Next mod! HPA Motorsports Stage 3 Extreme Performance DSG tune! First off, I want to ensure everyone that I have no intentions of turning this build thread into an ad for my new job, as a matter of fact, I don't even think we can sell you this exact software revision anymore, unless you are a local customer and can do it in house. I will obviously be picking up more and more HPA products as time goes on, as I love my workplace, the quality of the components we make, and I get a killer staff deal on many items!... But I also had a modding life before I worked with them, and have a ton of their direct competitors parts on my ride as well. This thread is, and will always stay my journal of my time with this car, and my honest opinions and reviews of any part I choose to add, HPA or other brands! All claims and opinions on any item here are mine, and mine alone, and I document this stuff mostly so I have a reference back for myself, but also because I love talking cars and sharing with the community!
Anyways, with that out of the way, today I replaced another mod I already had, from APR Stage 2 DSG --> to HPA Motorsports Stage 3 DSG!!
First off, I did like the APR tune, everything I said about it in my past post still stands, it was a large improvement over stock, but I still thought it could be a bit better, and I was right! With the HPA tune drivability is just that last 10% improved, at low speeds, the car drives slightly smoother at low RPM, but it's still a DSG, it still has its quirks and clunks and is imperfect. Shifts when moving are way smoother, still fast, still crisp, but just more seamless. Drive mode seems like it might be a bit more conservative than the APR mapping, shifts a bit lower, more like OEM, but has a very intuitive mapping, where when you give it just a bit more throttle, it knows what you want and drops a gear without hesitation. Sport mode is similar to APR's mapping, but is a little less eager to downshift and stay in too low of a gear for any length of time. Where the APR tune would downshift at the lightest brush of brake, this tune requires a bit more of a jab to do the same. Overall, it suits my driving style better, I think its a big step in the right direction for a sporty daily driver! An odd but kinda cool coincidence, this tune DSG farts way more than the APR tune, if thats ur thing, Its kinda fun to hear those again... Still has all the same features I wanted to keep, gear readout in D and S, multi level launch control, kickdown switch disabled in manual and probably more I am forgetting. This tune also has increased clutch clamping pressure, and supports up to 500 Ft Lbs, so it should be way more than I ever need for my K04!
