Hi All
Just had my B8 A4 flashed with the APR Stage 1 ECU upgrade. Given that I couldn't find much in the way of reviews I thought I would put one out there with my initial impressions.
The stock car I got upgraded is an '09 A4 (B8) 2.0T Quattro Tiptronic. I have the Prestige and S-Line packages giving me some power hungry gadgets and some big chunky tyres to get the power down. Whilst I wasn't disappointed with the performance of my A4, a friend of mine was getting the ECU upgraded on an 08 (B7) and given the APR special deal on the B8 models currently, I thought I would give it a go.
The upgrade itself was a special promotion form APR giving me a fully loaded ECU with 4 programs as well as anti-theft, security lockout, and fault code reset options for the price of a standard ECU upgrade. This was a saving of about 50% on the normal price for a fully loaded ECU. I opted for the following programs:
Stock
91 Octane
93 Octane
Valet
I chose not to have the 100 Octane program, primarily because of the difficultly in finding 100 Octane gas and I thought the Valet mode would be more useful. I also opted for the security lockout and anti-theft options, but not the fault code reset on the advice of the guys doing the installation.
The entire upgrade process took about one hour. It would have been quicker but mine was the first B8 A4 that the guys doing the install had done, meaning they had to download the code from APR before starting.
OK, now for the important bit. Got my car back and selected the 93 Octane program. The change was instantly noticeable. The pull from low revs was higher (and on first impressions smoother) than before. Also, with the increase in power through the high end of the rev range the car now pushes right up to the next gear when in Sport mode, rather than the previous slight drop in power and kick-on after changing gear. A quick flip over to the manual gear change and the pull from 30mph to slightly illegal speeds whilst pulling onto the freeway in 3rd gear was an absolute joy. The power just seemed unending. The car in general feels more alive and eager to go in any gear and at any rev range. Where previously I was changing up at 5000 rpm I can now happily push on all the way to the limiter.
In a more practical real-world application the massive increase in torque at the low end is very handy. The maximum torque band on the upgraded ECU, whilst quite small in terms of rev range, sits perfectly in the zone for freeway cruising speeds. This means increasing speed on the freeway without hammering the accelerator reaps much greater rewards than the stock mode, which I found could be a bit labored without changing down a gear.
I do have a couple of concerns. The first is the stock plastic diverter valve which I have heard isn't up to much. I haven't experienced any problems yet (in the first day) but have been told the increased boost pressure can cause these stock components to wear very quickly. There is a good replacement available for the B7 models but I'm yet to find one for the B8. Hopefully it won't be a problem before I need one. The other slight concern I have is the audible change in turbo when driving with the window down. Maybe it's just slight paranoia but I'm sure I can hear the extra boost pressure. Not that the noise is a problem, just serves as a reminder that everything under the hood is under slightly more stress than normal.
Overall I would say the ECU upgrade is well worth the money, especially considering the special offer I took advantage of. The increase in power is not overly aggressive and doesn't take away from the ability to relax and enjoy a refined drive in a prestige car. I was concerned about introducing a turbo lag feel with the massive torque increase at the bottom end, but have experienced nothing like this. What it does is provide that extra bit of edge for when you are feeling a bit heavy footed or when you need to pass something quickly and safely.
Overall I would say excellent work APR! And if you are thinking about upgrading a B8 A4... go for it, you won't be disappointed!
Just had my B8 A4 flashed with the APR Stage 1 ECU upgrade. Given that I couldn't find much in the way of reviews I thought I would put one out there with my initial impressions.
The stock car I got upgraded is an '09 A4 (B8) 2.0T Quattro Tiptronic. I have the Prestige and S-Line packages giving me some power hungry gadgets and some big chunky tyres to get the power down. Whilst I wasn't disappointed with the performance of my A4, a friend of mine was getting the ECU upgraded on an 08 (B7) and given the APR special deal on the B8 models currently, I thought I would give it a go.
The upgrade itself was a special promotion form APR giving me a fully loaded ECU with 4 programs as well as anti-theft, security lockout, and fault code reset options for the price of a standard ECU upgrade. This was a saving of about 50% on the normal price for a fully loaded ECU. I opted for the following programs:
Stock
91 Octane
93 Octane
Valet
I chose not to have the 100 Octane program, primarily because of the difficultly in finding 100 Octane gas and I thought the Valet mode would be more useful. I also opted for the security lockout and anti-theft options, but not the fault code reset on the advice of the guys doing the installation.
The entire upgrade process took about one hour. It would have been quicker but mine was the first B8 A4 that the guys doing the install had done, meaning they had to download the code from APR before starting.
OK, now for the important bit. Got my car back and selected the 93 Octane program. The change was instantly noticeable. The pull from low revs was higher (and on first impressions smoother) than before. Also, with the increase in power through the high end of the rev range the car now pushes right up to the next gear when in Sport mode, rather than the previous slight drop in power and kick-on after changing gear. A quick flip over to the manual gear change and the pull from 30mph to slightly illegal speeds whilst pulling onto the freeway in 3rd gear was an absolute joy. The power just seemed unending. The car in general feels more alive and eager to go in any gear and at any rev range. Where previously I was changing up at 5000 rpm I can now happily push on all the way to the limiter.
In a more practical real-world application the massive increase in torque at the low end is very handy. The maximum torque band on the upgraded ECU, whilst quite small in terms of rev range, sits perfectly in the zone for freeway cruising speeds. This means increasing speed on the freeway without hammering the accelerator reaps much greater rewards than the stock mode, which I found could be a bit labored without changing down a gear.
I do have a couple of concerns. The first is the stock plastic diverter valve which I have heard isn't up to much. I haven't experienced any problems yet (in the first day) but have been told the increased boost pressure can cause these stock components to wear very quickly. There is a good replacement available for the B7 models but I'm yet to find one for the B8. Hopefully it won't be a problem before I need one. The other slight concern I have is the audible change in turbo when driving with the window down. Maybe it's just slight paranoia but I'm sure I can hear the extra boost pressure. Not that the noise is a problem, just serves as a reminder that everything under the hood is under slightly more stress than normal.
Overall I would say the ECU upgrade is well worth the money, especially considering the special offer I took advantage of. The increase in power is not overly aggressive and doesn't take away from the ability to relax and enjoy a refined drive in a prestige car. I was concerned about introducing a turbo lag feel with the massive torque increase at the bottom end, but have experienced nothing like this. What it does is provide that extra bit of edge for when you are feeling a bit heavy footed or when you need to pass something quickly and safely.
Overall I would say excellent work APR! And if you are thinking about upgrading a B8 A4... go for it, you won't be disappointed!
1st Gear
Thanks for the write-up. So you payed $599+tax for 4 programs with all the extras? That is a very solid price. And the gains do appear to be quite substantial. Have you had any experience with trying out the "stock" program yet? I'd be curious how that compares to a truly stock ECU in regards to smoothness, and MOST importantly for me, gas mileage? Any comments you may have towards gas mileage you are getting (and gas mileage you got as stock for reference) would be greatly appreciated.
Junior Member
Thanks for the review. I'm considering this as my first upgrade to my car when I take delivery. I'll keep the car in 'stock' mode until after the '1,000 mile' break-in period, then let her rip afterwards - i want to get in on the intro offer 
I paid just over $700 all in. This included $50 for labor and state sales tax. Haven't tried out the "stock" mode on the ECU as yet, though as far as I understand it is simply a copy of the ECU program before the upgrade takes place. Could be wrong though.
In terms of mileage I don't really have any good info to give yet. My car has only done 850 miles, so I haven't got up to published figures yet. Is also hard work keeping the foot off the gas as I'm still officially running in. What I can say is over the short runs I have done I haven't noticed any ill effects on the mileage due to the ECU upgrade. I seem to be getting the same sort of mileage as I was before. The theory (as I understand) is that the upgrade can even improve your mileage!?! Kind of makes sense I suppose as you have more power lower down you don't need to hit the gas as hard.
I will do some longer runs and try to give an indication of the effects on mileage over the coming weeks. That is if I can keep my foot off the gas pedal long enough to get some realistic data!
The intro offer only runs until the 20th June I think. I would say get it done and then change the program to stock for your run-in period. Although this is advice I'm not following myself, once you taste that power...
In terms of mileage I don't really have any good info to give yet. My car has only done 850 miles, so I haven't got up to published figures yet. Is also hard work keeping the foot off the gas as I'm still officially running in. What I can say is over the short runs I have done I haven't noticed any ill effects on the mileage due to the ECU upgrade. I seem to be getting the same sort of mileage as I was before. The theory (as I understand) is that the upgrade can even improve your mileage!?! Kind of makes sense I suppose as you have more power lower down you don't need to hit the gas as hard.
I will do some longer runs and try to give an indication of the effects on mileage over the coming weeks. That is if I can keep my foot off the gas pedal long enough to get some realistic data!
The intro offer only runs until the 20th June I think. I would say get it done and then change the program to stock for your run-in period. Although this is advice I'm not following myself, once you taste that power...
Member
I am also here in Toronto, wanting to upgrade my ECU with APR through a dealer in Georgetown name H2SPORT. But my girlfriend is having issues with me chipping my car due to safety and $$$. there is a special going on for $680+tax here in Toronto now till June 20th.
Quote:
Is this special through H2Sport in Georgetown??? Sounds like a pretty good deal. I've been contemplating the APR chip too... If you do it let me know what you think of the chip and their service.Originally Posted by naemcivic
I am also here in Toronto, wanting to upgrade my ECU with APR through a dealer in Georgetown name H2SPORT. But my girlfriend is having issues with me chipping my car due to safety and $$$. there is a special going on for $680+tax here in Toronto now till June 20th.
Member
I had it done yesterday at H2sport, the job took 1/2 an hour along with some vag-com modifications. Overall feel is nice, a lot of torque. Can really feel a difference, can even pass smoothly on 6 gear at 80Km/h. which I had never felt before.