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TECHNICAL SUPPORT & FAQ

This FAQ information is related to pre-tune/post tune questions to help everyone out and obviously reduce the amount of emails needed to be answered which would allow me more time to work on what is important, YOUR TUNES! My theory is by taking the time to write this I will allow you to be more prepared when it comes to making the most out of your e-tune. I will try and update this as needed since it is always the same questions that are being asked.

Always plan your setup and determine your goals before purchasing parts *ie how much power do I want to make? How fast do I want to go? What will I be doing with the car drag, autocross, mountain carving daily driver. This is the most often overlooked aspect when people begin throwing money at a car. They end up buying parts twice or more until they are happy with the overall performance and response, always remember power is not everything.

  • Refunds & Returns
    PARTS RETURN DISCLAIMER Cryotune Performance does not manufacture or produce any parts in house and for that reason cannot be held liable for any install issues or issues that may arise during or after the install of any parts purchased. Any warranty claims or issues will be directed to the manufacture of said parts and it is no responsibility of Cryotune Performance to replace or warranty any part unless defective out of the box. For this reason its asked to inspect ALL parts purchased as soon as they arrive and contact will have to be made to resolve the issue. Cryotune Performance will attempt to resolve any issues directly with the manufacture as a customer service but will not be held liable for any damages or issues pertaining to the specific parts. All New if eligible for a return at all are subject to a 20% restocking fee. By moving forward and placing an order you agree to everything stated above. E-TUNE RETURN DISCLAIMER All Sales are Final and no refunds will be distributed at any time for any reason, regardless of the amount of completion or because of unforseen circumstances. By flashing this map to your accessport or computer you agree and continue at your own risk.
  • What does a Stage 1 tune consist of?
    A Stage 1 tune will normally clean up some of the drivability issues in all model years as well as pick up smoother and quicker acceleration. The torque increase is more noticable than the overall hp increase but generally makes the car more fun and more responsive. Some say a stage 1 tune makes the car run as it should of from the factory but nothing crazy. This will be the #1 hp to $ modification.
  • What does a Stage 2 tune consist of?
    A Stage 2 tune moves forward and actually creates a decent amount more torque than stock and wakes up the car on the top end in the higher rpms as well. Most people are very impressed at the difference a stage 2 tune can make when compiled with the right modifications. A lot of people feel stage 2 power is all they will need in their modification quest for a strong daily driver.
  • Intake Kits
    1. A new panel filter normally will not require a tune as the ecu has enough adjustment to play with to compensate. Keep in mind any oiled filter like the K&N may cause issues by getting oil on the mass air flow sensor itself and require cleaning every once in a while after a recharge. 2. An Intake kit WILL require a tune designed for it regardless of Brand. 3. Removing the Snorkel in the fender well will not increase performance and it should be left alone if using the stock intake box
  • Top Mounted and Front Mounted Intercoolers
    1. A change to a larger TMIC from stock or from aftermarket to more efficient may or may not require a tune based on logs. A change from a stock TMIC to a FMIC may or may not require a tune based on logs. The one thing that can be said is to get the most out of the modifications you invest in it must be tuned for and every car will respond different. A Front mounted intercooler will not necessarily perform better for all situations and should be researched to see if it’s a benefit for your particular setup. 2. Most times a FMIC with a proper tune will result in a very small difference in turbo spool up but will be felt more in between shifts as the turbo has to build pressure in more piping. It happens very quickly but there is a delay over the same TMIC setup.
  • Exhaust
    1. There is really no difference between power output of downpipes regardless of brand or style *ie divorced, open bellmouth, Vishnu tubular wg style etc* They all perform the same operation. 2. Catted downpipes are the only proper way to calibrate these cars with proper boost control. Catless downpipes are not suggested and are against the federal law regardless of your local emissions laws. 3. The factory catback exhaust is not considered a restriction until around 300+hp but an aftermarket unit does allow for more flow which is generally considered better plus many like the added sound benefit. 4. 2005-2006 LGT/OBXT models as well as 02-05 WRX's DID come with the catted up pipe,2006+ WRX's, 07+ LGTS, and 04+ STI's did not.
  • Injectors
    Plan your injector size based on your ultimate goals, If your upgrading injectors your probably upgrading the turbo, will you want E85 in the future or are you someone who normally upgrades to the next step often? Normally anything lower than 1000cc is pretty easy to control when tuning but if you have no plans of going bigger than a 16g on gas then 740’s are probably a better option, don’t go bigger than you need to. Don’t try and re invent the wheel and research what others with the same setup you are planning are running.
  • Blow off valves/by pass valves
    The Factory by pass valve is very capable of stage 1 and stage 2 levels and rarely presents any mechanical failures. After 18psi some have showed signs of leaking where as others have held 22-23psi daily for years with no signs of failure. Most wait untill they fail to replace them and is good practice in my opinion. There are a few aftermarket units that perform like stock and are of much better design so those can be great replacements if your stock unit does fail. Normally “tuning” the bpv/bov consists of adjustment of different springs for pressure. VENTING TO ATMOSPHERE STYLE BOV/BPV WILL CAUSE ISSUES WITH RICH AFTERSHIFTS, BACKFIRES, SLOW SPOOL AND ARE GENERALLY NOT SUGGESTED UNLESS YOUR VEHICLE IS HEAVILY MODIFIED AND RUNNING WITHOUT A MAF SENSOR ON "SPEED DENSITY"
  • Boost Controllers
    The most common question is if a manual boost controller will work on these cars * 2002+ subarus. With the exception of a hybrid type system including the stock or aftermarket Electronic boost control this is not a recommended method because ist disables all of the factory control for changes *temp,atm,etc.* The most common boost controller used on the Impreza's and Legacy gt’s is a 3 port electronic boost controller that can be used by the ecu to control boost. There are a few great options on the market but some are cheaper at the expense of not plugging into the factory harness. If the turbo is upgraded I recommend upgrading to a 3 port EBCS to achieve and hold higher boost thresholds as well as have more control but will not overcome the short falls of a turbo falling off in power *ie vf40/46/td04 in higher rpms*.
  • Software Needed for Tuning/Logging Your Subaru
    Here are some helpful links to the software needed for the E-tune process All software is linked to the website of origin out of the respect for the creators and operators. Please do not host any of these programs on your own site but link it to the people that deserve the credit. Romraider.com - A Free opensource program used to view and modify the factory subaru ecu. Many tables can be modified including timing,afr,boost response,delays,limiters etc all while keeping all the factory failsafes and drivability. This program also has the logger mentioned and can be used to monitor MANY perameters in the ECU like Maf voltage,knocksum,KFBC,STFT,LTFT,RPM,TPS,Turbo dynamics etc. This program was made by guys in their spare time as enthusiests and deserve all the credit in the world. *you must download current definitions for the logger and romraider before you can view any roms* Click here to download Logger Def’s - http://www.romraider.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=1642Click here to download ECU Flash – Def’s - http://www.romraider.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=3808Learning view - This program was also written by the opensource guru's and is an amazing tool to pull a snapshot from your ecu to see how everything is performing. This program will show you a screen shot with your current Ignition Advance Multiplier,Long term fuel trims,knock learning being perfomed by the ecu in a grid format and any pending CEL's. This action takes about 20-30 seconds and gives you the option of resetting the ecu as well.http://www.romraider.com/forum/topic2772.htmlTactrix.com - This is the place you will have to purchase the "cable" to read/write/flash or log your subaru. The openport2.0 is the only option for 2007+ subarus but 2006 and prior have the option of buying the tactrix cable 1.3 for less money or some have luck with a vag-com cable available cheap off ebay. The 1.3 cable will have to be purchased used as tactrix no longer sells it. ECUflash *download free from tactrix.com* - This program is used to "pull/flash" your ecu "rom" and save it to your laptop. MAKE SURE AND SAVE YOUR STOCK ROM IN A SAFE PLACE AND MAKE A COPY OF IT IN A DIFFERENT FILE. USE THE COPY TO VIEW/MAKE CHANGES TO. NEVER MODIFY YOUR ORIGINAL COPY OF YOUR STOCK ROM. Ecuflash has a built in rom editor but most people use ecu flash to pull the rom then they use romraider to view and edit the rom because of a few added features and romraiders specific design to subaru.Cobb AccessTunerRace software - Cobb released the street tuner software a while back and then re-released the Accesstuner Race software after that. The accesstunerrace software is a FREE download for anyone who legally purchased a Cobb Accessport V2 and just has to be requested from cobb. The handheld accessport can log and show many perameters now but has to be downloaded to a pc to view the logs. The handheld unit also cannot make any major tuning changes *although it can make small idle and timing adjustments* The accesstunerrace software can be used to fully tune the ecu in the same way the opensource software can but just lays it out in a little different format. The ATR software also allows you to log,veiw live custom defined gauges, and has a map tracer that shows you what cell of what grid you are currently in at any given time on any given map.Both romraider/ecuflash and the ATR software can be used to tune a vehicle to the same performance potential. The one major difference between opensource and the ATR software is the realtime tuning/tracing and being able to store multiple maps whether off the shelf maps or custom tuned maps on the handheld accessport. The realtime tuning can cut out much of the time needed for tuning certain tables during a road tune and allows the operator the ease of not resetting the ecu each time he wants to make changes to afr/timing/boost to see the outcome as well as not resetting all the ecu's learned parameters. A Learning view will need to be sent to me before a base map will be sent out if using Opensource. Please make sure you are familer with this process. The definitions for Romraider, The logger and ECUflash are all different and all must be installed. The instructions on where to put these downloads are included in the links as well. Click here to download ECU DEF’s - http://www.romraider.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=360
  • Pretune Checklist
    The first thing to note is a tune will NOT fix any mechanical issues. Mechanical issues should be addressed before any tuning as it will result in extra time spent just to realize the tune cannot be completed without further work being done to the vehicle. If you have any reason to suspect a mechanical issue DO NOT GO FORWARD WITH TUNING before resolving the issue. 1. The quality and level of oil should be checked. If you are near your next oil change service interval you might consider changing it as The tuning process will push the engine harder than daily driving and its cheap insurance. 2. The quality and level of coolant should be checked and addressed as needed. 3. If any fuel components were replaced/upgraded a check should be made to make sure there are NO leaks and everything is seated correctly *ie fuel pump in basket tightly, injectors seated in rail etc* 4. No oil or coolant leaks present. 5. Tires in good condition and not showing cords 6. Depending on how many miles on the car you may think about replacing the spark plugs before the tuning process. 7. Clean your MAF sensor with MAF sensor cleaner. 8. The MOST common issue with these specific cars after any modifications seems to be intake/charge pipe leaks. A pressure test should be performed without question for any setup changed to a FMIC although a simple pressure test/smoke test can eliminate even simple leaks on a TMIC system as well. * a hint for pressure testing is to have a 2ft piece of hose to put up to your ear while the system is pressurized, This allows you to trace all vacuum lines and connections with the other end and actually use this as a stethascope of sorts since a small leak will be VERY LOUD when found this way. It also allows you to get to problem areas like the throttle body coupler. The other thing to have is a spray bottle with a small amount of soap and water to spray on all connections* These are two diagrams of the basic vacuum system on the LGT/OBXT. I say basic because this follows the 05/06 model but is very similar on 07-09 as well. Thanks goes to Boostin for the diagrams. I may snap actual pics in the future and label EVERYTHING but this will work for now. This is the Fuel and emission vac diagram and this is the Turbo,BPV,etc diagram These are just a start and hope they are helpful to some, again thanks go to Boostin for the diagrams. I have found the throttle body coupler seems to be the most common source of an overlooked leak. I normally suggest looking over every hose for condition *keep in mind 05/06 models now have vac hoses over 7 years old* and ziptie or hose clamp any vac line you have access to for added insurance.
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