Tuning for beginners

[aighead]

Hi All, I've done a fair amount of scrolling through the forums to see if I can find what I'm looking for, but so far I can't, maybe y'all can help?

First, is there a thread somewhere that covers this? Can you point it out, please? My searches aren't coming up with anything well but maybe I'm just entering the wrong words...

I have a 2017 Si Coupe that I'm considering a Ktuner for, I'm think V2 but I don't really know the difference there either. I've never tuned a car ever, and this is the most performancey car I've owned. I see things like a paid for tune (TSP1?) but it also looks like you can start with some of the tunes that come with the Ktuner and modify them a bit. I'd say I'm semi-mechanically inclined but only know so much about cars, and there is a ton of tuning info here.

So, are paid for tunes the best/only way to go? Can I do serious damage if I don't tune it correctly? Is this the sort of thing a beginner can do? I really appreciate all the info here but from my perspective it gets very overwhelming. I don't expect the process to be easy but maybe it is, just refining gets challenging?

Thanks!

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[D-RobIMW]

Hi All, I've done a fair amount of scrolling through the forums to see if I can find what I'm looking for, but so far I can't, maybe y'all can help?

First, is there a thread somewhere that covers this? Can you point it out, please? My searches aren't coming up with anything well but maybe I'm just entering the wrong words...

I have a 2017 Si Coupe that I'm considering a Ktuner for, I'm think V2 but I don't really know the difference there either. I've never tuned a car ever, and this is the most performancey car I've owned. I see things like a paid for tune (TSP1?) but it also looks like you can start with some of the tunes that come with the Ktuner and modify them a bit. I'd say I'm semi-mechanically inclined but only know so much about cars, and there is a ton of tuning info here.

So, are paid for tunes the best/only way to go? Can I do serious damage if I don't tune it correctly? Is this the sort of thing a beginner can do? I really appreciate all the info here but from my perspective it gets very overwhelming. I don't expect the process to be easy but maybe it is, just refining gets challenging?

Thanks!

Hello!

Unfortunately you won't find a whole lot of DIY tuning information when it comes to this platform yet (since the platform is relatively new and the cars are still relatively expensive, a lot of people are too scared to venture too far into the software themselves).

That being said, you do have the ability to do some damage if you edit certain values.

Off the shelf tunes like the TSP1/2 (which I actually developed, shameless self plug) seem to fit most setups pretty well, and offer a substantial upgrade over the 'starter' maps. Of course, custom tuning is 100% always the best way to go, as every car is different.

 

[NoKz]

Like Derek stated, not a lot of people here want to mess with the tune on their own. There's too much at stake to risk it. So, a lot of us turn to OTS (Off The Shelf) tunes. The KTuner tunes are great starters for those getting into tuning. There's no doubt about it as most people here use them. But I will 100% stand behind Derek's TSP Stage 1 and Stage 2 tunes available from @Two Step Performance . They are simply the best OTS tunes out there right now. The next step up would be a custom tune.

To answer your question about the V1.2 or the V2, it's easy.

• KTuner v1.2 - No Screen to display data, but you can use TunerView on your head-unit to view the data.
• KTuner v2 - Comes with display screen that aids in flashing tunes without the use of Software and displays data.

Both will do the same thing, it's just that one comes with a screen that you can mount somewhere that shows critical information such as temps, oil pressure, AFR, etc. But if you root your head-unit, you can use TunerView to display the exact same data on it. I personally have a v1.2 with Tunerview.

TunerView On The Head-Unit to the Right

If you want a tune that's going to make a night and day difference, then order your KTuner from
TwoStep Performance (<---Link) and select the Stage 1 Tune Option.

You won't need to change a thing and the car will feel like a whole new machine. This is truly how the car should have came from the factory. If you get a PRL Cobra CAI in the future, TSP will even upgrade your tune to include the Race MAF option if you go that route.

Personally, I've pretty much reached all bolt-ons and the next uprade is the 27Won Turbo upgrade. I plan on having Derek E-Tune it once installed.

 

[aighead]

Thanks guys! Is the screen on v2 worth it if I do root the head unit?

Does the head unit not function as normal if it's been rooted? Like is the UI for the radio and climate control junk work like normal?

I assume most people untune before taking the car in for service even though they can likely poke around and figure it out? Does a rooted head unit un-root easily?

Thanks again, all this info will be beautiful once I get into it.

 

[NoKz]

Thanks guys! Is the screen on v2 worth it if I do root the head unit?

That's up to you. The screen is an extra $200 or so. Rooting the head-unit will cost you like $25.

Does the head unit not function as normal if it's been rooted? Like is the UI for the radio and climate control junk work like normal?

Head-Unit functions as normal. You can just do cool stuff like add Waze or Netflix to it. Me personally, I have a SNES Emulator on it that allows me to play Super Nintendo games on it when I need to kill time. All other controls on the head-unit and steering wheel function as normal. All it does is give you more options on your head-unit.

Here's how I rooted my Head-Unit step-by-step.

I assume most people untune before taking the car in for service even though they can likely poke around and figure it out? Does a rooted head unit un-root easily?

No need to unroot the head-unit. It's something that most dealerships won't even notice or even know about.

 

[gtman]

One thing to keep in mind that rarely gets mentioned is you must have a laptop to lock and unlock to and from your ECU with the V1.2. I understand that it's something you'd only do every so often like the initial lock and dealer visits but it's something to think about. With the V2, the unit handles all that directly.

You get real time readouts from the V2's 5" screen which is a plus, too. I also have Tunerview on my head unit (it's very cool) but it's glitchy for me and constantly needs to be re-paired to my head unit.

As far as Honda Hack and dealer visits, there is a "hide option" so if the dealer gets nosy, they see nothing.

 

[Hondaman_MI]

All this tuner talk has me hoping winter is over soon. I miss detailing and going on joy rides

 

[cruisencode]

One thing to keep in mind that rarely gets mentioned is you must have a laptop to lock and unlock to and from your ECU with the V1.2. I understand that it's something you'd only do every so often like the initial lock and dealer visits but it's something to think about. With the V2, the unit handles all that directly.

This is not entirely true. You can lock and unlock the v1.2 using a desktop. You just need to make multiple trips out to your vehicle. I have done this a few times. It's a bit annoying, but not the end of the world.

 

[dallasjhawk]

Thanks guys! Is the screen on v2 worth it if I do root the head unit?

Does the head unit not function as normal if it's been rooted? Like is the UI for the radio and climate control junk work like normal?

I assume most people untune before taking the car in for service even though they can likely poke around and figure it out? Does a rooted head unit un-root easily?

Thanks again, all this info will be beautiful once I get into it.

I have the v2 and the head unit hack. Sometimes on road trips I like to have google maps up if I dont know where Im going so having the v2 lets me still see my gauges

 

[NoKz]

I have the v2 and the head unit hack. Sometimes on road trips I like to have google maps up if I dont know where Im going so having the v2 lets me still see my gauges

The brightness of the pink!

 

[Boomba Racing]

I have the v2 and the head unit hack. Sometimes on road trips I like to have google maps up if I dont know where Im going so having the v2 lets me still see my gauges

Thats pretty slick. Just a matter of Jailbreaking the headunit right?

 

[KTuner]

Thats pretty slick. Just a matter of Jailbreaking the headunit right?

Yup, full details outlined here:
http://ktuner.com/KTunerHelp/tunerview_lite.htm

 

[dallasjhawk]

Thats pretty slick. Just a matter of Jailbreaking the headunit right?

yeah man! Thanks for the compliment. Tunerview is badass with all the different gauge setups and color schemes you can make. As Ktuner replied, just follow the hack steps and you are good to go. Doesnt take long either

 

[aighead]

Yup, full details outlined here:
http://ktuner.com/KTunerHelp/tunerview_lite.htm

Maybe this is a dumb question but is tunerview available without the tuner?

 

[KTuner]

Maybe this is a dumb question but is tunerview available without the tuner?

The TunerView app (Not TunerView Lite) supports multiple protocols and devices. Without a device where will the data come from though?

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