Post by Deleted on Jul 29, 2013 14:26:04 GMT -6
I'm defining the term "tuning" as modifying your ECU with software to take advantage of bolt-on parts to increase power. Also, this will not cover using aftermarket ECU's, as that will be a TOTALLY different thread altogether. That said, here are some things to consider before you tune your car. First, determine how "crazy" you want to go with the power and PLAN AHEAD. How do you plan ahead? DO YOUR HOMEWORK! Before you do any changes to your ECU to try to take advantage of those bolt-on parts, read, read, read! There are a number of online resources that will greatly help determine what to do. RomRaider forums, NASIOC forums, Cobb Tuning support forums, etc... I will provide links to some resources below. These resources aren't the only ones out there, so do your own searching and make sure you are as informed as possible. Once you've done your homework, you may realize you're going to get in over your head. Fear not! There are a large number of professional tuners out there. I won't get into that here as there are so many out there. Plus, I don't want to start a vendor war. So, ask around, do some searches, and check out the link below to Unabomber's Manifesto as a good reference to help search for a tuner. Now, if you're comfortable tuning the car yourself check out the AccessPort Tuning and Open Source Tuning threads here on Gateway Subies.
1. Before you tune your car yourself, pick a tuning setup that you are comfortable with. The main ones I have seen are open source tuning (Tactrix Open Port cable and Rom Raider software) and Cobb AccessPort. The pros/cons between the two are discussed in the Cobb AccessPort vs. Open Source Tuning thread here on Gateway Subies.
2. Purchase a wideband sensor and gauge so you can keep an eye on air/fuel ratio. This should be purchased along with the tuning setup you choose as this will give you more information into the health of your engine than you realize. Read Unabomber's Manifesto, as that has a number of good ideas for wideband sensor/gauge combos. This will aid in confirming you aren't running too lean or too rich at wide open throttle as your factory's O2 sensor is not usable for logging after you mash the throttle.
3. A boost gauge is also nice, but not always necessary as you can log and monitor that with your Cobb AccessPort or Open Source software. The boost gauge will help you troubleshoot when you don't have your AP or laptop with you. (i.e. overboosting, vacuum leak, etc...)
4. Logging!!! You can make all the changes you want, but until you log the correct data to verify your changes. You won't know if you're doing more harm than good. If you're going to log, I suggest using a laptop with either RomRaider (open source) OR AccessTuner Race (Cobb AccessPort). This will give you better results and much more resolution of data.
Unabomber's "How to pick a tuner, what to ask them, and how to prepare for a tune."
forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1579369
RomRaider FAQ
www.romraider.com/Documentation/RomRaiderFAQ
Cobb's Subaru Support
cobbtuning.zendesk.com/categories/20052462-Subaru
Cobb's How-To Datalog
cobbtuning.zendesk.com/entries/22345776-How-to-Datalog
1. Before you tune your car yourself, pick a tuning setup that you are comfortable with. The main ones I have seen are open source tuning (Tactrix Open Port cable and Rom Raider software) and Cobb AccessPort. The pros/cons between the two are discussed in the Cobb AccessPort vs. Open Source Tuning thread here on Gateway Subies.
2. Purchase a wideband sensor and gauge so you can keep an eye on air/fuel ratio. This should be purchased along with the tuning setup you choose as this will give you more information into the health of your engine than you realize. Read Unabomber's Manifesto, as that has a number of good ideas for wideband sensor/gauge combos. This will aid in confirming you aren't running too lean or too rich at wide open throttle as your factory's O2 sensor is not usable for logging after you mash the throttle.
3. A boost gauge is also nice, but not always necessary as you can log and monitor that with your Cobb AccessPort or Open Source software. The boost gauge will help you troubleshoot when you don't have your AP or laptop with you. (i.e. overboosting, vacuum leak, etc...)
4. Logging!!! You can make all the changes you want, but until you log the correct data to verify your changes. You won't know if you're doing more harm than good. If you're going to log, I suggest using a laptop with either RomRaider (open source) OR AccessTuner Race (Cobb AccessPort). This will give you better results and much more resolution of data.
Unabomber's "How to pick a tuner, what to ask them, and how to prepare for a tune."
forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1579369
RomRaider FAQ
www.romraider.com/Documentation/RomRaiderFAQ
Cobb's Subaru Support
cobbtuning.zendesk.com/categories/20052462-Subaru
Cobb's How-To Datalog
cobbtuning.zendesk.com/entries/22345776-How-to-Datalog