The Itty Bitty NOVA VW Committee

[SlimKlim]

 full APR retard 

Do you know or have read anything about any change to the clutch on the 2018 manual cars?  

I know a few people with 2015-2016 cars have had clutches that started slipping even without a tune at 20-30k miles... a tune will hasten this, I think.  Not that it really matters as VW isnt warrantying it anyways.

I wouldn't expect anything different for the '18, it's the same drivetrain and it's a well known issue that the VW stock clutch limits are just outside of the stock tune. The most "cost effective" way to do an APR Plus tune on a manual is to purchase the car new and take it straight to the shop for a tune and clutch upgrade. There are kits designed to work with the dual mass flywheel, and having it all done on a new car saves you about $500 because you don't have to replace it. 

The tune is $1100, NGP charges $1800 to install a Sachs clutch disc rated to 400lb-ft without doing the flywheel, about $2300 with the flywheel. So a total cost of $2800-3200 to tune depending on when (not if) you do the clutch.

Alternatively the DSG costs $1100 more out of the box, but all components of it are warrantied including the clutch discs and it's good for 400lb-ft. The tune is $1100 as well, and the TCU tune is $600, but optional.