10 hours ago, freelunch said:

I've only just had my second drive in the car since installing the PedalBox+. I'm still toying with settings. This may be counter-intuitive, but today I set the car in Eco mode for the first time and set the PedalBox to Sport+2. I think this shows promise for driving around town! The MaxiDot display shows E2 just off the line and E (which I assume means the car is coasting) when you take your foot off the pedal. The PedalBox response counters the Eco mode natural sluggishness and micro-movements are enough to get motoring. I like it. 

 

I will have to learn to switch stop/start off when doing a three-point turn out of my normal parking space. The idle forward speed seems a bit faster and wondering when the transmission is gonna hook up can catch you out.

 

Someone was denigrating the cost/value equation for this plug-in bit. I can understand where they are coming from. (Is that "from whence they are coming"?) The PedalBox is a completely unnecessary purchase. The car drives just fine as it comes – you just have to have a heavy foot. But, if you have an extra couple hundred quid burning a hole in your pocket, this toy makes a very noticeable and agreeable improvement to pedal input.

 

I am very happy with my purchase.

 

I have been contemplating buying one of these for ages.

 

However, while driving at a steady speed recently but not using cruise control I realised that my ankle joint was more comfortable pressing down on the accelerator a little than it would be if I was having to hold it on a minimal throttle opening.

 

Everyone is different of course and we all enjoy variable seating positions.  I favour sitting as high as I can in the car so perhaps this is the reason for the problem.  I have no doubt at all that either Pedalbox or Race Chip are good tools but think I might leave it in abeyance for now.  I have covered 11,000 miles in my car and with throttle response in sport mode with DCC have become accustomed to pushing the pedal a little further down to obtain the response I need from the car.

whats the general feeling on these chips?

I've had proper remaps done before on my current and previous volvos which have increased power/torque by 20-25%. all done via an OBDII download/upload, with good results from a Swedish tuning comapny. Paid the necessary insurance surcharge of £50-70 for privilege.

 

i've previously gone to MTE for volvo remaps as there is a good track record of reviews and no engines blowing up like some off the shelf remaps. are these race chips as safe, or reliable? How do insurers tend to view them? Are they classed as a power mod increase, like a remap? 

 

the 190 dsg i've got feels potent most of the time, but i'd like a bit more mid range grunt.

 

2 hours ago, skodarog said:

whats the general feeling on these chips?

I've had proper remaps done before...

We've been discussing throttle tuning in this thread, but @BillyJim has both products in his car. If you do a search for "Race Chip" his name will probably pop up. A throttle tuner does not add power to the car, just makes the engine feel more responsive to throttle input. 

 

The Race Chip or Tuning Box is what you are looking at for increased mid-band power and map tuning. The insurers and warranty people are definitely interested in these items. The difference between these boxes and remaps is they can be unplugged and removed.

2 hours ago, skodarog said:

the 190 dsg i've got feels potent most of the time, but i'd like a bit more mid range grunt.

It's not a tuning box. It won't boost power output or torque (as in grunt) and, possibly for that reason, the UK insurance providers I contacted expressed no concern/interest/understanding.

 

As for RaceChip's tuning box, although not the original subject, I've already covered that in an earlier reply in this thread. UK insurance treat a tuning box the same as a reprogrammed ECU (remap).

On 8/23/2017 at 15:42, freelunch said:

The lights on the controller don't go out after the engine is switched off

 

Hi @freelunch

 

I received my PedalBox+ from Germany yesterday August 30th 2017 (ordered the previous Saturday) & took 3 working days from Recklinghausen in former East Germany. 

Fitted this evening after about 20 minutes' contortion and a nearly-cracked rib (I'm definitely no longer 25 any more). The fit of the connectors was excellent and the unit has been attached in its holder to the lower part of the central console. The cable could be hidden between the console material and the carpet. 

I haven't driven with it yet, but did a quick stationary test, with it set in City mode (green light). The 2cm-3cm slack before anything happens is gone and the engine responds immediately but reasonably to my gentle right foot. This is exactly how I like it. I'm looking forward to the weather improving and going for a drive. 

 

To your quote above - I noticed exactly the same and was concerned.

But as you will already have noticed, I'm sure, when the car is locked the light goes out after perhaps 30 seconds - perhaps a bit more. So no worries.  And according to the manual will 'wake up' with the same settings when the ignition is again switched on. 

 

The finish of the PedalBox+ is very nice with shiny silvery trim and black 'soft-touch' haptics. The lights and buttons are also nicely done with a quality "Audi" feel . 

 

I can't wait to drive it now!  

 

All the best, 

 

Rob

12 minutes ago, SwissRob said:

...from Recklinghausen in former East Germany.

  Recklinghausen is on the outskirts of the Ruhr industrial area (Ruhrgebiet) close to Dortmund. The locals would probably be upset if you thought of them as "ossie". 

Oops! My misinterpretation of the PLZ! 

13 hours ago, freelunch said:

We've been discussing throttle tuning in this thread, but @BillyJim has both products in his car. If you do a search for "Race Chip" his name will probably pop up. A throttle tuner does not add power to the car, just makes the engine feel more responsive to throttle input. 

 

The Race Chip or Tuning Box is what you are looking at for increased mid-band power and map tuning. The insurers and warranty people are definitely interested in these items. The difference between these boxes and remaps is they can be unplugged and removed.

 

13 hours ago, BillyJim said:

It's not a tuning box. It won't boost power output or torque (as in grunt) and, possibly for that reason, the UK insurance providers I contacted expressed no concern/interest/understanding.

 

As for RaceChip's tuning box, although not the original subject, I've already covered that in an earlier reply in this thread. UK insurance treat a tuning box the same as a reprogrammed ECU (remap).

excuse my error. I clicked the link and it went to the racechip. i didn't realise it was a seperate component to the Pedal tuning...Is this pedal tuning better than the "Audi" pedal fix which can be done by VCDS, as i found very little difference doing that fix to my 190 dsg.

Thanks.

1 hour ago, skodarog said:

Is this pedal tuning better than the "Audi" pedal fix which can be done by VCDS?

 

Yes, you will notice the difference. 

+1

The VCDS Audi setting offers slightly less throttle travel but it's only noticeable when the engine is already running within its optimum power range. It does little or nothing to reduce/remove the lag in response at lower revs, which is where these add-ons excel.

I've been riding around with the PedalBox+ for six weeks now. I don't even notice its presence anymore. I'm sure I would notice if it stopped working.

 

I've got it set on City+2. The Sport settings were just more extreme than I want. The real reason for this post is: I took the car in for its first annual service last week. I completely forgot about the PedalBox+. The dealer made no mention of the add-on accessory or just didn't notice it. I've got the controller in the coin box under the light switch.

Could you help me out guys. I have ordered a 190hp diesel S3 which I will get in a few months and now I already bought the racechip XLR throttle box so I can fit it when I get the car. Do I still need to make the VCDS "Audi" mod or is the throttle box fine by itself?

2 hours ago, FixxaH said:

Could you help me out guys. I have ordered a 190hp diesel S3 which I will get in a few months and now I already bought the racechip XLR throttle box so I can fit it when I get the car. Do I still need to make the VCDS "Audi" mod or is the throttle box fine by itself?

Some have enthused about the Audi setting while others say there's no detectable difference.

Setting Audi on the 280 slightly (and I do mean slightly) livened the throttle but only once the engine revs were in the optimal power band. It made not a jot of difference to the lack of response at low revs.

The throttle controller is all you'll need.

I have had the Racechip Throttle Response fitted now for 8 months. The best $300.00 I have spent on the car. Makes a massive 100% Improvement on the way the throttle reacts. I have switched it off for dealer visits and the difference is night and day. Set on Sport 1. The highest setting just makes it too reactive in normal day to day traffic.

 

I did find though using the launch control it works far better when switched off. 5.02s 0-100kph compared to 5.84s when switched on.