It has been a year and a half since I bought my first car. A refined hatchback that I’ve always imagined driving on the daily. The day finally came when I was able to put down a hefty down payment on the car, so I took advantage of a good loan that I was approved for through my local credit union. A year and a half later I am still in love with this car; A 2009 MKV Volkswagen GTI that brings a smile to me every time I decide to put my foot to the floor. While being every possible bit of practical that it can be, the car does very well when it comes to performance. The 2009 MKV VW GTI produces a refined 200 horsepower at 5100-6000 RPM & 207 maximum torque lbs-ft at 1800-5100 RPM. These numbers are solid for a 2.0L tubro-charged engine. This car also comes from the factory with a turbo built into the engine. This performance part gives you a great amount of potential to build off of as far as making the car quicker, faster, etc.
Recently I have been contemplating doing more modifications to my car. Although, what makes this modification to my car different than the ones that are made to the car, is that this ‘mod’ is performance focused. This modification would require absolutely nothing, besides $599. “Tuning” is something that has become quite prevalent today in the car world. What is tuning?
Also known as “chipping your car”, vendors will hook a cable up to your OBDII port in your car and completely rewrite your stock software on the ECU (Engine control unit) with their own proprietary work. There are multiple stages to tuning, stage 1, 2, 3, and 3+. All of these stages require certain performance parts. For example, a high flow downpipe & a cold air intake is necessary if you’re wanting to go from stage 1 to stage 2 for the VW GTI platform. Stage 3 requires a bigger turbo (K04) and intercooler for the turbo. What I am wanting to do is go directly to stage 1. Al that is necessary for this is the swipe of a debit/credit card and you’re good to go! No extra parts necessary. Going stage 1 is the most cost effective modification you can do with these cars as far as gaining performance. Below is a chart showing the dyno on the stock software vs APR stage 1 software. There are many different vendors that offer these services, although APR is highly reputable when it comes to VAG tuning. The software that is used for the VW/ Audi platform. VW racing has always used APR as their go to company when it comes to building these cars! Check out the awesome performance gains below.
Here are links to the APR website and a VW forum that include each stage, the costs, the required parts, and the potential of the 2.0L TSI engine. Check it out! These forums have been so informative. I have learned a wide amount of knowledge just by searching the things I am curious about when it comes to my car. Also, the APR website has charts for each stage and what you can get out of each stage. Very neat!
http://www.golfmkv.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34275
https://www.goapr.com/products/ecu_upgrade_20tsi_trans.html
The video below shows a MK5 GTI owner and his thoughts after he drives his Stage 1 tuned car for the first time! Although the tuner in the video is not APR, the stage 1 tune is pretty similar for all vendors. Yet another happy customer with going stage 1! Check it out.
Ultimately, going stage 1 is in my future. How soon? I am not sure yet, but I can tell you I think about it pretty often! It’s amazing that you gain so much performance just by hooking up a cable to your car and installing new software. Ideally I would like to be stage 2, which I have read that this is the sweet spots with these cars. Only time will tell. I will keep this blog up to date with what I have done with my car and what I plan to do in the future.
The picture below is exactly what my car looks like. Refer to the GTI on the left with the gunmetal finished VMR wheels. I have the same wheels, suspension, and other visual modifications. Enjoy!
Kyle's Volkswagen blog 