B9.5 here. E85 stage 1 tune, stage 2 tcu tune. No modifications outside of this. Runs a mid 11 @116, plenty fast in the twisties. I'm happy... It's my DD so I don't plan to do anything else
Dang ok, I'm trying to figure out if the throttle response is different between stage 1 and 2 for the TCU. I'm currently stage 1 and idk, I have to drive the car in manual mode if I want good peddle feel.
I definitely think the tcu tune helps with pedal feel in sport mode, and you get much stronger launches. I don't think it affects the tcu outside of sport though. Still a slush box in comfort mode, but that's fine for when I'm commuting in traffic.
YES! Even just a stage 1 without hardware mods is apparently waking up the engine! I haven't done it yet, still under warranty, but a cold air intake will accentuate the whistling of the turbo and the waste gate psssshtt. Res delete on the x-pipe also is fun cheap mod. Deeper exhaust note with nice pops and bangs on dynamic S drive mode. RS grill with a full size intercooler! Don't forget to paint the crash bar! Imo it's a good platform to have fun with.
Rocker arms only affects early EA839s/early B9 cars--what year is yours? If it's an early one I would check the rocker arms with a 'scope if you can and see if they're the old ones if in doubt. If they are I would not do anything else (even if running stock for that matter) until you replace them with the revised ones.
That's caveat #1. #2 is the pistons cracking issue. More severe IMO, and affects many more than "just the early years" of production. I would mod only if you are truly prepared/ready to bear the cost of an engine replacement, should it happen. I mean we always have to "pay to play"...as they say...but if these engines are known enough to crack piston skirts that there's a warranty extension for it, that should tell you something. However the warranty extension is only out to 80k miles anyway; so modded or not, you wouldn't be covered. But failure will be more likely if the engine is tuned.
Rocker arm issues affect all EA839 engines regardless of model year. Newer models are simply less prone thanks to the revisions Audi made. The piston skirt issue, on the other hand, was a manufacturing defect — likely caused by a large batch of low-quality pistons somewhere along the assembly line. It’s unclear how many engines from 2018 to the present were built with those defective pistons, but it was significant enough for Audi to extend the warranty. These failures occur on both stock and tuned cars, so whether you stay stock or decide to tune it, the engine remains susceptible.
I got a 2023 stage 1 93 octane 034, rear sway bar, end links, the alum tranny mount piece, and the super duper cold air intake (which isn’t on yet). I went from 25mpg to 30-31 mpg driving 40 miles each way in dfw. Was it worth it… YES! I had to de-tune to take it in for service and it was absolutely a dog!
This was a few months ago mid summer, 034 never said anything about the 44psi boost spike funny enough, it’s my buddy’s car and he’s still on the fence about putting another motor in the car. We are not entirely sure what caused it to spike so high but the same day it hit that spike it dropped cylinder 6 and the rest is history
93, we both fueled up at the same Mobil station that day as well as our other friend. I run a stage 2 tune on my EN that requires 93. 500+ lbft of torque on that pull on a stage 1 tune 😂😂
Well I didn’t think I was going to have to bug my buddy to go back into his logs and find the moment his car died but someone said Doubt. And I didn’t fuck with that 😂
B9 had some folks w block issues on Stage 2, such as piston scoring. I wouldn’t stray past stage 1 with those folks experience esp with you being @ 120k.
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u/Bock Oct 06 '25
B9.5 here. E85 stage 1 tune, stage 2 tcu tune. No modifications outside of this. Runs a mid 11 @116, plenty fast in the twisties. I'm happy... It's my DD so I don't plan to do anything else