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Orange Virus Tuned 3rd Gen Mazda6 2.5G Skayctiv Results and Technical Discussion

562K views 1K replies 136 participants last post by  TalonTsi90 
#1 · (Edited)
***UPDATE Orange Virus tune now supports all 3rd Gen Mazda 6 even 2016s***

As many people know I was provided a free tatrix port and free tune from Orange Virus Tuning (OVT) in return for an unbiased review of the product. I ended up paying for the mazdaedit (personal version) myself to encourage OVT to continue with this effort.

My results of the tune are for my car:
2014 Mazda 6 MTX Touring, build date August 2013, which was not stock prior to the tune (you do want to perform all physical modifications prior to the tune so the tune can optimize them). I have a custom 2.5” DIA single side axleback straight through muffler optimized for weight and exhaust velocity over backpressure to maximize torque, and a Corksport SRI Intake to maximize top end performance, and a surrounded it with a custom cold air box to ensure it is impervious to temperature conditions inside the engine bay, and only drawing outside air. I live in Southern California so I am running 91 Octane for Premium.

My objectives prior the tune can be found here:
http://forum.mazda6club.com/2-5l-i-4/331586-custom-tune-notes-91-octane-sri-high-flow-exhaust.html

Throttle Response:
Prior to the tune my engine already provided me excellent throttle response, both in terms of delay before an power comes and once the power comes how fast it comes, as a result of the intake, exhaust and 91 octane fuel mods contributions, so I wasn’t looking for much gains from the tune here, and only yielded a small improvement in throttle response as a result of minimizing the temporary lean condition during initial application of throttle.

Real World Power Accessibility:
Real world power accessibility stock and with my mods and no tune is terrible! There is so much variation in acceleration depending on RPMs and the windows of torque and power are so narrow, it is impossible to find a gear that can pull hard through the entire acceleration situation you are encountering. It makes me very hesitant and unconfident in my car’s ability to do what I need it to do.

The tune has resolved this completely, the engine now responds in a very smooth and predictable way. I don’t go over half throttle unless I am 2750 rpm or higher and the rate of acceleration increases as the revs climb all the way up to 6250. No dead/slow spots. So finding the right gear is now simple/easy and the power delivery is consistent as the revs climb. Also, the amount of power relative to throttle position is way higher than before the tune. At light throttle positions it is most similar to my parents Honda Odyssey’s V6 that is tuned to provide a lot of power early in the throttle, except as I continue to depress the throttle on my tuned Mazda 6 I continue to get a lot more acceleration all the way to WOT.

Also stock the car can be very sluggish at low loads and especially in 1st gear, but now the car has serious get up and go in all situations. It responds faster, it takes less throttle when letting out the clutch for a quick start off the line. And for the first time since I bought the car 1st gear actually feels faster than 2nd gear during regular city driving.

So in summary you can drive this engine like a large bore 3.3 liter modern V6. Solid acceleration with every minor throttle input and the deeper you go into the throttle and the higher the RPM the more you get. This engine closely resembles my hallowed 1990 BMW 325i’s legendary 2.5L Inline 6 for power/torque delivery and responsiveness characteristics and is darn near as smooth at every RPM. Of course the mazda engine is making much more power and torque. What a wonderful engine this Mazda 2.5G Skyactiv is! Adding two more cylinders to the front to turn it into a 3.7 Liter Inline 6 is the stuff of wet dreams. Sorry, I’ll try to stay on topic here…

Wide Open Throttle (WOT) Performance up to Redline:
With respect to WOT performance, prior to the tune the engine accelerated harder at 3250 RPM than anywhere else, except over 5k rpm, where the acceleration was similar to slightly better at 6k. There was a major dip in power at 3500rpm that the engine didn’t fully recover from until 5k. I’m kind of repeating myself there, but it’s for a reason. The great hp and torque numbers you see in the specs for this car are deceptively difficult to access and are very fleeting.

For datalogging WOT for the tune iteration I always did the same test pattern, 1500rpm to my new 6500rpm redline in 2nd gear up a 6-8 degree grade hill, stop at the next intersection stop light, u turn and run 1500rpm to redline in 2nd gear back the other way down the hill which is a less steep grade at that point.

I’ve done this test cycle 6 times now (maybe 1 or 2 datalogging and tune iterations are left to maximize WOT performance), so I’m familiar how the engine is progressing through the whole rev range with the tune. The engine bogs/gurgles its way up to 2750 where the intake timing changes and then it starts to take off by 3000rpm with linear increases in acceleration as the RPMs rise all the way to 5250 where it transitions to an even steeper rise in acceleration as the revs increase up to around 6k, where the rate of increase in acceleration slows and peaks by 6250 and begins to taper off slightly up to the 6500rpm redline.

I fully intend to Dyno my car and update this thread, but for now the fact that there is a significant increase in torque at the 3250 peak after tuning that feels slow compared to the acceleration occurring above 5k tells me the horsepower increases obtained with the tune are quite large on a percentage basis.

In terms of raw acceleration, if you are wondering how much faster the car accelerates; it’s easiest to say that as fast a mazda 6 accelerates 1 gear down is how fast my modded and tuned car accelerates one gear up. So my car accelerates as fast in 2nd gear as it did stock in 1st gear, and as fast in 3rd gear as stock in 2nd gear and so on. That’s obviously a big approximation but I really do think it is in the ballpark. I would also guestimate the broad power-band and 6500rpm redline which allow me to clear 60mph in 2nd gear that my 3050lb Mazda 6 is running 0-60 in the low 6s which puts it on par to slightly better than prior Mazda 6 V6s.

Manual Transmission Compatibility with the Tune:
The MTX is holding up wonderfully with the additional power. The clutch is not slipping and for some reason probably related to a change in my technique when letting the clutch out due to the extra power, shifting is easier as well. It appears my hope is true that this is the same clutch and transmission, with exception of the final drive, as the one use for the 2.2 diesel which is rated for 300 lb ft of torque capability per Mazda engineering presentations. So the tune and MTX are great together!

Fuel Economy with the Tune:
Also many people are probably curious about mpgs. I'm still feeling out the tuning changes so I have no clue yet what will happen to MY overall mpgs the way I will be driving "normally" in the near future, but I've been seeing some crazy instant mpg values when cruising. The OVT tune removes conservatism which translates into better fuel economy at low engine loads. He even optimized valve timing at low loads for fuel economy and for me did it up to a higher RPM, so I can cruise at 80 mph and still get decent fuel economy, because it's still running in an economy setting, where stock it would be switching to a more performance oriented setting. Bottom line, when you drive nice and easy your mpg will improve on the OVT tune over stock and if you drive really hard your MPG will decrease vs stock. I do think I am able to drive a litle harder while achieving the same mpg as before.

Conclusion:
So for around $1000 for intake, exhaust and the tune, the most common mods people do, you can basically swap your naturally aspirated long stroke 4 cylinder for a larger naturally aspirated large bore V6 with no disadvantages (other than higher fuel cost if you only start using high octane with the tune), and some major advantages of low weight and fuel economy of a 4 cylinder engine. To quote the old UPS commercial “I’m happy.”

Here are links to noteworthy posts related to the tune:

Checking ECU Compatibility:
http://forum.mazda6club.com/2-5l-i-...ults-technical-discussion-10.html#post4335937
http://forum.mazda6club.com/2-5l-i-...results-technical-discussion.html#post4330194
What you need for the tune:
http://forum.mazda6club.com/2-5l-i-...sults-technical-discussion-4.html#post4332218
OVT Pricing:
http://forum.mazda6club.com/2-5l-i-...sults-technical-discussion-6.html#post4333529
How the tuning process works:
http://forum.mazda6club.com/2-5l-i-...sults-technical-discussion-5.html#post4332794
Getting help through the tuning process:
http://forum.mazda6club.com/2-5l-i-4/343905-mazdaedit-tatrix-orange-virus-tuning-how-technical-supoprt-help-discussion.html
Tuning for 87 or 89 Octane Vs 91 or 93 Octane
http://forum.mazda6club.com/2-5l-i-...ults-technical-discussion-13.html#post4337889
OVT Level-setting Tune Expectations
http://forum.mazda6club.com/2-5l-i-...sults-technical-discussion-7.html#post4334209
CX5 stock and OVT Tune Dyno results:
2.5G power potential
Virtual Dyno Tune results
http://forum.mazda6club.com/2-5l-i-...sults-technical-discussion-7.html#post4334209
Safe Mode for Skyactiv:
2.5G power potential
Tune recalibrated airflow, long term fuel trims corrected within 1%
2.5G power potential
Airflow and timing advance on 3rd iteration of tune (hopefully OVT can provide final results when we are all done.
2.5G power potential
Optional Disabling EGR Valve
http://forum.mazda6club.com/2-5l-i-...ults-technical-discussion-12.html#post4337449
Tuning and Temperature
http://forum.mazda6club.com/2-5l-i-...ults-technical-discussion-10.html#post4335193
Increasing the rev limit
http://forum.mazda6club.com/2-5l-i-...sults-technical-discussion-2.html#post4331002
http://forum.mazda6club.com/2-5l-i-...sults-technical-discussion-3.html#post4331338
http://forum.mazda6club.com/2-5l-i-4/314193-2-5g-power-potential-24.html#post4345505
Final Tune Performance Results
Tickerguy: http://forum.mazda6club.com/2-5l-i-...ults-technical-discussion-44.html#post4400186
Ballsy: http://forum.mazda6club.com/2-5l-i-...ults-technical-discussion-55.html#post4412218
Nobouncecap: http://forum.mazda6club.com/2-5l-i-...ults-technical-discussion-66.html#post4421513
Shazy: http://forum.mazda6club.com/2-5l-i-...ults-technical-discussion-60.html#post4415674
 
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#4 ·
Long term fuel trims were corrected to within 1% with the tune.

A/F ratio is defined by tables which OVT edited using mazdaedit so, it's whatever OVT decided it should be for a given load rpm scenario. I haven't seen the table yet so I can't be sure what it is for each scenario.

I'd imagine it is running more rich than stock under heavy throttle to keep from detinating with +15 degrees on ignition timing and a true 13:1 compression ratio.

When I get on the throttle fuel mileage is worse than before the tune, when I drive lightly the fuel mileage is better than before the tune, all as expected when optimizing for performance at heavy throttle and fuel economy at light throttle.
 
#5 · (Edited)
I propbably need to clarify in the OP that there is no off the shelf tune. Every tune is customized somewhat to your car.

Epifansoft that makes Mazdaedit software is a guy in Russia, OVT is a guy in Colorado, but none of that matters, everything is done remotely and no dyno time is required.
 
#8 · (Edited)
Ok everyone, my PM box is getting flooded with support questions. So I want to direct everyone to this post:

Before you purchase the software, or a tactrix, please check that your ECU is supported. Its pretty easy to do.
Epifan has said all 2014 *should* be supported, but I recommend checking just in case.

To check:
Pop your cars hood, and in the picture attached, you will see the location of the ECU. Remove the ECU cover (or if necessary the intake as well for room) and you will see on your ECU a Sticker with a code / Number. please PM ME a picture of that ECU sticker / code. I will get back to you within 24-48 (depending on Epifan) if your car is supported and we can go from there!.
ATX and MTX should both be supported.

for ATX owners: Like most Mazdas I've tuned, the transmission is controlled by it's own TCM, and not the PCM. Unfortunately I can't promise that on the mazda 6 I will be able to tune or adjust shift points for the ATX.

If you unplug anything to get access, remember to plug it back in. You shouldn't have to unplug or fully remove the ECU.
you will know you are looking at the correct thing because it should be a small black box with a lot of wires going into it.

Requirements for tune:
You need a MazdaEdit license. you only need LITE for me to tune you. PERSONAL is if you want map access and want to play around with the ECU yourself. ( I don't recommend this unless you know what you're doing ) epifanSoftware | ecuEdit
A Tactrix Open port 2.0. no reflash adapters. Tactrix
A WINDOWS based laptop PC (windows 8 works fine). It has to be a laptop because you need it in the car to flash / datalog.



General recommendations to get the most out of it:
91 or 93 octane will give the best results, but aren't required. You can still get a noticeable difference running stock octane requirement.
Intake / exhaust will only help get you more, but not required. A stock car will still see a big difference.
A car that is properly maintained.



- As with every tune I've done, I offer free lifetime updates for as long as you own the car, free support and help, along with that I'm continually working to get the best possible calibration, and everyone who has a tune from me is entitled to any new updates for no charge.

Thanks everyone!
 

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#189 ·
Ok everyone, my PM box is getting flooded with support questions. So I want to direct everyone to this post:

Before you purchase the software, or a tactrix, please check that your ECU is supported. Its pretty easy to do.
Epifan has said all 2014 *should* be supported, but I recommend checking just in case.

To check:
Pop your cars hood, and in the picture attached, you will see the location of the ECU. Remove the ECU cover (or if necessary the intake as well for room) and you will see on your ECU a Sticker with a code / Number. please PM ME a picture of that ECU sticker / code. I will get back to you within 24-48 (depending on Epifan) if your car is supported and we can go from there!.
ATX and MTX should both be supported.

Geez, I can't even get the cover off to check the ECU :(
 
#15 ·
any ATX owners want to give this a go and be the guinea pig? I am interested in this also but want to see some real world ATX tune results before I go for it. Also i wonder how much power and torque the transmission can handle before it starts self destructing, heh
 
#18 ·
There's s strong chance the ATX is the same one used with the diesel, with exception of final drive gearing, in which case it should be able to handle the extra torque without breaking. whether or not the ATX is able to adapt it's shifting methodologies to the extra power is just a question of how much. I mentioned before I am the first MTX tune with the 2.5G Skyactiv, which implies that between Mazda 3S and CX5 2.5 OVT has already tuned many 2.5G with ATX. So it works, it's just a question of how nice and smooth everything is. I know you are pretty picky about that.
 
#19 ·
I would also guestimate the broad power-band and 6500rpm gearing which allow me to clear 60mph in 2nd gear that my 3050lb Mazda 6 is running 0-60 in the low 6s which puts it on par to slightly better than prior Mazda 6 V6s.
What do you mean 6500rpm gearing? Do you mean 6500rpm redline?

When looking at the stats on this car compared to the Accord, I thought the 0-60 difference was pretty odd. The Mazda 6 was a good bit slower than the accord due to the fact that it required 2 gear shifts vs the accord which can hit 60 in 2nd. Not that the 0-60 time is the be-all-end-all, but still I would think for a sporty sedan you'd want to play with the lower gear ratios a bit and try to hit 60 in second, at least from a marketing point of view.

I suspect they threw in a previously designed manual gearbox and called it a day, and that hitting performance numbers was not the goal especially for 2-3% of the cars that are built with manuals. Still, I have the thought in the back of my head that if you could safely hit 6500rpm as a redline and do 0-60 with 2 gears, why didn't you?


 
#20 · (Edited)
What do you mean 6500rpm gearing? Do you mean 6500rpm redline?

When looking at the stats on this car compared to the Accord, I thought the 0-60 difference was pretty odd. The Mazda 6 was a good bit slower than the accord due to the fact that it required 2 gear shifts vs the accord which can hit 60 in 2nd. Not that the 0-60 time is the be-all-end-all, but still I would think for a sporty sedan you'd want to play with the lower gear ratios a bit and try to hit 60 in second, at least from a marketing point of view.

I suspect they threw in a previously designed manual gearbox and called it a day, and that hitting performance numbers was not the goal especially for 2-3% of the cars that are built with manuals. Still, I have the thought in the back of my head that if you could safely hit 6500rpm as a redline and do 0-60 with 2 gears, why didn't you?
Yes I meant redline.

At 6500 it's going 62 in 2nd for the MTX now. But the 2nd shift isn't the only reason the 6 is slower than the accord. The accords high redline (and subsequent shorter gearing in 2nd) and no power cut on hard 1-2 shifts combined with a higher true engine output at the wheels with the MTX than would be expected for the rated flywheel hp make it faster.

The extra 300 rpm of redline makes a HUGE difference for acceleration. It also does show a little strain/roughness in the engine above that 6200 rpm redline, but no worse than any other 4 cylinder near redline I've ever driven and I've driven a lot.

Think if you are Mazda and you just bet the company's future with +13:1 compression ratio engines. Can you afford the bad publicity from even a few engines blowing up? They just went through that a bit on the RX8s. That is why they are crazy conservative with these engines.

As for me I take the Tachometer as a not so subtle hit at all that by the engineers. The true redline on the Tach is 6500rpm. The "getting dangerous" zone is 6200-6500. It was likely a final Chief Engineer/Management decision to put the limiter down at 6200rpm to mitigate risk, which would explain why 2nd gear falls short of 60mph. The powertrain guys selected gears to get to 62 in 2nd at 6500rpm. When the Engine was cut back to 6200 it fell short.

And no, this transmission is brand new for the new skyactiv engines and even if it wasn't they could easily change the final drive cogs like they did between the diesel and gas skyactivs.
 
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#29 ·
LINK:
epifanSoftware | mazdaEdit | Downloads

NOTE: For mazdaEdit yes you will probably be able to get a discount. I believe someone already asked and the software dev agreed to a discount.


OPTIONAL: Choose PERSONAL is if you want map access and want to play around with the ECU yourself. ( I don't recommend this unless you know what you're doing ) epifanSoftware | ecuEdit

LINK:
epifanSoftware | ecuEdit | Downloads


2) A Tactrix Open port 2.0. Reflash adapters: None.
COST: $169.00

LINK:
Tactrix Openport 2.0
Correct. epifan is willing to give a discount if 3 or more are in on a group purchase.


I finally heard back from Tactrix about a group purchase. They are also willing to give a discount, but only if it is a purchase of 10 and more. The discount would be modest . So with a group purchase for the hardware and software, the savings could be roughly $34. That would be excluding the tune.

As of writing this, the lite version of epifan is $175 and the tactrix Openport 2.0 is $169.

Excluding the tune without the discount you are looking at $344.
Include the saving (still excluding the price of the tune) you are looking at $310
 
#28 · (Edited)
Everything you said is correct Octagon.
Regarding the how to...it is a pain to get going in Mazdaedit with all the steps sending and receiving info. Saving off the stock tune flashing the ecu data logging and repeat many many times. The mod is the opposite of instant gratification, you will have to work hard and learn as you go and it will take a long time. OVT does a lot to help facilitate this process including instructions he mentioned. You are never on your own.

To keep things in perspective this is WAY more convenient and cost effective to get a fully dialed in tune of your car than the old days where you would have to drive to the tuner and buy a crapload of dyno time.
 
#30 ·
Everything you said is correct.

Regarding the how to...it is a pain to get going in Mazdaedit with all the steps sending and receiving info. Saving off the stock tune flashing the ecu data logging and repeat many many times. The mod is the opposite of instant gratification, you will have to work hard and learn as you go and it will take a long time. OVT does a lot to help facilitate this process including instructions he mentioned. You are never on your own.

To keep things in perspective this is WAY more convenient and cost effective to get a fully dialed in tune of your car than the old days where you would have to drive to the tuner and buy a crapload of dyno time.
I was thinking/guessing a how to would come with the tune from OVT. Solar, could you possibly detail us in what exactly is involved for those who have never tuned (like me lol) so we can all have a good idea of what type of commitment we are looking at for those who think we plug it, hit download, and start a "new" modified car immediately after? I figured it wasn't really easy but not necessarily "log and repeat many many times.....you will have to work hard and learn as you go and it will take a long time"? Gives me a bit of a "do I want to risk messing my new car up if I do something wrong during this process" thought in my head.
 
#31 · (Edited)
Okay a simple "down and dirty" of how it works.

First I want to make it clear to everyone, you can't hurt your ECU. The only way you're going to mess your car up is if you crash it, OR lets say you are tuned for 93 octane..and put 85 in the tank. Now it may not hurt the engine (because of the safe maps) but obvious to use common judgement. I don't mind writing tunes for different octane if you want a high octane map but don't want to use it all the time.

Here is how it works:

you register the software to your PC. Epifan creates and controls the keys, it takes him about 2 days to have you all the registration.
you plug the tactrix into the car, and into the computer. you copy your stock ECU, and send it to me.
From there, I write the the base file of your ROM and send it to you.
Following my instruction PDF, you flash the ECU (with the software and tactrix). simply a couple buttons.

Then, you setup the logger. Simply check mark the options I have set out in the instructions, connect to the ECU, start recording and go log. (the computer will have to be with you in the car, connected to the OBD via tactrix). It's easier to just plug it in, toss it in the passenger seat, and record.
you take either one long log, or individual. your choice. I can get what I need out of it either way.
you log idle, for about 2 mins.
you log driving around town, about 5 mins
you log 2x Wide open throttle gear pulls, 2nd gear or higher.
If you're ATX, put it in manual mode(if you have it ) and select a gear and go from the lowest RP it will let you to the highest RPM it will let you.

you send me the logs.
I review the logs, adjust the ROM, send you a new file, you flash the ECU again, then start the process over (logging).
it takes on average about 6 logging iterations / files to complete.

You do it on your time, there is no rush, no deadline. I've had a few people who just do it at their leisure, and are a few months in. I work on the tune when you send me the logs, so it's kinda up to you when you want the tune complete.

I try as hard as I can to get you your file updated and sent to you within 48 hours of receiving your logs. (excluding sundays sorry). The only tie it may be a little longer is when I specifically need something in your ROM and have to search through the hex to find it. I have * MOST * ROMs fully defined, or defined for everything I need, but, to be fair to you and to me, I won't promise that your ECU has everything already defined in my XMLs.
This is only on rare occasions that you would have to wait longer than 48-72 hours when I'm looking for something in the hex, most time I find it within a couple hours.

general information guidelines:
if you tune for 93, it's in your best interest to only put 93 in the tank. these ecus are VERY sensitive, and do have the ability to pull back timing if you put a lower octane in the tank, but I don't recommend it. This goes for 91,89,87.
if you want / need a lower octane map, I am happy to write you one. I charge only a very small fee for additional maps.

If you get a new mod, for instance an intake, your file might need slight recalibration. this is free, simply send me a log, specify what mod was changed, and I'll send you an updated file. No charge for as long as you own the vehicle.

Because I understand a lot of the process is up to the user, and you're not simply dropping the car off with me on a dyno for the day, I try to give you the most that I can, when it comes to support, updates, troubleshooting, etc.
for example, all tunes come with (for as long as you own the car):
free adjustments if you change a mod
free data log review, if 6 months down the road you just want me to make sure everything is still peachy.
Free support for any issues, questions.
Free updates for any cool new stuff we get. For example, we just recently parsed and defined the section of certain sky 2.0 maps that allow us to have direct Air fuel control at Wide open throttle (previously this was impossible and the AFR was locked at 12.6). Everyone got a free update, with adjusted files and it made a huge difference in power.


I wanted to ensure that this really would be the "best bang for the buck" mod. I really don't think you'll find another company out there that would be nice enough to do this much for no additional cost, consider the price of our tune is pennies compared to competitors. You can easily pay $700-1000 bucks for a Dyno tune at a local shop, but all in all, software, hardware, and tune you're paying less than 500 bucks and you keep the hardware and software!, and your car has priority with us for as long as you own it.
The reason why I do this is because I want to be more than simply a "buy it now" button , or a salesmen. I try to be an active part of the car communities. I personally own a Mazda and have a love hate relationship with it (like many lol) but I understand how these communities are here to help each-other. For example I run a 1000+ member mazda tuning group on facebook where we all collaborate and just help each-other out. As much as I am a tuner, i'm also a mazda driver, car enthusiast. I don't do this for the money, believe me I was lead tuner for a shop for a while and making a decent amount, but it wasn't as enjoying just tuning car after car after car, never really establishing that "relationship" between customer and tuner, I do this because I enjoy it.


sorry for the book of a post.
 
#32 · (Edited)
I'm on tune 6 now. Things are great. It really does take the ecu time to learn the bigger tune changes. Things have really smoothed out during regular driving where the tune hasn't been changed in a while.

The engine sounds so awesome around 6k rpm. I want to say it is frenetic because it's accelerating so fast, but it is only 6k and still a big deep sound. It's more like an 800 lb gorilla going ape sh#% in the jungle. There is a certain batmobile quality to it that it has always had with the exhaust and SRI, its just that things are happening faster and going higher to 6500rpm. And since the further tweaking of the exhaust timing as an experment for OVT for my high flow velocity exhaust with tune 4 and 5 there is strong definition and sense of purpose with each combustion. For the first time ever this car indisputably sounds like it has headers. Very cool.
 
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#39 ·
Okay here is a run base file vs Latest adjustment.
Solar started logging on my first base file I sent him, not stock. So I would think stock would not be this smooth.

This is the UP HILL vs UP HILL (Base vs Latest). These numbers shown will be LOWER than what it truly is because it is going up hill.

adjusted for actual air temp and pressure.
 

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#40 · (Edited)
Thanks OVT. Everybody needs to IGNORE THE DYNO VALUES FROM THE VIRTUAL DYNO AND FOCUS ON RELATIVITIES AND THE SHAPE OF THE PLOTS.

Yes first tune file was WAY smoother than stock when all OVT did was straightening out the valve timing and increase the rev limiter. Power and torque increase was noticeable, but modest, similar to adding the SRI. On the second tune where OVT advanced the timings really when the power change was dramatic at all loads and forced the ecu to do a lot of relearning. Everytime I would hit a load and rpm for the first time it would hesitate then take off. Everytime I would try to repeat it, it wouldn't pause again because it learned already.
 
#44 · (Edited)
Thanks for all the interest guys.

I do want to make one thing clear about it. The point of these tunes aren't to go just for raw HP and TQ gain. My intention with these tunes were to clean up the stock maps, make it more efficient, and give you some more power at the same time when possible. Kinda like what a stock tune should be.

I focus for drivability with power when you need it. how the car feels to you. Sure, I can do a tune purely for HP/TQ.. but do you also want to give up that great MPG? that "stock like" drivability.

I work with my customers for exactly what they want. Solar didn't specifically say " hey I want MAX POWER!!" No, he explained his issues with how his car was running, what the stock tune was doing and I dialed it in to his requests.

Now this means not every car is going to respond like his, he requested some things most people don't.

If you want as much possible HP and TQ, just let me know when you get your tune. Not a problem, but 93+ octane is required, and just know that a severe decrease in MPG is a very real possibility.

I just want don't want people to get their hopes up like dang 50HP gain! 40HP gain! 10 HP gain :( ... I have some customers who dyno'd only making 7-10HP more (non skyactiv) but were very please with the tune because of how much better it made the car drive.

I'm willing to work with you guys on whatever it is you want. Like I said in the previous post, you get my full support for as long as you own the car, I'm not going to tune your car and run away when it doesn't satisfy you.

As for the 2015-2016 ECU that aren't currently supported, I have no idea what the logic, tables, and calibrations look like, so it would probably take me at least a couple weeks to hash out all the tables I need, the logic on what/ when / why the ecu does what it does.

As an example I spent about 3 months doing just that on the skyactiv 2.0L testing an endless amount of tables, cam timing settings, etc just to get a good BASE calibration. But I'm far from that now :)

I'm fairly confident I have all the kinks worked out for tunes, it's the software itself that's a little kinky. However, Solars ECU for example, had a few AFR tables that were completely different than the sky 2.0, and CX5 2.5L G, So it took me a little bit to find these Fuel tables / multipliers. That's really the only issue being ran into with these tunes, it takes me a bit of time, Unfortunately I'm pretty much the only person really hashing out these hexes to give the best possible calibrations, unlike a company like Cobb where they have a team of highly trained reverse engineers that could probably do IDA coding / engineering in their sleep, or ECUTek..HUGE company, LOTS of custom code in their ROMS... I just one person guys please understand.

(honestly I kind of hope it stays that way though, kinda a "niche" market, the minute a big company picks this stuff up.. poof goes me)
another book post sorry!
 
#45 ·
as you know our 2014+ 6 (and later CX5s) have a WOT switch, do MTX also have the mechanical switch or is it ATX only? and how do you go about tuning it? based on what i know you have to hit the switch to gain full power, and when doing so it will kick down to the lowest safe gear, even in manual mode, I know some people had trouble dynoing it due to this.
 
#46 ·
No, there is no KICKDOWN button since it is manual, only reason for that button, as you know is to go to the earliest gear possible to give the maximum power.

It should not be an issue regardless because the moment you put the accelerator to the floor where you feel you,re able to click the button, that is WOT. You do not need to click the button to go WOT. Try it, stay in 3rd gear and floor it without pressing a button and then go in 3rd gear in the range where it will not allow the ATX to downshift and it will feel the exact same in terms of power.
 
#47 ·
holy.... that's a 40HP gain under load?! Is that with exhaust+intake or tune vs stock only?... sweet jeebus. That's in the territory of most replacement cars I had been looking at.... ~210HP at the flywheel...
 
#48 ·
It's my car with intake and exhaust on the nearly stock tune plus OVT adjusted valve timing vs. the 5th tune which was prior to the A/F fine tuning OVT did on the sixth tune which I haven't datalogged yet.

I would have expected my car to already be at 200hp and 200lb-ft of torque at the flywheel in the state of the car for the first plot, so I'm not sure I believe being even close 240hp and 240 lb-ft of torque until I get on a real dyno, but the gains are not incremental like they were adding the intake and exhaust by themselves. The tune is transformational.

I went WOT with my kids in the car briefly in 2nd gear over the weekend up a mild incline. I'd never told them I made the car faster,but without being prompted my 4 year old daughter said "Wow this car is fast like a cheetah! I'm going to call it the Cheetah from now on, not the silver mazda." Who can question the honesty and senses of a 4 year old girl? LoL
 
#49 · (Edited)
I still just can't believe the enthusiast's brand would leave so much on the table.. WHY MAZDA.. WHY?!

Not gonna lie, I'm acting shocked and in disbelief, but I called it earlier when you were describing it. Essentially the same gains I noted in the formula with full bolt ons... lol
 
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#51 · (Edited)
I don't think that is too far off topic. If people plan on getting the tune and other performance mods and don't improve engine bay cooling they may be in for a world of hurt with some hard backroad driving in summer heat.

I've already got my SRI sucking cold air but I'm going to wrap the rest of it in nomex covered in foil.

I'm also going to replace the front grill with an open hex mesh to improve air flow to the radiator (you could also just open up the blocked off louveres on the upper and lower center grills), and I somehow have to figure out how to add equivalent venting out the back of the bay so the extra air has someplace to go both at the front windshield and the under engine aero panels.

I don't know what to do about the tranny, other than try to keep the engine bay temps down with venting. I'm not sure I want to hassle with a transmission oil cooler.

Also per OVT the ECU has spark timing temperature correction tables based on intake and coolant temps. It can pull back quite a bit of spark timing advance (and subsequently power) when you start running hot, irrespective of whether you are encountering knock or not.
 
#52 ·
I have been wondering solar about the steering. With the added power, hp and torque , do you still feel like you have control over the car with the electric steering?
 
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