A couple good tuning books

[twdorris]

I did a search to make sure nobody posted this already. I don't see it anywhere, but my apologies if this is duplicate info.

One of our customers originally pointed us to these books. We've gone through them ourselves and have to agree with his assessment. These are excellent resources on the basics of ECU operation and general engine tuning/operation.

Greg Banish is a mechanical engineer that works as an "OEM calibrator". So his books are written with a good foundation and LOTS of experience to back it up. His writing style is very easy to read and the book is filled with pictures too.

Everything he talks about really parallels the way the DSM ECU works and the way we try to get people to operate with ECMLink too. As we do over and over again, Banish stresses the importance of getting accurate airflow readings and fuel delivery modeling into the ECU, avoiding changing an airflow reading to fix a fuel delivery modeling issue or vice versa unless there is no reasonable alternative.

IMO, these are excellent books for both the beginning and experienced tuner to read over.

Engine Management: Advanced Tuning
Designing and Tuning High-Performance Fuel Injection Systems

The first one is probably the most useful to the general DSM/ECMLink user and the second is geared more toward someone here who wants to either use speed-density or spend a good deal of time optimizing things for their particular car.

Hope you guys enjoy the read.

Thomas Dorris
ECMTuning, Inc.

 

[twdorris]

I thought I'd revive this thread as there wasn't much (any) discussion on here about it last time.

These books are really good reads for anyone looking to get started in engine management/tuning stuff. I haven't heard from a single person on our ECMLink forums that has read these books and not loved them.

Thomas Dorris
ECMTuning, Inc.

 

[RoasT BeeF]

Do you know if these might be available at any local book stores? Barnes and Noble, Borders, etc?

 

[logic]

Tom's not exactly a bookstore owner, so I'm not sure how you expect him to know that.

I took the liberty of checking for you, though. From Barnes & Noble's website:

Engine Management: Advanced Tuning
Designing and Tuning High-Performance Fuel Injection Systems

See the "Pick me up" down the right-hand side? Punch in your zip code, it'll search local bookstore inventories for you. I don't know if Borders has something similar.

Edit: Yeah, they do. Search for ISBN "1932494421" or "1932494901", and right under "Add to cart" on the right is "Check store inventory".

 

[xezerax]

I just picked up Engine Management: Advanced Tuning from borders for $25. Havent gotten through the whole thing but so far it is great, easy to read and easy to understand. Ill be ordering dsmlink in a couple weeks and i feel alot more prepared now. Thanks for the recomendation

 

[twdorris]

Excellent. Thanks for the feedback.

Thomas Dorris

 

[El Cuervo]

I've been looking for some good tuning books to learn.
Thomas, thank you very much for posting and reviewing these books.

 

[Zack Huffman]

Must have missed this thread the first time. Thanks for the recommendations Tom, I'll be sure to pick up both of those.

By chance have you read How to Tune and Modify Engine Management Systems by Jeff Hartman? -Or if anyone else has read either of the books Tom listed and has read this one, how do they compare? There was some decent info in the Hartman book, especially on intake manifold design and setting up standalone EMSs, but it left me wanting much more.

Picture of the cover:

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[xezerax]

Yea, i have that book too. It doesnt really go into detail like this one does. That ones more of a vague overview of a bunch of topics.

 

[9!'clipseDOHC]

I just ordered Engine Management: Advanced Tuning from amazon.com. I hope this will give me a good intro into the whole tuning game as I have no experience in that realm. I'm not looking at getting dsmlink or any other tuning devices until next year so I've got plenty of time to learn.

 

[Zack Huffman]

Yea, i have that book too. It doesnt really go into detail like this one does. That ones more of a vague overview of a bunch of topics.

Exactly. I was disappointed with it but I guess it wasn't a complete waste. I was just hoping for more specific info and procedural instructions. I'll be really looking forward to reading these books then. Thanks.

 

[BoostedTT91]

thanks for the post tom, since i just purchased v3 im going to buy it and read over it

 

[eclipsh]

Thanks for the links I've been wanting something to help me out with my tuning.

 

[tsiboostin]

Just ordered the advanced tuning book. I've had V3 since it came out and haven't really used it to its full potential. Hopefully this will help me to feel a bit more comfortable using V3 personally.

 

[1fastlaser]

Barnes and nobles and borders has a large selection of auto
diy autobooks. They have welding, tuning, turbo, fuel injection, manual trans etc. I could spend hours in that section

 

[twdorris]

Glad to see some interest here! I will be anxiously awaiting the report back from people as more start to read through these.

Thomas Dorris

 

[Calan]

I have both of the Greg Banish books that Tom mentioned. They are very good, but don't expect to get "Here's how to go tune your car" from them. They deal more with the theory and general operation of fuel injection systems, rather than the application details.

But they are excellent books.

Which reminds me...I'm really curious to know if anyone has had enough dyno time to do actual spark hook testing on a modded 4G63T.

 

[Cassera]

./Subscribed.....
I always thought I would be going into DSMLink blind or just have somebody else tune it for me. I really look forward to reading these book's. This thread you made will help out a lot more people than you think so thank's a lot.

 

[Indian]

The Engine Management: Advanced Tuning book can also be bought from NAPA.

Part# 799-3232 (bk)

 

[Zack Huffman]

I have both of the Greg Banish books that Tom mentioned. They are very good, but don't expect to get "Here's how to go tune your car" from them. They deal more with the theory and general operation of fuel injection systems, rather than the application details.

But they are excellent books.

Which reminds me...I'm really curious to know if anyone has had enough dyno time to do actual spark hook testing on a modded 4G63T.

Good to know. I wouldn't have expected a step by step manual on tuning though, I doubt I'd even think I'd ever want one. I do hope that these are slightly more specific than the Hartman book. The only section I ever reference in that book is the Tuning 101 section, which is the only section with any technical info on AFRs and ignition timing.

One thing I did like about that book however, was at the end of the book there are several different modified cars, each with their own little storyline and the process of how they were tuned to the level they each achieved.

I've not heard the term "spark hook test" before, is that a method of finding MBT? I myself wonder if anyone's ever actually done pressure transducers in the combustion chamber of a 4G63? That's usually reserved for OEMs or big $ engines, like turbocharged Ferrari applications and such.

 

[Calan]

I've not heard the term "spark hook test" before, is that a method of finding MBT?

Exactly. Use a load-varying dyno at several fixed RPM points and adjust timing for max torque at those points.

The name is old school, taken from the shape of the data curve.

 

[twdorris]

Use a load-varying dyno at several fixed RPM points and adjust timing for max torque at those points.

Wish I could find one of those around here.

Thomas Dorris

 

[twdorris]

It's been a couple months, so I thought I'd ping this back to the top for a good read.

Thomas Dorris

 

[logic]

I just picked up the second of the two books, sight-unseen, because I trust Tom not to steer me too wrong on this. (Although, given the ringing endorsement, I expected to see ECMLink screenshots in the book. )

First, I was surprised: the material is very dense, well-illustrated, and not full of fluff (sorry, authors, we don't need a complete history of the automotive world in the first three chapters of your new book), which makes for a much shorter read; you dive right in, which was a refreshing change of pace.

The writing style is easy to read, and I don't think anyone here would have difficulty following what he's describing.

One of my other measures of whether a book purchase was worth it is whether it's purely an introduction to a topic, or whether it can serve as a long-term reference. I think it succeeds here, for me at least; it'll beat the heck out of googling formulas I can never remember off the top of my head.

For the price, I'll probably just grab the other book as well the next time I'm placing an Amazon order. Good stuff, thanks for the recommendation!

 

[1995gsx20g]

as i was reading jeff hartmans book i came up with the idea of the pressure transducers in my head and then found it towards the end.

i have been talking to a couple of manufactures of pressure transducers in my spare time about getting even one in the dsm. ill be sure to post when or if i make any headway..

i like the idea of riding that line a little closer