Tuning a 10th gen daily driver... just do it!

[jack.]

Theoretically, if I bought the TSP tune, I'd be able to load it in say, slot 4, keep Phearable in 5, then do some base KTuner maps on slots 1-3. I only own the Phearable tune and the tunes that came with the KTuner. I've been thinking about buying the TSP just for shits and giggles, just to compare the two, however



this exactly. You'd have to flash different tunes loaded in the different slots, and you can only have one active. Better wording than what I had. lol. To put that in real world terms, if I wanted to use the 21psi tune with quick enables, I'd have to park it, flash it to the ECU, then run with it, and I would not be able to use any of the Phearable stuff, since the only tune flashed to the ECU at that point would be the 21PSI tune with quick enables.

Thanks for the clarification, that makes a lot of sense. If I understand this correctly, you can have 5 different tunes on the ktuner device, but only one is active at a time. What you can actually switch between is the 3 different “sub-tunes” or stages within that tune. You need to flash the ecu again to change which of the 5 tunes you use, but you don’t need to do that for the stages. Again, thanks for the clarification.

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[Neddih]

I'm having multiple issues with my brand new Ktuner. I've reflashed twice now. Followed instructions to the letter. Still have no ACC and multiple orange dash lights on...and I can only switch between tune modes when I hit the MAIN button on the wheel and turn the LKAS off, which is weird because that has nothing to do with the cruise control. My first flash my LKAS wasn't even working. On the second reflash it decided to work. Drove the car for 12 highway and 8 town miles, a/c on, a/c off, fan on high, fan on low, no headlights on, traction control on and off, pretty much all the stuff I'd learned to do while using SCT software and an X4 device on several past cars (I'm not a rookie at tuning). I'm gonna find it unacceptable if my ACC system never comes back on and 4 orange dash lights stay on perpetually. I love the Phearable tune itself, but can't help but think compared to SCT devices Ktuner isn't all that great so far. I'll change my mind if this resolves itself, but its been pretty quirky so far and I've followed all advice to the letter so far. Just throwing that out there as a caution. Mine is a 2020 Sport Hatch 1.5t, maybe these newer model Civic's don't respond so well to Ktuner? I'll reflash for the 3rd time tomorrow morning and then drive the car again when its much cooler out and cross my fingers that whatever is going on resolves itself.

To be honest I would contact Ktuner or TSP depending on what tune you are using to make sure the tune is correct for your ecu.

 

[Deleted member 51112]

To be honest I would contact Ktuner or TSP depending on what tune you are using to make sure the tune is correct for your ecu.

The tune from Phearable works just fine, I'm happy with it even though its weird that the only way I can switch thru its 3 modes is by hitting the MAIN button on my wheel which then allows me to toggle thru the modes. Turning the LKAS off using MAIN button is the only way I can toggle thru the modes which is odd because LKAS has nothing to do with the cruise control and isn't mentioned at all in the instructions (which I've had repeated to me from multiple sources today). I just can't help but wonder if my car is so new its set up differently because only by accident (hitting the MAIN button wondering what the car would do) did I figure out how to finally switch modes...following the traditional advice on how to switch them doesn't work as advertised. And what's even more weird, on the first flash even my LKAS wouldn't work, but after I went back to stock then reflashed the second time it does work. brand new electronic devices, in my experience don't do quirky stuff like that if they are working properly. None of my SCT software or X4 devices for my 2018 Mustang GT, 2018 Fiesta ST (sold), 2017 Focus ST (sold), my 1996 SVT Cobra (sold) nor the one Dodge I tuned (a 2008 SRT4) ever did anything like this...but none of those cars had the safety nannies this 2020 Honda does either....so I might be comparing an apple to an orange there...still don't think brand new tuning devices should act this quirky, and this car is obviously very touchy, and I'm not convinced the device is working properly despite the tune itself working properly. I already regret my purchase...hope it gets resolved soon because I'm following instructions the way I'm being instructed to follow them and weird stuff is going on.

 

[xRiCeBoYx]

Thanks for the clarification, that makes a lot of sense. If I understand this correctly, you can have 5 different tunes on the ktuner device, but only one is active at a time. What you can actually switch between is the 3 different “sub-tunes” or stages within that tune. You need to flash the ecu again to change which of the 5 tunes you use, but you don’t need to do that for the stages. Again, thanks for the clarification.

More or less.

So, to give you a visual representation.. The solid bullets are each tune loaded into a slot, and only one can be active at a time. The last 2 slots have different maps for OTP map switching (denoted using the open bullets; on the fly map switching uses the cruise control buttons), and those are the different maps I have loaded

• KTuner Stage 0 - 15PSI
• KTuner Stage 1 - 18PSI
• KTuner Dual calibration (21psi/16.5psi eco mode)
• KTuner 21PSI with quick enables
  • Map 1 - 21PSI/16.5psi eco mode, factory responsiveness
  • Map 2 - 21PSI, improved responsiveness II, improved ramp II
  • Map 3 - 21PSI, improved responsiveness III, aggressive ramp II
• Phearable 1.5T non-Si CVT tune
  • Map 1 - ~15PSI
  • Map 2 - ~20PSI
  • Map 3 - ~24PSI

If I'm on slot 5, (Phearable tune), I can't use anything else (other than Phearable's Map 1, 2 or 3) unless I flash a different slot's tune to the ECU

 

[rwk226]

Went ahead and loaded my Phearable 1.5 tune today and while I didn't have much chance to actually get on it, regular cruising honestly feels better than stock by a longshot. Not as... sharp as what my customized Ktuner 15/18/21 w/ quick adjustments, if that makes any sense. There is definitely power down low, it's just tamed/more refined experience. That was just in map 1 too!

 

[rwk226]

I'm having multiple issues with my brand new Ktuner. I've reflashed twice now. Followed instructions to the letter. Still have no ACC and multiple orange dash lights on...and I can only switch between tune modes when I hit the MAIN button on the wheel and turn the LKAS off, which is weird because that has nothing to do with the cruise control. My first flash my LKAS wasn't even working. On the second reflash it decided to work. Drove the car for 12 highway and 8 town miles, a/c on, a/c off, fan on high, fan on low, no headlights on, traction control on and off, pretty much all the stuff I'd learned to do while using SCT software and an X4 device on several past cars (I'm not a rookie at tuning). I'm gonna find it unacceptable if my ACC system never comes back on and 4 orange dash lights stay on perpetually. I love the Phearable tune itself, but can't help but think compared to SCT devices Ktuner isn't all that great so far. I'll change my mind if this resolves itself, but its been pretty quirky so far and I've followed all advice to the letter so far. Just throwing that out there as a caution. Mine is a 2020 Sport Hatch 1.5t, maybe these newer model Civic's don't respond so well to Ktuner? I'll reflash for the 3rd time tomorrow morning and then drive the car again when its much cooler out and cross my fingers that whatever is going on resolves itself.

Pretty sure it is normal for lights to come on for the first bit after a tune. Did the lights go off after you shut down from your drive following your tune? If not, I would suggest emailing Ktuner with your issue if you haven't already. Usually it's just calibration stuff trying to calibrate again and nothing to worry about. But if it stays on long term you could have an issue with the drivers for Ktuner maybe? Keep us posted on what happens

 

[MetalKnightCivicHB]

Personally the best tune is custom tune. Its tweaked to your driving style and more safe that the shelf tune

 

[Deleted member 51112]

Pretty sure it is normal for lights to come on for the first bit after a tune. Did the lights go off after you shut down from your drive following your tune? If not, I would suggest emailing Ktuner with your issue if you haven't already. Usually it's just calibration stuff trying to calibrate again and nothing to worry about. But if it stays on long term you could have an issue with the drivers for Ktuner maybe? Keep us posted on what happens

No, but thanks for asking that part. Lights are still on after a 20 mile drive and ACC still not working. Tune itself makes the car run like a scared rabbit though...but even with that I won't find it acceptable if my ACC never works and I have multiple orange safety lights (including Brake System) showing failure on my dash perpetually. If I'd have thought all this was gonna happen I'd have never bought the device.

 

[rwk226]

No, but thanks for asking that part. Lights are still on after a 20 mile drive and ACC still not working. Tune itself makes the car run like a scared rabbit though...but even with that I won't find it acceptable if my ACC never works and I have multiple orange safety lights (including Brake System) showing failure on my dash perpetually. If I'd have thought all this was gonna happen I'd have never bought the device.

Understandable, what good is the tune if half the electronics are not working? I understand your concern and frustration but know this isn't the norm, especially with Ktuner. Surely there's an explanation and fix for this... Wish I knew more on how to help you man.

 

[gtman]

I also think JR at KTuner would be a good resource for CivicTooSlow to reach out to on this. We all know that some of these systems do take some time to re-initialize and apparently the Honda Sensing features are particularly fickle in this regard. I found this over at the Ktuner site:

"If you have driver assist technology packages some errors may stay until the vehicle is driven for a time so the modules can re-initialize. They lose communication during a flash and Honda stays on the safe side to not allow these to engage without passing checks during initialization."

And here's a guy who had a similar issue which resolved itself:

https://www.civicx.com/forum/threads/ktuner-v1-2-acc-lights-staying-on-after-flash-resolved.39249/

I know CivicTooSlow is frustrated (understandably) but I'm certain this issue will be a non-issue soon enough.

 

[Deleted member 51112]

Different day, same issues. Drove the car around town for 20 minutes, stopped off at a grocery store, was inside for approx. 10 minutes then drove home. ACC system still not working, 4 orange idiot lights lit up on my dash. I've followed Phearable's advice to the letter and did everything asked of me and at this point can't help but wonder why with the newer Civic with all these standard safety features they don't tell the truth about this to the customer. Knowing what I know now, I totally regret buying this Ktuner. Looks like I may have to seek some other remedy, like a return... worst tuning experience I've ever had.

 

[rwk226]

Went ahead and loaded my Phearable 1.5 tune today and while I didn't have much chance to actually get on it, regular cruising honestly feels better than stock by a longshot. Not as... sharp as what my customized Ktuner 15/18/21 w/ quick adjustments, if that makes any sense. There is definitely power down low, it's just tamed/more refined experience. That was just in map 1 too!

Actually got on the car today and WOW, it really is a wonder how Honda released the Civics making 174hp and 162tq... The Phearable tune in map 1 feels better than the stock tune did by far, and in slow traffic I don't experience the weird rubber band effect the CVTs can have at low speeds anymore, and really doesn't "feel" like a CVT once you get on it. Map1 is much more refined over stock, Map2 can definitely tickle your fancy if you are at low speeds, but Map 3 makes the car feel so much faster, it doesn't "feel" like a 4cylinder car, it feels like a v6. Throttle padding is much more refined than even stock tune was, and I still get really good fuel economy. Averaged 37.3mpg on my commute today even getting on the throttle a few times for some pulls. For those who are debating on tuning and whether or not Phearable is worth it, I cannot recommend it more.

 

[Deleted member 51112]

Actually got on the car today and WOW, it really is a wonder how Honda released the Civics making 174hp and 162tq... The Phearable tune in map 1 feels better than the stock tune did by far, and in slow traffic I don't experience the weird rubber band effect the CVTs can have at low speeds anymore, and really doesn't "feel" like a CVT once you get on it. Map1 is much more refined over stock, Map2 can definitely tickle your fancy if you are at low speeds, but Map 3 makes the car feel so much faster, it doesn't "feel" like a 4cylinder car, it feels like a v6. Throttle padding is much more refined than even stock tune was, and I still get really good fuel economy. Averaged 37.3mpg on my commute today even getting on the throttle a few times for some pulls. For those who are debating on tuning and whether or not Phearable is worth it, I cannot recommend it more.

I'm having a current issue with Phearable not allowing me to return a defective Ktuner....looks like I'm gonna have to get my credit card company involved. Wish I had your experience...mine's turning into a nightmare.

 

[gtman]

Actually got on the car today and WOW, it really is a wonder how Honda released the Civics making 174hp and 162tq... The Phearable tune in map 1 feels better than the stock tune did by far, and in slow traffic I don't experience the weird rubber band effect the CVTs can have at low speeds anymore, and really doesn't "feel" like a CVT once you get on it. Map1 is much more refined over stock, Map2 can definitely tickle your fancy if you are at low speeds, but Map 3 makes the car feel so much faster, it doesn't "feel" like a 4cylinder car, it feels like a v6. Throttle padding is much more refined than even stock tune was, and I still get really good fuel economy. Averaged 37.3mpg on my commute today even getting on the throttle a few times for some pulls. For those who are debating on tuning and whether or not Phearable is worth it, I cannot recommend it more.

100% echoes my thoughts. I had Hondata with their base tunes, several of my home-brewed Hondata maps, numerous KTuner maps, the TSP Stage 1 and the Phearable 1.5 tune. And before I got the Phearable tune, I thought the TSP 1 was outstanding.

But the magical 1.5 tune from Phearable is near perfect. It has a smoothness from low rpm to the top of the powerband that can't be beat. I think the sweet spot for a balanced everyday tune is Map 2. But even Map 1 makes the stock Honda map feel like utter crap. I reserve Map 3 and the nearly 25 psi I see on hard pulls for "special occasions".

 

[rwk226]

I'm having a current issue with Phearable not allowing me to return a defective Ktuner....looks like I'm gonna have to get my credit card company involved. Wish I had your experience...mine's turning into a nightmare.

Phearable refuses to help you? When I thought I had an issue with my Ktuner, Ktuner wanted me to send the unit directly to them for testing... I know we keep saying this but you've emailed Ktuner, right?? While Phearable sells the device, it's Ktuner's unit and they are usually very quick to help. If Phearable isn't willing to help you, you really should reach out to Ktuner. I had my unit 2 weeks, thought I had an issue, and emailed them. They took some info down, gave me their shipping address and told me to mail it to them if I couldn't get the issue resolved.

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