is it really worthy enough to go ahead with the stage2 remap? Or just add the necessary hardware upgrades to stage1 and enjoy the car?

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by dieselhead01

Well at first, thank you for your valuable inputs. I believe I’ve already mentioned my goal in the previous posts, but still I’ll tell you: it’s to not produce more horses, it’s instead to make sure that all these horses are utilised to the max on the road, in simpler words, go faster/reach speeds faster. Real world results matter, not the ones on paper. The aim is to improve the 0-100, 60-120, 100-160 times, 1/4 mile times and make the whole driving experience more exhilarating.

To me it seems like you have more than enough power on tap and don't see a reason to go behind more horses(as you yourself have mentioned above). Based on your above need, if you really want to do something, the the TCU remap is probably the way to go. Based on my limited knowledge, that should definitely help meet some of your additional requirements called out above. If it still does not, then you can go down the route of additional hardware upgrades, Stage 2 map etc..

[AnupamRoy]

Originally Posted by sunikkat

Being a diesel my suggestion is leave it at stage 1 with a TCU tune, so option 1. Stage 1 itself is faster than almost all cars that we encounter on our roads. I have seen stage 2 diesel builds fuming smokes and also affecting the reliability. Also the gains after stage 1 really doesn’t justify the cost.
Why don’t you look at other mods like suspension, alloys etc.
I have a TDI MT and done below mods -

• Stage 1 tune, claimed 190 BHP and 400 NM (the way car drives, I don’t doubt too)
• Bilstein B6 dampers - made a hell lotta change
• Upsized to 17inch wheels with 225/45 section tyres. The stock wheels are seriously undersized.
• Upgraded brakes to Brembo Xtra dotted rotors and Xtra brake pads. Good improvement on braking
• Then many other cosmetic changes like aluminium pedals, android head unit etc.

All the best with your mods, and do keep us posted

Finally I've found someone with a TDI MT, having scoured Team BHP for what feels like an eternity. I got a 2019 Octavia TDI MT under extended warranty until Dec 2025, so probably not looking at any tuning at least for another 3 years for warranty voiding reasons. But I was interested to read about the other mods you've done to yours. Would it be ok to post approx. costs for those mods here?

Specifically, I'm interested in your tyre upgrade from 16 to 17 inches. Now I'm no car expert, not remotely, but I've been told multiple times that the 16-17 increase leads to lower FE, more pressure on the engine/suspensions, bla bla bla. Would much appreciate your opinion/post-mod observations on this. Mine gives roughly 15-16kmpl in moderate traffic on Chennai roads, which I'm most certainly not complaining about, given a D-segment sedan, and esp coming from a miserly 7-8kmpl afforded by the Honda Civic petrol I sold off to get the Octy.

Also, if you have some time, could you elaborate a bit on how those mods (mostly the damper and the brakes) have made a difference to your driving experience? I don't need the Android head unit because I'm an Apple Carplay guy and am perfectly happy with the stock wired Carplay, but the last time the SA at the ASS said the brake pads were starting to show signs of wear, and might need replacing in the near-to-medium term.

The other thing I wanted to ask was, since mine doesn't have a reverse camera, might it possible to get one installed without too much work? I've gotten used to reversing with the help of the sensors, but it'd be nice to be able to see stuff as well; however, I don't want people fiddling too much with what's there, and would consider it only if it is a relatively easy process AND there's no extra screen or anything on the dashboard (meaning the stock infotainment screen itself should have the video feed). Does yours have a reverse camera?

Thank you in advance for your thoughts/observations/opinions. Much appreciated.

Finally, here's a picture of mine, resting at the workplace car park. Have had this for a while now, still can't help fawning over my own pics, every time I post one somewhere (mostly here).