we are a team participating for the 2nd time in formula student silverstone 2011. this time we will be using an ecu . my question is if we consider buying the performace electronics ecu how do we go about tuning it? coz we have no idea at all about tuning. please help

Then I would say you're in trouble, lol.

Best advice would be to buy this book - http://www.amazon.com/Engine-M...id=1267706520&sr=1-1

And the second step, join a forum dedicated to tuning. The forum part is important because that is probably the best way to learn a lot of details about tuning in a short time.

I think I'm normally pretty helpful, but do a search. Better yet, search for posts from me about engine tuning, that way I can say what I have to say without having to type it again.

1. Click the box you want to change.

2. Change it.

3. Press enter.

Knowing what to change is the hardest part.

Like Wesley said, using tuning software is elementary. Knowing what to change and why is the tricky part. There's a pretty good book on the subject by Jeff Hartman, available through Amazon for about $20. Not sure about UK pricing or availability.

http://www.amazon.com/Modify-M...id=1267724689&sr=8-1

For ignition, my non-expert opinion would be to find the stock curve and set it to that, and don't mess with it. That should get you pretty close and minimize things you can screw up. As for fuel, 90% of what I've learned about that (in terms of identifying what rich vs. lean looks, sounds, smells, and feels like) I personally learned from carbs. Once you have them figured out they're dirt simple, and it is nice that by only playing with 3-4 things you can change the entire fuel curve, including transients (granted there are a billion other things you could play with, but I've been happy enough with the basics). A lot of aftermarket carbs and jet kits come with basic tuning instructions as well.

Although that's mainly due to the fact that when I started playing with cars programmable ECUs were pretty exotic...may not be the most efficient method to learn! Other than that, wide-band O2 sensors have become a lot more common as well. So much so, in fact, I think if I were to ever play with carb tuning again, I'd probably use one for that too! Although I can't say I'd recommend tuning it by O2 sensor alone...remember the old addage "garbage in, garbage out!" Need to still be able to read plugs, etc, otherwise a simple wiring problem could ruin your day.

I agree with Adam there. I'm currently setting up our dyno for the first time, we just finished our wiring harness for Microsquirt (first time we've used it) and I finally got all the bugs out (I mean I finally got most of the settings right) but I'm having trouble getting the engine to run. First thing I'm doing tonight is pulling plugs, then going from there. I know it should be starting based on my pulse widths, but I'm not sure what the timing is like so I'll be checking that too.

Anyway, read read read. And more importantly, tune tune tune.

Read all of MegaSquirt.info for a very good basic overview and starting point on ECU tuning. That's the best advice I can give you.

There's a pretty good book called How to Tune Engine Management Systems. Don't remember the author off the top of my head, but it is real down to earth, and covers "basically" everything you need to know to start, although strapping a restricted home-made intake that's generally too big on the motor makes things like idling more difficult to pin down.

quote:

Read all of MegaSquirt.info for a very good basic overview and starting point on ECU tuning. That's the best advice I can give you.

Reading the megasquirt info is a good starting place. Also a number of decent books on the subject. What part of the world are you from?

If you run into a specific problem with the Performance Electronics ECU you do have Brian Lewis (from Performance Electronics) to help you out. He has been around these cars for years and can probably help you through most anything.

quote:

Originally posted by poe21:
There's a pretty good book called How to Tune Engine Management Systems. Don't remember the author off the top of my head, but it is real down to earth, and covers "basically" everything you need to know to start, although strapping a restricted home-made intake that's generally too big on the motor makes things like idling more difficult to pin down.

The Author is Jeff Hartman

Both of Greg Banish's books (Engine Managment: Advanced Tuning and Designing and Tuning High-Performance Fuel Injection Systems) are pretty good too.

As Mikey pointed out, Read Read Read... you can gather most of what you need there.

thank u very much guys. i am from india. and the big problem here is that we do not have any local dealer supplying superbike engines. very pasinstakingly we have found out a guy who is going to import the engine (honda cbr 600cc) frm uk. he tells us that he will provide an ecu with it but it might be non programmable. is that so??
if yes then how do we go abt solving the problem buying a new ecu ?

Stock ECU is not open like you would hope, so slim to none chances of being able to modify the tables. You can piggyback a unit like a Power Commander off of it or re-wire it for standalone.

quote:

Originally posted by scofield:
thank u very much guys. i am from india. and the big problem here is that we do not have any local dealer supplying superbike engines. very pasinstakingly we have found out a guy who is going to import the engine (honda cbr 600cc) frm uk. he tells us that he will provide an ecu with it but it might be non programmable. is that so??
if yes then how do we go abt solving the problem buying a new ecu ?

I would suggest using the Performance Electronics ECU.

Another vote for the PE ECU. It's user friendly, fairly cheap for a complete ECU, and the customer service is top notch. You can call Brian at almost any time and he's always happy to help.

thanks guys. i have got hold of the book "tune to win" by caroll smith . is it good enough to be read

We are going the Power Commander route.

quote:

Originally posted by scofield:
thanks guys. i have got hold of the book "tune to win" by caroll smith . is it good enough to be read

"Tune to Win" is more an overall car tuning book rather than an engine tuning book. What he teaches you on engine tuning is how to read the exhaust pipe to tell how the car is running. Nothing wrong with that method, but technology has moved forward a bit since the book was published.

C.S.'s attitude on engines was simply if I am remembering correctly, leave it to your engine builder and make sure to treat him nicely.

Some schools are willing to part with old fuel and/or spark maps to help new teams out, but bear in mind that those maps are the sum of long and probably painful work, so they're not likely to just hand over their latest and best. You first need a programmable ECU (which the stock one isn't). MicroSquirt or PE is probably the way to go. They're both budget-oriented systems, very simple to set up. I believe you can buy everything you need as a complete kit from the manufacturers.

If you're running an F4i, you could probably beg some of the OU guys for a map. We've got several with several different intake geometries that might get you started.

No matter how much time and effort that's in the map you get, it's not going to be even close to optimal for your setup, so giving a map away isn't a big deal to me.

@ wesley : thank u very much for offering ur help . i will contact u as soon as possible