Yotawerx problems

Slopemaster · Jan 14, 2025 at 3:33 PM

Back in high school we learned how to add 50 hp by just installing chrome valve covers. Life was much simpler back then.

hossler1788 · Jan 14, 2025 at 3:42 PM

1SilverRunner said: ↑

I have some extra time today so I suppose I can respond to this one.
There's a lot that is misleading or just blatantly wrong here. I'll break down the big ones.

Statement: Superchargers only alter one thing and that is air induction.
This is wrong. Superchargers are inherently parasitic and increase stress on the engine at all times. The engine is now tasked with spinning a supercharger and pulley. It also adds a lot of heat to the system as pressure and heat are relative. So saying that a supercharger only does one thing is a vast over simplification. It's goal is to force induction, but in order to do that it has to do lot of things. You're also adding more components which anyone in the automotive engineering industry will tell you will introduces more potential points of failure.

Statement: How does a tune make more HP and torque without forced induction? There's only so much air that can be taken in, therefore it must alter fuel and timing. That's where I start to get nervous.
You can safely optimize fueling tables and increase ignition timing to moderately increase power. Factory knock sensors and all engine safety features are retained and still work the same way. ECU learning is retained as well. This means if the knock sensors detect pre-detonation the ECU will automatically retard ignition timing and adjust fueling the same as the factory configuration will. Again, all engine safety features are retained. Beyond that, I don't believe this tune is even close to pushing the limit on these engines.

Statement: I lost a $30,000 Audi S5 engine on an Integrated Engineering ECU tune.
This is very different animal than your Audi S5 engine. Many S5's were turbocharged from the factory. They are a high performance engine that's already being pushed close to the max of it's efficiency. Can you push the turbo little harder? Sure. But you're really tapping into the range where race fuel or E85 would be a idea. This, on top of the fact that the S5 isn't exactly known for it's bulletproof engine. Rocker issues and ringland failures have been a problem on this platform for years. I've had turbocharged engines fail me too; modified and unmodified. At the end of the day when you push that much heat and boost through an engine there's not much room for error. Sorry about your luck, genuinely.

Statement: IE washed their hands of it. No accountability whatsoever. No testing, no analysis, nada.
I'm not sure why you would think that Integrated Engineering would assume responsibility for your S5's engine failure. Similarly, I doubt seriously that Magnuson would pay to replace someone's engine if their 1GR-FE decided to go. They are no longer a factory installed option in most cases. Because of that I would at least anticipate some battles providing information on the install, proof that no mistakes were made during the install. Proof that their supplied tune was actually done. There are many things that can cause engine failure. Should aftermarket companies go broke investigating every person's issues? Especially when many failures could be caused by a failed sensor, faulty fuel system, installation error etc. I personally don't think so.

And finally,
If you want more HP and torque, buy the vehicle that gives you what you want.
This argument makes total sense IF you weren't advocating for a supercharger. But at the end of the day people will modify cars man. This is because cars a built to a price point to work for most people. When you want to do something with your car that most people don't do, you may feel justified to modify your car for that specific purpose. This allows you to work with a manufacturer who isn't worried about building the entire car to a specific price point. They are instead focused on making that one component as well as they possibly can, with no compromise in price. This is why high end aftermarket parts are downright better than OEM components. Many OE components are built to last within the car's warranty period; sometimes even being designed to fail afterward. Intended obsolescence is a real problem but luckily aftermarket companies are filling the void.

OTT has nothing to gain if their tunes started causing engine failures. They would lose customer base quickly. And unlike any OE, would not benefit from selling replacement parts to consumers.

To bring this last point back to the topic at hand. The 4Runner is a jack of all trades and is a pretty capable machine in many aspects. There's nothing wrong with wanting the benefits of a quality tune. Especially after you educate yourself and realize that it's actually much safer than going forced induction. Don't get me wrong, if you want 600 horsepower the 4Runner probably isn't the platform to start. But if you like everything on your rig but want a little more response without spending $8,000, OTT is there for you.

Hopefully I'm not telling tales out of school here. I am in no way affiliated with OTT. Just a pleased customer who cares enough to attempt to educate people on the process and call out fear mongers who are telling people to stay away from certain businesses because they had a bad experience with an ENTIRELY DIFFERENT COMPANY.

All tunes and tuners are not created equal.
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Well said. My 4runner has the kdmax 10.0 tune. Which is a improvement compared to stock and I have atleast 50k miles on it no issues or complaints.

catbrown357 · Jan 14, 2025 at 5:08 PM

1SilverRunner said: ↑

telling people to stay away from certain businesses because they had a bad experience with an ENTIRELY DIFFERENT COMPANY.
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At no point did I say anything of the sort. I personally will never install any ECU/TCU tune due to my experience.
I never intended to mislead anyone and maybe I should have spent more time on this. Or not. But you did a good job, and I can see you're a dedicated fanboy. Enjoy your OTT tune.

1SilverRunner · Jan 14, 2025 at 5:49 PM

catbrown357 said: ↑

At no point did I say anything of the sort. I personally will never install any ECU/TCU tune due to my experience.
I never intended to mislead anyone and maybe I should have spent more time on this. Or not. But you did a good job, and I can see you're a dedicated fanboy. Enjoy your OTT tune.
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Fair enough. But I wouldn’t quite say that. I’m just a dude who works in the automotive industry that enjoys talking shop.

2016Pro · Jan 14, 2025 at 8:34 PM

Slopemaster said: ↑

Back in high school we learned how to add 50 hp by just installing chrome valve covers. Life was much simpler back then.
Click to expand...

Now it's k&n filters....same increase in power

joshdub · Jan 14, 2025 at 9:18 PM

catbrown357 said: ↑

Superchargers only alter one thing and that is air induction, so I would assume the ECU has to be altered to recognize that one change. Magnuson has been providing superchargers for 4Runners and Tacomas for a long time. I don't think there's that much reduction in reliability. And yes, I know they require 91 octane. How does a tune make more HP and torque without forced induction? There's only so much air that can be taken in, therefore it must alter fuel and timing. That's where I start to get nervous. Ask me how I know? I lost a $30,000 Audi S5 engine on an Integrated Engineering ECU tune. Found out later that at high ambient temperature, the ECU had to severely retard timing, which caused catastrophic failure. IE washed their hands of it. No accountability whatsoever. No testing, no analysis, nada. My experience wasn't the only one. If you want more HP and torque, buy the vehicle that gives you what you want. The 4R probably isn't the best choice. In hindsight, I should have just bought the RS5.
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Because IE is trash and everyone knows this. What's next, you're going to run a 034 tune?

catbrown357 · Jan 15, 2025 at 6:50 AM

joshdub said: ↑

Because IE is trash and everyone knows this. What's next, you're going to run a 034 tune?
Click to expand...

Sure wouldn't have know it from all the raving reviews, not only online but from the Euro specialty shop that installed it. They (IE) never did any research in high ambient temperatures, and wiped their hands clean when they knew they had a problem. Unfortunately I learned all of this after I had a $30K paperweight. There's no next. I sold the Audi. However, if I ever buy another, I'll just buy the HP that comes from the factory. Ex: Instead of the S5, I should have bought the RS5. I will never mess with ECU/TCU programming again. On any vehicle.

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