New Here

[1st Gen]

Just saying Hi.
I bought a 2013 GTI, Wolfsburg about a month ago and I'm looking to do some modding. I was hoping there'd be an obvious path forward for stage 1 mods but with so many brands of intakes/down pipes/tunes, it's turning into a huge pita. I haven't looked at any work logs yet so want to do that before I hit up the "stupid question" thread. I love the car. The DSG transmission is annoying as hell though. I guess I'm still getting used to it.

Anyway, thanks and Happy New Year.

 

[Thumper]

Welcome!!!

There's nothing really "required" for stage 1. Yes there are many tuners and options, a couple you can flash from home but no matter what I always recommend the first consideration is how close is the nearest dealer to you. Yeah, Tuner A may give you 5 more HP but if the nearest dealer is 3 hours away and you have an issue or need help, maybe Tuner B who is 20 minutes away is a better choice and you just ignore that claim of 5HP more. lol

Downpipes are for Stage 2, intakes are 90% for looks and 10% for performance. I always advise to get enclosed ones with as few bends as possible. Shameless plug you can look at my Build log for my GTI "The Wraith" in my sig. Lots of great build logs on here as well.

Are you driving the DSG in "D" mode?? Best mod for the DSG is a driver mod, put it in manual mode. From there it's just learning how it works. This is an amazing good read - How to Play The DSG Game, and Win - DSG Driving Tips and Tricks

 

[1st Gen]

Very helpful. Thank you.
Looking at the prices for what appears to be a few couplers and some tubing has me wondering if the whole aftermarket thing is just a huge pissing contest.
It's not the cost so much as the value that has me dithering. Making other people rich has never been a priority for me.