Vtech Maptuner ECU reflash - first impressions

[swatski]

So - I finally got to it - purchased and performed an ECU reflash with Vtech Maptuner - through Jerry / Greenhulk store. I used their "Stage 1 8350" map for now. The cost is about $900 (300 for the tuner and 600 for the tuning license per engine)... The boat is 2012 SX190 - stock 1.8l N/A engine with ribbon delete as the only mod.

Here is some general information about the tuner/maps:
http://www.greenhulk.net/forums/showthread.php?t=235501&highlight=vtech+ecu+yamaha

All I will say for now is this: Amazing how these boats come to life with a simple tune!

I have had very limited time to install and test today, so these are just preliminary observations. Weather has been crap around here and it was windy and getting dark today for me - so I didn't push it. I will be writing a fuller report this weekend, hopefully will get time to do some testing and post results.

That said, the increase in power and top speed is notable and obvious.

Cheers!

Here are some pictures:

The tuner arrived with all necessary cables


At the dock - connect tuner to ECU to read/generate VIN


Battery power - special cable included for Yamaha


Back home - read/load tuner with a license credit and software (need a PC)




Back to the boat - connect tuner and flash the ECU:


Done.

 

[OrangeTJ]

So how much of an increase in top speed did you experience? How about max rpm before and after?

 

[swatski]

I hesitate to give numbers as I did not have a lot of time on the water today. That said, running on my spare (OEM) impeller with a beat up plastic wear ring (both of which will be replaced before further testing) - hitting the rev limiter at 7800RPM before, was revving over 8000RPM and holding back after reflash today, the speed went up from 42-43mph before to 46 after (GPS), but I was holding back.
The real difference though is in the mid-range. That will be hard to describe without a dyno measurements. The beauty of the Vtech reflash however is that I will be able to go back and forth between Stage 1 and Stock mapping while on the water and get some hard rpm/speed/times data.

Just based on the initial impressions, I think this mod works as advertised, and proven by hundreds of jet skiers. There is so much information on these modifications for jet skis, its not even funny.

 

[dan144k]

Very cool. Keep us updated. @swatski

 

[motorboater]

Thank you for starting a dialogue on this. As you mentioned there is so much information out there related to the jet skis, but I dont recall seeing someone do this to their boat. Its something I'm very interested in doing to mine. Looking forward to further reports on your results!

 

[McMark]

Mmmmm. I like power. Subscribed

 

[morgro269]

can't wait to hear more on this....

 

[blacksapphirez]

my hero... this with impellers and wear ring upgrade should net 50+mph boat! (i did 47mph with GPS)

 

[Speedling]

That is awesome!
I wonder over the long run how that will hurt or help mileage as well, and if that the performance will put it on part with the dual engine boats even though obviously it is working a bit harder.

 

[davel501]

That is awesome!
I wonder over the long run how that will hurt or help mileage as well, and if that the performance will put it on part with the dual engine boats even though obviously it is working a bit harder.

I'm wondering what it will do to a twin engine boat. Maybe with better pumps too: http://rivaracing.com/i-17285119-riva-solas-stainless-steel-pump-yamaha-6s5-160mm-12-vein.html#!make=YAMAHA

 

[robert843]

@swatski Im glad it worked out. I was nervous recommending it to you in the other thread as I wasn't sure exactly how it would translate over but feel much better now. I still felt confident when I mentioned it to you though that it would have similar results as it did on the ski. Glad Jerry took care of you as well he is a real easy guy to do business with once you get some more testing in I would let him know your results so he can be more educated in what to expect from the boats as when I talked to him I got the impression it may have been the first time he had done this knowingly with one of our boats. He also maybe able to recommend some other mods to help optimize the reflash.

 

[Murf'n'surf]

Your cost per MPH is gonna be huge in a twin engine boat. It seems that we can attain 3-5 mph but the cost to do so is too great for most of us to justify.

 

[robert843]

Your cost per MPH is gonna be huge in a twin engine boat. It seems that we can attain 3-5 mph but the cost to do so is too great for most of us to justify.

Even though the $1500 price tag to do this to a twin engine boat is high I think it is less costly then some of the other costs I have seen to gain around 5mph which is probably about accurate on a twin engine boat. This also gives you the flexibility to quickly and easily go back to stock if needed or wanted which the other mods you would have to do to gain this would usually take time and hassle to remove to go back to stock. I don't see the big advantage of this being the top speed gain though as really how much time will you really spend at 55mph. The biggest advantage I see is for those that tow a lot or surf with heavy ballast bags and could use the extra mid range power with the ability to convert back to stock when not needed or just leaving the extra power. One I'm currious about is the gains on a 192 where you could do the stage 2 reflash since it has the supercharged engine.

 

[Speedling]

I'm wondering what it will do to a twin engine boat. Maybe with better pumps too: http://rivaracing.com/i-17285119-riva-solas-stainless-steel-pump-yamaha-6s5-160mm-12-vein.html#!make=YAMAHA

Due to the weight of the boat I dont' think those pumps make a difference unless you are running the SHO motor. Then I would recommend it, but not on the 180 (now 200? hp) motor.

 

[swatski]

@Murf'n'surf - I agree with what you are saying. In fact I have already indicated to Jerry (Greenhulk) that they (Vtech) would have to come up with a different pricing schedule for twin boats. From my perspective - ideally - one would buy/share/group-buy/lease (whatever) a tuner and then purchase a $600 tuning license for a boat - with access to a library/set of tunes/maps. I don't think that is completely out of the realm of possibilities. Vtech is certainly not the only company with the product (refined and tested Yamaha ECU maps).

I think that @Speedling and @robert843 put it best. The whole ECU reflash exercise in a sport boat is less about getting some top speed numbers up and more about midrange and cruise performance, fuel economy , and towing capabilities. ANd yes, with the SHO engines there seems to be even more room for improvement as they run extremely rich stock.

BTW - it's raining here and I am waiting for weather to break to do some on the water testing, and still need to finish up on some basic "pump hygiene" maintenance - replacing the plastic wear ring that is shot and switching the impeller back to my good friend from Impros (Solas Concord) that just arrived back from a refurbishing session there.

Importantly - I feel I'm not doing anything particularly exciting or novel here! I simply follow what has been done zillion times in the jet ski world, take your advise guys, and learn from you, and this forum has been really amazing.

I also do read exhaustive accounts of jet ski user mods - its all out there. Here is an example of one long thread I recently studied:
http://www.greenhulk.net/forums/showthread.php?t=169336&highlight=yamaha+maptuner

 

[swatski]

In all reality, the weight of the boat has absolutely no impact on the engine.
Beauty of the jet pump!

I wouldn't worry about a boat specific tune either. Jet pump loading should help you, not hurt you in this case.

Here are some (random) quotes taken out of other threads on this matter. To me, they make a point we can and should use jet ski mods as a blueprint.

 

[Noko]

So, Maybe with this mod, I can make my CARB boat actually be like a regular boat. I'd be willing to do it for the ribbon delete and the ECU change. And, if it affects mid range, yep. My lake isn't that big so long range cruising isn't an issue. I do like the idea that you can change the ECU back to stock. I do think that is an option, right?

 

[Gym]

I'm wondering if this may have a more practical use. For those who have had to replace their ECU's due to it holding open injectors. Could this be used to flash the ECU to restore factory settings resolving the erroneous signals being sent to the fuel injectors? Possibly there are other ECU issues a flash or remap could resolve saving the cost of replacing an ECU.

 

[veedubtek]

I believe it's a hardware issue that holds the injector open @Gym . Software won't affect it.

 

[Gym]

I believe it's a hardware issue that holds the injector open @Gym . Software won't affect it.

I believe there have been a few on this forum that had to replace their ECU due to it keeping an injector open. Possibly that was caused by a faulty electrical component within the ECU but could also be a software issue. Possibly one of the members or Jerry could shed some light on this.