[jclaib7]

Does anyone have it? I'm looking for some thoughts on this tune.

I'm looking for a "safe" or conservative tune that I can feel but that is fine for everyday and year around driving and occasional track days. Looking at the specs this seems to fit the bill.

VF STAGE ONE: +20-30whp & + 50-60wtq

[Orange fever]

Love it since day one after 1200 brk-in...
Jump on to stg one and 2 mon's later to stg two....18k miles 3 years later still in love with it with no problems....

[M2guru]

Stage 2 for 16 months (including one winter), 10k miles, multiple track days, no issues. I would have no concerns with this tune at all on the street where intake temps don't get as high as on the track with repeated full throttle runs for 20 minutes.

[jclaib7]

Good feedback. If I go this route I may add an intercooler as well which should help on hot track days.

[Nezil]

I'm not qualified to comment on the VF map, since I've not tried it, but I will say this...

If you don't have access to good pump gas (as is the case for many of us in the Western US, and some other parts of the country), and/or you're driving in moderately high ambient temps, even the stock map pulls timing, reducing power output.

I'd personally be worried to use any map without logging and getting feedback from a qualified tuner or the community.

VF are based in SoCal, so they should in theory be aware of the issues (high ambient and the worst fuel), but without checking logs, you'll never know.

I'm currently running bm3 91ACN Stage2, and though it's not as strong as the regular 91 map, it is safer with our poor fuel.

VF should be similar I guess, but unlike bm3, it's not easy to take logs.

Regarding FMIC, I believe VF recommends this for stage 2, but I'd recommend it for stock if you don't want heat soak and therefore power reduction.

There are a lot of people in this forum who know a lot more than I do, but that's my 2c.

[VF-Engineering]

As a California company, all of our software is tested and validated
on CA 91 Octane fuel. Additionally, our advertised gains along with
the corresponding dyno graphs for every product we sell, are based
conservatively on our local fuel.

In regards to the "worries" or a "need" for data-logging - we would
argue that this is not as necessary as one would suggest when you
are purchasing software that is pre-engineered, properly tested and
validated across multiple vehicles of the same model, well before
ever being released to the public.



It's only been in very recent years that the number of enthusiast
based, "customizable" tuning solutions have been offered to the
public, which put greater emphasis on the delivery system than
on the actual software testing/validation.

If the software is properly engineered and validated, the factory
functionality within the ECU for engine and component protection
remains fully intact and operational. This ensures that just as with
a completely stock vehicle, the ECU retains it's ability to adapt to
conditional changes/variables, and any potential issues or trouble
codes would result in a check engine light and/or protection mode.

This is what we feel to be the general difference between tuning for
optimal power gains, with emphasis on tun-key, trouble free and
reliable performance,... versus tuning for maximum power gains
with an emphasis on peak power, 3rd party (or user controllable)
"custom" tuning options, that may or may not follow a specific
criteria for safety and/or reliability.



This isn't to say that full-custom solutions do not have their place in
this market, but rather to say that the consumers expectations for
drivability, performance, and ultimate reliability... along with their
own amount of overall involvement in the results (such as required
data-logging, changing spark plugs, consistently monitoring fuel
quality, etc...) will differ dramatically based on what they hope to
achieve from said product.

[nioh_lbbm2]

Originally Posted by VF-Engineering

[COLOR="Blue"]

As a California company, all of our software is tested and validated
on CA 91 Octane fuel. Additionally, our advertised gains along with
the corresponding dyno graphs for every product we sell, are based
conservatively on our local fuel.

[/COLOR]

[COLOR="Blue"]

In regards to the "worries" or a "need" for data-logging - we would
argue that this is not as necessary as one would suggest when you
are purchasing software that is pre-engineered, properly tested and
validated across multiple vehicles of the same model, well before
ever being released to the public.



It's only been in very recent years that the number of enthusiast
based, "customizable" tuning solutions have been offered to the
public, which put greater emphasis on the delivery system than
on the actual software testing/validation.

If the software is properly engineered and validated, the factory
functionality within the ECU for engine and component protection
remains fully intact and operational. This ensures that just as with
a completely stock vehicle, the ECU retains it's ability to adapt to
conditional changes/variables, and any potential issues or trouble
codes would result in a check engine light and/or protection mode.

This is what we feel to be the general difference between tuning for
[COLOR="DarkGreen"]optimal power gains[/COLOR], with emphasis on tun-key, trouble free and
reliable performance,... versus tuning for [COLOR="Red"]maximum power gains[/COLOR]
with an emphasis on peak power, 3rd party (or user controllable)
"custom" tuning options, that may or may not follow a specific
criteria for safety and/or reliability.



This isn't to say that full-custom solutions do not have their place in
this market, but rather to say that the consumers expectations for
drivability, performance, and ultimate reliability... along with their
own amount of overall involvement in the results (such as required
data-logging, changing spark plugs, consistently monitoring fuel
quality, etc...) will differ dramatically based on what they hope to
achieve from said product.

[/COLOR]

That's a lot of marketing verbiage but no technical detail. How exactly are you testing and what parameters do you look at during your testing?

[VF-Engineering]

Originally Posted by nioh_lbbm2

That's a lot of marketing verbiage but no technical detail. How exactly are you testing and what parameters do you look at during your testing?

You can read up on our "♒ TWO Dynos - HEX Tuning ♒", here. ← (click link to jump)


All development starts on our in-house Mustang AWD-500-SE dyno.

It's not uncommon for a new applications to spend days, or even
weeks, evaluating stock performance and temperatures for various
key components.

(IE: Boost pressures, IAT's, EGT's, water & oil temps, ignition adv.
fuel pressures, trims, lambda, thermal efficiency of cooling systems,
torque limits, response under various load conditions, etc... etc.)

The data (in completely stock form) is collected on the dyno is then
used for comparative purposes against the data/results we gather as
we start to "turn up the dial" during our own calibration testing.

Once we feel comfortable with the results on the dyno, the car will
then go out onto the street for drivability evaluation & further testing.
Then back onto the dyno ... back out to the street ... and on / and on...
And then whenever possible, we'll mix in some track testing for high
speed, longevity and and stress testing.
(Exposing the car to the most demanding conditions possible.)



Once we're comfortable with the results from the first test vehicle,
we'll apply the same calibration strategy to various other vehicles
of the same model / engine series / software versions / etc... in
hope of achieving exacting results, or to discover variances which
may require us to make changes or updates. The goal is to identify
the optimal level of increased power that yields the best results for
turn-key performance without and required upgrades or supporting
modifications ... unless absolutely necessary as would be the case
with Stage TWO and/or Stage TWO+ power levels.

Once development and testing practices are completed, HP and TQ
measurements are taken on our in-house DynoJet 2WD dynamometer,
as that's practically become the industry standard for advertising /
marketing numbers. Those results are then averaged (high and low)
to come up with our advertised gains. The end result should be a
generous boost in power, within the limitations of the factory fuel
system and all factory components,... that can be sold with high
level confidence all over the country, and around the world.

[emargul]

I started out with a stage one hex tune and upgraded to stage 2 within a few months. Love the tune and been enjoying it for a year/approx 10k miles.

[SpartanGA]

Is there a comparison to BM3 out there?

[Nezil]

Originally Posted by SpartanGA

Is there a comparison to BM3 out there?

There are very few people who've paid up for both solutions... but there are a few.

One nice thing about BM3 if you do decide to go that route after VF, is that you can backup your VF map and use BM3 to flash it back whenever you like, so it would be easy to compare, but of course you'll have to pay for both systems. You can also use BM3 to take logs while you're running VF's map.

VF-Engineering, I hope you didn't feel that I was being negative towards your product. I was trying to give an un-biased opinion.

I personally didn't go with your product because I'm planning at some point to have a custom map made for a series of somewhat custom hardware (WMI / PS2 / XDI etc.) so it didn't make sense for me.

As I stated in my post, I can't speak personally for the VF maps, but the fact that VF-Engineering is based in CA with possibly the worst fuel in the developed world, and with high ambients to battle in the summer, gives me some level of confidence that their OTS map is going to be more consistent than others.

To counter this with something not so great about BM3... is that many people are finding that with US fuel, and I don't just mean CA, AZ and NV fuel, they're getting significant timing pull on the BM3 OTS maps advertised as intended for their fuel. Those who can buy 93 AKI US fuel are having to use the 91 AKI maps, for example. Not everyone is having this issue, but some are...

Finally, I'd like to add that from all the logs I've seen, all US fuel (with the exception of true 100+ AKI race gas) is consistently inferior to EU fuel. This may not be a problem for 99% of cars on the road, but when we're trying to squeeze more power out of a forced induction engine, we are finding ourselves octane limited.

I took logs of the BMW M2 stock map on my car on a summer evening with pump gas in my area, and found timing on a 3rd gear pull to be a mess... On the STOCK map! Many people told me to try a different gas station, so I tried 6 different stations over the course of a few weeks and found them all to give identical results. The only thing that helped in my case was to add some E85, bringing my E-ratio to about E20 (CA gas is already E10), but this was close to the limit of my HPFP.

I'm now looking at WMI, to help with both octane and IATs; the two issues we have in the western US. I'm not doing this to chase crazy numbers per se. What I'd like to achieve is similar consistent performance to what our cars were designed to have running on decent EU fuel!

[VF-Engineering]

Originally Posted by Nezil

VF-Engineering, I hope you didn't feel that I was being negative towards your product. I was trying to give an un-biased opinion.

I personally didn't go with your product because I'm planning at some point to have a custom map made for a series of somewhat custom hardware (WMI / PS2 / XDI etc.) so it didn't make sense for me.

We didn't take it negatively at all...
...and just wanted to add some clarification to the subject while
obviously using your anecdote for context.



The last thing we try to do is paint the picture that there is only
correct choice, or insinuate that there is a good < better < best
ranking system for the various software solutions.



As you've nicely articulated above, you had a very specific reason
for the brand you chose, which was based on your own potential
upgrade path and future mods.

Similarly there are VF / HEX Tuning customers who put into words
(above) their own personal experience with our product, which was
favorable in demonstrating how our product delivers as advertised,...

IE: Turn-key, Validated, Proven Solution for common bolt on mods
and traditional (unleaded) pump fuel. "Set it and forget it"
Get out, drive, and enjoy!



For us that just further proves that the community is well supported
with multiple brands/options, which is good for the market as a whole!

[momentumraces]

I've had a stage 1 HEX tune on my car for the past year and have absolutely loved it! No issues whatsoever and a very nice power boost for very little work.

Their software is great and easy to use. They're responsive, helpful and the price is right!

Today I just installed a CSF intercooler, charge pipe and Fabspeed sport cat and went to stage 2. I can't recommend the HEX tune enough! I haven't regretted it once and you won't either.

[Fedorov]

I'm gonna get the stage1 next summer when my economy has recovered from buying new Michelin 4s tires.

I feel it would suit my needs perfectly.

[TT1351]

Loving my Stage 2 as well, Fabspeed down pipe, AA inter-cooler and charge pipe with M Performance exhaust, install it, enjoy it!!

[Parisiface]

Just purchased their stage one along with the FMIC! Gary VF-Engineering has been awesome to work with!

Can't wait!!!