SpyderTarga

Just wanted to post and review the stage 1 tune I added to my 2019 Targa 4. They claim 100hp and 100ft-lb gain over stock and I can absolutely state this is worth every penny. The car feels completely alive and it's how I imagine it should have felt from the factory, not that it was a slouch before. Extra positives are improved fuel efficiency in normal mode and the auto start-stop is inverted upon ignition. I chose to purchase the APR+ warranty to cover the powertrain for extra peace of mind, but it sounds like APR is pretty reliable and tested this tune extensively. 10/10 recommend this to anyone with a base or s level 991.2.

PTSFX

In a prior life I owned an APR Stage 2 Golf R and it was great. Turbo finally gave up
after 92k miles, 45k of which were at stage 2 with 26 psi peak vs the ~17 psi that was stock so no complaints.

sy1616

Good news! Is the power nice and linear? Smooth delivery? PDK or 7 speed manual?

SpyderTarga

Torque feels pretty consistent throughout and the throttle feels more linear and connected than before. After around 4k RPM the front really lifts and boost takes off. I have PDK so it’s instant power whenever.

isugoo

Never owned VW before but turbo giving up under 100k miles seems too early. Do you think APR tune gave too much stress to turbo?

NJ991

I was thinking the same. The R should still be going strong, tune or no tune. What happened to it?

PTSFX

Well it was my track car, so of those miles probably 3-4K of them were stage 2 track miles at almost 2x stock PSI, so I really have no complaints.

The turbo went boom. They apparently found pieces of it in the downpipe. Fortunately no motor damage so put a new K04 on it and drove for another few thousand miles before I sold it for a 987.2 Cayman as my new track car.

NJ991

Oh ok. The engine was fine. K04 must have been great on it.

Valvefloat991

More boost means flowing ore air through turbo and operating at a higher pressure ratio, particularly at latitude. That requires higher turbo rpm and probably closer to the safe limit. Not surprising at all that the turbo might have expired a bit early.

biggreek

Oh yea, APR is my go to. One of my daily's (A4 allroad, with the 2.0T) is Apr stage 2+. That's the ko4 upgrade, intercooler, intake, cat/downpipe. It's what the car should have been from the factory. They claim 350hp/375tq on 93. And over 400hp on, automaticly switchable, e85. The car had 100k on it when I swapped it all over. But the original ko3 still was in perfect shape...I just wanted more powahh.

And it's nice to see peoples reaction to a quick, unassuming, station wagon.

rugu6869

Nice!

I have a 2015 GTI with the Stage 3 APR kit. IS38 from a Golf R, IC, catted DP, CAI and full exhaust. Makes close to 400hp and 400tq on 93 and only weighs 2,970 lbs. It's a little pocket rocket for sure (yes, I have a Peloquin LSD about about $6K into suspension as well).

I'm going to do a Stage 1 APR tune on my 991.2 soon. I'm just debating as to when exactly since my car is CPO and has a few years left on warranty.

cutlass476

I have been contemplating this also, but am a little hesitant because my car has 5 years of warranty remaining. However, my last 911, a 997.2 S, came from Champion Porsche with their version of the X51 powerkit, which included a GIAC Stage 1 tune. All I did was revert back to the stock/factory tune each time before I took the car in for service or warranty work and no one ever said anything to me. Keep in mind that the Porsche dealership closest to me does not have a great rep for being “mod” friendly. But again, they never said anything to me. I don’t know if they can tell if the car has flashed or re-flashed back to stock. There seems to be divergent opinions on this topic on the forum. I would love to know for sure though.

biggreek

Oh sweet, I was looking at the is38 but, it's a daily commuter, didnt want to go back down that path of getting the most as I possibly can. My last commuter car was a 2000 TDI Jetta Malone stage 4, bunch of go fast bits. Sold it at 440k miles, still got 48mpgs @80mph. But it was problem after problem and alot of it was from age and the fact that parts used weren't factory, weren't nessesarily designed to be used to do a 180 miles a day. It really got old with a car that left me hanging a few times.

Anyways, I'm also in that boat with my .2 GTS. Do I wait until CPO is out, do I do it now? But will APR still be offering it then when the EPA is cracking down on these tuning companies, "modifying emissions"? I guess, we'll see.

rugu6869

Right now, I believe for states like Cali, there's an issues with touching the catalytic converter and not so much with a tune.
I've been all over my congressman regarding all the clean air acts with racing/off road modifications and the SEMA market as well to ensure that it doesn't become illegal.

Trapperj

I too had experience with APR. in a Audi A3 then later a 2017 GTI & now with a 991.2 GTS.
I trust APR. still hoping for a flash at home
option at some point but it was not a deal breaker for me. The tune on the GTS is very linear. Couldn’t be happier.