Have any of you guys tried a pedal commander because I'm tryna squeeze a bit more power without dropping 3k on a tune from Eurocharged canada.

 

These have been much debated over the years. My understanding is it simply makes the pedal more sensitive and does nothing for actual power. Ie press the pedal harder for same effect. Or use sport vs drive mode

Just my opinion...

 

I'm very happy with my TDI Tuner (https://tdi-tuning.com/en-us) which actually increases power and torque, and you can drop a zero from the price of a tune from Eurocharged Canada. The TDI has several tune levels that can be changed remotely using a Bluetooth phone app. Not only that, but the ECM can easily be returned to stock settings (prior to dealer servicing) by disconnecting the cable from the TDI module and connecting it to a dummy plug.

 

Ive heard the TDI tuning box doesnt actually work according to a post on this forum so not sure if I should buy it?

 

Personally I'm very skeptical of these generic boxes that claim more power, more torque and 20pc more fuel efficiency. Manufacturers work very hard to eek out fractions of an mpg improvement. If it was this easy then why don't they do it??

I'd ask the OP - what are you hoping to achieve? If you want more power and torque there are several companies that make tailored remaps for these engines and have hundreds or even thousands of installs (many on the Jag forum with the same engine). Eg Velocity AP. You may also find you need a pulley swap to really get that power too

Just my 2c but I'd want to see a before and after dyno on my specific engine to believe the claimed impact. And I'd want someone who has done a large volume of that engine so I am confident it's not pushing it beyond its limits

But I realize there are people who are very satisfied with other products out there too. So you really need to think about what you are looking for.

 

So now you have at least two assessments of the TDI Tuner -- a post on this forum stating that it doesn't actually work and my first-hand experience that it does work. BritCars' assertion that vehicle manufacturers "work very hard to eke out fractions of an mpg improvement" may be true but is subject to debate. In the aftermath of the Volkswagen Diesel scandal (of which I was a beneficiary), fuel economy and performance take a back seat to ever more restrictive emissions constraints. Manufacturers of aftermarket performance enhancement products treat this as an opportunity to press the performance envelope while staying in compliance with applicable laws (I don't disable the TDI tuner prior to annual smog checks and my D5 Td6 always passes).

I have the TDI set on the lowest power upgrade setting to optimize fuel economy, and the TDI has delivered in both acceleration and miles per gallon -- not 20% (TDI claims "up to" 20%) but I'm not complaining. I get a little over 26 MPG (viz., U.S. gallon, which is slightly less than four liters) at a steady 80 mph (the speed limit on I-15 between St George, Utah and Salt Lake City). I haven't bothered to get the TDI dyno tested so the power/torque gain is subjective (but seat-of-the-pants unmistakable).

I have experience with tailored remaps, having used New Zealand-sourced EFI Live (https://www.efilive.com/) to reprogram the ECM and TCM for the modified engine and transmission in my GMC diesel truck. Since my D5 is otherwise unmodified, a tailored remap would make no sense and wouldn't be worth the expense.

 

Well, I have first hand experience that it doesn't really work. Or at least not enough to really notice or be worth the money. In fact mine is now sitting on my workbench.

And I get the same MPG as you without the tuner.

Just another data point.

 

Touché! (HA!)