Newbie here, with a 2015 Chevy Trax 1.4L turbo

[Dr_Evil]

Hi everyone,

I'm new around, and I have no idea how to tune, I do not have a dyno, or one readily available.

I'm looking to find an easy way to tune my 2015 Chevrolet Trax LTZ AWD 1.4L turbo to get a bit more power and better fuel economy. I already use high octane fuel as the regular fuel here is really "cheap", as in heavily cut with Ethanol (+10%), which my cat really doesn't like at all. I've been going many times in the States, or in Western provinces, as I live in Quebec Canada, and regular fuel is not a problem there at all, but here, the Trax never liked regular fuel, even when it was brand new.

As I'm already running high octane fuel, I was considering getting a performance chip upgrade. I was looking at the Diablo I3, which seems really easy to use, but very limited, and of course the HP Tuner option too. I've been reading up a bit on the website and the forum, and it REALLY seems to be for more advanced user.

What I would like to do is get a generic "high octane" tune that I could simply push into my ECM, and, if possible, be able to adjust tire size for odometer and fuel economy correction when I use Winter tires. I would also really like to be able to tune the BCM for options like when to turn on headlights, and such like you can do with AlfaOBD on a Dodge.

I do not intend to visit a tuner, or a dyno guy, and get the most power I can squeeze out of my ride, all I want is a generic "more power and better fuel economy" preset tune, without the hassle of doing a complete tune myself.

Is this a possibility with HP Tuners? If yes, what would I need to do this? Any special hardware or software? If not possible, is the Diablo I3 a good option?

I already own a OBDLink MX+ that I use to monitor my engine with "Torque" with my cell phone, can it be used to reprogram my ECM and BCM like with AlphaOBD?

Thank you.

PS : Sorry for my English, I usually speak French.

[danyilboon9]

I am no expert at this either but I have the same engine.

Sounds like you need to get with either BNR or ZZP or Trifecta or Vermont tuning. You can either rent their hp tuners interface (I know zzp does this) or you will have to buy either an mpvi or rtd. Or you can get a autocal and you "should" be able to change your tire size back and forth. Do you have e85 in your area? I know nothing about the Diablo. https://www.vermonttuning.com/produc...evy-trax-1-4t/

[Dr_Evil]

Hi! Thanks for the quick answer.

No, we do not have E85 yet.

We have regular, which usually have 10% ethanol or more (87 octane)
we have "intermediate" which have a maximum of 10% Ethanol (usually around 5%) (89 octane)
and we have Premium, which have from 0 to 10% depending of the brand, I specifically choose brands that contains no Ethanol at all. (91 octane)
and we have super premium at some location which is 94 octane. No idea how much ethanol though.

As for BNR, ZZP, Trifecta and Vermont tuning, aren't they located in the states? I would prefer to avoid going into a shop for this, I'm looking for something simple that I can apply myself, something "plug'n-play".

What's the difference between MVPI and RTD?

There seems to have several models of MVPI, which one is needed to program this engine?

Are there credits included with the MVPI, or do I need to buy some credit on top of the MVPI?

Which software should I need to do the download, and where can I get the tune file?

Thank you.

[sbarisic]

Got the 1.4T, but from Europe. I assume this is the port injected one, and not the newer generation direct injected 1.4?

These engines like fuel with as much octane as you can get.
You could get about 170 hp (at the engine) with a straight reflash or about 180 hp if you remove the cat just by editing the torque management tables and removing some turbo limits.

HPTuners will do that just fine, only downside is it's a proprietary format and you can only use the VCM Suite programs to edit the ECU file. You will also need to have 4 (i think?) universal credits to license your ECU, after that you can reflash as much as you want.
You can read the map files from a car without using any credits.
VCM Suite itself is free, so you can download it and try it out with some .hpt files for this engine from the forum to check what you can and can't do.

Sadly it's only possible to edit the ECU files, and the transmission files if it's an auto. Body module not possible.


As for tune tune itself, i have the original OEM 100 hp, OEM 150 hp and my old tune with no-cat available so you can directly compare what can be done by yourself.

[danyilboon9]

Hi! Thanks for the quick answer.

No, we do not have E85 yet.

We have regular, which usually have 10% ethanol or more (87 octane)
we have "intermediate" which have a maximum of 10% Ethanol (usually around 5%) (89 octane)
and we have Premium, which have from 0 to 10% depending of the brand, I specifically choose brands that contains no Ethanol at all. (91 octane)
and we have super premium at some location which is 94 octane. No idea how much ethanol though.

As for BNR, ZZP, Trifecta and Vermont tuning, aren't they located in the states? I would prefer to avoid going into a shop for this, I'm looking for something simple that I can apply myself, something "plug'n-play".

What's the difference between MVPI and RTD?

There seems to have several models of MVPI, which one is needed to program this engine?

Are there credits included with the MVPI, or do I need to buy some credit on top of the MVPI?

Which software should I need to do the download, and where can I get the tune file?

Thank you.

Yes they are located in the states.. You wouldn't have to go to the shop they can remote tune. The mvpi will do everything, and the rtd is only for the tuner to do anything with. You would have to go to hp tuners website to get the programs they are free. Credits would be on top of the price for the rtd or mvpi should be like 100 dollars for credits. The tune file would have to be custom made from a tuner.

[gtstorey]

HP Tuners doesn't provide "generic" tunes.

[Dr_Evil]

Got the 1.4T, but from Europe. I assume this is the port injected one, and not the newer generation direct injected 1.4?

These engines like fuel with as much octane as you can get.
You could get about 170 hp (at the engine) with a straight reflash or about 180 hp if you remove the cat just by editing the torque management tables and removing some turbo limits.

HPTuners will do that just fine, only downside is it's a proprietary format and you can only use the VCM Suite programs to edit the ECU file. You will also need to have 4 (i think?) universal credits to license your ECU, after that you can reflash as much as you want.
You can read the map files from a car without using any credits.
VCM Suite itself is free, so you can download it and try it out with some .hpt files for this engine from the forum to check what you can and can't do.

Sadly it's only possible to edit the ECU files, and the transmission files if it's an auto. Body module not possible.


As for tune tune itself, i have the original OEM 100 hp, OEM 150 hp and my old tune with no-cat available so you can directly compare what can be done by yourself.

Yes, it's the port injected model.

I'm not looking for a lot more HP, I'm aiming at a better fuel economy, while keeping reliability. Fiddling with the turbo limits make me feel uneasy, those engine already are known for blowing up turbos... I do haul a bit with it, so I was hoping to find a tune aimed for that too.

I don't mind that it's a proprietary format, if I can get my hands on "generic tunes", I really don't want to get too much into it, I do not have the budget for an engine rebuild on top of a programmer, I'd prefer to have a safe tune instead.

Adding 4 credits (4 x 49$) on top of a 400$ programmer is really a lot of money too, I was hoping that buying the 400$ programmer would at least include enough credit for a single car, but at 600$ USD, ouch! And not being able to tune the BCM at that price, double ouch!...

At that price range, without having any "generic tunes", risking my engine reliability, and having to fiddle with it, and not having BCM programming possible, I'll think I'll pass, it's way above my price range, I won't be able to save this much money on gas until the end of my car...

Thank you very much for the help, and for all this information

[Dr_Evil]

Yes they are located in the states.. You wouldn't have to go to the shop they can remote tune. The mvpi will do everything, and the rtd is only for the tuner to do anything with. You would have to go to hp tuners website to get the programs they are free. Credits would be on top of the price for the rtd or mvpi should be like 100 dollars for credits. The tune file would have to be custom made from a tuner.

I have visited all the mentionned website, and they are all way above my price range.

Thank you for the help.

[Dr_Evil]

HP Tuners doesn't provide "generic" tunes.

That's sad, I might have bought a programmer if they did, but at that price range, I wouldn't expect to risk fiddling with it and discover by myself what works or not.

On one side, I have the option to go with a Diablosports I3 programmer with generic tune for my car, with little to no fiddling involved, at a lower cost, which is "plug'n play" that gives you way less option though.

On the other side, you have HP tuner, which cost almost double, have a steep learning curve, without "generic tunes", that actually require you to learn and understand what you are doing, at your own risk, but with way more possibilities.

And on the last side, you have professional tuners, that cost even more, that can remotely tune your car, but on whom you are dependent unless you are willing to learn it for yourself.

Sadly, I'm not an enthusiast or even an amateur, all I want is to get better fuel economy, a bit more power when I'm hauling, and save some money on the long run, expecting the fuel economy to pay for the mods in a reasonable time delay.

Right now I'm feeling like getting HP tuners is getting myself a racecar for my weekly groceries... Way overkill for my use...

Thank you for the help.

[sbarisic]

Yes, it's the port injected model.

I'm not looking for a lot more HP, I'm aiming at a better fuel economy, while keeping reliability. Fiddling with the turbo limits make me feel uneasy, those engine already are known for blowing up turbos... I do haul a bit with it, so I was hoping to find a tune aimed for that too.

I don't mind that it's a proprietary format, if I can get my hands on "generic tunes", I really don't want to get too much into it, I do not have the budget for an engine rebuild on top of a programmer, I'd prefer to have a safe tune instead.

Adding 4 credits (4 x 49$) on top of a 400$ programmer is really a lot of money too, I was hoping that buying the 400$ programmer would at least include enough credit for a single car, but at 600$ USD, ouch! And not being able to tune the BCM at that price, double ouch!...

At that price range, without having any "generic tunes", risking my engine reliability, and having to fiddle with it, and not having BCM programming possible, I'll think I'll pass, it's way above my price range, I won't be able to save this much money on gas until the end of my car...

Thank you very much for the help, and for all this information

Well, the turbo exhaust housing will crack even on the stock car. I replaced mine with a bigger unit after 100'000 km (62k miles), and the original was cracked, but i didn't notice any difference driving the car.

20220712_181819.jpg


Only the max boost pressure was increased, turbo speed limits are kept the same so you're not really in danger of them exploding. This is more of a heat cycling issue.


As for the fuel consumption, i don't really think any generic tune which increases power is going to lower the fuel consumption. They usually only increase the torque limits and that's it.

By default the ECU can command up to 10.5 AFR (while people usually target 11.5 under high boost high load), and the actual measured AFR can be much lower than that.
A custom tune on a dyno with a wideband can get you much MUCH better fuel mileage and efficiency if that's your end goal. And you get an all-around great tune so there's really no point of reflashing yourself every once in a while. That might be the best bang-for-buck you can get.

[Dr_Evil]

Well, the turbo exhaust housing will crack even on the stock car. I replaced mine with a bigger unit after 100'000 km (62k miles), and the original was cracked, but i didn't notice any difference driving the car.

20220712_181819.jpg

Yes, the cracked housing, and also the little oil feeding tube that keep getting baked under the heatshield and then clogged, stopping the oil feed and burning up the turbo.

Only the max boost pressure was increased, turbo speed limits are kept the same so you're not really in danger of them exploding. This is more of a heat cycling issue.


As for the fuel consumption, i don't really think any generic tune which increases power is going to lower the fuel consumption. They usually only increase the torque limits and that's it.

Some do advertise it with their product, and this is why I started comparing the different products available. Lots of good publicity regarding HP tuners, this is why I'm here. Everything seems a lot more complicated to use though, and as you can guess, I'm no pro. I'm an electrical engineering technologist, I do my own car repairs, and I program PCs, automatons and robots, but I know nothing of fuel mixture, I have no Idea of what's too rich or too lean in a modern car, what would detonate or not, and I don't want risking blowing up an engine, especially one that is already passed the 180 000 Km mark.

By default the ECU can command up to 10.5 AFR (while people usually target 11.5 under high boost high load), and the actual measured AFR can be much lower than that.
A custom tune on a dyno with a wideband can get you much MUCH better fuel mileage and efficiency if that's your end goal. And you get an all-around great tune so there's really no point of reflashing yourself every once in a while. That might be the best bang-for-buck you can get.

See, I don't even know what AFR is, is it an acronym for Air Fuel Ratio? Too lean, rich condition? As I said earlier, a custom tune on a dyno, with an AWD car would cost way over budget, and wouldn't be really be financially sound on a car that still have 100 000 km left at the most.

I'm looking for a quick and dirty solution that wouldn't shorten the engine life, give me better mileage, and would shut up the catalytic converter efficiency warning that get triggered everytime I do a short run that doesn't heat it up enough.

Thank you again for the help

[Chickenbreast]

If I'm reading this correctly, please correct me if I'm wrong, then you just want a file that gives you a bit more performance and fuel economy, but costs nothing or hardly anything. This will not work.
There are remote tuners (so called "file service") that will "put together" a Stage 1 for little money, which can be good, but also bad for your engine. Don?t get me wrong, there might be good guys or those ones, which just "copy?n paste" or just "fry" everything togehter.

AFR is Air Fuel Ratio - correct. Attached you will find a picture explaining the values.

Air+Fuel+Ratios1271770234.jpg

[Dr_Evil]

Well, the turbo exhaust housing will crack even on the stock car. I replaced mine with a bigger unit after 100'000 km (62k miles), and the original was cracked, but i didn't notice any difference driving the car.

20220712_181819.jpg

Looks like a cracked turbo is normal for GM, and should not affect performance

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/20...47384-9999.pdf

Turbo.PNG

Wow!

[gtstorey]

If I'm reading this correctly, please correct me if I'm wrong, then you just want a file that gives you a bit more performance and fuel economy, but costs nothing or hardly anything. This will not work.
There are remote tuners that will "fry together" a Stage 1 for little money, which can be good, but also bad for your engine.
AFR is Air Fuel Ratio - correct. Attached you will find a picture explaining the values.

Air+Fuel+Ratios1271770234.jpg

+1. If it was that simple to create a generic tune that did this, why wouldn't the OEM do it to start with. You might get a tune that offers better fuel mileage, but about the only way to do much is to reduce power. Basically it will force you to drive to improve mileage, which you can do anyway by being gentle on the throttle.

[Dr_Evil]

If I'm reading this correctly, please correct me if I'm wrong, then you just want a file that gives you a bit more performance and fuel economy, but costs nothing or hardly anything. This will not work.
There are remote tuners (so called "file service") that will "put together" a Stage 1 for little money, which can be good, but also bad for your engine. Don?t get me wrong, there might be good guys or those ones, which just "copy?n paste" or just "fry" everything togehter.

AFR is Air Fuel Ratio - correct. Attached you will find a picture explaining the values.

Air+Fuel+Ratios1271770234.jpg

Thanks for the info about the AFR, good to know.

As for the first part, I am willing to pay for a programmer, of course, or preferably use the one I already own, I know you can program with it, I programmed my friends Dodge Ram using it, at the cost of the android AlfaOBD app, but I do not have thousands of dollars to spend on this either. I'm not looking for a custom tune, or going to a dyno, I'm looking for an "in-between" solution. HP Tuners, as of right now, looks like a hard core solution, while the Diablosports I3 looks a bit too restrictive.

I feel like I either have a choice between a Honda Accord, and a Maserati, when I'm looking for family van ;-)

I have a budget of maximum 500$ CAD, so about 375$ USD, including the programmer, the software, the "credits", everything from start to finish, while keeping everything reliable as it's my daily driver, and a blown engine would be very bad as I wouldn't be able to get to work. And the point is that I want to be able to pay back the upgrade in the long run, as I hope to get that 500$ CAD back from the pump in the long run, as I will save on fuel.

Again, thanks for the help.

[Dr_Evil]

+1. If it was that simple to create a generic tune that did this, why wouldn't the OEM do it to start with. You might get a tune that offers better fuel mileage, but about the only way to do much is to reduce power. Basically it will force you to drive to improve mileage, which you can do anyway by being gentle on the throttle.

I've seen people I know get their car tuned, and got better fuel economy when daily driving, while getting more power when they needed/wanted to, this is actually what got me looking in the first place, but GM cars programming options seems quite limited, compared to other brands.

And as for the OEM not doing it, why should they if it ensure that the car would last a bit longer past the warranty, they are not paying for the fuel, but they are for the under warranty repairs. Running richer was always a way to protect the engine, but waste some gas, older cars always ran too rich, and same goes when you blow up a sensor, they run the engine as rich as they can to protect the engine until you replace the broken sensor and get the MIL off.

Thanks for your input

[gtstorey]

CAFE-Corporate Average Fuel Economy.

[Dr_Evil]

CAFE-Corporate Average Fuel Economy.

We are talking about a 2015 car, not a newer model.

[gtstorey]

We are talking about a 2015 car, not a newer model.

CAFE has been around since 1975.

[Dr_Evil]

Yes, but with most severe requirements aimed at 2025, by Obama in 2012 for 2017 models and upward https://www.transportation.gov/missi...cafe-standards

I'm sorry if I sound a bit "anti corp" but I'm pretty sure those big corporations are in this to make money, and if they apply all the tech they already know of that work right now to improve fuel economy, they will have to work harder afterwards to continue improving. In the end if they do the bare minimum now, they will have to invest less in the future too.

That's my take on it anyway, and since there are ways to improve fuel economy still, without sacrificing drivability, I'm betting I'm not 100% wrong.