A few weeks ago I posed the question of whether or not technology was a fanatic friend or foe.  Citing things like automatic rain sensing wipers, I presented a fairly one sided argument against technology and it’s hindrance in a true fanatics motoring experience.  Today, I am humbled to say that I was wrong…kind of.  You see, I’m against useless weight adding gizmos and gadgets that are supposed to make life easier but instead pose to me the concern of increased chances of failure, but I change my tune when technology turns to power.

As I’m sure you are aware by now, I’ve got a 2009 VW GTI that I absolutely love to death.  No options, bare bones, switch gears with a stick and foot-clutch two door eye-burn red GTI.  Less to get in the way and less to go wrong.  Just the way I like it.  Before I chose the GTI, I read of these magical computer retunes that promised incredible performance increases, by nothing more than plugging a laptop into your car.  Skeptical, I wrote all that techno wizardry off until a Porsche, Audi, VW tuning company out of Alabama called APR caught my eye.

Their Stage 1 ECU upgrade is a computer retune that is invisible to dealers, adds anti-theft features, is switchable depending on fuel octane, and transforms your already awesome GTI into optimus prime.  Alright, so it doesn’t turn your GTI into optimus prime, but it does do all those other things.  APR was smart this year and offered a half-off sale right at tax time, so with a tax return burning a hole in my pocket in the exact amount of their flash, I made an appointment with my local APR dealer.

20 minutes with a laptop plugged into my car and I had a whole new animal.  An additional 40 horsepower and 80 (yea, eight-zero) pound-feet of torque were now on tap without even popping the hood.  The car drives exactly as it did…just with gobs and gobs of more raw POWER.  Amazing really.  I’ve been in tuned cars that idled horribly (if at all), belched smoke, or failed to entirely.  Not my car, not with the APR Stage 1 upgrade.

As I pulled out of the tuning shop and dropped the hammer on Ventura Blvd, the relentless rush of torque shoved me back into the interlagos plaid recaro seats and second gear came much faster than I could believe. I was instantly converted. Merging on the highway is a joy, passing is exciting, and red lights are actually welcome!  While I do actually understand the technical aspects of the flash (increasing boost, adjusting timing, etc) it is sill awe inspiring that this is what technology can do.  20 minutes, not a bolt turned, hood popped, wheel raised, just a computer with an Internet connection and a special USB cable and my car was transformed.

Technology…Fanatic Friend or Foe?  FRIEND.  Trust me, it’s definitely your friend.

Tags: Car, GTI, technology