fuel system tuning and logging, help me out!

[Denji]

Okay, i am not a newbie, but i am new to tuning and logging. My vehicle profile is correct. I had originally only planned to finish the stage 1 upgrades on this site, but was given a number of fuel parts by a very good friend of mine when he upgraded to some better stuff. Here is what i have fuel wise-

1. fuel pump (already installed) walbro 190 lph
2. 550cc injectors - not installed
3. apex'i safc II

I would like to use the apex'i safc-II, i dont know how useful this is for my car or not, but i know im going to need some sort of logger, i only have around 300 dollars, is there anything somewhat affordable i can log my car with, give me your input! I know very minimal about tuning and logging.
thanks-Brandon

 

[larsenracing]

if you dont plan on doing much more moding then just take it to a shop with a dyno and have them tune it for $100 and then learn how to do it there are cheep loggers but nothing near as good as dsm link and you for sure dont have the money for that a wideband o2 would help you out alot but then just have the shop tune it and read up on tuning and then learn it and you will be fine. good luck

 

[spoolup]

http://www.dsmtuners.com/parts/default.php?cPath=3_175_126 the ODBII logger is alright, slow sampling, I average 10-11 samples a second, but works on a variaty of cars and will allow you reset the CEL if you happen to get any. I would personally recommend DSMlink since I have ran the SAFCII and pocketlogger setup myself before switching to DSMlink. But if you already have the SAFC use it, it shall work good with the 550s. There are also a few other hacked loggers, tunerstein and ODG gauge, but bother require you to fab up some parts. Here is a post about them: http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/showthread.php?t=207806 But I still perfure the pocketlogger over tunerstein, simply because of support and a decent product more so that they have the newer version out wiht big number and tap anywhere to start on the ODB-II version, still wish they would have allowed for a selectable TPS percent/ voltage, but ohh well, cant always get what you want.

 

[Denji]

do you guys think that dsmlink is the best way to go for my setup? I can potentially save and purchase it, i was just so close to being finished with the car that i thought for my more conservative setup, the safc would be a sufficient tuning tool. If its best to wait and buy dsmlink then so be it, id have to wait till after school is over though so i can save over the summer.

 

[spoolup]

I have made several posts about my particular set up and how DSMlink has helped me but here it goes again. With the SAFC/pocketlogger setup, BT28, 4200 ft elevation, 580 injectors, 110 octane, typical 95* temp day, I had to have the SAFC set to -40 to -48 to keep good O2s and make decent power. I ran around 12.88-12.94 pretty much every pass (bracket racing local racign series). Thing was my timing was averaging 22* when I would shift, I logged a 23/24 a few times. The ODB-II sample rate at idle was 10 or so, but would occasionally drop to 7-8. Logging RPM, throttle, O2, timing that woud be 2 or so samples a second. Which is not very good number when the car is only running 12-13 seconds. Also with the timing being so high I would have to change my plugs quite regualary (every 2 weeks or less) otherwise I would miss like no other at WOT.

Now with DSMlink I can control the timing seperate of the fuel and keep it at a more conservative 18* and I actually ran slightly faster. (12.831). Yet if I had to run pump, which I rarely do, I can retard the timing to the stock 16* that the ECU would expect at the higher airflow table. I can actually go months without changing my plugs now, but always keep a spare set pregapped in my mini car tool box to be on the same side. The sample rate on DSMlink is seriously thru the roof, log the typical preset vaules along wth low/mid Ftrims, Boost via the Greddy sensor, airflow, the list seriously goes on, (the log with everything displayed looks like a cool absrtact art). But in addition to all this, I use the nitrous controls to swithc from high/low boost on the turboXS dual stage YEAH FWD traction issues, I have stutter control in 250RPM incriments for launching so I use my MSD stutter box hooked up to atoggle switch as a burnout rpm limiter so I do not need to bounce off of the 7500 rpm revlimiter while doing the burnout. There are the common CEL disables, now these do not falseify the emmissions test (IE give you a PASS), it simiply prevents the test from running and giving you a CEL (IE you will get a NOT READY at emmisions time if disabled). you stock boost gague can display an assortment of info, timing, o2s, trims, ISC, but there is no reference but once you get used to seeing it somwhere you get idea on the scale from where it is at. The CEL will illuminate at a selectable amount of knock, or to high of a coolant temp which is also selectable. The support that the DSMlink staff gives to us is amazing and is an additional source of problem solving. They constanlty update DSMlink with new additions from them and other users (since it Java based and have released source code, you can really ater what you want) they have abilities to log various widebands, prssure sensors and temp sensors you can just add in. I mean the product is amazing, if I were to the DSM over, after knowing what I know now, I would do DSMlink as my first mod, then do things in the order I did them with the excepti0on of my turbo (I love the BT28 but really would like to go bigger, but am now expecting a baby girl in 10 days so that plan has to wait a bit now).

Wow this is quite a lengthy post but it gives you a small idea of why I thing dsmlink is superior to the SAFC/ pocketlogger any day of the week, but ture it costs more and you typically need a laptop which can be bought on ebay for quite cheap (and Hal has a quite nice pocketlogger program for dsmlink that he updates as regulary as the dsmlink staff does, thanks Hal) . But if your case if you have the SAFC, borrow a local DSMers logger (usually someone in the area has one) and get a decent tune, and then save for DSMlink. the you can sell the SAFC for a bit and have cash to burn for something else.

 

[Denji]

I have also heard that people can do a simple less extensive tune on a wideband o2 sensor, would this be an option while i save, or perhaps go for an awd dyno and have it tuned that way to save money on the extra equipment? If i am ultimately going for dsmlink, then i simply want to keep my current setup as inexpensive as possible. Also, do you know if the safc would retain the settings if say my battery went dead?

 

[spoolup]

yes, the SAFC retains setting if the battery dies. The only way I know of to reset the settings is to go to the "ect" menu, the select Initalize, this will reset it to the factory defaults. Where as DSMlink if your battery dies you need to connect it to a laptop to reprogram it. However when purchasing DSMlink they ask a few basic quesitons like injector size, idle, stutter. ect and they will preprogram these in. It will get you home but my settings are greatly different from how they were programmed last. V3 of DSMlink is rumored to have a daughter board to keep power to the ECU incase the battery is disconnected. NICE. Now its only time.