Dsmlink beginner! Any advice?

[Boosted DSM 32]

I just bought dsmlink 2.5 full off of someone in the classifieds and it should be at my house this weekend hopefully! I'm super excited to start using it to get everything dialed in and begin tuning to make some decent Power with my 16g is there any advice anyone can give me on tuning or any tricks that will make life easier? I'm completely new to tuning and could use all the help I can get! One thing I know I should replace is my 1g maf I think I'm just going to go with am 2g maf until I get a fmic and go gm maf

Any tips and comments will be appreciated, thanks guys!

 

[c2ypt1c]

Get a wideband (preferably an lc1) and read, read, read. The ecmlink wiki is an invaluable resource. Also, think about upgrading to v3. Oh and go through Calan's checklist before you begin tuning.

 

[V8Killer25]

Watch the demos on their website!ECMTuning, Inc.

 

[Boosted DSM 32]

I already have an aem wideband so I'm good on that and ok I'll take a look at the how to's and see what's up I just can't afford a blown motor as its my daily and I have another question.. Does the real power differences begin when you advance the timing? I've seen videos of people running 12s on a 16g at 20psi and I have had my car on 18 psi once And it definitely didn't feel anywhere near a 12 id say maybe high 13 at best

 

[WES_393]

Everything with Link is pretty straight forward (with tons of info on the web if you get lost). When you first get it up and running, spend some time tinkering with the basic stuff such as dialing in airflow, setting base timing, setting idle speed, etc. Basically get the car idling perfect and you'll get a feel for the software at the same time. The biggest issue is that you have the 2.5 version. Not that it's a bad thing, it's still better than most tuning systems available, but most guys just aren't very familiar with it so help from Tuners will be scarce. At least compared to the amount of support for V3. V2.5 also doesn't have Direct Access (basically reprogramming the ECU) so your a tad limited when it comes to precise fuel and timing adjustments. Again, not saying V2 is bad, just trying to give you a heads up to avoid any confusion in the future.

As for why your car felt slower with the boost cranked up, it has to do with A/F ratio, timing, and knock (aka preignition, detonation, etc) which you will quickly learn about. Basically, the stock ECU runs very rich (around 10:1 If I remember) compared to what most people prefer, yet runs aggressive timing from the factory. So it's likely to knock when cranking up the boost blindly. When you knock, the ECU pulls timing to avoid/reduce engine damage which makes the car feel slower. But since you can monitor and control these things now, I would actually be surprised if you didn't make more power per PSI with a tune than without one, hence why tuning is a very common topic around here. 12's is definitely a realistic goal overall for a 16g, but I myself learned quickly that it won't exactly happen overnight. So get to know DSMLink, get a solid base tune, turn up the power, and get lots of seat time!

 

[Boosted DSM 32]

Thanks man that was a helpful post! And as for the finding someone to help tune that's no problem I have a friend that has been tuning cars for 10 years with dsmlink and he knows all systems good and yes I know I wil be a little more limited with 2.5 as to 3 but I plan to upgrade to v3 next summer when my power goals increase.. But the main thing I want to do is learn to tune myself, I don't want to rely on other people to tune it for me? But I am very interested in learning how to do it so I think I should catch on quickly