VF tuning collaboration and BS

I've been reading through numerous threads for days and I am still confused. Can someone explain this to me like I'm a 3rd grader...

I buy VFTUNER and get 5 credits...1 for the license and 4 to unlock the ECU ID?
What does that get me? I have no tune file at this point right? So then I need to purchase the VFTune package for my ECU ID separately so I can flash a 2.0 file? Or instead of purchasing the tune pack, I can contact people like @PapaRee and ask them for their custom file to flash? I can do this once my ECU ID is unlocked?

And what if I just pay someone to flash my truck...can it be reflashed by anyone who has VFTUNER since my VIN has been registered?

Do I have this correct or am I all f'd up?

 

You are not the first to be confused, we all have been there. Things have changed recently with how many credits you get/ECU/VIN registration process. You'll need the vftuner software bundle...all that gets you is the capability to tunes your truck, factory stock file, and a few test files to change/play around on....I believe. If you want the 2.0 tunes 20+ files then you'll need to purchase the tune software pack also. If you want to run custom tunes once you unlock your ECU/VIN you can PM @PapaRee here for his famous Kruiser 4.0, some gas/beer money will get you hooked up. If you still have questions email the ovtune help desk BEFORE YOU BUY ANYTHING and make sure it's clear because (I believe) there is NO returns!

New vftune instructions: Microsoft Word - vForest Tuner Instructions new.docx (shopify.com)

Original: vF Tuner for the 3.5L Tacoma | Tacoma World

Where changes started: 2016+ Toyota Tacoma OVTUNE 1.05 - Tune Development thread | Page 3531 | Tacoma World

Edit: If you get the tune stuff make sure you update your trucks ECU to the most current TSB, TSB change your ECU ID and you want to do this BEFORE YOU UNLOCK YOUR ECU with the vftuner!!

 

Isn't the unlock per VIN now not ECU?

 

Page 17 of the new instructions It says connect to the OBII port to credit your vehicle and get your ECU ID. ECU ID identifies what series of tunes you can flash into your truck. That is why it's important to make sure your truck has the most current TSB installed.

 

what if you have to update to a newer tsb when it’s released, do you have to buy another pack?

 

Yes anytime you change to a newer TSB your tune pack is NO GOOD! That is why everyone will update to the most current TSB available then unlock the their ECU ID. Once you start adding tunes the tunes are better than any TSB that the company puts out IMO.

Edit: If you are worried about more TSB's coming out, wait on the vftune till you get the latest TSB!

 

If you update by tsb you can request a tune pack as long as you show us via ecu info that you updated.

 

Nice. Definitely sending you an email, like soon!

 

I need to play with doing the same. Overall, huge improvement with 4.0. being one who constantly tinkers and fiddles I think I'm going to play with the throttle and even the shift points, mostly 2nd-3rd shift.

Is this the only table/map necessary to adjust the "tip-in" or sensitivity of the pedal?

I understood "tip-in" to be how much fuel was injected when large throttle changes were made to compensate for the change in MP & air mass entering the cylinders before the actual measured parcel got to the intake port. Since air is compressible, there was some amount of time that could be compensated for on big throttle changes to keep from getting a lean charge into the cylinder.

 

That was just the 6th gear throttle map. There is one for all gears. Yes, there are more factors for "tip in", Throttle and Airload are the main ones.

 

That’s great!

 

Man, y'all need to hold off on those great reviews until I can flash mine! Haha. Got a Zendesk email in, my darn System ID changed on me when I moved my VM to a new host. Might just have to see if there's a newer system out there that doesn't require the old .reg file, but until then... Guess I can get around to replacing my even-more-cracked thanks to -20 degree winter weather windshield in the meantime.

I'd love a way for it to be account based rather than machine based since my devices have a tendency to change often. Sounds like I'm actually best off using the wife's laptop for tuning because it never changes (it turns 10 this Christmas). It does sound like such a solution is being worked on however.

 

I know nothing about OVTune but if it’s MAC based, can’t you manually set the MAC Address on your VM so it doesn’t change every time it moves to a new host? What hosting platform are you using for your virtual machines?

 

It's System ID based, which unfortunately even with the same Virtual Machine and same Windows license and virtual hardware even, the System ID is read from the host hardware so it ends up changing. Though I have no idea what it actually is reading from, or I'd love to find a way to keep it static! I moved from a 2013 MacBook Pro to an M1 Mac Mini - of course this broke Parallels entirely as this is ARM based hardware so I threw it on a new(er) 2018 MacBook Pro I use for work to keep the VM from my 2013 Mac intact (X64/Intel based).

Shockingly, with some X86 translation in the Windows for ARM VM in Parallels on my M1 Mac - I am actually able to install and open Flash Manager. But not VF as it complains about it running in a virtualized environment (so it is).

This is that System ID thing that changes.



It also means even if I want to go back and flash an 87 tune to save on gas, I cannot as the buttons are totally grayed out above because the .reg key is for another System ID. Bleh.

For now I just wait. I'm hoping whatever tool is next in line to replace Flash Manager for us Flash Kit owners won't have this limitation. Or if I can get VF for free to use for flashing or discounted (since I just bought the $699 kit or whatever it was this last March) that would be super too. I don't really have the need to go around making lots of edits, thus why I went the flash kit route in the first place. Flash it and get updates over time was the idea. Now that there's community tunes that sweetens the deal, but only if I can actually flash them to my truck.

So to answer the other question, yep, MAC address can be changed manually in Parallels, but it seems to pull from somewhere else than just that. But not sure exactly what that is myself!

 

I read in the ECU TSB update thread not to use Virtual Machines, especially Parallels on a Mac for flashing. It has to do with the USB pass-thru reliability. Not sure if others have had success using a VM, but I ended up migrating to a cheap laptop running Windows just to be safe. It would be great if VFTuner was made available for MacOS or Linux also. Anyone using VMware or Parallels on a Mac with success?

 

Interesting! It’s not bad advice. That said I flashed every beta from 19800 through all the stumble starts up to the final 2.0 and different versions of that with my MacBook. No issues at all.



I’d estimate maybe 20 flashes with that setup. I did have Parallels set to auto mount the Tactrix cable to the VM and not even touch macOS. So that may have helped.

Going forward though I’m just going to use my wife’s trusty old Dell or Lenovo since it never changes and I don’t need it all that often. Should work a treat. Heck one is still on Win 7, haha. That way I won’t even need my VM as it’s uses have all but gone away with replacement macOS native apps or web apps. Only thing keeping it around was OVTune.

 

Edit:

How does tranny temps change with 2.0 from stock in California weather?

Also what is the range of stock tranny temps in regular driving habits?

 

Never drove my truck in California, but I can't say I noticed an increase in tranny temps from stock to 2.0.

The thermastat opens the cooler lines at 190F. During summer driving mine runs about 190-200 with spikes up to 210 when the TC unlocks to get up a hill. That's stock or tuned.

 

That is a good success rate. I did initially setup OVtune in a Parallels Windows 10 VM on Mac, and was able to get the tactrix cable passed-in. It connected just fine to my ECU in VFTuner so I could retrieve my license data. While planning to perform the 04B33 TSB ECU Update, I read in the thread not to use a VM with Techstream, so I opted to switch to an Acer laptop. It is good to know VFtuner can work as a VM. I wonder if Techstream is more finicky? or maybe the ECU flash procedure is far more risky than overlaying the tune? Either way, thanks for sharing your experience!

 

Making a single 3D torque map has been the single best upgrade I have made to my truck in 2.5 years of ownership. Better than going from stock to 1.05, 1.05 to 2.0, 2.0 to all of my previous tuning changes. Whereas previously it always felt like my truck needed 4,000 rpm just to get anywhere, I no longer have those annoying downshifts. Truck actually feels like it will pull a bit at lower rpms, shifting always seems to be appropriately timed and smooth. Truck is making good use of 5th and 6th gear to keep the rpms low when appropriate. My mpg is up from around 18mpg to 21.5mpg just with this change. I haven't been above 4k rpms since making this edit, even climbing the mountain, and driving the truck is such an improved experience. Improved performance AND better gas mileage? Life is good.