Tag Archives: Tuning

What you need to know about turbo modifications!

The article outlines the proper methods for modifying your car, ensuring money is well-spent, and collaborating with skilled tuners and tuning shops.

Choosing the right modifications for your car should be entrusted to a skilled tuner who can offer technical support and visualisation maps to assess the impact of parts on your power requirements, particularly in scenarios you encounter over 75% of the time. The remaining 25% or less pertains to your desires, which dictate the available efficiency for an occasional spirited drive.

Reference car:
Altitude: 3740ft (1140m)
Modifications:

– EJ25
– Manley Pistons 99.75mm C.R 8.5
– Blouch 1.5xtr 10cm
– Process West Verticooler
– Grimmspeed Cold Air Intake
– Perrin Turbo Inlet Hose
– HKS Equal Length Headers
– Grimmspeed Uppipe
– No name Downpipe
– Greddy Supreme SP Cutback

Determining the final performance of a car cannot always be accurately done on a dyno. Cars tuned exclusively on a dyno often do not perform as well on the road due to different load conditions and untested areas of the engine map. Consequently, dyno-tuned cars may excel in straight-line acceleration at full throttle but may not handle as well in other real-world driving conditions. It’s common for owners to be surprised by the initial performance, especially when compared to another car of similar power that’s been fine-tuned on the road, outperforming their ride in all areas. Moreover, these cars can suffer from inconsistent fueling, exhibiting areas that are either too lean or too rich, with optimal performance only achieved at full throttle.

Sometimes, relying on forums, other people’s experiences and dyno charts can be misleading. This can result in installing parts that are not optimized for your altitude and other requirements, leading to a waste of time and money. The following information will demonstrate cases where individuals become their own (google) tuners or rely on tuners with little knowledge of tuning. Standard modifications in the community or forums are then added and dyno-tuned with overinflated numbers, leading to further complications in the future for those who seek advice or want to experience more power.

Below is data taken from a car highlighting the incorrect decisions made when all parties have limited technical capabilities, previewing the creation of a performance platform.

Wastegate-boost to high-boost
Midrange-boost to high-boost with no gains
3rd Gear Dyno road pull shows increasing intake temperatures into the engine, reducing power and ignition
1/4 mile drag pull shows rising intake temperatures into the engine

The data shown highlights the mapping is way off the charts of a turbo’s compressor map, thereby demonstrating the need for compressor maps and the technical knowledge to calibrate the car with respect to the modifications and performance goals. As one can see, increasing boost did not lead to increasing torque and horsepower

Understanding the above, the key attribute, especially in boosting a car or enhancing the boost system, the following is a good visualisation when mapping a car’s performance with respect to the turbo used in achieving the performance goals:

Mapping at 18psi – 4000-6400rpm
Mapping at 23psi – 4000-6400rpm, showing reducing compressor efficiency the higher you rev
Mapping at 23psi – 4000-6400rpm, showing a broad range of efficiency for continuing boosting at higher revs
Mapping at 28psi – 4000-6400rpm continues to show a broad range of efficiency for continuing boosting at higher revs

Please remember that higher engine revs lead to lower efficiency unless cams are installed. To achieve optimal performance, aim for an efficient zone in the compressor map that suits 75%+ of your driving style and usage.

StephenC 2008 USDM Subaru Legacy LGT 2.5 5EAT Tuned for Response

Mods


Cobb AP Stg2 replaced by XRT ECU Stage 2 Tuning
XRT 5EAT Tuning
XRT XTMP

Tomei Equal length header, Tomei Up-pipe
VF52 turbo, mild porting of exhaust
Grimmspeed EBCS
Turbosmart compact recirculating BPV (not a mod really but…)
Cobb Catted DP, stock mid, STI mufflers
AVO TMIC
Stock airbox and air filter

Reviews:-

Cobb AP Pro Tune & XRT: The Differences

http://www.xtremeracingtuning.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=115&t=770#p2391

OK we are close this one was good!

Town driving–Throttle response is still nice and strong-nothing changed there and that is good. A little jumpy in S# at ~25% throttle around 3K in 2nd and 3rd BUT** it’s very responsive to input and i don’t have the most steady foot on bumpy roads:-) doesn’t do it in S mode so yeah…my foot lol!

3rd gear pull– Only 1 single instance (single cell) of ping (-1.5) right before peak boost. a few -1.5 cells as I lifted off throttle at 6000rpm. Feels Strong.

How it feels on the 3rd gear pull–pulls harder as the boost spools up–perfect!. It feels like it hits a shot of Nitrous about 4600RPM as it transitions from 8.5degrees to 10.5degrees of timing. It’s subtle, not a surge, but I thought I’d point that out.

Roll on acceleration about 3000rpm—amazing in all gears. I don’t really feel that transition in this circumstance.

2nd gear is just nuts. I never really tried it before at WOT. SO yeah, nice one!

Shifting–under load, nice and sharp and quick. I don’t know if it’s possible to tune this—-> but it would be nice for the trans to respond faster to paddle inputs, especially at light load around town. No big deal though;-)

Alright, well where do I start? As we are getting close to the end of the tuning process I’m thoroughly impressed. Ed’s knowledge and feedback to my queries has been fantastic. He’s quick to respond and I challenge any tuner to provide such good customer support! Feedback is nearly immediate and revisions come daily (sometimes more often!).

I urge any Cobb tuned customer to consider XRT. If you have an 5EAT or if you are Cobb tuned on Canadian petrol, you need to contact XRT tomorrow!!

My Cobb stage 2 provided predictable, modest power improvements as advertised from Cobb. However, as predicted, the pinging (feedback knock, fine knock learning) was endemic, over all grades of petrol. Only after a couple revisions he had the power far above Cobb’s tune, and a transmission that provides strong, fast shifts. We are onto Rev 5, and the power keeps building and I’m getting zero pinging under all conditions, on standard Canadian 91 petrol! And the shifting and throttle response are unreal. Night and day over an Off The Shelf tune…. BRAVO Edward!!!!

 

Turbocharged Tuning – 2017 USDM Subaru Crosstrek/XV/Impreza CVT

Reviews:-

http://www.xtremeracingtuning.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=123&t=796#p2480

By the way The AVO turbo kit and the raptor supercharger kits are not available for the 2015+, due to no tuning or fuel pump solutions
Thanks to XRT Ed, I have been given the confidence to move forward with the project. I live by multiple Subaru tuners, and was turned down by all of them. Ed said he was up to the challenge, and I like working with people that have a can do attitude

http://www.xtremeracingtuning.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=123&t=796&start=10#p2493

Now the car is running great. I have made some decent pulls to collect data for ED. He is doing an outstanding job!!! This is the first time anyone has tuned a 15+ NA for turbo and there are a lot of hurdles to overcome. ED is knocking it out of the park. Every time he sends me a ROM it gets better and better. His CVT tune is awesome, makes it feel like a sports car not a grocery getter.

 

Modifications


XRT XV/Crosstrek/Impreza Tuning
XRT NA-Turbo Tuning
XRT CVT Tuning

Full Mod list – http://www.xtremeracingtuning.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=123&t=796

XV-T (WRXV) Tuned by Xtreme Racing Tuning (XRT)WRXVThis morning we release our very first tune (calibration) for the…

Posted by Xtreme Racing Tuning on Tuesday, April 24, 2018

 

 

 

Bartosz Rotrex Supercharged 2004 EDM H6 3.0 5EAT Outback

Mods


  • Rotrex C38-81
  • 65mm Pulley
  • Stock MAF mounted in 76mm pipe before SC
  • 550x230x65mm Intercooler: http://fmic.pl/jednostronne/279-interco … x65mm.html
  • Cone filter
  • Supertech 8.5:1 Pistons
  • 76mm piping before SC, 63mm after (incl. IC)
  • MAP mounted in stock place in intake manifold
  • OEM Subaru Dump Valve (from Forester turbo), return pipe goes into pipe just before SC but after
  • MAF
  • Deatschwerks DW200 fuel pump
  • STI Pink injectors

PaulH – 2011 JDM Subaru Impreza WRX STI A-Line 2.5 5EAT

Reviews:-

Car feels amazing during pulls and can’t wait to get it on a nice stretch of road

The car is now feeling much better than I imagine, it moves and feels GREAT threw out the entire power-band, no more waiting till after 5000rpms to feel being pushed back in the seat. XRT is the best in customer service, turn around time and great advisor and tuner. Turn the car from slouchy to speedy

Modifications


XRT Stage 2
XRT 5EAT Tuning
XRT XTMP
Zero Sports intake
Decatted downpipe
Zero Sports exhaust
Zero Sports pulley kit
Grimspeed EBC
Turbo Heat shield and blanket
Blouch 20G XTR (8cm) (47lb/min|480CHP)
ID 1050X
DW Fuel pump
TGV Deletes

Videos

 

Tuning Tools for ECU Re-Flashing

LAPTOP


Windows 7 or greater with more than 4Gb of Memory and a fast processor  – Dual Core or more.

 

CABLE


Tactrix OpenPort 2.0 – http://www.tactrix.com/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=17&Itemid=53

Reflashing Connectors are needed for models between 2001-2007 for 16bit ECU’s. That’s

 

LOGGING SOFTWARE


RomRaider – http://www.romraider.com/RomRaider/Download
Logging Definition for RomRaider – http://www.romraider.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1642&start=1

 

REFLASHING SOFTWARE


ECUFLASH – http://www.tactrix.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=36&Itemid=58

 

WIDEBAND GAUGE


Innovate Wideband Air/Fuel Ratio Gauge– Works with Romraider
MTX-L PLUS: Digital Wideband Air/Fuel Ratio Gauge Kit
DLG-1: Dual Lambda (Air/Fuel Ratio) Gauge
DB gauges

 

EXHAUST GAS TEMPERATURE GAUGE


MTX-D: Exhaust Gas Temperature (EGT)

 

COMPUTER REMOTE SUPPORT


For the instant customer support: TeamViewer QuickSupport

 

Remote Tuning

Years of experience: Less than 2 decades
Tuning capabilities: OEM ECU, SYVECS, HYDRA, LINK ECU, Vi-PEC

Education is Power, once done right 🙂

Remote Tuning vs Physical Tuning


In starting, there is no difference between Remote Tuning and Physical Tuning. Remote tuning takes a little longer and can capture events more efficiently, and time is the factor that allows true fine-tuning. Taking a car on a dyno and you have a perfect tune is not possible. Taking a car on the road for a few minutes and having a perfect tune is impossible. If that were the case, OEM manufacturers and racing teams would have limited research and testing. In other words, those countless hours you hear would be lies.

Remote tuning requirements expected by the experienced and knowledgeable tuner require the customer to communicate with his tuner in real-time as much as possible and extensively open communications channels for tuning determination. That is, knowledge transfer is achieved through you, the customer, on any matter.

There are some who, due to magazines and because of the bad information from many “Tuning” businesses seeking a quick way to make money, misrepresent real and detailed tuners who care about Customer Relations, Service, Stability, Performance, Response, etc. This is a specialised service and should be treated so. That said, there is no tune for $99, $199 or even one-off tunes. What took your OEM manufacturer or racing team years to get right just cannot come in the form of a pill. Please be wary. Because of the pricing war, tuning prices have been driven down, and tunes’ quality has worsened. I am sad to say the customer now expects less, and poor-quality tunes are fantastic. This, indeed, is very saddening. In addition, every man is a tuner because he has software in his hands to tune it.

Dyno’es – Not created equally
Dyno’es are good. But it is a tool, and you should understand this. Not all dynoes are created equal and not all are operated properly. The best Dyno to used is here – http://www.rototest.com/index.php?DN=1&Visitor=4
RRI Research Institute

Dyno Testing Informationhttp://www.rri.se/index.php?DN=29

Noting the above, this will help you determine what is used out in the field. This is extremely important!!!!!!!

The dyno must create a real-life environment as much as possible, and the quality of the hardware and software is key. That being said, a car dyno-tuned should really spend some time on the road to gather data for stability, function, and operations. This can take a few days or as long as possible for varying environmental conditions. Remember OEM manufacturers and racing teams. Please make sure your tuner offers this. Don’t be carried away with numbers.

Dyno usage – What it is good for

  • Dialing in areas that need cruising time
  • Dialing mods that change the dynamics quickly or drastically
  • Safe area to tune.
  • Ability to see changes quickly in a close-to-control environment. The dyno facility should be controlled as much as possible. This can minimise the number of dyno pulls. Examples are humidity, Temperature, pollution, Noise, etc.

Remember—and don’t take it as my word—research, research, research. The tuning should finish up on the road, covering varying environmental conditions, such as morning to night and hot to cold.

For those who love Dyno figures, a correction of over 1 is useless. To verify a Dyno figure, perform a quarter-mile run and determine your realistic power figures.
Xtreme Racing Tuning – Drag Racing: 1/8-MILE TO 1/4-MILE CONVERSION TABLE


So, let us get started.

Note: I am going to be precise as much as possible!

What are we talking about based on the subject?
Tuning the stock OEM computer that comes in the car. The majority of the points stated below are also key points for Engine Management Systems or Powertrain Solutions.

Mechanical needs

  1. Try to understand what tuning is. Tuning allows the car to compensate for the environment in which it operates, whether for general purposes or high-performance needs.
  2. What is needed before tuning – Mechanically
    1. Full Engine Oil service
    2. Spark Plug change
    3. Check for air leaks in the intake and header system – A boost test should be done.
    4. Clean the MAF sensor
    5. Throttle body Clean
    6. Injector Cleaning. Professionally cleaned or using a good quality Injector cleaner
    7. Verification of all necessary sensors and solenoids through logging – Xtreme Racing Tuning – XRT Diagnostic/Troubleshooting Support Service
    8. General maintenance of the car – Brakes, Coolant, Transmission oil, Gear oil, Tyres, Alignment, etc, etc.
  3. Tactrix Openport 2.0 Cable
  4. Ecuflash software
  5. Romraider Software – Romraider.exe | Latest RomRaider LOGGER Definitions

Tuner needs


After all of the preliminary groundwork has been done, the next task is finding a tuner. Remote tuning should offer nothing less—in fact, it should offer more!
The tuner should be: –

  1. Very well Experience
  2. Should have excellent Customer Service – The community should highlight this.
  3. His work is broadcast and can be seen online
  4. Excellent Customer Reviews
  5. Very knowledgeable about his job and the car to be worked upon
  6. Excellent knowledge in Diagnostic and noting issues before issues get out of hand
  7. Excellent Support Services – Phone, email, messaging
  8. Excellent communication skills
  9. Quick to respond within 4hrs
  10. Understanding of family commitment and factors that affect the tune
  11. Excellent abilities in setting up computers and instructing/lecturing
  12. Be quick and excel in highlighting your tune with graphs and data, if needed.
  13. Etc, etc, etc

Testing/Logging


Testing should be done as follows: –

  1. Follow your tuner’s direction precisely. Don’t do more than what is needed. If otherwise, seek advice.
  2. Relate any issues to the Tuner, even if you do not think it is important
  3. Safe area
  4. Cruising to spirited driving in areas to create minimal to high load stress on the car. These are mentioned below.
  5. Hills
  6. Varying environment conditions
  7. Flat roads are best, especially for dyno pulls. Do not sit waiting for the car to heat soak, as this will greatly reduce power.

Please note the above should just wet your interest and should drive dialogue between you and the company/Tuner of interest.

XRT Subaru CVT Tuning

Subaru Tuning that affects CVT Operations & Performance by Xtreme Racing Tuning (XRT)

XRT have continue to master the operations and performance of the CVT through tuning and customer feedback and based on the results, we are offering that edge in tuning CVT models like what we did to the 5EAT and the 4EAT.

Generally, the following are expected when tuned (The Transmission Computer is not tuned):

  • Quicker shifting
  • Firmer shifting
  • Appropriate gear selection, if possible, for less labouring or load on the engine
    Less ping/knocking due to the transmission wanting to be in high gear all the time.
  • Less pedal moving to make the transmission shifting
  • Better fuel mileage
  • Easy over-taking and maneuvering due to quicker acceleration due to the above points.
  • Offers greater shifting and operations. This is the mode many requires if you want to have full control when the transmission shift for hill climbing, racing, over-taking etc.
  • Can offers increase response and less throttle lag. Direct throttle control. Now you maybe able to spin those tires on moving off or get that maximum torque to the ground. Transmission Cooler is recommended if you plan to drive her hard with advance CVT indirect tuning.

Graphical review of the CVT vs 5EAT – https://xtremeracingtuning.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=100&t=692

For further reading and customer reviews, please visit – https://xtremeracingtuning.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=122&t=695