@@ryanp6138 Haha I'd expect nothing less Ryan! Nice one for this video, so many people would just be about the money punting on shite and not safe guarding fellow enthusiasts...
@@jage6126 exactly, autotop nl are retards realy, slave to the money. Not the mention they have to most ridiculous accent, an exhaust is exhoooooooooost for them.
Kinda like opening an 8 pack of KitKats and finding 4 shitty Tesco basics versions inside, and being told "Well they were actual KitKats when we packed them, it must be your eyes".....click
Thank you so much for this video. Very thorough explanation of the differences between tuning boxes and remaps. Have been tempted in the past to go for a tuning box, mainly because of the simplicity of fitting the box, but as your video shows I think you're much better off leaving tuning to the experts such as yourselves. Thanks again. Cheers, Jon.
Wouldn’t piss on a tuning box if it was on fire and this is not because of ya video it’s what I’ve experienced over the years ,I had a similar conversation with another channel the other day about getting tduk box for his bmw 330d ,I would never risk engine components with a tuning box ,good video though and a wake up call for some 👍
@Mojo This video literally just disproved the tuning box claims. Surely you don't believe it can complete with a custom remap. Especially from Darkside Developments.
I've had 4 bluespark tuning boxes on 4 different cars, petrol and diesel so far and although I've never had them on the dyno so I can't say about peak power I can 100% say they improved low down power and boost response on every one of the cars or I wouldn't have bought another. I have done the same route to work for years and as an example on my car with the last box (jaguar xj 3.0 diesel) the difference with the box fitted was very obvious. There's a steep hill on the A23 called Handcross Hill and on cruise control with no box at 65mph the car had to drop a gear, with the box on it never did and I tested this multiple times. The best part was when I sold the cars I removed the boxes and either got them retuned for the next car or sold them on
I agree that the Bluespark box does work very well, the company also has great after service back up; but the main thing that sold it to me was that Bluespark also remap cars on their Dyno in the traditional way so have a great knowledge base for both ways of tuning without bias
I've been looking at a bluespark box that's what led me here and to say these are around the £400 mark they seem a bit of a joke where as the blues park are like £80 lol
Kenny 130pd that’s what my old crafter did they reckoned it went up to 200bhp, I ragged it with a trailer on the back and the fucker went in to limp mode on the motorway, fairly new van aswell that
I had a racechip on a 2.0 tfsi and it worked very well, better than a stage 2+ bluefin map however I have a dtuk pd2 on a pd130 and it’s terrible. Luckily I only paid £40 for it.
I had a DTUK tuning box on my Golf gtd 190 for nearly 2 years and then it stared causing codes to appear. I spoke to DTUK on the phone and was told it was somehow my fault and i must of fitted it wrong after it had been on the car for 30k miles no issue. They then made me pay for the shipping only to be told it was fine. whilst the box was away i had done nearly 6k miles with no codes, i fitted it and within 100 miles the codes were back and i was in limp mode. took it off and fine again. DTUK then refused to do anything other than charge me to update it. I ended up having to get my bank involved to get my money back and it was a massive hassle. never again will i use a tuning box.
Standard DTUK response mate haha. "Nah can't be our product even though loads of people complained, it's your engine / fuel / climate / driving style" lol
Right then.....a great exposee on the world of tuning box's. Brilliant presentation, and shows the bull that "tuners" put out there. More power to your elbow boys. Keep the terrific vids coming You've saved me a wad of cash 💰 happy days Can't wait for the "nearly secret" Darkside box.....
On my gtd the dtuk did add power most defiantly, ruined thhe drivability especially with the dsg box, it also did nothing but put it in limp mode on warm days dont know why 🤷♂️ took off anyway
Great Video and totally agree always a custom tune over any piggyback. However when your car can't be tuned (2020 Bmw M340i - locked DME), these boxes are your only option
Do you run a piggyback on your M340i? As these are still not tuneable without sending away the DME to Russia I’m considering a piggyback so would welcome any input you may have?
Shame about the DTUK one, I ran one on my old Leon FR 184 back when they first came out and "nobody can tune them" I was being told (I didn't know about Darkside then) but it did feel punchier, it could have been from weight saving in my wallet however!
I’ve got a DTUK box on my Octavia vRS 184, works brilliantly. DTUK claims 240bhp.. I reckon it is pushing that not just a little punchier but considerable more power. Have been using the box for 3 years, never looked back!
Other than a constant check engine light and slightly worse fuel consumption, the race chip in my 535d was absolutely amazing. It felt like it had so much more power when I drove it. Tuning boxes are actually good.
How people like DTUK say 240hp for MK7 GTD is beyond me, my car is a low millage well looked after manual and it doesn’t get anywhere near 240 even with a proper remap. Glad you outed the box goons ..
Dude the content of your videos always grips my mind . Love your content. Also, the pace and tone of your speech is just what I need to calm me down after all the hyper youtubers trying to make their channel interesting by shouting. Salt of the earth mate. Good on you
Really informative! A custom remap is the way to go then! I was tempted with one of those tuning boxes, but can see how they manipulate the engine. Ok 4 a lease car maybe, but a no no if u intend to keep your car for a while! Thank you for explaining so clearly!
Massive balls for doing this with transparency. Well done. Custom remaps will win every time, but I had a great result from a dtuk box a few years ago on a saab 93. Like you said, it was cheap at the time (about £130) so it was worth it. It was never going to be able to match a proper remap though.
Why anyone would dislike this video is beyond me. Ran a racechip ultimate on my Amarok 5 years ago, then “serial condition.” Sent it back for my refund within a week. Only change I noted was more exhaust smoke. Back then, there weren’t any real tuning options in my country, but now we have a local revo dealer. Greetings from Trinidad, WI. The local VW scene is very keen on your Amarok videos.
great video! I think these people are criminals, if a OEM made such ridiculous claims they would face consequences, why should it be any different for these clowns. I think you should do a reaction/fact check video to TDI tunnings video (What is a Tuning Box?) check 1:58 in that video, my head hurts listing to that answer, someone needs to call them out on their lies.
Very interesting video and I wish I could of used this info 3 years ago. My Mk7 Golf GTD (CUNA, 184bhp) had a DTUK CRD3+ box on. It dynoed at 198bhp when quoting 240bhp (240bhp is the holy grail of custom maps, most get 235). The Golf actually blew an injector after 2k miles (engine was on 11k). Always wanted to pin it on the box but had no proof. Andrew and the goons at DTUK are awful and some practices are illegal. They'll be your best friend and reply within seconds up until they get your money, after that they'll outright ignore you and used to (not sure if they still do) charge 20% restock fee if you return the box which would work out to around £90 of the unit you sampled. Biggest mistake I ever had, made the frequent slips into limp mode under full throttle seem like normal. (Edit: The mobile app, DTE Powercontrol that they use also requires location, storage and phone call permissions to work on Android... Why?)
Tried a DTUK box on my mk7 Golf R. Didn’t feel any better to be honest and ended up going into limp mode after a month, so I took it straight off. Luckily I scanned the car with VCDS before it went in for a service, there was all sorts of fault codes stored. So much for their main marketing pitches, the fact they are undetectable which in my case was absolute rubbish.
@@Mac_F87 same here mate, I had VCDS on mine and fuel trim data would of given it away too. I so badly hope someone in law or with a bit of money clocks onto this and wipes the floor with them
When I had the tdi vrs I was going to get a tuning box but decided to go for a dyno tune. Ended up with 227bhp was very happy. Since then I've switched to petrol vrs with a dyno tune at 307bhp I'm happy. More to come eventually but its fine for now
I got a Dtuk tuning box for my 2015 GTD and feels like no power gain it ended up throwing a fault code. Pure waste of money definitely want to get a professional remap on it
I had the same problem with dtuk when I had my bmw x1 zero performance gains and ended in limp mode at the side of the motorway fannying around with a plastic box under the bonnet. RIP off merchants
Ive gone from a TDI tuning box to an remap. I can say, yes I did get more power from the tuning box but I did get problems with overfueling at times which would then cause my car to limit itself at 3k. But now with the remap I have MORE power, MORE torque and no problems at all!
i run a racechip on my kia pictanto and make's a massive difference. - you have to go into fine tuning to enable the full power as it my default will go into a semi mode ( aka bit more power but save fuel for mpg ) I set my mine to don't save and just send it, and wow..
I’ve always thought with tuning boxes it’s like poking a bull blind folded with a stick. It might run but there’s a good chance it’ll turn around and thump you.
I had a trip tuning box on my merc 250d. Yes is does make a difference BUT it does not achieve the numbers they claim. I know this as I had it dyno'd. I decided to get a custom remap stage 1 from the same people who dynod the car originally. The second dyno run was totally different smoother band of power and torque with much higher figures. The car also drove much better, no rush of power then nothing but progressive all the way through the rev band and better fuel economy than with the DTI tuning box. But if anyone would still like that tuning box it's for sale
Thanks, man. I was on the fence about getting one from TDI. Warning lights etc were my biggest concern. I even thought I heard a warning light come on in a separate review featuring their own M4.
Stupid money them tuning box’s I bought one a few years ago never again broke my turbo there was oil every were only done few miles with it on as well junk if you ask me
See my issue is now I’ve installed a tdi box on my Volvo s60 and I haven’t got a dyno so I just use my draggy to test 0-60 and factory stats say it should do it in around 6.3s and I’ve not been able get it closer than 6.8 😅
Great video, thanks for this. DTUK have always been hit and miss, they get really stroppy when you question them, and even return a box based on performance. I fitted one of their boxes and the engine colling fan kept running after turning the car off, it was like the car was always trying to perform a dpf regeneration. Anyway, sent it back and got a very very cold response.
Seriously good video as always, I had a tuning box on a Hilux a few years ago, it went okay but it did have a tendency for the engine light come on a few times. Have a sensible F30 320i now with the B48 engine and had it remapped and it really does pull well now, 184bhp to around 270bhp.
Is there any remap already for the Mercedes A200 1.3 163hp version? That s the only reason why i would take a tuning box, but after all this reading. I will save my money and stay away of a tuning box!
@@DarksideDevelopments But there`s still no remap, I wonder how long it will take when they figure out how to remap this car. Probably not that easy for this car I guess ? Yes Remap is better no question about it!
By the sound of it the best tuning box to have sometime in the future is a "darkside development" true power box,,people would just need to watch a few of your videos to know that they won't be getting ripped off!
What sales rep or family man drives around red lining their Skoda Octavia estate 2.0 TDI RPM over 3000 to the max, Most people just want that early torque and extra bhp that will bring them from 30 mph to 75 mph in a swoosh during daily use, Do your video concludes the tuning boxes are perfect for that or did I take the data up wrong
Tuning boxes will make some difference, not always what they claim (as seen in the video) a custom remap will make more of a difference and be a lot safer for your car, even if it's just for your average daily driver
Put a racechip on my A1 and I feel as though its severely reduced the life of my engine. It made the engine knock (with correct fuel), was overboosting and even after I took it off, over took a car on 2 different occasions and put my car in to limp mode + engine light. Would never use one again. Complete trash. Its an engine breaker.
@@wildazme2006 I'm concidering getting a racechip, is it true that the power comes in gradually up to 500 miles? Is driving in all modes until then important?
The only idea of "tuning boxes" i liked was ones i seen somewhere, where your car can have a custom rolling road remap set up, but it's stored on the box instead of the ECU. The only other time i'd consider a tuning box is on the old Transit Connects, or the older Vauxhall engines where the boxes increased fueling mainly, then boost was done with a manual boost controller. I feel for the vast majority of the time, a generic non tailored, non rolling road remap is still probably better than a tuning box on most modern diesels. I feel if you have some simple bolt on mods like a turbo back exhaust, upgraded intercooler, it's worth getting a custom tailored map on a rolling road when possible.
I had a racechip gts in my BMW F10 535d and I had the car on the dyno. Stock almost exactly factory spec, 308bhp and 650Nm, with racechip 338bhp and 690Nm. I sent the chip back because the promised a lot more. Now I've got a remap, again on the dyno and 376bhp and 720Nm. For roughly the same money. There's your answer. You did scare me btw that Racechip ups the rail pressure too much and that bmw injectors in the 335d are not the toughest, I imagine they're the same as in the 535d..... now I'm double glad I got rid of the box...
What about pre programmed remaps that are loaded onto your cars ecu? They use the same map for many cars with the same engine, and claim to give you x amount. But how close to that are they. Example I have an A4 2.0 tdi 143bhp caga b8 engine. I had a choice of eco 168bhp, S1 185bhp, and S2 195bhp. I took the eco map and I noticed good power gains and extra MPG. But I wonder how close do the claimed gains come to the real ones? Without a dyno test I just take it that it has about 168bhp and 368nm as that is what I was told. Good video by the way, love all the stuff you do 🙂👍
I'm Canadian so I had great trouble understanding you with the accent. But I do appreciate your advice, sir. I may not, after all, get the racechip that I was considering.
Very interesting and informative the lads at Darkside know what they are talking about exposing the rubbish that’s being pushed out on internet auction sites well done really enjoyed learning about this
A really good test and summary of the "plug-in" tuning boxes, good work and very fair, big thanks. Mike, Australia.... (VAG fan & owner, like your videos. SQ5/B8 Passat BiTdi/MK7.5 R Special Edition[Revo S1 tuned])
hello. I have an audi a4 b8 2010 2.0 tdi cr 105kw, I turned off the software and mechanical dpf, egr, and the maps were also changed. How much horsepower can the car get by turning off the components alone?to mention, the mechanic connected all the connectors to me as they were from the factory
I’ve been thinking about a Racechip box for my 1.5 tsi so glad I saw this 👍🏻😊😊....would have wasted £450 😠....thanks guys brilliant video and will definitely save people money and an expensive bill if it ruined their engine. 😊😊And even though I don’t have a diesel anymore definitely just subscribed 😁😁
Had a DTUK on my current Leon FR184, after a few weeks I had every single light on the dash after starting the car, disconnected it and sold it on. Cars been fine since thankfully. Can't say as I noticed any difference really either, but it's a chugger not a thrasher.
Bought a race chip for my caddy 2k 105bhp absolute pile of shite. Van cuts out until you depress the clutch and drop the revs. There response my van is broken???? Doesn't do it when box is unplugged so clearly it's there box causing the issue . No refund offered please stay away from this shocking company. Darkside for life ,😁
After watching the video think it shuts off due to rail pressure being too high. Awesome on the motorway when overtaking must be a German safety feature schnitzel eating tossers.
How can Race Chip claim its lost all that power due to "serial condition" when you have dyno proof that it hasnt! This is undeniable proof that tuning boxes are a waste of money. I think Darkside have saved people a lot money and issues!
Nothing and I mean NOTHING beats a custom tune done by a professional! No matter what you drive they WILL find more SAFE hp and torque. I remember messing with my p.o.s 99 accord with crome and man what a difference 😊
Well, I`ve been using a TDI box with my BMW X1 E84 177HP and yes I could feel a huge difference to stock power, unfortunately after checking ECU I could find lots of DTC fault codes. Many times tuning boxes create lots of fault codes stored in ECU as they cross limiters , professional remap made by professional tuner maby give you a little less of power but will keep everything under limiters and won`t give you fault DTC codes . Also, absolutely don't use mobile tuners as they will copy/paste a universal map to your ECU, each engine is different, even the same 177HP and each engine tunes up in different ways so that's why always use a professional tuner who will prepare an individual map to your specific engine. Cheers
I've got two DTUK boxes, one works great on my 330D F31 and the other on my Audi A6 BITDI is awful, slower, limp modes, terrible mpg and when I emailed them about it they wanted £70 to program it!!
You're that chopper from 125ccsbf from back in the day, always thought you were a cut above the rest with your shit TVR, same again here thinking you're hot shit listing the names of premium car. Still a shithouse.
Mentioning no names in kent, got a quote for a remap,but are refusing to doa rolling road afterwards,to substantiate there power increase gains over my standard car maybe not the increase they are claiming does anyone think I’m trying to be mugged
If they have a dyno cell then they should be able to prove the figures. Most likely a generic map though. Would recommend going somewhere that has a dyno available and does custom remaps for the safety of your car
DT UK ... sorry to say but is a crap.. get it to my f15 40d... and get +7 HP and 31 NM.... that was box for 549 pounds.. i did dyno test it few times and newer get anything more. then i done remap... and that was a game changer... from 313 hp to 379hp and from 630nm to 743 nm . done 40 k km no problems with it at all
If anyone cares - I have a 2019 BMW F32 420i 2.0L 184bhp 270nM stock and with racechip it's promising 226bhp 350nM. Does it actually achieve promised numbers - no idea, does it feel significantly faster - absolutely, however not from the start, strangely, when I installed the RaceChip, I've noticed the difference but it hasn't been that significant, and I thought oh well this is disappointing. Then I got had a service icon to replace front brake pads, well whatever they've done when removing the error after replacement has unlocked something within RaceChip as immediately after driving out, I felt a lot more power when accelerating hard and since then I love the car even more.
Been waiting for one of these reviews for years 👍. Massive respect for telling us old farts what we have known for years😅😅. Remap all the way!!!. I'm going back 20 plus years when you would remove the ECU, add FSE Power Boost Valves, K&N induction kits, twin webber carbs etc.. Decat, straight through exhausts. Skip Brown Tunning, Super Chips, to name just a few I have had on my cars in the past F Fwd 10 yrs & it's flash via the OBD. Never been convinced, of the claimed figures. And had numerous debates over remap vs tuning box. Great video Ryan 👍.
I had a racechip on my mk7 gti wen it was under warranty,it was a pile of sh4t,I payed like 620 for it,inconsistent in power delivery and would make my epc light come on,if driven over 4 thousand rpm,I smashed it up with a hammer in the end,I couldn’t justify selling it to someone else,load of crap,top job for doing this,you are the man
Darkside Developments I didn’t make a video it was a spur of the moment thing,I’m happy that people like you are showing these plug and play devices for what they are tho.
At this point you're better off just slapping a 10 cent resistor on your MAF sensor. Where i'm from a quick custom dyno tune is 200-300€ so these tuning boxes make no sense.
Great informative video. Im not Really a diesel guy but I still Watch your videos and really wish someone would do this in the Ford fiesta tuning scene. 👍
when they tried to fob you off did you inform them that you were wearing a lab coat?
They were not fully aware, but I did have it on whilst emailing for good measure!
@@ryanp6138 Haha I'd expect nothing less Ryan! Nice one for this video, so many people would just be about the money punting on shite and not safe guarding fellow enthusiasts...
@@otacon4065 hopefully it just educates people, dont mind if we dont make anything from it!
@@DarksideDevelopments that's the difference between scummy corporations vs true enthusiast run businesses
😂😂
When the lab coat comes out you know it’s serious.
U no somerts abart ta go darn!
He is always serious, loves his job. No bullshit guy!
someone should send this video to the guys at
Car Throttle xD
@@jage6126 they stopped using racechip
@@jage6126 exactly, autotop nl are retards realy, slave to the money. Not the mention they have to most ridiculous accent, an exhaust is exhoooooooooost for them.
Car throttle channel is a joke anyway. Let them crack on using these naff tuning boxes. 😀
Kinda like opening an 8 pack of KitKats and finding 4 shitty Tesco basics versions inside, and being told "Well they were actual KitKats when we packed them, it must be your eyes".....click
Same with the DTUK tuning box in my MK3 VRS tdi. Seemed to make a bit more power but throwing up fault codes all the time.
As soon as I heard the accent, I knew you were local to me. Thanks for saving me the cash, as I was tempted by RaceChip
They didn't moved the jumper inside the racechip. By stock it comes with medium settings. You have adjust manually to maximum.
I have a racechip, you notice a difference but you might as well just get a proper tune for the price of it
Thank you so much for this video. Very thorough explanation of the differences between tuning boxes and remaps. Have been tempted in the past to go for a tuning box, mainly because of the simplicity of fitting the box, but as your video shows I think you're much better off leaving tuning to the experts such as yourselves. Thanks again. Cheers, Jon.
Wouldn’t piss on a tuning box if it was on fire and this is not because of ya video it’s what I’ve experienced over the years ,I had a similar conversation with another channel the other day about getting tduk box for his bmw 330d ,I would never risk engine components with a tuning box ,good video though and a wake up call for some 👍
@Mojo This video literally just disproved the tuning box claims. Surely you don't believe it can complete with a custom remap. Especially from Darkside Developments.
@Mojo spoken like a true noob to modifying vehicles.
@@Ciaran334 I can guarantee he's never had a an ECU remap. That, or he works for some POS tuning box company
@Mojo Highly unlikely
Mojo gotta say I’ve seen some crazy good results from the Stienbaiuer but they are stupid money
I've had 4 bluespark tuning boxes on 4 different cars, petrol and diesel so far and although I've never had them on the dyno so I can't say about peak power I can 100% say they improved low down power and boost response on every one of the cars or I wouldn't have bought another. I have done the same route to work for years and as an example on my car with the last box (jaguar xj 3.0 diesel) the difference with the box fitted was very obvious. There's a steep hill on the A23 called Handcross Hill and on cruise control with no box at 65mph the car had to drop a gear, with the box on it never did and I tested this multiple times. The best part was when I sold the cars I removed the boxes and either got them retuned for the next car or sold them on
I agree that the Bluespark box does work very well, the company also has great after service back up; but the main thing that sold it to me was that Bluespark also remap cars on their Dyno in the traditional way so have a great knowledge base for both ways of tuning without bias
I've got a Bluespark Tuning Box on my Mitsi L200 was it worth it (to me) Hell Yeah!@@muffindell
I've been looking at a bluespark box that's what led me here and to say these are around the £400 mark they seem a bit of a joke where as the blues park are like £80 lol
I had a dtuk box on my Fabia vrs around 10 years ago, just used to go into limp mode if you pushed the car hard.
Kenny 130pd that’s what my old crafter did they reckoned it went up to 200bhp, I ragged it with a trailer on the back and the fucker went in to limp mode on the motorway, fairly new van aswell that
Tuning box costs more and doesn't do anything : )
Just wish the gr yaris ecu was unlocked for track use only of course 😆
What a surprise.. 😂 takes some balls to call them out. 👍 Imagine how crap the cheap ones are. Top work from you guys as always.
You don't need balls to speak the truth! The cheap ones usually work as good as the race chip one!
@@ryanp6138 you should have bought a resitor one for a laugh to see what it did
@@ryanp6138 The real MVP here! Very clear and concise video.
amd87ts I doubt he wanted to shag a nice car completely
the cheap ones are no different to the expensive ones they all play with rail pressure reading, as there is nothing much more they can do.
1:57 had to remove my headset as i thought my car alarm was going off haha
So glad I've seen this, puts recap vs tuning box argument to bed in my mind.
I had a racechip on a 2.0 tfsi and it worked very well, better than a stage 2+ bluefin map however I have a dtuk pd2 on a pd130 and it’s terrible. Luckily I only paid £40 for it.
I had a DTUK tuning box on my Golf gtd 190 for nearly 2 years and then it stared causing codes to appear. I spoke to DTUK on the phone and was told it was somehow my fault and i must of fitted it wrong after it had been on the car for 30k miles no issue. They then made me pay for the shipping only to be told it was fine. whilst the box was away i had done nearly 6k miles with no codes, i fitted it and within 100 miles the codes were back and i was in limp mode. took it off and fine again. DTUK then refused to do anything other than charge me to update it. I ended up having to get my bank involved to get my money back and it was a massive hassle. never again will i use a tuning box.
Standard DTUK response mate haha. "Nah can't be our product even though loads of people complained, it's your engine / fuel / climate / driving style" lol
Thx for info
Right then.....a great exposee on the world of tuning box's.
Brilliant presentation, and shows the bull that "tuners" put out there.
More power to your elbow boys.
Keep the terrific vids coming
You've saved me a wad of cash
💰 happy days
Can't wait for the "nearly secret" Darkside box.....
On my gtd the dtuk did add power most defiantly, ruined thhe drivability especially with the dsg box, it also did nothing but put it in limp mode on warm days dont know why 🤷♂️ took off anyway
defiantly, or maybe definitely..
Great Video and totally agree always a custom tune over any piggyback.
However when your car can't be tuned (2020 Bmw M340i - locked DME), these boxes are your only option
They will be unlocked within a few months!
Do you run a piggyback on your M340i? As these are still not tuneable without sending away the DME to Russia I’m considering a piggyback so would welcome any input you may have?
Shame about the DTUK one, I ran one on my old Leon FR 184 back when they first came out and "nobody can tune them" I was being told (I didn't know about Darkside then) but it did feel punchier, it could have been from weight saving in my wallet however!
Most likely! haha
Read my comment, dynod at 198bhp which is just about noticeable
I’ve got a DTUK box on my Octavia vRS 184, works brilliantly. DTUK claims 240bhp.. I reckon it is pushing that not just a little punchier but considerable more power. Have been using the box for 3 years, never looked back!
I would never buy any of that tuning boxes. Remap every time miles better results.
People just go the cheap way out and think it's the same
Not only will a remap get you marginally better results but they can be cheaper lol. Why do people bother with these chips
@@robbiegibbs1772 my brother got a chip for his VW I told him not to then took it to a tuner and he didn't even gain any power from the chip lol
Warranty issues
Other than a constant check engine light and slightly worse fuel consumption, the race chip in my 535d was absolutely amazing. It felt like it had so much more power when I drove it. Tuning boxes are actually good.
How people like DTUK say 240hp for MK7 GTD is beyond me, my car is a low millage well looked after manual and it doesn’t get anywhere near 240 even with a proper remap.
Glad you outed the box goons ..
Very interesting I think this will finally put the tuning box v remap debate to bed.
Skip to 2.45
Thanks
Good lad👌
I've tried tuning boxes before and I genuinely couldn't tell a difference at all... but if darkside did one... I think I'd try it
Mines sound had it a year way more punch
Dude the content of your videos always grips my mind . Love your content. Also, the pace and tone of your speech is just what I need to calm me down after all the hyper youtubers trying to make their channel interesting by shouting. Salt of the earth mate. Good on you
1.25 speed if you want to americanise me, lol. Thanks for the kind words.
Really informative! A custom remap is the way to go then! I was tempted with one of those tuning boxes, but can see how they manipulate the engine. Ok 4 a lease car maybe, but a no no if u intend to keep your car for a while! Thank you for explaining so clearly!
Massive balls for doing this with transparency. Well done. Custom remaps will win every time, but I had a great result from a dtuk box a few years ago on a saab 93. Like you said, it was cheap at the time (about £130) so it was worth it. It was never going to be able to match a proper remap though.
Just do yourself a favour and get a proper remap. you wouldn't put shit into your body so why put shit into your car (tuning box)
There are queues of people lining up so I don't think anyone does their own research!
I bet its snakeoil, just a guess before i watch it
Why anyone would dislike this video is beyond me.
Ran a racechip ultimate on my Amarok 5 years ago, then “serial condition.” Sent it back for my refund within a week. Only change I noted was more exhaust smoke.
Back then, there weren’t any real tuning options in my country, but now we have a local revo dealer.
Greetings from Trinidad, WI.
The local VW scene is very keen on your Amarok videos.
great video! I think these people are criminals, if a OEM made such ridiculous claims they would face consequences, why should it be any different for these clowns.
I think you should do a reaction/fact check video to TDI tunnings video (What is a Tuning Box?) check 1:58 in that video, my head hurts listing to that answer, someone needs to call them out on their lies.
Very interesting video and I wish I could of used this info 3 years ago. My Mk7 Golf GTD (CUNA, 184bhp) had a DTUK CRD3+ box on. It dynoed at 198bhp when quoting 240bhp (240bhp is the holy grail of custom maps, most get 235). The Golf actually blew an injector after 2k miles (engine was on 11k). Always wanted to pin it on the box but had no proof. Andrew and the goons at DTUK are awful and some practices are illegal. They'll be your best friend and reply within seconds up until they get your money, after that they'll outright ignore you and used to (not sure if they still do) charge 20% restock fee if you return the box which would work out to around £90 of the unit you sampled. Biggest mistake I ever had, made the frequent slips into limp mode under full throttle seem like normal. (Edit: The mobile app, DTE Powercontrol that they use also requires location, storage and phone call permissions to work on Android... Why?)
Say no more, my God. I bought a RaceChip. Didn't actually improve my car. So I ended up sending it back. But thanks for sharing your experience.
Tried a DTUK box on my mk7 Golf R. Didn’t feel any better to be honest and ended up going into limp mode after a month, so I took it straight off. Luckily I scanned the car with VCDS before it went in for a service, there was all sorts of fault codes stored. So much for their main marketing pitches, the fact they are undetectable which in my case was absolute rubbish.
@@Mac_F87 same here mate, I had VCDS on mine and fuel trim data would of given it away too. I so badly hope someone in law or with a bit of money clocks onto this and wipes the floor with them
When I had the tdi vrs I was going to get a tuning box but decided to go for a dyno tune. Ended up with 227bhp was very happy. Since then I've switched to petrol vrs with a dyno tune at 307bhp I'm happy. More to come eventually but its fine for now
Surely you can adjust the power of the box as it has three settings?
Love Darkside, absolute straight up guys! Just wish they could tune my 3.0d 300ps XF.
Tuning boxes - Snake oil
Your 100% correct about most these companies claiming higher figures than a good ECU tune. Customers believe it though.
I got a Dtuk tuning box for my 2015 GTD and feels like no power gain it ended up throwing a fault code. Pure waste of money definitely want to get a professional remap on it
I had the same problem with dtuk when I had my bmw x1 zero performance gains and ended in limp mode at the side of the motorway fannying around with a plastic box under the bonnet. RIP off merchants
Had a RaceChip box on a 2016 1.4T gasser, engine blew up at 40.000kms, definitely will not get one for my TDI
They're all a resistor placed inside a microchip, all pack of sheit. I opened all of them a while ago. Avoid
Ive gone from a TDI tuning box to an remap.
I can say, yes I did get more power from the tuning box but I did get problems with overfueling at times which would then cause my car to limit itself at 3k. But now with the remap I have MORE power, MORE torque and no problems at all!
So in a nutshell tuning boxes are shit and the companys behind them are Mickey mouse
i run a racechip on my kia pictanto and make's a massive difference. - you have to go into fine tuning to enable the full power as it my default will go into a semi mode ( aka bit more power but save fuel for mpg )
I set my mine to don't save and just send it, and wow..
I’ve always thought with tuning boxes it’s like poking a bull blind folded with a stick. It might run but there’s a good chance it’ll turn around and thump you.
That completely changed my Mind on them I was looking into a TDI one for my Golf GTD I’ll have to just get a remap now
Same
I have a TDI-Tuning box and it's shit! I also get an engine management light and their technical support didn't give a crap..
Andrew Denley my advice take it off before it causes component damage .
As Alan said Chuck the shit in the bin, I’ve tried a few and in the end engine longevity is at risk and they don’t perform properly
I had a trip tuning box on my merc 250d. Yes is does make a difference BUT it does not achieve the numbers they claim. I know this as I had it dyno'd. I decided to get a custom remap stage 1 from the same people who dynod the car originally. The second dyno run was totally different smoother band of power and torque with much higher figures. The car also drove much better, no rush of power then nothing but progressive all the way through the rev band and better fuel economy than with the DTI tuning box. But if anyone would still like that tuning box it's for sale
Thanks, man. I was on the fence about getting one from TDI. Warning lights etc were my biggest concern.
I even thought I heard a warning light come on in a separate review featuring their own M4.
Stupid money them tuning box’s I bought one a few years ago never again broke my turbo there was oil every were only done few miles with it on as well junk if you ask me
Keep up the good work! We consumers need ppl like you
How white is that lab coat, needed some glasses to finish the look
Also the gloss on the table...nice. AND the size of it, the table that is.
And some different coloured pens in the top pocket :)
and a clipboard
Dinos almost never represent real world numbers you should be a disclaimer the dish figures only apply for comparisons sake
Fair play lads. Very informative at a big risk of being attacked for showing some interesting findings. Thanks for taking the time to do this
Its no bother to us, just providing facts!
See my issue is now I’ve installed a tdi box on my Volvo s60 and I haven’t got a dyno so I just use my draggy to test 0-60 and factory stats say it should do it in around 6.3s and I’ve not been able get it closer than 6.8 😅
Great video, thanks for this. DTUK have always been hit and miss, they get really stroppy when you question them, and even return a box based on performance. I fitted one of their boxes and the engine colling fan kept running after turning the car off, it was like the car was always trying to perform a dpf regeneration. Anyway, sent it back and got a very very cold response.
Great video custom remap best option. I have always been wary of those tuning boxes and this confirms my suspicions. Cheers
Great stuff and very interesting - had one years ago on CR140 - load of shite. Remap all the way much safer and much more noticeable.
listening to RYAN, VERY, VERY CLUED UP ON THE TUNNING wish he was in SA SERIOUSLY
Seriously good video as always, I had a tuning box on a Hilux a few years ago, it went okay but it did have a tendency for the engine light come on a few times. Have a sensible F30 320i now with the B48 engine and had it remapped and it really does pull well now, 184bhp to around 270bhp.
Is there any remap already for the Mercedes A200 1.3 163hp version? That s the only reason why i would take a tuning box, but after all this reading. I will save my money and stay away of a tuning box!
We don't tune Mercedes but a remap is better than this Garbage.
@@DarksideDevelopments But there`s still no remap, I wonder how long it will take when they figure out how to remap this car. Probably not that easy for this car I guess ? Yes Remap is better no question about it!
They always find a way!
By the sound of it the best tuning box to have sometime in the future is a "darkside development" true power box,,people would just need to watch a few of your videos to know that they won't be getting ripped off!
Need to do some tests on some generic maps
We get them in all the time, rarely exploiting the full potential
@@ryanp6138 are they performing better than the tunning boxes?
@@levente4424 most of the time
What sales rep or family man drives around red lining their Skoda Octavia estate 2.0 TDI RPM over 3000 to the max,
Most people just want that early torque and extra bhp that will bring them from 30 mph to 75 mph in a swoosh during daily use,
Do your video concludes the tuning boxes are perfect for that or did I take the data up wrong
Tuning boxes will make some difference, not always what they claim (as seen in the video) a custom remap will make more of a difference and be a lot safer for your car, even if it's just for your average daily driver
Snakes might come out of them hahahaha
I like the lack of bullshit, I was told the same from a local expert, keep away from tuning boxes they are crap!
Many Race Chip customers have complained (also in social media), and I understand why after looking at this video.
Put a racechip on my A1 and I feel as though its severely reduced the life of my engine. It made the engine knock (with correct fuel), was overboosting and even after I took it off, over took a car on 2 different occasions and put my car in to limp mode + engine light. Would never use one again. Complete trash. Its an engine breaker.
When using a racechip you have to upgrade your plugs, if you didn't that's the problem.
@@wildazme2006 I'm concidering getting a racechip, is it true that the power comes in gradually up to 500 miles? Is driving in all modes until then important?
@@john.connor1 mileage does not matter, once you hook it up and turn it on the power is there
@@wildazme2006 Ok thanks, I appreciate your reply.
Are there calibration tolerances for dynos that could be playing a part maybe?
Not by this amount at all.
I think you should get on eBay and find the three cheapest “tuning boxes” and give them a test.
Yes I do mean the £15 ones the guarantee “35% extra”.
It would be a waste of time really!
Be funny though if the £15 ones made the power they claim
I'd watch that test!
Mighty car mods did a cheap one, on a dyno, on you tube to watch on a Honda s2000
This is the you tube vid of a cheap EBay chip and didn't do much in gain..ruclips.net/video/VGtImIP6j3A/видео.html
I've always seen tuning boxes as a bit of a bodge.... Do it right and get a remap, your car will thank you for it.
The only idea of "tuning boxes" i liked was ones i seen somewhere, where your car can have a custom rolling road remap set up, but it's stored on the box instead of the ECU.
The only other time i'd consider a tuning box is on the old Transit Connects, or the older Vauxhall engines where the boxes increased fueling mainly, then boost was done with a manual boost controller.
I feel for the vast majority of the time, a generic non tailored, non rolling road remap is still probably better than a tuning box on most modern diesels.
I feel if you have some simple bolt on mods like a turbo back exhaust, upgraded intercooler, it's worth getting a custom tailored map on a rolling road when possible.
Search POWERGATE on our site
I had a racechip gts in my BMW F10 535d and I had the car on the dyno. Stock almost exactly factory spec, 308bhp and 650Nm, with racechip 338bhp and 690Nm. I sent the chip back because the promised a lot more. Now I've got a remap, again on the dyno and 376bhp and 720Nm. For roughly the same money.
There's your answer.
You did scare me btw that Racechip ups the rail pressure too much and that bmw injectors in the 335d are not the toughest, I imagine they're the same as in the 535d..... now I'm double glad I got rid of the box...
This is a common problem, when you need 6 injectors a tuning box was never the cheap option!!
What about pre programmed remaps that are loaded onto your cars ecu? They use the same map for many cars with the same engine, and claim to give you x amount. But how close to that are they. Example I have an A4 2.0 tdi 143bhp caga b8 engine. I had a choice of eco 168bhp, S1 185bhp, and S2 195bhp. I took the eco map and I noticed good power gains and extra MPG. But I wonder how close do the claimed gains come to the real ones? Without a dyno test I just take it that it has about 168bhp and 368nm as that is what I was told. Good video by the way, love all the stuff you do 🙂👍
should get around 85-90% to mentioned power, they tend to do extra 5-10 HP(on paper) because companies always saying ,always the highest value.
so much talking. great dyno results
thank you for posting this!
Have a Race Chip Black in my C63s and the difference in power is enormously noticeable. I’m satisfied with it and would recommend.
I'm concidering getting a racechip, is it true that the power comes in gradually up to 500 miles? Is driving in all modes until then important?
You needed more power in your c63??
Saved alot you guys getting gapped with your tunning boxes
I'm Canadian so I had great trouble understanding you with the accent. But I do appreciate your advice, sir. I may not, after all, get the racechip that I was considering.
haha, the desired effect was achieved!
Very interesting and informative the lads at Darkside know what they are talking about exposing the rubbish that’s being pushed out on internet auction sites well done really enjoyed learning about this
A really good test and summary of the "plug-in" tuning boxes, good work and very fair, big thanks. Mike, Australia.... (VAG fan & owner, like your videos. SQ5/B8 Passat BiTdi/MK7.5 R Special Edition[Revo S1 tuned])
hello. I have an audi a4 b8 2010 2.0 tdi cr 105kw, I turned off the software and mechanical dpf, egr, and the maps were also changed. How much horsepower can the car get by turning off the components alone?to mention, the mechanic connected all the connectors to me as they were from the factory
Drop us an email to sales@darksidedevelopments.co.uk with reg/vin and we can give you estimated figures
Amateurs! You guys totally missed that in order to increase the power 2x you need two of those boxes running in parallel.
Shit, I must read instructables
I’ve been thinking about a Racechip box for my 1.5 tsi so glad I saw this 👍🏻😊😊....would have wasted £450 😠....thanks guys brilliant video and will definitely save people money and an expensive bill if it ruined their engine. 😊😊And even though I don’t have a diesel anymore definitely just subscribed 😁😁
450! Had my car tuned properly for 250
Very interesting recently got a bluespark tuning box definitely makes a difference on my 120i drop my 0to60 time from 7.3 to 5.6.
Yep I can also confirm these boxes are dog shite, lucky for me awesome gti returned mine, car made 10bhp over stock figures and ran like shite
Had a DTUK on my current Leon FR184, after a few weeks I had every single light on the dash after starting the car, disconnected it and sold it on. Cars been fine since thankfully. Can't say as I noticed any difference really either, but it's a chugger not a thrasher.
I bought one for 184 leon second hand. It was rapid but the risk on the engine wasn’t worth the extra wear on the brakes. Sold on within a week.
Shame on Ricky from LLF for promoting TDi the guy will do anything for dough
Money talks!
Bought a race chip for my caddy 2k 105bhp absolute pile of shite. Van cuts out until you depress the clutch and drop the revs. There response my van is broken???? Doesn't do it when box is unplugged so clearly it's there box causing the issue . No refund offered please stay away from this shocking company. Darkside for life ,😁
After watching the video think it shuts off due to rail pressure being too high. Awesome on the motorway when overtaking must be a German safety feature schnitzel eating tossers.
Custom remap from Darkside, got to be the way to go.
Doctor Tun'em'all in da house?
Hell yeah brother
Amazing work! Thanks for taking the time to dyno test each of these options and finally put an end to the tuning box debate with solid evidence.
How can Race Chip claim its lost all that power due to "serial condition" when you have dyno proof that it hasnt! This is undeniable proof that tuning boxes are a waste of money. I think Darkside have saved people a lot money and issues!
They are basically thieve's
These tuning boxes are a scam. Niceone for calling them out!
Nothing and I mean NOTHING beats a custom tune done by a professional! No matter what you drive they WILL find more SAFE hp and torque. I remember messing with my p.o.s 99 accord with crome and man what a difference 😊
Great video Thanks! I have had bad experiences of Tuning boxes in the past, I guess they haven't got any better :(
Well, I`ve been using a TDI box with my BMW X1 E84 177HP and yes I could feel a huge difference to stock power, unfortunately after checking ECU I could find lots of DTC fault codes. Many times tuning boxes create lots of fault codes stored in ECU as they cross limiters , professional remap made by professional tuner maby give you a little less of power but will keep everything under limiters and won`t give you fault DTC codes .
Also, absolutely don't use mobile tuners as they will copy/paste a universal map to your ECU, each engine is different, even the same 177HP and each engine tunes up in different ways so that's why always use a professional tuner who will prepare an individual map to your specific engine. Cheers
I've got two DTUK boxes, one works great on my 330D F31 and the other on my Audi A6 BITDI is awful, slower, limp modes, terrible mpg and when I emailed them about it they wanted £70 to program it!!
You're that chopper from 125ccsbf from back in the day, always thought you were a cut above the rest with your shit TVR, same again here thinking you're hot shit listing the names of premium car. Still a shithouse.
Mentioning no names in kent, got a quote for a remap,but are refusing to doa rolling road afterwards,to substantiate there power increase gains over my standard car maybe not the increase they are claiming does anyone think I’m trying to be mugged
If they have a dyno cell then they should be able to prove the figures. Most likely a generic map though. Would recommend going somewhere that has a dyno available and does custom remaps for the safety of your car
DT UK ... sorry to say but is a crap.. get it to my f15 40d... and get +7 HP and 31 NM.... that was box for 549 pounds.. i did dyno test it few times and newer get anything more.
then i done remap... and that was a game changer... from 313 hp to 379hp and from 630nm to 743 nm . done 40 k km no problems with it at all
If anyone cares - I have a 2019 BMW F32 420i 2.0L 184bhp 270nM stock and with racechip it's promising 226bhp 350nM. Does it actually achieve promised numbers - no idea, does it feel significantly faster - absolutely, however not from the start, strangely, when I installed the RaceChip, I've noticed the difference but it hasn't been that significant, and I thought oh well this is disappointing. Then I got had a service icon to replace front brake pads, well whatever they've done when removing the error after replacement has unlocked something within RaceChip as immediately after driving out, I felt a lot more power when accelerating hard and since then I love the car even more.
Hi mate, was it maybe your brakes binding so slowing you down a bit ? Just a thought. I’m no professional or mechanic.
Been waiting for one of these reviews for years 👍.
Massive respect for telling us old farts what we have known for years😅😅. Remap all the way!!!.
I'm going back 20 plus years when you would remove the ECU, add FSE Power Boost Valves, K&N induction kits, twin webber carbs etc.. Decat, straight through exhausts. Skip Brown Tunning, Super Chips, to name just a few I have had on my cars in the past
F Fwd 10 yrs & it's flash via the OBD.
Never been convinced, of the claimed figures. And had numerous debates over remap vs tuning box.
Great video Ryan 👍.
I had a racechip on my mk7 gti wen it was under warranty,it was a pile of sh4t,I payed like 620 for it,inconsistent in power delivery and would make my epc light come on,if driven over 4 thousand rpm,I smashed it up with a hammer in the end,I couldn’t justify selling it to someone else,load of crap,top job for doing this,you are the man
I wish you made a video!
Darkside Developments I didn’t make a video it was a spur of the moment thing,I’m happy that people like you are showing these plug and play devices for what they are tho.
At this point you're better off just slapping a 10 cent resistor on your MAF sensor.
Where i'm from a quick custom dyno tune is 200-300€ so these tuning boxes make no sense.
Great informative video. Im not Really a diesel guy but I still Watch your videos and really wish someone would do this in the Ford fiesta tuning scene. 👍
I put a racechip box on my range rover sport what a waste of time I ended up putting it in the bin and got a remap done best money I ever spent
Well that’s changed my opinion on tuning boxes how much to do a remap on Audi A6 c7 2ltr tdi cvt
@Jay Leno only the FWD cars get it. They finally killed it off a few years ago.
Jay Leno for model year 2000 to about 2008 I think
Kyle b it’s 2012