190 TDI dsg engine

[Windscreenman]

The grip has not changed it was as good before fitting ,the power delivery is smoother the dsg box reacts better because of the lessend delay between putting foot down to actual engine reaction .there is no power gain  but the car reacts better to the input from the right foot .

I have it and i like it im not saying everyone should have one thats up to you 

It dont matter to me if you get one or not 

Putting your foot down with right amount of force will not stop the lag between pedal and engine

Fly by wire is **** 

[Rainmaker]

12 minutes ago, ionelmc said:

Sounds like marketing bs 

 

24 minutes ago, Scherpa said:

It looks like that little box is magical, changing gas response, DSG shift times and provides increased grip. Real Magic

 

No BS. Several of us TSI owners have the box and it transforms the car. Because the throttle is programmed to be dull and delay responses, it's easy for the box to make the engine feel livelier. It just sets pedal delay to zero and cuts out the dead spot suffered by the first inch of the accelerator.

 

As it changes the throttle map the DSG naturally responds differently, as DSG is programmed to react to throttle input vs current road speed. In reality this just means the car responds sharper, and no longer drops gears at the tip of your toe, favouring in gear acceleration instead. Much better. 

[Windscreenman]

Thank you rainmaker its made a big difference to how the car puts the power down on the road

Works for me worth every penny

Its like driving a different car 

 

[Scherpa]

My car does not have an inch dead spot or shift down as often, or perhaps better said my driving style is such that the car behaves in a different style. It is interesting that the car shifts down at the toe movement while saying that it is an inch dead spot in throttle respons .

I have not tested the box so I can not comment on that but in many cases it is the placebo effect rather than big changes in how the car battery itself.

[Rainmaker]

1 hour ago, Scherpa said:

My car does not have an inch dead spot or shift down as often, or perhaps better said my driving style is such that the car behaves in a different style. It is interesting that the car shifts down at the toe movement while saying that it is an inch dead spot in throttle respons .

I have not tested the box so I can not comment on that but in many cases it is the placebo effect rather than big changes in how the car battery itself.

 

The dead spot at the top and unwanted gear changes when you're already cruising (~20% depression) and then depress the throttle further aren't related. I drive a 220ps TSI not a diesel, which also accounts for some differences no doubt. Try one before you decide we're all cracked...   There is no placebo involved. The DSG changes are demonstrably different, happen at different times with and without the box, and often don't happen at all (relying, as I said, on in-gear acceleration instead of dropping down two gears first). The difference is night and day...

[ionelmc]

I agree there's a "deadspot" at the top of the pedal, even on the 280. The way I see it if you don't press it over that deadspot it works like an aggressive "economical mode" - lax acceleration and eager upshifts.

 

Does the box make the DSG keep gears for longer or makes the upshift point higher? I expect it's the former.

[BillyJim]

7 hours ago, Scherpa said:

I have not tested the box so I can not comment on that but in many cases it is the placebo effect rather than big changes in how the car battery itself.

"car battery itself"? Well it made me laugh! I had visions of "the car beating the crap out of itself"   [battery - the infliction of unlawful personal violence on another person]

 

I can't comment for the 190 or 220, I'll leave that to Wind & Rain, but the change it made to my 280 is considerable.

This was brought home to me when on one occasion I unintentionally pressed the device's off button (instead of the intended '+') while waiting at a red traffic light. When the lights changed and I pulled away with what had become my usual gentle 10-20% throttle pressure the car just didn't respond. My first thought was that it had gone into safe mode, until I realised it had merely returned to the default factory setting. Had I actually pressed the '+' as intended it should have shot off like a jackrabbit.

So no, it's not a placebo effect. As a retired Class 1 advanced driver I'm not going to be influenced or easily fooled by "gizmo" devices - like the VRS playing throaty engine noises over the speakers! The device works and makes the car what it should be - lively and responsive across the range.

If your driving is primarily leisurely, motorway cruising, or "eco" you may not reap any significant benefit. If you want to drive progressively in traffic then it's a godsend.

I offer the same advice I gave Windscreenman when he asked. If you feel you suffer what appears to be throttle lag, go for it, otherwise save your money.

[BillyJim]

1 hour ago, ionelmc said:

Does the box make the DSG keep gears for longer or makes the upshift point higher? I expect it's the former.

Neither, unless you want it to.

 

The RaceChip device has six settings and under normal driving the DSG changes gear at the same levels it normally would. It's the amount of input needed on the accelerator pedal that varies and an improved response time between applying pressure on the accelerator and the engine responding - thereby removing or greatly reducing the lag. The amount of applied throttle needed reduces as you go to higher settings. The highest is just "animal" on the 280 - the first time I tried it it nearly sent me across a roundabout instead of round it.

 

It may feel like going into Sport mode if you start driving 'sportily'. The engine responding quicker to the throttle input causes the DSG to select a more sporty mapping - that's when it holds the gear longer, but that's determined by the ECU/DSG in response to the input being sent by the device. When giving it loud it has held the gears to over 7000 rpm (TSI obviously - sorry if I'm hijacking the 190 TDI thread, just smile that I'm burning fuel three to four times faster).

 

Primarily it makes the biggest difference at the lower range - when pulling away or translating between negative acceleration (engine braking / coasting) and accelerating. The latter was my biggest complaint: Take your foot of the accelerator pedal to slow on approach to a junction or hazard, get a view, see it's clear, apply throttle and - nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing, response! - by which time it may no longer be clear and hit the brakes.

[Windscreenman]

That's the same experience I had with the 190 it was spoiling the drive 

like I said before the 190 is not a racing car if you want that buy the 280 the race chip transforms the way the car puts it down to tarmac and the dsg work far better when not being strangled by euro 6 tech and fly by wire throttle

if you want to feel the 400nm of torque on your 190 working as well as it can then £169 well spent 

Thanks BillyJim

Edited 24 February, 2017 by Windscreenman

[penguin17]

Where did you get the pedal box from?  I see DTUK and Racechip both sell them. 

 

Also, does the changing the throttle response to 'Audi' via VCDS not improve things or just make the 'problem' slightly better?  

[BillyJim]

15 minutes ago, penguin17 said:

Where did you get the pedal box from?  I see DTUK and Racechip both sell them. 

 

Also, does the changing the throttle response to 'Audi' via VCDS not improve things or just make the 'problem' slightly better?  

Where? Here

 

I went for RaceChip as at the time it offered more flexible options. That was last year. Since then DTUK's Pedal Box has been updated and now appears to be on a par.

 

I did the Audi mod first and it's still enabled. It gave a small noticeable improvement to acceleration response but only once you were up to speed. It made little or no difference to the "lag" at the lower end.

[Rainmaker]

4 hours ago, BillyJim said:

I can't comment for the 190 or 220, I'll leave that to Wind & Rain

 

I hadn't cottoned on that.  As you were... Good explanations Alex. 

[penguin17]

2 hours ago, BillyJim said:

Where? Here

 

I went for RaceChip as at the time it offered more flexible options. That was last year. Since then DTUK's Pedal Box has been updated and now appears to be on a par.

 

I did the Audi mod first and it's still enabled. It gave a small noticeable improvement to acceleration response but only once you were up to speed. It made little or no difference to the "lag" at the lower end.

Thanks.  Have you heard anything about their tuning boxes?  Always weary of them and have had remaps in the past but they make some bold claims on their website. 

[Windscreenman]

2 hours ago, penguin17 said:

Where did you get the pedal box from?  I see DTUK and Racechip both sell them. 

 

Also, does the changing the throttle response to 'Audi' via VCDS not improve things or just make the 'problem' slightly better?  

Race chip direct from germany took 4 days  

But worth the wait

Cant comment on audi mode as i dont have it

Cheers

[BillyJim]

8 minutes ago, penguin17 said:

Thanks.  Have you heard anything about their tuning boxes?  Always weary of them and have had remaps in the past but they make some bold claims on their website. 

Got one fitted, the fixed version as opposed to the smartphone version. RaceChip Ultimate (claimed 280 to 350 PS, <--- hence the number in brackets, + 100 Nm). I've not had it dyno tested nor do I plan to but @superbtte has tested the smartphone version and got 340 rather than the claimed 350. The fixed version can be tweaked in stages up to a theoretical 500 HP but again that's something I have no plans on doing - well, not for the time being. 

I went for the tuning box because I was advised by my dealer (when I asked) that a remap will void the warranty and it was the dealer who suggested a tuning box. The car's been back to them twice, for warranty work and it's first service, with the tuning box and Response Control still fitted (but disabled for the reason below) and they made no comment.

Professional remaps will always be better than a tuning box, but it's not just the warranty question. Remaps can cause problems with the Skoda "phone home" analysers used by the dealers. At least with the RaceChip tuning box you just unplug it from the box and plug in the included dongle and everything returns to factory presets.

All I'll say is the car goes like stink (though it was no slouch as a plain-vanilla 280), when I drove through the Austrian Alps it pulled like a diesel, and so far it's been faultless.

[penguin17]

5 minutes ago, BillyJim said:

Got one fitted, the fixed version as opposed to the smartphone version. RaceChip Ultimate (claimed 280 to 350 PS, <--- hence the number in brackets, + 100 Nm). I've not had it dyno tested nor do I plan to but @superbtte has tested the smartphone version and got 340 rather than the claimed 350. The fixed version can be tweaked in stages up to a theoretical 500 HP but again that's something I have no plans on doing - well, not for the time being. 

I went for the tuning box because I was advised by my dealer (when I asked) that a remap will void the warranty and it was the dealer who suggested a tuning box. The car's been back to them twice, for warranty work and it's first service, with the tuning box and Response Control still fitted (but disabled for the reason below) and they made no comment.

Professional remaps will always be better than a tuning box, but it's not just the warranty question. Remaps can cause problems with the Skoda "phone home" analysers used by the dealers. At least with the RaceChip tuning box you just unplug it from the box and plug in the included dongle and everything returns to factory presets.

All I'll say is the car goes like stink (though it was no slouch as a plain-vanilla 280), when I drove through the Austrian Alps it pulled like a diesel, and so far it's been faultless.

By fixed version do you mean the one without the phone App to alter settings on the fly? 

 

I quite like the look of the Pro2 version rather than the Ultimate as the differences are so small I probably wouldn't notice but the cost is significantly more. 

[BillyJim]

1 minute ago, penguin17 said:

By fixed version do you mean the one without the phone App to alter settings on the fly? 

 

I quite like the look of the Pro2 version rather than the Ultimate as the differences are so small I probably wouldn't notice but the cost is significantly more. 

Yes, the non-app version. It supposedly comes pre-set for the optimum settings for the car and engine that you specify when you order it. You can open it up to access two rotary switches - they even include the hex wrench. One switch is for diesel so serves no function on mine and the other has 16 positions to boost the engines output in gentle stages.

Obviously the Pro 2 is a non-app version but I don't know if it has the same tweaking capability of the Ultimate.

[Mickey43]

Got the 190Tdi DSG on mine.   Its a but grunty when cold but when it warms up its pretty good in my opinion.  Esp in sport mode.

[Windscreenman]

I found the hesitation in normal mode after 3k miles to be unacceptable having to calculate if i could pull out safely on to a roundabout

The response control doesn't  give the car any more power it just makes the power the car has useable in the real world for me .

Dont buy one on my say so give the car a chance in standard guise

All cars may have the same parts fitted but do not all react the same way every car is different

This response control makes my car so much more connected to my right foot 

It gives me the confidence to know that when my foot says go ....the engine goes at the same pace and yes i can pull out into that gap without causing a danger to myself or other road users

It may not be for everyone my driving style can be somewhat aggressive in the rat race we all see these days 

Without this little box my cars pedal felt detached from my engine and box and would catch me out  and make me look like a tit  pulling away from traffic lights and on roundabouts 

This is my opinion only 

Please make your own mind up with your own cars

Thanks

Mark

[Micky 32]

I guess there's a troll on this thread Anyway, i just bought a BiTDI 240 Passat. It goes like hell but it too has that throttle lag, you especially feel it uncomfortable on the foot while going through traffic, your foot seems like it's doing a lot of work.

Edited 24 February, 2017 by Micky 32

[knfruitbat]

Can I ask, can you make the "Audi" VCDS and Pedal Box change from new? Or is it best to wait for the car to break in at least 1k first?

[Corbu33]

Get manual it s a completly different car

[Windscreenman]

4 hours ago, knfruitbat said:

Can I ask, can you make the "Audi" VCDS and Pedal Box change from new? Or is it best to wait for the car to break in at least 1k first?

I would Run the car in first  as per manufacturers instructions 

i fitted my pedal box at 3k

just my opinion but it is your car and ultimately it's your shout

[Windscreenman]

41 minutes ago, Corbu33 said:

Get manual it s a completly different car

Yes this is true but get a pedal box on a dsg car and you wouldn't want a manual the dsg is much much better

A fully responsive dsg engine and box makes the car so easy to drive in all scenarios 

Again down to individual choice

i prefer dsg you prefer manual ......horses for courses !!

[Micky 32]

I went into vagcom on my Passat. Won't give me the option to change the throttle, wonder if all newer cars have this option taken away. My car was built last month.

Edited 26 February, 2017 by Micky 32