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A Review & Comparison of Esc OpenFlash tune vs TDR Tune
About 2 months ago I purchased the OpenFlash electric supercharger from Vishnu Tuning. I had followed the phantom electric supercharger (the hardware used in the Vishnu kit) since the ft86club thread and was intrigued by it. When I saw a kit was being developed for the NC I was excited to see what came of it.
When the final kit was released I was confident in the hardware which had been proven by many members and a few dynos on the FT86 so I knew it could make some real power. I was less excited however with the OpenFlash off-the-shelf one-size-fits-all tuning solution. I purchased the kit with the OFT and contacted Jay at TDR Tuning about doing an ecutek tune for the new system including a 2.5 bar map sensor (from a mazdaspeed3) to allow Jay to tune based on manifold pressure. I took notes throughout the process to document what I liked and disliked about each the and what I felt.
In the beginning of October I installed the eSC on my otherwise stock (except an RSII muffler) 2008 NC and flashed the OpenFlash eSC tune. The difference in WOT acceleration was excellent and I was very pleased with the output of the small, electrically driven compressor; this review however is to discuss the two tunes and not the ESC.
With the oftune, outside of WOT the car drove very similar to stock. I felt a very slight difference in throttle response and that was about it. Although many people consider a tune to just be about going fast and making more power, the tune really dictates the entire driving experience. My two biggest gripes with the oftune were the cruise control operation and the engine braking. I HATED the change in cruise control that the new the had created. On downhill roads with cruise control on, a horrible lurching resulted that felt like the throttle plate constantly going open-closed-open-closed. With the Ecutek tune cruise control was as smooth or another than stock. The other annoyance was the engine braking I felt. When you would let off the throttle there would be a very aggressive deceleration from engine braking. It made for a less enjoyable and comfortable drive. With Jay’s tune when you let off the throttle the car just seems to continue coasting smoothly and gradually slows down. The throttle response with Jay’s tune was so much more direct than the OpenFlash tune, I would say at last twice as noticeable.
In regards to the tune itself, jay took the time to show me and explain to me through the datalogs how everything was performing and why that was ideal and the results are pretty dramatic in practice. The difference in acceleration at WOT is definitely there and the onset of boost is incredibly smooth and seamless (Jay even showed me the difference in the onset of boost in the datalogs).
I can go on and on, but in driving the tunes back to back, it is undeniable that Jay’s tune is superior in performance, and more importantly to me, in drivability. Considering a relatively small difference in price between the oft and Jay’s tune, the choice in my opinion is very clear.
Tune from TuningDoneRight
So this is my SHOUT-OUT to Jay for doing a fantastic job.
My experience with OFT/Ecutek
After owning both the OFT and now an Ecutek tune, I was wanting to give some feedback to the forum. My initial wants for a tune were: Ease of flashing, and no tuning work/involvement form myself. I did not want to have to do any tuning myself. Power, and throttle response. The OFT seemed like the way to go.In terms of ease of tuning, OFT was indeed easy. Plug it up get your cal id email it. Shiv responds quickly enough once you email him after receiving your device. Ecutek, while daunting at first, turned out to be easy. Download some programs that are listed in the box the cable comes in, contact your tuner send cal id. The only downside to Ecutek is the fact you must be connected to Wifi. I live in a (high rise) condo and it was a little tricky for me to find some at first. Ecutek is quite easy though as your tuner can take control of your laptop, or guide you through any problems. My tuner (Jay) was quick to answer emails/texts/calls. I think both systems are well thought out in regards to flashing and map switching.Throttle response/drivability: OFT had updated/tweaked throttle maps. Not a put down, but I didn’t really notice at first. I guess it crept up on me, as I only really noticed when I switched back to the stock ROM and thought, “man this throttle response is slow.” With Ecutek and Jay’s tune I actually over revved the first few heel/toes I tried to do. This is not a bad thing. Quite good actually. Because I think he nailed the sweet spot. Its quite eager to respond to the influences of your lead foot but you are still fully capable of modulating all inputs. In other words, it doesn’t just jump from idle to 3k rpm with the slightest touch of the pedal, just acts as closely to a throttle cable car as I have ever seen personally. I would hate to go back to a standard tune or any other DBW car after experiencing this. This comes in to play in daily driving in quite a large way. My previous car was a Honda CR-Z. It, like most hybrids have more than one selectable driving node (sport, normal, eco). Each had its own DBW lag times, and they were all noticeably different. So essentially it was like learning to drive three different cars. Quite annoying. This made me hyper sensitive to DBW, and by extension the tq limiters in the first few gears. I was amazed at how much faster 3rd gear felt when running up through the gears when I first got the MX-5. For me it was nerve racking wracking when shifting gears as 1st and 2nd were the same and then I always seems to give 3rd more gas than needed. The Ecutek tunes, getting rid of the limiters, has made driving daily much more enjoyable by making all the gear changes the same. In the OFT I didn’t seen to notice that,, although it may have helped a little (from the increased tq). Honestly, the Ecutek tune really improved drivability in the car. Easing onto the gas and going into any gear is noticeably easier.Power: This is a bit of a mixed bag. I do not yet have dynos for the TDR tune. I do have pre and post tunes for the OFT. With PPE catless header, AEM CAI and Roadstersport Q exhaust I put down 147/137. After the OFT tune I put down 148/140. I changed my oil, diff and tranny fluid, so if anything the OFT had more favorable conditions. I did gain some low end torque, which I could definitely feel and appreciated. However I made no more real power up top…I was quite disappointed to say the least. I logged the runs and looked them over. I was running stupid rich. Low 11’s near the top of the rev range. Also of note was my gas mileage was around 17mpg with the OFT tune. Horrible. So that low end tq came at that expense. The OFT did produce a nice exhaust note however. Also of note was the car started extremely quickly. I really liked that feature of the OFT more than anything else. The Ecutek TDR tune feels every bit as powerful down low and throughout the midrange with a better top end. I have already logged a few runs and the AFR’s are much better. High 12’s low 13’s. I will dyno with it and report back. But as far as “feel” it’s great. A culmination of the throttle adjustments, leaning out the AFR, and removing the torque limiters really has livened up the car. “Awoken” is really a good descriptor for the TDR tune. As an aside, I received two separate tunes from Jay. One for a Goodwin header car and one for a PPE equipped car. Both felt/sounded completely different. The Goodwin tune was very very progressive building power with the RPMs. It sounded more like a standard 4 cal, the growl being “together” and non lumpy. Being that my car has a PPE header the PPE tune is the one I stuck with. It sounds more “grunty” more like a boxer engine. It also feels like it has more power down low/throughout the midrange. I am sure the Goodwin would feel better with a Goodwin header. My point is, I don’t feel these model specific tunes are gimmicks after trying them. I feel noticeable differences between the tunes. Logging them I can see the differences as well. My mileage quickly worked its way up to mid 20’s as well (city stop and go traffic). So after being disappointed with the OFT tune I contacted the guys there, which leads me to customer service and not having to do any tuning myself. I had no issues with knock with any off the three tunes. I had no lights come on, no DTC, no issues whatsoever.Customer service: So I want to preface this by saying before I originally purchased the OFT I emailed the company and specifically asked if they had an off the shelf tune for a vehicle equipped like mine, specifying the exact mods I have. I did this TWICE. I was told yes. After I received the OFT and emailed shiv my stock ROM, I asked him the same thing…..TWICE! I was told yes. The only thing he told me was to look out for my MAF numbers. I asked him what numbers I should be weary of and he never responded. I can’t look for something if I don’t know what I am looking for. If this starts to sound like a bash against the company at this point, well…this is just my experience with them. You see, the tune they provided did not work with my car. With the OFT and the AEM CAI, the MAF scaled the LTFT to double what they should have been hence the richness. The OFT IS NOT COMPATIBLE WITH AN AEM CAI!!! The have never tested with it and it does not work, unless you like it super rich. I don’t. Shiv told me to just uninstall the intake….Um…no. We all know how time consuming it is to remove/replace the front bumper. Its torture. Couple that with the fact that I would have to find a shop because I am not allowed to work on my car in my condo’s garage. Not happening, especially when you said the tune would work with my mods! He then told me I could tune the MAF and LTFT myself. No thanks on that, as again, that was one of my main issues to avoid. I spent $20 on shipping the OFT, $50 on dyno’ing it, and another $20 shipping it back after I was misled. They wouldn’t even cover the return shipping, which in this case I believe the seller should have as I feel the product was misrepresented to me (i.e. the tune working for my setup.) So I was (still am) upset about the money essentially wasted, but if this helps save someone else so time/money/hassle then it was worth it. It is my opinion that they have a one size fits all tune they hand out.
I then contacted Jay, who I used to be skeptical of until recently, once he talked about how he was able to make the power he does. I went ahead with the purchase and have zero regrets. The car is faster, more lively, mileage has improved, the drivability has increased. All in all a slam dunk. Shiv was professional throughout the whole ordeal, even when I was clearly upset. However, Jay is one of those super personable people you rarely meet. We shared texts/phone calls/stories. Over all a great buying experience with him.
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TDR Tune + GW Header and Midpipe Complete!
I was very happy with the gains from the exhaust work, and then I called Jay at TDR, knowing a tune really should be done to maximize the gains.
I know this is old news around here, but Jay was fantastic, he took the time to go through everything with me on the phone, patiently waited with me while I had computer trouble, and really was very accommodating. The whole process took two days, only one revision necessary. and WOW what a difference after the second tune. I could hear an angry sound as soon as I started it up, throttle response much improved and the car now has tons of mid range and high end torque. The car is very eager now, I love it! I may still want to throw the GWR Q muffler on , as it is a little loud to be driving around town with. The glass pack baffles helped but it still is a little much.
I will say, as good as the car is, all I can think about is sending it down to florida and getting it back from Jay with a turbo in it! Its a good thing I don’t live closer, or it would be happening.
Favorite Jay quote when getting data log, “Drive it like you stole it” No problem Jay ! Thanks for everything !
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My TDR Tune
I know there are countless threads about TDR tunes and Jay, but I wanted to throw my .02 in to the ring. I was skeptical of what just a tune to a NA MX-5 could add in terms of SOP (seat of pants) power, and real HP/TQ. I have been craving more power from the car and started reading the threads about Jay and his tuning and figured I’d give it a shot.
My ’07 PRHT seemed very powerful from the factory. Not sure if I got a fluke or not but I have driven other folks Miata’s in our club (06/07/08) and mine with just an intake (MS), mid-pipe (GWR), and exhaust (MS) seemed to pull much strong than other’s.
Anyways, I worked with Jay who was great to work with and very accommodating. Once he flashed the car, the mid-range punch I thought I used to have is feels much more potent from 2.5-5.5K RPM’s. I took the car out to do some logging right after the tune and had to shut it down when attempting to do a WOT in 4th gear. 90+ on the highway at night was not something I wanted to attempt. Did get a good log of a WOT in 3rd.
Got back from the logging trip and send the logs to Jay who took a look at them and stated they looked spot on. Looking to do headers in the Spring and will def be hitting up Jay for an adjusted tune.
Another thumbs up for Jay and TDR tuning!
Stock NC with TDR Tune: Like setting off a firecracker in my car!
N/A tune for 100 oct rocks!
I´ve been more a consumer than a contributor on Miata.net, but I feel now´s a good time to share some experiences.I never had a strong urge to increase power, actually for a long time this section was the last one I clicked….. I´m not in the US, so many topics discussed here are either not readily available, too expensive or simply not street legal.Well, eventually I DID visit more often, and I´m a quick learner
To cut a long story short, I decided to ignore some of the above mentioned caveats and decided to get some unobtrusive additional power and contacted Jay at TDR.
Good choice, because he instantly came up with the idea of doing a tune specifically for 100oct fuel, which although more expensive is readily available in most parts of Europe.My car is a standard 2005 3rd Generation Limited with 64k km, bone stock, engine and exhaust untouched.Lending the EcuTek cable not being an option (makes no sense timewise), I decided to buy one in Europe.
Once I had the cable, Jay called me and guided me through the setup of SW and taught me how to flash the ECU and create logs.So based on our discussion and the fact that we would focus on 100oct fuel, Jay supplied me with 4 consecutive tunes, each one based on the logs I had created with the prior tune. This process happened during the past 2-3 weeks, mainly because I wasn´t able to do much driving and logging.
The biggest jump in performance was obviously going from standard tune to the first 100oct tune, but each tune after that still resulted in a significant improvement.My final tune – now “approved by Jay” – has been active for the last 600km (great Sunday drive through the Black Forest). And I must tell you, it´s a BLAST!!!!!
– Throttle response is impressive and a dramatic change from standard (could be a different car altogether)
– Definitely stronger below 3.500 rpm, no hesitation under low rev flooring at all
– above 4.000 rpm it just PULLLLLLS amazingly right up to and past the red line (cuts off a 7.500 rpm)
– Torque must have improved because now my DSC lights up and cuts traction much more often.I do not have a direct comparison to the tune for 95oct fuel yet, as I´m still on a nearly full tank of the good stuff, but within short time I will be able to compare.Verdict:
If you are considering a tune and have regular access to 100oct fuel, this is certainly a must do! Working with Jay – as has been said before – is a great experience, his uptake on feedback given is really good!So I´ll be updating this thread once I have the 95 oct tune.Ahhh, now I need to go the ‘Handling’ section, I need to ensure that my ride stays on the road …..
And this is my son grinning during a quick stop on sunday´s triphttp://forum.miata.net/vb/showthread.php?t=497504&highlight=tdrAn E85 tuning review
My MX5 is a Miata NC 2.0 from 2006 with European specs. The actual drive chain mods are a K&N Panelfilter, Header with a 200 cells Race cat and a cat back Sport System.
When I was looking for a way to gain more power without making an engine rebuild I found TDR on the internet and read about the remote reflashing of the ECU. After a while I contacted Jay and soon we had an agreement.We had a meeting by phone and on the internet. It took about 30 minutes for Jay to give me instructions and to retreive a copy of the ECU stock file. It took about 20 minutes more for Jay to create the first tune and assist me to reflash the ECU. In less than one hour I had the first version of a reflashed ECU! Couldn’t beleive for a second it was so easy!The first calibration was aimed to optimise for use of 98 octane RON. After logging and sending the log file to Jay I received a new tune which I managed to reflash all by my self. A new log file to Jay and he gave me clearance. Such an efficient process! I doesn’t matter we have the Atlantic Ocean between us The 98 octane tune had a significant impact on the torque and it was even more fun to drive the Miata than before.However, we didn’t stop there. We took it all the way to a E85 tune. E85 is equivalent to 104-105 octane RON which gives another and better base for tuning. After three logs and four tunes during a couple of days I had something I didn’t beleive was possible to reach without a turbo or a charger kit. I haven’t yet tested the power on a dynojet so I can’t say the exact power figures but with the mods, E85 and the tuning we are far away from the stock power (160 bhp).The torque is there from 2k revs and all the way up. Gearing from 1st to second is a joyfull event with absolutely no hesitation from the engine. The response is immediate and to gear down to 3rd gear at 3.5 k revs and hit the floor is fantastic! The induction sounds aggressive and the cat back system can sing its song. Even the starting is smooth despite the need of more E85 fuel due to Jays calibration to provide more fuel in the starting sequense.I really love this car! The Miata has changed to a fantastic and powerful machine that will give me a lot of pleasure and I look forward to every future km. Currently I have been driving with the E85 tune for about 300 km.I will never regret this!______________________________________________________________________________________________
Tuned by tuning done right
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Car tuned – Just unbelievable
* I found to have power at 2.5-4 Rpms which wasnt before. 4-5.5 is faster than before.
* I found rev-matching more accurate than before. I mean I always hated gears shift sync from 1 to 2 and from 2 to 3.. but especially from first gear to second. This shift improved and I notice more rev-matched gear shifts. I have no idea how is that related, but thats the case.This only gives you the desire for a FI engine..
1) Jay connected to my laptop while its in the car with the ecutek cable connected.
2) Then he downloaded some parameters from my car.. I think the stock ECU Rom.
3) He told me to wait an hour or so then he sent me an email with a TDR tune.
4) He reconnected to my laptop and flashed my ECU with his tune.
5) Then he told me to drive the car and take logs with the Ecutek cable connected to the car and the laptop was on the floor with the software on and logs on
6) Then I sent him the logs via email, he got back to me later on and told me that the logs looks ok and ofcourse answered a bunch of questions I’ve asked and told me I can call him any time for any issues.The first thing I said to my self when my car was re-flashed and I started driving… was.. “W*#@*”Best Regards,
Liran
07, NC PRHT 6MT Premium+Suspension: SmartTop, SG II, Voodoo, WT Floorliner Digitalfit, Nautilus, Aux, TDR Tune
Ordered: RB Header, Progress Sways
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TDR Tune
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Feeling strong!
Took a few more runs around the 5 mile loop after the initial tune, it feels VERY strong, it pulls substantially harder up top, I found myself in the 5k rpm range more often. It gets there much quicker and pulls all the way to the top where it used to taper off. It feels like it shifts faster, maybe just because it’s pulling harder. Torque is noticeable right off idle. I had to turn the DSC off as it was kicking in at a couple of tight uphill corners where it wouldn’t in the past ( torque induced) and with it off the puppy spins freely in first and in second I found myself looking over my right shoulder at the center of the road a couple times 🙂 purely accidental of course. I’m in PNW and it’s quite wet out there but I am comparing wet pre and post exhaust & tune. I should state for all I had the Q-sport and AEM CAI prior to the addition of the GWR header, mid pipe and tune. I drove it without the tune after header & midpipe install and the difference is very apparent.So for your first automatic, I think you done good 🙂 we’ll do some data logging as you suggested tomorrow to see if there’s anything you see you want to tweak but so far I am a happy camper! All clear in the instrument cluster, there may be a small dark stain in the seat attributable to your tune and the wet weather, I blame you.For all reading this, an absolute pleasure to work with Jay, open, honest and does what he says he’ll do when he says he’ll do it! I highly recommend.Thank you Jay, talk with you tomorrow night.
-Matt
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Newly Tuned ECU by TDR
Thanks Jay!!! 
Wanted to share some initial feedback with TDR tuning
) for a few days while I waited on an EcuTek cable, since all of them were out with other customers at that time. I also got the logs he requested (of two 15-20 minute drives made up of some “everyday” driving, some steady highway cruising, and a few WOT pulls) during that time.Once the cable came in and I found some free time, I gave Jay another call and we set in on tuning the car. I had already installed the EcuTek software earlier onto my laptop, so he set in right away (operating through remote access) and pulled my car’s current settings. Once he had that, I didn’t even have to wait half an hour before he called back again, new tune at the ready. After e-mailing me the .BIN files (both the original and the reworked one), he once again went through my laptop to flash the car. A quick 2-3 minute wait for the re-flashing and it was ready to go.He hung around on the phone for a few minutes while I started to drive around just to make sure everything was okay. There were no issues, so he let me go and told me to “drive it like you stole it” for however long I felt would be adequate. So I did just that for the next 30 minutes, with several on/off ramp blats at WOT and just about every other combination of road, speed, gear, throttle, etc. I could come up with.My impressions were solid across the board. I knew not to expect anything earth-shattering, but still came out pleasantly surprised. I don’t have dyno numbers, but from my butt-dyno’s relative measurements, it felt like I gained about an additional 1/2 as much power as I originally gained up from the intake and exhaust. The character of the car overall feels more refined as well, on account of a bunch of little things: 1st and 2nd gear feel noticeably more lively. Idle is steady as a rock. No more constant leftover-fuel-burble-fart while I’m engine braking down a hill. Slightly faster and more linear engine response (especially in the mid-range). No hiccups or hesitation anywhere. So on and so forth.I gave Jay another call, shared these impressions, and let him know that everything appeared to be well. Now I just have one more set of data logs to take care of for his reference and my peace of mind, and hopefully that should be that.So to recap, Jay was very pleasant to work with, and the results, even on a NA MX5, were enough to feel in more ways than one. Suffice it to say I’m very happy with the results and would gladly recommend a TDR tune to anyone interested at this point.Will probably post again in about another week or so to wrap things up and provide anything else I might pick up on along the way.Thanks, Jay! ’07 MX-5 PRHT Sport – BB, 5MT, AEM CAI, RoadsterSport Head+Mid+Q, TDR Tune, FM Sways
TDR Tune
and midpipe put in and had TDR do the Tune. WOW, doesnt even come close.
Makes the car much more responsive, has more torque, defintely more
pull in the higher prm range. I have owned much faster cars than the NC but after doing this it makes the NC perform much more like a higher end sports car. Reagrdless of the mods the NC always put a bigger smile on my face than any other car I have owned which Im sure everyopne here can relate.
Jay at TDR was great to work with and went above and beyond to make sure I was happy with the car. And if you get a chance to ride with Omar (hope the spelling is right) in his monstrously boosted NC I highly recommend it.
I was one with the soft top with the hard top in copper red
i am extremely happy with the tune that i got on my car it brings a whole new feeling to the car,
and you just want to go out and drive it at all hours of the day.
The difference that i have felt is the throttle response in the car is sooo much better also it feel like it has more
power and torque there is zero delay between the power between the gears.
(Next step hopefully turbocharging )
Woo hoo – I won a free tune from TDR!
Sway bars, tune, alignment, Michelin PSS – and so the descent into madness begins…..
TDR tune
I happen to live about an hour from Jay so I was able to drive there and not have to buy the cable to flash the ECU. I highly recommend TDR if your looking to get a tune, Jay is very customer oriented and will work to make the tune right.
