Uploaded ECU and TCU tune on V6S after Thanksgiving sale 2022. A little more oomph at the top end but not spectacular. TCU tune makes manual (paddle) downshifts instantaneous. Huge improvement over stock. In auto mode, shift points more intuitive. Worth doing in my opinion. You lose the upshift shorts but I got used to it and prefer the faster shifts.

Thanksgiving 2023 - blew the coolant Y-pipe (common failure) so while I had SC out, got the larger crank pulley and uploaded Stage 3 tune with TCU rpm. Chris @ VAP told me that running Stage 3 without the upper pulley is just fine and allows headroom for that upgrade if desired in the future. No need to install another tune at that time. WOW! Huge difference in mid-range torque. Totally transformed the driving experience! Can't comment on longevity or reliability yet. Only done <1K miles on it but no issues so far. I also changed out the spring-loaded SC coupler for a solid one while I had everything apart. Currently at 60K miles.

 

Hi,

Thank you for sharing, it is much appreciated. May I kindly ask, how did the Y-pipe blow? Did you have the Transmission tune and the ECU flash tune on the car for 1 yr (thanksgiving 2022-thanksgiving 2023) and then it just broke? You mentioned that you had the pulley+tune for 1K miles, how many miles on the TCU and ECU flash? Also, would you agree that the car is somewhere around 1.5 seconds faster with the pulley+tune than with just the ECU flash tune? Thank you for your time.

My kindest regards,

-XJ

 

The plastic Y-coolant pipe that sits under the supercharger as well as the plastic crossover pipe behind the engine had welded seams before MY2018 and is a common failure point in the cooling system of the AJ133 and AJ126 engines. As far as I know they can leak randomly as reported in various forums after 25K miles. Some go on for quite a bit longer. It is unrelated to the VAP tuning mods. Just a poor design by JLR for over a decade. The newer OEM replacement part does not have the welded seams but is still plastic so longevity is unproven given its recent introduction. A lot of us replace with aftermarket aluminum pipes, most popular supplier being EuroAmp which is what I did.

I had 5K problem-free miles with the ECU + TCU tune until recently adding the pulley and new tune. I'm sure the car is NOT 1.5 sec faster with pulley and tunes. It feels a lot faster and more willing throughout the rev range for sure. But based on youtubers the best 0-60 time with these VAP mods is 3.99s (Sal's garage) using Dragy. The stock 0-60 for a V6S is quoted by JLR as 4.9s. Most people think JLR is conservative so it by be a few tenths faster stock, meaning the difference with the pulley and tunes is even less.

I'm not into drag racing or tearing up tires so I don't care what my 0-60 time is. All I can say is that the driving experience during my mixed highway and city commute is now significantly improved with the engine being much more responsive and willing to respond to the right foot throughout the rev range, all the way to 7K rpm. My suggestion to you is to follow Maverick's advice "Don't think, just do!". You won't regret the transformation.

 

I have also VAP Stage 3 on my F Type R AWD and I can say, my time from 100-200 km/h is messured with P Gear 610 is after Stage3 Update 7,25 sec., and my OEM Setup Time is 8,6 sec. Same air Temperatur, same street, all the same situation So I'm sure, 1,2 - 1,5 sec less is realistic. But I have also the TCU Update over HP Tuner from VAP.
0-100 km/h is current 3,5 sec, OEM time 4,2
I have over 20 measure, with diff. of Max. 0,1 sec.!
MY best 1/4 meile time is 11,15 sec. After Stage3 Update. Yes, the feeling is also much better as OEM, but also much better in time and Speed...
Andi

 

Just crossed over 10k (about 3k of that was on E85).

No issues. No noises, no oil use, no nada. Mileage is per right foot movement and is not worse.

Having a V6 with 475 or 550 hp...priceless.