My KTuner experience - an ongoing journal

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gtman

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You can switch the 3 maps on the fly using the cc buttons... without the KTuner unit being hooked up.

The only advantage of keeping the unit plugged in is that it memorizes what map you were using at key off. If you don't keep the unit plugged in it will always revert to map 1 at startup.
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Didn't want to start a new thread, but a couple of thoughts:

I just removed the KTuner and unlocked in preparation for recall / inspection / other stuff likely tomorrow. Went slick as snot thanks to all I've learned right in these very halls. I'll check back in when I put it back on. I'm updating here to show those who've not made the jump yet, just how easy it is. The KTuner makes this car SO MUCH FUN to drive. I'm older, not a hot head and have no need to race / beat anyone (and I do NOT say that to disparage ANYONE), but I do like being able to go from here to there when I want to. And THAT is cool.

For those that DO want to push it with all these tools, I say a genuine thank you. I've learned so much from you all. But more than that, I've gained confidence in trying things because you've blazed the trail.

Carry on. If you're on the fence, jump in. The water is refreshing and loads of fun.
 

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The only advantage of keeping the unit plugged in is that it memorizes what map you were using at key off.
Second advantage, i can see the real time parameters on my honda connect display.
 
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Second advantage, i can see the real time parameters on my honda connect display.
The thing is, he asked specifically whether it was needed for on the fly map switching. We all know it needs to be plugged in to monitor parameters. :cool:
 

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You can swtich any time. It will only save it if the device is plugged in to do so and it will only load it at key on for you if the device is plugged in to do so.
 


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Been really happy with my KTuner 2.0 so far! The initial setup was a bit of a pain because none my USB ports on my desktop computer was able to drive the unit + the display at the same time so it kept rebooting the tuner. Been driving with TSP stage 1 for about 300 miles now and it's been awesome. Not looking forward to my 5k miles service though. I guess it would be safest to reflash back to factory, or what do you all think?
 
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Definitely a wise move to flash to stock for dealer visits.
 

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I just removed the KTuner and unlocked in preparation for recall / inspection / other stuff likely tomorrow.
To clarify, I read it was recommended to flash ECU back to stock when bring the car to the dealer but should you also unlock Ktuner from the ECU too?
 

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great question - I do not know the answer.
 
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To clarify, I read it was recommended to flash ECU back to stock when bring the car to the dealer but should you also unlock Ktuner from the ECU too?
You can unlock it if you want but I don't for routine visits. I will however unlock it when I have the oil dilution software update soon. For oil changes and such, there's really no need IMO.
 


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I returned my car to stock in advance of taking my car in to the dealer for service. Going from the TSP Stage 1 to the stock tune is quite a shock. Feels like I went from a turbo Civic to a Fit. :cool:

Seriously, the stock tune has no guts whatsoever.
 

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Sometimes it's not the heat, it's the humidity...

Driving to work early this morning with 60 degree temps and relatively low humidity, my car was a beast.

Coming home though, the temps were the same but the humidity was sky high...

IMG_20191003_125301.jpg


And instead of feeling like a beast, my car barely felt like it had stock power. Very high humidity definitely zaps quite a bit of power from our turbos.
I wonder if aftermarket intercooler would help maintaining performance from the tuning when the level humidity is high. 90% plus humidity in the city where I live is a common thing, which prevent me from tuning as I need to make sure heat and humidity issue can be solved.
 
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Well, I had my dealer service work done and I immediately re-uploaded the TSP Stage 1. :)

Just some thoughts on how smooth everything went with the KTuner V2...

The whole process of uploading (and re-uploading) to factory software and unlocking and locking is flawless. Once I got home from the dealer, I locked the V2 back to my car. Then I turned on the KTuner program and uploaded the factory software back. I uploaded the TSP Stage 1 to the KTuner unit and then uploaded that to the ECU. Ahh... so much better than stock.

The whole process just takes 10-15 minutes from beginning to end and went off without a hitch. Back when I had Hondata Flashpro, the unlocking and going back to factory was glitchy and took a few attempts. No such issues with KTuner. :thumbsup:

I wonder if aftermarket intercooler would help maintaining performance from the tuning when the level humidity is high. 90% plus humidity in the city where I live is a common thing, which prevent me from tuning as I need to make sure heat and humidity issue can be solved.
An intercooler will certainly help when driving in hot ambient temps. Humidity will still be there though. Still, I wouldn't let that stop you from tuning with KTuner. The difference in performance is night and day better. Just make sure you can get high octane gas.
 
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An intercooler will certainly help when driving in hot ambient temps. Humidity will still be there though. Still, I wouldn't let that stop you from tuning with KTuner. The difference in performance is night and day better. Just make sure you can get high octane gas.
Tackling the temp issue should be good enough for tuning. Average temps during the day is around 90 F, and daily traffic is crazy, so driving stop and go most of the time during the day.
 

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so driving stop and go most of the time during the day.
That will heatsoak any intercooler, once you move for a while an upgraded intercooler will be much better than stock helping the turbo to make consistent performance.
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