Introduction to VersaTuner
 

Hello RX-8 Club!

VersaTune is proud to be an authorized vendor here on rx8club.com.

We recently launched support for Series I RX-8 and have had support for Series II for over 3 years. Why the long delay in supporting Series I? We (foolishly) assumed that the market was well served by existing solutions. Over the years, we received so many requests to add support for Series I, that we decided to commit the resources and make it happen.

Please feel free to ask us any questions you may have. We look forward to working with everyone here to make a great platform even better.

Here is some background on VersaTuner:

What is VersaTuner?
In a nutshell, VersaTuner is software (Windows application) that can connect to your car and change the way your engine operates to give you more power, better fuel economy and greater control.


How do I use VersaTuner?

1. Install VersaTuner application on any Windows PC/laptop/tablet.
2. Connect it to your car by plugging one end of the VersaLink USB vehicle interface (or compatible J2534 interface) into a USB port of your computer and the other end into the OBD-II port located near the steering wheel of your car.
3. Run VersaTuner and follow the on screen instructions to reflash your ECU.
4. Disconnect the USB cable and enjoy the extra power of your car. The changes persist in the ECU, so you don’t need to keep your laptop/tablet connected.

What else can VersaTuner do?
VersaTuner allows you to:

• Modify ( flash ) the firmware on your car's ECU for greater performance and control
• Download, create, edit, share, and flash performance and special purpose tunes
• Create, edit, share, and flash your own custom tunes
• Perform real-time monitoring and alerting of engine operating parameters
• Data log engine operating parameters
• Graph and analyze your data logs
• Read and clear diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) also known as check engine light codes
• Mask DTCs to prevent them from triggering when monitored equipment such as intake manifold runner control has been deleted from the engine
• Add custom functionality that is not available from the factory like launch control and no-lift-shift

We are constantly developing new features to expand the functionality of the supported platforms

Why VersaTuner?
VersaTuner has been designed to make it stand out from the competition in many ways:

• Easy to use: all-in-one application for all your tuning needs with intuitive and well documented user interface and easy-to-follow wizards that guide you through the process. No need to remove the ECU, splice or solder any wires.
• Affordable: no need for costly custom hardware, all you need is an off-the shelf USB vehicle interface, the software can be installed on any regular Windows laptop/tablet/PC.
• Wireless monitoring/logging: use a Bluetooth vehicle interface and monitor the performance of your car on a big, full-color touchscreen of your tablet with no wires hanging under the dash. Forget about squinting at small low resolution screens found in other products.
• Great support and community: we give personal attention to each of our customers and do our best to solve any issues as soon as possible. We are also active members of the car enthusiasts’ community, we listen to feedback and keep adding features that are most wanted.

Want to know more?
Read more about VersaTuner at www.versatuner.com and check out our user support forum at www.versatune.net/forum.

VersaTuner on an HP Stream 7 tablet
Connected to a 2011 Mazdaspeed3
Using a VersaLink J2534 interface cable



https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx8...ea03690202.jpg

VersaTuner on HP Stream 7

I'm willing to consider it, but after reviewing whatever info I can find on the RX8 there's just too many generalizations and not enough detail on what maps, codes, etc. that are actually covered. I need to know what your actually providing and capable of. I don't see any of that anywhere.

We are currently developing a performance tune for stock cars. We appreciate the highly educated and technical nature of RX-8 owners. We are not trying to BS anyone. Our tunes are all unlocked and fully editable. We're not going to put a degree of timing across the board and call it a performance tune. A quality tune takes time on the dyno and the street. We wanted to get VersaTuner in your hands as quickly as possible as there are many here who are very capable of creating their own custom tunes.

There are not big gains to be had on stock cars. Mazda did a lot of work on the calibrations to get emissions, fuel economy, and reliability under control. The result is dozens of calibrations per model year and geographic market. We support all configurations. 4port, 6port, auto, manual. Due to the high number of different factory calibrations in the field, there are still some calibrations that we have not created definitions for, so there is a chance that you may get an unsupported message on initial install. We are able to add support for new calibrations in a few days.

Most people like the ability to adjust fan trigger temps and MOP injection. Launch control and no-lift-shift are nice for track use.

If you find anything that isn't working as advertised, we will fix it.

Thanks,

Steve

You may find us a hard nut to Crack so to speak without some more info. It sounds like a good program from the available info.....BUT we have dealt with more than a couple of previous software developments that cost a lot and didn't pan out at all.

Quite a few of us have been around since before the COBB Access port. ...

And have been flash tuning these cars for about 10 years. We do know that an off the shelf tune for the RX8 doesn't really do much.

I'd also be interested in what maps/codes etc this would have available for modification. I currently use the Cobb, and while I'm not as advanced as the two previous guys here, I definitely feel comfortable tuning and calibrating on my own to meet my modest needs.

Basically, I think a good question that 8 owners will ask is: will Versatuner do what the Cobb with ATR does?

If it does, I'm in, and I'm sure you'll get more to follow. If it doesn't you'll have a hard time finding people to jump ship that already have their solution.

I've never used ATR for RX-8, so I can't make a direct comparison.

Here is a list of the supported tables/constants and logging parameters for S1 RX-8:

TABLES

Absolute Limits:
Closed Loop Max Load 1 (2D)
Closed Loop Max Load 2 (2D)
Closed Loop Max Load 3 (2D)
Closed Loop Max RPM (1D)
Closed Loop Max Throttle (2D)
Load Limit Unk (2D)
Maximum Operating Load (2D)
Rev Limit Normal (1D)
Rev Limit Warmup (1D)
Rev Limit Warmup Hysteresis (1D)
Rev Limit Warmup Temperature (1D)
Speed Limiter 1 (1D)
Speed Limiter 2 (1D)
Speed Limiter 3 (1D)
Speed Limiter 4 (1D)

Fan Control:
Primary Fan Temperature 1 (1D)
Primary Fan Temperature 2 (1D)
Secondary Fan Temperature (1D)
Secondary Fan Vehicle Speed (1D)

Fueling:
Acceleration Enrichment - 1 (3D)
Acceleration Enrichment - 2 (3D)
Acceleration Enrichment - 3 (3D)
Air Fuel Ratio - 1 (3D)
Air Fuel Ratio - 2 (3D)
Air Fuel Ratio - 3 (3D)
Air Fuel Ratio Base (1D)
Closed Loop Air Fuel Additive 1 (3D)
Decel Fuel Cut (2D)
Injector Latency 1 (3D)
Injector Latency 2 (3D)
Injector Scaling 1 (1D)
Injector Scaling 2 (1D)
Injector Scaling 3 (1D)
Lambda limit - ECT (2D)

Idle:
Idle 1 (2D)
Idle 2 (2D)
Idle 3 (2D)
Idle 4 (2D)
Idle 6 (2D)
Idle 7 (2D)

Ignition:
Idle Leading Timing Correction (3D)
Idle Leading Timing Correction Multiplier (2D)
Idle Leading Timing RPM Correction (2D)
Idle Trailing Timing Correction (3D)
Idle Trailing Timing Correction Multiplier (2D)
Idle Trailing Timing RPM Correction (2D)
Ignition Dwell (3D)
Knock Retard Decrement 1 (1D)
Knock Retard Decrement 2 (1D)
Knock Retard Increment 1 (1D)
Knock Retard Increment 2 (1D)
Knock Retard Max (2D)
Knock Retard Max RPM (1D)
Knock Retard Min Coolant Temperature (1D)
Knock Retard Min Load 1 (1D)
Knock Retard Min Load 2 (1D)
Knock Retard Unk 1 (2D)
Knock Retard Unk 2 (2D)
Leading Timing (3D)
Timing Unk (3D)
Trailing Timing (3D)

Intake Air Valve Control:
Auxiliary Port Valve (APV) 1 (1D)
Auxiliary Port Valve (APV) 2 (1D)
Variable Dynamic Intake (VDI) (1D)
Variable Fresh Air Duct (VFAD) (1D)

Load Targeting:
Calculated Engine Torque (3D)
Desired Engine Torque (3D)
Load Calculation Baro Adjustment (2D)
Load Calculation IAT Adjustment (2D)
Volumetric Efficiency (3D)

Oil Control:
Oil Injection - Load (3D)
Oil Injection - Throttle (3D)

Sensor Calibration:
ECT Sensor Calibration (2D)
IAT Sensor Calibration (2D)
Knock Sensor Calibration (2D)
MAF Sensor Calibration (2D)

Throttle Control:
Relative Throttle Plate Position (3D)
Throttle Duty A (3D)
Throttle Duty B (3D)
Throttle Duty C (3D)
Throttle Duty D (3D)


PARAMETERS

(no group):
Actual throttle angle
Desired throttle angle
Idle air control

Air Valves:
Auxiliary port valve status
Intake air shutter valve status VFAD? BETA
Port air bypass control solenoid valve mode on/off BETA
Secondary shutter valve status BETA
Variable dynamic intake status

Fuel:
Actual equivalence/air to fuel ratio
Desired equivalence/air to fuel ratio
Fuel injection pulse width
Fuel injection pulse width (Percent) BETA
Fuel system status
Long term fuel trim
Short term fuel trim (primary sensor)
Short term fuel trim (secondary sensor)

General:
Absolute load
Accelerator pedal position
Barometric pressure
Clutch pedal position
Control module voltage
Desired engine RPM
Desired throttle position
Engine coolant temperature
Engine RPM
Intake air temperature
Mass air flow
Mass airflow sensor voltage
Neutral gear status
Relative throttle position
Vehicle speed

Ignition:
Ignition timing advance - leading
Ignition timing advance - trailing
Knock retard

Metering Oil Pump:
Metering oil pump position
Metering oil pump switch

Looks much more complete than the Cobb tables list :)

Nice that it can use many different pass-through devices......not stuck to a hardware platform

Local NA software and support is a bonus.....

Well, this looks like all of what I use. I'll have to confirm with my notes at home, but this looks really promising for me.

Any chance of a Linux build in the future?

I use Linux as my primary OS, so I feel your pain. I use VirtualBox and a Windows 7 VM. We have seen some bricked ECUs (which we helped people recover from) from people using Macs with VMware, so we can not officially support use of VMs. We only officially support a bare metal windows machine for flashing.

With all of the cross platform development tools, it may happen eventually, but I won't commit to any date on that. We will more likely support mobile OSs than Linux.

This is a little selfish of me, as I'm in the middle of trying to stuff a raspberry pi 3 into my stock nav hood. So it would be cool to do some analysis in car, while having the OBDII hooked up to the Pi. I use windows everywhere else, including my job, so it's not like it's a real issue for me.

I don't think the little ARM processor in the pi can handle VirtualBox and still run anything of consequence as well...

Development
 

I figured I would bump this thread instead of making a new one. Ive searched and there doesnt seem to be much information on VersaTune since the recent S1 launch. Has any of the Tunes that were under development been finished and available for download yet? Ive checked the site and the only tunes available are Valet and Economy. I'm ready to pull the trigger on thr Software/Hardware but would like to see if any of the dyno's/Maps from the developers tunes are available as of late.

Thanks!

We launched support for ND Miata recently which took a lot of resources. We are working with some RX-8 testers on a performance tune and are also working on sourcing a test RX-8 for the shop to speed up the development process.

Thanks for the information! I'll keep my eye out for updates in the forums and look forward to doing business in the future.

where are ya'll located at? I'm sure someone on the forum wouldn't mind being a local test vehicle if they were near your home facility.

EDIT: Nevermind looked on your site to see you're located in South Lyon, MI

Steve, any plans for flexfuel capabilities?

We have a long term plan for a flex fuel sensor. We have another hardware project in the queue ahead of it right now.

That would be great. you might just gain a customer :D

I'm going to buy a tuner this week and am most intrigued by the Versatune. I've been poking around the interwebs and would like to know if you have a kind of primer for beginners. Also, it says you have an "online tune database" but I only see two mentioned. Are these the only starting points or is there more I'm not seeing?

VersaTuner allows full custom tuning. The included tunes are intended to be used as a starting point for self-tuning. We will add more tunes in the upcoming months. We are working on acquiring a new dyno which will make building new tunes a lot easier. There is also a new update coming out very soon. Lastly, we are beta testing table axis re-scaling which will allow proper tuning for boosted applications.

This is the reason I'm looking most seriously at VersaTuner. If you're actively growing and working on my application, I'm in.
I'm catless, so at first I'm going to just be interested in coping with that (leaning out a bit, killing the cel). But I'm a mechanical engineer and incurable tinker-er, so the tool will be hard to resist. I'm super conservative, though, and care very much about longevity of my engine. So I'll be keeping an eye out for proven tunes. If they're dyno tested, I'll listen!

I just recently purchased and installed the VersaTuner software for my S1 and can say that I am incredibly impressed at the amount of fine detailing that they offer. Previous experience with AccessPorts has always been pleasant but this is a step beyond. I'm not going to lie, the extensive list of adjustable parameters is a bit daunting to someone with little tuning experience but I definitely look forward to upcoming file releases. For now I am thoroughly satisfied making minor tweaks and adjustments to iron out my modified S1's current situation. If any of you are considering a custom tuning solution, I highly suggest you spend your money on VersaTuner.

Thanks for the kind words! We've got some interesting stuff in the pipeline. It's going to be a really exciting summer.

Mamam mia ... can't believe you didn't already have this !

AS someone who has built, tuned, and made many custom wiring harnesses on megasqurt stuff, I like the idea of getting a versatuner for my own vehicle. Disabling sensors, and setting up desired ignition tables for ignition and AFR target ratios on the stock ecu sounds good. Data logging at the track and getting the VE on target is my idea of a fun day.

Is Versa Tuner able to bypass limp resulting from an OMP issue?

We can mask the code from lighting the dash light, but I don't think it will prevent limp mode.

I have a few questions and figured this may be a good place to ask since it may help others instead of emailing them directly to you guys.

1) I have a 2004 RX8 and with Versatuner loaded. I only see 2 Fuel Enrichment maps and 2 Air Fuel Ratio maps, not 3 like your post shows. Is this correct or is something messed up in my case?

2) The Desired Air Fuel Ratio logging parameter seems to correlate to nothing tangible... During closed loop it seems close to what the Actual Air Fuel Ratio is, but does not match either of the 2 Air Fuel Ratio maps I can see, in open loop it varies wildly settling in the .995+ lambda range with seemingly no effect on the Actual Air Fuel Ratio. So my question is, what exactly is the Desired Air Fuel Ratio logging parameter?

3) The Air Fuel Ratio Base number is referred to from the Closed Loop Air Fuel Addition table, which seems like it should be stoich if we are basing closed loop fueling off of it, but in my experimenting it seems to have no effect at either cruise or WOT. What does this value affect?

I have some more questions, but I think those answers would clear a lot of the other odd behavior up as well. I admit this is my first venture with flash tuning setups, so some of my questions may be noob-ish, I'm just used to standalone setups where I have the full equation at my disposal and it's simple to figure out what each table is contributing and affecting.

will you be adding cranking fuel enrichment and timing, to help with E85 cold start. I converted to e85 and having issues with cold start since it's getting colder out.
thanks,

I plan on purchasing Versatuner and have a quick question. My car has not had the MSP16 flash performed and I would like this update. I was reading Versatuner works with the latest "base map" or "software version" and was wondering if the MSP16 flash would be made redundant by using Versatuner? Thanks!

What calibration ID is on your ECU now?

Seems my scan tool doesn't display this. I'll update this post within a month or so once I get everything up and going and can pull the cal ID.

Update: my calibration ID is N3M5EH.
Second Update: I decided to go ahead and use MMP to update now I'm on N3M5EK. Problem solved!

We did the first baseline dyno on the shop RX-8. It seems a bit low. We'll go over the car and see if there is anything out of order.

https://i1113.photobucket.com/albums...psyla2qe8n.jpg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx8...d8791a133a.jpg

Coils, plugs, and wires ordered!

Racing Beat REVi intake ordered!
Full TurboXS header + exhaust ordered!

seems normal numbers for Mustang dyno? my stock 06 with 74k miles made 165 ish on mustang.

Since the VFAD is based off vacuum it appears you should be able to tune the car to open the VFAD earlier. Is this possible? Can anybody else shine some light on this as well?

Remove it 😎

I’d rather not. What research do you have that says I should remove it and what for in exchange. I think Mazda did an ok job with it. I just want it to open earlier. Seems like its can be able to be done by tuning right? if so can I do it with VersaTuner and how?

It's basically to reduce intake noise and doesn't really do much else.

The solenoid that controls it is controlled by the ECU so I am sure that is can be accessed by Versatuner

That’s what I was thinking too. I just feel the CAIs and mods to VFAD are all inadequate and all within the margin of error. So why change. Mazda’s engineers and research is prob more adequate than companies or people doing a CAI or mod that can only prove a horse power or two. I feel if that VFAD can be tuned to open earlier it could gain the same amount of tiny if any gain (or loss) that you would get out of CAI or mod.
How would this be accomplished with the VersaTuner?

It would be the same as changing any other parameter. Go to the map or table in Versatuner and change the parameter and flash.

That would assume that you can access it in the first place.

thanks hopefully versa will respond. Don’t have much tuning experience.

Changing to a different VIN
 

Hi Steve,

I recently (within the last month) bought versatune and registered it to my RX8. That RX8 is... Down for the count at the moment.

I'm buying another RX8, am I able to switch my license over to the new VIN?

Quick necro - Is the RX-8 platform still being supported? Any restrictions on the full tuning software since the OP in 2017?

It's still supported and no restrictions I'm aware of... I'm using it on my turbo charged rx8