I'd like to start a thread for people to share their before and after experiences with the VAP tune performance/sound/other results post tune. I know there are many many forum members that are considering getting the tune on their v6 or v8 and would really like to hear about how everyone feels about it after it was done. In addition, like myself, there are people debating Tune my v6 or 'upgrade' to a v8. This is not meant to be a thread to debate which F-Type version is better or faster or handles better or whatever....they are all awesome and that's all that matters. There are posts spread across many threads talking about post tune performance and having a single thread would be awesome. If you have a tune other than VAP, you can certainly chime in as well as I know there are others but my plan is likely to be VAP so that's my focus.

Ideally, I would like to hear from:
1. People that own a v6 but have also driven/owned a v8 (both pre-tune)
2. People that own a v6 and got a VAP tune/pulley
3. People that own a v8 and got a VAP tune/pulley
4. Describe your before and after and how a tuned v6 compares to an untuned v8 (assuming #1 above) and any other comparisons you can make as there are v8 owners out there as well that are considering a tune in advance of the VAP black friday sale.

Maybe this will drum up more interest in making some Black Friday VAP purchases and Stuart will be extra generous this holiday season. :-)


I will start by sharing a recent post from BruceTheQuail in another thread:


Originally Posted by BruceTheQuail
Gooday. OK, well for 2 years I had the 5.0 XKR which has the same output as the v8 S, and I've driven the R quite a few times on a big track and a little one, but I've never driven a v8 S.

I did the exhaust at the same time as the pulley/tune so I'm not sure about whether that adds any horses, if it did I would think only a couple of little ones. I'm in Australia where it is hard to find second hand parts, ultimately I had to buy OEM bits for the skirt and diffuser which cost as much as the exhaust itself but Unhing'd (who did all this before me) was luckier and got his second hand in the US a lot cheaper as I understand it.

I would say that performance is night/day, from the v6S, especially in dynamic - the difference is almost night/day just as between normal mode and dynamic. Because I have only driven the R on the track it is hard to say what difference there is between driving the cars on the street, but it is heaps easier to break traction in first, second, and third and the pull at say 80kph onwards is a lot bigger. I cant imagine that on the road the RWD R would be any quicker at street legal speeds because I am running my car on the michelins that we love to talk about so much with oversized tyres and forged wheels, and if I am breaking traction easily with those on in the dry, another 75hp isnt going to make the car any faster, but I'd expect that might change at higher speeds, say over 120kph.

 

I agree a RWD V8 F-Type won't break 3.4 to 60 (my 14 V8 S with Racechip, SC pulley, 560 WHP dyno'd a couple of times, and MP4Ss) and 3.6 ( mine with PZeros, both timed with Dragy). But a typical 0-60 improvement going from MP4Ss to Cup2s or R888Rs is 0.3 to 0.5 secs on any RWD car. So with street slicks a light weght, tuned RWD V8 F-Type should be knocking 3 secs. Obviously there is more to it than 0-60.

 

Also that 3.4/3.6 was 2500-3500 DA, so subtract 0.15 ish.

 

A summary of my perceptions over time:
My F-type started out life as a V6S. Certainly quick, but not as quick as my heavily tuned MINI with a 17% reduction pulley, JCW SC, and GT intercooler. So I was a bit disappointed with the performance but willing to deal with it to get the manual transmission.
Added the upper pulley (only a 2.5% reduction) and a tune. A nice improvement, but not awe inspiring. Later added the 11.5 % overdrive pulley (lower). This was a stepwise improvement in performance and a real kick in the pants. That, along with an 80+ pound decrease in unsparing weight (wheels & rotors) and another 60+ pound decrease in chassis weight (battery, misc), the car is now a monster in comparison to the OEM configuration.

 

I've already said it a few times, but V6S + VAP tune = a nice boost in performance but crank pulley + tune takes it to a whole 'nother level, easily as quick as my tuned XFR (550 PS) ever was.
With the added bonus of stacks more SC whine!

 

I'm liking what I am hearing so far.

Oz/unhingd - Do you have much experience driving the v8s or r? Curious your insights on those vs your souped up v6's. I never realized how many more base and v6s's were out there as compared to v8 or any model. Finding exactly what I want in a v8 and getting a decent buck on my v6 seems like a daunting task. On the bright side, i've dropped 30lbs, so who need lighter rotors and wheels talk about a cheap mod for the v6s

 

If you tune, keep in mind that you putting more stress on your engine. You have to half your engine oil change cycle, you have to stay on top of transmission fluid and filter. With mods any driving is severe use, so manufacturer's recommended maintenance no longer applies.

Also, tune + pulley creates thermal issues. You will be fine street driving, but if you plan on tracking your car you will have to invest into additional (and expensive) cooling mods or you will suffer from heat soak.

 

Yes, that is certainly one downside that one would not necessarily have just going with the v8. I do trust the forum members that have indicated no real side effects thus far with the tune even after 10's of thousands of miles. I dirve about 2-4k per year so my hope is any ill-effects would be many years down the road. But yes, more frequent oil changes, trans service etc.... worth considering in the equation. I have not tracked my v6 and do not intend to track after being tuned. In fact, I have no idea where I could really track it in the northeast and prefer to stay oblivious to any track options.

 

I won't say the V-8 was slow, but in factory trim with Pirelli's I was disappointed - somewhat unusable power, and car felt heavy. Switched tires, helped a lot, added the tune, helped noticeably, and removed about 150 lbs of weight (much if that unsprung) and now the car is a beast. I read magazine articles now about all the great new cars running low 11s in the quarter and just smile knowing I have similar performance in a great looking car sitting in my garage for a tiny fraction of the cost of those brand new machines.

Tough to beat the the older F type V8 for performance car bargains.

 

Not a lot, but some. I didn’t get the sense that a V8 is much quicker than my car under 60mph. The difference, though, becomes perceptible as you approach 100. From a cornering standpoint, however, the R just feels much heavier and clunky by comparison. Like one or two others , I’ve managed to shave off about 150 lbs bringing the nominal dry weight to 3355 lbs as compared with 3638 for an RWD R and 3814 for an AWD R.

 

Never driven a V8 F-Type, but as I said I previously had an XFR (exact same V8 as the F-Type) tuned from 510 PS to 550 PS (same as the F-Type).
I suspect there are three main reasons why my "souped up" V6 F-Type goes as hard if not harder than the XFR ever did - it's about 300 lb lighter, the 8 speed "quick shift" ZF vs the old slowish 6 speed ZF, and the MPS4S on the F-Type hook up better than the Contis I had on the XFR.

 

This is good info as I plan to get the VAP tune and new tires (not the terrible stock p's) on my R. What did you remove for the 150lbs? lightweight battery and lightweight rotors (according to your sig)?

 

Got some more weight off by going to lightweight forged wheels,VAP exhaust saved about 10 lbs, VAP springs saved 5 pounds, swapped both batteries for the lithium battery, and the lightweight rotors. Always looking for additional items - someone mentioned factory air filter boxes were heavy, factory seats are very heavy but airbags complicate that.

 

Did you get the VS forged wheels or another brand? I am considering going lighter wheels and the wortec rotors, but I want to make sure everything fits nicely together. I have the high performance brakes and not the super duper performance brakes, so I should have less concerns with clearance. Would also be nice to get the offset I need and avoid the spacers. I'm looking for more pics of ftypes with a black/charcoal/matte black type finish lightweight forged wheels. I do like the color of the VS wheels that Ftype-Ftype posted here: https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/f...-209275/page3/ (post #58). I think I want something with a little more beef on them and less spider looking, but if that means I'm not picking up the weight reduction then maybe I stick with my 20" cyclones. Also not sure if its worth doing the rotors without the wheels or the wheels without the rotors but putting down the 5k plus the 2k for the tune/pulley/install and im suddenly in "upgrade to a v8" cost neighborhood....first world problems, I know.

 

True forged wheels should save a lot of weight, but can be expensive - I think the VS forged wheels some here have tried are about the best value. Not sure if the Vortec rotors were made in all sizes, Unhinged or someone here could discuss fitment with less than the largest factory brakes. You don't need to do both, either or helps reduce unsprung weight, its just for my car the cumulative effect of all the weight reduction became most notable after the rotor install. If I was modifying a V-6, I'd do pulley and tune first, then work on weight reduction. Take your time, do it in stages, enjoy the process.

 

From memory the Wortec rotors are/were fronts only and compatible with only the 380 mm front brakes.
So they will work with every F-Type other than the base or the four potter (ignoring CCM brakes for now).

 

Post 16 in this thread has my wheels - Vorsteiner flow forged in graphite, satin finish. I'm super happy with them. Apparently they are very light https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/o...wheels-224400/

The handling difference was immediately noticeable, especially with direction change (eg coming out of a roundabout and kicking off the other way). They might be too spider looking for you, though I prefer to think of it as a person with their legs apart.

 

You are right about the wortec rotors, they were for the top end (non-ceramic) brake system only. I saw a few members interested in the high performance size, but I didnt see anything about an organized group buy. I have contacted Paul and wortec to see if he has already made a batch of the high performance size and if not would he be willing to if we could get a handful of people interested. You make a fair point about doing it in stages...I can obviously do the wheels at any time and take them anywhere to get mounted. I can probably even do the rotors myself if I can find the time. I'll be going to get the rear pulley installed so figured while the car was on a lift maybe I would get some other things done (i.e. rotors, wheels). If the tune/pulley get me the desired performance, maybe I don't need to g the weight watcher route with the wheels and rotors. I really like the look of the black on black factory wheels and woudl want to get something close in appearance.

 

I'm 99% sure the rotors were for front and rear for the group buy...they were over 2500, so better be the whole set. Are you saying that the stock ftype rotor specs are the same size for the high performance and super high performance brakes? If so, what is the difference between the two upgrades? Calipers?

 

I like those wheels, very nice. Ill look up Vorsteiner flow forged as I would like to see the specs. I didn't realize there was so much anger and hatred of black wheels. I guess Im l"azy and can only afford base specs" as per the posts in that thread.