What Stage 1 actually changes
A Stage 1 remap rewrites the calibration tables in your ECU. Boost pressure, ignition timing, fuelling and torque limiters are all adjusted to extract more performance from the factory hardware. Nothing on the car is physically changed.
Done properly, on a healthy car, Stage 1 gives a noticeably faster, sharper, more enjoyable vehicle without compromising reliability. Done badly, with a generic file pulled from a database, it costs you engines.

