Remote Tune Project
05-10-2021, 03:39 PM
#91
Administrator
Thread Starter
iTrader: (9)
First custom tune is available, with two 93 octane maps: standard and economy. I need to flash the ECU and fire her up!
However... I actually feel like crap this afternoon. So as exciting as this is, it might have to wait for tomorrow.
However... I actually feel like crap this afternoon. So as exciting as this is, it might have to wait for tomorrow.
The following users liked this post:
jpowersjr2 (05-11-2021)
05-10-2021, 05:34 PM
#92
Rochester, you are killing me!
I can't wait to get your first impressions on the tune.
The following users liked this post:
2.2Lude (05-10-2021)
05-10-2021, 06:21 PM
#93
Administrator
Thread Starter
iTrader: (9)
Haha, sorry, Sonic. I get migraines, and sometimes you just have to step back because of it. Did a whole bunch of yard work yesterday, and paying for it today with aches and pains.
However, when the wife came home we walked the dog (so mundane, LOL), and getting outdoors cleared my head somewhat. So I just loaded the tune. The data transfer went a LOT faster than the very first upload. I wonder why that is? After loading .BIN file number 01, I verified that I could switch between Map #1 (standard 93 Octane) and Map #2 (economy). That was interesting, using the Cruise Control switches like that and seeing the tach needle jump around.
I let the car warm up, goosed the throttle a few times, then came in for dinner. Later this evening I'll take it for a ride. And then tomorrow and/or Wednesday I'll do some early morning data logging.
[edit]
I used to get regular migraines, that's very true. However this year I was diagnosed with pretty severe hypertension, and ever since I cut out caffeine, reduced salt intake, started exercising and taking daily heart pills... the migraines have complete disappeared. Seriously.
For the first time in 15 years, the migraines are gone. I've been headache free for over two months now. The only reason I'm sharing this is because you might also be suffering, and this might help.
However, when the wife came home we walked the dog (so mundane, LOL), and getting outdoors cleared my head somewhat. So I just loaded the tune. The data transfer went a LOT faster than the very first upload. I wonder why that is? After loading .BIN file number 01, I verified that I could switch between Map #1 (standard 93 Octane) and Map #2 (economy). That was interesting, using the Cruise Control switches like that and seeing the tach needle jump around.
I let the car warm up, goosed the throttle a few times, then came in for dinner. Later this evening I'll take it for a ride. And then tomorrow and/or Wednesday I'll do some early morning data logging.
[edit]
I used to get regular migraines, that's very true. However this year I was diagnosed with pretty severe hypertension, and ever since I cut out caffeine, reduced salt intake, started exercising and taking daily heart pills... the migraines have complete disappeared. Seriously.
For the first time in 15 years, the migraines are gone. I've been headache free for over two months now. The only reason I'm sharing this is because you might also be suffering, and this might help.
Last edited by Rochester; 03-24-2022 at 09:36 AM.
The following users liked this post:
Josh South (04-13-2023)
05-10-2021, 06:25 PM
#94
Administrator
Thread Starter
iTrader: (9)
Obviously it would be so-o-o much easier to have a bluetooth dongle and data log to my phone. But that's not the ride I'm on, so FWIW I bought this power inverter for data logging, because the battery in this old laptop gives up the ghost between 30 and 40 minutes of use.
$18 on Amazon. Seems to work as intended.
$18 on Amazon. Seems to work as intended.
05-10-2021, 06:50 PM
#95
The first upload writes a ~1.5 MB file consisting of program code and maps to the ECU.
The second upload only writes the maps as the program code doesn't change.
Those folks at EcuTek are very smart!
The following 3 users liked this post by SonicVQ:
05-10-2021, 09:03 PM
#96
Administrator
Thread Starter
iTrader: (9)
First Tune - First Impressions
Took the car for a long romp on Map #1. Didn't bother with the economy map at this point, just focusing on what's different, what's better.
Big picture is that things are actually better, just not dramatically so. There's no OMG moment on the first tune, just a number of subtle observations. Throttle response feels unchanged, same for idle and low speed driving. However, when I dig into the throttle in 2nd, 3rd and 4th there's a somewhat fatter reservoir of power available. It's not huge, but subtly noticeable nonetheless.
Also, high-rev gear shifts are far less, well, violent. I don't know why that is, but I swear shifting is smoother. That observation kind of surprised me, because being a 6MT I didn't expect to see any changes rowing up the gears, yet here I am feeling that. Is this in my head? I don't know, feels very real to me.
Lastly, there's a familiar situation with my car where I experience a bit of an engine shudder. I don't like it, and I've always felt the problem was me, and not the car. Perhaps it's something that modifications have exposed or exasperated, or maybe I'm not shifting well or not managing the throttle properly. I don't know what it is, but that shudder is gone. Literally, gone. It's hard to explain what that shudder was, but it's been cleaned up.
I think the best thing I can say after the first round of tuning is that the car runs a lot smoother, and is genuinely easier to drive. Looking forward to the next round.
Big picture is that things are actually better, just not dramatically so. There's no OMG moment on the first tune, just a number of subtle observations. Throttle response feels unchanged, same for idle and low speed driving. However, when I dig into the throttle in 2nd, 3rd and 4th there's a somewhat fatter reservoir of power available. It's not huge, but subtly noticeable nonetheless.
Also, high-rev gear shifts are far less, well, violent. I don't know why that is, but I swear shifting is smoother. That observation kind of surprised me, because being a 6MT I didn't expect to see any changes rowing up the gears, yet here I am feeling that. Is this in my head? I don't know, feels very real to me.
Lastly, there's a familiar situation with my car where I experience a bit of an engine shudder. I don't like it, and I've always felt the problem was me, and not the car. Perhaps it's something that modifications have exposed or exasperated, or maybe I'm not shifting well or not managing the throttle properly. I don't know what it is, but that shudder is gone. Literally, gone. It's hard to explain what that shudder was, but it's been cleaned up.
I think the best thing I can say after the first round of tuning is that the car runs a lot smoother, and is genuinely easier to drive. Looking forward to the next round.
Last edited by Rochester; 05-14-2021 at 07:03 AM.
The following users liked this post:
jpowersjr2 (05-11-2021)
05-11-2021, 01:25 AM
#97
Registered Member
iTrader: (1)
Glad to hear the positive experiences you've had with Eugene so far. That definitely makes the whole process easier and less stressful for sure. Communication is key and that's part of the reason I went with SOHO, very responsive and helpful. That's really cool he spent so much time with you explaining everything and helping you understand what exactly he sees/does. I should probably know this, but refresh my memory if you don't mind lol. Have you had the car dyno'd and will you be doing one after? Either way, can't wait to hear you impressions after the final tune.
05-11-2021, 07:22 AM
#98
Administrator
Thread Starter
iTrader: (9)
The following users liked this post:
jpowersjr2 (05-12-2021)
05-11-2021, 11:26 AM
#99
This thread is making me rethink dyno tuning plans for later this fall. I have an slot reserved for dyno tuning at Z1 the day after Z Nationals; I was under the impression that larger MAF housings required dyno time not remote tuning. But I'm looking more for area under the curve than peak numbers (with the G35 manifold I should technically *lose* some top end HP) so now... not sure.
When my racing buddy took the EFI101 class he was taught steady-state dyno was key. We'd tune our various Megasquirted or AEMed cars for good idle and cold starts, and decent AFR up to about 2K so we could safely drive them, then the rest of the map got tweaked on the dyno. But those cars weren't driveability aces to start with... custom turbo miata, FD and FC turbo RX7s, 1st gen 12A RX7 converted to fuel injection from 4-bbl carb.
When my racing buddy took the EFI101 class he was taught steady-state dyno was key. We'd tune our various Megasquirted or AEMed cars for good idle and cold starts, and decent AFR up to about 2K so we could safely drive them, then the rest of the map got tweaked on the dyno. But those cars weren't driveability aces to start with... custom turbo miata, FD and FC turbo RX7s, 1st gen 12A RX7 converted to fuel injection from 4-bbl carb.
The following users liked this post:
jpowersjr2 (05-12-2021)
05-11-2021, 11:38 AM
#100
Administrator
Thread Starter
iTrader: (9)
Just got back from my second data log event.
Cold start.
45.4 miles of all kinds of driving
62 minutes of sampling to log
17.5 mb log file
4 (four!) WOT pulls in 3rd gear
Submitting this to Eugene now. It's 11:30 AM here, so he's probably just waking up now in CA.
Also, this romp was far more thorough than last night, and the car is absolutely running more smoothly. It just is.
Cold start.
45.4 miles of all kinds of driving
62 minutes of sampling to log
17.5 mb log file
4 (four!) WOT pulls in 3rd gear
Submitting this to Eugene now. It's 11:30 AM here, so he's probably just waking up now in CA.
Also, this romp was far more thorough than last night, and the car is absolutely running more smoothly. It just is.
Last edited by Rochester; 05-11-2021 at 11:50 AM.
The following users liked this post:
jpowersjr2 (05-12-2021)
05-11-2021, 11:39 AM
#101
This thread is making me rethink dyno tuning plans for later this fall. I have an slot reserved for dyno tuning at Z1 the day after Z Nationals; I was under the impression that larger MAF housings required dyno time not remote tuning. But I'm looking more for area under the curve than peak numbers (with the G35 manifold I should technically *lose* some top end HP) so now... not sure.
When my racing buddy took the EFI101 class he was taught steady-state dyno was key. We'd tune our various Megasquirted or AEMed cars for good idle and cold starts, and decent AFR up to about 2K so we could safely drive them, then the rest of the map got tweaked on the dyno. But those cars weren't driveability aces to start with... custom turbo miata, FD and FC turbo RX7s, 1st gen 12A RX7 converted to fuel injection from 4-bbl carb.
When my racing buddy took the EFI101 class he was taught steady-state dyno was key. We'd tune our various Megasquirted or AEMed cars for good idle and cold starts, and decent AFR up to about 2K so we could safely drive them, then the rest of the map got tweaked on the dyno. But those cars weren't driveability aces to start with... custom turbo miata, FD and FC turbo RX7s, 1st gen 12A RX7 converted to fuel injection from 4-bbl carb.
Mike,
I personally think the best approach is a combination of both a dyno and street tune for street driven cars. Dyno tune for steady state, varying load, and WOT and street/etune for everything else ie, cold start, throttle tip in, injector latency and dead times, etc. Not that the street tuning parameters can't be done on a dyno, It is just harder to replicate all real work driving conditions on the dyno. I've dedicated very little time to understanding ECU tuning but from speaking with my previous tuners over the years they all seems to say this is the best approach. In fact 3/4 tuners that Dyno tuned my cars also offered free datalogging and map tweaking post our Dyno sessions.
As for your comment on intake tuning, Eugene has a good explainer for that as well, starting around the 2:45 mark :
05-11-2021, 12:08 PM
#102
He has a Youtube channel? Welp, there goes my afternoon LOL!
Thanks for the link, seriously. More knowledge is always better. I got pretty deep in it when the megasquirt first came out and we were trying to get it to speak Rotary (the ignition is particularly funky), but that was a decade + ago and things have changed SO much - like the fact that I drive a V6 now.
Thanks for the link, seriously. More knowledge is always better. I got pretty deep in it when the megasquirt first came out and we were trying to get it to speak Rotary (the ignition is particularly funky), but that was a decade + ago and things have changed SO much - like the fact that I drive a V6 now.
The following users liked this post:
2.2Lude (05-11-2021)
05-11-2021, 01:59 PM
#103
Administrator
Thread Starter
iTrader: (9)
Hi John, the log data looks great. I'm going to revise the calibration and I will send an update soon. I will begin by adjusting the fuel compensations. I'll also see if I can adjust the ignition timing for some more power.
Last edited by Rochester; 05-11-2021 at 02:31 PM.
The following users liked this post:
jpowersjr2 (05-12-2021)
05-11-2021, 06:16 PM
#104
Administrator
Thread Starter
iTrader: (9)
Tune #2 loaded in the ECU now, test drive after dinner, data logging again tomorrow.
[edit]
Drove it pretty hard around the area, ramps, hills, hard launch, etc. And this particularly engaging extension of the highway that ends at Lake Ontario, which has 4 round-abouts in 2 miles. Fun location to drive, but you don't want to take them too hard, because the curbs are high, sharp and scary.
Anyway, Tune #2 feels pretty much like Tune #1. So I don't know what to say about that. I'll do another long data log tomorrow, submit it to Eugene and see where we go from there.
Car certainly runs better, though. And no, it's not in my head... heavy throttle feels strong, dumping heavy throttle no longer shudders, up-shifts are clean, and power feels consistent. All extremely good things, no doubt, but... well, an obvious increase in grunt would be nice too. It's still early, tho.
[edit]
Drove it pretty hard around the area, ramps, hills, hard launch, etc. And this particularly engaging extension of the highway that ends at Lake Ontario, which has 4 round-abouts in 2 miles. Fun location to drive, but you don't want to take them too hard, because the curbs are high, sharp and scary.
Anyway, Tune #2 feels pretty much like Tune #1. So I don't know what to say about that. I'll do another long data log tomorrow, submit it to Eugene and see where we go from there.
Car certainly runs better, though. And no, it's not in my head... heavy throttle feels strong, dumping heavy throttle no longer shudders, up-shifts are clean, and power feels consistent. All extremely good things, no doubt, but... well, an obvious increase in grunt would be nice too. It's still early, tho.
Last edited by Rochester; 05-12-2021 at 07:43 AM.
The following 2 users liked this post by Rochester:
jpowersjr2 (05-12-2021),
SonicVQ (05-12-2021)
05-12-2021, 12:40 PM
#105
Administrator
Thread Starter
iTrader: (9)
Log file for Tune #2 submitted for review this afternoon.
Cold start.
52.2 miles of all kinds of driving
81 minutes of sampling to log
24 mb log file
3 WOT pulls in 3rd gear
2 WOT pulls in 4th gear
Those 4th gear pulls... Yikes! Way to scary. I'm not doing that again. From now on it's 3rd gear only. OMG
Cold start.
52.2 miles of all kinds of driving
81 minutes of sampling to log
24 mb log file
3 WOT pulls in 3rd gear
2 WOT pulls in 4th gear
Those 4th gear pulls... Yikes! Way to scary.
I'm not doing that again. From now on it's 3rd gear only. OMG