After the installation process was complete, we connected the Accessport to the laptop to download the latest firmware and tunes. We flashed the ECU with the stage 3 OTS 91 OCT v107 map. COBB does recommend a TCU upgrade to increase the DSG gearbox clutch torque holding capacity. We found out why on the dyno.
That awful sound you hear is the clutch pack slipping. The friction applied by the dyno to the rollers combined with the new power levels appeared to be too much for the stock TCU tune to handle. We were able to make some adjustments to the dyno and slightly reduce the amount of brake force that was being applied to the roller wheels which allowed us to get a solid dyno result to compare with our baseline data.
We ended up putting down 246 peak WHP and 265 ft lbs of torque. The big gains were in the mid-range where power levels jumped up by about 30 WHP and 30 ft lbs of torque. Those gains are definitely impressive for a single exhaust component and the COBB OTS tune. We are certain there is still more power to be had with the stock turbo and we are evaluating what the next steps will be.
We want to thank COBB for sending out the new downpipe for testing. This part definitely improves the performance of the car when combined with the Accessport tuner. The COBB way has worked for us before and it didn’t fail to deliver yet again. Hopefully, they will launch support for the Golf R TCU soon so we can put it back on the dyno and see if the stock clutches will hold.
Keep an eye out for the next installment on project Golf R because we are definitely going to bring something special to the next round of changes.
8 comments
I would suggest painting your intercooler black for better effectiveness.
I did think about doing that, but the intercooler was just too pretty. Also, the emicivity gains from the black paint job sort loose effectiveness once you start to have air flowing across the heat exchanger.
how much more boost does the stage 3 tune tune? very surprised you only picked up 15 peak hp and 30lb ft with a hotter tune and big downpipe/intercooler. I suspect that if you get the TCU tuned, the numbers will jump up to where they ought to be. Also, any concern not having apples/apples because you changed the load parameters on the dyno between runs?
Can anyone explain a couple of things?
The MK7 Golf R is rated at 292hp at the crank from the factory. Generally speaking a AWD system will loose around 20% of power thru the drivetrain but….
1. This Golf doesn’t have the Haldex system hooked up on the dyno?!
2. If the 20% loss in power is a realistic number; that means that without the COBB downpipe/ APR IC and the COBB tune this Golf would only make around 210whp?
If 210whp is a realistic number, that means that this Golf R (or any stock Golf R for that matter) have a drivetrain loose of about 29%?
That is a HUGE % loss in the drivetrain considering this car is fairly new.
As Billy pointed out above, I believe we will see even more power when we update the TCU. Also, the motoiq in house dyno does read low. I’m not a dyno expert, so I’m not exactly sure what difference the change to the dyno made to the power readings.
Our dyno does read low, the power numbers don’t matter, they change from dyno to dyno, what matters is the difference in power when comparing to stock or prior mods.
Thanks Isaac. I understand that the TCU has to be updated but my concern was about the fact this bone stock MK7 Golf R has a drivetrain loss of roughly 29%…..
As Mike said, dyno numbers are not very important as each dyno read differently and temp/ humidity and other factors play an important role of how the ECU response…..but I’m still baffled a can this new can loose that much.
I wish Cobb would release an option for S3 owners. I’ve been holding out, hoping they come around, but if they don’t I’ll likely get something from 034 Motorsports.