Unitronic vs Apr?

[nickpapzdcr]

Ok so I gotta get to the bottom of this ... why is unitronic soooo much more popular in the RS3/TTRS world? Is it convenience? Is it faster? I’m a TTRS And have APR FBO with apr file and it’s amazing. I live literally 3 minutes away from my APR dealer. Can someone confirm why it’s so much popular?

[5PotNewb]

Unitronic has been better to us. That is all.

[context.eax]

For me and probably many others it is the ability to flash from home.
When I first flashed my car the tune was based on the box code 0003. After some time the 0005 box code was released and this just popped up on my uni account so that I could upgrade.
APR have map switching but for a new release you have to go in and pay for the upgrade. (At least the majority will have to pay for labor)
Also APR was a bit late with their TCU tuned and when they released it they had a small bug related to shifting. (If I remember correctly)
Unitronic also have different TCU tunes based on how aggressive you want the shifts on stage 2. For a daily you could just flash the not so aggressive file but when you go to the track you changed it to the aggressive one. Don’t know if APR have TCU map switching?
Both APR and Uni are great tunes. If you don’t like to do your own flashing then APR is probably the way to go.


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[mbar]

I found that UNI team is more service oriented. I think that the final product is similar but you get better service with UNI.
Also, I do not want to be a slave to the APR dealer every time I need to change/update my flash.

[timmyzr1]

wait, is that even a question???!!

[r26372]

Apr is a half ass company. They role out stuff too early and then scramble to fix things once enough people complain. My apr tune had cold weather issues, eventually they fixed it after they blamed it on the plugs which it wasn't. The inlet bolts were too short and needed replacing. Just sloppy company. When tune is up and working right it's fine, but it definitely seems uni is a much better company


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[mtwallace85]

1) Customer service
2) Flashing at home
3) Quality
4) Performance
5) Transparency
6) Reliability

From a glance, APR seems like the better choice, but when you actually sit down and compare them to a company like Unitronic, it’s actually surprising to me they’re still around. I could probably go on for quite a while taking negatively about APR, but by simply looking at how they’ve handled their release with both the turbo inlet and tune, I wouldn’t touch them with a 10 foot pole let alone entrust them to make engineering decisions for my $60k+ car. A lot of people are more flexible when it comes to issues with these types of products, but I think you’ll find more than enough frustration written in this section of Audizine if you search. They try to downplay the issues and publicly apologize for their mistakes, but they shouldn’t be making the mistakes their making in the first place.

[Mowe]

There are honestly a ton of threads and material on this. I know because when I decided 4 months ago I did the research.

IMO they are bother very good and the only two choices. Either are gonna have some trolls and fans. I think they both do make the platform much quicker and in the safest way possible.

I chose Unitronic because I wanted to be faster. I did not want to sacrifice reliability and most of the feedback was super positive and I figured why not be faster. I have not been disappointed and the support has been great.

All the hardware on my car for the most part is APR.

Good luck !

[cseaman]

IMO they are bother very good and the only two choices. Either are gonna have some trolls and fans. I think they both do make the platform much quicker and in the safest way possible.

Exactly. Pick your convenience, flash at home with a computer or have four files on your cruise control stalk and likely have to pay a dealer to change them.

12 months ago, all the youtube vlogger bois were making videos about Custom Code. Now, people shit talk cars listed for sale on CC.

[S3DUDE]

I had APR on 3 of my last 6 Audis (4 year span), their tunes were excellent but I got ed up with having to go to an authorized dealer for small file updates. The owner of the local APR distribuitor is greedy, he is known to be money tight, he wants to charge for everything. I now run Unitronic, they are good tuners also, you can flash from home, they have discounts/promotions and good customer service.

You can't go wrong with either tuner. APR has the baddest network and surprisingly Arin answered just about all my phone calls , e-mails, PM and offered me extended promotion discount even after their dateline so that reflects well on them. APR also has the Audi participating dealers which is another appealing marketing approach. Good luck with your choices

[SRTst]

It's because it is 2020.... not 1998...

[speeddemon69]

APR also has the Audi participating dealers which is another appealing marketing approach. Good luck with your choices

Too bad as soon as you leave the dealer your AUDI file will have a nice fat TD1 on it and if anything happens you still won't be covered even if they flashed you at the dealer. And don't even talk about APR PLUS cause that's another joke...

APR is good at making DP's and Intercoolers for the monies from my experiences over the years and some other misc metal hardware. software side needs MAJOR work. my dealer made $$$$$$$$ off like a gazillion updates and even had to bench flash on my previous car twice.

[nickpapzdcr]

Too bad as soon as you leave the dealer your AUDI file will have a nice fat TD1 on it and if anything happens you still won't be covered even if they flashed you at the dealer. And don't even talk about APR PLUS cause that's another joke...

APR is good at making DP's and Intercoolers for the monies from my experiences over the years and some other misc metal hardware. software side needs MAJOR work. my dealer made $$$$$$$$ off like a gazillion updates and even had to bench flash on my previous car twice.

Yea I never heard of someone charging for a update/newer revision lol that’s just wild. But APR seems to be fine, I have a IS38 GTI with aprs file and beats almost just about anything and never had any issues. I had a 2011 A5 with apr with no issues and a MK5 GTI APR with no issues. I do live literally walking distance from a APR dealer but my Main concern about the tuning was, who was faster on FBO RS3/TTRS, or are they dead even.

[nothingbutspeed]

So I have had both, on different vehicles. To me both softwares seem good overall.

From the research I did on this platform putting aside a huge plus for me the flashing at home or at station or anywhere with your laptop which is a huge plus and not getting charged for "updates/upgrades" every time I went to APR dealer are the following.
Is either company perfect? No? To a certain extent I commend APR for trying to rush out products, but with that comes hiccups like the bolts in the inlet. Uni seems to take a more conservative and tested approach to their hardware to ensure one time release it seems, which unfortunately they lose out on marketshare, however many are loyal to their products and wait for them. Their inlet and intake have proven to make the most power from the research I have seen.

Stage 1 they are fairly close but Uni does advertise more power
Stage 2 It seems the clear winner here is UNI, look at the 1/4 mile charts of CUSTOMER cars and there times, Uni is clearly making more power
Stage 3 I believe Uni has clear advantage here too, so many different options to go with and progression as well versus only 1 or 2 turbo options. Options for stock block, and built block etc are a huge plus for me and also larger turbo etc.

I find something very interesting I saw on Instagram from one of APR's largest dealers, USP Motorsports recently within the past month (April 22nd to be exact), had a built motor SRM turbo car tuned by Uni as well making 760whp instead of using APR.

To me when it comes to tuning options, power made, and flexibility of Stage 2 and above in this platform Uni hands down takes it.

The Customer service has been next level, every day I hear from Uni on input etc, many times specific to my setup etc.

Not to mention the support group we have to be able to chat, learn, and grow really helps as well.

[nothingbutspeed]

https://www.instagram.com/p/B_S5L_fF...d=e2p7l6ybb9v3

Was able to copy paste from phone the link to said USP car posted on Insta... tried combining to previous but cant copy/paste and don't have access on this PC to insta (work PC filtered)

[5PotNewb]

1) Customer service
2) Flashing at home
3) Quality
4) Performance
5) Transparency
6) Reliability

From a glance, APR seems like the better choice, but when you actually sit down and compare them to a company like Unitronic, it’s actually surprising to me they’re still around. I could probably go on for quite a while taking negatively about APR, but by simply looking at how they’ve handled their release with both the turbo inlet and tune, I wouldn’t touch them with a 10 foot pole let alone entrust them to make engineering decisions for my $60k+ car. A lot of people are more flexible when it comes to issues with these types of products, but I think you’ll find more than enough frustration written in this section of Audizine if you search. They try to downplay the issues and publicly apologize for their mistakes, but they shouldn’t be making the mistakes their making in the first place.

APR is still around because of vwvortex. They did great in the past for VW cars and that floats them. I think they declared bankruptcy in the past.

[OE2]

It depends on what you want to do with your car and what you want to deal with.

Do you care about flash at home?
Are you running E85?
Are you planning on building your motor and going hybrid turbo?

If you answer "no" to all of the above pick which ever one is most convenient for you and be happy. If you answer "yes" to any of the above do a lot of research into both to see if they support what you need.

[Canvasoso]

APR is always 2 weeks behind

[signde]

And don't even talk about APR PLUS cause that's another joke...

what’s a joke about APR PLUS?

[speeddemon69]

what’s a joke about APR PLUS?

all the restrictions that come with it and all the fine print. from reman parts to getting denied for racing etc, lots of stuff not covered and can get denied for a lot of things too. and i can imagine the headache if you ever have to use it. all that and for an already crippled 91 oct file.

[r26372]

My apr dealer and audi dealer were one in the same. That authorized Apr dealer got my car flagged for tune after specifically telling me they would flash back to stock for warranty issues and do anything they could to cover claims. Reality was Apr's authorized dealer upcharged me on parts and labor, denied warranty, and Apr did zip to help resolve issue. In fact a Uni rep on this forum knew exactly what the likely cause of a boost leak was. Complete idiots at Apr and their garbage authorized dealers. Avoid at all costs.


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[signde]

all the restrictions that come with it and all the fine print. from reman parts to getting denied for racing etc, lots of stuff not covered and can get denied for a lot of things too. and i can imagine the headache if you ever have to use it. all that and for an already crippled 91 oct file.

all fair points.

it is mildly infuriating they don't let you have the 93 map for apr plus, i'll give you that.

also the stuff about requiring you use apr bolt ons, gotta admit, genius move on their part. that pretty much locks you in to their hardware ecosphere, which if i am any example of the model customer, is a cash a cow. that part doesn't bother me so bad though - their hardware seems decent as long as you wait for the revised version and i got most of it on sale 10% off.

i did a lot of research before purchasing apr plus, read the fine print many times over, called their support on the phone to ask how things go if i have issues. it all seemed acceptable to me as i don't track my car. i have yet to find any public posts of someone having to use it for a warranty claim, so we'll see.

my other car is an mk6 golf r with apr tune so i've been around vw/audi car forums long enough to know that unitronic is the more loved of the two for a variety of reasons already called out in this thread. i really wanted to go with them this time. but then there was a thread here where someone on a stock engine threw a rod and the numbers mentioned on the out of warranty cost on that made my butthole pucker. i know that's probably a 1/10000 scenario and sure i could afford 30k engine swap, but i don't want to.

at the end of the day, i did apr plus, apr tcu tune, apr inlet, apr intake, and apr midpipes. pretty much only missing the intercooler. it may have been a generous pull but a similar car with all the stage 1 bolt ons dyno'd in the mid 400s. i can't imagine my car is that far off from that and i have at least some sort of fallback in case something goes horribly wrong. coming from a stage 2+ mk6 r, stock i was a bit disappointed with the car but after all the mods my little five pot is fast enough for me and sounds great. i love her.

[FLYINGLEGGS]

all the restrictions that come with it and all the fine print. from reman parts to getting denied for racing etc, lots of stuff not covered and can get denied for a lot of things too. and i can imagine the headache if you ever have to use it. all that and for an already crippled 91 oct file.

Very few restrictions. No fine print. It's all plain as day. And to have a car with a full warranty that runs high 10's-low 11's is legit. But, haters are gonna hate.

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[speeddemon69]

Very few restrictions. No fine print. It's all plain as day. And to have a car with a full warranty that runs high 10's-low 11's is legit. But, haters are gonna hate.

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Ain’t running no 10’s or low 11’s with stage 1 91 lol. Maybe mid 11’s specially on that crappy fuel. But haters gonna hate. Right?


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[Bezlar]

Very few restrictions. No fine print. It's all plain as day. And to have a car with a full warranty that runs high 10's-low 11's is legit. But, haters are gonna hate.

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Lol


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[cseaman]

Very few restrictions. No fine print. It's all plain as day. And to have a car with a full warranty that runs high 10's-low 11's is legit. But, haters are gonna hate.

lol, hold your horses. that 91 tune is not getting you in the 10s or under mid 11s.

[signde]

Very few restrictions. No fine print. It's all plain as day. And to have a car with a full warranty that runs high 10's-low 11's is legit. But, haters are gonna hate.

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i dunno that i would go that far. there are a lot of terms in apr plus warranty booklet, particularly under the "What Is Not Covered" section: https://www.goaprplus.com/includes/d...ty_booklet.pdf

even on the APR stage 1 93 map, APR's own cars, their best time was low 11s. high 10s sounds like a reach for apr plus. i would love to see some real world slips proving otherwise though.

[speeddemon69]

all fair points.

it is mildly infuriating they don't let you have the 93 map for apr plus, i'll give you that.

also the stuff about requiring you use apr bolt ons, gotta admit, genius move on their part. that pretty much locks you in to their hardware ecosphere, which if i am any example of the model customer, is a cash a cow. that part doesn't bother me so bad though - their hardware seems decent as long as you wait for the revised version and i got most of it on sale 10% off.

i did a lot of research before purchasing apr plus, read the fine print many times over, called their support on the phone to ask how things go if i have issues. it all seemed acceptable to me as i don't track my car. i have yet to find any public posts of someone having to use it for a warranty claim, so we'll see.

my other car is an mk6 golf r with apr tune so i've been around vw/audi car forums long enough to know that unitronic is the more loved of the two for a variety of reasons already called out in this thread. i really wanted to go with them this time. but then there was a thread here where someone on a stock engine threw a rod and the numbers mentioned on the out of warranty cost on that made my butthole pucker. i know that's probably a 1/10000 scenario and sure i could afford 30k engine swap, but i don't want to.

at the end of the day, i did apr plus, apr tcu tune, apr inlet, apr intake, and apr midpipes. pretty much only missing the intercooler. it may have been a generous pull but a similar car with all the stage 1 bolt ons dyno'd in the mid 400s. i can't imagine my car is that far off from that and i have at least some sort of fallback in case something goes horribly wrong. coming from a stage 2+ mk6 r, stock i was a bit disappointed with the car but after all the mods my little five pot is fast enough for me and sounds great. i love her.

Hardware wise i only like their downpipe and intercooler and catch can and coilpacks. I had APR for 10 years across two different GTI’s and never had a problem but I disagree with having to drive 45min to my dealer, pay tolls, gas, and then my dealer charge me $50 for each update. I also disagree with so many aspects of the software they provide on this platform.

Which car blew you say? A UNI car?
I feel like APR PLUS should at least let you have access to the 93 file as I don’t feel safe putting 91 in my car. Even on my 93 file it would pull timing so had to add 1 gallon of e85. Besides no 91 here either. This car is made for thats for sure!


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[cseaman]

I feel like APR PLUS should at least let you have access to the 93 file as I don’t feel safe putting 91 in my car. Even on my 93 file it would pull timing so had to add 1 gallon of e85. Besides no 91 here either.

So dramatic. Just put 93 in it? There are dozens of people running E85 blends on stock tunes, 91 and 93 uni/apr tunes and seeing improvements over what the file is rated for. I'd bet you the difference between running 93 on a 91 tune and running 93 on a 93 tune wouldn't even be discernible on a dyno or a track.

[5PotNewb]

Hardware wise i only like their downpipe and intercooler and catch can and coilpacks. I had APR for 10 years across two different GTI’s and never had a problem but I disagree with having to drive 45min to my dealer, pay tolls, gas, and then my dealer charge me $50 for each update. I also disagree with so many aspects of the software they provide on this platform.

Which car blew you say? A UNI car?
I feel like APR PLUS should at least let you have access to the 93 file as I don’t feel safe putting 91 in my car. Even on my 93 file it would pull timing so had to add 1 gallon of e85. Besides no 91 here either. This car is made for thats for sure!


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I've only heard of custom code and APR blowing

[signde]

I disagree with having to drive 45min to my dealer, pay tolls, gas, and then my dealer charge me $50 for each update. I also disagree with so many aspects of the software they provide on this platform.

the inability todo updates myself, having to pay the dealer to do it, and there being a minimum 1 hour charge for something that is 15 minutes of their time, yes, that is one of my long lists of complaints about APR vs. unitronic.

I feel like APR PLUS should at least let you have access to the 93 file as I don’t feel safe putting 91 in my car. Even on my 93 file it would pull timing so had to add 1 gallon of e85. Besides no 91 here either. This car is made for thats for sure!

maybe i completely missed this, but you don't have to run 91 with APR plus, you can run 93, the tune just isn't optimized to take advantage of it. they don't even sell 91 here either, 93 only.

Which car blew you say? A UNI car?

the car i am talking about that blew was completely stock.

https://www.audizine.com/forum/showt...RS3-New-Engine

[speeddemon69]

the inability todo updates myself, having to pay the dealer to do it, and there being a minimum 1 hour charge for something that is 15 minutes of their time, yes, that is one of my long lists of complaints about APR vs. unitronic.


maybe i completely missed this, but you don't have to run 91 with APR plus, you can run 93, the tune just isn't optimized to take advantage of it. they don't even sell 91 here either, 93 only.


the car i am talking about that blew was completely stock.

https://www.audizine.com/forum/showt...RS3-New-Engine

Yeah i was talking to the people that only have access of 91. Those are the ones that are really screwed. I would hope they have e85 close by to drop a gallon in to help.

And I remember that thread now with the stock motor. But that was a 1 in a million case. Thats why i stayed stock during break in to make sure it can handle my abuse before getting tuned.


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[OE2]

I've only heard of custom code and APR blowing

a motor has blown on every tune available. EVERY. Now if you can blame the tune as solely responsible is another question but that's for every tune.

[speeddemon69]

a motor has blown on every tune available. EVERY. Now if you can blame the tune as solely responsible is another question but that's for every tune.

No one tops CC with blown engines though.


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[FLYINGLEGGS]

Ain’t running no 10’s or low 11’s with stage 1 91 lol. Maybe mid 11’s specially on that crappy fuel. But haters gonna hate. Right?


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Multiple APR Plus TT RS and RS3s have run High tens and low 11s. i am one of them. Hell, i ran 11.32 with just the ecu tune and midpipes. Full weight. Stock everything else.

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[FLYINGLEGGS]

Lol


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Just facts bud

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[speeddemon69]

Multiple APR Plus TT RS and RS3s have run High tens and low 11s. i am one of them. Hell, i ran 11.32 with just the ecu tune and midpipes. Full weight. Stock everything else.

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sure just not on 91 oct

[FLYINGLEGGS]

lol, hold your horses. that 91 tune is not getting you in the 10s or under mid 11s.

But it has for several. Myself included.

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[FLYINGLEGGS]

sure just not on 91 oct

I always run 93 octane. And I guarantee that's not helping by much

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[speeddemon69]

I always run 93 octane. And I guarantee that's not helping by much

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it is trust me. florida does not sell 91