By VR Tuned ECU Tuning Kit for the 21+ Ford Bronco
In this article, we’re going to take a close-up look at the new VR Tuned piggyback tuning module for the brand new 2.7L full-size Bronco. When it comes to making more horsepower and torque on modern engines the key to doing so has been ECU tuning, but in recent years a lot of manufacturers have been clamping down on the computer making it harder and harder to access and do ECU tuning. On top of that, if they catch you doing it they’re more than happy to void your warranty and for that reason piggyback modules have become very popular. Instead of tuning the ECU, piggyback tuners simply sit on top of the computer system and push the boost a little bit further resulting in more power and more torque. They also don’t imprint on the ECU so it will not affect your warranty which is pretty important especially because these new Broncos just came out so everybody’s got a warranty and probably wants to keep it.
VIDEO: VR TUNED ECU TUNING KIT FOR THE 21+ FORD BRONCO
The VR Tuned Module
VR Tuned has released this piggyback module and it can produce up to 54HP and 100 pound-feet of torque gains on something that is incredibly easy to install. Of course, it comes with the necessary wiring harness and it plugs in line with the Map and the T-Map sensors, then you simply mount this unit inside the engine bay and you’re going to instantly have access to a significant bump in power. This harness is made with OEM quality connectors and fittings and it’s got a weather-sealed box that is going to stand up to all the punishment that you can put your Bronco through.
The Power Levels
The VR Tuned module has seven different levels of maps that you can choose from. On the zero setting it’s gonna just basically run like stock and on the level seven setting when they had that with 93 octane fuel, they were putting out 54 additional horsepower and 100 pound-feet of torque which is a pretty nice gain. Everything in between those levels is going to be on that spectrum just depending on how hard it’s going to push the boost and you adjust that using the two, plus and minus buttons on the module.
They also sell this for an additional fifty dollars with a Bluetooth app functionality that allows you to change that setting on the fly from your phone, which you can do from the cab of your Bronco. We think that’s an absolute no-brainer because if you want to go between the settings you have to stop the car, get out open the hood, and press the button so that is definitely how we would recommend getting this kit. In our install guide video, we’ll show you how to connect the Bluetooth device and make your changes. VR Tuned also includes a little defeat module that lets you unplug the box and plug that right back in and it’s as if this was not installed whatsoever.
BUY THE VR TUNED MODULE (BLUETOOTH VERSION) FOR THE 21+ BRONCO HERE!
BUY THE VR TUNED MODULE (NON-BLUETOOTH VERSION) FOR THE 21+ BRONCO HERE!
The Power Gains
As we mentioned the guys at VR Tuned on 93 octane gas out there in Arizona managed to get a gain of 54 horsepower and 100 foot-pounds of torque. Now we live in California and we’re going to be testing on 91 octane gas and the gas here sucks so we’re not expecting to see that level of gains, but what we’re going to do is go ahead and take our Bronco over onto the dyno and we’re going to run it in stock trim and then we’re gonna run it in level seven and find out just how much gains we get in a real-world application at the wheels on our brand new 2.7L Bronco.
We wanted to truly test the power gains that were being claimed by VR Tuned and the only way to do that is to put the vehicle on the dyno luckily our friends over Pokrajac Automotive have a four-wheel-drive dino and we were able to take the Bronco over there and do a few runs in 4A. Just a quick caveat that dynos can range dramatically in the power numbers they read and there are a million ways to slice this pie, but since we’re running on the same dyno we think it’s at least a good way to see what gains can really be had from this module.
First, we ran the Bronco with the VR Tuned module off with the stock trim and this produced 254 WHP and 360 ft/lbs of torque. Next, we got a clean run in level 5 which produced 286 WHP and 384 ft/lbs of torque which felt like a significant bump, but of course, everybody wants to know how much power we gained in level 7. Our level 7 run came back with 303.6 WHP and 414 ft/lbs of torque which is a gain of 49 WHP and 53 ft/lbs of torque. We weren’t expecting to get this close to VR Tuned’s claimed numbers on California 91 gas so we’re pretty happy — those are significant gains and the horsepower number is very close to their 93 octane claims.
The Bronco’s Weak Spot
Now just a note we did the best we could with the fans to keep the Bronco cool but we noticed significant heat soak issues with each run and we had to let the Bronco cool down for a few minutes between each pull. Because of this, we’re sure that an intercooler is going to be an important upgrade in the future, especially for those looking to make big power so subscribe to our YouTube channel to check that out when it comes around. Now we really like the Pedal Commander and we got a video for that right here we think it’s a great compliment to help you access this extra power and they really work well together. Thanks for reading.
BUY THE VR TUNED MODULE (BLUETOOTH VERSION) FOR THE 21+ BRONCO HERE!
BUY THE VR TUNED MODULE (NON-BLUETOOTH VERSION) FOR THE 21+ BRONCO HERE!
