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Review: Integrated Engineering IE DSG (DQ250) Tune

WalkerT

Go Kart Champion
My review
Product: Integrated Engineering IE DSG (DQ250) Tune
Price: $549.99
Part number: IESOCCX
Additional Product: IE POWERlink Direct port flash tool
Price: $149.99

Reason: The reason I went for a DSG tune is the removal of the Kick Down and increase the internal TQ limiter in the stock DSG Transmission Control Unit (TCU). While doing some dyno tuning to get a custom tune I found out that the main barrier for more power was the DSG TCU. The DSG TCU calculates the transmission’s Torque load in Newton meters (Nm) at any given RPM. If your car is putting down more than the stock preset limit then the TCU will step in and spoil your fun. After I spent a ton of time getting a custom tune that was on the limit of the DSG torque limit, I found out that by selecting the AC actually increased the torque load and there for shutting down the DSG. The shifts would take a couple seconds instead of 0.8 of a second. So for the summer months the tune was useless unless I wanted to roast myself in the 110 degrees of summer bliss. I wanted to find a company that would not only change the DSG shift points but also increase or remove the DAMN TCU torque limiter. Integrated Engineering was my first choice because of how much I love the quality of their intake.
Unlike other tuners IE does not make you buy addition stages to get the most out of your DSG. One tune has it all.
Enough of the rant on to the review…

Includes:
• One IE POWERlink direct port flash tool (only needed if you do not already have their ECU flash)
• Access to the Tune through their Flash software (free to download once you have the POWERlink)

Install:
The install is easy. Laptop and the POWERlink tool, and like most I have been through several tunes and the setup is the same. Make sure you take the time to get everything downloaded. Plug the PowerLink cable into your vehicle’s OBD-II port, and the USB port on your laptop. This will get you access to use the included IE Flash Wizard software. The flash software will walk you through the installation steps.
During the install a red screen will flash telling you to shut off the ignition. Normal part of IE flash but the first time it popped up I thought I was screwed! But it was fine.


Features of the DSG tune:
• Higher shift points of 6800 RPM

• Kick down in manual mode eliminated

• Lag time reduced when starting off in first gear

• Multiple launch RPMs: 3200, 3400, 3600, 3800, 4000

• D - drive shift mapping entirely reworked

• Increased clutch pressure on tap for higher torque without slip

• Temperature protection remains for safety

• Gear hunting reduced

• Gearbox “Torque Limiters” removed

Driving:
I am going to break this down to the different modes. D – Drive, M – Manual, and S – Sport

Mode D:
Before -
This stood for Dumbsh*t. As most of you have found out the DSG does not like ECU tunes and heaven forbid if you are stage 2 or higher. When I would select D, my DSG would go full out retard… If I was at a light it would take a full second before it would select first gear and pull away, if the AC was on 2-3 seconds delay before pulling away. It would race up to 6th gear even if you were only going 25mph. And the delay would get worse if you varied your throttle position. I hated it! Years have gone by and I never selected “D” again.

After –
This is a Night and Day difference. Pulling away from a light smooth as butter, even holds first gear long enough to get some speed before shifting to second. Turn the AC on and still nice and smooth. It does not try and race to 6th gear and follows a normal shift pattern up the six gears. It actually shifts right about the same time I would have in manual mode. This is a huge difference! This DSG tune has added back the ability to drive around in full automatic mode without getting pissed off. Seriously it was so bad before that even if I had my hands full I would still find a way to shift manually. This is one of the best parts of getting a DSG tune. I was truly shocked by the difference.

Mode M:
Before –
This was my only usable mode in stock form. I would shift in M mode every time driving just so I could enjoy my ECU tune. This was good but not great. I would get into a side by side race with someone down the main drag and accidentally hit that damn “Kick Down” switch and ruin the race. Track days spent teaching myself to apply just enough pressure to floor the throttle and not hit the switch. But inevitably I would be mid corner and the damn thing would double shift because I hit the down shift paddle and the kick down switch at the same time…..AGH. Watching seconds being added to my times. Also there was a bit of a delay when you would hit the paddle and the actual up shift would happen.

After –
Hallelujah the damn kick down is dead! :clap: This is so nice, and to have this damn thing turned off stops it from ruining anymore of the fun. The shifts are crazy quick with a noticeable reduction in shift time and an increase in clutch pressure. Redline shift under full boost you get a shove with the upshift! The times are reduced in the downshift and really help in the braking zones! I could also notice the DSG is more of a POP between gears instead of a BRAAP. All great things!

Mode S:
Before –
There was not much use for S mode in stock form. The launch control was set so high it would only end in useless wheels spin. The shift would just hold to redline and shift, and no that is not always a good thing especially when shifting at red line only loses time when your peak power is 5800-6200 rpms. You are going too long into a gear and shifting on the back side of the power curve.

After –
This adds an actual tunable launch control! Everyone has a different setup. Some have high torque tunes and some have BT high HP tunes. For my modest set up being able to set the launch RPM gives me the ability to get just the right wheels spin and traction to get repeatable launch time! That is big. I have mine set for 3200rpms, foot on the brake, foot on the gas, build a little pressure and release the brake…..nice even pull away with spin/traction to redline with a quick shift to second, and gone. I could burn through a set or two of tires just enjoying the repeatability of this.

Summary:
I know it is hard to lay down money on something that does not equal higher HP and TQ. If you actually drive your tuned MK6, and it has a DSG then buy this tune! This will give you an edge in any race. This has given me back the choice to have three different modes to my daily driver. The smooth operation of D-Drive mode is a big difference. The removal of the Kick Down in manual mode, will prevent the DSG from making a fool out of you. The tunable launch feature in S will give you back a functioning launch control!! This along with increasing the barrier of the TQ limiter in the DSG that will prevent you from getting the most out of your low end TQ.
I actually regret not getting this sooner, and would have prevented me from losing my custom tune. To include all the time and money put into it.
As stated before go with IE they won’t make you pay more for different levels of DSG tunes. One tune gets you everything you need. Some companies don’t even raise the DSG TQ limiter!

Website: https://www.performancebyie.com/




 
Last edited:

FF_animal

Ready to race!
Nice review! Question tho.. I have read and heard mixed things about the dsg limiting torque. So if it does limit tq wouldn't we be getting more power out of this TCU tune? Assuming your already ECU tuned.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
 

WalkerT

Go Kart Champion
Nice review! Question tho.. I have read and heard mixed things about the dsg limiting torque. So if it does limit tq wouldn't we be getting more power out of this TCU tune? Assuming your already ECU tuned.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

Yes and No

The Torque Limiter is a form of protection within the DSG. It will limit/prevent the DSG from shifting if your TQ is to high. It does this in one of three ways.

- not shift at all if the Nm TQ is well above its present amount
- slow down the shifts
- slip the clutch pack to allow the TQ to fall within range before engagement of the next gear

So with understanding how it limits the TQ you can see that it does not limit the engines power but limits the way the DSG handles the power.

The problem is once you surpass the Nm TQ then any power/TQ above that is unusable. So in theory yes you do get more power and tq but it is more that you can now use ALL the power you already had.

Here is an example of a DATALOG graph showing one of the ways the DSG wil limit the TQ and slowing the engine down after a WOT shifting at peak TQ.

This is a 100% WOT throttle and shifting from 3rd and 4th at peak TQ (4200rpms) - for my custom tune. After I shift from 3-4 The RPM's go up - the DSG hits it's limit - then back down - and then shifting from 4-5 the RPM's go up then go back down before going back up again.

The TQ limiter stepped in and would not fully engage the next gear until the TQ limit had dropped below the limiter.

 

hack-man162

Passed Driver's Ed
Pretty much sums up my experience with the APR DSG tune. Though I didn't drive the car other than stock without it, I hated the stock DSG D mode even with the stock tune.
 

webbry4

Ready to race!
Nice review! Glad to see they finally released the final product! Pete had used my car as a tester for this software. Let me choose shift points and launch rpms and even allowed to show what gear i was in while in drive and sport modes


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

WalkerT

Go Kart Champion
The final product does show the gear in S and D. Cool that yours was the test car
 

DallasDub94

Go Kart Newbie
Yes and No

The Torque Limiter is a form of protection within the DSG. It will limit/prevent the DSG from shifting if your TQ is to high. It does this in one of three ways.

- not shift at all if the Nm TQ is well above its present amount
- slow down the shifts
- slip the clutch pack to allow the TQ to fall within range before engagement of the next gear

So with understanding how it limits the TQ you can see that it does not limit the engines power but limits the way the DSG handles the power.

The problem is once you surpass the Nm TQ then any power/TQ above that is unusable. So in theory yes you do get more power and tq but it is more that you can now use ALL the power you already had.

Here is an example of a DATALOG graph showing one of the ways the DSG wil limit the TQ and slowing the engine down after a WOT shifting at peak TQ.

This is a 100% WOT throttle and shifting from 3rd and 4th at peak TQ (4200rpms) - for my custom tune. After I shift from 3-4 The RPM's go up - the DSG hits it's limit - then back down - and then shifting from 4-5 the RPM's go up then go back down before going back up again.

The TQ limiter stepped in and would not fully engage the next gear until the TQ limit had dropped below the limiter.


Do you have any logs/plots of the torque after the dsg tune? Just curious to see the difference with the limits removed and faster shifting.
 

WalkerT

Go Kart Champion
Do you have any logs/plots of the torque after the dsg tune? Just curious to see the difference with the limits removed and faster shifting.

I am not currently running my custom tune. Once I switch back I will run a side by side log.
 

WalkerT

Go Kart Champion

WalkerT

Go Kart Champion
Yes and No

The Torque Limiter is a form of protection within the DSG. It will limit/prevent the DSG from shifting if your TQ is to high. It does this in one of three ways.

- not shift at all if the Nm TQ is well above its present amount
- slow down the shifts
- slip the clutch pack to allow the TQ to fall within range before engagement of the next gear

So with understanding how it limits the TQ you can see that it does not limit the engines power but limits the way the DSG handles the power.

The problem is once you surpass the Nm TQ then any power/TQ above that is unusable. So in theory yes you do get more power and tq but it is more that you can now use ALL the power you already had.

Here is an example of a DATALOG graph showing one of the ways the DSG wil limit the TQ and slowing the engine down after a WOT shifting at peak TQ.

This is a 100% WOT throttle and shifting from 3rd and 4th at peak TQ (4200rpms) - for my custom tune. After I shift from 3-4 The RPM's go up - the DSG hits it's limit - then back down - and then shifting from 4-5 the RPM's go up then go back down before going back up again.

The TQ limiter stepped in and would not fully engage the next gear until the TQ limit had dropped below the limiter.


bumped for those wanting to see/understand the TCU TQ issue
 

mdo91

New member
bumped for those wanting to see/understand the TCU TQ issue
Figured I'd ask here instead of making a thread. I flashed my car with the IE stage 2 93 file and dsg file. I'm having this torque limiting issues. I flashed the dsg to stock and it's still an issue so I know it's not dsg tune related. Any ideas what could be causing this to happen? Low fluid? Car only has 29k on it. Have never had any problems with the transmission until I added power. Tried doing a clutch pack adaptation and still the issue persists.

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk
 

WalkerT

Go Kart Champion
Figured I'd ask here instead of making a thread. I flashed my car with the IE stage 2 93 file and dsg file. I'm having this torque limiting issues. I flashed the dsg to stock and it's still an issue so I know it's not dsg tune related. Any ideas what could be causing this to happen? Low fluid? Car only has 29k on it. Have never had any problems with the transmission until I added power. Tried doing a clutch pack adaptation and still the issue persists.

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

Can you run a datalog? Will help to see what the issue is.
 

mdo91

New member
I did, sent it to IE and they said they couldn't really tell from the log. If I go wot in third at 3k rpm it will cut power in between 3 and 4k rpm, and after the shift into 4th gear it will cut power again. Looking at the log you can see the throttle valve angle goes down even though my foot is still on the throttle. Then after it cuts power it goes back up and continues to pull.

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk
 

whitewolf33

Go Kart Champion
I did, sent it to IE and they said they couldn't really tell from the log. If I go wot in third at 3k rpm it will cut power in between 3 and 4k rpm, and after the shift into 4th gear it will cut power again. Looking at the log you can see the throttle valve angle goes down even though my foot is still on the throttle. Then after it cuts power it goes back up and continues to pull.

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

My revo software does this exact thing. Havent looked in a while but Ive spent hours googling this with so many mixed answers. Other then this issue my car drives perfectly and doesnt throw any codes. Will the dsg tune help this? Would love to finally find an answer
 
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