What performance can I expect from DSMLink v3

[Ricerboi]

So i got a evo3 16g turbo, FP manifold, hks intake, evo 8 fuel pump, intercooler with piping, and megan racing downpipe. Everything else is stock. How much hp do yall think I’ll get with ecmlink tune? My goal is about 350hp if that’s too high what mods would yall recommend?

 

[SixBolt_16G]

Youve got missing information and need to fill out the vehicle profile so we know what car you have. 350hp for what and to do what with? Evo 8 fuel pump isnt going to get you there and there is no mention of upgraded injectors so thats already standing in the way... Are you FWD or AWD.. How are you getting that power to the ground? Racing from a dig? highway runs? Weekend back roads racer? Building 350hp without a purpose can turn into having to backtrack in the future when your "for what" goals are discovered.

 

[Ricerboi]

Youve got missing information and need to fill out the vehicle profile so we know what car you have. 350hp for what and to do what with? Evo 8 fuel pump isnt going to get you there and there is no mention of upgraded injectors so thats already standing in the way... Are you FWD or AWD.. How are you getting that power to the ground? Racing from a dig? highway runs? Weekend back roads racer? Building 350hp without a purpose can turn into having to backtrack in the future when your "for what" goals are discovered.

Hey thanks for replying, but yeah i get stock injectors and its a FWD i was going to use the car for highway runs pretty much do pulls on the weekends type deal, what mods would you recommend to get up to 350

 

[curt-s]

Just because you have a combination of parts doesn't guarantee you'll hit a specific number. The same combination of parts can make two different horsepower ratings on two different cars
Who is doing the tune? That's also important; if they know what they're doing, are they using an accurate dyno, etc etc etc. Everything else is just bench estimation (basically pointless) and there's already a TON of data here about the E3 16G and its average returns. A simple search yields much to read.

 

[1990TSIAWDTALON]

I have always considered ECMLink the FIRST UPGRADE then move on from there. Without a way to "tune", those parts are not being utilized to their potential.

 

[jdxnc]

I have always considered ECMLink the FIRST UPGRADE then move on from there. Without a way to "tune", those parts are not being utilized to their potential.

This!

ECMLink has powered DSMs into the 7's on the 1/4 mile, I don't think your mods will stress it one bit.

 

[CrackedDSM]

I really don’t think ECMLink should be put on a car without a wideband first. Put yourself in the mind of a newbie who has no experience. Surely messing with the AFRs and adjustment tables without a wideband isn’t gonna hurt it THAT bad right? Wait. Why is my engine knocking.

Definitely think ECMLink and a wideband need to be mentioned at the same time.

 

[1990TSIAWDTALON]

ECMLink comes with a set of stock tunes to use as if you install it into a stock car. Link just allows manipulation of it all as you go through upgrades. I love my WB but it isn't needed to use Link. I run my White 90 GSX on Link with no WB. I will say it should be a upgrade that follows but it isn't necessary.
If you buy a DSMLink setup first, you won't feel bad about the price of a WB next

 

[SixBolt_16G]

Hey thanks for replying, but yeah i get stock injectors and its a FWD i was going to use the car for highway runs pretty much do pulls on the weekends type deal, what mods would you recommend to get up to 350

Id recommend that you, Slow down. Do some research to forge a good path. Asking a question about getting to a specific horsepower is already an indicator that you'd be ready and willing to jump on the first response that details a way to get to 350 hp for all the wrong reason. That's how cars end up on blocks for months/years.

Building with a purpose and building with knowledge will save you a ton of time and money in the future, so take time to develop some understanding. Not trying to give a speech, but the way this question is phrased is a red flag that there's a lot to learn before you start buying anything.

 

[CrackedDSM]

Gonna have to disagree here. A newbie isn’t going to have any idea what is safe and what isn’t. If you’re just loading a stock map and not touching anything else, then why spend the $850+ required for the thing in the first place just to use a stock tune?

Unless you’re a world class DSM guy and just know intrinsically what the car needs with that exact setup and never need a wideband then hey. Go ahead. Anyone else though? Better to have a wideband so you can see what’s going on. Gonna cost someone an engine because they’ll have a false sense of security.

Not to mention required maintenance and other supporting mods that they’ll likely skip out to just jump straight to ECMLink.

 

[curt-s]

I started with a Palm on my 1g and moved on to Link within a couple years. I had no idea what I was doing initially but I decided it was worthwhile learning because I planned on keeping the car for the foreseeable future.
Link is not a bad "investment" early on, even if it takes you a couple years to actually begin modifying the important values. At the least you gain experience in that you see how seemingly small things can affect your engines running ability drastically, just by watching and understanding the logs -- especially as sensors slowly die and throw everything off

The important thing is not to load up a 1G map and add two degrees everywhere and go full-send on it. That's a personal choice everyone has to make with their own vehicle.

I'm going to disagree with Marty, though, on a wideband is critical especially to someone that doesn't have much experience in these cars. A question like "how much HP with this turbo" without searching definitely is a giveaway there. We're here to answer questions, but ChatGPT or Bing search can answer these kinds of questions

I have a wideband but on WOT I don't watch it, I watch the road. I rely on my CEL with 1 degree of retard alerting to let me know when things aren't quite right. The wideband is indispensible for reviewing the log afterwards. Same with the fuel trims, let's me know if I have a pre-O2 leak which could cause me to be running rich at closed loop.

These things you can't do without link or equivalent (ignoring Palm still).

 

[Helaman-99]

To the OP, I have a fwd turbo and I pretty much followed this to a T. I haven't been on a dyno yet, but my car has been reliable and makes probably around 300 to the pavement. My mod list is on my vehicle profile.

I would also agree that at the very least you need a wideband, bigger injectors, and probably a fuel-pump re-wire. After that, you'll need a good tuner. But without a mod list I can't really say much without speculating. All I really can say is that if you follow the upgrade paths that I linked above, you'll be ok.

 

[1990TSIAWDTALON]

Maybe I just know what NOT to fk with. We can agree to disagree. The idea of learning by watching what is going on is what I think is important BEFORE you decide to screw around with tuning. I advise any "new" folks to hire a tuner, I did when it came time to mess with stuff, but I had Link installed along time before a tuning session so I could try to understand what was going on that the tuner was doing. It was a good thing to do and a good learning lesson.

 

[Ricerboi]

Thanks for replying everybody, but for the people saying i need a wideband or a tuner i am going to take the car to a reputable shop and they do require a car to have a wideband for them to tune it so I’ll be getting one same day since they have it on stock. And for future plans is 500hp MAX but for now I’ll be more than happy with 300-350whp i don’t plan to have monster street car as i only really have fun with the car on weekends. I just go out on my days off and do pulls here and there nothing wild. And again my set up is e3 16g, evo 8 pump, FP manifold, megan racing downpipe, hks intake, and intercooler with pipings

 

[1990TSIAWDTALON]

Any shop tune REQUIRES a wideband to tune so you really don't have a choice. It is a very important gauge but not needed if you were just doing upgrades slowly yourself.
This is the first I have heard of a shop tuning your car. I would have told you that you would have to have it if that where the case from the start. Good thing to have the pros do it and good luck for that 350 mark!

 

[SixBolt_16G]

And again my set up is e3 16g, evo 8 pump, FP manifold, megan racing downpipe, hks intake, and intercooler with pipings

Scroll to the top of the page, on the right hand side, click on your screen name and then select "Your vehicles". Add your vehicle, pictures(optional) and parts in the correct fields and it will create a profile for you. It makes it easier for people to reference your vehicle and give you advice on your set up when you experience issues in the future instead of having to list your parts in every post. Thats why people keep mentioning "mod list " to you

 

[1990TSIAWDTALON]

Quick link for you to add your specifics

Mitsubishi Eclipse, Eagle Talon, Plymouth Laser vehicle profiles, photos, build threads, specs, and information.

DSM vehicle profiles and build threads - posted by Mitsubishi Eclipse, Eagle Talon, Plymouth Laser, and Galant VR-4 owners

www.dsmtuners.com

 

[Ricerboi]

i filled out my profile with mods and what not. Thank EVERYONE who replied i understand how most of yall are frustrated or mad at me but thanks for giving me yall 2 cents anyways. Dont worry y’all I’ll be having a dsm till i get 500whp so I’ll get to y’all level of knowledge.

 

[SixBolt_16G]

i understand how most of yall are frustrated or mad at me but thanks for giving me yall 2 cents anyways.

Dont take it that way. People here are more than happy to help anyone who is willing to listen and learn. Believe me, Ive said plenty of wrong shit in the past and just add the right answers to the knowledge bin when people correct me with the right information.

 

[Ricerboi]

Dont take it that way. People here are more than happy to help anyone who is willing to listen and learn. Believe me, Ive said plenty of wrong shit in the past and just add the right answers to the knowledge bin when people correct me with the right information.

Yeah I basically just use the forum as notes when i need something and remember aha.

 

[1990TSIAWDTALON]

Just to show it can be done, here is the video of my 90 GSX on DSMLink with no wideband.
YES it needs it and will get one, but it didn't have to have it to run and get "tuned" I guess. She runs really good but is developing a low oil pressure issue at idle so we are swapping in a FRESH 4g63 that has FP2 cams in it and saving this motor to refresh before any damage can be done.
That is on the "white board" of things for the shop to finish up!

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Marty

 

[Ricerboi]

Just to show it can be done, here is the video of my 90 GSX on DSMLink with no wideband.
YES it needs it and will get one, but it didn't have to have it to run and get "tuned" I guess. She runs really good but is developing a low oil pressure issue at idle so we are swapping in a FRESH 4g63 that has FP2 cams in it and saving this motor to refresh before any damage can be done.
That is on the "white board" of things for the shop to finish up!

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Marty

Yeah I’ll be getting a wideband probably cheaper than rebuilding a engine , and nice gsx man she sounds meaaannn!!

 

[1990TSIAWDTALON]

I just didn't know your budget and how fast you wanted to progress so I apologize.

 

[curt-s]

Nah, we not frustrated or anything. We definitely got sidetracked, though.
I will just say that this site has a search function and your mods are fairly standard for a "level 2" upgrade (level 1 I would consider stock turbo, but pushing it past stock pressure and requiring basic fuel mods). Your combination is usually the first stepping stone so there's a LOT of data here about what to expect.

We're happy to have another owner on the site and also happy to see it's a fellow Canadian. Being in Alberta, you have local access to a lot more parts than I do, that's for sure. I just got my O2 housing and wastegate out of AB a couple weeks ago..

 

[DSMPT]

Nowadays a wideband gauge/sensor got really cheap and reliable, easy to buy, so there's no reason not to take advantage of that. But back in the days when a wideband O2 sensor was still super super expensive and had a very short lifespan, it was a kind of special occasion item only for shops/pro tuners, totally not common in general. Checking exhaust gas temp and spark plug condition was more common instead.