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Thread: Volo VP15 OBD Tuner

  1. #21
    Still Plays With Cars Loren's Avatar
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    Well, I just might need to face a fact here. I don't have the equipment or patience to properly test every aspect of this tuner!

    I did some fooling around with this week. Verified that the "tow" options sort of do what I expected, but testing the DEGREE to which they do it is difficult. In the driveway, I was able to verify that having the "tow" option set (LOAD OFFSET variable set to "2") definitely changes the throttle tuning. Comparing pedal position to throttle position, the throttle was moving about 4% more than stock under driveway conditions. Just holding various constant pedal positions, the throttle position would be greater and RPM woudl be greater. I have no idea if the change is linear or not. I was dealing with VERY small pedal positions due to no load.

    I did some more testing on the road, but ended up logging the wrong values and it was useless data. Pretty sure that at the very least that 4% follows through. It's probably just modifying the raw pedal position values to make it look like you've applied more throttle, and make it feel to you like you're not using as much pedal and give you the illusion that you have more power for towing.

    Ran out of time, and left it set that way. I haven't driven much this week. (in my own car, anyway) But, driving around last night, I noticed that the increased throttle position is actually a little goofy in some ways. The very low pedal position is very touchy, and it shows itself when you're puttering around a parking lot, or sloooowly slogging off of a traffic light in 2nd. You know when you're way low in the revs, and you know you need to baby the throttle, but you ARE trying to accelerate a little bit? Yeah, that. In that situation, with LOAD OFFSET = 2, it just sort of leaps past where you want to be and bogs. I'm sure it's something I'd get used to after a while. But, being used to the original calibration, it was weird.

    Note that I don't presently have the exhaust settings enabled (FUEL OFFSET 3 and 4, I think those are). The combination of those settings being correct AND the LOAD OFFSET... that might actually work better. So, I have more experimenting to do.

    The good news is that this device clearly DOES make changes. I had someone who had autocrossed my car before do a couple of autocross runs in it last weekend (with the first set of settings I had in it) and he commented that the car felt peppier and more responsive. So, it's not in my head.

    I'll keep playing with it. And when I get it set up to where it "feels right", I'll give it some time to settle in, and then redo my acceleration test and report back on that.


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  2. #22
    Senior Member Qrush's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Loren View Post
    Well, I just might need to face a fact here. I don't have the equipment or patience to properly test every aspect of this tuner!
    Ok, so ive had the OTHER OBD2 tuner that rated well. The Sawyer Tuning ST8PRO OBD2 chip. It works for me and gave me a bump in my mileage. Had my father drive the car and he concurs that the performance has increased (dudes been working on cars since before he could walk, fyi). I tried to do some 3rd gear pulls to verify the chip, but i corrupted some data as well. I WANT to post about the chip, but i am weary of having to deal with the "prove it" crowd.

  3. #23
    Still Plays With Cars Loren's Avatar
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    Hey, just do the best you can. Go ahead and start a thread on it.
    Simplify and add lightness.

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    Senior Member Qrush's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Loren View Post
    Hey, just do the best you can. Go ahead and start a thread on it.
    Already have a post ready. Been sitting on it for a week. I may start a thread.

  5. #25
    Senior Member Qrush's Avatar
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  6. #26
    Still Plays With Cars Loren's Avatar
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    In driving around today, I further noted that with the LOAD OFFSET set to 2, you can definitely feel more throttle with less input. When you're actually DRIVING (as opposed to puttering around a parking lot and lugging the engine), it's kinda nice. And if you're the sort who likes a nice rev-matched downshift... you get a more revs for the same level of blip. That's one thing that annoyed me about this car is that you have to REALLY blip the throttle to get a good smooth downshift, or double-blip it... which isn't at all what you'd want to do in competition.

    Anyway, I wanted to get the tune changed before I forgot and had to go drive somewhere again. So, I did.

    It's currently set to:

    SET PRIORITY P (Performance over Economy)
    SET FUEL 2 (93 Octane)
    LOAD OFFSET 2 (this is the "Tow" setting, I'm lying because I want to play with that throttle sensitivity some more)
    HHO ENABLE F (nope, no HHO here)
    FUEL OFFSET 1 1 (I lied and said I had a K&N, probably makes extremely little difference)
    FUEL OFFSET 2 0 (this is the cold-air intake option, I left it off)
    FUEL OFFSET 3 1 (high-flow exhaust, check)
    FUEL OFFSET 4 1 (performance header, check)
    TIMING OFFSET 1 1 (performance plugs/wires)
    TIMING OFFSET 2 1 (underdrive pulley)

    I lied on the last two options to see what the timing offset does. Performance plugs/wires, just like the K&N, should do next to nothing. Having an underdrive pulley makes the engine a little easier to stall from a stop, so some ignition advance makes sense here.

    Unless something about this setup just plain sucks, I'm gonna leave it this way for a while, then retest.
    Simplify and add lightness.

  7. #27
    Still Plays With Cars Loren's Avatar
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    Carlos. Yes, I've heard of the placebo effect.

    You don't have to believe me. If I ever have time to do some proper testing, I will. But, I have have felt OBVIOUS effects of this device, nothing so subtle as to be explained away as placebo. And I've verified actual changes to the timing curve and throttle curve using a data logger. The device works, and does what it says it does.

    But, if you don't have anything useful to add based on your personal experience with THIS product, please stay out of my thread.

    Just saying.

    If you want to talk about your bad experiences with some other product, no matter how similar it might be to this one, start your own thread! Tell us all about it there.
    Simplify and add lightness.

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  9. #28
    Still Plays With Cars Loren's Avatar
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    I was able to do some acceleration runs today, and grand aspirations aside... this is likely all the testing that I'm going to do. Maybe someday if I run out of other things to do, I might flip all the settings to "economy" and see if it makes a difference there. But, I'm not going to do extensive "A-B-A" testing on the same road and all that. So, if I do that, unless it makes a DRASTIC difference (like, I'm seeing 55+ mpg in my hypermiling trips where I normally struggle to get to 53-54)... it will be inconclusive. Given how effective the performance settings are, though... I sort of think it might actually improve fuel economy by a couple percent, too. At the very least, it should be capable of softening the throttle response, and making it EASIER to hypermile.

    Net result: Yes, it DOES advance the timing. Yes, it DOES change the throttle curve.

    I've left the settings as previously stated, and driven for several weeks now. Way past the recommended minimum 200 miles, and it appears that it did improve 2nd gear acceleration by another tenth of a second over the initial testing that I did immediately after installing it. I really have no idea if that comes from the stock ECU adapting, or from the actual VP15 doing any active "learning". For now, I really don't care. Obvious improvements without spending a lot of money or time. I'll take it!

    My total improvement in 2nd gear acceleration is 7.5% over stock. Almost 7/10th of a second. The first 3/10 was the header, another 1/10 for the exhaust, and this Volo tuner is responsible for another 3/10. I got more improvement from this $130 tuner than I did from a $400 exhaust! But, I have some more tweaking to do to the exhaust... things will continue to improve if I keep working at it.

    Next up, lightweight crankshaft pulley!

    Anyway, here's the results chart:

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    Last edited by Loren; 09-18-2018 at 11:57 PM.
    Simplify and add lightness.

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  11. #29
    Still Plays With Cars Loren's Avatar
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    Finally getting back to this. I literally haven't touched it in almost a year! Just left it alone and enjoyed the benefits.

    But, now I'm officially done autocrossing this car. It's returning to pure street duty, and I don't need an extra couple HP, sharpened throttle response... or to be paying for 93 octane fuel.

    So, the first thing I did today was to simply remove this device. I haven't driven it yet. Will do so this evening. I expect I might notice a change in the throttle curve... like it might take a little more pedal to get the car to accelerate vigorously. I doubt that I'll notice much else. I already reverted to 87 octane fuel with the last fill-up.

    I just re-flashed the VP15 with new economy-oriented settings. This appears to have zeroed out most of its settings. The only real setting that's enabled is "Economy" mode rather than "Performance" mode. What will that do? Hard to say. And I'm not doing any hardcore testing. But, I should be able to tell right away if it's "easier" to achieve good FE numbers. Lately, I've been seeing 36-38 just driving around town. I can peak it to 45ish if I try. Even 50 if I REALLY try. And highway mileage can be 48-52 if I keep the speed down and do a lot of coasting when possible. If there's a difference, I should be able to tell.

    These were the previous settings:

    SET PRIORITY P (Performance over Economy)
    SET FUEL 2 (93 Octane)
    LOAD OFFSET 2 (this is the "Tow" setting, I'm lying because I want to play with that throttle sensitivity some more)
    HHO ENABLE F (nope, no HHO here)
    FUEL OFFSET 1 1 (I lied and said I had a K&N, probably makes extremely little difference)
    FUEL OFFSET 2 0 (this is the cold-air intake option, I left it off)
    FUEL OFFSET 3 1 (high-flow exhaust, check)
    FUEL OFFSET 4 1 (performance header, check)
    TIMING OFFSET 1 1 (performance plugs/wires)
    TIMING OFFSET 2 1 (underdrive pulley)

    And here are the current settings:
    SET PRIORITY F (Economy over Performance)
    SET FUEL 0 (87 Octane)
    LOAD OFFSET 0 (the "never tow" setting)
    HHO ENABLE F (nope, no HHO here)
    FUEL OFFSET 1 0 (no custom intake)
    FUEL OFFSET 2 0 (no CAI)
    FUEL OFFSET 3 1 (high-flow exhaust, check)
    FUEL OFFSET 4 1 (performance header, check)
    TIMING OFFSET 1 0 (performance plugs/wires)
    TIMING OFFSET 2 0 (underdrive pulley)

    So, there you go. Economy mode, and acknowledging that I have a header and exhaust.

    I'm going to run without the VP15 for at least tonight just to see if I feel anything different. After a day or two... or maybe I'll do it tomorrow... I'll plug the VP15 back in and see what difference it makes in the "economy" direction.

    For performance, it made the car 3.5% faster across a full-range 2nd gear pull. I expect there was a couple percent FE hit associated with that improved performance. So, if I get that back, plus another 3%... maybe I'll see 5% better fuel economy? That should bring my low-end around town numbers from 36 up to about 38. And my peak from 50ish to a much easier to achieve 52.

    I expect the throttle curve will be a big factor. The throttle will probably be more sluggish. But, being that way, I'll use less fuel in acceleration... unless I floor it. Which is sort of what you want for economy. "Light throttle" will occupy more of the available pedal travel.

    We shall see.
    Simplify and add lightness.

  12. #30
    Still Plays With Cars Loren's Avatar
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    Finally getting back to this. I literally haven't touched it in almost a year! Just left it alone and enjoyed the benefits.

    But, now I'm officially done autocrossing this car. It's returning to pure street duty, and I don't need an extra couple HP, sharpened throttle response... or to be paying for 93 octane fuel.

    So, the first thing I did today was to simply remove this device. I haven't driven it yet. Will do so this evening. I expect I might notice a change in the throttle curve... like it might take a little more pedal to get the car to accelerate vigorously. I doubt that I'll notice much else. I already reverted to 87 octane fuel with the last fill-up.

    I just re-flashed the VP15 with new economy-oriented settings. This appears to have zeroed out most of its settings. The only real setting that's enabled is "Economy" mode rather than "Performance" mode. What will that do? Hard to say. And I'm not doing any hardcore testing. But, I should be able to tell right away if it's "easier" to achieve good FE numbers. Lately, I've been seeing 36-38 just driving around town. I can peak it to 45ish if I try. Even 50 if I REALLY try. And highway mileage can be 48-52 if I keep the speed down and do a lot of coasting when possible. If there's a difference, I should be able to tell.

    These were the previous settings:

    SET PRIORITY P (Performance over Economy)
    SET FUEL 2 (93 Octane)
    LOAD OFFSET 2 (this is the "Tow" setting, I'm lying because I want to play with that throttle sensitivity some more)
    HHO ENABLE F (nope, no HHO here)
    FUEL OFFSET 1 1 (I lied and said I had a K&N, probably makes extremely little difference)
    FUEL OFFSET 2 0 (this is the cold-air intake option, I left it off)
    FUEL OFFSET 3 1 (high-flow exhaust, check)
    FUEL OFFSET 4 1 (performance header, check)
    TIMING OFFSET 1 1 (performance plugs/wires)
    TIMING OFFSET 2 1 (underdrive pulley)

    And here are the current settings:
    SET PRIORITY F (Economy over Performance)
    SET FUEL 0 (87 Octane)
    LOAD OFFSET 0 (the "never tow" setting)
    HHO ENABLE F (nope, no HHO here)
    FUEL OFFSET 1 0 (no custom intake)
    FUEL OFFSET 2 0 (no CAI)
    FUEL OFFSET 3 1 (high-flow exhaust, check)
    FUEL OFFSET 4 1 (performance header, check)
    TIMING OFFSET 1 0 (performance plugs/wires)
    TIMING OFFSET 2 0 (underdrive pulley)

    So, there you go. Economy mode, and acknowledging that I have a header and exhaust.

    I'm going to run without the VP15 for at least tonight just to see if I feel anything different. After a day or two... or maybe I'll do it tomorrow... I'll plug the VP15 back in and see what difference it makes in the "economy" direction.

    For performance, it made the car 3.5% faster across a full-range 2nd gear pull. I expect there was a couple percent FE hit associated with that improved performance. So, if I get that back, plus another 3%... maybe I'll see 5% better fuel economy? That should bring my low-end around town numbers from 36 up to about 38. And my peak from 50ish to a much easier to achieve 52.

    I expect the throttle curve will be a big factor. The throttle will probably be more sluggish. But, being that way, I'll use less fuel in acceleration... unless I floor it. Which is sort of what you want for economy. "Light throttle" will occupy more of the available pedal travel.

    We shall see.


    Simplify and add lightness.

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