ECU Tuning & HP gains LC200 and LX570 w VFTuner - Starting from 100% stock (1 Viewer)

[achris44]

What year/transmission are you driving?

Signature updated. Drove 2018 today and it had a very nice feel.

 

[Lo2aY]

Can this tuner program for tire size and gearing?

that's all I care about right now

 

[stellite]

A quick update on MPG, drivability, and overall view of the OTT ECU tune that Lonestar Yota Tuning applied in this first round of modification.

* Power increase in the lower and mid RPM ranges are noticeable both when driving around town normally, and also when towing our boat.

* I really like the more aggressive shift pattern. It feels like this is how it should have come from the factory. One of my biggest complaints on the 2016-2021 LC200 / LX570 has always been how sluggish it feels, much more sluggish than the 2008-2015. With this tune and new shifting it feels great. Always seems to be in the appropriate gear during city driving around town, and no longer "hunts" for a gear when towing or on the highway at cruising speeds.

* MPG - This was interesting. The first several days I was convinced I was getting way worse gas mileage. It was about 1 - 1.5 MPG less than before over the first week full week of driving. Same usual driving I do which is about 60% city and 40% highway. I was ready for a tank of gas, so like usual I reset my MPG to let it start measuring again from scratch. At the end of week 2 I am about 0.7 MPG better than before the tune. I think the first week I was just pedal-happy and playing with the power band to get a feel for where the noticeable increases were. Once that new-tune-fun wore off and I got back to normal driving, my MPG is actually slightly better than before the tune. During towing our big ol' boat the MPG still seems to be about the same as before the tune.

* Some people say idle is better, but I honestly notice no difference. The idle before and after the tune is identical on my LX570.

* During the flash it seems that my setting to automatically apply the e-brake when in P has been disabled. I have to play with the settings to remember where that setting was to re-enable it.

* ECO mode still works the same as before, decreasing throttle response and forcing you to drive more economically.

* Normal mode now acts closer to what Sport+ mode used to be. But not quite. Just feels like it should have come from the factory this way.

* Sport+ mode seems to be similar aggressive shifting as before. I never really used Sport+ mode much, other than to just play with a couple of times. So I'm not sure if the tune actually effects Sport+ shifting or not. To me it seems the same as before.

Would I recommend the tune now that I've had it for a couple of weeks? Ya, i think so. I think it's worth the $450 or so that Lonestar Yota Tuning charges for the OTT tune.

That is certainly a large gain in torque and hp for a tune. A few questions if you happen to know.
First, any idea what your A/F ratio's were before and after?
Also, how much of an increase in duty cycle did the injectors go to with the tune?
Any changes to exhaust/intake?
Sorry if you mentioned these and I missed it.
Seems like Toyota left lots of power on the table with this engine, but I love the flat curve.

 

[NKP Garage]

Can this tuner program for tire size and gearing?

that's all I care about right now

Good question. I’m actually going to hook up the tuner this weekend and see if I can adjust for the larger 34.3 inch tires I am running now (295/70r18). 2017 LX570 - Back again in another 200 - Ownership log and Build thread - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/2017-lx570-back-again-in-another-200-ownership-log-and-build-thread.1316789/page-4

I’ll report back this weekend.

 

[NKP Garage]

That is certainly a large gain in torque and hp for a tune. A few questions if you happen to know.
First, any idea what your A/F ratio's were before and after?
Also, how much of an increase in duty cycle did the injectors go to with the tune?
Any changes to exhaust/intake?
Sorry if you mentioned these and I missed it.
Seems like Toyota left lots of power on the table with this engine, but I love the flat curve.

Unfortunately I don't have an AFR gauge, so I'm not sure. No changes at all to exhaust or intake, all that is 100% stock still. Good question on the duty cycle on the injectors. I'm not totally sure. But I can tell you that the injectors are nowhere near maxed out, since they are capable of supporting a supercharger.

Toyota's tunes are generally fairly conservative, not a surprise that there is considerable power to be had with just a tune. Similar on many other Toyota's I've had in the past.

 

[stellite]

Unfortunately I don't have an AFR gauge, so I'm not sure. No changes at all to exhaust or intake, all that is 100% stock still. Good question on the duty cycle on the injectors. I'm not totally sure. But I can tell you that the injectors are nowhere near maxed out, since they are capable of supporting a supercharger.

Toyota's tunes are generally fairly conservative, not a surprise that there is considerable power to be had with just a tune. Similar on many other Toyota's I've had in the past.

Yeah, I've always been suspicious of tunes for NA cars. I come from the Porsche world, where NA car tunes add very little. Mainly because those engines are already tuned to a high level. But adding a tune to a Turbo P-car, wakes it up.

The fact that your mileage has improved is a nice side benefit.

 

[skrypj]

Can this tuner program for tire size and gearing?

that's all I care about right now

They said no when I asked them even though there are places in the tune for the axle gear ratio and tire size.

 

[Lo2aY]

Thanks for checking. That's an important feature.

tunning the transmission to shift properly is very important.

 

[NKP Garage]

No way to correct the speedo after looking at the interface. I think that requires a dongle/translator that modifies the speedo output sensor from the transmission? But in the tuner I think what the tire/gear parameters adjust for are shift points maybe? I'll try to find time the next couple weeks to do some testing to see if it has any effect on shift points.

 

[skrypj]

Thanks for checking. That's an important feature.

tunning the transmission to shift properly is very important.

I never found that the transmission didnt shift properly on my 2018 after going to 315/70's. It made the effective gearing taller, but the shift points are still good IMO.

Also, its possible Toyota has a provision to account for it. Ford has something called the NV ratio, which is the ratio of engine rotations to tire rotations when the transmission is 1:1. This allows for the PCM to adjust for both axle ratio and tire size on the fly. The PCM will update the NV Ratio over time. They can figure out the tire rotation from the ABS sensors in the hubs and do the math in real time.

 

[skrypj]

No way to correct the speedo after looking at the interface. I think that requires a dongle/translator that modifies the speedo output sensor from the transmission? But in the tuner I think what the tire/gear parameters adjust for are shift points maybe? I'll try to find time the next couple weeks to do some testing to see if it has any effect on shift points.

Did you actually try? There are two locations in VFTuner for tire radius and the numbers in the stock tune match up with the stock tire size best I can tell. It should technically be the driven radius, the radius with the tire squished under the weight of the truck.

At the very least, even if it doesnt correct the speedometer, maybe it will give the PCM better info for shifting and whatever else it uses it for

 

[Lo2aY]

I never found that the transmission didnt shift properly on my 2018 after going to 315/70's. It made the effective gearing taller, but the shift points are still good IMO.

Also, its possible Toyota has a provision to account for it. Ford has something called the NV ratio, which is the ratio of engine rotations to tire rotations when the transmission is 1:1. This allows for the PCM to adjust for both axle ratio and tire size on the fly. The PCM will update the NV Ratio over time. They can figure out the tire rotation from the ABS sensors in the hubs and do the math in real time.

No Transmission expert here but we did an 8 speed swap into a VDJ78. Same transmission in the 200 but it was installed in a Diesel Troopy.

The TCM that was supplied with the transmission was looking for a lot of things to be setup. Vehicle weight, tire exact size and ratios.

In my 200, 1st, 2nd and 3rd are always shifting hard. This only happened after I moved to the 285/75R17 (34") tires.

Could HPTuners tune the transmission on a 200? sometimes it's in the VCM suite.

 

[Adrenaline6]

Any updates from anyone on the tunes? Anything by changed after having it a few more weeks?

I did mine back at the end of July. Mostly leave it in ECT (spicy) mode. Love the shift points and the immediate torque availability. Definitely worth it. I might have it changed to normal (spicy) and ECT (extra spicy) since I leave it in ECT mode anyway.

 

[skrypj]

No Transmission expert here but we did an 8 speed swap into a VDJ78. Same transmission in the 200 but it was installed in a Diesel Troopy.

The TCM that was supplied with the transmission was looking for a lot of things to be setup. Vehicle weight, tire exact size and ratios.

In my 200, 1st, 2nd and 3rd are always shifting hard. This only happened after I moved to the 285/75R17 (34") tires.

Could HPTuners tune the transmission on a 200? sometimes it's in the VCM suite.

HPTuners can only tune up to 2015 200’s