The spoiler stays up if the engine is hot and will go down when you restart the car. Why is it good to have a higher RPM at a certain speed unless you are accelerating? Do you mean that the car shifts later with the chip?

 

How do you get a "higher rpm at a given speed" from a CHIP????

You'd have to change either the transmission gear ratio or the final drive gear ratio....or be in a different gear I guess!... to get a different roadspeed out of a given rpm.

 

I had that occasional spoiler malfunction prior to getting the APR tune. It never does it at the dealer of course. Perhaps this spoiler anomaly is particular to our model & year (& color?)

I think willyjp is right, you'd have to be in a different gear for the rpms to occur at different speeds. I never had the effect you describe, just a torque boost at low RPMs and a big power boost at high RPMs.

Runs even better with higher octane. Also, dealer had my car for a few days after I'd had the APR tune. The dealer did a lot of ECU diagnostic work (replaced a post catalytic converter O2 sensor), but didn't detect anything amiss with the ECU software. Love it.

 

Fwiw, my '10 v8 spoiler stays up sometimes, especially if I deploy it with the switch...and then decides to come down & behave normally. (and my car isn't chipped) Will never do it for the dealer's R8 Tech either.

 

Thanks for the input, do you also feel that there is no difference between sport mode and normal mode after the apr install?

 

I'm not sure what you mean. Sport mode only effects the dampers. Mine still changes as before the APR tune. No spoiler issues here either.

 

PM Gazza, he has had the APR upgrade done and the performance is incredible. He will know if there is a difference between both modes.

 

I had that occasional spoiler malfunction prior to getting the APR tune. It never does it at the dealer of course. Perhaps this spoiler anomaly is particular to our model & year (& color?)

fwiw, I had a spoiler prob the other day too - fired the car up in the garage from cold, the spoiler was up and a warning light came on the dash. got it to go back down after turning it off and on and holding down the spoiler button. thought it was just an oddball glitch but sounds like it's pretty common.

 

APR mod has behaved impeccably since install and provided a real nice shot in the arm with performance.

I had a couple of spoiler malfunctions on my past V8 coupe but the spider and current coupe has had none at all.

 

maybe he has an r-tronic - the r-tronic sport button affects the shift speed and throttle response.

 

I had wondered about the throttle mapping with "sport" mode. I've seen it clearly stated that it changes the shift points (the main point of having it), but I wasn't sure about the throttle response. That's probably the main reason I'd wish to have R-Tronic.

I've have two previous MT cars with magnetic controlled suspension where setting "sport" mode on the ride control also altered the throttle mapping...in a way that I really liked. As far as I can tell, setting the suspension to "sport" in my 6MT has NO effect on the throttle response...would others agree?

 

The owners manual makes no mention of the mag ride setting affecting the throttle, but it does say in the r-tronic section that the r-tronic sport button gives the throttle a "lighter response".

Not sure how the r-tronic throttle modes compare to the MT - I wouldn't be surprised if sport on the r-tronic is the same as the normal response for the MT.

 

I also think that some extra power is unleashed in the sport mode.

 

would be interesting to see that theory tested on a dyno - personally, I think it's psychological.

 

well, I can tell you that a sudden and substantial increase in the rate of throttle opening with right foot movement gives you a very significant FEEL of an increase in power...would be an easy ? to answer with a g-meter, even the simple kind you can get in an iPhone app...probably is just psychological

where would the "sport" button come up with extra power?

 

Could be right but the sluggishness in non sport is definitely not psychological.

 

never noticed any engine related sluggishness in non-sport on the v8 or v10. clearly it needs more throttle at the lower end, but WOT is WOT regardless of setting.

 

I can relate.The only time I ever hit WOT in non sport was probably when I first started learning the RT R8. And the sluggishness was related mostly to the tranny. Call me weird but, I only use non sport mode in a funeral procession type setting. So chipping, reflashing, re-mapping ,all basically produce the same results ,faster shifting , but with a few extra ponies.

 

My car is an rtronic, before the apr install, the difference between sport and non sport mode was huge, the car behaved totally different as far as shifting aggressiveness, throttle response.....and im talking about the power sport button, not the suspension/damper sport mode.

Now after the apr install, i feel absolutely zero different between power sport mode on or off, seems like the apr tells the car to always be aggressive

 

Your experience may be valid. Manufacturers of engine performance enhancement software generally improve the throttle sensitivity, engine timing and fuel-air ratio of the map they provide. The result can be equal to or better than the original SPORTS map. Further optimization of that map is normally made by taking into account the fuel quality and environment. With the R-tronic in AUTO and SPORTS mode engaged, the only appreciable difference you will now see are the higher shift points (other than improved skid and stability limits).

Over the years of 'playing' with ECU software, I've come to understand things a bit better. Like always, the current engine performance software that I'm using requires me to personally optimize their map further to my fuel quality and environment, which involves many runs and ECU data-logging to get it right.

I hope the above helps.

Regards,
Ritz

 

My impression after the APR tune in my R-tronic is that the power boost applies equally at the same RPMs in either sport transmission or normal transmission settings. The sport trans setting seems to downshift for you faster than the comfort trans setting does, the same as it did before the tune, with the net effect of keeping the revs up within the highest torque and power ranges more of the time.

This becomes apparent at the track, if you ever try to run some laps at the lowest revs possible, you just can't do it in sport mode - the downshifts come too fast. The car keeps trying to give you 5500 RPM coming out of corners, even if you only want 3500. This is equally true pre- and post-APR tune.

Also, in Auto mode, when you let the computer shift for you, the sport setting will move up the auto shift points to keep the transmission in a lower gear, with the engine revving higher. Keeping it in comfort mode and going easy on the fun pedal still allows for civilized funeral processioning, even after the APR tune. That's just a matter of will power, which, in my experience, does need to be advanced slightly after the APR tune.

So, anyway, my impression is that the APR tune doesn't really change anything about sport or comfort mode. I think that at any given RPM, the boost is the same in both modes. It is definitely possible to keep the RPMs down, it just takes some restraint.

 

Hey guys, i just had the APR chip done for my v10, I noticed a few things after driving it for a full day.

1. RPMs seem to stay at higher levels, when going 90-100 my rpm stays at about 4500 where it used to sit at 3500.

Engine RPM's and speed are directly linked through physical gear and tire sizes. The ECU upgrade simply cannot alter your RPM vs vehicle speed.

2. Can't feel the difference between sport mode and normal mode now where it used to be a huge difference

Sport mode simply remaps some throttle response related items in the calibration as well as exhaust valve operation and on the rtronic is provides more aggressive shifting. Sport mode will still operate the exhaust and shifting the same however, throttle response is now faster across the board so the difference there may not be as perceivable.

3. Spoiler cannot be operated error, granted this was in weather that was 100 degrees, thought maybe the engine was just letting off steam by keeping the vent open while parked.

I believe this is a factory feature for engine bay heat dissipation.


You have nothing to worry about!

 

Sport mode simply remaps some throttle response related items in the calibration as well as exhaust valve operation and on the rtronic is provides more aggressive shifting. Sport mode will still operate the exhaust and shifting the same however, throttle response is now faster across the board so the difference there may not be as perceivable.

Is this true of the MT? If so, I haven't noticed the difference in throttle response in sport mode before or after the tune.

 

Absolutely. He just forgot to say "in any given gear."

The fundamental equation still holds with any given tire size, RPM x Gear = Speed.

The little extra push I feel at low RPMs after the APR tune is most welcome, and the big push at high RPMs is a total blast. That's why I think the APR tune makes the car both more civilized at low RPMs and more uncivilized at high RPMs, depending on how you want to be driving.

 

SteveR - there may be some confusion - in the R-tronic there's a button in the console marked "SPORT" that is a totally diferent button than the one that dampens the magnetic ride. The Mag Ride button is present in both Manual and R-tronic versions, but I don't think the MT version has the SPORT button, or the sport mode it activates.

Best I can tell, in R-tronics the sport button mostly controls the upshift and downshift points in Auto mode, and only the downshift points in Manual mode.

 

Ah, I had forgotten about that. Thanks.

 

The shift speed is also different between both modes. This is very visible at low shifting rpm.

 

Sport mode simply remaps some throttle response related items in the calibration as well as exhaust valve operation and on the rtronic is provides more aggressive shifting.

Arin, do you know off-hand what the differences are for the exhaust valves in sport vs normal?

 

Sport button on the R-tronic also controls the speed of the shifts, or so it would seem. Much quicker, albeit a tad more deliberate.

 

Just curious, by deliberate do you mean there's a stronger mechanical force at work or is it that the quicker shift mean less time for revs to drop so the next gear is engaged at a higher rpm than would normally be the case creating more punch?

 

Yes, Kfab, it certainly does feel that way, although it makes me wonder, is there a mechanical cause that leads to faster shifts at higher RPMs? In other words, does the shifting mechanism rely on the engine to directly drive it? This I do not know.

Further complicating matters is the "adaptation" of the R-tronic transmission program to the driver's current driving style. When you've been driving slowly and then suddenly "step on it" the shift points immediately go much higher, even when the transmission is in comfort mode in automatic. It's almost as though the "adaptation" is simply to activate sport mode for a while, even though the sport mode light doesn't come on. This would certainly lead to the perception that comfort mode and sport mode feel the same.

 

In other words, does the shifting mechanism rely on the engine to directly drive it?

As you can see/read, the RTronic hydraulic servo system is grafted onto the "manual" transmission, "in place of", as it were, the shift lever and its connections. It is driven by an electric hydraulic pump that pressures a system reservoir and, in attempt to attain and maintain operating pressures, it may start as soon as you unlock your car.

I suppose it's possible, to the extent that this hydraulic system relies on cybernetic guidance, that an after-market "chip" MIGHT change the actuation system....say, by raising the system pressure level,....but my hunch would be that the speed up occurs by other means.

 

Here's something from an Audi document on the subject ...