I have a bone stock MT 86, about to install magnaflows on it this week - will buying the OFT be a good investment? Will I gain anything from flashing the ECU and doing a tune on a almost stock car?

You would have to try hard to modify the bootloader. Stick to the maps you will be fine.:D

OFT come with free tunes for variety of mods

read link below

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=71157

and you will be sorted

Aftermarket Bits - gains aproximate i'm probably being as bit conservative

Intakes - Stock intake is good - add drop in filter for 2 or 3 HP at expense of filtration possibly.
CAI- aftermarket intakes - little or no gain over stock intake with drop in filter can upset MAF (mass air flow sensor scaling ) causing hesitation/bogging/flat spots- unless you re-tune MAF for intake unless you going boosted leave intake alone spend money elsewhere, most will not filter as well as stock filter especially if not maintained.

Catback exhaust no tune = nice sound little or no HP gain

Headers no tune- maybe 5 wheel horsepower slightly better midrange

Tune only aprox 10 Wheel horsepower gain (WHP) but better midrange and reduced torque dip

Tune plus catless headers - possibly 15-20 wheel horsepower eliminate torque dip better midrange

Tune for E85 + headers possibly 30 wheel horsepower

Completly stock car tuned for E85 aprox 20 wheel horsepower reduced torque dip better midrange

If you want more than that then look at forced induction ie turbo/supercharger.

So I should be using the .XML file as the ECU Definition and then opening the corresponding .BIN file and editing that one correct? I'm a little paranoid when it comes to this stuff if you couldn't tell :)

It will do more than your magna flow.

If you modding an OFT tune get the XML (definition files) from the OFT downloads page. The def files for V1.5x and V2x tunes are different just get the ones to match your tune and your ROM if you in USA that will be C series ROM.

The manaflows are not meant for a performance mod, just something I wanted for sound


Thanks! 10HP for a 500 dollar mod seems like a great deal. However, I have to wonder, if this ECU flash gives more HP, less torque dip and better midrange, why doesn't it come stock like this? Am I "losing" anything by flashing the ECU? (IE reliability, fuel economy, etc?)

If you switch to E 85 and E85 tune you could get 20hp on stock car :)

Manufacturers have to comply with emmisions which compromises tune.

Fuel econmy is about same if driving sedately below 4000 ,but tends to be a bit worse if your in to it over 4000 rpm but thats where it making better power and reduced torque dip. Their tend to be a bit more induction noise around 4000 which some may find offensive.

@steve99, awesome thread! Thanks!

Thanks hope its usefull, added a few bits on learning fuel trims/knock

Blue/gold only color for a subbie mine similar :-)

How did you get the dealer to replace it? did it cost anything out of your pocket? and how does that affect the oft, isn't the oft married to that ecu? I'm in the same boat ):

i went to dealer, and played stupid... "car just won't start, dunno what happened, started fine this morning, didn't start when i tried to leave work and go to lunch".

dealer gave me a few days of "you must have done something, did you or anyone try to tune it?" They were looking for any excuse to deny coverage but i persisted with ignorance, ultimately dealer could not prove that it was something i did as they couldn't read the ecu at all, so they had to replace it.

when i got the ecu back, they had revised my cal id based on a factory tune revision. plugged in my OFT, read the new OEM tune, then flashed my modified OTS tune, and was good to go.

No issues with having to unmarry / remarry in my case.

@steve99 there is a file you can flash with Ecutek to completely remove the license and go back to stock 100%, so the dealer can connect to ECU via Techstream like normal.

I didn't read the whole thread to see if someone had already said it.

Hi @Sportsguy83 ,, I believe the rom is 100% stock tune wise but their is some embedded liience info in an unused part the rom that thue euteck sotware wants to see to veriy your ecutek liience.

if the dealer flashes you a rom update at service this info is lost and you have to contact ecutek or your tuner to reissue your licience

this leftover liience info also upsets the oft autotune generation process as the rom checksum is diferent.

A few minutes with a hex editor comparator and you can tell if a car has had ecutek tune with stock ecutek rom writtem, i believe the additional info is only written to ecu when you lash so you compare the stock ecutek rom before a flash its no diferent but if you pull a stock ecutek rom with tactrix\eculash you an pick out the licience info in the unused area usually padded with FF or OO hex characters

pulling you stock ecutek rom with ecuflash and then rewriting it after dealer flash with ecuflash may be a way of renewing you ecutek liciene which is individually coded to each car