Remote Tune Project
 

After nine years of ownership, I’m finally getting around to tuning the car. Been thinking about it forever, but other modifications were pushing it down the list. The tune kept getting put off until next year, and then the year after that, etc.

Why is that? :dunno: I think that’s a fair question worth thinking about and answering.

Like any mod that you put off, I just never got to a comfort level with the whole idea. Plus, my drivetrain adds are pretty typical; (cats, catback, intake), so my expectations for the tune were low. There’s all these choices that have to be made... UpRev vs. EcuTek, in-person vs. remote, the complexity of the licensing components, time and research efforts, and of course, the cost. I mean, the overall cost can be daunting. In big, fuzzy numbers, a tune can be a $900 project, give or take. That kind of cost is not insignificant, and the benefits seemed like a leap of faith. Yet, the tune had always been on the list, just pushed out to 2021 is all.

Well, it’s 2021 now. (Thank God 2020 is over!) And since I like to plan & budget for mods year over year, it’s time to plan & budget for the tune. Time to make some decisions, right or wrong.

And sometimes I like to start a discussion thread at the beginning of a mod, when decisions get momentum as real things. That’s where I am right now, January 2021.

Dyno-Tune vs. Street Tune
 

First up, I had to get solid between an in-person Dyno-Tune or a remote, street tune. My go-to approach was to get a Dyno-Tune. There’s a racing team who has a large shop in the area, and they were offering a tuning service for the G/Z platform. Unfortunately, their tuner retired, and they shut down that service about a year ago. And they were the only local option.

Even though the local approach was no longer available, I could still make a road trip to a reputable shop. A dyno-tune means handing the car to someone who knows what they’re doing (theoretically), and can do it same-day. You walk away from the event with hard numbers before and after, dyno sheets, maybe even a video. It’s more expensive than a remote tune, but you have to factor in the convenience and dyno runs. Overall, there’s a whole lot of appeal to that choice. It could be lots of fun, even a little scary watching your car get dyno’d.

But for me, today, that means a road trip: at least a 6 hour drive, an overnight at a hotel, meals, gas, tolls, miles on my low-miles car and all that jazz. And even if the trip were fun, there’s always COVID. God damn, fcking COVID. Plus, I’m old with feet of clay, and suddenly a remote tune seemed the better choice.

So I committed to a remote tune. That’s one decision locked in.


EcuTek vs. Uprev

Opinions on this are something you just have to push through and come to a decision. It’s very subjective, but I get the sense that UpRev was the more established approach for the G/Z market in years past. And based on that opinion over the years, I was always planning on UpRev as the safe choice. But tech and markets evolve, and I get the sense today that EcuTek is becoming the preferred choice for the G37 and 370Z crowd.

I base this on nothing specific. Neither is a bad choice, and for daily driver expectations, I suspect both are relatively equal.

So I landed on EcuTek. That’s two decisions locked in.


[edit]

AdminTuning used to be agnostic on this choice, but today recommends EcuTek on Nissans after 2009. I think it has something to do with memory capacity in the ECU.


[edit]

The tuner I ended up hiring was Eugene Turkov, and he only uses EcuTek. Hard stop. He's got all kind of reasons why, and since I decided on EcuTek before committing to the Tuner, it just worked out well.

Components and Budget
 

With a plan to remote tune, next up is to understand the components and the cost. There are 3 independent components, each with their own price tag:

1. EcuTek ProECU Kit
2. Software License for the Kit & Car
3. Tuning Service

It’s very typical to bundle these things as a package through your remote tuner. And there’s nothing wrong with that. One stop shopping, hand-holding convenience, a shorter window start to finish, etc. It makes sense.

But you could also work your way through the components one at a time, and set up a budget. I like to set up a budget, because for me it’s part of the overall hobby. So for this project, I’m breaking things up with a one-month gap, leading up to Spring 2021. That’s January for the Kit, March for the License and May for the Tune.

The EcuTek ProECU Kit is $350 brand new for the wired dongle, $450 for the Bluetooth unit, and that seems to be the hard cost everywhere you look. However, FS threads pop up a few times a year, and you can tie a used dongle to a new license at any time. That’s what I did in January, purchased the kit from a forum member who bought it new, but never used it before moving on to another car, so the cable never actually got tied to a license. Really nice guy, really fair transaction. Saved a lot of money this way, and I enjoyed working with the seller.

The Software License runs between $300 and $350, and is also something you can purchase as a stand-alone item. Every remote tuner will sell you a license. Some, like Visconti Tuning, will do it entirely through their website, a few clicks and you’re done. I’m planning on buying the license in March.

The Tuning Service runs between $300 to $400, depending on the tuner. I’m planning on the tune in May. It’s January right now.

Anyway, you can do the math. A remote tune can cost well over $1000. :icon09:


The Software

The EcuTek ProECU software is free to download, however licensing is pretty tight with EcuTek. You need the USB Key and the EcuTek cable (connected to the car) in order to even install the software on your laptop.

I say laptop because you have to use a Windows laptop when connecting to the OBD USB cable. There’s another, more expensive kit that uses a BlueTooth OBD Connector, and I think that software can be on a tablet or cell phone, but don’t quote me on that. I didn’t go for the whole wireless experience.

My laptop for this project is an old Windows Vista machine pulled out of the attic. It is what it is.


[edit]

EcuTek's software will no longer function on Windows Vista. Hard stop. Keep reading :p

EcuTek ProECU Kit
 

Here’s the wired cable and USB key, purchased here on the forum from a member in good standing. He bought it for his G, then sold the car before following through with the tune. That kind of thing happens, lucky for me. Buying it from him was a good experience, and more than a fair savings.

For anyone who’s wondering, the cable is 80” long, tip to tip. Shouldn’t be a problem connecting it to the car with the laptop on the passenger side.

http://www.johnclare.com/pics/cars2021/ecutek_01.jpg


[edit]

Lesson learned the hard way... should have bought the bluetooth dongle. The wired dongle is a PITA.

Remote Tuner
 

The remote tune involves a good amount of email discussion with your tuner. There’s the up front information about your car, the mods and your expectations. There’s the financial transaction. And then there’s the map files to apply to the car through the software. After that, you’ll be recording data-log files for various driving conditions. You email the tuner your log files, he analyzes the information and comes up with a revised map. You’ll probably do this more than once, in order to dial in a perfect tune. Some people repeat this process many times. :hsugh: You know who you are, LOL.

There are lots of Tuners out there. Some familiar names are Seb at SpecialtyZ, and John Visconti at Visconti Tuning. Lately I’ve been seeing the name Eugene at Enthusiast Auto Care. There’s also Moncef at AdminTuning.

I actually knew Moncef on the old Maxima.org car forum. If I recall correctly, he was an engineering student back then, and he did this fantastic build with a 2001 Anniversary Edition Maxima 5MT. Very nice car, very smart kid. Years later, I watched online as he started up AdminTuning. Today, I get the impression he’s built a solid reputation in this space. He seems to own this tech, with a high level of expertise and confidence.

So I’m choosing Moncef for the remote tune, and plan on reaching out to him at the end of February, to buy the license in March, and to prepare for a remote tune in May.


[edit]

Had some hic-cups with AdminTuning. He's super busy, and the communication was spotty. No shade thrown on his tech reputation, I just wasn't getting the communication I wanted is all. So after researching Eugene @ Enthusiasts Auto Care in California, I decided to go with him instead.

My suggestion would be to get real CAI before tune. My biggest mistake was a tune with R2C intakes. After added extension piping and retuned it felt much better.

Very comprehensive analysis.
Looking forward to the updates.

I believe Admin recommends running stock airbox over the short rams if you are getting tuned.

Short arms could work if car is driven without the hood, otherwise it is sucking hot air. 3"+ pipe diameter for CAI is a way to go.

All fair comments that a long tube design > OEM airbox > R2C. And honestly, it was always my intent to upgrade the R2C intake to the Takeda long-tube. However, as the years clicked by, that just never happened.

Also, I love the way my R2C intakes look with that Black Nickle finish, and all the trim. Everyone makes their own decisions between aesthetics and function. It may not always be a rational decision, but mine to make nonetheless.

So you're right, I agree, but I'm keeping the intake setup as is. Good points, though. Thanks guys.

http://www.johnclare.com/pics/cars/2017_feb_bay_01.jpg

All in all what's the average you'll end up spending on your plan, Remote/ECU/Admin?
Since tuning is the major hold back for most, why not on a separate budget try to mod as much as your budget will allow to take advantage of all the parameters you can control.

My biggest convincing factor with tuning is to be able to interpret as much factual data as I can, from a thread I created on HR/VHR groups Mocef relayed that even Torque/OBD fusion's Fuel trims are a bit off and this is a concern due to this data is how I monitor lean/rich events.

In the end, in total, I expect to spend $800 on this project.

If the takeaway is a nice, fat increase in midrange power, I will consider it money well spent. I've already got plenty of low-end response because of the short rear gears on a 6MT, and I'm not interested in top-end... just the area under the curve where daily drivers live.


[edit]

In total, I actually spent $956.

Great thread Rochester and lots of good info for me to consider as you go through this step-by-step.
A few thoughts:
1) Is there a throttle body upgrade in the future?
2) Is there a valve body upgrade in the future?
3) Regarding aesthetics, I noticed your power steering reservoir. Just a thought, but the GTR reservoir is all black. Could be a future upgrade for your engine bay's aesthetics.

Thanks, Bravo.

1) Nope
2) Nope
3) Hmm. That's interesting.

I'm in my 9th year of ownership, and have been modding the car year over year, with relatively conservative, bolt-on decisions. Probably my biggest leap of faith was the 4.083 rear gears, and so-o-o glad I did that. :NOD: So in that context, never say never to anything. The only other mod after tuning that I might go for is an upgraded clutch & LW flywheel. But that's another discussion, and tentative at best.

You should still see over 300whp. My #'s are in my signature. I have R2C intakes as well but have been thinking about upgrading. You've got me beat on ownership years lol, I'm around 6 1/2.

Can't wait to see your results with EcuTek, always enjoy your posts. I had to go with UpRev due to it being an '08 (not enough ECU memory).