Vivid Racing ECU flash tune. Any detail?

[flyboysgt]

Sure, love to share my results, good or bad.

I'm not sure that was me. I posted on the URD MAF calibrator thread but never bought it, not looking to at this time either.



Things are still rocking with the tune, its running very well, I can feel the pep increase, better shifts and better performance in the hills. MPGs seem to be higher, I used to struggle to get into the 13s, now I see them very often and have hit 14-15s as well...that is new, I had not seen a legit 15mpg since I got the drawers and tent on. I have seen no downsides thus far, other than the cost.

I appreciate the update! Have you used cruise control at all since the tune? I know I have problems with mine wanting to drop to 4th or even 3rd at times going up small hills. (I live in Kansas). I’m interested mostly in how the transmission and throttle feel.


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[flyboysgt]

Sure, love to share my results, good or bad.

I'm not sure that was me. I posted on the URD MAF calibrator thread but never bought it, not looking to at this time either.



Things are still rocking with the tune, its running very well, I can feel the pep increase, better shifts and better performance in the hills. MPGs seem to be higher, I used to struggle to get into the 13s, now I see them very often and have hit 14-15s as well...that is new, I had not seen a legit 15mpg since I got the drawers and tent on. I have seen no downsides thus far, other than the cost.

I appreciate the update! Have you used cruise control at all since the tune? I know I have problems with mine wanting to drop to 4th or even 3rd at times going up small hills. (I live in Kansas). I’m interested mostly in how the transmission and throttle feel.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Scharfschütze]

I appreciate the update! Have you used cruise control at all since the tune? I know I have problems with mine wanting to drop to 4th or even 3rd at times going up small hills. (I live in Kansas). I’m interested mostly in how the transmission and throttle feel.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yes but not very much, seems to improve some with cruise on as well.

 

[redneckcrawler]

Does the stage 1 allow for the removal of the cats?

 

[Scharfschütze]

Does the stage 1 allow for the removal of the cats?

I am pretty sure thats what stage 2 is.


Nobody else has taken the plunge yet? Interested in what others are seeing too but I guess im the only sucker so far.

 

[Flix]

Thanks for outlining your journey so far with the tuning. I'm finding it hard to plunk down that kind of cash for a small increase in HP/torque and some modest changes in the throttle response. What piqued my interest was the potential for improved mileage, but since I'm getting 15.5 L/100km (=15 mpg), i'm not sure if the minor improvement would be worth spending that kind of money.

Granted, the improved engine response on the highway would definitely be worth it when I'm traveling with my RTT and full of camping gear in the back. But since that only happens once a year, I still can't justify it yet.

 

[Big_Cuss]

I'd be interested, but only have 17.5K miles, so it'll be awhile yet.

 

[leanwidit]

I've had the Stage 1 tune installed for almost a month now (Nov 5). Quick stats on my 4runner:

2018 ORP w/KDSS ~ 3900 miles
Icon coils front/dobinson rear
285/75/17 Falken Wildpeak on Method NV's
SSO Sliders ( no other weight added to vehicle)

After installing the tune you definitely notice a difference in power. I don't notice the power loss anymore from when I switched the stock tires to 285's. Makes the 4runner feel "lighter", and easier to keep up with traffic on the highways. I've switched to 92 octane, and ran almost a tank before I installed the tune.

The car idles normal, sounds normal. You would never guess anything has been done unless told. EDIT: Idle and engine noise sounds like stock

 

[Akkording]

How is the tune running with the winter mix gas? What octane are you currently running, still 92?

 

[Flix]

i installed the stage 1 tune on my truck 2 weeks ago. Only ran half a tank of gas of 87 octane so far (i don't drive much on weekdays), 70:30 mix of city/highway. So far, i feel power has improved on low end of RPM. It's especially noticeable accelerating to highway speeds. Fuel economy before tune was ~ 15.8 L/100km (~14.8mpg). I'll report back after a few tanks of gas have gone through. So far i'm liking the results. The real test will be in the summer when i'm hauling the RTT and the rear full of cargo for camping road trips.

(i should note I've put about 420lbs of extra weight on the truck with armour, bumper, aux battery)

 

[Akkording]

Very nice, I'm assuming everything on the engine side is stock, I'm basing this on your signature since I didn't notice any engine or exhaust mods.

 

[Flix]

Yup, the engine is all stock. Just have an AFe intake dry filter on it. Doubt it'll increase my HP at all.

 

[Jbellah]

I don’t see a point in a tuner on a 4Runner maybe a pedal commander instead.

 

[Akkording]

Did Vivid Racing specify if they would assist with a reflash if you add future mods?

 

[1jzgte]

I don’t see a point in a tuner on a 4Runner maybe a pedal commander instead.

A tune can give you overall better driving experience: improved acceleration, better mpg.

throttle multipliers (pedal commander, sprint booster) just trick your ecu into thinking you're applying more throttle than you really are and just wasting gas in the process

 

[Akkording]

[MENTION=148265]Scharfschütze[/MENTION]
How are you liking the tune?

 

[83Mule]

I have the Pedal Commander.......it absolutely will let you access the power you have in a manner that transforms the ''Sluggish'' feel AND I am getting better MPG than stock! $250 on E-Bay and you can adjust it to suit or turn it off and on at will. The 4.0 has a great power curve.....the stock throttle progression just masks the potential and the PC is all I needed to make it feel ''connected'' to my right foot like the good ol days. Just an option for those that are looking for one, you won't regret it.

 

[Akkording]

Yeah $200 bucks for the fun of the throttle control, it's good stuff and does what it advertises but I want to see data from these custom tunes. Either dynos, seat of the pant butt dynos, driving a true tune characteristics. This is unchartered territory for our dual VVTI motors. Yeah Tacomas have their tunes but I want to hear it from 4R drivers experience.

 

[evidence]

Vivid Racing is actually a mile from me, and the VRTuned guys who actually do the tuning are 2 miles out.

The site only lists 2010-2018, but I'm guessing they are just lagging on updating the site. I'm not aware of any engine/ECU changes, but waiting to hear back on 2019 support and then I'll be scheduling a local flash.

The throttle control devices are what's normally called a piggy back device, as mentioned they are basically just taking signals and lying to the ECU. If it was actually plugging into the ECU it could force better timing and leaner AFRs by having control of many other signals, but it's only plugged into the throttle wire. You cannot actually make power here, only change throttle response (dead zones etc).

Piggy backs also sometimes eat safe guards to allow more power, as they can't actually modify limits. ECU tuning is better in every way, and you can actually retain safe guards by bumping them up. Anyway the Pedal Commander is fine if all you care about is cleaning the throttle up, but for an extra $250 you can also have ~10% more power through the entire band, if their graphs are to be believed.

 

[evidence]

Got around to flashing the vehicle last week, works fine with a 2019.

The throttles tables on this tune are almost worth the cost alone, it feels like an entirely new vehicle. The mush in the pedal is gone and the power is much more linear. I don't have a Pedal Commander to compare to, but I'd imagine it's similar to one of the mid modes based on other types of tuning. Definitely not overly aggressive, but makes for a much easier and more responsive drive.

The power is all based on the butt dyno, and I want to say you can feel a difference, but hard to say without a dyno. The switching between gears during freeway cruising is also cleaned up.