Hi all, Im after some advice opinions. I have had my Sportline 280 for 12 months and love it coming from an RS Octavia. I installed a BMS pedal tuner straight away upon purchase of the car, this made a huge difference. Im now looking to put some type of tune on the car and am weighing  up the JB4 over APR stage 1 low torque. Im not interested in track days or drag strips, but just want a bit more for the Q car feel. I have priced up the two here in Australia ( Perth) and JB4 with blue tooth adaptor and freight from US is about $1000. APR tune is $1300, so not a lot in it when you factor in the JB4 self install. From a warranty issue im on the car, not to concerned as both are tried and proven products with safety parameters built in. Would like to drive a car that has either but thats not an option so I thought i would post here.

My car and my Wifes Kodiaq Sport line below.

The reasonable choice in your case, as in: someone who is not racing their car and is not worrying over every last drop of performance, would the JB4. For the same reason, you don't really need the Bluetooth kit but rather just the data cable, bringing the whole cost down by at least 150AUD. Unless you want to fiddle with settings and custom maps (sounds like you don't) you'll be fitting it and forgetting about it, apart from trying Map 1 and Map 2 and settling with one. I had it on my 272 for over a year and it was faultless, great driveability and very strong gains.

Switching to a full remap MIGHT provide more gains although that's not a given in all cases, especially with the APR low torque map (why go low torque on a DSG? defeats the whole purpose of a remap vs a JB4), but it does come with a warranty void in case you ever need it. It's a remote possibility but it's still not 0. Driveability will not be that much different because the JB4 does a much better job at this than the rest of tuning boxes, to the point that is very comparable to a remap.

I had a JB4 on my Superb 272 for over a year (and another one on my GTI before the 272), and this spring i switched to REVO's stage 1. I made that choice for the extra gains that were shown between REVO's maps and the JB4 on this particular GPF engine of the 272, which proved to be a 1.2" difference in the 100-200kmh sprint, and due to the fact i was getting the DSG7 mapped too so i was anyway going to give up my powertrain warranty (partially) and at that point, it wouldn't matter so much if i kept the ECU un-touched.

Am I happy? Yes I am, as I saw a further improvement in power (small but noticeable) and more importantly i consciously wanted to satisfy my curiosity and take the risk (that's the biggest aspect probably). Did the extra improvement justify the cost and the risk? Probably not, it's better but it's not a night and day difference by any means. Would I recommend the switch to a remap from JB4 to someone else? Probably not unless I knew I was speaking to someone wanting everything the car could give him.

Also, your cost comparison should be adjusted like this:  An APR map is 1300 that are never coming back in your pocket. The JB4 without the BT kit is around 800 but at any point that you decide to sell it or change the car you can easily get back 60-70% of the JB4's price as they hold value exceptionally well, all in all a cost of a mere 300 probably. I have sold both of my JB4s for 70% of the price I paid for them. So it's nowhere near as close an expense as it might originally seem. An important factor to consider if you don't have long-term plans for the car.

To close with this: I am not against remaps, in fact i believe a good remap from a reputable and tested company still does a better job in making the extra power than any box. It's just that the JB4 has managed to do such a fine job, while at the same time offering the warranty and resale features which not everyone can ignore easily for the sake of some more bhp and a some less tenths of a second.

2 hours ago, newbie69 said:

Am I happy? Yes I am, as I saw a further improvement in power (small but noticeable) and more importantly i consciously wanted to satisfy my curiosity and take the risk (that's the biggest aspect probably). Did the extra improvement justify the cost and the risk? Probably not, it's better but it's not a night and day difference by any means. Would I recommend the switch to a remap from JB4 to someone else? Probably not unless I knew I was speaking to someone wanting everything the car could give him.

+1
wise words

...and I don't regret having remapped it with 1,500 km on the clock!

I went for the low torque stage 1 apr map. It wasn't long before I wanted more. Eventually I did get the higher torque stage 1 for free, but you need to run higher octane fuel to get the benefit.

If you go apr, and decide to go stage 2, if you buy the apr downpipe, the stage 2 map is free.

5 hours ago, Roscio said:

+1
wise words

...and I don't regret having remapped it with 1,500 km on the clock!

Life is short right? 

I mean I am being honest because what's best for my goals and requirements might not be the best for every other owner so I need to make recommendations as objectively as possible, not simply to defend my own choices! You don't get that often when asking around for advice and it's annoying.

 

 

1 hour ago, Bigeater said:

I went for the low torque stage 1 apr map. It wasn't long before I wanted more. Eventually I did get the higher torque stage 1 for free, but you need to run higher octane fuel to get the benefit.

If you go apr, and decide to go stage 2, if you buy the apr downpipe, the stage 2 map is free.

I believe their low torque file is meant mainly for the manual transmission cars which suffer from clutch slippage even on stage 1 (not even an option on the Superb though) and the "high torque" is essentially what every other tuner runs so he should be fine with it.

Imo one should run these engines on 98 even stock, no discussion when mapped be it high, low or lower torque. Yes they will work on 95 but when you break down all factors involved, 95 is a false economy.

The free stage 2 remap from APR when buying their downpipe is a very nice condition actually. REVO merely offer 70% discount, which on a say 700EUR worth of remap, leaves a 210EUR rest to be paid which annoys the heck out of me. You are a returning customer paying full price for their hardware so adjusting the software should be free.

Edited 17 July, 20205 yr by newbie69

Newbie69 good response thanks. I think you laid it out well and got me thinking about the JB4 option. I tend to move my cars on every 3 to 5 years and the thought that I can remove the JB4 and recoup some money or even reinstall into another compatable VAG car.  So i think this is the option I will take. Now to cable or to blue tooth?

On 18/07/2020 at 07:07, Alfa6 said:

Newbie69 good response thanks. I think you laid it out well and got me thinking about the JB4 option. I tend to move my cars on every 3 to 5 years and the thought that I can remove the JB4 and recoup some money or even reinstall into another compatable VAG car.  So i think this is the option I will take. Now to cable or to blue tooth?

I found it too much of a luxury to pay an extra $100+ merely for the capabiltiy to be able to move my phone around freely when connected. The BMS data cable provides the same functionality and you can buy a USB adapter and an Android app for 15$ to connect to the unit and adjust it.

More importantly, unless you plan on fiddling with custom map settings all the time, it's going to be a plug n forget thing so no need to worry about the easiest or fastest connection option imo.

Of-course the BT kit is an extra asset that you could get some of your money back on. The data cable less so and if you purchase the Android/iOS control app they are tied to your account and are not transferrable, but it's still quite a cheaper option (cable+adapter+app)

Alfa6 I'm in Perth too with a 206TSI Superb, be keen to hear how you go once you get the JB4 if that's what you've settled on. Be sure to report back! I've been half considering the APR Stage 1 tune

12 hours ago, Coopernova said:

Alfa6 I'm in Perth too with a 206TSI Superb, be keen to hear how you go once you get the JB4 if that's what you've settled on. Be sure to report back! I've been half considering the APR Stage 1 tune

 

APR Stg 1 tune for the 206 Superb is now $899, permanently. Not a special/sale price.

The 162 is now $799.  I got it done in Feb this year - loving it.

 

2 hours ago, JR RS said:

 

APR Stg 1 tune for the 206 Superb is now $899, permanently. Not a special/sale price.

The 162 is now $799.  I got it done in Feb this year - loving it.

 

Wow that's real keen pricing. Any idea what figures a 206 Superb gets post tune?

12 hours ago, JR RS said:

 

APR Stg 1 tune for the 206 Superb is now $899, permanently. Not a special/sale price.

The 162 is now $799.  I got it done in Feb this year - loving it.

 

I've been quoted AU$999 today as a 15% off special in Perth! Guessing price varies through suppliers and AU locations?

Just following up on this. Has anyone with a Superb Sportline MkIII MY21 been able to get a Stage 1 remap done?  I’ve heard the new ECUs are tough to crack. 

1 hour ago, Donweather said:

Just following up on this. Has anyone with a Superb Sportline MkIII MY21 been able to get a Stage 1 remap done?  I’ve heard the new ECUs are tough to crack. 

 

If it's anything like the MK4 vRS ECU then it's not been cracked yet. 

Not game to have an ECU remap on my MY21 206 Sportline due to potential warranty issues, I connected a JB1 and it has worked extremely well, especially in concert with a BMS pedal tuner. Running on 98RON (as always) the acceleration, especially in the 50-110 Km/h leg, is almost startlingly strong.

Have you not got a racingline dealer near you in aus !! 

17 hours ago, Esseesse200 said:

Have you not got a racingline dealer near you in aus !! 

Not sure why?  Have they cracked the ECU?

5 hours ago, Donweather said:

Not sure why?  Have they cracked the ECU?

Ahhhh 2021 not sure mate. They certainly do stuff for the mk8 golf and the gym so worth a look 

On 24/01/2022 at 23:37, fencer said:

Not game to have an ECU remap on my MY21 206 Sportline due to potential warranty issues, I connected a JB1 and it has worked extremely well, especially in concert with a BMS pedal tuner. Running on 98RON (as always) the acceleration, especially in the 50-110 Km/h leg, is almost startlingly strong.

What’s the dif between JB1 and JB4?

Edited 23 February, 20224 yr by Donweather

 

JB1 and JB4 are pretty similar. The JB4 definitely has more adjustability than the JB1, but I note the standard boost values are essentially the same. However, the JB4 requires a cable through the firewall and connects to the OBDII port on the driver's side.

 

I went for the JB1 as I wanted a straight plug and play system, didn't want to faff with threading a cable through the firewall, and wanted to leave my OBD port clear for a more stealth look. The JB1 is also a little cheaper. Lots of details here:

 

https://burgertuning.com/products/jb1-jb4-group-1-vag-tuner

 

Autoinstruct in Australia installed a JB1 on a Mk7 Golf R with some very decent results:
 

 

I've been really pleased with the JB1 in the Superb 280.

Great thanks.

 

The JB1 (or JB4) also sits neatly in the engine bay, between the air intake and battery.

Does the JB4 Group 1 work with the My20.5 Superb Scout with the 7 speed?