My Supercharged 2016 Lexus LX 570 (1 Viewer)

[eZKimChi]

So I purchased my 2016 Lexus LX with the goal of supercharging it at some point. After deciding to go with Harrop I pulled the trigger this June and installed the S/C in my garage over a weekend. Needless to say the install was super easy and straightforward especially with an extra set of hands to help. The truck starts, idles and drives perfectly and if I didn't tell you it was supercharged you would never have known! But there is one exception which happens only sometimes at WOT and that was the transmission not shifting fast enough and bouncing the rev limiter or hitting fuel cut right at redline.

So the next step was to find a tuner and get my truck properly tuned right? Wrong.
There was 0 support for 2016+ models due to the ecu... I pestered so many different shops and tuners but the only one I found was VFTuner aka OVTuning and they said that they did "crack" the 2016+ ecu's but I would need to send my ecu out to them in S. Korea to have it unlocked and calibrated so that a tune can be performed. So I bought a 2nd ecu so that while my first one is sent off I could still drive my truck and thank god for that because long story short it took 5 months to get a working ecu back! It was a roller coaster of emotions during those months but I'm glad to have done it because now the truck drives absolutely perfect!

Those of you guys that want to S/C but are hesitant because of the tuning ecu issue no longer need to wait because according to my tuner I am the guinea pig and they are building a good tune file from scratch. So far we have just baselined to make sure the engine isn't going to melt down and fixed the fuel cut and shifting issues. The next session is to see how much power we can extract and the final session will be when I install the stage-2 upgrades (650cc injectors, 80mm pulley) which should be sometime in January.

Here are some pics and vids to keep you guys entertained

 

[eZKimChi]

I don't know how to add videos but here are a couple pics of the dyno session before the S/C and after with the first baseline tune.

 

[Neal13]

Good numbers bud, can't wait to see stage 2 numbers. Your lexs looks great diffently the route I'm going with. Keep us updated. Think there's any advantage for a tune with just bolt on's?

 

[NKP Garage]

Very nice setup. How do you like it now? Was it worth the cost and headache so far? Enough of an improvement?

 

[05ls430518]

Your truck is amazing looking nice job with the SC also.

 

[gluaisrothai]

So I purchased my 2016 Lexus LX with the goal of supercharging it at some point. After deciding to go with Harrop I pulled the trigger this June and installed the S/C in my garage over a weekend. Needless to say the install was super easy and straightforward especially with an extra set of hands to help. The truck starts, idles and drives perfectly and if I didn't tell you it was supercharged you would never have known! But there is one exception which happens only sometimes at WOT and that was the transmission not shifting fast enough and bouncing the rev limiter or hitting fuel cut right at redline.

So the next step was to find a tuner and get my truck properly tuned right? Wrong.
There was 0 support for 2016+ models due to the ecu... I pestered so many different shops and tuners but the only one I found was VFTuner aka OVTuning and they said that they did "crack" the 2016+ ecu's but I would need to send my ecu out to them in S. Korea to have it unlocked and calibrated so that a tune can be performed. So I bought a 2nd ecu so that while my first one is sent off I could still drive my truck and thank god for that because long story short it took 5 months to get a working ecu back! It was a roller coaster of emotions during those months but I'm glad to have done it because now the truck drives absolutely perfect!

Those of you guys that want to S/C but are hesitant because of the tuning ecu issue no longer need to wait because according to my tuner I am the guinea pig and they are building a good tune file from scratch. So far we have just baselined to make sure the engine isn't going to melt down and fixed the fuel cut and shifting issues. The next session is to see how much power we can extract and the final session will be when I install the stage-2 upgrades (650cc injectors, 80mm pulley) which should be sometime in January.

Here are some pics and vids to keep you guys entertained

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Nice success story...I am hoping for the same. I shipped a new ECU to OV tune a few months ago and they say they have cracked it...but went radio silent when I asked them to ship it back. How did they manage shipping for you? Did they want you to buy a tune first or just charge you for the freight? Thx.

 

[StephenChelly]

Very cool, I see alot of the supercharger content on Tundras, less so on the LC / LX. I'm thinking about one for my Tundra down the road and not sure between the Harrop or the new Magnuson 2650. Looking forward to the stage 2 update!

 

[eZKimChi]

Good numbers bud, can't wait to see stage 2 numbers. Your lexs looks great diffently the route I'm going with. Keep us updated. Think there's any advantage for a tune with just bolt on's?

Thanks I appreciate it! It's been a labor of love lol

The main advantage for getting the tune is to ensure that your motor will last as long as possible by giving you a safety margin for fueling. In my research I've found that running the stage-1 supercharger as is without a tune and just the higher flowing fuel pump/ fpr is indeed possible BUT the margin for error is razor thin. Most tundra guys have reported that the stock injectors are maxed out and run very lean top end, also the other big issue is hitting fuel cut at redline and the transmission shifting super harsh or too slowly.

 

[eZKimChi]

Very nice setup. How do you like it now? Was it worth the cost and headache so far? Enough of an improvement

Now I am loving it and feel it was worth every penny! I truly feel this is how these trucks should have came from the factory. Before the tune I will admit I was feeling let down and remorse because I couldn't really enjoy the increase in power, I didn't want to risk damaging anything and always had to drive cautiously.

 

[eZKimChi]

Nice success story...I am hoping for the same. I shipped a new ECU to OV tune a few months ago and they say they have cracked it...but went radio silent when I asked them to ship it back. How did they manage shipping for you? Did they want you to buy a tune first or just charge you for the freight? Thx.

Brother the main reason it took 5 months to get my ecu back is precisely that!! I had to send my ecu twice!
Matt is an amazing guy and knows his s*** and I know he's got a lot on his plate but it took every bit of patience to stay calm and wait for him to respond back. He will get back to you eventually so just be patient, usually about 2-3 weeks and he'll pop back on to inform you its been shipped. I was only charged freight which still came out to nearly $900.

 

[prez1967]

I've wanted to supercharge our 2017 LX570 for a couple of years now...

I recently bought a 2004 CL55, made some upgrades and understand what you mean by adding a tune to keep tabs on the margin of safety. With my CL55, the cooling system needed the most attention because Intake Air Temps need to be managed or thats where the risk of damage occurs.

Have you logged IATs on this setup? Whats done for intercooling?

If I keep our LX, it'll likely see a blower but it would be a truck I'd depend on for almost daily duties so it would be tough to run it on a razor wire of reliability LOL