There are many different tuners and garages doing ECU flashing/remapping, etc.

Are all tuners created equal? Are the results similar? Any bad experiences reported?

My intent is to find the best option without inciting violence or making disparaging comments, if possible.

 

VelocityAP is a member of this forum and supports their clients very well:

Velocity Automotive Performance, Inc.

 

I went with VelocityAP several months ago and the car runs perfect with the tune., I don't have dyno or 1/4 mile numbers just a tune that performs without issue, no problems.

 

Great post.

A few basic questions.
So from their site: Jaguar F-Type R 5.0 Supercharged ECU Tune
- Do I have to go to their shop 300 miles away to have it installed? or they mail box to me & DIY install?
- $995 to increase 55 hp from 550 to 605 BHP sounds great, but is it real world HP increase?
- Sorry, what's diff between HP, BHP, & WHP?
- Any torque increase?
- So how much faster in acceleration, G-forces, louder exhaust, or nay other real world increases?
- Will this affect the factory warranty in any way? Will dealer refuse to honor any future warranty issues b/c of this tuning?
Thanks,

 

BHP is Brake Horsepower. For lack of a better term, this is HP measured at the crank.
WHP is Wheel Horsepower (formerly knows as RWHP, or Rear Wheel HP, but FWD and AWD change things). This is HP measured at the wheels, after HP is lost to all the little HP sappers form the crank to your RW. When people have HP measured at the shop, it is 99.9% of the time WHP as that is far easier to measure.

Also, be careful when 'adding hp' to see hwere the hp is gained. For example, if a tune adds 55 hp in the mid range, then that doesn't mean your peak hp increases by 55 hp.. Peak hp isn't always the best measure of performance. Velocity states and increase to 605 HP, but I'd be much more interested to see a dyno curve to see what the increases are in the areas where the car is normally driven.

 

So I just looked at Velocity's website. They have a baseline Dyno chart and a post tune dyno chart. Looks solid all across the board.

Me, personally. Until my car is out of warranty and paid off, I'm not touching the engine.

 

Even though chassis dynos measure wheel hp, a lot of tuners will use an approximate factor to convert the whp back to brake (or crank) hp, usually a 15-20% drivetrain loss factor. The important thing is to compare before and after tune results on the same dyno. Absolute numbers are subject to significant error since none of the dynamometers in use by tuners are calibrated.

 

Yes, all these look great on paper & dyno machines.

But what does it really translate to me in the real world?
Does it goes faster 0 - 60?
Will I feel more torque or G forces on acceleration?
Better sound from exhaust?
Will it really feel like SVR equivalent hp?
etc...

 

Yes, you'll feel it and it will make the acceleration of car faster in all aspects. However, at some point, you will get used to it and it won't feel as fast as when the changes were originally done. That's same with modifying any car as you just get 'used to it' after a while....

 

True, the "new normal" is very easy to get used to. That said, the cure is to not drive your car for several weeks, then it will be able to impress you all over again :-)

I found the VAP tune to be very noticeable and worthwhile on my R - from a "butt dyno" perspective, car feels stronger in most all situations. They send you a very easy to use flashing module, and email you a file to install based upon your preferences. If desired, I can remove the tune using the same tool (not to trick JLR, just if I for some reason wanted to revert to stock). I'm confident after many hundreds of V-8 tunes that the VAP program is safe. That said, I don't take my car to the 120 degree desert and thrash it all day on low octane fuel either.

Good value for the performance dollar, but to get even better, you could wait for one of their anniversary sales....

 

My intent is to find the best option without inciting violence or making disparaging comments, if possible. [/QUOTE]

It already appears from your signature line that you have a tune. Is there a problem with what you have?

 

No problems here. Just curious because all the tunes seem to be about the same. These cars aren't as easy upgrade as others...for instance a Mustang GT 5.0 is ultra tunable, or some of the Japanese cars like the GTR.

 

There just isn't a market for super power with these cars. That's not what the demographics who are buying the car are after, unlike the Mustang crowd. If that's what you are after, there are shops around that will take your money and produce a car for you with some super power.

 

Tune is not "new normal", most F-types are not getting tuned, and ones that are tuned are a lot less desirable on resale. This is because tune is not "free performance" and has substantial downsides.

That, and one's person performance mods are other's person annoying ricing that has to be undone.

 

I may have a different view of "ricing" - that's not a tune for me, that's giant wings, flared arches, coffee can tail pipes and of course the see through hood with garish painted engine cover underneath....(what was that someone said about cat and pigeons ?!)

 

Wow, another anti-tuning rant, courtesy of our anti-tuning perma-bear. Don't think the OP asked if he should tune, just what tuning options people had experience with.

Additionally, my comment about "new normal" was a generic term that can apply to any modification, from lighter wheels, to changing tires, to, (gasp!) a tune - simply that after driving with an upgrade for a while, it becomes the new normal, and you often don't appreciate it as much as you did in the beginning.

 

From what I understand, the tuning that's done in aftermarket space is to tweak the many permissives/protection logic/data in the OEM tunes. The ECUs these days do all the controls, and for the most part it comes down to timing and AF ratio (rich being less power). The OEMs build in all sorts of constraints to protect the engine (if only Boeing idiots had learned the right way to do that correctly!). The good tuners ultimately spend hours going through data maps and tables to eek a little less AF ratio (without getting too risky) and perhaps a little more timing in spots where the OEMs were a little overprotective. The good tuners also generally don't tread on critical protection logic (like Catalytic temperatures monitoring and enrichment when at risk).

Yes, some of the less savvy tuners have been known to go too far and engines got destroyed as a result. I think if there had been failures by now with the AP Services tunes, we'd know.

From what I understand, the AP Services tune takes alot from the factory SVR tune, hence good gains with no hardware changes. From there, simply pumping more air in via spinning the supercharger faster is how you get the higher gains.But I am just an amateur here - if you want to know more, I'm sure Stuart and Chris at AP Services will tell you what they do and don't do.

Lastly, there is a trail to where JAG can know if the tune was altered. There are some tools out there supposedly to mask that (but they are hard to get a hold of). Some dealerships are tolerant of altered tunes - but many aren't. I think it's safe to say that if you alter the tune, and the motor goes south - you're on your own. Even if the tune did NOT contribute to the failure, it would likely be a long protracted legal battle to prove otherwise in court.

 

Has anyone taken their tuned ftype to get service or repairs done? If so, did you revert your tune before going in and how was the experience? Trying to see if anyone has had any issues getting work done because the dealer found out about the tune. Thanks.

 

VAP strongly recommend you revert to the stock tune before taking the car in for a service or any other work at a JLR dealership.
This is because the dealership may decide to perform an ECU software update which could brick your ECU with the tune on it, or at least not work as it should.
But reverting to the stock tune doesn't clear the "flag" code which tells the dealership that a tune had been applied, that code is permanent and cannot be removed except maybe by the dealership using their SDD equipment.
Sometimes the dealership will see that code sometimes they won't, and even if they do see it most don't make a fuss about it.
But if it comes to a warranty claim for engine related problems you are probably screwed.
No biggie reverting to the stock tune before taking the car in then re-applying the tune back at home, it's a 10 minute job both times.
Except that you should check back in with VAP before reloading the tune - load the (possibly new) stock tune onto the device, copy it to your PC, email it to VAP and they will email you back a new tune (which may or may not be any different to the old tune).

 

Thanks, appreciate the response!