tkklemann

iTrader: (6)

With this sort of on topic, at what point will be be able to COMPLETELY re-write the ECU program?

Or is this even a possibility?

Zeus

iTrader: (66)

Sad thing is that for the majority of us, a stand alone will not even be an option on a daily driver in 5 years or less. Hell, it's not in Austin, TX now. Granted, some people think they are being sly swapping back to to the OE ECU just for inspection time, but legislation is in the works to curtail that too. Pretty soon it's going to be solely the Feds, not your State Gov'ts, poking their heads under our hoods.

MalibuJack

iTrader: (5)

I keep seeing the "right way" to do this as the excuse to use a standalone.. But the last time I checked, the stock ecu IS the right way.. Why? Because most of the cars we're talking about are street driven, and most states as of now require an OBD-II check among other things to legally pass an inspection. Isn't the "right way" to go about this, to keep the cars legal so they can pass an inspection, can be legally driven?

Its not always about the extreme flexibility of a standalone, as the important parameters are fairly well known and can be worked with. More is being learned every day.

I use a form of MAF translator, I am using a hitachi (ford style) sensor capable of flowing enough air for over 1000whp. I have the ability to adjust the sensor so I don't run out of room for tuning, yes, it throws off the load readings for me to compare my load values to other cars.

Its too bad that there aren't too many people who have ridden in my car, but the car runs like stock, its not affected by big cams, It idles solid (though lopey with cams) starts easily, and drives smoothly. My setup is somewhat a prototype, so it does have occasional glitches, but nothing I haven't been able to work through.

I run a catalytic converter, have 1000cc injectors, a gt35r turbo, no maf.. The car doesn't throw any cel codes, and passes both visual, and obd-II portions of the inspection in NY state. I did not have to go to an inspection station with a wad of bills and a secret handshake, I just went around the corner to a place who didn't know me or my car, and it just passed.

My car is primarily tuned for pump gas and low boost, as this is how the car is driven on a daily basis.

MalibuJack

iTrader: (5)

Tuners should be the ones primarily interested in doing this legally anyway, as ECU tuning is a grey area, but shops installing and tuning "offroad" parts (standalones, test pipes, etc) are breaking both state and federal law. Its one thing for an enduser to do it himself, but having a customer sign a waiver about installation of offroad parts, then having them drive off in the car, is just an invitation to trouble at some point.

Some states don't have the same restrictive emission laws, and that is where you see many of these parts manufactured, but you have to be real careful these days, especially shops in the northeast which are frequently monitored and investigated for Illegal activity.

MalibuJack

iTrader: (5)

Sure, its possible, the stock ECU has a pretty fast microprocessor and more than enough flash memory to have all of the features one could ever want. However I doubt it would go that far. The current programming in the ECU is pretty good, its not perfect, but it has years of R&D behind its functionality, it has OBD-II, and is already capable of doing nearly anything an average person would need.

Its nice to say that a standalone has a nitrous map, or anti-lag, or other features, but those sorts of features aren't really things that most people need.

The ability to swap sensors, for new ones with greater range, or aren't prone to issues, the ability to have adequate resolution and scale to tune properly, thats key. You don't need 64x64 cell maps, but you do need dynamic protection from knock, and other failsafes. High resolution maps are great, but I don't know of any tuner who takes the time to really take advantage of additional resolution anyway.

Anyway, the ultimate point of the entire thread is whether or not the stock MAF is adequate for high HP numbers, and all of us basically agree that when you use a stock MAF, you just run out of resolution, or reliable airflow signal at levels over 500hp, as said by Both Al and Sean, it becomes a bit of a hack since you are tuning the last row of cells, and you will get into trouble if your boost goes higher than what its tuned for. But this is specifically the MAF that is the issue.