The Velocity AP 200 cell sport cats are in route. I'm really looking forward to hearing the end result paired to my Quicksilver x-pipe and rear boxes. Once the cats are installed, I am think that I should give them a good 100+ mile break in over a few days and then I want to tune the car. I have been reading multiple posts of late and trying to compare Eurocharged, Vmax, Rica, etc. Wondering which of these is the most straightforward install and also which one would pair best with my aftermarket exhaust set-up. I am not interested in doing a pulley.

 

You can probably guess my suggestion. Given the fact that VMax is the only one that has shared real dyno charts with us (rather than artist renderings) and the results that they were able to get from my car above and beyond the very slightly smaller (1.5mm) pulley I had installed, you'd be mighty satisfied with the results from from their tune.

 

Why a few days? 100+ miles sounds like a nice Sunday drive!!!

 

A few questions:
1. What type of device did they send you for mobile install?
2. Did you notice any change in sound from the car with the tune?
3. Was there a break in period with the tune, or was it fairly immediate?
4. What situations do you feel the most improvement with the tune?
5. Approx cost?
Also..did you have any aftermarket exhaust components on your Jag prior to the tune?

 

Without a doubt, VMax's tune. Honestly, I'm not sure how many of the other tuners aren't reselling the same canned tune from one source.

At least with VMax's tuning runs with Lance's car, you know they're legitimate. Bill himself is a honest bloke whose always readily available.

Lastly, VMax's tune is the only one I've seen to get rid of the various torque limiters and produce higher torque figures throughout the RPM range.

My only problem is to figure out how to get his work to my car in Dubai!!!

 

1. He sent a laptop that was pre-loaded with the tuning software (Alientech) along with a slave device (Kess) that serves as the interface between the laptop and OBDII connector. VMax may also send along a data-logger in the event you aren't working in parallel with a dyno shop.
2. It's obviously subjective, but I am convinced the car is now noticeably louder and popping a bit more on deceleration.
3. At wide open throttle there is no learning that occurs, so peak power didn't change any over the period following the tune. However, throttle response at the intermediate settings continued to adapt over the next 60-100 miles.
4. Improvement under all circumstances (except one). Massive sense of power from 3500 to red-line. Engine blips much faster for downshifting (manual transmission). The only downside is that now that the exhaust is louder, it drones at 70mph in active mode (2500rpm) and I have to turn the exhaust off at extended freeway speeds. This is unlikely an issue for the automatics (1900 rpm@70mph).
5. If you hop on VMax's intro offer, the total cost is $1000. The cost of the dyno time could run another $3-500 hundred dollars, but that isn't needed to install the tune.

Starting with the V6 base tune, there is no way you will be disappointed with the VMax tune.

 

Vmax's tune seems to be a basic off the shelf tune just like everyone else's. They aren't doing any logging and adjusting based on your cars information like you would want to see.

I know Eurotoys will do custom tunes, but they don't have a dyno, so you'd have to meet them somewhere. And I think VelocityAP does custom tunes as well for your setup. I would go with both of those options first. It doesn't make sense to get an off the shelf tune when you've done mods already. The tune is obsolete as that point.

 

If I were tuning my car, I concur that VMax is the only sensible choice to date. There may well be other good choices, but no one else has provided comprehensive and verified data that I have been able to find.

 

+1

 

Pretty much everything I can say is has been said already, but as a satisfied Vmax customer, I can say that the tune has improved the performance of my car significantly without compromising drivability.

They real reason to choose Vmax lies in the excellent customer support and willingness to follow up on customer input. I am a very tough customer and a Scientist by profession, so I data log and critique the tune relentlessly. Bill and Bob at Vmax have followed up on my critiques and some changes were made to the file in response. I have worked with a dozen or so tuners in the past and only once did I receive this type of support.

The great thing is that Vmax is doing their own hardware development as well, which means that the tune development will continue to move forward to extract even more performance for those that are looking to modify their car further (headers, race cats, higher boost. etc.).

If you want logging capability, buy yourself a BT1A bluetooth OBDII logging tool that you can use to log in real time using your IOS or Android device. I do this nearly every time I drive, to add science to my butt dyno.

Oh and Bill, you've got mail!

 

I have been updating the web-site. We can tune your car using a Personal Flasher (Android based), sending you a laptop, or in person.


F-Type, Eurotoys,Ltd.


Mike

 

We can tune your car with a Android based Personal Flasher, easy to use.


Eurotoys Power Package Jaguar Supercharged 3.0L (MPF), Eurotoys,Ltd.


Mike

 

Not true in my case. VMax went through a number of tuning iterations based on the data coming off each of the dyno runs.

 

Yes, this was also the case with me. I had their programmer at the dyno with me doing real-time coding to adjust fueling, etc. Of course this was also down the road from their shop.

 

DHL arrived at my office today with delivery of the Velocity AP sport cats. I called my local Jag dealer (since the technicians I know there are nice guys) but almost laughed over the phone when the service guy said it would take about 5 hours labor. Time to call a few other shops. The weather here in Chicago has taken a down turn following a beautiful weekend which makes having to wait a bit more tolerable I guess.

 

2 hours tops, but it does take 2 techs for a few minutes to lower and raise the entire exhaust system as a unit.

 

Good to know..is there anything 'special' about the underside of our cars, or should any decent automotive shop be able to handle this with ease?
On a side note, I am planning on holding off on the tune at least for a bit. I figure I would like to see how the stock ECU adapts to exhaust mods first and then go from there.

 

I would consult a pro tuner on this, but honestly I don't think you see much if any gain from the exhaust mod without a tune to optimize performance and prevent any trouble codes. Reduced back pressure and optimized exhaust gas flow can't hurt, however. I'm a fan.

I'd ask Bill at Vmax about this to see what his honest opinion is, or the tuner of your choice. I'm biased at this point, but I can assure you that you won't get any pressure to buy their tune.

 

I just received this dyno sheet. It is a 380hp V6 car with Tune only, nothing else.


Mike

 

Even a backyard wrench monkey like me could easily do it with a lift, socket set and helper. The heat shield shown in the pic does not need to be removed, but notice that the easiest way to drop the exhaust is to remove the muffler hangers with the rest of the unit.