So as many know Dave and I have recently purchased the EFI system... I don't really care about the current conceptions or misconceptions about the system, as it doesn't seem that many DIY'ers have taken the leap to give this a try. Hopefully some experience with the system will be helpful to those who are thinking ofa tunable solution...
A couple things to know:
-Dave and I are in the midwest- Far away from all the cool resources our California friends have--- like Charlie for instance.
-We both have Katana Tunes and the tune is OK. It performs well. It does what most want. It's turn-key and it's safe.
-We both want more
More room to tinker and tune and more room to mod without feeling chained to a single flash or a single tuner. Nothing wrong with that, it's just not what we wanted...
The EFI is *NOT* for someone that *isn't* interested in tuning--- no standalone is. It's completely open and unlocked. Free for the end user to screw things up or make the car run wonderfully. This bit of information is most important. IMO, most will not simply buy the computer, plug it in and have it run perfectly. It comes with fuel trims that are narrow, unlike an OEM ECU. Each map is designed for a specific car that shouldn't need fuel trims that a truck can drive through... Now you can widen those trims, but be prepared to go in and close the gaps before you spend a whole lot of time at the track... That's the whole point. We opted to go with 100% closed loop system which simply entails running a wideband.
I spent a total of about 5 hours installing... maybe a tad less. My hinged clam made it much easier and faster to work on. I would add an hour or two for a clam on operation... I'll post pics at a later date...
The MAT is *after* the SC and there are tables that the user can reference to tweak fuel and spark based on MAT- Cool!
Other details. The harness was VERY well marked and very high quality. All weatherpack connectors, etc... The instructions were pretty minimal- just came with some wiring diagrams. Let's face it, what instructions do you need? If you can't solder and figure out how to disconnect your ECU, this mod isn't for you to install!
My ECU came with a Map from FF.
When I was done installing, I was d@mn apprehensive about the first attempt to start the car. When the car started on the first attempt, I was amazed. All the splicing and wiring and it actually started
. Now the bad news... My car was running, but running poorly (lean idle)... However, I had no idea how to use the software to tinker with the idle circuit so I figured, "well, it's time to start tuning."
I had a couple things about my car that were a bit different than most with all my data logging equipment, shared sensors, and the NGK wideband. We didn't have the Lambda tables for the NGK right on the initial tune and the idle was too lean for my car (note earlier poor running). So Kris from DRS called me tonight (Sunday evening) and spent about two hours with me on the phone. Most of that time was him teaching me cool stuff about the software. I felt like a kid in candy store. We built my Lambda table, which I'm happy to share in case anyone with EFI and NGK 02 need it. He showed me how to activate some controls, tinker with this and that, and basically gave me a quick software tour, which really helped me get my hands around the thinking behind it... I was able to fix my idle in jiff.
RE the idle. It was so cool. My AFRs were high 15's and hit 16. No good to idle- too lean. To fix it: As the cells lit up that ECU was using to idle in the fuel table, I hit + key. The fattened up that cell. It would then jump to another cell, and I hit + key again. I fattened up all the cells in the idle area with two + key strokes and the idle was fixed. The car absolutely purs like it never has before. The AFRs are stuck, and I mean stuck at 14.3 at and idle. It's bizarre how stable it was. I blipped the throttle and it found its spot again. I know we're talking about an idle here, but I'm try to paint the picture of just how fun and easy it can be to tune
Next step will be dialing in the fuel cells on the street. Kris showed me how to set up live charts on the same pages so that I can see my AFRs, Fuel trim, and desired AFR. I widened my fuel trims to +/- 15% since we know my car is going to be different than the one the map was made for (different gas too), which is a lot. I will narrow them as I get the fuel table dialed in... All a fun process for me...
I don't see this as a replacement for Charlie's flash though... It's just different. I can't compare the two and say one is better than the other... Charlie's flash is great. Plug his ECU in and go. No worries, just drive. You know you'll have a decent tune...
The EFI is not that. You wire it in and start tayloring it to fit your needs. Even the software needs tweaking. As a tuner, e.g. what screens you like to look at, C or F degrees, etc... All that setup takes some time. Then you have to drive a lot to tune the car and finally tune it on the dyno for peak power. It won't happen over night, but the process can be really rewarding--- and then when a change is made to the car, get out the laptop and start tinkering again...
I'll keep posting progress and pitfalls as I'm sure Dave will. So far, I'm quite pleased.... but I haven't done any real driving yet... Time will tell...
Best,
Phil