Post
by coxw » Mon Mar 12, 2007 2:23 pm
Apologies to dip my toe into this debate when I don't own an S4 or RS4, but I have just spent out my £1k on an MTM generic map for my S3 (8P).
Previously I had a Revo stage 2 Leon Cupra R225 (with 4 bar FPR, enlarged Forge intercoolers, full milltek with 100 cell race cats etc...), and I was running 24psi on maximum boost (>280bhp & >310lb/ft). Any more than that was deemed to be suicidal for the KO4. I can't believe anyone is able to sustainably run over 25psi with long term reliability. If you run much more boost than that surely the inlet temps must sky rocket unless you are using further cooling (like Aquamist). Wouldn't that eventually affect the timing and cause the car to pull back?
I went for the MTM map as I had little previous experience of Audi tuning, and Revo did not have an S3 map at present (still under development). I assumed based on the experience of Roland Meyers 25 years at Audi during the rally days on the Quattro, and further based on the quality of his testing facility in Ingolstadt that their products shouldn't be a badly flawed. I tend to buy brand new and then move my cars out in 3 years, and as I am choosing to flaunt my warranty by mapping brand new cars I need total comfort that the product is well tested and resiliant.
By the way, AmD are no longer AmD, but are BBT (based in Essex), so now I wonder if AmD maps will be integrated in Revo or whether it will continue to stand alone.
I do accept the MTM maps are borderlining on prohibitively expensive, but there are so few maps about currently for the new S3. I hope MTM have at least bought a car and done good mileage on it to test resiliance. Otherwise it makes the £1050 outlay for a piece of code quite rich.
My views of the MTM map. Its OK. Not staggering, but better than it was OE. They have managed to retain the nice linear power delivery without having a great big dollop of boost surge at the start of the pedal and then nothing at the end. In summary I'd rather lose a tenth or two on the road, and the odd traffic light derby in order to ensure I had a fully tested product that could deliver long term resiliant thrills.
As for the generic / custom map debate - how much of a custom map is actually custom? I could take a jacket and put new buttons on it and all of a sudden its custom!!! The custom AmD map on my first LCR was actually 10bhp underpowered against the Revo generic stage 1 map on other cars. I used to live in Banbury and I've never heard of MRC. I've heard of Stealth Racing (Revo dealer), and RSD (Oettinger dealer), and even Owen Developments who are south of Oxford (and of course AmD). I'm not knocking MRC here; (just because I haven't heard of them doesn't mean they're bad, PLUS there are loads of glowing endorsements on here so they SHOULD be good). However I'm shocked that as a VAG man for 14 years, I've never seen so much as an advert or heard a recommendation, let alone of their existence. Are they purely Audi with respect to tuning?
At the end of the day you have to vote with your head and your wallet. As long as a map is not flawed then enjoy it. The odd tenth or odd few bhp doesn't really mean much from a road use perspective. To me the subsequent customer service is the BIG point in case, and Revo was absolutely fantastic for me. QST Audi certainly have a lot to live up to. Every day there seems to be a new remapping company springing up, some offering maps as cheap as £149 and claiming significant gains. I think you'd have to be 'brave' to take those routes, so for now its good that MRC and MTM can co-exist as it makes for healthy debate!
Apologies as I really haven't pushed the argument on.
