1.8T Wiring/Fault Codes

[cobblers]

ME7.1 / ME7.5 are usually written on the ECU label itself. It's been about 12-13 years since I was last messing with them (adding pops and bangs to my Ibiza Cupra before it was cool ) so take any specifics with a pinch of salt - I have drank a lot of beer in the intervening years!

If you can get a tuner to delete the VSS and ABS faults, while they have the file open in their editor it would be fairly straightforward for them to modify the load request table to cap the peak torque to 90% of what it currently is, but request that peak torque for a little longer up in the RPM range to make up for it. You'd end up with slightly more power overall but delivered in a way that's easier on the gearbox. It will push the turbo a little harder, but I know which I'd rather be replacing!

[Splurt]

it’s geared for a diesel so feel sometimes like I’m labouring the AGU a bit and asking it to pull from too lowdown in the rev range.

I think that's a Syncro on big tyres thing, my 2.1 wbx is the same. I find myself having to consciously hold onto each gear for 6 or 700rpm past where the natural change point feels, otherwise the next gear lands just that bit too low in the rev range for comfort. I think it's a combination of 4 speeds spreading the gears out a little too wide and the increased rolling radius of the bigger wheels accentuating this

I can relate to this. From 1st I tend to take it up to 4k rpm which lands me at 2k rpm in 2nd. The comfortable change point would be 3k rpm so the engine is screaming for change well before 4k. If i didn't have a tacho there's no way I would take it that far, it's not intuitive. Higher gears can be changed at 3.5k ish to land me at 2k on next gear up.

If i changed at lower revs it wouldn't stall or judder, the engine has the torque to pull it on especially as the turbo kicks in. My thinking is that it's going to put large torque through the transmission which I don't want to do routinely.

I can't find it now but I remember seeing a torque vs rpm graph for the 1.8t and although it wasn't a square trace like a tdi, it wasn't a gradual peaked curve like that of a na petrol. It was somewhere inbetween the two, a fairly sharp increase up to max torque at around 1.75k rpm, an almost constant peak torque delivery before a fairly sharp drop at 4.6k. I think this coincides with the turbo doing it's thing.

So my logic, and feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, is to attempt to limit sharp increases in torque by keeping acceleration gradual while in 1st, then by landing the gear changes into revs above 1.8k so the engine torque is already at its peak with the turbo in its active range. In my head the clutch can absorb the change in force, rather than the gearbox experiencing it directly as a sharp increase directly between engine and road.

I'm very conscious of being as sympathetic as possible to the transmission for obvious reasons, but I do love the 1.8T and my big wheels so it's a balancing act

[Splurt]

I'd never thought of chipping an engine to reduce power, great idea. Even a simple 95% limit would take the max torque down to 190nm. I'm not doing big miles at the minute but if we do get to the point of bigger continental trips it would be a bit of comfort to know the torque is being kept below 200.
For now just enjoy it while the sun shines