WinOLS Mastery: Map Identification & Editing: Tuning Tools
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Tuning Tools
08.59
| 00:00 | - As well as the actual software and hardware required for modifying the maps in the ECU, we also need to consider the related tuning tools that you're going to need in order to make the most of your calibration. |
| 00:11 | I'm referring here to tools like wideband air/fuel ratio meters and knock detection equipment. |
| 00:16 | But of course we also need to consider a dyno as well in any conversation discussing tuning tools. |
| 00:22 | Let's start with the dyno since it's obviously the biggest expense that any tuner will need to consider. |
| 00:28 | At HPA we're strong advocates for a quality load bearing dyno and if you want to get the most out of your calibration, and particularly if you want to perform before and after, back to back comparisons between parts or calibration changes, the dyno is absolutely the only tool for the job. |
| 00:46 | That being said, I'm also of the opinion that getting a solid and reliable improvement in power and torque can definitely be achieved on the road. |
| 00:54 | As we've already discussed in this course so far, particularly when we're reflashing a factory ECU in a vehicle that's close to stock condition, we're already starting with a very good base calibration from the factory and usually we're concentrating our tuning changes on the wide open throttle area of operation. |
| 01:12 | The obvious impact of not using a dyno is twofold. |
| 01:15 | First of all, there's an added element of risk involved since the vehicle must be driven in order to log and make tuning changes, and secondly we aren't going to get a nice dyno print out to post on the internet to show off to all of our friends. |
| 01:29 | To the latter point I say, big deal. |
| 01:31 | Enthusiast forums are already overrun with questionable dyno charts so the bragging element holds little weight to me. |
| 01:39 | The reality however is that without a dyno, you're likely to not quite make the absolute maximum that the engine and parts are capable of, simply because you're not going to know exactly what the power and torque output are or the exact result of a particular tuning change. |
| 01:55 | If you're competing in a control class where every last horsepower counts, that's likely to be an issue but for the majority of street cars, that's not going to cause too many problems and you'll be able to likely extract around 90 to 95% of what was available on the dyno anyway. |
| 02:10 | In terms of safety, we also have an advantage when we're reflashing compared to using a standalone ECU since we're going to be capturing a datalog while driving and then we make our changes while safely parked on the side of the road or back in the pits if we're lucky enough to have access to a racetrack. |
| 02:27 | This means the driver can focus all of their attention on driving the car and watching a laptop screen isn't necessary. |
| 02:34 | There are also some easy to overlook advantages to road tuning, since we're tuning the car under real world conditions. |
| 02:42 | The exact same conditions the car is going to drive or race under. |
| 02:46 | Even with a very well designed dyno cell, it can be hard or impossible to replicate the airflow and temperatures the engine will experience at 100 km/h on the open road. |
| 02:56 | This is why I'm a huge advocate for always confirming a calibration out on the road or the track once the car comes off the dyno. |
| 03:04 | If you do want to learn more about the process of road tuning then our practical reflash tuning course has a set of modules that covers the techniques required and you can also see this being performed in our worked examples. |
| 03:16 | Moving onto the more affordable tools, the good news here is that particularly with modern vehicles, often we're not going to need anything. |
| 03:24 | Mainstream European vehicles have been fitted with the same Bosch wideband lambda sensors from the factory that we're used to seeing with aftermarket air/fuel ratio meters for decades. |
| 03:35 | After all, these Bosch LSU wideband sensors were developed for the OE market, not the aftermarket tuning industry. |
| 03:42 | What this means is that we can log the actual wideband air/fuel ratio data directly from the ECU and have that information available on our scanner. |
| 03:51 | Usually this wideband data is also trustworthy and hence we can rely on it for our tuning purposes. |
| 03:58 | The reason I say usually is because there are a number of Japanese vehicles with wideband sensors fitted that have been proven to be less than accurate under some conditions. |
| 04:07 | These usually tend to read very accurately at or close to stoich but less accurately under the richer conditions that we see at wide open throttle. |
| 04:17 | The difference here is that these JDM vehicles don't tend to use the Bosch LSU wideband sensors, whereas European vehicles do. |
| 04:25 | It's never a bad idea to confirm what you're seeing from the factory wideband though, for the first time you run a specific car up and once you've proven the results are accurate and reliable, you can then rely on the logged wideband data from the ECU. |
| 04:39 | If you're in the market for a wideband, there are a number of options available. |
| 04:43 | At the professional level, we use and recommend the MoTeC professional lambda meter or PLM which can be calibrated to use the Bosch LSU 4.1 or 4.9 sensor as well as the NTK sensor which I've found to be much more reliable when running exotic fuels such as methanol or those containing high lead contents such as C16 or Q16 race fuels from VP. |
| 05:06 | The more usual portable widebands includes the likes of the Innovate LM2 which we use frequently on the road. |
| 05:13 | Add in an optional suction cup and tail pipe kit and it becomes a five minute job to set the wideband up on your vehicle. |
| 05:20 | While the tailpipe kit is handy and quick to fit, the readings can become affected by atmospheric oxygen, particularly at idle or low load where exhaust flow is low. |
| 05:29 | The LM2 can output data to a logger via an analog voltage or a serial datastream. |
| 05:35 | From personal experience, I found the output to be very sensitive to any ground offset so care is required when wiring and calibrating the output to ensure you have a reliable air/fuel ratio measurement in your logger which matches what the LM2 is displaying. |
| 05:50 | An LM2 with sensor, mount and tailpipe extension kit is likely to cost you around about $500 USD. |
| 05:57 | Another option which I've had great results from is the AEM X series wideband kit which is more of a permanent install type product which includes a conventional 52 mm gauge display which is easier to integrate with existing aftermarket gauges. |
| 06:12 | What sets the X series apart is that it comes with an OBD2 pass through connector and the air/fuel ratio data is then transmitted onto the factory CAN bus. |
| 06:21 | This requires that the scanning package you're using has the correct protocol for the gauge of course. |
| 06:28 | The advantage is the integrity of the data is guaranteed so we don't need to worry about ground offsets. |
| 06:33 | Cost for the X series gauge is around $200 USD. |
| 06:37 | Lastly we have knock detection and I've long been a fan of standalone audio knock detection systems where I can audibly listen for knock while running the engine on the dyno or the road. |
| 06:48 | These systems use a conventional Bosch knock sensor just like the majority of factory ECUs. |
| 06:54 | The signal is then run through a digital signal processor, that aims to improve the signal to noise ratio before being output to a headset. |
| 07:02 | For me, a standalone audio knock detection system is a non negotiable when tuning aftermarket standalone ECUs. |
| 07:09 | However, all late model factory ECUs include built in knock detection and control so this does become a little less critical. |
| 07:17 | It's very hard to make blanket statements in the tuning industry but in general, if you're reflashing a factory engine management system from the mid 2000s or newer, the factory knock detection system is going to be sufficient and logging the knock activity and knock retard will let you correctly adjust the ignition timing. |
| 07:34 | On the other hand, if you're starting to make more serious changes to the factory engine's hardware, such as fitting aftermarket forged pistons, or converting a hydraulic valve train to mechanical, then the mechanical noise profile of the engine may be changed sufficiently to render the factory knock detection system ineffective. |
| 07:51 | In most cases that I've described, the system will tend to be overbearing and falsely detect knock that actually isn't occurring. |
| 07:59 | If you do want to have peace of mind and actively monitor for knock then the two products that I use and recommend are the Plex Knock Monitor and the Link G4+ Knock Block. |
| 08:09 | The Plex unit is an advanced knock detection system with a lot of adjustability and filtering options. |
| 08:15 | It also includes a graphical display and is priced around about 1100 USD. |
| 08:20 | The Link Knock Block on the other hand is a little more stripped down in terms of features but is an excellent unit and is a little more portable thanks to its USB rechargeable battery and is considerably cheaper at around $500 USD. |
| 08:33 | Ultimately, if you want to get involved in the tuning industry, a quality wideband and knock detection system are about as important as the software and hardware that you use to make tuning changes. |
| 08:44 | Quality products will last a long time and while the initial purchase price may look a little expensive, that can easily save you from damaging a much more expensive engine. |
| 08:53 | This makes them seem very cheap in the long run. |
