Jester’s Tuning thread

[StingertimeNC]

Agree with all of it. Just had a revision done today after adding the TSP downpipe. Feels even better and the pops and burbles just went up a notch. Jester prepped my revision on a Sunday by the way. Honestly it's like my 8th revision or something. I may just venmo him some money as he's spent so much time working with me. LOL. Really good dude.

Honestly, I don't feel like the car is any more or less drivable than when it was stock, it's just way quicker. Redlining in 1st and 2nd gear can definitely overwhelm the tires, so I basically just short shift a bit, but third pulls like a freight train. Even just driving along in 5th or 6th gear, the car just pulls harder with no downshift needed.

I honestly don't know how anyone would not like the results.

Caveat, If you autocross and spend a bunch of time in 2nd gear, near redline, it could make things a bit more dicey. But everywhere else, street, track, etc., it's just so good.

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[Ktrw]

Hey all, longtime (relatively) lurker here, first time poster. I wanted to shout out @JesterTuned . I got in touch with him after reading this thread and his other posts. My experience was so positive that I decided to make an account just to tell any other lurkers about my experience.

He happened to be in my area (Miami), so we met up in my driveway to unlock and tune. I really got the VIP experience, lol!

If it’s your first time getting unlocked and/or tuned, you cannot do better than working with Jester. He explained everything he was doing, he was super friendly, answered all my noob questions, and even went as far as using a cloth to protect my paint during the unlock.

As for the tune itself: do it. Just do it. I drove on stock tune for like 6,500 miles. I can certify that the tune makes a MASSIVE difference.

He gave me a basemap and had me data log it. The first base map was a big improvement when pulling to redline, but it needed some dialing in for smoothness. I sent the datalog to him, almost immediately got a revised tune back. Uploaded it, and it was a HUGE improvement to smoothness. The way it puts the power down is just wild.

We did one more datalog and one more revision (which he revised almost immediately - my car was still warm when I went back out to reflash it) and it’s completely dialed in.

Keep in mind that I am new to performance tuning, so I can tell you what I feel and notice but probably can’t explain /why/. My only other experience with a tuned car comes from running a TSP OTS tune on my prior A-spec integra (no shade on them, TSP is awesome and their tune was great).

Here are my impressions of the tune:

1. Traction is way better and smoother. It no longer feels as if I am overwhelming the tires when I am in 1st or 2nd.

2. First gear is SIGNIFICANTLY smoother. It no longer feels like I am making a deal with the devil just to gain speed in first gear. I can stay in it a little longer and get up to higher rpm.

3. The 1st to 2nd shift is easier, somehow. I don’t know enough to know /why/, but I can tell you that it is much more smooth. Maybe because I am shifting at a slightly higher rpm? Either way, the 1-2 shift is much, much better.

4. The car just PULLS and PULLS and PULLS all the way to (the slightly higher) redline now. I’ve only done redline pulls in 3rd so far (on private racetrack roads, of course), but I am telling you it goes flat out all the way to fuel cutoff. It feels like the powerband is just miles wide. You step on it around 3k rpm, you’re flying until the engine cuts .

5. The pops and burbles are longer now - it seems like I get an extra pop or two and an extra half second of burble. This is with no changes made to the stock level of pops and bangs - they’re just a little extended. It sounds great without being obnoxious.

6. Turbo engagement feels more linear, it doesn’t feel like it’s either 100% on or off anymore. On stock tune, it was like a yes or no question. With this tune, it feels more nuanced, like 1 through 10 depending on context instead of yes/no.

7. Even decel is better. Letting off the gas just feels smoother. Prior to the tune, letting off the gas in sport+ felt almost violent, and now it doesn’t feel that way at all. It’s hard to describe, but the best way to explain is that it feels like the car finally understands that I might want to get back on the gas in the near future.

TL;DR Jester is really nice, you will learn a whole lot, he’ll help you dial in the tune, and the car will be SIGNIFICANTLY improved in a multitude of ways. Do it.

I've been trying to figure out who I want to tune my car and posts like this really make me want to just bite the bullet. Jester sounds a joy to deal with and I know he's tuned a TON of these cars at this point so I might be nearing my breaking point and finally getting it tuned.

You mentioned the 1-2 shift is easier, can I ask if you feel that rev hang is a part of that? Tbh, the primary reason I want a tune is that my perception of what rev hang is really degrades the experience of the car (it's still awesome but could be way better). The 1-2 shift in my car feels like I have to wait for an ETERNITY to let the revs drop down and release the clutch to not get a lurch. I imagine maybe my driving style or something needs improvement but I've tried numerous things and it seems to come back to just waiting for revs to fall. I imagine some rev hang is good so you don't have to shift fast every single time, but less than factory is probably ideal.

Also, since you mentioned decel, that is something I have noticed at times in my car. It feels like the diff engagement is a bit harsh or something. I figured it was just necessary to get the other great characteristics of the car, but if even that feels better on the car that would be awesome. Maybe it's more to do with throttle or something so a tuner can smooth it out. Sounds like some great quality-of-life improvements for sure.

 

[sandwich_thief]

I've been trying to figure out who I want to tune my car and posts like this really make me want to just bite the bullet. Jester sounds a joy to deal with and I know he's tuned a TON of these cars at this point so I might be nearing my breaking point and finally getting it tuned.

You mentioned the 1-2 shift is easier, can I ask if you feel that rev hang is a part of that? Tbh, the primary reason I want a tune is that my perception of what rev hang is really degrades the experience of the car (it's still awesome but could be way better). The 1-2 shift in my car feels like I have to wait for an ETERNITY to let the revs drop down and release the clutch to not get a lurch. I imagine maybe my driving style or something needs improvement but I've tried numerous things and it seems to come back to just waiting for revs to fall. I imagine some rev hang is good so you don't have to shift fast every single time, but less than factory is probably ideal.

Also, since you mentioned decel, that is something I have noticed at times in my car. It feels like the diff engagement is a bit harsh or something. I figured it was just necessary to get the other great characteristics of the car, but if even that feels better on the car that would be awesome. Maybe it's more to do with throttle or something so a tuner can smooth it out. Sounds like some great quality-of-life improvements for sure.

I think the 1-2 shift improvement is a result of the car being more comfortable to rev higher in first - prior to the tune, it felt like the car wanted me to get out of first gear ASAP. Now it feels like I can climb the tach a little more, so I end up shifting at slightly higher RPM. It could also be the reduction in rev hang, too, or a combination of the rev hang change and the higher rpms I’m hitting in first gear. To be clear I’m not talking about a massive increase, but I’m probably shifting an average of 500-750rpm higher in first gear because it doesn’t feel “bad” to do so anymore. I’ll watch the rpm next time but I think I’m shifting around 3250-3500rpm now whereas before accelerating to anything above 2750 in first gear felt awful.

I’m not a pro and I’m learning more about these cars by the day, so it’s certainly possible that I am misattributing the reason for the change in smoothness. It could be some third reason that I’m not even considering, lol. Either way, though, I can tell you with absolute certainty that my 1-2 shift got better after the tune.

 

[Underdog]

This is the most cost effective mod list that you can do for maximum gains without breaking the bank. For those of you that are looking for a mod path.

1. Tuning
2. Drop in filter
3. Downpipe

These three mods will yield the biggest gains for the least amount.

Inlet, intake, front pipe and exhaust are more bling than anything for sound. Now when you upgrade your turbo these items do start becoming a limitation.

Hey Jester, thanks for the guidance in this thread. I'm considering the tune + TSP downpipe option; I'd like a bit more midrange punch, and growl from the exhaust note, while keeping everything else looking and sounding stock. Really just an OEM+ setup.

I'm not really interested in increasing induction noise, and would prefer to just use the OEM airbox & filter setup if it's only leaving a few hp on the table at the far end of the rev range.

Do you have a feel for what sort of improvement I could expect with this path? I'd be staying on 93 octane as there is no ethanol within an hour drive from my location.

 

[StingertimeNC]

340+ at the wheels! That's my setup basically and he's mentioned 350HP range. It feels every bit of that, but I'm no expert.

I do have an intake as well, but not a major power adder.

I will say there's a bit of drone on the highway in sport+, but in comfort not noisy at all. The drone is far less than what you might experience with a full catback exhaust though. But exhaust sounds great with the addition of the downpipe. Pops and cracks are a bit louder adding to the fun.

 

[Underdog]

340+ at the wheels! That's my setup basically and he's mentioned 350HP range. It feels every bit of that, but I'm no expert.

I do have an intake as well, but not a major power adder.

I will say there's a bit of drone on the highway in sport+, but in comfort not noisy at all. The drone is far less than what you might experience with a full catback exhaust though. But exhaust sounds great with the addition of the downpipe. Pops and cracks are a bit louder adding to the fun.

Awesome. I finished reading the thread and saw you added the downpipe after having already been tuned. Did you feel like it was worth the additional spend? I was under the impression the pipe would need to be changed to get that 10-15% bump in power.

I'm surprised that the downpipe contributed to drone, and would really want to avoid that. Do I recall correctly that you also have a front pipe? I typically drive in sport mode, but I am under the impression that the exhaust valve behaves the same between sport and sport+.

 

[Ktrw]

I don't have any drone at all with a TSP downpipe and PRL front pipe on the stock exhaust and can't recall seeing anyone else mention that. I can just hear the exhaust in sport and sport+ on the highway but yeah putting it in comfort quiets it down quite a bit too.

 

[JesterTuned]

Hey Jester, thanks for the guidance in this thread. I'm considering the tune + TSP downpipe option; I'd like a bit more midrange punch, and growl from the exhaust note, while keeping everything else looking and sounding stock. Really just an OEM+ setup.

I'm not really interested in increasing induction noise, and would prefer to just use the OEM airbox & filter setup if it's only leaving a few hp on the table at the far end of the rev range.

Do you have a feel for what sort of improvement I could expect with this path? I'd be staying on 93 octane as there is no ethanol within an hour drive from my location.

Improvements would be a gain of around 60whp over stock with just the tune and the downpipe so very noticeable.

 

[StingertimeNC]

Awesome. I finished reading the thread and saw you added the downpipe after having already been tuned. Did you feel like it was worth the additional spend? I was under the impression the pipe would need to be changed to get that 10-15% bump in power.

I'm surprised that the downpipe contributed to drone, and would really want to avoid that. Do I recall correctly that you also have a front pipe? I typically drive in sport mode, but I am under the impression that the exhaust valve behaves the same between sport and sport+.

I do not have a front pipe, just OEM plus the TSP Hi flow cat downpipe. Maybe my "drone" comment is a bit overkill. Maybe what I should have said is the tone is noticeably deeper during highway cruising at 70-80 mph. Turning to comfort quiets it down completely. It's not something that would dissuade me from getting the downpipe though. Everything is better with it. I don't mean to sound like I'm complaining for sure.

I had a Borla Catback on my last car and that droned for sure. It's nothing like that.

I had the car tuned prior to adding the downpipe, then Jester did a revision (or three, LOL) after adding the downpipe. Definitely added some power. Not sure if adding the front pipe would add even more though.

 

[Underdog]

I do not have a front pipe, just OEM plus the TSP Hi flow cat downpipe. Maybe my "drone" comment is a bit overkill. Maybe what I should have said is the tone is noticeably deeper during highway cruising at 70-80 mph. Turning to comfort quiets it down completely. It's not something that would dissuade me from getting the downpipe though. Everything is better with it. I don't mean to sound like I'm complaining for sure.

I had a Borla Catback on my last car and that droned for sure. It's nothing like that.

I had the car tuned prior to adding the downpipe, then Jester did a revision (or three, LOL) after adding the downpipe. Definitely added some power. Not sure if adding the front pipe would add even more though.

Understood and thanks for the further clarification. I suppose worst case it’s a simple swap back to stock if it doesn’t work for me. My Subaru has a catless DP and Stromung exhaust, and I’d love to revert it back to something catted and quieter but it’s hard to find parts for it, being “so old” and I’m not looking to go full custom.

 

[StingertimeNC]

Get it, you won't regret it! From the outside of the car the exhaust sounds very good. More like an aftermarket. Very nice IMO.

 

[TacoShop]

Hey Jester,

Just picked up a 2025 Integra TypeS about a month ago. How many miles do you recommend for break in prior to tune, if any? Also curious to hear your opinion on the various intakes on the market. Thanks!

 

[JesterTuned]

Hey Jester,

Just picked up a 2025 Integra TypeS about a month ago. How many miles do you recommend for break in prior to tune, if any? Also curious to hear your opinion on the various intakes on the market. Thanks!

Intakes my take is that choose the one you like except the Takeda, might throw a code. PRL offers good value for money, infinity and eventuri are my personal favorites just for looks.

I broke my car for 1k miles of easy driving for the first 300-400 miles, the. Started opening her up progressively and the las 100-200 miles I opened her up completely with an oil change right at the 1k mark. You can tune after that.

 

[StingertimeNC]

Now you tell me on the Takeda!

I think mine did throw a code, lost pops and bangs after the first hard pulls. You tuned me back into shape though.

 

[JesterTuned]

Now you tell me on the Takeda!

I think mine did throw a code, lost pops and bangs after the first hard pulls. You tuned me back into shape though.

I found out on the Takeda from you?

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