New To Tuning

[marcman804]

I have a 97 gst with a evo3 16g. and i was wondering what is the best way to get a good tune. I don't really like piggy back tuning because of the room errors i could make. Right now im running a stock fuel set up because all i have to tune is an safc but i have no logger so i have everything zeroed out. I have pte 680 cc injectors and walbro 255. next im going to get a good fpr. Ive heard about the dsmchips ecu upgrades but i dont know where to find them. I would like to get an ecu upgrade because my car real idle like stock and a couple of my friends have piggy back on there 240's and they run like S##T and they have to keep revving it at stop lights to keep it from cutting off, im trying to avoid this.

 

[bmwisthekey]

go here, http://www.dsmchips.com


2g page
http://www.dsmchips.com/2g.html

1st things first, you'll have to remove your ecu and check to see if its an eprom ecu ( which u will need in order to use a chip) , jeff@dsmchips may be able to sell you a whole eprom ecu(if he has one), chipped and socketed ready to go if your current ecu is non-eprom, otherwise you will have to obtain an eprom ecu, get it socketed and buy a custom chip from him.

 

[2gGSX]

No 97's come with EPROM ECUs.

Alternatively you could also go straight for DSMLink which allows for fine tuning and gives you a wide variety of very useful tools.

 

[marcman804]

Thanks for the info. Yeah i wish i could afford dsmlink, my buddy has it on his gsx and its crazy how many different things you can do with it. And i dont have an eprom ecu so that means i would have to buy the ecu and the dsmlink so thats around $800-$900, so i was going to get the dsmchips and just call it a day. so what do i do just tell them what mods i have and they tune it according to what i have? if so that is way too simple.

 

[bling5tatus]

Their safc's aren't tuned properly then. You will definitely need a DATA LOGGER, that should be your very first order of business. Don't listen to anything else, you need a logger, bottom line, end of story. Then I'd look at other things like, make sure you have no boost leaks, make sure you have an aftermarket mechanical boost gauge, make sure your boost isn't doing anything weird like wanging out to 30psi or something. Also, it's worth mentioning that with that fuel pump, you're most likely over running your stock fuel pressure regulator. With those injectors, your afc will also need to be leaned out a bit. Is your MAS hacked? I bet you're getting really bad gas mileage right now and your car probably smokes black a little when you get on it.

After all that, I would say start looking for a wideband o2 and an egt gauge/probe. WBo2's can be had for <$200 w/o the gauge (which you don't need since you'll have a logger right?!!?). I hope that helps you.

edit: who cares about if his ecu is eprom, that doesn't matter right now he doesn't even really know what all mods he has. To the OP, you will need a logger, it is THE MOST IMPORTANT thing to have. Once you have a logger you can look into the other stuff, and possibly an eprom ecu and a chip from Jeff. You can also program your own chips if you really want to get your hands dirty, but that's another thread all together.

 

[marcman804]

yeah i plan on buying a logger next, but with the dsmchips will i need the logger? and i know i have a few boost leaks, i havent had a chance to fix it yet. I have a mechanical boost gauge and right now i have my boost set to around 11psi. I was reading on the dsmchips site about the octane reset for when the ecu reads knock and reduces accordingly. It says that it could take several hundred miles to fix it. here is the link where i was reading it: http://www.dsmchips.com/faq.asp?A=4

 

[bling5tatus]

Let me reiterate for you:

YOU NEED A LOGGER

yes, even with your dsm chip you may be getting.

 

[marcman804]

thanks for all the info.

 

[dsm-onster]

The KA24 or sr20-swap 240s are more sensitive to SAFC settings. From my experience tuning them, it's best to run live edit or similar. But a dsm ecu is not a nissan ecu, and it seams to have a broader range of "self adjustability". So many guys run an SAFC that not looking at the option seams rediculous. . . If for anything, because these guys can help you get a good tune right here on this forum.

 

[TSIMonsteR]

I agree. All you really need is a logger. Once you get a more aggressive setup... a DSMChip will help you out. The SAFC should be able to handle your injectors

 

[chanley talon]

Get a logger . It lets you know if your beating you motor up . Im a little confused however on how a 2g sees knock . I believe its by your 0.2 sensor . Tuning is Different from a 1g .

 

[marcman804]

where can i get a good logger setup and what should i look for? Another thing that ive noticed, a little while back I installed one of the air fuel ratio gauges, (i didnt know they were useless at the time), but anyhow at first it would go all the way to the last rich light at wot, now it only goes to the 2nd to last rich light at wot. im just wondering why it would change all of a sudden?

 

[wishihadatalon]

Get a logger . It lets you know if your beating you motor up . Im a little confused however on how a 2g sees knock . I believe its by your 0.2 sensor . Tuning is Different from a 1g .

The ecu sees knock the same way, but it will not display on a logger. From what I have heard, most just tune by when the ecu pulls timing.

 

[wishihadatalon]

where can i get a good logger setup and what should i look for? Another thing that ive noticed, a little while back I installed one of the air fuel ratio gauges, (i didnt know they were useless at the time), but anyhow at first it would go all the way to the last rich light at wot, now it only goes to the 2nd to last rich light at wot. im just wondering why it would change all of a sudden?

because it is inaccurate. Narrowbands are only accurate at stoich or 14.7:1 afr.

 

[marcman804]

what is a good and affordable logger to get and where can i find one?

 

[DirtyBirdRacing]

Hi,

It is good that you are concentrating on getting a logger first.

A good cheap one is http://www.pocketlogger.com/ , you will want the OBD II one.

I believe 1g's display the actual knock values, but 2g's cant display knock count so with a 2g you have to tune the car by when it starts to pull timing. This is because whenever the knock count gets over a certain amount, the engine will start to pull timing based on the knock count.

So 1g's you tune for no knock, and 2g's you tune for no "timing pull."

Bill

 

[bmwisthekey]

yes i know 97s dont come with eproms, but i just told him to check anyway, example( someone could of swapped in another ecu if his went bad and it just so happens to be a 95 model with eprom etc. etc..) so before you go buying one just be sure to verify that you dont already have one.

but yea like everyone says u need to get a logger

also from dsmchips site:

jeff can do this with his chips , Factory Boost Gauge conversion: he can make it show Knocksum on the factory boost gauge. This feature allows you to see 7 knocksum per division of the boost gauge. Face it, the factory boost gauge is worthless, and you can't log knock on your OBDII scanner.