Cobb Accessport dyno results - Stock vs Stage 1/High Boost - before and after

I'm a pretty analytical person and once I decided to start modding my GTI, I started looking for hard data about what parts are worth it. I ultimately decided to go with the Cobb Accessport because of the flexibility of the different maps and the usability of the device itself. I've always been a believer in getting a modded car properly tuned, so the Protune option is what sealed the deal.

Now that I have it, I'd like to provide another data point for people that are considering which tune to get. The only things done to the car are the Cobb Accessport, R8 red top coil packs, and NGK BKR7EIX spark plugs gapped to 0.032", everything else is stock.

My car was dyno'd this past Saturday at AU Tuning in Huntington Beach, CA. AU Tuning uses a Dynapack dyno for their results. The ambient temperature was 75.88 °F for the first run and increased to 76.99 °F by the last run (they did 6 runs total). Barometric pressure was 29.86 inHg throughout.

I already had the Stage 1 v103 91 octane tune on my car when I got there and they said we should dyno that first since the ECU was already adapted to it. So they did 2 pulls with Stage 1, flashed to Stage 1 High Boost (HB), did 2 more pulls, then flashed to Stage 0, and did 2 more pulls. All tunes were v103 91 octane.

Here is the screenshot results from AU Tuning:



I also obtained the data dump from each dyno that shows HP and torque at each RPM so that I could make more detailed graphs of my own. I took the best run from each tune and highlighted the peak HP and torque numbers:



Peak numbers:
Stage 0 - 195.14 HP @ 5403 RPM / 203.28 lb-ft @ 3241 RPM
Stage 1 - 217.01 HP @ 5272 RPM / 231.40 lb-ft @ 3972 RPM
Stage 1 HB - 214.36 HP @ 5706 RPM / 243.72 lb-ft @ 3252 RPM

Stage 1 peak HP gain over Stage 0 - 21.87 HP
Stage 1 peak torque gain over Stage 0 - 28.12 lb-ft

Stage 1 HB peak HP gain over Stage 0 - 19.22 HP
Stage 1 HB peak torque gain over Stage 0 - 40.44 lb-ft

Overall I'm pleased with the numbers because it's always said that the Cobb OTS tunes are pretty conservative and this pretty much confirms it. Even so, going from stock to Stage 1 is a really nice gain. Peak numbers are nice but area under the curve is what really matters and you can see the improvement over stock, especially past 6300 RPM. I'm guessing the High Boost tune put down less HP than the regular Stage 1 tune because the ECU was already adapted for Stage 1 and it's more of a low-end torque boost than a high-end power boost. However, the extra power is definitely noticeable when driving on the street.

Next up...I'll be installing the Cobb Big SF Intake, Spulen Turbo Outlet Pipe with Turbo Muffler Delete, Neuspeed FMIC, Neuspeed HI-FLO Air Charge Pipe, Unitronic DV Relocation Kit, Fluidampr crank pulley, and a Cobb downpipe. I'll run that for a little while on the Cobb Stage 2 OTS tune and then head back to AU Tuning for the Protune. I'll make sure to get a baseline dyno run on the OTS Stage 2 tune so I have a good comparison. Unfortunately, I won't be able to get a comparison between Stage 1+ with the Big SF intake because I'll be installing all of the parts before I go in for my Protune.

Also, if anyone wants to see my other runs or other comparisons, I can easily spit out more graphs. Just let me know what you want to see on it.

Stay tuned for updates...

Thanks for that review! Very detailed. I also have cobb accessport, my list of mods is in my signature. I also want to take my car to get dynoed. I ran cobb stage 1 HB for couple days and i was impressed! Then i got my custom flash tune from stratified and i was blow away by how much of a difference it was from cobb stage 1 HB, so makes me curious on my numbers.


Cobb Stage 1 w/ Stratified flash tune || Beluga Racing Catback || Nuespeed p-flo intake || GFB DV+ || Newsouth Performance boost gauge || R8 coil pack || Koni Sport w/ H&R springs || Weather tech window visors || 5% tint in the back 15% in the front ||

Gap the plugs to 0.028". Every little helps!

Laimface said:

Gap the plugs to 0.028". Every little helps!

Click to expand...

Yep, I'll be doing that once everything is installed. I left them gapped to 0.032" to just be as close to stock as possible for the baseline.

Did you ever try again with your plugs gapped to 0.028? I just got my AP a few days ago and I'm running the same plugs as you are gapped at 0.032. I'm wondering if it is absolutely necessary to re gap them. I'm also getting some -1.5 Knock Ret readings on all 4 cyl on the 91 oct file. Could spark plug gap be the cause of it?

I blew a coil a day after reflash so I have a new set of red tops on the way too.

raulmk6 said:

Did you ever try again with your plugs gapped to 0.028? I just got my AP a few days ago and I'm running the same plugs as you are gapped at 0.032. I'm wondering if it is absolutely necessary to re gap them. I'm also getting some -1.5 Knock Ret readings on all 4 cyl on the 91 oct file. Could spark plug gap be the cause of it?

I blew a coil a day after reflash so I have a new set of red tops on the way too.

Click to expand...

up to -3 knock is common on our cars and nothing to be "afraid" of. Anything over -3 and id start doing more but -1.5 is pretty good.

You could try re-gaping the plugs if you wanted although i dont think its needed.

Seems pretty solid to me for 91 Oct. A good DP would add 10 or 15 more

raulmk6 said:

Did you ever try again with your plugs gapped to 0.028? I just got my AP a few days ago and I'm running the same plugs as you are gapped at 0.032. I'm wondering if it is absolutely necessary to re gap them. I'm also getting some -1.5 Knock Ret readings on all 4 cyl on the 91 oct file. Could spark plug gap be the cause of it?

I blew a coil a day after reflash so I have a new set of red tops on the way too.

Click to expand...

I have not. Once I started installing my mods I noticed a few things on my car and had to get them addressed. Then I was rear-ended and had to get that fixed. I'm still planning to get everything installed and then get the final dyno tuning done in spring.