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APP·

Appendix
Glossary & Map Reference

Every term this book used, in plain English — plus the real Bosch map names and what each one controls, so you're never lost in a tuning tool again.

AppendixThe Tuning Bible
Appendix A

Glossary — every term, plainly

AFR — Air-Fuel Ratio. Grams of air per gram of fuel. 14.7:1 is "perfect" on petrol; tuners run richer (more fuel) under boost.
Bar / PSI — Units of boost pressure. 1 bar ≈ 14.7 psi ≈ doubling the air.
Bin — The raw ECU software file (the maps live inside it).
Boost — Air pressure above normal, forced in by a turbo/supercharger.
Checksum — A maths signature proving the file isn't corrupt. Must be recalculated after any edit or the ECU rejects it.
Detonation / Knock — Uncontrolled explosion of the mixture; the #1 engine-killer.
DMF — Dual-Mass Flywheel. Smooths the engine; a weak point on torquey (esp. diesel) tunes.
Downpipe — The exhaust section right after the turbo. Freeing it is the core Stage 2 part.
DSG — VW's dual-clutch auto gearbox. Has its own torque limit and its own tune (TCU).
ECU — Engine Control Unit; the brain that reads the maps.
E85 — ~85% ethanol fuel. Very knock-resistant → big safe power, but needs ~30% more fuel volume.
EGT — Exhaust Gas Temperature; the melting-point gauge for pistons/turbo.
Flash / Remap — Rewriting the ECU's maps with new numbers. The proper way to tune.
Heat-soak — When the intercooler gets hot and can't cool the air, so the ECU pulls power.
HPFP — High-Pressure Fuel Pump (direct-injection engines). The first fuelling wall.
IAT — Intake Air Temperature. Rising IAT across pulls = heat-soak.
Intercooler — A radiator for the intake air; keeps boost cold and dense.
Knock retard — Timing the ECU removes to stop knock. A little is fine; a lot is a warning.
Lambda (λ) — AFR as a ratio to "perfect." λ 1.0 = stoich; λ 0.85 = rich (safe under boost).
Lean — Too much air for the fuel. Hot and dangerous. Avoid under load.
MAF / MAP — Sensors that measure incoming air (mass-flow / manifold-pressure).
NA — Naturally Aspirated. No turbo/supercharger; little "free" air for software.
Octane / RON — Fuel's resistance to knock. Higher = the tune can push harder safely.
Piggyback — A box that fakes sensor signals to trick more boost. Crude vs a real flash.
Spool / lag — The time a turbo takes to build boost.
Stage 1/2/3 — How far you've gone: software only / bolt-ons / bigger turbo.
Torque limiter — The ECU's max-torque ceiling. Exceed it and it cuts power.
Wastegate — The valve that bleeds exhaust to control how much boost the turbo makes.
XDF — A definition file that maps where each table lives inside a bin.
Appendix A · GlossaryThe Tuning Bible
Appendix B

Bosch map reference (ME7 family)

The real table names you'll meet in a tuning tool, the plain-English name VAGPULSE shows, and what each one does. Newer MED/Simos ECUs use different names for the same ideas.

MapPlain nameWhat it controlsGroup
KFMIRLPower Target 🎯Torque the engine aims for vs pedal & RPMTorque
KFMIOPOptimal / max torque 🎯The torque ceiling the monitor allowsTorque
LDRXNTurbo Boost Limit 🌀Max boost the turbo may makeBoost
LDRXNZKBoost Safety Cap 🛡️Reduced boost used when knock is sensedBoost
KFLDHBNBoost pressure cap 🌀Ceiling on turbo pressure vs ambientBoost
KFLDIMX / KFLDRLBoost Controller 🎚️How hard the ECU chases the boost target (WGDC)Boost
LDRQ0 / LDRPIDBoost PID 🎚️The feedback loop that holds boost on targetBoost
KFZW / KFZW2Ignition Timing ⚡Spark advance vs load & RPM (main power/knock lever)Timing
LAMFAFuel Richness ⛽Full-load enrichment (cools & protects)Fuel
KRKTEInjector constant ⛽Fuel per injector opening (rescaled for bigger injectors)Fuel
MLHFMMAF scaling 🌬️Translates the air sensor's signal into airflowAir
RLVMXN / RLVSMXNAirflow Ceiling 🌬️Max air the engine may take at full throttleAir
NMAXRev Limiter 🔺The RPM redline cutLimits
VMAXSpeed Limiter 🚫Electronic top-speed capLimits
💡 You now speak the language

If those rows make sense, you understand more about tuning than most people who pay for it. Read your car, find these maps, watch them move, keep it safe — welcome to the craft.

Appendix B · Map ReferenceThe Tuning Bible
VAGPULSE · The Tuning Bible

Now you know
how it actually works.

Power is an air problem. A tune raises a handful of maps in step — boost, fuel, timing and the torque ceiling — and stages just push them as far as the hardware allows. Keep it rich, cold, well-fuelled and knock-free, and back up your stock file. That's tuning, start to finish.

6
maps make a Stage 1
3
stages to the deep end
1
big idea: more air

Educational reference for Audi & VW enthusiasts. Figures are typical and vary by fuel, hardware and dyno. Always confirm your ECU part number, use the fuel the tune specifies, datalog every change, and respect your local road/emissions laws. Tune responsibly. © 2026 VAGPULSE · Edition 1.

Read it, then do it

Everything in this chapter is something VAGPULSE does on a real car: read the ECU over OBD, see these same maps by name, and flash a checked file back with your original saved first.

See VAGPULSE