Free at last! - Cobb AccessPort for VW GTI Mk6

As a preview to the release of the Accessport for VW (finally!), we've compiled a little info to help familiarize you with the device and software.  

Ask any MK6 GTI owner about a stage 1 tune, and they’ll tell you it’s how their VW should have come from the factory. There is definitely some merit to a set it and forget it kind of tune. However, it does change the way you are able to mod the car. With a set it and forget it tune, you can’t really make any major changes to bolt on parts without going back to get the tune updated and paying for it. You have to mitigate that by either dropping all the money at once, or you spend more money over the modding process to keep your cars tune on point with the mods you are running. You can also just risk it and run untuned, but we definitely don't recommend that. The set it and forget it tune also limits you to only run parts which that tune supports. While this will be perfectly fine for most people, for some people it puts a limit on your creativity and what you can accomplish with your car.

 Enter, Cobb Tuning Stage Right:

At this point, it pretty much doesn’t matter what car you have, you have probably heard of Cobb Tuning. They are most famous for their handheld tuning device, the Accessport. I’ve personally used this device on three separate vehicles of mine. The first was a 2008 Mazdaspeed 3. I purchased an Accessport for it back in 2010 and through OTS Maps, E-Tunes, and then self tuning, was able to go from stock to 500whp. The second was a 2006 Mazdaspeed 6. With a bolt on turbo kit from ATP, the car was able to push around 370whp on a relatively conservative tune. And finally, my current ride, a 2016 WRX.  With just an Accessport and some custom tuning, I’ve been able to draw out an additional 60whp.

But regardless of being able to tune yourself, or relying on an E-Tuner or Pro-Tuner, Cobb has maps available for the everyday guy who still wants to set it and forget it. Their OTS Maps are engineered to work safely with a variety of bolt on performance parts meaning all you have to do after installing that downpipe is to flash the stage 2 map that is already programmed to the AP. All maps are available with the purchase of the Accesport and you do not need to go back to cobb and purchase any new tuning devices or maps as you go along.

The AccessPort shown while in the car.  Picture shown of a Subaru WRX application, for which the AP is an extremely popular tuning device.

Check out the COBB TUNING ACCESSPORT for the VW GTI Mk6 right here, along with all other Cobb Tuning Bolt Ons including Exhaust and Intake Parts.

Custom tune?

For those of you looking to mod your Volkswagen MK6 GTI, in the past, there wasn't any practical custom tuning options. But now, with the Cobb Tuning Accessport, you have the ability to take your car to a certified Cobb Pro-Tuner, or even go through an E-Tuner and get it dialed in on the dyno or the street. This will specifically tailor the tune to your GTI with your mods and get you the most out of your setup while still maintaining reliability and safety. Or, maybe you want to do all the bolt-ons and then top it all off with a bigger turbo? You can install the parts on your MK6, then take it to a certified Pro-Tuner and get the car dialed in on the new turbo. 

Basically, the Cobb Tuning Accessport simplifies the tuning and modding process for your MK6, and makes it so you can do more with your car with less money, and with less headache. It also puts a lot of the power back into your own hands. You are no longer slave to running flash tunes that are just meant to get you close and only work with very specific hardware. The AP can troubleshoot diagnostics if your car is throwing codes or having issues.  You can use it as a multi display gauge to see and datalog all the various readouts that the ECU is monitoring. Datalogging is an amazing tool that allows you to download a high resolution file showing what most sensors are reporting back to the ECU down to multipe points per second.  This means you can see what your AFR curve looks like, your boost curve, your ignition timing events, etc.  This means you can always know that your car is running at its prime and there is no more leaving it to chance or guessing at what could be wrong.  It's all right there in front of you.

 

As you can see in the image above, this is a sample of a datalog used from a Mazdaspeed 3 that you can pull straight off your AP and into an excel .csv file.  We've highlighted a few key sections you can view including AFR, Boost, Boosted Air Temps, HPFP Pressure, Knock Retard, RPM, and Spark Advance.  Many of the same parameters will apply for the VW GTI datalog, as well.

Flashing:

Currently, with the MK6 GTI, you will typically have to remove the ECU and have it opened up to flash. Or you take it to a dealer to have the tune done. From there you are on your own and in the dark as to what is going on with the car. Fortunately with the Cobb tuning Accessport, this is no longer necessary. It can be shipped directly to your door, then you plug the AP into the OBDII port on your VW and simply flash whatever map you need. Stage 1, Stage 2, or even custom maps. You don’t have to take your car anywhere to do this, and it can be done sitting in your driveway.  You can flash over and over again, at your will.

The AP taps into the ECU through  the OBD2 port. Subaru WRX shown  here.	Once plugged in, choose your map  and flash!

With Cobb Tuning, you are free to mod as you please, when you please, and where you please. The world of performance modifications is at your fingertips and you are firmly in control. The Accessport is here to set the 2010+ MK6 Volkswagen GTI free and put the power to mod pretty much exclusively in your hands.