Sprint Booster vs Engine Tunes
 

I’ve been thinking about giving my 4Runner a little boost. I’ve been reading the thread below Pedal Commander vs Sprint Boosters and it has provided some very good information. However, I also read another way to give your engine a little pep is to do an engine tune but I’m not 100% sure how it work. I understand devices like Sprint Booster basically speeds up the response time between the pedal and throttle. As for tunes my understanding is it changes the throttle map in the cars computer. Does it actually increases hp a little too or does it just speed up response time like the Sprint Booster?

It looks like devices like Sprint Booster are easy to install and have little drawbacks but what about engine tune? What advantages do they have over devices like Sprint Boosters and what drawbacks they have? Just curious to know before I make a decision.

Thanks

Without the super charger engine tune wouldn't do much. Adding a bigger maf and remapping the fuel map and throttle curves on a stock engine dont' do much. Adjusting the VVTI timing can give you more torque low and mid rpm at the cost of less fuel efficiency and and VVTI gear wear.

If I were going to tune I'd probably go the KDmax route just a remapping A/F. Reviews are solid from taocma forums and promising on the 4runner. As for the pedal commander / sprint booster I'd pass. If long term suv then go with super charger.
I've had the 2017 for about 7 years and plan to leave it stock besides the TRD intake. That really didnt do much but increase intake noise and drop mpg by .5 or so. 4runner will be around for awhile and next suv is in question. (sequoia, 4runner, tahoe/yukon)



KDMAX-PRO-9.0 for 4Runners by @PapaRee and @TWTaco. | Toyota 4Runner Forum [4Runners.com]

Is the Super Charger Engine Tune another software to tune the engine or are you saying it only makes a difference when you add a turbo or some other engine modification?

Buddy paid $400 for a tune in his Tacoma n said it made a difference.

He’s a long time car guy n drag racer also.


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Sprint Booster and similar are a waste of money if you want an actual performance gain.

If you are willing to run premium (91+) an engine tune can gain you power across the entire curve. The tune will tweak ignition timing, A/F ratio, camshaft mapping, AND throttle map.

If you must stay regular fuel, power gains will be very minimum, but will still result in a more responsive engine mostly through throttle map and maybe slight cam map alterations.

4Runner Dyno Data

VR Tuned ECU Flash Tune Toyota 4Runner Dual VVT-I 270HP | VRT-TOY-4RN-270

Stock tune from OEMs are generally extra safe to avoid any knocking and keep cooler gas temp. They are much richer than they could be, so you can actually slightly improve fuel economy and power gain at low/low-mid loads (where 90% of driving is done) by leaning A/F. There are so many textbooks on engine combustion we could spend forever talking about this. Credibility: 5 years working as turbo and engine engineer at Cummins, experience tuning the K20Z3 in my 2007 civic SI pre and post turbocharging it.

I’ve been looking at the OTT tune by Overland Tailor Tuning. Seems interesting for sure. I’m just in the initial stages of researching it but what I’ve seen seems promising.

Hoping to find more info on it. They seem to have a large distribution network across the country as well.

seems similar to the kdmax , orange virus tuner.....3rd party installs tune , didnt develop the tune map.

I have no experience with tunes but from what I've read they actually improve HP and performance. The Sprint Booster does not increase power (nor does it claim to) but it dramatically changes the driving enjoyment (at least for me). I've had mine for over two years and would not drive the 4Runner without it. Tuning is more expensive and you need to run premium gas to get full benefits. If your willing to do that it's probably a better way to go. The other advantage to the Sprint Booster is that it's easy to remove if you have to bring the vehicle to the dealer for something.

Super chargers and turbos make a difference. The 10 to 20% claim by ecm or chip tuners on vehicles that are not designed for timing advance or remapping fuel curves without adding more air induction etc In my opinion not worth it. 10 hp increase is unnoticable. Heck air temp/density will effect hp on a stock motor about the same. Nevertheless others might disagree.

Yes you can get a 3rd party to install it depending on where you live or if you live near Birmingham Alabama you can have it installed by the guys who actually wrote the tune. Also I believe they have written it to perform on regular gas as well not strictly 91 %. I just read a long posting on tacomaworld about this tune. I’m leaning towards going this route in the future.

As others have said, a Pedal re-curve (like sprint booster) and an ECU tune are two different things. The only overlap is that an ECU tune MIGHT give you better throttle response, but it'll do it in a different way.

As for ECU tunes for these engines. Just a couple thoughts having tuned a bunch of cars. YMMV, etc.

You have a few things to play with: spark advance and air/fuel mixture. I don't think cam timing is ECU controlled on these things?
- Spark advance either is going to get you close to the "safe" edge with the fuel you use, OR require you to use higher octane fuel to take advantage of the additional advance. Saying you're going to make more power on Regular seems like all you're going to do is have a higher risk of ping and then safety-retard which is kind of a mess. I'd be all for a tune that was made to work safely with Premium.
- Air/fuel mixture. This one can help as well. Sure, you can pour more fuel in in hopes of making more power but this is complicated and again you run the risk of fouling plugs, cats, etc and at best you might make 5-10hp? Just as likely to lose power.

Sometimes tunes like the above can be done effectively if you have "opened up airflow" significantly with a N/A engine. Or if you have changed gearing. You can take advantage of this with a custom tune. But, our airbox flows well as does our exhaust so I don't think there's much there either.

I've got a really boring option to consider: I'm now totally sold on sprint booster on a conservative setting plus Premium fuel without a tune. I did Premium/Regular a/b without SB and felt a difference in low-end torque. The combination of Premium AND SB makes the truck feel like it has more "life" down low. I have a very repeatable gradual grade on the highway that I drive every morning. The truck makes up without downshifting and I can actually accelerate from 60-70 without a downshift. I was never able to do this before.

My intuition based on this is that Toyota does have the ECU programmed such that it can take advantage of Premium. It doesn't advertise it. It wants to bank on the cost effectiveness of Regular for its target demo.

Following for anyone who might have experience/feedback on a moderate tune. Can't validate $7k+ premium for a supercharger but overall improvement to drivability and daily driving is worth $600 for a baseline canned tune that can still run 87 or 89. No plans for bigger tires until stock Nittos wear out, and my driving is slinging kayaks on the roof rack, putting a doggo in the back with the window down, or fire road exploring - don't need anything intense. Didn't realize Overland Tailor Tuning was just a couple hours away, been following CVC and others out west and didn't think it would be an option without a road trip. Running a PC now but a re-map sounds better overall than a touchy throttle boost.

the vivid racing tune also adjust shifts. it holds gears longer and doesnt shift around as much. so like a tow mode.

Thanks for this Stiles. This gives me a much better understanding of tunes.

When I had my Trooper Limited it came with a power boost button that was standard. When I needed extra power I would simply push the button and get a a nice power boost for lane passing or going up hill. I think it did this by allowing the gears to run at a higher RPM before shifting and may have also allowed the fuel to run a little richer. Just my guess though. Anyway, once I was done I could simply push the button again to turn it off. It was a very nice feature. I was hoping to do a similar set up with my 4Runner.

However, from what I’ve read so far it seems a tune may provide a modest increase but could cause problems down the road for a stock engine unless I make some mechanical modification. I’m not interested in putting a turbo in or run it on premium gas. I just wanted a little extra boost when I need it. (However it’s nice to know that Toyota’s ECU can take advantage of premium. This can be handy for towing). But if you or anyone else knows of a set up where I can get push a button set up and get a little extra boost for when I need it please let me know. And if I got the tune thing wrong please let me know.

For now it seem it a Boost Commander might suit my needs. I understand this just provides a quicker pedal response.