Viktor G Tuning

I am taking a break from remote tuning for now.
Please check back later.

I am offering custom engine/transmission remote tuning services using HPTuners hardware and software on 2007-2018 Tundras equipped with the 5.7 L engine.

Please read the following FAQ to understand exactly what I am offering. If you have questions that are not covered below, please message me. Thank you.

What is custom ECU tuning?
The engine ECU contains software that controls the various parameters under which the engine runs. These parameters include achieving the appropriate balance between fuel consumption, power, torque, fuel emissions, and reliability. In seeking this balance the factory ECU software settings often do not prioritize power or torque, which means it is possible to increase the performance of the engine by remapping the ECU. In addition to that, there are many throttle and torque limits built into the factory ECU maps that choke the engine performance in many circumstances.

Is this tune achieved with a piggy back device or a stand-alone ECU?
Neither. What we offer is custom tuning of you original factory Toyota/Lexus ECU using HPTuners hardware and software. There are no physical changes done to your vehicle other than software changes to the tables and parameters inside of your factory ECU.

What ECU parameters can be tuned/remapped?
Rev limit, speed limit, air fuel ratio (AFR), ignition timing, tire size (does not affect speedometer readings), final drive gear ratio, throttle response/sensitivity, transmission shift points, throttle limits under various driving conditions, disabling the limp mode with air injection pump fault codes, transmission line pressure, torque reduction during gear shifts, camshaft variable valve timing (VVTi) and more.

Will I be able to see the tune parameters myself to see what changes were made?
No, we sell a tune that is custom calibrated to your vehicle and the way you drive it. We do not sell the actual data within the tune or any of the calibration tables. That data was developed over many hours of dyno tuning and road testing, and is considered proprietary intellectual information.

How does the remote tuning process work?
You will need to confirm with HPTuners that your particular vehicle and ECU calibration ID is supported by them. After that, you will have to purchase the HPTuners MPVI2 hardware and install the VCM Suite software on your Windows laptop. Connect to the vehicle and confirm that you can get the stock calibration file for it from HPTuners. After that, you will contact us to let us know the model and year of your vehicle and fill out a questionnaire detailing your driving style, vehicle modification information and the changes you would like to be done to your ECU parameters. You will send us the stock calibration .hpt file for your vehicle and we will build a custom tune for you to flash into your vehicle’s ECU. You will take the vehicle for a test drive and data log multiple ECU parameters using our Channel Config file to make sure everything is working properly. If there are any adjustments that need to be done, we will do them at that time and send you a new file for you to flash into your ECU again. The whole process will take from a few days to a couple of weeks if retuning is needed.

How does the in-person tuning process work?
You will let us know the model and year of your vehicle and fill out a questionnaire detailing your driving style, vehicle modification information and the changes you would like to be done to your ECU parameters. You will come to us and we will connect the MPVI2 interface to retrieve your stock file. Once we confirm that your vehicle ECU is in fact tunable with HPTuners, you will pay us for the tune (we need payment upfront, because once we unlock your ECU with our HPTuners credits, those credits get used up and are not refundable). After that, we will build a custom tune for you and flash it into your vehicle’s ECU. We will take the vehicle for a test drive and data log multiple ECU parameters to make sure everything is working properly. If there are any adjustments that need to be done, we will do them at that time and reflash your ECU again. Once we are satisfied with the tune performance, you can pick the vehicle up. The whole process will take somewhere between 2-4 hours.

Can the tune damage my ECU?
The tune itself cannot damage the ECU, but the process of tuning can. If there is an interruption while the ECU maps are being overwritten, the ECU may end up in a partially erased state (bricked) and unable to function. The interruption could be due to the vehicle battery voltage dropping too low (such as if the battery charger that is used during the reflash failing or getting unplugged), the laptop that is being used for tuning getting unplugged or having the battery depleted, the Windows software or the HPTuners software crashing during the reflash. If your ECU does get bricked during the in-person tuning process due to an issue with our software or hardware, we will work with you on getting the ECU sent out to HPTuners to get unlocked and programming it to your vehicle at our expense. If your ECU gets bricked during the remote tuning process due to an issue with your software or hardware, we will work with you on getting the ECU sent out to HPTuners to get unlocked and programming it to your vehicle at your expense.

Do I need to do anything special to prepare my vehicle for tuning?
For us to tune your vehicle it has to be in good mechanical shape and running smoothly. You have to have the proper octane gasoline in the tank before we tune the ECU for that particular octane. You should have the basic maintenance done on it, such as a reasonably clean air filter, fuel filter, injectors and mass air flow sensor, spark plugs that are not worn out and were replaced at the proper interval, no misfire or other fuel or engine performance related fault codes in the engine ECU. In many cases you will be required to install an aftermarket wideband AFR gauge on your truck if it is supercharged before we can tune it. This is due to the factory A/F sensors only being able to read down to 12:1 AFR and that is way too lean for the supercharged engine. Also, on most flex fuel vehicles you will lose the ability to run on E85, and will only be able to drive on gasoline (unless we tune it to run on E85 only). The flex fuel system on these trucks is quite rudimentary and issue prone, so we prefer disabling it to prevent any problems from creeping in such as the truck thinking it is full of ethanol while it is in fact filled with gasoline and vice versa.

Can the tune be detected by the dealership and void my warranty?
The fact that your truck is tuned is very unlikely to be detected by the dealership because the ECU calibration ID stays the same. The only way a tune could be detected is by observing things such as higher than stock rev limiter or speed limiter. The chance of the dealership staff operating your vehicle under those conditions AND noticing that it is outside of stock parameters is almost zero. Even if the dealership knew that the vehicle is tuned, they would have to prove that the tune is directly responsible for the failure you are trying to get warrantied.

What would happen if the dealership updated my ECU calibration as part of a repair or recall?
Sometimes the manufacturer will release updated ECU calibrations to address an issue that they find with the vehicle. In case the dealership does update your ECU calibration, the custom tune in it will be overwritten back to stock. In that case, you would have to get the ECU reflashed again to the custom tune parameters. You would have to pay to unlock the ECU again and have your custom tune flashed into the new ECU ID.

Will the tune improve my fuel economy or make it worse?
In general, the custom tune will not have any effect on fuel economy. This is because under normal (closed loop) driving conditions, the ECU is trying to target a stoichiometric air/fuel ratio (AFR), which provides for a good balance between emissions and fuel economy. Our custom tune does not change any of the engine parameters during closed loop operation. Where it does change things, is under load during moderate/heavy throttle application. While some people may experience a change in fuel economy, it is simply due to the fact that they end up applying the throttle more to feel the newfound power of their vehicle more often.

Will your tune make my vehicle engine or transmission wear out faster?
There is a small chance that it might, depending on what specific things you request with the tune. If you want changes done that will dramatically increase the rev limit of the engine to let's say 7000+ RPM, the vehicle speed limit or changes that will affect transmission torque reduction on upshifts for example, those changes could marginally shorten the life of some powertrain components under certain conditions. Also, if you ask us to make a tune for 93 octane but then fill up with 87 and beat the crap out of the truck, it may cause issues. If you keep most things stock, and just optimize fuel and timing tables or remove some throttle limits, those changes are unlikely to make anything fail sooner, and may instead add longevity to your engine since now it is operating under more favorable conditions.

Do you provide any warranty with your tune against mechanical failure or check engine light setting?
We do not provide any mechanical warranty in case of engine, transmission or other failure. Since your vehicle is a complex machine with hundreds of mechanical parts working together in unison to make it operate, we cannot predict when a part of that mechanism will fail. One thing that is certain is that eventually something in your engine and transmission will wear out, whether that vehicle is custom tuned or not. We will not be held liable for any mechanical failure regardless of how soon after tuning that failure happens.

What is the cost to have the tune done?
The HPTuners MPVI2 costs $250 USD and the MPVI2+ costs $300 USD. You will also need to buy 4 credits from HPTuners to unlock your ECU and be able to write a tune into it. Our remote tuning pricing will vary based on your vehicle setup, whether it is NA or supercharged and your skill/experience with using the laptop for tuning and using the HPTuners hardware/software package. A large portion of the process can be spent on explaining the customer what to do and how to set everything up and walk them through every step from the very beginning to the end. If you figure out how to do most of the setup, reading, writing and data logging yourself, that will save us a significant amount of time and therefore money.

How much horsepower would I expect to gain from your tune?
Since every vehicle is different, it is almost impossible to answer this question. There is also quite a bit more to custom tuning than just raw power numbers. There is a lot of optimization that can be done with transmission shift points, torque management, engine torque limits, VVTi angle adjustment, throttle response etc. These changes will result in your vehicle being much quicker, even though the power may not be increased dramatically. As an example, on our NA truck running 87 octane fuel, we were able to shave off about 0.6-0.7 seconds from the 0-60 times. On a stock TRD supercharged truck, we picked up about 75 whp from the tune alone!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHzR0ILcarU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q18dzzlHM7Y

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAJem_bqyOo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Obz4rM05h3c

 

Viktor, do you know if HP tuner can work on 2020+? if so, are you willing to do remote tune?

 

They only support up to 2018

 

Awesome!

There's definitely a difference that you can see between the TRD tune using COT to drag those AFRs down to 9-10 vs. your own power enrichment strategy. Are you using delay/load timers to enrichen for part throttle with a full open loop crossover at a throttle plate position? Partial throttle enrichment is always what has me curious strategy wise given these trucks don't have MAP sensors to tell boost.

 

Got any friends there you can get to include the 05-06 tundras?

 

Any thoughts on the base HPTuners tune? I'm currently running that which came with the magnuson, but looking into a custom tune if it's worth it.

 

Would you do remote tuning on a pre-2018 then I was just thinking of watching all your videos tomorrow and decide then to go HPT or not

 

Bummer................ if anyone can crack that I think there's at least 10-20 of us willing to fork over the money.

 

HP Tuners is working on it. Last I checked they still haven't cracked the 2019s unfortunately; they reported "soon" some time back but I haven't seen much from them since then.

 

Since it is taking so much of my time and money to develop a good tune, I unfortunately won't be able to comment on the specifics of how everything is done as I am planning to potentially start selling tunes and remote tune Tundras in the future.

 

I would, but so far I have not been impressed with my experience communicating with their tech support staff. They have given me answers that turned out to be incorrect. I don't think I'll be making friends there lol.

 

From what I've seen, the base HPTuners supercharged tune is an almost exact copy of the TRD tune, with all the shortcomings that the TRD tune has.
The stock tune in my video was a base S/C tune provided by HPtuners, and as you can see it is not ideal by any means.
Also, custom tuning with HP would allow so many more modifications, shift points, torque management, AFR, timing, REV limiter, speed limiter, etc etc.

 

Yes, I am planning on starting to tune 2007-2018 customer trucks. I am currently working on a non flex S/C tune, followed by a NA tune.
Toyota does not sell flex fuel Tundras in Canada, but I have a client in Colorado who owns a 2018 flex S/C truck that I will be building a tune for shortly (this is the same guy who has a Tundra engine swapped supercharged 4Runner that I remote tuned last month).

 

Mines a 2008 non flex, so I'm already in your ball park you tell me what's needed and how much and I'll order a HPT tonight. I've lost hope in OVT, all I want is a tune that isn't running super rich or lean and doesn't shift like a retard, so far nothing I've tried can do that I just want a good baseline so my truck doesn't death lol

 

Yeah, I gave up on Mat and OVtune a year ago. If you want a proper tune from me, you need to upgrade the fuel pump. The stock pump is barely adequate even for the stock tune. I am waiting to install an upgraded pump (Walbro Ti450 F90000274) in my test vehicle before I take it back to the dyno and finalize the tune, work out pricing etc. (we couldn't finish because we ran out of fuel). Give me a few weeks and I should have it all completed and sorted out.

 

My truck is nearly identical to the one in that video, same Aeromotive 340 or whatever but I have the URD pulley on the magnuson. If I need more pump I'll get more pump as needed.

 

Damn. My buddy had me pull apart the ecu. He thinks he can brute force his way in from the programming pads on it. Just wish someone had a nice plug in tuner for the old 4.7s

 

Yeah, get more pump and by the time you install it, I should be close to having a polished tune available for you. The truck in the video has a Aeromotive 325 lph, which is pretty close to what you have. Do you have a wideband AFR gauge on it?

 

@ViktorG with your recent Harrop supercharger install, would a HP tune be available in the future for the 2019+ guys? Seems like a bunch of us are getting this installed!
Thanks

 

Of course I meant once support is available for our ecu

 

I do, I have a boost/vacuum and wideband gauges, and also monitor timing and temperatures and other stuff through Torque Pro. Would you suggest getting that same Walbro Ti450 pump? Is that what you run, or would you suggest something bigger just to be safe? I have the green injectors installed that came with the Magnuson too.

 

When HP cracks the ECU, yes. But who knows how long that will be.

 

I run an external Aeromotive A1000 Eliminator 630 lph on my race truck, but is would be overkill for your setup and hard to install into stock fuel tank. I have not used the Ti450 myself yet, will be installing 2 of them shortly into friends' trucks and will let you know how it goes. Should be plenty for up to 700 hp.
Oh, and the green injectors will be almost maxed for your setup, but can be still used if fuel pressure is turned up by boost referencing the regulator.

 

@ViktorG I'm in line for a tune too! 2014 non-flex Magnuson S/C. I have 5.29 gears too. Keep us updated please.

 

Will do!

 

Not a problem, makes sense! If I had a truck compatible with HPT I'd be contacting you about a tune but until then, the canned Magnuson tune seems to be "good enough" for now.

Are you still worried about piston 5 with "adequate" tuning and a properly spec'ed pump on a stock short block? I've actually got an Aeromotive 325 in my truck (I commented on your YouTube videos about this before) and feel like we are basically the only people stuffing these pumps into these trucks. Seems everyone else is using the 340.

 

I would be up for a flex fuel tune as well.

 

If you're taking orders I'd be in for a 2017 Flex Fuel Magnuson tune. I'm currently running the HPTuners that came with it. No other mods right now except for the TRD catback exhaust.

 

Supercharged?

 

Flex fuel supercharged tune will be in the works soon! I am not taking orders right now, don't want to go the way of another tuner and completely overwhelm myself and not be able to deliver.
I will post updates here as they develop.