GOLFMK8
GOLFMK7
GOLFMK6
GOLFMKV

Open source tuning solution

The Dude

Autocross Champion
Location
PNW
Car(s)
MK7 GTI S
Things are afoot

@joedubs



We don't need another foot, we need open source tuning...
 

aaronc7

Autocross Champion
Location
USA
Car(s)
17 S3
It's definitely a thing and possible right now. One of the big challenges to make it feasible / possible / desirable for the masses is all of the box codes out there.....and they all have different software / calibration layouts. So you need many definition files. It's easy to see why many suites go to a "consolidated ROM" model and honestly that's probably where this will go long-term. Some of these box codes are pretty well developed but others are basically untouched/no work has been done.

I'm just a small part of this, but there's definitely an effort to make this more accessible and easy to use.

HP tuners is the logical middle ground, but it's still lacking some key stuff but we're at the mercy of the devs to add stuff and we've been in a holding pattern for a while now.
 

The Dude

Autocross Champion
Location
PNW
Car(s)
MK7 GTI S
Besides being able to do performance tuning. You can turn on cool ECU features like limiting RPMs when when the coolant (or oil) temps are low.

View attachment 202233
That's an excellent feature, especially if you have a spouse who doesn't pay attention. Mine luckily knows to keep her foot off the gas until the oil temp comes up.
 

Dog Dad Wagon

Autocross Champion
Location
Go Birds
Car(s)
16 Touareg TDI
That's an excellent feature, especially if you have a spouse who doesn't pay attention. Mine luckily knows to keep her foot off the gas until the oil temp comes up.

My gf has a diesel, and we live in the city. I beg her to take the scenic route any/everywhere she goes and avoid driving just around the block. Fortunately it’s got 3 more years /36K of dieselgate warranty remaining. If anything goes bad in that time it’s free. And by then we’ll be out of the city, somewhere with better conditions for a diesel
 

ZuMBLe

Autocross Champion
Location
NY
Car(s)
Alltrack 6MT
So we installed MPI, then used an open source flashing tool to flash a tune that I made via a freely available BIN editing tool. Everything worked as expected. MPI is enabled and working. Development of these tools by @joedubs and others is going strong. The tools work!

If you're interested in supporting the project, or just more information, contact me, @joedubs, or @aaronc7 (for the pops and bangs tunes).

1607.png
 
Last edited:

jimlloyd40

Autocross Champion
Location
Phoenix
Car(s)
2018 SE DSG
So we installed MPI, then used an open source flashing tool to flash a tune I made via a open source BIN editing tool. Everything worked as expected. MPI is enabled and working. Development of these tools by @joedubs and others is going strong. The tools work!

If you're interested in supporting the project, or just more information, contact me, @joedubs, or @aaronc7 (for the pops and bangs tunes).

View attachment 203206
Good job you guys.
 

joedubs

Go Kart Champion
I think @aaronc7 recently crossflashed the wrong box code to his S3 on purpose so he could test a diff software version.

Car still runs, I'd say that's progress.

Windows flashing might be incoming soon. Anybody ever hear of tactrix?
 

aaronc7

Autocross Champion
Location
USA
Car(s)
17 S3
Yeah Joe bricked my ECU wtf!!!!?!?!!?

Just kidding, works fine. One of the challenges with tuning these things are all the different box codes and requiring unique definition files for each one. Turns out there is a "common" software version that the GTI/A3, R/S3 and 1.8 have available. If everyone "upgrades" to that version it makes life way easier on the tuning side of things. Really no different than Cobb consolidated ROM etc.

The box codes are 5G0906259L (GTI/A3), 8V0906259K (R/S3) and 8V0906264M (1.8)
 

2018gti

Drag Racing Champion
Location
Massachusetts, USA
Car(s)
Golf GTI Autobahn MT
I feel like you all would be the best people to ask about this — I have a manual mk7 and I hate the rev hang between 1st and 2nd so much. Have you observed anything in the ECU that could be modified to make the revs fall faster when shifting?

Lately I’ve been trying to build a circuit to try to kill the rev hang, since I’m still under warranty, by fooling the clutch position inputs to the ECU. Still a work in progress though as the ECU is a hardass and lights up the EPC light in response to whatever I do, haha. I don’t know if it’ll even really work. But knowing there is a flash fix would help me shed a couple fewer tears when shifting in traffic 😭
 

joedubs

Go Kart Champion
I feel like you all would be the best people to ask about this — I have a manual mk7 and I hate the rev hang between 1st and 2nd so much. Have you observed anything in the ECU that could be modified to make the revs fall faster when shifting?

Lately I’ve been trying to build a circuit to try to kill the rev hang, since I’m still under warranty, by fooling the clutch position inputs to the ECU. Still a work in progress though as the ECU is a hardass and lights up the EPC light in response to whatever I do, haha. I don’t know if it’ll even really work. But knowing there is a flash fix would help me shed a couple fewer tears when shifting in traffic 😭

Haven't seen anything in the software to deal with rev hang (but admittedly, I haven't been looking).

What I will say is that the clutch switches are much more of a nightmare than you think 🤣. There's a user on here that figured out the triggering so we could do a clutch start bypass. There's 2 magnetic switches that need to get triggered to tell the ecu the clutch pedal is pressed all the way. If they get triggered in the wrong order or one doesn't get triggered at all - EPC.

Not sure the clutch is where to look to deal with rev hang either. The ecu needs to know what gear you're in or if you're free revving so it knows how to control the engine.
 

2018gti

Drag Racing Champion
Location
Massachusetts, USA
Car(s)
Golf GTI Autobahn MT
Haven't seen anything in the software to deal with rev hang (but admittedly, I haven't been looking).

What I will say is that the clutch switches are much more of a nightmare than you think 🤣. There's a user on here that figured out the triggering so we could do a clutch start bypass. There's 2 magnetic switches that need to get triggered to tell the ecu the clutch pedal is pressed all the way. If they get triggered in the wrong order or one doesn't get triggered at all - EPC.

Not sure the clutch is where to look to deal with rev hang either. The ecu needs to know what gear you're in or if you're free revving so it knows how to control the engine.
Dang - thank you for replying though. Hopefully it's lurking in there somewhere. Otherwise it's trade-in time 😂. Jk.

I definitely know what you mean with the clutch switches. What I'm trying to do is delay the turning off of the upper switch signal until my foot is at the floor, basically. I noticed that when coasting in neutral, if I rev the engine with the clutch not pressed, there is a lot less rev hang. Then, when I press the clutch in like I'm shifting normally, the rev hang is there. I'm thinking there could be a time interval right after you let off the gas where the ECU is looking to see if the clutch is pressed or not and that determines the rev hang behavior. So if I can delay when the ECU thinks the clutch has been pressed, maybe that would fool it into dropping the revs faster.

First I tried tying the upper clutch switch wire to positive (+) with a pull-up resistor, which made the EPC come on. Now I'm trying basically a NOT gate so the upper switch is always the inverse of the lower switch. Still throwing an EPC though :-/. I wonder if it checks the resistance of the switch as well.

I have a feeling it won't work. But it's a fun experiment at least.
 
Top