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EA888 Gen 3 Engine Tuning Guide

In this page we will be running through the basics of what’s required to achieve certain power levels when tuning the EA888 Gen 3 engine. We will be focusing specifically on the 2.0 TSI found within the Mk7 golf / Mk3 Cupra etc... Although there are minor differences across the different platforms the same tuning principles apply.

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The first thing to do is identify which turbocharger you have. The 2.0 TSI came equipped with 2 different sized units, one being the IS20 and the larger one being the IS38.

Cars that have stock HP figures between 210/230hp such as the Mk7 GTI have the IS20 turbo.

Cars that have stock HP figures between 280/310hp such as the Mk7 Golf R, Mk7 GTI Clubsport, Mk3 Cupra and Audi S3 8v will have the IS38 turbo.

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Before we go any further please note these ‘stages’ of tunes are used as a guide only. There’s the argument that stages in tuning shouldn’t be a thing because every car should be custom tuned to whatever mods it has, therefore every tune is different. Which we couldn’t agree more with! We would never recommend OTS (off the shelf) maps to any of our customers, tuning these cars properly is not an easy task and should be left to the specialists! That being said. we are lucky enough to have a handful of tuners in the UK that know these cars inside out. Our recommendations for mapping would be; Littco / Devil Developments or Unicorn Motor Developments.

That’s not to say anyone outside this list can’t tune your car, but please do extensive research into who you are going to trust mapping your pride and joy as it’s the most important part of any build!

 

PRE TUNING – Before you even consider getting your car tuned its important to make sure your car is fit and healthy! Ready for the extra power. Companies have pre-tuning checks and in some cases will send you home if the issues cannot be fixed on the day! Be sure your car is regularly serviced with the best parts to avoid future issues. We always recommend using Millers Nanodrive 5w 40 for oil and NGK R7438-8 for plugs here.

 

Also if your in a manual, see our manual clutch guide here.

 

STAGE 1

This entry level stage of tuning is about getting more out of the engine without having to change many components of the engine. Stage 1 map can be applied to a completely stock car or one with minor modifications such as an intake. We always recommend MST for its large 3” diameter and its unbeaten value for money, you find these here.

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Approximate power for IS20 : 280-310HP                Approximate power for IS38 : 340-375HP

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Here is a dyno graph from a healthy Mk3 Cupra in for a stage 1 with Unicorn, amazing figures! Only modifications was an intake pipe and elbow! Freshly serviced car, 99ron fuel and good mapping is what’s key here!

STAGE 2

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Stage 2 is all about extracting the most amount of power from the stock turbocharger. However if you are not already aware we must warn you that the stock IHI Turbos (both IS20 and IS38) on these cars and prone to failures at stage 2 power levels. Unfortunately there’s no ‘safe limit’ of boost to run, or just ‘keep it under 400hp and it will last’ as that’s just not the case. Some units will last longer than others and that’s just the way it goes. Try not to get too invested in what others have to say on the Facebook groups such as “I’ve been running my stock IS38 at 420hp with no issues”. Although this may be true its only a matter of time before the turbo will fail at that power, we're lucky enough to have a wide choice of aftermarket turbochargers that address these issues and can also make some extra power, but more on that later!

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Must have mods for stage 2

Downpipe , we always recommend Scorpion or Milltek for their craftmanship and beautiful TIG welding here in the UK, fully back purged which ensure the welds are strong and do not crack like the cheaper downpipes found on ebay. 

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Intercooler , the two main benefits of running an aftermarket intercooler are to drop the air temps and to allow a higher amount of flow of air. Its one thing being able to make the power, but to make power consistently we need to keep the air as cool as possible! We recommend the Majesty V2 intercoolers which are essentially a Wagner copy, however have been proven time and time again to work fantastically! You can find those here.

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Intake , As a minimum you will need the turbo inlet pipe to be upgraded, as above we recommend the MST unit which you can find here. If you are after the full intake system for extra noise and plan on going more power in the future, we recommend the full MST system which you can find here.

 

 

Non-essential stage 2 mods ;

Charge pipes + Turbo Muffler Delete, Our smooth bore 2.5" high flow charge pipe kit and TMD will aid extra air into the engine after it leaves the turbocharger which can be found here. Although not essential for stage 2 it helps maximise the air flow of your setup!

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Cat-back exhaust, Again not essential. You probably would have seen cars make over 450hp on stock cat-back by now but that doesn’t mean it was working well. R tech have done tests showing the difference a higher flowing cat-back can make up to 20hp gain even when the stock cat-back is deemed efficient enough by most, there’s a lot more HP back there waiting to be released!

 

Approximate power for IS20 : 320-360HP                Approximate power for IS38 : 380-420HP

                                         

Here is the dyno graph from our own MK7 gti , tuned by Ben P at Devil Developments / Littco. This is near enough the limit of the is20 turbo! MST intake, Majesty V2 intercooler and TS downpipe helping with the high numbers due to them being so efficient at what they do!

Another Littco tuned Mk7 GTI this time with an IS38 Turbo and supporting hardware. Awesome figures and awesome curves!

STAGE 3

This is where the fun really starts! Stage 3 cars have all the stage 2 mods as well as an upgraded turbocharger! Depending on your power goals you will also need to upgrade your fuel system accordingly, see our MQB Fuelling page here.

We have a large number of hybrid and even complete full frame turbochargers we can get our hands on. Being authorised dealers of Bartek motorsport, Turbo Total, Garret, Littco and Venom Turbos, the choice is yours. You can check out the websites of the companies above and let us know what turbo your after and we will get you a price shipped to the UK. Alternately just email us what power you're after and we will point you in the right direction of your turbo options!

 

Here is Underground Performance Australia rocking a Garret Powermax bolt on g25-660 which you can find here. All the mods along with some E82 fuel kicking out 481WHP which is approximately 575hp at the flywheel!

 STAGE 4

This in our opinion is as far as the ‘stages’ go on any car. Stage 4 suggests a fully forged engine pushing the limits of a larger hybrid turbo or even full frame turbocharges which has been adapted to work for the car!

We at CVP are able to offer the majority of the hardware required to take your MQB car to 600HP and over!

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Including:  

  • Complete fuelling packages (low pressure fuel pump, controller and MPI Injectors)

  • Hybrid Turbos and even full frame turbo chargers such as G25-660 along with manifold adaptors to bolt straight onto a EA888 Gen.3 engine

  • Complete forged internals engine packages to suit your HP goals

  • Upgraded valve train kits here.

 

The two main built engine packages we supply are here. As well as the 1000hp kit here.

 

But remember no two cars are the same and everyone has different goals and requirements for their car. Don’t be afraid to drop us an email or message on Instagram and we can build a package exactly to the spec you're after!

 

Thanks for reading and don’t forget once your car is tuned we have a dyno graph library here. A collection of other enthusiasts dyno results with all mods listed so you can compare and see what sort of power can be expected with what mods!

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