AMD are good they clearly have extensive experience right across the Audi range, but they are expensive. My reasons for choosing AMD for my previous S4 was based on the fact that they allegedly offer a custom Map. I don't believe that to be the case based on how they can provide a map to another tuner via an email? However, as Scott explained to me he is an ex Audi trained tech. He was trained on the 2.7T S4. IMHO the rolling road before and after is about as good a way of testing your car.
It always amazed me how QST got away for so long without installing one given the money he wanted.
I take the opinion that the tuner who can actually write a map for you should be the best. (provided his maps don't blow your car up!) After all he/she knows about monitoring the ignition timing, fuelling, exhaust gas temp, torque V's rpm. To simply plug someone else's product into your car is only half the knowledge. Now its interesting who AMD has doing their maps for them now. As last I knew Geoff had left. A company is only as good as the individuals doing the work right now.
If going for a map on my RS I'd like to ask the various tuners who and how is the map produced. When comparing QST to AMD I think QST were far too expensive back in the day when he didn't have a rolling road. Also he was simply plugging MTM's chip into your car! QST know how to charge for everything, but to his credit he has amassed a considerable amount of experience and I would feel confident he is certainly up there with the best of the bunch.
Re the CAT back option is in my opinion a waste of money. As good as confirmed by Millteck. When they refused to sell me one on the basis that I would return it immediately (before it had even been out on the road if their approved supplier/tuner found less than a 5hp gain on a rolling road test. That speaks volumes to me about their product. Interestingly to was the fact that tuner didn’t recon I’d see a gain and he’d been trying to sell me one for about a year!
Regarding the apparent 275bhp before the map. There are so many reasons why your car returned 10bhp more than the published figure. Over the years I've seen so many RR results even for my own car which showed everything from 323bhp to 305bhp but the torque went from 365ftlbs to 382ftlbs respectively I couldn't tell the difference and I regularly check if my car can pull a certain speed over a fixed distance. One thing I do know is that air temp does make a seat of your pants measured difference.
O I do ramble on – sorry
