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Contrast Tune Review and Tips for a Successful Tune

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#1 · (Edited)
Contrast Gustav Tune Review and Tips for a Successful Tune

Greetings,

I just want to tell everyone how amazing my car is after Contrast's/Gustav tune. I started with an elevate tune but wanted the features only found in the hilton and contrast tunes.
These were the antilag, pops & crackle, knocklight, 4c map switching, and shiftlight. Hilton has highly streamlined purchasing options via Viva website and possibly even streamlined tuning. However, Contrast reached out to me so I decided to go with him for my tune. I found it difficult to find more than 3-4 reviews detailing how their tune went. This is why I am going out of my way to write this for future buyers like myself, a week or so ago.
  • Prices are one of the first reasons why one should consider Contrast. Just quite simply a very good bargain.
  • Custom tuning is another one. I could tell Contrast, exactly what i wanted from my tune such as target idle, boost, and he would be able to deliver. You probably won't get this kind of customization with some other off the shelf potato tunes
  • In depth knowledge on Volvo cars. Lets be honest, many of us won't have a "perfect" car when taking it to Gustav. However, he could diagnose possible vacuum leaks, IPD gen 1 TCV(i was overboosting to 28 lbs of boost, when target was 18 from elevate tune!), and even knew about my whining noise coming from my front left headlight(vacuum brake pump). This is knowledge is probably from him lurking on the forums for so long and seeing every problem known for these cars.
  • Rediculously fast response time. He will 100% reply to your message within 24 hours, and this is a person half way across the world.
  • Very patient man. Due to me being slightly unprepared, it took many hours of tuning, and weeks of working on the car to get it right. He did not give up and was professional the whole time.
  • Genius Deduction skills. He found out while doing pulls on the highway that my car was heatsoaking due to letting it sit and idle. Intake temperatures went from 55C to 12C after driving on the highway for 2 min.(50+mph) to get air through my FMIC(Front Mounted Intercooler). Massive difference! I had my doubts on the efficiency of intercoolers. He also found out that my old fuel pump was outputting a much lower flow than the ECU desired. It was also maxed out on duty cycle!
Requirements
  • He Prefers to be contacted via his website: https://urbastuning.wordpress.com/
  • A moderately fast 6-8GB of RAM, I5 Processor, Dedicated graphics and high batterylife laptop(My potato laptop was almost impossible to use for this)-Windows 7 is prefered and faster than 10
  • VIDA software(Volvo's proprietary diagnostic software) https://www.ebay.com/itm/Working-in...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649
  • Dice Interface device(Device that connects to your cars OBD2 Port and your laptop via usb port)-This will also do the Logging+flashing. You can buy it here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01EHVTIGE/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
  • STAGE 0 (If you have old plugs or coils then he will have to tune around it or it may not be possible at all)-He recommends One step colder NGK plugs from VIvaperformance and Bosch coil packs
  • I had the stock fuel pump in my car. It was beginning to max out its duty cycle and output less fuel pressure than the ECU desired. This threw no codes, if you haven't replaced it then I suggest you do so with the Viva fuel pump.
  • A non IPD TCV Valve- He only allows, stock or pierburg(stock company).
  • A Very Large Road-Preferably the highway for pulls. (I ended up 30miles from my city. This is the amount of driving I did for datalogging and tuning).

Procedure
1. You will need to get the ViDa software to diagnose your car to make sure it has no active codes or problems. It will also guide you on fixing them. Once this is done you will not use the VIDA/VM Machine for Tuning/Flashing/Logging. All the tuning is done on your current OS
2. The way you install VIDA software can be two ways: You either need WIndows 7 for a fully integrated install or use a Virtual machine where one uses windows 7 or xp. A virtual machine is basically using your current operating system as a mule/piggyback. This also usually requires you to install VMWare. Detailed instructions are found on varius threads found on this forum. However, I recommend the ebay one advertising, "Windows 10 support, full technical support." He should be offering his services/vmware on here somewhere and has a in depth guide for beginners.
3. I suggest getting VIda drivers for your current OS(windows 10 usually) to allow you to interface with the DICE device for tuning/Flashing/logging.
4. Once you are fininished installing Vida, plug in dice to your laptop
5. Run Vida and search for fault codes. it will search through your multiple modules in the car, almost like your car is one big supercomputer ;).
6. Yellow are nonactive codes that have been fixed, null, or reset
7. Record and clear codes, report to Mr. Gustav.

Actual Tuning Procedure
1. This is where you will use your current laptop+OS(Windows 10 nowadays, Windows 7 prefered)+Dice device to interface with your car
2. Once you plug everything up and the OS recognizes it, you will use the programs Gustav provides. One is to Log your car and another to Flash your car(2 programs)
3. He might flash your car with a base tune to figure out where your car is at
4. Then he will get you to do a log using the log program he provides. You will do city driving and highway driving
5. He will receive your log file (Log file is openable with excel and allows you to look and how your car is behaving)
6. He will use your Log file to create a custom tune for your car(Stock intake is best). It took him about a week for me(others may vary).

6. Then finally, You will enter a cycle where you will need to do constant pulls+logs and him sending you revisions until he gets it to your/his liking ;). All communication was done through Facebook Messenger App!

Things to Note
  • Do not let your car heatsoak before attempting a pull. Try driving it and getting air through your intercooler.
  • You need to make sure you do the pulls correctly, accidental knocking could lead to engine wear and possible destruction.
  • Generally he wants: WOT @ third Gear from 2000->6500 RPM(This is about 88-90 MPH~ with a 2004 S60R M66 Manual)
  • The reason why you start at 2000 is because any higher and the turbo will be spooled up shoving max boost into your engine, instead of building boost like some would want. Although high rpms resist detonation better, Gustav like it this way.
  • Antilag loudness+pops and crackles loudness depends on Exhaust and injector size. I found it plenty loud with a single large muffler, big downpipe, and stock injectors
  • Antilag should only be used for maximum of 2-3 seconds as the heat can greatly stress the components. Let about 20 seconds for cooldown between uses.
  • Antilag builds about 10-12 lbs of boost for me while sitting still. It is activated by pushing in the clutch and flooring it. RPMs will target 4000 and it will pop, pop, pop and spool your turbo.
  • Its also a good idea, if you are not tech savvy to download teamviewer for Gustav. He can use this software to take control of your laptop and tune for you.
  • Stockairbox is apparently the Best
  • I Tethered my phone using the Portable Wifi Hotspot found on my Iphone to connect my laptop to the internet during the tuning process. It is highly recommended for you to do the same for the entire process.
    In this way you don't have to drive back and forth to your house for wifi/internet.

I will continue this write up at another date. stay Tuned. Pun Intended. Last update: 2/24/2018

2/24/2018:
Upgraded to the knock light for maximum engine safety(flashes the check engine light when it detects knock). Amazing part of today was that Contrast made my pops and crackles even louder, Pretty much louder than a chinese firecracker. 80-100 db? Its sooo amazing now. I have to be careful of the police now.
 
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#5 ·
#6 ·
Thanks for the review!

I had already decided to go with Contrast, but its good to hear your thoughts.. as you said i didnt find a whole lot of reviews, but from reading his forum posts over the years, I know he's the best choice for my car..
 
#7 ·
I too had decided I am going with Contrast after reading some of Dougy’s posts that he has tried them all and hands down Contrast is the best. Thanks for this thread on what to expect.
 
#9 ·
Can say enough about tuning with Contrast. Attention to drivability & detail. He is extremely responsive to requests and really strives to make his customers happy. +1 for Gustav.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
#11 ·
Does anyone know if it possible for someone experienced with tuning to be able to tune an ME7 themselves (someone who is a DIY tuner) instead of going through a company like Hilton, IPD or Urbastuning? I've been reading about how to tune the M4.4s with TunerPro, and have an understand now of how that works, but how can one go about tuning one of these since I know the software & hardware is a lot different.

I spent some time searching Volvospeed and V70R forums but found absolutely no information there regarding tuning an ME7.
 
#13 ·
#12 ·
Not 100% sure, but pretty sure you have to purchase some expensive interface software and such to tune yourself. Personally, I would not attempt as the learning curve is steep on these. Having been through the result of a bad tune, I wouldn't want to experience that again. I've done my own tuning via a Megasquirt on mustangs, but that's a totally different system.
 
#16 ·
LOL! Contrast did a update today on my tune. He made the pops and crackles even louder! At first My pops and crackles were not like some found on youtube, but now I really gotta be careful about the police lol. I don't know if i can get fire to come out the end like some people though. I have one muffler but im sure if i went straight pipe it would be even louder.
 
#19 ·
There is a Volvo tuning thread on Nefmoto, if you want to learn more about it. it requires a good knowledge of the ME7 . the site is mostly about volkswagen and audi that also use the ME7.
First, you need to be able to read and write back the bin file from the ECM. There are some good explanations there on how to do that and it does not require any expansive hardware.
The difficult part is to know how to modify the file. There are hundreds of maps that contains numeric values. You must understand how these maps are used and know where they are in your bin file. For the first part, you should read tons of threads and documents you can find on nefomoto, starting with the noob zone.
For the location of the maps, they are not the same than on the Audi files but probably follow a similar pattern.
The volvo thread mention the location of some of them, but the best way is to use a decomplier, like ida pro, that cost $2k or more. Hilton (guitar24) gustav(contrast) and dream3r have such a decompiler and gain most likely a full knowledge of where these maps are, but they have not made this public for some understandable reason.
Even once you know where the maps are, knowing how to modify them requires extensive knowledge with the risk of damaging your engine if you do it wrong.
However, if you are curious and interested, you should read this 1050+ posts thread on nefmoto. I will be reading your posts on there.
 
#21 ·
Sad and true
 
#22 ·
Dream3R was very active in this forum and is missed a lot. I have a lot of respect for all his contributions here and on Nefmoto. He stated in one of his post that he worked closely with Rob Hilton, hence my assumption that he also had knowledge of the maps location.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
#24 ·
There is actually a more simple solution if I may chip in.
I just made VIDA 2014D and tuning work on my old DELL laptop that I bought for like less than 100$. I also used this:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/2014D-HQ-Volvo-Vida-Dice-Diagnostics-green-PCB-EWD-ships-from-Europe-video/111633882026?hash=item19fde5dbaa:g:AOEAAOSwPYZU25HY
Theres no need for VM or high tech laptop. Laptop what Im using is an old DELL with 4GB RAM and I Core 2 DUO. The installation was a breeze and fast. Just follow the instructions provided and you're set! It comes also with the VM installation, but I used regular 2014D and boy it was easy! Now I can scan it and tune it without any issues!
Totally worth it! And of course Mr.Urbas is the man:thumbup:! Im recommending him to anyone around who has an R.
:beer:
 
#25 · (Edited)
There is actually a more simple solution if I may chip in.
I just made VIDA 2014D and tuning work on my old DELL laptop that I bought for like less than 100$. I also used this:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/2014D-HQ-Volvo-Vida-Dice-Diagnostics-green-PCB-EWD-ships-from-Europe-video/111633882026?hash=item19fde5dbaa:g:AOEAAOSwPYZU25HY
Got the same Dice unit from Digital-Life on Ebay, he's very helpfull and every unit is checked prior to shipping. He even sends the EWD for free after I bought from him.
I'm currently in the process for a tune with Mr. Urbas and am very pleased so far.
 
#29 ·
Since Contrast reached out to me in PM indicating that Facebook and WhatsApp is how they like to communicate, which I said I do not have, I have not heard anything back from them. I have PMed them twice asking how to proceed without this and I have not heard anything back. Does anyone know if Contrast will work with you if you don’t do Facebook? Am I wasting my time here? Danke.
 
#31 ·
Since Contrast reached out to me in PM indicating that Facebook and WhatsApp is how they like to communicate, which I said I do not have, I have not heard anything back from them. I have PMed them twice asking how to proceed without this and I have not heard anything back. Does anyone know if Contrast will work with you if you don't do Facebook? Am I wasting my time here? Danke.
Use messenger and be patient..... there's a reason he's busy and the end result will be worth the wait.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 
#35 · (Edited)
I have sent a few messages and got some replies at first. I have not gotten any replies in 3 tries over the last 3 weeks. I am close to ready to start tuning. I too will try other options if I don’t hear from Contrast. I Have 2 vehicles I would like to do. Would have loved to see what they have to offer.
 
#36 ·
Gustav hasn't been here since 7/28. I've got a couple emails and FB Messenger messages in to him but with no reply.

Hoping he's just busy and/or enjoying his European vacation days...
 
#37 ·
I have been in contact and working on a tune with Gustav through messenger. I think it’s fair to say he’s going through some personal issues that are causing him some challenges. I’ve been super patient given my circumstances, (3rd car, not required for daily driving).
He is working on things, it’s just taking a a lot longer than anyone would like.
Patience is paying off as the tune is almost done, and the car feels amazing.

Covid world has also likely impacted him and his business.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
#38 ·
I have been in contact and working on a tune with Gustav through messenger. I think it's fair to say he's going through some personal issues that are causing him some challenges. I've been super patient given my circumstances, (3rd car, not required for daily driving).
He is working on things, it's just taking a a lot longer than anyone would like.
Patience is paying off as the tune is almost done, and the car feels amazing.

Covid world has also likely impacted him and his business.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Alright, good to know @volvoluin.

I have some things I can troubleshoot on my end in the meantime, was just hoping he could provide some direction.

And yes, my tune is also night and day difference over stock, very enjoyable driving my heavy XC90 now :D
 
#39 ·
Gustav isnt MIA...I talk to him about every other day. Sometimes when your data logging, he can take a day or two to respond. He works a normal job and tunes for a lot of people. Was in process of Stage 3'ing my T5 and the clutch decided to drop a deuce. But overall, he's been great to deal with and I would highly recommend.
I'm having a decidedly different experience. Been very patient but it's been almost a year with the same intermittent ECM-601C signal too high fault.
 
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