swatski
Jetboaters Fleet Admiral 1*
- Messages
- 12,806
- Reaction score
- 18,572
- Points
- 822
- Location
- North Caldwell, NJ
- Boat Make
- Yamaha
- Year
- 2016
- Boat Model
- AR
- Boat Length
- 24
RIVA's Maptuner X is a blast. I have had the Maptuner 1 in the past, and there is just no comparison - as far as speed, and ease of use.
There is a ton of information on the system on greenhulk, albeit mostly concerning forced induction engines. Ordering through greenhulk store is the best way.
http://www.greenhulk.net/forums/showthread.php?t=246087
https://rivaracing.com/p-33822-maptunerx.html
https://www.4-tecperformance.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=180
RIVA Maptuner is supported by a team led by Jesus Garcia. He has a reputation as a master tuner but is also great as far as customer service. He personally responds to all emails, and provides answers and custom program edits in a timely fashion. I couldn't be happier.
The RIVA tuning library for the 1.8 N/A is rudimentary but they are developing and adding new programs, accessible with a license.
Why a reflash of Yamaha 1.8 N/A (naturally aspirated) engine?
For me, the primary goal was to improve throttle response. In this regard, the reflash has proven very effective, as expected. Is it worth the money? To me - it is, but of course it depends.
Today, I asked my wife, Kate, to ride the boat as she normally would when pulling wakeboarders - I switched the ECU programming between either stock or RIVA. She was completely impressed and said that without a doubt the difference was remarkable. She compared it to driving a Ford Focus vs a BMW... LOL
(which definitely made my day).
"Much more speed control...":
"Incremental acceleration...":
RIVA reflash also increases torque/power (especially in the low/mid range) yielding a big boost in acceleration and power when turning.
For example, with the most "aggressive" program I am now getting cavitation on the hole shot - due to additional power.
Cruising fuel economy is improved, too.
Top speed gains require impeller modifications - repitching the impellers one can take advantage of custom rev limiter. Otherwise the max RPM (and top speed) are only marginally improved - so the boat is quicker in getting to the top speed but not much faster at WOT. The alternative is tuning the pump with the L13 cone, and a combination - adjusting L13, impeller pitch, venturi nozzle bore. I haven't done any of it, at this point.
How does it work?
Short answer is - I don't really know. In an N/A engine torque/power gains must be mostly due to timing advances - reflash is optimized for use of Premium 93 Octane, factory is tuned for regular 87. Beyond that, the main advantage of a reflash is in smoothing out power delivery. The Yamaha boat ECUs are cookie cutter style and RIVA tunes make a difference by re-mapping the APSs response curve to better suit the boat.
Is it safe?
Yes - if you stay with Stage 1 "canned" tunes and use appropriate octane gas (93 Octane is required and I wouldn't use anything else).
And there should never be an issue if there is no premium gas around - the Maptuner X is very fast, so if there ever is a need to reflash back to stock tune it takes almost no time:
I timed myself today while on the water and reflashed both engines - from the time I stopped engines to restart - in less than 4min (3:51) total, not even rushing.
The tuner comes in a package with everything one needs - and it all fits neatly for carrying around in the boat. The battery cable is long enough to reach both ECUs in the 24' boat (thank you, Jerry!). I have used the X tuner for a couple of weeks now and have not had a single issue with synchronizing, reading, or programming.
The little touch screen is bright and works well, albeit there is some delay when touching the buttons - it takes a little getting used to.
The ECU plug is VERY easy and comfortable to use, helping the speed of the entire operation.
The initial reads of the engines VINs etc. take a few minutes, but after that the system is fast.
I noticed that with repeated use the system seems to "learn" and automatically recognizes an engine (vehicle) when the plug goes into the ECU. Very cool.
I have tested five or six programs by now, and Jesus is working on some more. The difference between the stock program and some of my favorite tunes is very noticeable, even in the hands of guests who are not familiar with these boats.
In theory, the Maptuner X can read fault codes in Yamaha 1.8s but I can not verify this as my boat has not thrown one, yet.
As far as Map Edit and Data Logging operations - I have no interest and little knowledge, doubt it's something I would ever be interested in doing on my own - especially with a N/A engine. Supercharged, or turbo, is a different story all together. But - it's hard to beat the reliability of the N/A 1.8.
I will continue testing the system, at this point a couple of programs seem close to what I would consider optimal. Jesus may still be able to improve on those, I think, but we are already very close to where I would like to be.
The next step for me - will be to focus on pump mods (which will be the subject of a different thread) - to take advantage of that newly found power!
I will post some video clips of the testing in the next post.
--
There is a ton of information on the system on greenhulk, albeit mostly concerning forced induction engines. Ordering through greenhulk store is the best way.
http://www.greenhulk.net/forums/showthread.php?t=246087
https://rivaracing.com/p-33822-maptunerx.html
https://www.4-tecperformance.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=180
RIVA Maptuner is supported by a team led by Jesus Garcia. He has a reputation as a master tuner but is also great as far as customer service. He personally responds to all emails, and provides answers and custom program edits in a timely fashion. I couldn't be happier.
The RIVA tuning library for the 1.8 N/A is rudimentary but they are developing and adding new programs, accessible with a license.
Why a reflash of Yamaha 1.8 N/A (naturally aspirated) engine?
For me, the primary goal was to improve throttle response. In this regard, the reflash has proven very effective, as expected. Is it worth the money? To me - it is, but of course it depends.
Today, I asked my wife, Kate, to ride the boat as she normally would when pulling wakeboarders - I switched the ECU programming between either stock or RIVA. She was completely impressed and said that without a doubt the difference was remarkable. She compared it to driving a Ford Focus vs a BMW... LOL
(which definitely made my day)."Much more speed control...":
"Incremental acceleration...":
RIVA reflash also increases torque/power (especially in the low/mid range) yielding a big boost in acceleration and power when turning.
For example, with the most "aggressive" program I am now getting cavitation on the hole shot - due to additional power.
Cruising fuel economy is improved, too.
Top speed gains require impeller modifications - repitching the impellers one can take advantage of custom rev limiter. Otherwise the max RPM (and top speed) are only marginally improved - so the boat is quicker in getting to the top speed but not much faster at WOT. The alternative is tuning the pump with the L13 cone, and a combination - adjusting L13, impeller pitch, venturi nozzle bore. I haven't done any of it, at this point.
How does it work?
Short answer is - I don't really know. In an N/A engine torque/power gains must be mostly due to timing advances - reflash is optimized for use of Premium 93 Octane, factory is tuned for regular 87. Beyond that, the main advantage of a reflash is in smoothing out power delivery. The Yamaha boat ECUs are cookie cutter style and RIVA tunes make a difference by re-mapping the APSs response curve to better suit the boat.
Is it safe?
Yes - if you stay with Stage 1 "canned" tunes and use appropriate octane gas (93 Octane is required and I wouldn't use anything else).
And there should never be an issue if there is no premium gas around - the Maptuner X is very fast, so if there ever is a need to reflash back to stock tune it takes almost no time:
I timed myself today while on the water and reflashed both engines - from the time I stopped engines to restart - in less than 4min (3:51) total, not even rushing.
The tuner comes in a package with everything one needs - and it all fits neatly for carrying around in the boat. The battery cable is long enough to reach both ECUs in the 24' boat (thank you, Jerry!). I have used the X tuner for a couple of weeks now and have not had a single issue with synchronizing, reading, or programming.
The little touch screen is bright and works well, albeit there is some delay when touching the buttons - it takes a little getting used to.
The ECU plug is VERY easy and comfortable to use, helping the speed of the entire operation.
The initial reads of the engines VINs etc. take a few minutes, but after that the system is fast.
I noticed that with repeated use the system seems to "learn" and automatically recognizes an engine (vehicle) when the plug goes into the ECU. Very cool.
I have tested five or six programs by now, and Jesus is working on some more. The difference between the stock program and some of my favorite tunes is very noticeable, even in the hands of guests who are not familiar with these boats.
In theory, the Maptuner X can read fault codes in Yamaha 1.8s but I can not verify this as my boat has not thrown one, yet.
As far as Map Edit and Data Logging operations - I have no interest and little knowledge, doubt it's something I would ever be interested in doing on my own - especially with a N/A engine. Supercharged, or turbo, is a different story all together. But - it's hard to beat the reliability of the N/A 1.8.
I will continue testing the system, at this point a couple of programs seem close to what I would consider optimal. Jesus may still be able to improve on those, I think, but we are already very close to where I would like to be.
The next step for me - will be to focus on pump mods (which will be the subject of a different thread) - to take advantage of that newly found power!
I will post some video clips of the testing in the next post.
--
Last edited:
