Polling those with tuned cars (flash etc.)

"B_dol" (bdolan40)
11/10/2014 at 15:27 • Filed to: None

Just wondering who out there is running a tune on their car, how long, what type, results, etc.?

The FR-S is acting up now that it has a cold air intake, catback exhaust and unequal length catted headers. Toyota CEL P0420 for the secondary O2 sensor. Not a huge problem, however it bumps up my timetable to select and run a tune.

My current thinking is to run the OFT (Open Flash Tablet) with a Stage 2 (bolt-on, pump gas) tune. Should pull around 190-195bhp now :) Worried about reliability long term, stress on the car, etc.

DISCUSSION (35)

Textured Soy Protein > B_dol
11/10/2014 at 15:29

My BMW 135is came from the factory with the BMW Performance Power Kit 2 tune that's normally a dealer accessory for the 135i.

No issues whatsoever, but I suppose that's to be expected with a factory tune.

b33g33 > B_dol
11/10/2014 at 15:32

B5 S4 APR tune since 2004 (bought the car in 2002).

Just ticked over 180k miles

JustWaitingForAMate > B_dol
11/10/2014 at 15:34

Walkinshaw W310 pack on my Commodore.

CAI, catback and tune. 40kw + 50mn torque gain.

It's only light gains but I've noticed the difference from the last Commodore.

deekster_caddy > B_dol
11/10/2014 at 15:35

I prefer to tune my own cars. There's a lot to learn and it's worth every minute. But getting an O2 code should not mean you need a tune. Unless it's a known issue with your headers. Then you might need either a rear-O2 sim or a "tune" disabling the rear O2 code.

Not familiar with Toyota tuning. What are your software options?

Laird Andrew Neby Bradleigh > B_dol
11/10/2014 at 15:37

Would a non-stock turbo on a '96 Ford Fiesta (1.4) count? 44KW from the factory, 76KW now. Been running it that way a few months, uses oil and more petrol.. but nothing too drastic.

Aaron M - MasoFiST > deekster_caddy
11/10/2014 at 15:37

The FR-S is more like a Subaru than a Toyota, Toyota locks down their ECUs hard and has for years. Even the vaunted Supras generally tuned with piggybacks or standalones...on all the Subarus (03+ at least) you can plug right into the stock ECU.

deekster_caddy > Aaron M - MasoFiST
11/10/2014 at 15:44

Interesting. I've seen other "tunes" made by voltage modifiers that affect MAF sensor readings and intake air temps to trick the ECU into doing things a certain way, but if you push something too far from stock that way it's going to throw a something out of range code eventually. What does it take to plug into the stock ECU and start making changes? A dongle and special software from ... ? I have HP Tuners for my GM vehicles, and a Ross-Tech VAG COM for my wife's Passat. The Passat isn't really 'tuned', but it was required to do the rear brakes at home - you need to tell the computer to release the rear calipers so you can change brake pads! Plus it let me tweak the vehicle settings so we can open and close the windows with the keyfob... it's the little things that make the car pleasant!

Tripper > B_dol
11/10/2014 at 15:45

My buddy has a BRZ, coil overs, struts & sways, unequal length headers, cat back, clutch, lightweight flywheel, and a lightweight drive shaft. It's Supercharged (Jackson Racing I think), and Ecutek is the tuning software/hardware. He runs an ethanol map for autocross, and 91 map for regular driving.

Thus far hes turned the inside of his cats to dust, sheered the upgraded drive shaft in half, and busted the belt for the supercharger.

He had all kinds of weird shit go on with the stock maps from Ecutek, but then he had someone tune it for him and it has been great ever since.

B_dol > deekster_caddy
11/10/2014 at 15:46

I've checked all the bolt-ons for any issues; leaks, loose bolts; etc. It's definitely just the ECU not liking the new high flow cat. A few folks running identical setups as me have not experienced a CEL, some have.

I always planned to tune the car, I was just waiting to assess aftermarket options. OFT is like Cobb access port for subaru's, allows me to tweak parameters and develop my own tunes as well (and log data).

B_dol > Tripper
11/10/2014 at 15:47

I'd expect a bit more wear n tear from the supercharger. What gives with the Cat? I had my mods on for almost 4K miles before a CEL.

Aaron M - MasoFiST > B_dol
11/10/2014 at 15:49

Running an 07 WRX with a custom tune for a Blouch TD05H-16G, stock fuel system. Running about 375 hp, from 230 hp stock. Taking my car in for its 150,000 mile maintenance in two weeks.

Honestly, if there's one way to damage a car like this, it's running significant breathing mods without tuning. Now, for an N/A car it's hardly going to be catastrophic, but if you've altered your exhaust flow so much you've triggered a p0420 (not a Toyota code, btw, but a generic one), you're not doing the engine any favors. And you probably haven't made any real power yet, either.

Now, running an off-the-shelf tune will be way better than running untuned...but in the end going to an actual tuner is the best solution. For N/A cars the difference will be minimal, but you will leave power on the table with anything OTS.

deekster_caddy > B_dol
11/10/2014 at 15:50

I think it's really worthwhile to do your own tuning, you can choose exactly how aggressive you want the timing curve to be, or how much fuel you want to dump in for extra cooling, or whatever... but there is some tech you should learn before you get too deep into it. It's also easy to add too much timing and chip pistons and things. I really like the book by Greg Banish - http://www.amazon.com/Engine-Managem… - he covers all of the relevant theories and controls and is easy to read, makes sense. This book is a bit old, but the only thing it really misses on today's engines is adjustable cam timing.

ColoradoTaco > b33g33
11/10/2014 at 15:51

Nice, I'm running that J-Fonz stage 2 tune. Flashed 2 years ago no issues for me either.

B_dol > Aaron M - MasoFiST
11/10/2014 at 15:52

Agreed, running bolt-ons sans tune was only a short term plan. I definitely noticed a bump from stock however I have yet to realize the potential of the upgrades. Guess I was just waiting it out to be easier on the wallet :-/

MK6-love > B_dol
11/10/2014 at 15:52

My MK6 GTI has an E-Tuners stage 1, the stock, paper I think, VW clutch is now slipping and I am in the market for a new clutch at 18k miles.

Kinda sucks, but 18lbs of boost is addicting

Aaron M - MasoFiST > deekster_caddy
11/10/2014 at 15:55

The cable most WRX owners use is a Tactrix...with the software all of the fueling and timing tables are open and editable.

http://www.tactrix.com/

I went over to the APR site to determine exactly what APR is selling...I don't know where a "chip" would fall on the locked/unlocked spectrum, though I would call the older Honda ECUs that needed a new daughterboard soldered in to tune them basically locked.

Party-vi > B_dol
11/10/2014 at 15:57

E46 330Ci with Dinan Stage I software. So far all it's done is drain my wallet of $400.

Tripper > B_dol
11/10/2014 at 15:57

Hard to say on the wear and tear long term, the car only has 10k miles on it and the supercharger has been on for 3k or so (best guess). No idea what happened with the cat, he reported a lack of power for a mile or so followed by a loud bang and puff of white powder, he said the car drove fine after that. He beats the piss out of it so by those standards I would say it has held up well.

B_dol > Tripper
11/10/2014 at 16:02

Hah good to know. The forums are full of users with success stories, the FRS/BRZ twins are very robust cars until you go full retard. Then its time for upgrade/reinforce all systems.

To be fair , the car held up to 175 miles on the track a few Sunday's ago; stock brakes, stock oil (now replaced dear god), stock tune. 245/35 Hankook Evo's helped.

B_dol > Party-vi
11/10/2014 at 16:03

Yep, car is starting to attack my wallet

Kinja'd!!!

Tripper > B_dol
11/10/2014 at 16:12

He's already gone full retard on a WRX and paid the price haha. He tends to mod it til it dies, and I tend to leave my cars stock.

That's impressive for your car to take all that on stock parts.

swansong, rockin' the wagons > B_dol
11/10/2014 at 16:18

FocusPower (Tom's Tune) on the SVT Focus, and JZW Stage 1 on the Saab 9-3 2.8T. Focus tune is more for driveability than power, but the Saab tune brought the car from 280 hp/295 tq to a claimed 320 hp/400 tq. Best money you can spend on a mod IMO, and as long as you've got a reputable tuner behind you, you should be just fine. Get a handheld/laptop for datalogging capabilities if you can, I get by with Torque Pro (smartphone app) but true datalogging can be super helpful.

B_dol > Tripper
11/10/2014 at 16:23

Might have been a bit unwise. It was my first track day experience and I thought it wise to not dive in fully unless I really enjoyed it. Car is designed for sporty driving, I trust the engineer's judgement.

Once again, it helps that tons of other maniacs have documented their car stories on the forums.

Jesse Shaffer > B_dol
11/10/2014 at 19:57

I have to tune this fucker every time the seasons change... but it's running on stand-alone MS2.0. http://oppositelock.jalopnik.com/cheap-tricks-1… . I can get the car to put down 391 ft lbs, but I backed it down to 340... because even that's really too much for the chassis. Once I start getting above 140, the car basically needs an airstrip.

I need RWD... someday... I hear you on worrying about reliability. I'm shocked the car hasn't cracked in half, yet.

FrankenBlaster > B_dol
11/11/2014 at 11:49

2012 Mazdaspeed3. I've ran the Cobb stage 1, Cobb stage 2, and more recently a custom tune by Freektune. Stage 1 was 18 lbs of boost, stage 2 was 21 lbs of boost, and the custom tune is 21 lbs of boost with some other engine tweaks. Stage 2 tunes require a couple supporting mods. Stage 1 likes to have an intake at the very least. I've ran the tunes for about a year and a half now and have had no issues at all. The limiting factor in my tune now is the stock turbo and 93 octane gas.

GymboSlice > B_dol
11/12/2014 at 13:53

Running OFT stage 2 E85 w/no cats on mine for over 3,000 miles now. Significant increase in power and not one check engine light since installed! Open Flash is best tune for the $$$

B_dol > GymboSlice
11/12/2014 at 14:10

Music to my ears, picking up an OFT later this week!

Trevor Slattery, ACTOR > B_dol
11/18/2014 at 16:40

I had a MkIV Jetta with a stage 1 tune from Gonzo Tuning.

Kinja'd!!!

Most of the time a spacer on the O2 sensor will fix that P0420 code, btw.

so-wrxy > Aaron M - MasoFiST
12/02/2014 at 17:13

How the hell are you making 375hp with a stock fuel system?

so-wrxy > B_dol
12/02/2014 at 17:16

30k miles on my 04 wrx with a Stage 2 Accessport 93 octane map. 140k miles on the clock. No issues from the tune itself. Motor still feels healthy. But I'm wondering when the turbo seals will blow on me.

Aaron M - MasoFiST > so-wrxy
12/02/2014 at 17:30

375chp (300whp is the more confirmed number, but 20% driveline loss for an AWD Subie with three differentials is about typical) is the edge of what the stock fuel system can take (remember, the 2.5 turbos have 565cc injectors stock). I will be upgrading the fuel pump to give me some reliability breathing room as the car gets older. The turbo is good for about 330whp, so I'm only running 14-16psi.

so-wrxy > Aaron M - MasoFiST
12/03/2014 at 12:11

How is the 2.5 on fuel compared to 02-05 2.0's?

Aaron M - MasoFiST > so-wrxy
12/03/2014 at 12:24

Well, the mod that most affected my fuel consumption was a lighter flywheel that I put in when doing the clutch...sapped my fuel economy by about 2-3mpg across the board.

For the short period of time I had the car stock, I was getting about 20mpg combined. It's hard to say with more detail because I had the car for maybe five weeks before the tuning bug bit me.

After the tune, I was getting 22-24mpg combined, which was 19-20 city and 29-31 highway. This stayed consistent even after the new turbo, until the abovementioned clutch/flywheel. I now get 19-22 mpg combined.

so-wrxy > Aaron M - MasoFiST
12/03/2014 at 12:29

Yeah that's about where I'm at. Have you ever driven a stage 2 02-05? I'm wondering how different the 2.5 motor feels in terms of torque off the line and up to 5k or so.

Aaron M - MasoFiST > so-wrxy
12/03/2014 at 12:45

I have not...hell, other than a test drive I haven't even ridden in a 2.0, other than one guy's that was so rattly (all poly bushings, man! .... dumbass ) that I couldn't even pay attention. From what I understand, the 2.5 with a TD04 has significantly different lag characteristics. My stock car drove like it was NA, there was no perceptible lag and even the acceleration surge above 4000rpm was linear. At Stage 2, the car now took perceptible time to build boost and had much less linear acceleration, but the lag between throttle input and boost building was barely noticeable above 2200 rpm or so, my shifts took more time than my turbo.

When I put the 16G on and had it it tuned to 300 with the intercooler, this all changed. The car still isn't laggy, though it lags a bit. If I'm doing 70 on the highway and punch it, the lag is about the same as before, the boost gauge pins in a fraction of a second (though you can notice the car building boost in that fraction) and then takes off. My boost threshold is about 2500 rpm, but the car is slower to build boost at 2500 than it is at 3000.