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With all due respect, I think you should do some research on Tunes. Lots of it.
To get a 2 sec drop in 0-60 you have to do lots. There are a ton of Generic tunes on many different cars that dropped 1/2 to a full sec. The Tune is based on a/f, Timing, Throttle response, and Transmission changes. Not just a/f only. A Tune is a tool to use to further increase performance changes. Not a magic Software. It's not for everyone. There are many Tuned IS vs not tuned run vids out there. Go see the results.
With all due respect, you do realize you basically just re-iterated majority of what I said in my post regarding the drop in acceleration times, AFR, and Timing? You are wrong on a few points however. A "tune" is an adjusted ECU calibration file, not a tool. The tool would be either the device (eg Tactrix OpenPort 2.0) or the software used to read, edit, and write the ECU file. There are no "transmission changes" in the so called tune either, that would be a change to the programming of the TCM. To my knowledge, the companies that provide aftermarket support for this Lexus platform have yet to release any product for this. Changes to the Max RPM limit is edited through the ECU ROM file and do not affect the TCM. Also, would you care to share an example of a generic tune dropping the 0-60mph time on an IS by a full second?
Speaking of user posted videos, the vast majority of the videos posted between "tuned IS vs non tuned IS" are not good comparisons due to the numerous variables which are not controlled. These variables include inconsistencies between mods on each vehicle and extend as far as driver reaction times. There's other factors including wheel and tire size/pressure, total weight of each vehicle. We also do not know the mechanical condition of each vehicle as well or even current fuel tank capacity which also affects the weight variance. Unless these tests are conducted by a trained professional who understands the importance of controlled variables, these videos should be taken with a grain of salt.
As for your comment regarding needing to "do a lot of research on tunes", I appreciate the good laugh. I loved the irony of reading that after having just finished some adjustments to a tune for a customer's vehicle lol. Don't let the low post count here fool ya.
With all due respect, you do realize you basically just re-iterated majority of what I said in my post regarding the drop in acceleration times, AFR, and Timing? You are wrong on a few points however. A "tune" is an adjusted ECU calibration file, not a tool. The tool would be either the device (eg Tactrix OpenPort 2.0) or the software used to read, edit, and write the ECU file. There are no "transmission changes" in the so called tune either, that would be a change to the programming of the TCM. To my knowledge, the companies that provide aftermarket support for this Lexus platform have yet to release any product for this. Changes to the Max RPM limit is edited through the ECU ROM file and do not affect the TCM. Also, would you care to share an example of a generic tune dropping the 0-60mph time on an IS by a full second?
Speaking of user posted videos, the vast majority of the videos posted between "tuned IS vs non tuned IS" are not good comparisons due to the numerous variables which are not controlled. These variables include inconsistencies between mods on each vehicle and extend as far as driver reaction times. There's other factors including wheel and tire size/pressure, total weight of each vehicle. We also do not know the mechanical condition of each vehicle as well or even current fuel tank capacity which also affects the weight variance. Unless these tests are conducted by a trained professional who understands the importance of controlled variables, these videos should be taken with a grain of salt.
As for your comment regarding needing to "do a lot of research on tunes", I appreciate the good laugh. I loved the irony of reading that after having just finished some adjustments to a tune for a customer's vehicle lol. Don't let the low post count here fool ya.
I would call a softwarefor editing automotive ECU calibrations a tool to do it. I think more so what you are trying to explain is Software vs Hardware. You can say whatever you want. I in general just called it ex. a editing tool.
2nd, D3 and a few other are complete Tuners unlike some. They do do Transmission changes and adjustments in some Tunes. To your knowledge is why I advise you do some more research. In addition to D3, Tune by Lori does also. RR Racing has done some too. I see you do not.
I wont even start to explain what I do, and/or that I have the D3 Pro Tuner = Tune yourself and make changes. How would I know what I'm talking about? I may not be a Tuner but I have researched enough to know what is, and what's not. I always welcome new info here, and happy to advise too. You can find about 5 or more other Lexus Transmission TCU tune cars or more if you do a little searching and, ones that drop more than a sec too. I'm just trying to help clear up misinformation is all. If you are a Paid Tuner maybe you can share some good helpful info with us?
BTW: I had my 1st Lexus ECU Tuned with Nitrous back in 2006, and the Tune controlled the NO2 percentage and was Maped for other too. The Tuned was Dyno'd by a Independent magazine on 2 different dyno's on a Stock Lexus and it made 22 hp, with a drop in K&N filter.
@jgscott You again re-iterated what I just stated... that a "tune" is not a "tool", but the hardware/software used to create it is the "tool". But let's just move past that pointless discussion lol.
I believe you are missing the initial point here. This is not an IS-F or any other vehicle we are talking about in this thread. We are talking about the 3rd Gen IS and specifically the ECU tune that is offered by the third party companies. I never said TCM/TCU tuning was impossible. Tbh, I don't even know why you brought it up when we are specifically discussing issues with an ECU tune. However, the fact still stands and remains... there is not a consumer product available by any of the companies that you listed which actually make any sort of adjustments to the programming of the TCM/TCU.
You advised me to do more research but what exactly are you wanting me to research? So far, you have have only provided additional misinformation within this thread. To clear things up, both links you posted are irrelevant to this topic since neither pertain to this platform (3rd Gen IS). First, there is no factual information showing that tuner (Tuned by Loi) has successfully tuned a 2018+ 3IS ECU and TCU. I am not saying it's impossible, but we do not have documented proof of a successful TCU flash even though it's possible with VF Tuner. Also, it appears Loi does not provide a "generic universal tune" and works directly with the customer and their vehicle. This is what is called a "Custom tune". As for the 2nd link posted, it is again not a 2018+ 3IS. That thread also contains misinformation regarding the TCU flash. It states RR Racing was confirmed to have produced that TCU flash, however actual research on that claim will reveal that RR Racing specifically stated that they did not and do not have such capabilities. RR Racing confirmed they had no affiliation with the TCU tuning shown in that video. The video you posted also has nothing to do with the 3IS.
To wrap things up here, this discussion has veered way off topic lol. Going back to my initial post.... The point is, as @dorianbmx has already shown, we should not expect significant gains from the D3 or any other "off the shelf" tune for the 3IS Platform. A custom tune, where a tuner directly works with each individual car and actually logs/reviews the data will yield the most results but even that is not going to produce the outcome some people are hoping to see on the 3IS without extensive modification to the 2GR.
If you're just installing the tune and immediately making a dragy run, the results were always going to look like that. The Lexus ecu has to relearn all the new tunes and mods, it takes up to 100 miles of aggressive driving to do this. You should get a obd reader and find out your KCLV. This is the number that resets and pulls timing every time you retune the car.
I would leave the current D3 tune on and drive for a while, make sure to run through the gears and hit the redline. Once you've verified that your KCLV is around 22 or higher, then make another dragy run.
I took the test run originally about a week before the tune as indicated in the above posts. Yes I did do a run with a tune and after the tuned run immediately flash to stock but for the tuned run i had put about 800km of aggressive driving with WOT highway pulls digs etc. the D3 comes with gauges and I did in fact know about the KCLV ratios before i did the testing, set it on the gauges and KCLV learn was 18 all around for all runs. I will do further testing when i get the cats gutted and am able to select the header option. I do agree i’m not expecting seconds to be shaved off my 0-60 but there’s videos out there of people shaving off .4 and .5 with the RR racing with the the 2grfse. I also talked to D3 and they asked me to take logs to see if the throttle is opening up all the way (which is the main performance gain as past i think 5k rom the throttle only opens up to 75% where the 350 opens up to 85% which they said is where the detune comes from). And once i send these logs he’s willing to tinker. D3 is a wonderful company it’s just after the 18+ ECU hit all companies kind of got screwed in that tuning for much much harder and though I don’t think D3 is makes entirely false claims I do think that the previous gen RR and Loi tunes make a more visible difference. Also one could argue the KCLV and Lexus ecu didn’t learn between the 2 back to back runs but if you refer to the original run (fully stock no intake exhaust pretune) it’s the identical time to when i flashed it back to stock. I appreciate all of the insight and help from you guys as it’s rejoicing to see other people actually involved in the performance of our cars. Like I said i’m gonna get those logs for D3 and then they’re gonna see if they can tinker with any more settings, and getting the “header” (gutted cats) and then i’ll do proper final testing where i’ll run each tune for a few hundred km to make sure the ECU and KCLV are at where the need to be. a few WOT 4th gear pulls should do the trick for KCLV and the ECU will learn faster if i keep doing that.
*EDIT*
noticed i’m not sure if i included the second test of dragy runs which is full ECU and KCLV learned 1/4 followed by instant flash back to stock (no learn time)
Stock (was much slower because clutch slipped during the launch and started timing you can see that in the acceleration graph) refer to 60ft onward to negate bad launch.
Tuned (taken before the flash back to stock with everything having time to have learned) better launch refer to 60ft onward (able to compare with original dragy as both had same launch)
Last edited by dorianbmx; May 13, 2023 at 08:24 AM.
I know there is a difference between all the Lexus cars, the V8s seem to have higher KCLV numbers than the V6 engines, but I can hit 30+ on 91oct, so you should still be able to get above 20 after 800km of driving.
RR racing has done some research on KCLV and they have identified certain vehicles that are sort of slow KCLV learners or just plain stupid KCLV learners if you catch my drift lol. Its rare but there are some like this, that struggle to gain KCLV and are doomed to be slow even after tuning.
Not really sure why you are not getting any power gains, I’ve heard many use D3 tunes on Lexus IS as well as the v6 camrys with the same engine and get quite a bit more power. Here is a video of Lexus IS 300 Awd with the d3 tune getting 5.4s 0-60.
Thats already better then the 5.7s the IS 350 is supposed to get stock. Though this is a 2022 model but has the same engine as the 2017-2020. I was also thinking getting the d3 tune but if it actually adds no extra power then its useless. Also doesn’t make sense since the dyno numbers on the RC show power gains in both HP and torque and thats the same engine as the IS, unless of course its fake. It should at least bring the power to the same as an IS350 since the engine is just a detuned version. Might just wait for RR racing to come out with their tune for the IS300 AWD.
Not really sure why you are not getting any power gains, I’ve heard many use D3 tunes on Lexus IS as well as the v6 camrys with the same engine and get quite a bit more power. Here is a video of Lexus IS 300 Awd with the d3 tune getting 5.4s 0-60.
Thats already better then the 5.7s the IS 350 is supposed to get stock. Though this is a 2022 model but has the same engine as the 2017-2020. I was also thinking getting the d3 tune but if it actually adds no extra power then its useless. Also doesn’t make sense since the dyno numbers on the RC show power gains in both HP and torque and thats the same engine as the IS, unless of course its fake. It should at least bring the power to the same as an IS350 since the engine is just a detuned version. Might just wait for RR racing to come out with their tune for the IS300 AWD.
Videos of a speedometer are not accurate enough to use given how Lexus speedos are always a bit off, that's probably closer to 6 seconds flat.
And we've established why op isn't seeing any substantial improvement, low KCLV.
Last edited by TreysGS460; May 26, 2023 at 02:56 AM.
Not really sure why you are not getting any power gains, I’ve heard many use D3 tunes on Lexus IS as well as the v6 camrys with the same engine and get quite a bit more power. Here is a video of Lexus IS 300 Awd with the d3 tune getting 5.4s 0-60.
Thats already better then the 5.7s the IS 350 is supposed to get stock. Though this is a 2022 model but has the same engine as the 2017-2020. I was also thinking getting the d3 tune but if it actually adds no extra power then its useless. Also doesn’t make sense since the dyno numbers on the RC show power gains in both HP and torque and thats the same engine as the IS, unless of course its fake. It should at least bring the power to the same as an IS350 since the engine is just a detuned version. Might just wait for RR racing to come out with their tune for the IS300 AWD.
Glad someone else knows and post the accurate info in spite of others trying to tell the op and CL that you can not get much from the Tune. Which is not true at all.
Last edited by jgscott; May 29, 2023 at 11:05 AM.
Reason: grammar
Videos of a speedometer are not accurate enough to use given how Lexus speedos are always a bit off, that's probably closer to 6 seconds flat.
And we've established why op isn't seeing any substantial improvement, low KCLV.
I’ve never heard anything about Lexus speedos being off. I assume the video used another way to accurately check 0-60 when posting though.
Nonetheless the IS350 gets better then 6s stock so why do you think a tuned IS300 with the same engine would be getting worse? D3 tunes do work as there have been dynos done with vehicles using there tunes showing improvements in both torque and hp. RR racing has tunes with just bolt ons that add over 70hp. So again not sure where your getting at with the video I posted. Low KCLV can be an issue but can be easily corrected. Usually only happens if been running lower then 91 octane and/or driving like a grandma.
RR racing just got an IS with 2GR-FKS engine so hopefully they come with a tune soon.
I’ve never heard anything about Lexus speedos being off. I assume the video used another way to accurately check 0-60 when posting though.
Nonetheless the IS350 gets better then 6s stock so why do you think a tuned IS300 with the same engine would be getting worse? D3 tunes do work as there have been dynos done with vehicles using there tunes showing improvements in both torque and hp. RR racing has tunes with just bolt ons that add over 70hp. So again not sure where your getting at with the video I posted. Low KCLV can be an issue but can be easily corrected. Usually only happens if been running lower then 91 octane and/or driving like a grandma.
RR racing just got an IS with 2GR-FKS engine so hopefully they come with a tune soon.
Honestly any video of a speedo is BS, you have no idea the slope of the road, they could be at the top of a very steep hill, you don't actually know when the car started moving, and the speedo being far off is just way too many variables to use as actual proof or data.
The only time it would be is if it has the Dragy overlay like the video below.
Here's an RCF using a dragy GPS device which is known to be very accurate, you can see that when the speedo says 62mph, he's actually only going 50mph.
Yes, his KCLV problem can be fixed, but until then, his ecu is not truly correcting for his mods or the tune, so we'll have to wait till he fixes that.
I'm getting a KCLV in the 28+ and higher on average with my D3 Tune. I've seen that RR Racing and other Tune info to get the Timing raised for a long time now. If he would just do the Intake cleaning process, get some good gas, then add a Octane Booster that would get it there to stay. The measure being used are also way too inconsistent. The other issue is the D3 Tune setting correctly matching the Tune options. The D3 Tune is set to be used in Sport Mode.
For the record, there was recent info stating that RR called and asked D3 Performance to do this Tune for them.
I took the test run originally about a week before the tune as indicated in the above posts. Yes I did do a run with a tune and after the tuned run immediately flash to stock but for the tuned run i had put about 800km of aggressive driving with WOT highway pulls digs etc. the D3 comes with gauges and I did in fact know about the KCLV ratios before i did the testing, set it on the gauges and KCLV learn was 18 all around for all runs. I will do further testing when i get the cats gutted and am able to select the header option. I do agree i’m not expecting seconds to be shaved off my 0-60 but there’s videos out there of people shaving off .4 and .5 with the RR racing with the the 2grfse. I also talked to D3 and they asked me to take logs to see if the throttle is opening up all the way (which is the main performance gain as past i think 5k rom the throttle only opens up to 75% where the 350 opens up to 85% which they said is where the detune comes from). And once i send these logs he’s willing to tinker. D3 is a wonderful company it’s just after the 18+ ECU hit all companies kind of got screwed in that tuning for much much harder and though I don’t think D3 is makes entirely false claims I do think that the previous gen RR and Loi tunes make a more visible difference. Also one could argue the KCLV and Lexus ecu didn’t learn between the 2 back to back runs but if you refer to the original run (fully stock no intake exhaust pretune) it’s the identical time to when i flashed it back to stock. I appreciate all of the insight and help from you guys as it’s rejoicing to see other people actually involved in the performance of our cars. Like I said i’m gonna get those logs for D3 and then they’re gonna see if they can tinker with any more settings, and getting the “header” (gutted cats) and then i’ll do proper final testing where i’ll run each tune for a few hundred km to make sure the ECU and KCLV are at where the need to be. a few WOT 4th gear pulls should do the trick for KCLV and the ECU will learn faster if i keep doing that.
*EDIT*
noticed i’m not sure if i included the second test of dragy runs which is full ECU and KCLV learned 1/4 followed by instant flash back to stock (no learn time)
Stock (was much slower because clutch slipped during the launch and started timing you can see that in the acceleration graph) refer to 60ft onward to negate bad launch.
Tuned (taken before the flash back to stock with everything having time to have learned) better launch refer to 60ft onward (able to compare with original dragy as both had same launch)
This is concerning, i somehow thought this tune would actually have some progress or changes to the engine compared to other tunes ive seen/heard. Well, at this point i guess ill just wait for the supercharger kit for any performance changes. Ill keep an eye out to watch the threads and see what others have seen or tested with tuners or kits. I know once its comes out i will want to get it and have a build/reaction thread going for it myself.
This is concerning, i somehow thought this tune would actually have some progress or changes to the engine compared to other tunes ive seen/heard. Well, at this point i guess ill just wait for the supercharger kit for any performance changes. Ill keep an eye out to watch the threads and see what others have seen or tested with tuners or kits. I know once its comes out i will want to get it and have a build/reaction thread going for it myself.
I didn't see anything concerning relating to the tune. Read the entire thread, you'll see OP has a problem unrelated to the tune he needs to figure out.
I didn't see anything concerning relating to the tune. Read the entire thread, you'll see OP has a problem unrelated to the tune he needs to figure out.
I did read it, and which ever the answer is, just seems like it wouldnt be a good one. I understand testing should be done with proper specs or better preparation, but im not going to get my hopes up.
Hey, I purchased the performance tuner which i think is the only option, the pro tuner is the software which is included with the performance tuner. I think you need to the performance tuner to install the tune files though i’m not sure you’d have to ask them.
Have you considered on having it dyno tuned. Just purchased the Pro Tuner and headers. I have a HPS CAI, AFE POWER 76mm throttle body, RIPP coil packs, Tsudo midpipes and Invidia exhaust. Installing Brisk Racing Spark plus before taking it to get dyno tuned. I flash the ecu with the hand held tuner bout a month ago. Car is definitely quicker and is keep up with flash ecu Q50. Hopefully .y guy can work his magic. He's been tuning for more than 15 years and now tunes high horsepower vehicles.
I may not be a Tuner but I have researched enough to know what is, and what's not. I always welcome new info here, and happy to advise too. You can find about 5 or more other Lexus Transmission TCU tune cars or more if you do a little searching and, ones that drop more than a sec too. I'm just trying to help clear up misinformation is all. If you are a Paid Tuner maybe you can share some good helpful info with us?
