Unofficial tuning thread

[Dean]

While I am trying to track the Cobb, Nasioc and IWSTI Forums on these topics, I figured I'd share what I am learning with my SECCS brethren.

If we are lucky, maybe Mike, Paul or Ed will chime in when I say things that are really stupid.

Please note that if you tune your own car, it is your fault if something breaks. Nothing anybody writes in this thread or tells you about should you blindly do to your car. Your Subaru ECU will do it's best to protect you, but you can destroy your engine or worse tuning your car. Proceed at your own risk.

There are other options, ECUTEK, and OpenECU / Enginuity

I think OpenECU is a great thing, some great stuff for just the cost of an OBD2 cable, though the real time maps of AP/ST would make it my choice even today.

Probably the most important thing I have learned so far is.... LOG!!! Even if you only get professionally tuned, IMHO you should LOG!

Oh, and if you can't use a spreadsheet, stop reading, get a professional tune and be happy.

If you plan on doing you own tuning, you need a notebook, boost gauge, wideband O2 sensor and an EGT sensor. Don't even think about it without all of those.

My current setup is Cobb AccessPort V1 + Street Tuner + ProTune, LC-1 Wideband O2 sensor with gauge and Autometer EGT and Boost gauges.

Threads of note:
Street Tuner n00b Tuning Primer Oldie but good place to start.
Engine Management Is The Smartest Bang for The Buck on The STi More of a review, but some interesting info in the later pages.
All Sticky threads on Cobb ST page.
EFI 101 basic EFI primer.

Let's talk AVCS tuning.....anyone...?Everything there is to know about AVCS except what is still in Clark's head.
Tuning Timing With Street Tuner - By a Noob for a Noob
Engine Management FAQ: Read if you are thinking of buying one!Unibomber's summary of all such things.
Feel free to contribute others.

More to come...

[Kevin M]

Great start. I would add a boost gauge to the required equipment. You can do without it, but it's a lot easier if you have it.

[Dean]

Placeholder #1

[Dean]

Placeholder #2

[Dean]

Originally Posted by BAN SUVS

Great start. I would add a boost gauge to the required equipment. You can do without it, but it's a lot easier if you have it.

Good catch. And you are to quick. You messed up my placeholders.

[Kevin M]

That's what she said.

Wait, what?

[eggeegg]

You're probably going to add a list of tuners later. Just a note, the popular ones around here such as DBTuned or EQ Tuning won't touch opensource maps since they're Cobb tuners. I flashed an XPT map from http://www.plasmatize.com/xptstore/ and took logs and was told they looked good. But i'd like to have a real tune with the map. Since I don't want to tune by myself, it'd be nice to know of a nearby experienced tuner who can work on opensource maps.

[sperry]

Originally Posted by Dean

Good catch. And you are to quick. You messed up my placeholders.

You made post #1... why do you need a placeholder at all, let alone 2?

(methinks this thread is going to need moderator cleanup before long )

[Dean]

Originally Posted by eggeegg

You're probably going to add a list of tuners later. Just a note, the popular ones around here such as DBTuned or EQ Tuning won't touch opensource maps since they're Cobb tuners. I flashed an XPT map from http://www.plasmatize.com/xptstore/ and took logs and was told they looked good. But i'd like to have a real tune with the map. Since I don't want to tune by myself, it'd be nice to know of a nearby experienced tuner who can work on opensource maps.

I think comments about specific tuners belong in the vendor threads. I encourage them to contribute to this thread, but the focus of this thread is doing it yourself or at least learning and logging enough to talk intelligently to the tuner you choose.

[Dean]

Originally Posted by sperry

You made post #1... why do you need a placeholder at all, let alone 2?

(methinks this thread is going to need moderator cleanup before long )

I don't know, How big can one post be? Edit away, or make me a mod.

[sperry]

Originally Posted by Dean

I don't know, How big can one post be? Edit away, or make me a mod.

I think I set the limit somewhere between War and Peace.

(...and I'll clean this place up later)

[cody]

Originally Posted by eggeegg

You're probably going to add a list of tuners later. Just a note, the popular ones around here such as DBTuned or EQ Tuning won't touch opensource maps since they're Cobb tuners. I flashed an XPT map from http://www.plasmatize.com/xptstore/ and took logs and was told they looked good. But i'd like to have a real tune with the map. Since I don't want to tune by myself, it'd be nice to know of a nearby experienced tuner who can work on opensource maps.

Ed told me some months ago that he was working with Enginuity/Open ECU and he liked it a lot. Last I heard he was just looking into the legality of using it to tune cars for a fee.

*subscribes*

[100_Percent_Juice]

this thread is so unofficial

[8URSTI]

Buy a UTEC and a WB and let me tune it......

[cody]

Wait for it...

[wrxkidid]

will gst tune opensource?

this is one of my new favorite threads. tuning is something i would like to learn to be really good at.

[Double Phister]

I've been using ST since it became available. It's been slow going. I do a little bit at a time.

I'm using AP1 + ST + LC-1/XD-1 + Defi EGT/boost + Knocklight.

Last spring I added a bunch of parts under the hood in preparation for a larger turbo.
Turbo inlet pipe, TGV deletes, PE850 injectors, Fuel rails, and a walbro fuel pump.
A new COBB block went in during the winter.

So far I have the WB reading closer to the fuel map than when it was stock. Still working on tip-in.

Haven't touched fuel or spark tables other than rescaling them for higher loads.

Boost is close to what I want. Just a small spike to deal with.

I'm alright when it comes to spreadsheet work. I would love to make something that takes the logged AFR error and puts it in the right spots on a fuel map with correctly averaged cell weighting.
I kinda have it worked out in my head. Just need to learn me some VB.