Stage 2

 

Stage 2 is pretty different than stage 1. On this stage we focus on the weak spots of the engine as it came from the factory. Often manufacturers in order to save costs, use weaker parts that make the engines weak in general. There are engines that can withstand twice the original horsepower, and some that are prone to damage more easily. We work tirelessly to spot these weaknesses and either find a workaround, or go safely to the limit of the engine without causing any damage. On stage 2, we commonly try to free the engine from limiting factors like the exhaust or the intake in order to make the engine work in a more free manner. Helping the engine breathe easier, allows us to raise the limits of what the engine can withstand therefore making the engine more efficient in terms of power.

 

Engine Remapping

 

As with stage 1, the remap will increase power. In this stage we take care different options as an upgraded intake or the installation on a sports catalyst or a de-cat ( non catalyst downpipe ). Careful though, as in some areas the sports catalyst or the de-cat are illegal, and you need to check with the authorities on this. There are of course sports catalysts that are legal and help the engine breathe much much better. The question we ofter get, is “Why don’t manufacturers use a sports catalyst in order to make the engine breathe better? “ The answer to that is one. Costs. A current standards emissions sports catalyst would probably cost thousands of euros. Nowadays manufacturers care only about one thing. Costs. So they are trying to use the cheapest parts in order to get the job done. We need to point that using a sports catalyst or no catalyst, will make the car go into limp mode and give the dreaded EML ( engine management light ). All this can be alleviated by performing a stage 2 tune on the car and it will work as it normally would.

 

Exhaust Downpipe

 

On most modern petrol turbo cars, the start is to mess with the downpipe. By downpipe we mean the section of the exhaust directly after the turbo. Turbochargers are more efficient with as little restriction as possible. So a turbocharger that sends the exhaust gases through a straight pipe, is far more efficient than a turbocharger that has to push exhaust gasses through the tiny holes of a catalyst. While de-cat is only made for race cars under controlled situations and its not street legal, there are branded sports catalysts, that are in par with the latest emissions rules and can be streel legal. The differences between stock catalysts and sport catalysts is the fact that the sports catalysts feature less bigger hole units, that leave the exhaust gasses pass through easier. That way the turbocharger flows easier and makes it more efficient, since the back pressure isn’t that big anymore. The stock tune has everything dialed in for a stock catalyst and if you change the catalyst, the ECU will figure it out and limp the car out. This is when we need to perform a stage 2, in order to make the car work back as normal.

 

Air Intake

 

When performing stage 2, we need to look into the air intake as well. We need to be sure that the original air intake isn’t restrictive as you will have the turbocharger flow more, so you need to be able to match the air you are passing with the air you are getting. Since stage 2 runs at higher needs than stage 1, temperatures being made inside the engine and on the engine bay are bigger than normal, so we need to address that the air coming into the engine is as cold as possible. In order to do that, we might need to alter the stock air intake a little bit, or change for an after market that uses bigger pipes. There are various benefits here. Since the turbocharger is pushing more air into the engine, that means it gets hotter and this makes the engine less efficient. By feeding the turbocharger with colder air, then allow more oxygen into the cylinders, since colder air means denser air. In order to keep the power up to the redline, we need to feed as cold air as possible. Your ECU will definitely feel the difference if the air is colder or hotter and will need to reduce power if temperatures get very hot. High temperatures are the danger of every engine out there so we need to keep them as low as possible. A cooler engine runs better, and more efficient making more power.

 

Intercooler

 

Almost all turbocharged engines run some kind of system to further cool the air coming out of the turbo and before going into the engine. On most modern cars, intercooler is fitted at the front of the engine where its most efficient. After the air comes out of the turbocharger compressed and hot, it runs through the intercooler where it rapidly cools and then gets feed into the engine. That way your intercooler needs to be changed if you have intake temps of over 50 degrees celcius. While we perform a second stage on your car, we will definitely advise you to change your intercooler to a slightly bigger than that is able to cope with the new tune. On this stage you need to pick up quality parts made from big manufacturers of intercoolers in order to save yourself the headache if the intercooler isn’t efficient enough.

 

Stage 2 example

 

Similarly to our stage 1 example, where we quoted about 50-60 horsepower more, on the stage 2 we need a full turbo-back exhaust with a sports catalyst and a high flow air intake. That way we can promise 70-80 horsepower more than stock numbers. On this stage we will definitely recommend an upgraded intercooler though its not 100% essential for stage 2 to work. This is definitely up to the driver to decide.