9sec9

iTrader: (2)

I just saw the pic. I've actually used a long screwdriver and my thumb for many years. The headphones are probably better, but the screwdriver and thumb work too.

crcain

It's very easy to hear det with the setup like Mark describes in that thread. All you hear is valve train noise, and then det is just a very different and solitary "tick" that sounds as if it is in the back of the sound field. This is how Mark explained it to me and indeed that is how it sounded.

Now a lot of det sounds different but I don't think I've heard that one yet.

DynoFlash

iTrader: (91)

The issues are as follows :

1 - A daily driven stock ecu needs to rely on what the knock sensor is saying in order to have protection against bad gas and knock

2 - A normaly equiped car can not run the extreme boost levels that a highly modifed one like the BAD BISH can can run

3 - The knock sensor is not an inteligent device it can not discern what sound is a knock and what sound is an engine noise. The OEM engineers use filters and calibrations to best distinquish between the two.

Wicked E

iTrader: (26)

Al-

Why do you swear so much about there being bad gas? Let me ask you what you recommend for gas stations/providers. I see you mention "bad gas" more times than I can count and I honestly cannot fathom there being "bad gas" so many times in a car's life.

crcain

Al I love being able to bounce ideas of you because are someone who has a lot of experience. So thanks for talking with a real newbie like myself.

Here is an interesting point... Autronic has no knock control. Mark is the distributor for Autronic in UK. Mark only tunes Autronic. Mark runs massive boost on pump for customers. Mark has very satisfied customers.

What does this say about the bad fuel theory?

Wicked E

iTrader: (26)

I'm beginning to think that the "bad fuel theory" is a band aid blanket statement for semi-crappy tunes. Seems this has been used as an excuse many times...

crcain

Al how do you feel about AEM's knock control?

Is it reliable enough to catch det, pull timing (or fuel cut, rev limit, or whatever you set it up to trigger), and save a motor?

thatguy

iTrader: (5)

I think you have more posts in this thread than the thread-starter.

I have had a bad tank of gas before and some tuners would rather tune pretty conservative to avoid the hassle or speculation of that tuner blowing a car up.

David Buschur

iTrader: (53)

I can assure you that the bad gas is not some theory. It is 100% fact, I have seen bad fuel from countless stations. The NUMBER 1, worst fuel I see every single time is Valero. They sell it on the Ohio turnpike and everytime a car comes in our shop with that fuel in the tank it knocks like mad.

Yes, the AEM knock control will absolutely save the car if it is set up right, absolutely. I use knock control on EVERY tune I do, even if it's race gas, even in our black drag car that runs 8's at 172 mph.

Wicked E

iTrader: (26)

How do you feel about Shell V-Power gas? It's the ONLY fuel I use in my Evo. No ands, ifs or buts. Valero is horrible stuff. Which is why I would think a tuner would tune conservatively?

crcain

I hear you Dave... is the fuel so bad that a car that is within 2 degrees ignition advance of det would det going from good fuel to bad? If you tuned U2SLO's car on Valero how much hp would you lose? Just curious how bad you believe the variation to be.

I've never played with AEM, but always appreciated that it had knock control unlike Autronic. However, I'm curious, what exact "post-processing" does AEM do of the sensor signal? Does it do anything or are you pretty much just working with raw knock sensor voltage?

C6C6CH3vo

iTrader: (9)

Gas quality is probably inconsistant with the same station, some more so than others like valer o, especially when it's profit driven. I'm sure the refined product has at least some standard to lable claim, but by the time it gets delivered by the truck, who knows what kind of clandestine activity is going on. It will be a inherant risk no matter where you go.

Thats why I stay away from purchacing gas from stations with filthy bathrooms - if it's too filthy to crap in, why risk walking home with a blown headgasket and soiled pants to go with it .

Al, will there be in car videos of this season's runs?

tkklemann

iTrader: (6)

Your thoughts do make sense. On a stock ECU, running stock injectors (550's) 23psi is about all that specific set-up can handle. (With the stock 550 injectors) Even still, 23 psi from all my tuning I have done is cutting it very close to the edge of fuel injector capacity vs. boost. By 23psi on 550's, you are hovering around 100% duty cycle on the injectors. Hence, why 97% of people on here aren't running more than 23lbs, and usually about 1-2psi less than that, because they don't have bigger injectors in their cars, and most tuners don't want to tune for 100% duty because it's too close to the "edge", leaving no margin for error and the bad gas that every car seems to have in it's tank. (!)

I do not believe your statement of inexperienced tuners is correct, as it is a limitation of the stock hardware more than the physical tunig itself. You can only go so far with the parts that are actually on the car. The experience of the tuner is irrelevent in contrast to physical limitations of specific parts on a car.

Now, once I replaced my injectors in my car, and set-up the proper scalings & latencies with PTE 680's, I am able to support 28-30psi (With 30psi approaching the high upper duty cycles) all day. Not saying I do 30psi all day, as I am still figiting with my car trying to find out what my car likes best, High boost/low timing, or middle boost/high timing. I am doing that to learn and teach myself, not to simply follow the beaten path and call it a day. I need to see the sky is blue to believe it.

gamebred26

iTrader: (19)

Not even just bad...but over here some places def lie about the octane ratings...try to pass reg off as super etc.

I only use the V-Power stuff as well...car seems to do good on it..

evolved83

iTrader: (2)

dave I think you should go to the papers and try to embarass valero, and maybe they will stop trying to sell off bad gas. I know thats what I would do.