Time to tune???

Fellas, I think it’s about time, and I want (need) some help before I pull the proverbial trigger…

Truck is 2018 4x4 CM Platinum. 5.7 (I don’t believe it is Flex Fuel)
5.29 gears, and will have 285/75-18 by the time this tuning gets done. I currently have a Rough Country speedometer calibrator, and nothing else done.

Questions I have:
Which tuner? I see VF and others listed on here. Assuming I buy from a “tuner” such as Yotawerks, is this something I can install on my own? I’m assuming I may need to provide some ECU info or my VIN?

Will it eliminate the need for my speedometer calibrator?

Will it eliminate the 95 mph speed limiter?

Will I need Techstream, or other spendy software if I want to change preloaded tune parameters, such as transmission shift points or converter lockup?


Im really interested in tuning my truck, but I just don’t have a local shop that I know well. I also don’t have experience in this field, so I’m a bit leery… If I can get this thing to perform a little better than it currently does, great. I’m mostly horned up for the transmission improvements, especially when towing.

 

There's different tuning softwares, and then there's different companies that utilize that software. If you want a specific company, like YotaWerx as you stated, they most likely have their preferred software and you just go with that and it's a package and voila. Pick the company you want based on their features and they explain the rest.

If you have any inkling of wanting to do stuff yourself, then I would research the software features and then you can always choose a company to give you a tune with that software. At the end of the day you can flash your truck as much as you want and try different companies tunes, but whatever software you end up with (unless you buy multiple) you're now stuck with that ecosystem. Think Apple vs Android, and each one has specific apps. Some are on both, some only on one. If you want an app specifically, and don't care what operating system then just get that app. If you'd rather use other features of the operating system, then start by looking at that.

With that said, and there are a ton of opinions, they mostly do the same thing. In my opinion if you have any desire to change things yourself, go with HPT since VF was (and maybe this changed) a complete cluster to work with let alone find information about. HPT is at least reliable with some decent resources.

Most tuning companies will do a couple free of charge tuning alterations, but outside of getting the tune setup one time I personally don't like to rely on that. There is also the issue that you can't rapidly change things since you're at the mercy of their workload and speed. Most companies also lock their tunes so you cannot change them yourself.

You need to send ECU information or your stock tune, this is easy and the company will tell you how to do that. If you make your own tune, this is the same process since I'm both cases you'll start out with your stock tune (provided by the software company) and work from there.

Again, been awhile since I touched VF so I won't comment there, but with HPT you cannot change the speedometer. You can input gearing (and tire size....?) but the speedo won't change.

Yes speed limiter is easy to remove.

Techstream and tuning softwares don't generally overlap in their capability. Shift points and engine parameters are all things any tuning software can do, what they can't do is things like turning off door jam beeping or automatic door locks and stuff like that (usually).

I started a little over a year ago in a similar spot when I got HPT. I had OV (evolved into VF) and hadn't been a fan of the results, but things may be better now. I'd definitely recommend going through a company though. HPT I had a forum member send me a tune and played around with my own a little bit, and recently (past two months) have been running my own tune. If you're not supercharged then tuning is a lot easier, though if you're trying to pull out every ounce of power you'll inevitably want to go with a professional tuning company who has the resources to test every possible parameter. If your main goal is to adjust transmission performance and remove torque limits and stuff, that is all very easy and probably doesn't require a tuning company. Though again, you can flash as much as possible so can always do both routes like I have!

Hopefully that gives you some initial ideas. There is also a thread on here that will give you some insight into HPT: https://www.tundras.com/threads/instructions-for-custom-tuning-the-truck-with-hptuners.70590/

VF has their own forum and not a lot of information on here. YotaWerx can probably answer most things.

 

Pretty sure I’ll buy you a beer if our paths ever physically cross…

 

Everything that @snivilous said...

My experience is limited to DAP tune. He is like YotaWerx in that he's researched these ECUs inside and out, played with various settings and canned a tune that is safe, reliable, and garners minor improvements to shift points, hp increases, torque increases, and removing the governor.

Beyond that, HPT can be more specific to your needs and tailor a tune to whatever you wanna do with your rig. You'll have to supply data logs, send them, wait until they send them back, install, try out, then rinse/repeat.

 

How important or necessary is a tune for things like shift points after a regear? Is it simply preference or does adjusting shift points allow one to get the most outta their drivetrain after regear and larger tires? I'm overall happy with how my truck drives (towing and not towing) after the regear, just hear talk about tune and wonder.

 

Depends on where you land with cost vs. reward. If you buy the mpvi, the credits, and have it tuned on a dyno, you’ll be over a grand. Save $400 if you use their mpvi, but then you can’t tinker with it later….

Is it necessary? No. Gearing alone is a huge improvement.

Is it really nice after tuning? Absolutely. The improvements are a little tough for me to describe, but it is 100% noticeable. A little bit more power, but a lot better drivability.

 

One of the original VF Tuner users here and agree it was a cluster coming out the gate. That being said vendors like Yotawerx have picked up where others left off and salvaged the user experience. I still enjoy my VF Tune and appreciate the continuous support. I will say the Tune results are felt and I enjoy it every chance I get. Many options available but recommend something you understand and can grow with because we are never done with modding...

 

I keep going back and forth on a tune as well. My plan is to do headers down the road so that'll make a difference there. The big thing for me currently is the shifting points, it's just so clunky sometimes and randomly downshifts at weird times. I know others have voiced this as well, but it would be nice to clean that up a bit.

 

If the transmission control is frustrating, you want a tune…. Do it now, then adjust for the headers later. So worth it…

 

Tune time. Steppin away from the DAP...