2010 GTI w/GIAC flash

VeeDubJ011 said:

Great review! thanks for the input, Ive been waiting to see what you thought about it. Just so you know, Ive been considering what you said a lot. I have been researching apr and giac more and more and the giac performance just seems far superior to apr. Glad to see your enjoying it.

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John Y said:

So a week ago today I had my GTI flashed with GIAC st. 1 at Tyrolsport here in New York City. I've been a 7-year satisfied customer of theirs, so I was confident I could trust them to carefully and thoroughly handle the r/r of the ECU, and the flash. I've also been very satisfied with GIAC in that same period, on a 1.8T, VR6, 2.0T FSI and now TSI. That history led me to go with GIAC and Tyrolsport over other products and installers. Mike and his crew did a great job on the installation, taking care at all stages and using new, factory tamper-resistant bolts for the 'stock look.' While my car was being flashed, GIAC contacted Tyrol to let them know that they were announcing a sale, http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthre...cials-on-2.0T-software-for-2008.5-2010-models! the following day - they wanted to ensure I was informed and given the opportunity to take advantage of it then and there, even though I was already being flashed, and the sale didn't take effect until the following day. I think that earns a :thumbup: for both GIAC and Tyrolsport.

On to the goods: I didn't drive much for the first 2 days, so the adaptation took a little while, and when I did drive, I was mostly tip-toeing around the icy, dark, pothole and traffic-filled streets of NYC, so I was pretty far from exploiting the car's new power. Nonetheless, it was obvious that there was more power, torque and that the low-speed lag when getting off then back on the throttle that plagues the stock car, was largely if not entirely gone. I was out of town for a few days after that, but when I got back Saturday, I finally had the chance to open it up on an early morning drive out to Easton, PA.

Impressions: full throttle in 2nd gear is simply too much for the stock all-seasons, all the way from somewhere in the 2-3K range, through redline and close to the limiter. Forget using 1st for much more than your "ease off the line and get started" gear; the higher gears all feel like you're in one gear lower than you actually are - and with added torque. At the top end, the pull of this thing is pretty remarkable - at least as good as my old FSI with the same mods, probably better - and it has been a while since I drove that car. It was difficult to avoid repeatedly exploring the car's high-end potential on the empty, newly paved stretches of I-78 in NJ - which always ended in hard braking as I approached the crests of the many hills on that road! It reminded me how little of the car's performance actually gets used (acceleration, braking and handling) on an ordinary day driving here in the city - probably a good thing. You can also hear the additional boost that's being generated, all around the car - intake, DV, turbo and exhaust noise, which is good. I can tell that under light, steady throttle, highway mileage seems to have gone up, too - by a couple mpg.

I haven't dyno'd and don't plan to - I don't think there's any question that a 2.0T TSI flash from any reputable tuner produces a major power bump. I'll probably check MAF flow and boost with VAG-COM. I know that stock for stock, my FSI produced higher peak g/s at the MAF, but after both were flashed, this car feels as strong, if not stronger. So I'd expect to a see a big jump in MAF numbers. According to Ross Tech, if the MAF is healthy you should see a number that's about 80% of the car's hp, though I gather it isn't that simple for a tuned, turbocharged car.

Safe to say that I highly recommend this, hope this helps those considering it.

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John Y said:

Thanks for the feedback guys, I do appreciate it.

To answer the questions: my only other mods are the Neuspeed noise pipe deletion kit that also includes replacement of the "Y" throttle pipe with an undivided, larger diameter one, and the Neuspeed turbo discharge pipe. No intake, and I don't think GIAC or the others require a CAI for their stage 1 product - though I think they all say it enhances it. I have a K & N filter lying around that I'll drop in, and do some before and after testing to see if that has any impact.

Tyrolsport charged about an hour and a half of labor, I think - and the process certainly took that long, so it was fair. Some dealers seem to be eating the labor cost or most of it, in order to get the product out there, but for me, the somewhat higher labor charge at Tyrolsport was simply the price of peace of mind - well worth it for me. They also lowered the position of my wipers by half an inch or so when they put them back on - no it didn't take any extra time, but it made me happy - someone had screwed that up at some point - they were sitting too high and the driver's side wiper was slapping the a-pillar molding. Hey, it's the little things, what can I say...

Upgrades from GIAC are free, but dealers can charge labor if they want. I don't think I ever upgraded my old software at Tyrolsport, so I don't know their policy. Since updates or upgrades can be flashed via the serial port, the labor charges would be much less, I'm sure - max 1/2 hr. The only updates I ever had were when VW flashed updated stock software, and GIAC would then incorporate those changes into a tuned file. Again those are free from GIAC, don't remember what Tyrolsport's policy is on those.

Jmnj, the current sale from GIAC throws in valet and race gas modes with the stock and tuned files. I only got the last two. I was offered the deal, as I mentioned - thinking "hey, it's free why not?" I passed because I figured I will likely never use race gas, and I almost never valet my cars. Plus some valet is probably not going to get a hard-on for a GTI anyway, especially in stick mode. The bottom line was I didn't want to wait any longer either, as they would have had to re-start the flash to add all 4. Pump and stock was all I ever had on the other flashes, either.

It'll be a little while before you see tunes for your '12 GLI, but I do recommend Tyrolsport - nice guys with a sense of humor who are happy to talk with you while they work. Nice waiting area you can relax in, so it's not as though you'll be cooling your heels standing around in the garage, unless that's what you feel like doing! Their garage is cleaner, brighter and nicer than many I've seen, too.

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