VR Tuned OBDII Port Tune Auto Flash

We get asked all the time; "what does this do?, how much power will I see, is this upgrade noticeable?"

I thought I would settle those questions with this thread/article of some cold hard evidence on what this will do to your car...

TCU Tuning is quite a new phenomenon for road cars due to the priority over general ECU tuning which has been at the forefront since the late 1980’s. The main priority for the “average” car driver has always been towards the emphasis of extra power making the car faster on the road which although is correct to a degree, it isn’t always the case in practice.
If we look at the “Grass Routes” of fast road cars we always revert to track and race cars and yet we do not always look at the various methods used to make a car quick. Speed is a key factor and something not to be missed but outside of racing you rarely find people looking towards the transmission, this is a pivotal mistake as more gains can be had from shift and throttle speed than an extra 20-30hp on an “average” fast road car.

Let’s take a Lamborghini, Ferrari and Porsche as an example and review the differences achievable. Tests carried out at Nurburgring Circuit, Nurburg, Germany by the same driver.
The quickest lap of 3 attempts used for each result.
Lamborghini Aventador LP700 Stock - 8 minutes 12 seconds.
Lamborghini Aventador LP740 Engine Software Upgrade – 7 minutes 52 seconds.
Lamborghini Aventador LP700 TCU Software Upgrade – 7 minutes 44 seconds.
Lamborghini Aventador LP740 + TCU Software Upgrade – 7 minutes 27 seconds.
Ferrari 458 570hp Stock – 8 minutes 5 second.
Ferrari 458 598hp Engine Software Upgrade – 7 minutes 48 seconds.
Ferrari 458 570hp TCU Software Upgrade – 7 minutes 45 seconds.
Ferrari 458 598hp Engine + TCU Software Upgrade – 7 minutes 37 seconds.
Porsche 911/991 400hp PDK Stock – 7 minutes 58 seconds.
Porsche 911/991 400hp PDK + TCU Software Upgrade - 7 minutes 41 seconds.
These were all performed by a ex world touring car racer that works with the engineering team.
Technical Data 991 PDK:
Porsche 911/991 PDK 7 speed double clutch system.
Gear Ratio –
1 (3.91)
2 (2.29)
3 (1.55)
4 (1.30)
5 (1.08)
6 (0.88)
7 (0.71)
R (3.55)
Final Drive (3.44)
Clutch Dia (9.44”)

Over the past decade electronics have been used to a higher degree in automotive gear shifting in an aim to develop a “seamless shift” which until now has been a point of achievement but with the introduction of the Porsche PDK this is now close to reality. In real terms the PDK spells the end of manual shift in racing, no longer can we argue that a manual is a quicker option so the questions arises, WHY ? The answer is simple, engine controllers can manage data, prepare a shift and place it ready for delivery before you even realize you want to shift. The average controller within your road car can calculate 350,000 times per second and constantly read and control signals throughout the car in preparation for your next move. With this in mind we naturally want faster, after all it’s what fast road car owning is all about right!

So the next thought would be, if it could be faster, surely the manufacturer would do it? The answer to that is simple, they can and they will, more often in the later updates of “sports” versions of your very car, with a slight bumper change, maybe a re-styled rear spoiler and a new steering wheel, making new sales revenue for the manufacturer.
VW and the VAG were pinnacle in this method of marketing in Europe with the early VW Golf available in 90hp, 101hp, 105hp, 110hp, 115hp, 130hp, 150hp and 163hp. It is pure marketing genius but can you honestly afford to buy a new car every 3-9 months? For this reason we invested hugely in the production of our ground breaking AutoFlash system to enable the OBD flashing of the vehicles controller to release the hidden power yours.

The Auto Flash development team are ex Porsche Racing Staff who started way back in the early 1990’s in the Porsche Racing Series and have extensive background in software aimed at the Porsche marque and as such have a full understanding of the workings of the Bosch and Siemens systems used for these vehicles. With that in mind we scrutinize each software variant for limiters, whether that is for torque, shift control speed and communication lines. Most manufacturers set a maximum limit of 83% based on the fact that they have to compensate for all levels of driver and maintenance. Remember, not all drivers can drive and likewise, not all owners will look after their vehicles and as such they implement “compensators” into the software to counteract these possible variances.

Another great benefit of the AutoFlash is the increased longevity of the clutch system, we have seen increases of 10-30% on egear, 15-30% on DSG, 10-30%+ on Rtronic and Stronic and so far we have PDK powered cars with 35,000km on our AutoFlash software upgrade. The AutoFlash is thoroughly tested both on the road and the track (where applicable) and we are sure you will agree that the shift and positive feel of the engine after the flash makes for a superb upgrade.

View the VR Tuned Auto Flash OBDII Tuning Product for Porsche, Mercedes, BMW, Audi, Lamborghini, Ferrari, and more here.

This is an article written inconjunction with the engineers and developers of the VR Tuned Auto Flash product. Vivid Racing is a partner in the sales of the Auto Flash product.