TMS Tune box

[Sharpz44]

Hi, I have a B8.5 S4 Avant and was wondering if these tune box`s are any good and also is there any detrimental issues to the car,currently have a Miltek and CTS intake,I understand an ECU remap such as APR etc is the way to go but very pricey,also this box is going for £254 at the moment so cheap to add a bit more fun to the car.
Thanks
https://www.tmcmotorsport.com/tuning-box-details/10109175

 

[Dippy]

It depends on how sophisticated they are. The minimum a tuning box needs to do is interface between the engine revs and the manifold pressure sensors and the ECU. Based on these it sends fake lower pressure measurements to the ECU such that it doesn't open the supercharger bypass valve and lets the boost rise higher. Then the ECU will detect that engine is running lean and compensate with more fuel. This works but it is a cruder method than an ECU remap. Whether or not it causes long term problems is unknown, however the main reason people use tuning boxes is so that they can be easily removed in order to avoid warranty claim refusal.

If you don't have a warranty then there's no problem getting an ECU remap, although as you note they are more expensive.

Note that the TMC box won't work with later models. This is because the CREC engine use digital sensors.

 

[Sharpz44]

It depends on how sophisticated they are. The minimum a tuning box needs to do is interface between the engine revs and the manifold pressure sensors and the ECU. Based on these it sends fake lower pressure measurements to the ECU such that it doesn't open the supercharger bypass valve and lets the boost rise higher. Then the ECU will detect that engine is running lean and compensate with more fuel. This works but it is a cruder method than an ECU remap. Whether or not it causes long term problems is unknown, however the main reason people use tuning boxes is so that they can be easily removed in order to avoid warranty claim refusal.

If you don't have a warranty then there's no problem getting an ECU remap, although as you note they are more expensive.

Note that the TMC box won't work with later models. This is because the CREC engine use digital sensors.

Thats a great explanation,thank you and think I might wait and go ECU ,do not want any risks,plus the wire loom annoys me in the engine,guess its the old saying of buy cheap.I got qouted £787 for for stage 1 APR and Revo was £838 not sure why that more expensive ,Thanks for your help and think that has given the decision for me .

 

[PenttisHSR]

If you don't mind a drive to Stockport, site sponsor Unicorn Motor Developments will do a bespoke map on your car stage 1 for £499. He has done plenty of B8 S4's (including mine) so knows what he is doing.

 

[Sharpz44]

A little to far away for ma as I live in Norwich,not much around this area to be honest.Thanks

 

[jdp1962]

A little to far away for ma as I live in Norwich,not much around this area to be honest.Thanks

But think of the drive home from Unicorn with all the extra power!

 

[Booboo]

I have a TMC box on my B8.5 2.0TFSi
It plugs in to the throttle position sensor, the cam sensor and air boost pressure sensor. So it's one of the better ones. I've had it one for 2 years and had it one my A1 before that (had a new loom and remap for the A4)
No issues what so ever with it.

 

[Sharpz44]

I have a TMC box on my B8.5 2.0TFSi
It plugs in to the throttle position sensor, the cam sensor and air boost pressure sensor. So it's one of the better ones. I've had it one for 2 years and had it one my A1 before that (had a new loom and remap for the A4)
No issues what so ever with it.

Just ordered one so will give it a go

 

[Simon]

In my experience if you want to get the best performance out of a remap then you have to have a bespoke map done, it may cost a little more but the end result will be better and safer for your engine.

 

[RyanJonS4]

I know this is diesels and yours is petrol but I really wouldn’t waste my money if I was you

 

[Sharpz44]

I know this is diesels and yours is petrol but I really wouldn’t waste my money if I was you

I did see the thread on this and seems like it was biased against DTUK, guy who owns DTUK posted big response to this on facebook

 

[Sharpz44]

In my experience if you want to get the best performance out of a remap then you have to have a bespoke map done, it may cost a little more but the end result will be better and safer for your engine.

I actually changed my mind and requested to cancel

 

[Sharpz44]

I know this is diesels and yours is petrol but I really wouldn’t waste my money if I was you

This does seem like a waste after watching this.

 

[ruairi83]

I know this is diesels and yours is petrol but I really wouldn’t waste my money if I was you

I had a DTUK box on my A4 for 3 years and never had any bother. It was brilliant and perfect for warranty as could remove in 5mins

 

[Andy Butcher]

I bought a DTUK box when I bought a brand new Octavia VRS 220 petrol in 2015, never had any issues, however I'm not going to go the box route with the S4 (CREC) as it's a much more expensive engine to repair if it goes wrong.

 

[Booboo]

As I said I don't consider them a waste of money and not had a single issue in years of owning them

 

[Dippy]

Whether or not a tune produces the performance increase claimed by the supplier is a question for both tuning boxes/piggy-backs and ECU remaps alike. It's that risk of lack of confirmation and confidence for a buyer which makes me recommend having the work done at a tuner who has a rolling-road dyno. Whilst that brings another question about how accurate a given dyno is, it is the before and after which counts. For example when I took my S5 to MRC they dyno'd it stock at 342PS which is close to what Audi claim. So when it was tuned to 482PS on the same dyno, I had the confidence that the tune provided what I expected and paid for. It also helped that I could see the graphs of other S4s and S5s done at MRC and could compare mine. Ultimately I don't really know for sure exactly how much power my S5 makes, but in the real world it is more than I need and I have no reason to question the work done by MRC.

I believe I have seen dyno results of the DTUK box for the CREC S4/S5 which give me confidence that the box is capable of delivering its claims. But whether or not it does so on every particular car it is fitted to is another matter, and without a dyno test no-one can be certain. As I noted above, some tuning boxes rely on ECU intervention (certainly the DTUK box does because it only interfaces to MAP and revs sensors) and whilst in theory all ECUs should respond in the same way how do you know for sure?

I watched some of that video, and it seemed that the issue was that they did not deliver what the suppliers claimed, when fitted to a certain car and tested on Darkside's dyno. I haven't bothered learning exactly how diesel tuning boxes work (although I know that unlike on petrol turbo cars they manipulate fuelling) so I can't really conclude anything myself. I can only refer to my comment above - as a buyer are you happy to rely on the supplier's claims and your "butt dyno" or do you want to see the results from a rolling road?

 

[W55LSY]

Hi, I have a B8.5 S4 Avant and was wondering if these tune box`s are any good and also is there any detrimental issues to the car,currently have a Miltek and CTS intake,I understand an ECU remap such as APR etc is the way to go but very pricey,also this box is going for £254 at the moment so cheap to add a bit more fun to the car.
Thanks
https://www.tmcmotorsport.com/tuning-box-details/10109175

I have a TDI-Tuning CRTD3 box turning up tomorrow. The only box that comes close is a DTUK.
https://tdi-tuning.com/en-gb/car/au...009/crtd4-twin-channel-diesel-tuning-box-chip

I shall report back! I’ve done a LOT of research and seen individual dynos from different cars at different locations. I’m confident

 

[Gazwould]

 

[W55LSY]

Yeah Yeah seen this and a load of other stuff. I’ve had superChip back in the day. Revo and amd who it turns out just ‘flashed’ my car and evoque who did custom map but blew up my box. Remapping isn’t the only way forward.

I’ll take my chances. If I don’t like it I’ll take it off.

 

[Gazwould]

That's the beauty of it most maps and boxes have 30 days satisfaction .

I totally recommend before and after dyno runs for a number of reasons .

 

[Dippy]

I could only tolerate watching half of that second video - he does indeed have a rant whereas he could have cut the time in half and made it more informational. But I do get the impression that diesel ECUs are a bit harder to fool with a tuning box than petrol ECUs.

The bottom line is that the main reasons for using a tuning box are lower cost and the option to avoid problems with warranty claims by removing it. But the best performance increase can only really come from a proper remap of the ECU.