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Tuning stages · Maidstone, Kent · Est. 2011

What is Stage 1, 2 and 3 tuning?
Same words everywhere. Here is what they mean at JFA.

There is no industry standard for the stages, so every tuner draws the lines somewhere different. Ours are simple: Stage 1 is software, Stage 2 is software plus the parts that let the engine breathe, Stage 3 is a build. Put your registration in and see all three priced for your exact car.

Show my car’s figures → Compare the three stages →

Stage 1 same day · Stage 2 from £2,650 · every figure from our own dyno.

Start here

See Stage 1, 2 and 3 for your car

The calculator pulls your exact engine from our vehicle database and shows what it makes now, what each stage adds in bhp and torque, and what each one costs. Free, no details.

If we hold figures for your car you will see them straight away. If not, choose make and model and we will build what we can.

The basics

What is car tuning?

Car tuning is changing how an engine is calibrated, and sometimes what is bolted to it, so the car makes more power, more torque or better fuel economy than the factory settings allow. On a modern vehicle most of it is software: the engine control unit holds a calibration file, and tuning means reading that file, rewriting it for your car and writing it back.

What does tuning a car do?

It uses the margin the manufacturer left unused. A factory calibration has to suit every market the car is sold into, with different fuel qualities, climates and service standards, so it is written conservatively. Recalibrating it for one car is why the same engine, on the same hardware, can make meaningfully more. What you gain depends on the engine and on what you ask it for: a diesel tuned for towing and economy is a different file to a petrol tuned for throttle response.

Where tuning goes past software it becomes engine modification, and the parts change as well as the file. That is the line between our Stage 1 and our Stage 2.

How does tuning a car work?

1

Read

Your original file, kept

We connect to the car and take a copy of the calibration that is on it. The original is held on record, so it can go back on.

2

Rewrite

Fuelling, boost, timing

The file is recalibrated for that engine, including the torque limits around it, within what the engine was built to take.

3

Write back and check

Then measured

The new file goes on and the car is checked over. Anything beyond a standard Stage 1 is measured on the rolling road afterwards.

There are two ways in. Most cars are done through the diagnostic port under the dashboard. Where the manufacturer has locked that route off, the ECU comes out and we connect to its board directly, which is bench tuning. More on what a remap actually changes is in our knowledge centre.

The stages

Stage 1, Stage 2 and Stage 3 explained

Think of them as three answers to one question: how much of the engine’s potential do you want to use, and what has to change to use it safely.

1 Software only

Stage 1 tuning

Stage 1 is a remap of the engine’s standard software on an otherwise standard car. Nothing is bolted on. Fuelling, boost and timing are recalibrated within what the engine was built to take, which is usually a good deal more than the factory chose to use.

  • Typically 15 to 30 percent more power on a turbocharged petrol; diesels often more, because there is more torque to release
  • Done in a visit, usually the same day
  • Fully reversible: the original file is kept and can go back on
  • The one most people actually want
No partsSame dayReversible

What a remap actually changes →

2 Software plus hardware

Stage 2 tuning

Stage 2 is a more aggressive calibration paired with the parts that let the engine breathe: typically an uprated intercooler, a performance exhaust or downpipe, and a better intake. The software alone cannot get there, because the standard parts become the limit.

  • Exact parts list depends on the engine, so we spec it per car
  • From £2,650 with the full parts list, less anything you already have
  • Usually two visits: parts fitted, then mapped and measured on the dyno
IntercoolerExhaustIntakeDyno

See the parts and price for your car →

3 The build

Stage 3 tuning

Stage 3 is everything in Stage 2 plus a hybrid or larger turbocharger, and on many engines uprated fuel pumps and injectors. From here the gearbox, clutch and cooling are all part of the conversation, because the power now exceeds what the car was designed around.

  • Planned around a target figure and how the car is used
  • Quoted per build once we know the engine and what it already has
  • Mapped on our own rolling road, in stages, with the data to show for it
TurboFuellingDyno

More on Stage 3 remapping →

Side by side

Stage 1 vs Stage 2 vs Stage 3

The difference between Stage 1 and Stage 2 is hardware: Stage 1 changes only the software, Stage 2 changes the software and fits the parts that were holding it back. Stage 3 changes the turbocharger as well. The honest difference between them is not the number on the badge. It is what has to change on the car, how long it takes, and how easily it goes back.

Stage 1Stage 2Stage 3
What changesSoftware onlySoftware plus intercooler, exhaust, intakeStage 2 parts plus turbo and fuelling; often clutch and cooling
Typical gain15 to 30 percent on a turbo petrol, more on a dieselBeyond what the standard parts allowSet by the target, not a percentage
TimeOne visit, usually same dayTwo visits: fit, then map and measureA planned build over several visits
ReversibleYes, original file keptSoftware yes, parts stay onNo, it is a different car
PricePer car, in the calculatorFrom £2,650 with the full parts list, less anything you ownQuoted per build
Best forAlmost everyoneOwners who want the next step and will keep the carTrack use and dedicated builds

On a diesel the same three stages apply, but Stage 1 gains are usually larger because there is more torque to release, and Stage 2 hardware is more often about airflow and cooling than exhaust.

Real figures

What Stage 1 does on cars we have actually tuned

Six rows from our vehicle database, the same rows the calculator quotes from. Standard against Stage 1 software, no parts.

CarStandard bhpStage 1 bhpStandard NmStage 1 NmGain
VW Golf R 2.0 TSI320420 420500+31%
BMW M3 Competition510600 650760+18%
Audi RS6 4.0 TFSI600700 800950+17%
Toyota GR Yaris 1.6T261305 360400+17%
Abarth 595 1.4 T-Jet145170 210290+17%
Ford Transit Custom 2.0130190 385480+46%

Your car is in the same database. Put the reg in and the calculator shows all three stages for it.

The kinds

Types of car tuning

Car tuning covers a lot of ground, from styling to suspension. The kinds that change what the engine and gearbox actually do are these four.

  • Engine remappingRewriting the calibration inside the ECU. No parts fitted, nothing cut out: the manufacturer’s own software, adjusted. This is what Stage 1 is, and it is the base of Stage 2 and Stage 3 as well. What remapping changes →
  • Hardware and engine modificationsIntercoolers, intakes, downpipes and exhausts, then turbochargers and fuelling further up. Parts remove a restriction; the software is what makes use of them. Parts priced for your car →
  • Gearbox tuningA separate calibration in the transmission control unit: shift speed, clutch pressure and the torque limits that would otherwise cap an engine tune. DSG, S tronic, ZF and DCT. Gearbox tuning →
  • Economy tuningThe same process aimed at mpg rather than peak power, usually with more torque low down so the engine works less for the same speed. On a diesel that is normally 10 to 15 percent better mpg, as long as you drive it the same way afterwards. It does not achieve much on a petrol. Economy tuning →

Two more things get sold as tuning. Tuning boxes and modules sit outside the ECU and alter a signal going into it rather than the calibration itself, so the ECU is still running its original file. Home tuning tools put a file we have written onto your car on your own driveway, which is how we reach cars nowhere near Kent.

How long does tuning a car take?

A custom written remap through the diagnostic port normally takes one to two hours, depending on the vehicle. Most of that is reading the ECU, writing the file and checking the car over afterwards. Three things make it longer.

  • Bench tuningThe ECU has to come out and go back in, so allow most of the day rather than an hour or two.
  • Dyno workStage 3 and any heavily modified build needs runs and logging on the rollers, which is a full day.
  • Parts at the same timeAdd the fitting time on top. A Stage 2 kit is normally fitted on one visit and mapped on another.

We tell you which method your car needs, and how long to allow, before you book, so you can arrange a lift or time off work. More on timings →

Get my price →

How do you tune a car for performance?

Software first, then measure, then change only what is actually holding the engine back. On most road cars, sports cars included, a Stage 1 map on standard hardware is the whole job: the margin is already in the engine and nothing needs to come off the car.

If you want more than that, find the restriction before you buy parts for it. That is what a rolling road session is for. Buying an exhaust because it is the famous modification, on an engine whose limit is the intercooler, buys noise. Stage 2 and Stage 3 are that order written down: the parts that remove the restriction, a calibration written around them, then proof on the rollers.

Choosing

Which stage is right for you?

A Stage 1 on one engine can out-perform a Stage 3 on another, so the label on its own tells you very little. The question that does is what you want the car to do.

You want it quicker, today, and back to standard if you sell it

Stage 1. It is the answer for most cars on the road and most of the people who ask us.

Price it for my car →

You are keeping the car and want the next step

Stage 2. The parts are an investment in the car; the software then makes use of them. If you already own some of the parts the price comes down.

Spec it for my car →

You have a number in mind

Stage 3. That is a conversation, a plan and a rolling road, in that order. Start with the dyno so the plan is built on what the car actually makes.

See the rolling road →
Fixed price quote

Tell us the car and the stage

Registration and which stage you are looking at. We come back with what it needs, what it makes and what it costs, usually the same day.

Before you send, want our discount codes?
Occasional offers on tuning, parts and servicing. No spam, and you can unsubscribe in one click.

Got it. We will come back with the figures and a fixed price for that stage on your car.

If you know them, these help us get the quote right first time. Entirely optional.

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Questions

Stage tuning questions

Is Stage 1 safe for my engine?

On a well-maintained engine, yes. A Stage 1 map works within the margins the manufacturer built in, which is why it needs no parts. Where we would not do it is on an engine with a known fault or a service overdue, and we say so before we start.

Can I go straight to Stage 2 without doing Stage 1 first?

Yes. Stage 2 is not Stage 1 plus extras; it is its own calibration written for the parts fitted. If you already have a Stage 1 map from us, the difference in price is the parts and the dyno time.

What if I already have some of the Stage 2 parts?

Tell the calculator. It takes the parts you own off the price, so a car that already has an exhaust and an intake is quoted for the intercooler and the software only.

Does Stage 1 or 2 affect my warranty or insurance?

It can. A manufacturer warranty may not cover a fault it decides is tuning-related, and insurers expect to be told about any modification. Both are your call, and we are straight about them rather than pretending they do not exist.

How long does each stage take?

Stage 1 is usually done in the visit, often same day. Stage 2 is normally two visits: one to fit the parts and one to map and measure on the dyno. Stage 3 is a planned build over several visits.

Can a remap be reversed?

Stage 1, yes: we keep the original file and it can go back on. Stage 2 software can be reversed too, but the parts stay on the car. Stage 3 is a different car and is not something you reverse.

Why do other tuners define the stages differently?

Because there is no industry standard. One tuner’s Stage 2 is another’s Stage 1 plus a downpipe. The only reliable comparison is what has been changed on the car and what it makes on a dyno afterwards, which is why we publish both.

I am not near Kent. Can you still tune my car?

Stage 1, often yes: we run a mobile service and a dealer network, and for some cars a home tuning tool. Stage 2 and 3 want the rolling road, so those are done in Maidstone.

Next

Related

Remap calculator

Your registration, your car’s figures, all three stages priced.

Start with your reg →

Rolling road

Where the figures on this page come from. Sessions from £150.

See the dyno →

Gearbox tuning

DSG, ZF and DCT calibration to match the engine, and to make use of it.

Gearbox tuning →

Abarth tuning

The three stages worked through on one car, with our own figures.

See the stages →
Try our tuning builder Build your tune Enter your reg and see the real power and torque figures for your exact car, pick your options, then send it straight to us. Open the builder →
The JF Automotive team
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