Piggy Back And Ecu Tuning Discussion

[666DAN]

You can clamp the voltage on the boost sensor in the R34's using the e-manage, you can also wire some diodes in series with the signal wire and drop 0.3v off the signal per diode. I've got 2 on there and it's set the boost cut at about 17-18psi.

The good thing about the sensor is it's purely there to detect overboost, it doesn't scale the maps so just reducing the voltage output works. I discovered this after making an awesome clamp circuit then testing the 2 diodes.....wish I'd done it in reverse :S

[BoostedBarge]

I fitted Nistune to my old GTI-R. It's a fairly easy job if you have had a bit of experience with a soldering iron. It worked flawlessly for a year (and then I sold the car). It really is an elegant solution that works very well. I think if you have an ECU that can accept the Nistune board then you'd be silly to go for any other alternative.

I was hoping to fit a Nistune board to my 260RS, but it turns out that this has the same ECU as a GTR and does not have the 40 pin connector

I ended up fitting a Vipec ECU (since I don't have the auto gearbox to worry about). It fits into the factory box and idles and drives like stock, but with a whole lot more power I now have 196kw@13psi with 3" exhaust (3.5" behind cat) and 5" cat

It's addictive though...I want more!!

[DaveB]

You can clamp the voltage on the boost sensor in the R34's using the e-manage, you can also wire some diodes in series with the signal wire and drop 0.3v off the signal per diode. I've got 2 on there and it's set the boost cut at about 17-18psi.

The good thing about the sensor is it's purely there to detect overboost, it doesn't scale the maps so just reducing the voltage output works. I discovered this after making an awesome clamp circuit then testing the 2 diodes.....wish I'd done it in reverse :S

Just nit-picking... but isn't the voltage drop of a silicon junction .6V not .3V? Unless it's perhaps (rarer) germanium diodes you're using? To get .6V one (silicon) diode should suffice?

[DaveB]

ahh, so you're booked in for when I pick mine up. sweet

Cool - two pearl stageas in the one day Mine will only be there if I can get my exhaust sorted before next Friday... I sure hope AAA Exhausts or some place like that doesn't run a 2 week booking schedule...

btw what do you want two manifold-mounted 700cc injectors for? You gonna run NOS or something???

[666DAN]

Just nit-picking... but isn't the voltage drop of a silicon junction .6V not .3V? Unless it's perhaps (rarer) germanium diodes you're using? To get .6V one (silicon) diode should suffice?

Nit pick away Yes they weren't silicon diodes, they were the first thing on hand that I grabbed, I was actually going for a 1.2v drop then measure it and thought wtf...then looked at my diode choice

[DaveB]

Nit pick away Yes they weren't silicon diodes, they were the first thing on hand that I grabbed, I was actually going for a 1.2v drop then measure it and thought wtf...then looked at my diode choice

ah lol

re: nistune... my exhaust and hi-flow is done, getting nistune board tuned tomorrow so I will know if it *really* works... has been driving fine so far though... unfortunately didn't get time to install fuel pump, fpr or iebc Will be asking the workshop if they have time to do any of those

[DaveB]

...

re: nistune... my exhaust and hi-flow is done, getting nistune board tuned tomorrow so I will know if it *really* works... has been driving fine so far though... unfortunately didn't get time to install fuel pump, fpr or iebc :) Will be asking the workshop if they have time to do any of those

update - yep, it works... 180-something rwkw so far (I don't have the dyno graph yet, will get hold of it soon). That's with fuel pump (gss-342) and fuel pressure regulator. No boost controller yet (!) - just running the stock boost control (two-stage), which is resulting in max. boost of about 14psi held pretty well up high. Tuner said that mid-range power is suffering a bit due to lack of good boost control, but I reckon that even still, low end is much better - I can cruise at 1,500 rev's at 60 on some false flats now. Yet to see if fuel consumption is any better.

Can't wait to get boost controller installed (jaycar iebc) and get more booost down low. Don't know if I can get enough fuel to get more power up high. Stock SMIC will soon max out too I guess. Perhaps some 20kw or so is being soaked up by the auto trans too.

Just a mention on the gcg hi-flows... great turbo, but (without programmable boost control at least) response feels a bit slower than stock; flooring it in 1st it still takes a bit to really get going. I guess this is to be expected though since the stock turbo was so light (ceramic) and easy to spool; hopefully a boost controller will help sort this out a bit. Another note about these hi-flows is that the internal wastegate appears to be at its limit; boost is at least 14psi up high and I know of at least one other forum member with 'boost creep' issues more severe than 15psi (17 I think) who has tried having the wastegate hole enlarged to help with this problem.

[Tangles]

bastard

spent the time on yours didnt they !!

still yet to grab my stag, this time however there were issues.... head has oil restrictors so now too much oil going thru to the turbo, and thru the Slide turbo oil seals..... needs restrictors made up on monday am.

grrrr

well done on your tune, yeas a boost controller will help bring it on earlier, plus some timing adjustments (if required)

[KiwiRS4T]

update - yep, it works... 180-something rwkw so far (I don't have the dyno graph yet, will get hold of it soon). That's with fuel pump (gss-342) and fuel pressure regulator. No boost controller yet (!) - just running the stock boost control (two-stage), which is resulting in max. boost of about 14psi held pretty well up high. Tuner said that mid-range power is suffering a bit due to lack of good boost control, but I reckon that even still, low end is much better - I can cruise at 1,500 rev's at 60 on some false flats now. Yet to see if fuel consumption is any better.

Can't wait to get boost controller installed (jaycar iebc) and get more booost down low. Don't know if I can get enough fuel to get more power up high. Stock SMIC will soon max out too I guess. Perhaps some 20kw or so is being soaked up by the auto trans too.

Just a mention on the gcg hi-flows... great turbo, but (without programmable boost control at least) response feels a bit slower than stock; flooring it in 1st it still takes a bit to really get going. I guess this is to be expected though since the stock turbo was so light (ceramic) and easy to spool; hopefully a boost controller will help sort this out a bit. Another note about these hi-flows is that the internal wastegate appears to be at its limit; boost is at least 14psi up high and I know of at least one other forum member with 'boost creep' issues more severe than 15psi (17 I think) who has tried having the wastegate hole enlarged to help with this problem.

Had my new GCG on my Series I for a couple of weeks now. If you by-pass your solenoid i think you will notice much improved take off. In fact mine is making too much flow - I am getting some compressor surge in places. I will be able to eliminate this with further fine tuning of the IEBC (by reducing the boost at lower revs by 1 or 2 psi) but I am also going install an adjustable exhaust cam gear and I believe this will enable me to up the boost in the midrange (no problems at present at 5000 -7000 with 16psi). My 80 to 120 time is below 4 sec now and I will get it dynoed when the exhaust cam gear has been fitted. Let me know when you have installed the IEBC and I will PM you some tuning tips I have learned the hard way (a couple of tank-fulls of fuel and hours of time).

[DaveB]

bastard

spent the time on yours didnt they !!

still yet to grab my stag, this time however there were issues.... head has oil restrictors so now too much oil going thru to the turbo, and thru the Slide turbo oil seals..... needs restrictors made up on monday am.

grrrr

well done on your tune, yeas a boost controller will help bring it on earlier, plus some timing adjustments (if required)

Lol! Yeah looks like it... I wasn't expecting to pick it up until Monday, unless "things went well and they got time to finish it Saturday" (do they normally work Saturdays?).

Ah... now I get it... there was a silver or white series 1 at the back of the shop and they were running it when I picked mine up... sounded smooth as but there was lots of smoke around the place. Sorry to hear about the oil problems. Similar issues gave me a lot of grief when installing my hi-flow. I hope it hasn't done in the seals on your turbo? There looked to be two guys working on it though, and this was at about 2:30 in the afternoon...

Had my new GCG on my Series I for a couple of weeks now. If you by-pass your solenoid i think you will notice much improved take off. In fact mine is making too much flow - I am getting some compressor surge in places. I will be able to eliminate this with further fine tuning of the IEBC (by reducing the boost at lower revs by 1 or 2 psi) but I am also going install an adjustable exhaust cam gear and I believe this will enable me to up the boost in the midrange (no problems at present at 5000 -7000 with 16psi). My 80 to 120 time is below 4 sec now and I will get it dynoed when the exhaust cam gear has been fitted. Let me know when you have installed the IEBC and I will PM you some tuning tips I have learned the hard way (a couple of tank-fulls of fuel and hours of time).

Awesome, thanks kiwi will let you know when I have the iebc installed. Planning on getting another tune done when I do to fix timing, 'cause I am really worried about pinging and also running lean if I increase boost too much up high. I don't even have a boost guage ( ) so I might try to get one of those as well. But just how/where to mount it...

Stupid of me not to get the tune done with the solenoid bypassed I know. But I was really short on time what with the alarm install, work, exhaust, fuel pump & fpr, and the tune date being fixed... and I didn't want to leave the solenoid in 100% duty cycle/always on mode, so I just returned the wiring to stock in readiness for the iebc (I'll splice it at the ECU and run stock harness connections).

[Tangles]

so it sounded good did it? bugga, so needing to hear it / see it / drive it after 3 weeks of anxiety, lol

yeah white series 1, the 2x oil restrictors up in the head was loading up the bottom end pressure and leaking out through the turbo oil seals

hope they arnt rooted, spent this weekend worrying looking at 2nd hand hks turbos.... hehehe, no cash tho.

they are making up an oil restrictor for the turbo line, just needs to be balanced well to not let thru too much but yet enough for the journal bearings

no, boostwerks arnt usually open on weekends but coming up the xmas they are flat chat

glad to hear they looked after you and got stuff done. best to always let shaun know what you want done with a list of work, set a date and let them do their thing.

hopefully can report on the safc + sitc + fpr + Toshi remap + poncams / highflow / headflow work...... soon .....

[jonny8ball]

Was wondering if you guys can help me. I need to get a piggy back ecu and wanted to know what you guys think is the best one to go for.

cars stats are auto 97 rs4

Shift kit

hks exhaust incl downpipe, de cat

hks intercooler

Hks gtrs turbo

Hks boost controller

uprated fuel pump

Adj fuel reg

z32 airflow meter

Any info would be great i just dont know what to go for.

Thanks.

[KiwiRS4T]

Was wondering if you guys can help me. I need to get a piggy back ecu and wanted to know what you guys think is the best one to go for.

cars stats are auto 97 rs4

Shift kit

hks exhaust incl downpipe, de cat

hks intercooler

Hks gtrs turbo

Hks boost controller

uprated fuel pump

Adj fuel reg

z32 airflow meter

Any info would be great i just dont know what to go for.

Thanks.

Well I've got an Apexi SAFC to control the AFRs and an Apexi SITC to control the timing and a GReddy Speed Limiter Cut Controller to get rid of the 180Km/hr speed limit. One of the guys who has an E-manage piggy back may want to contribute but i can't see what it would do more than my set up. If I were to buy an after-market computer it would be the Link 4 (NZ made and also sold in AU as the "Vipec") which apparently one ot two people have put on their autos. I don't know how they have worked out.

[StageaTypeS]

I can highly recommend going for a E-manage Ultimate and field harness. Closest thing to a plug and play I can think of, plus you have the added bonus of just unplugging the thing if you need to turn your car back to normal for any reason. My car is pulling 203kw at the wheels with minimal mods and std turbo. You'll see my post on page 5 and uras (Trent) kindly placed a copy of my dyno tune up there also.

Also have heard good things about nistune and apparently they can give a similar result but I have no direct experience with these, also not sure if these are available in Ireland.

Cheers

[KiwiRS4T]

I can highly recommend going for a E-manage Ultimate and field harness. Closest thing to a plug and play I can think of, plus you have the added bonus of just unplugging the thing if you need to turn your car back to normal for any reason. My car is pulling 203kw at the wheels with minimal mods and std turbo. You'll see my post on page 5 and uras (Trent) kindly placed a copy of my dyno tune up there also.

Also have heard good things about nistune and apparently they can give a similar result but I have no direct experience with these, also not sure if these are available in Ireland.

Cheers

Nistune can be fitted to anyone who can wait while they post their ECU to be fitted and returned ( I guess ideally to a spare ECU) but currently they are not available for the Series I Stagea (nor the R33 Skyline) but only the R32, R34 and thus neo powered Series II Stageas.

[jippa]

hey guys, just want to check if im getting a good price on a nistune fitted and dynoed. ive got a price at 800 for both and i dont need to remove my ecu as it will all be done for me.. i think the tune side is going to cost 500, does this sound right for the first major tune? my mods are gcg highflow, amperformance dump pipe to metal cat to xforce cat back. sard fuel pump. splitfire coils, fmic and a apexi pod..

[BigDirtyJase]

800 sounds right. It's the first time your car is getting tuned so it's going to take some time to get that tune you want...then I guess it should be cheaper if you need a re-tune as you already have a baseline tune already

[DaveB]

Mine was about 50 bucks less than that and included fuel pump & FPR install, HOWEVER I removed the ECU myself and posted it off and waited for a few days to get the nistune board installed. So sounds good. $500 tune - are dyno tunes really that expensive?

[wolverine]

$125/hr last i checked is not uncommon.

so $500 sounds pretty typical.

[DaveB]

I honestly have no idea, but does a tune really take 4 hours? If it was my stagea they'd need to refill the tank at least once