[teamgeorge]

TeamGeorge, the way Shambles has done it sounds like the best way, but Shambles is a grandaddy with experience so he can safly use something like this for increased low end Torque. But if you are out for all out performance to impress or race. you are buying the wrong car mate.
you see diesels were designed to be low reving hi Torque, they use extreamly high compression, the i30 is not that high compression at around 17.00.1 but with 19 pounds boost the dynamic compression will be high. so all this pressure up in the chamber pushs down on the piston and rods and on the lower end of the rods were they hold the crank sharft and it pushs down on the cranksharft itself. at medium rev's this is ok but as revs build up it will start to put more stress on things. you pump more fuel into a diesel thats going to be even more stress as this extra fuel has to be compressed ignited and burnt. at below 3,000 rev should be no problems, but if you start reving them to 5,000 all the time there could be a BANG.
also we have to remember useing more power and Torque will put more wear and tear on the clutch gearbox & drive train.
I have not read the fine print, but i would expect the warranty to cover broke parts but, warn out parts could be classed as normal wear and i don't think that could be claimed under warranty. like if my brake pads wear out i would not expect Hyundai to give me new one's or if tyres wear out or so on.
i'm just explaining all this to you so you understand.

i have driven my i30 18,000k now i have noticed the????? ( hard to describe but it's what shambles talked about) but i just put it down as normal state of tune to get by stringent imissions, and it does not really worry me overly, the car is still great fun to drive and as i'm in 5 gear more than i'm in 1st gear i never really notice, plus if i'm in traffic i just drive it like i would drive a large truck i use first and ease out the clutch so no flat spot at all that way as the ECU also controls engine speed as its fly by wire.
i could ramble on all day

yeah no worries i gathered what the car is before i ordered it. just seeing if i could make it a race car on the side  

[Lakes]

TeamGeorge, yes i think you could improve the spring and damping rate over what the stock i30 has. it is ok as it comes but far from perfect. i'm not an expert in this field. but i have experienced the result of well set up and tuned suspention, i think the i30 could be outstanding if it had a true sport model with a well set up spring damping combination.
but i suspect your just going for the pose of wheels and lowered. they will always go around corners harder if center of gravity is lower, just i'm wondering what the stock damping will work like, i think it would be even better if you could find an expert to help change the damping as well as different springs.
one problem i have had a number of times, but i still have never seen anyone else post on, is that if i drive out of a car park and there is a dip were you go over the drainage side of road, i get a Bang big time, first time it happened my girlfriend was in shock, i just said a four letter word . i got out could see no damage uner front of car, later i got under the car and found the problem, it is the metal ring that is there to use to attach a tow rope. it is welded to the metal chasis. the stock springs and damping seem on soft side, when i drive over something like that at my normal speed the weight on the motor seems to push front down and that metal ring hits the ground with a solid jolt and bang. my car is\ stock hight. i own a very low falcon ute ( lower than an XR model ) i have driven that over those same drainage ditchs at same speed without hitting the ground. but lowering the car will not make that metal ring any lower it will just make the body of the car lower, i'm thinking if the sping damping is same rate just car goes lower when i drive over things like that the body will hit the deck. just thought i would mention this.
PS this has never happened in sydney just when i'm out in country towns, they seem to have deep gutters or something?

[camerooney]

Newer estates tend to have higher gutters I've found.
And culdersacs too.

My gutters are quite steep. The key is going out on an angle


Used to drive a BA mk2 XR6 which was pretty low with the side skirts and kit.
Think I only scraped that once going out of the driveway. And it wasn't too bad. As you say lakes, mostly its just the hook underneath the car.

[Shambles]

I removed the tuningbox last night as I'm off to the dealership shortly for a new set of chrome alloy inserts, and I don't want them seeing anything under the hood. Just been to the local shop and it's like driving through treacle by comparison  

[eye30]

I removed the tuningbox last night
 it's like driving through treacle by comparison  

Wow.  Box must really improve the drive experience.

Hope inserts last longer than originals.  
Anyway you can always claim under warranty again.

[Shambles]

New chromes fitted - £0

Being waited on hand and foot - £0

Tuningbox refitted, the grin on my face - £priceless  

[teamgeorge]

[Lakes]

New chromes fitted - £0

Being waited on hand and foot - £0

Tuningbox refitted, the grin on my face - £priceless    :o

[Shambles]

@ Lakes.

Each tyre was removed and the two studs for each chrome insert unbolted from the rear which allowed each one to be replaced. Took them an hour.

And no, they called me Steve  

[Lakes]

well Steve, i have not seen wheels like that, or might i add, mag wheels like that, have you seen what they look like with chrome covers removed?

well Steve, i have not seen ......

Nah, has to be Shambles.  Steve just doesn't sit right with me.  Once Shambles, always Shambles.

Bob

[Shambles]

have you seen what they look like with chrome covers removed?

No I haven't.

Also, quite a few members have these fondmetal tech-5 alloys. Diva has them iirc

[Lakes]

what was the problem with the chrome?
i'm more than happy with my steel wheels & Kumho tyres. these tyre's might be knocked by some people but they work for me! i have put them through there paces in the wet on some stwisty mountain roads and they have no let go yet, they also seem to be wearing quite well.
reason i like the steel wheels is they are flexable and robust, and i can park the car anywhere without worrying they will get stollen. i have never had one car\ stollen yet.
cheers

[Shambles]

what was the problem with the chrome?

Pics are in the **SEVERE PITTING** thread viewtopic.php?f=11&t=912&p=12198#p12198

[Lakes]

Sorry to see that, great they replaced them!
to me looks like the metal might not have been prepared right before they chromed them.
good luck Fergie

[Arg]

I removed the tuningbox last night .... Just been to the local shop and it's like driving through treacle by comparison  

Hi Shambles, I'm very interested in following your lead and trying this out. Have you had a chance to check for smoke? It might need an assistant to verify that she is blowing clean.

My brief look into the subject of chipping suggests that some units only dial up the fuel and that this can make the car more prone to smoking.

Do you know whether the ASA unit you bought is a basic type (fuel-only) or more sophisticated fuel-and-timing control like the DPchip?

[Shambles]

Hi Arg,

I've noticed no smoke. As for the rest, I've no idea

[Lakes]

I removed the tuningbox last night .... Just been to the local shop and it's like driving through treacle by comparison  

Hi Shambles, I'm very interested in following your lead and trying this out. Have you had a chance to check for smoke? It might need an assistant to verify that she is blowing clean.

My brief look into the subject of chipping suggests that some units only dial up the fuel and that this can make the car more prone to smoking.

Do you know whether the ASA unit you bought is a basic type (fuel-only) or more sophisticated fuel-and-timing control like the DPchip?

Hi ARG, i think you have been reading up on the DP chip, i have looked at what a few write on there add's on web page's and i've seen some that blow smoke from adding more fuel. but they were a different set up than the little i30 CRDi. i have a friend that has a similar set up to Shambles on a 1.9 TDI VW Jetta DSG he is a retired engineer. he studied them all before going with what he has, his system was pricy too. he told me the type that change fuel timming do not give a very good power gain. my friends Jetta has go to 137MPH AS MEASURED WITH HIS\ Garman GPS he also had it on a dyno and it showed good gains. it is adjustable like shambles unit, said if you turn it right up it blows smoke but he can still get good gains with o smoke.
i diesel motor needs more fuel to go faster, thats just how they are controled.

[Rubix]

Is this useful only for diesel engines? Is there an equivalent for Petrol engines?

[Lakes]

Is this useful only for diesel engines? Is there an equivalent for Petrol engines?

Hi Rubix, yes this box Shambles has plugged in is only for Diesel motors.
you can tune petrol i30 but not with this system and i think to tune a petrol motor to get gains like this would cost a lot of money as it takes a lot of time to tune EFI that has fly by wire, you have to know where throtle possition is, then map fuel and ignition curve and work your way up to full throtle, very slow time consuming process. but i do not think end result would be worth the effort or the cost.
better off just driving the car how it is as they should go well enough after they are run in.
you could fit a K&N replacement filter ( flows more air than stock filter) and maybe one of the exhast companys make extractors for there car but i'm not in the know on that, but well designed extractors can help. those two mods would also help fuel economy if you drive carefully.
cheers

[Rubix]

I'm not too 'in-the-know' regarding engines - I just figured if there's a way to attach a computer to make a diesel-powered engine pump the juice through more effectively, shouldn't there be the same for a petrol engine. Obviously not

[Arg]

Thanks Shambles and Lakes, I have just placed my order for the same unit. And I haven't even bought my i30 yet! (Although I have ordered it, and it will be ready for pickup on Friday.)

I must say the price of this thing is amazingly good compared to the competition. Until I found this thread, I was resigned to a very painful $1,000 - $1,300 bill for an Aussie-made product. And I was unsure whether it was worth it, for me. I would have guessed the true value of these things to be $400-$500, so I am very happy with a $220 bill. Thanks to Shambles for posting his experiment!!  The other great thing about Shambles' thread is that it reassures other i30 owners that the supplier is legitimate: I have almost been scammed in the past by too-good-to-be-true internet prices, so my suspicion now rises faster than my wallet when I see a price 1/4 of the going rate! I am sure I am not alone in this way, so thanks again to Shambles.

PS - Lakes is right, I read that stuff about fuel and timing controls on the DPChip website. Maybe they are just promoting themselves by raising doubts about the competition....

PPS - I am surprised by the dealer delivery delays reported on this forum by some owners; months! I placed my i30 order last Tuesday and it will be delivered on Friday. That is ten days. Just the right amount of time to get excited but not frustrated! ;D

[Mick]

I received my tuning box on Monday and fitted it immediately. I adjusted it to the 9 o'clock position.
First impressions that it improves torque and throttle response, so much so that normal driving requires very little throttle. It will lose traction in second gear if power is dialled in more aggressively.
I did notice when rolling through and intersection and flooring the throttle in second gear at night, that I could see a haze behind the car. I had a car behind me, so their headlights highlighted this. However I believe I have noticed this "haze" in similar circumstances without the tuning box.
There is no evidence of smoke in daylight hours, even with the box turned to maximum. In fact there is no noticable performance difference between the 6 o'clock and maximum settings.
I have no idea  how fuel economy is affected, but I suspect the efficiency improvement by increasing the fuel pressure compensates for the increased torque. (Shamble's figures would indicate this.).
I have studied the circuit however the tops of the IC's have been ground so no luck trying to reproduce it. One IC is written on by hand and is in a socket which I suspect means it is some kind of programmable microprocessor (a Pic?). The IC's are all 8 pin devices, so the others may be op amps or A/D converters? I will try to find what the output of the fuel rail sensor is. All in all a cheap mod, that certainly makes it (more?) fun to drive.
I only hope it doesn't add to the 2 speeding fines the i30 has already received!  

[Thumper]

For those of you that have a Scangauge, just a friendly reminder to keep a close eye on your post intercooler air temps.

Those without a Scangauge, I'd advise you grab one if you are going to fit one of these tuning boxes. 

[Mick]

What effect does the scangauge show when you are running the tuning box?
Anything that might be of concern?
I would of thought all other sensors would still be reporting accurately and that the pcm/ecm could make adjustments based on those inputs albeit that the fuel pressure will be understated by the common rail sensor?

[Lakes]

For those of you that have a Scangauge, just a friendly reminder to keep a close eye on your post intercooler air temps.

Those without a Scangauge, I'd advise you grab one if you are going to fit one of these tuning boxes. 

i've had a problem with the scangauge Thumper and don't think i would risk useing one on my car again, although they will replace mine free.
also i can't see how that tuning box will effect intercooler temps, as when i had my scangauge on my car i saw how when the Turbo Boost went up and you drove useing a lot of boost the intercooler temps went up especially if you climb a lot of hills. but this tuning box just increases fuel not turbo boost.
just how i see it.

[Thumper]

i've had a problem with the scangauge Thumper and don't think i would risk useing one on my car again, although they will replace mine free.
also i can't see how that tuning box will effect intercooler temps, as when i had my scangauge on my car i saw how when the Turbo Boost went up and you drove useing a lot of boost the intercooler temps went up especially if you climb a lot of hills. but this tuning box just increases fuel not turbo boost.
just how i see it.

Problem with the Scangauge? Will not use risk using one in a car again? What happened?

Ok, in a petrol engined vehicle, combustion temps rise when you lean out the mixtures. Correct?

In a diesel, temps rise when you richen the mixture.

What does the Tuningbox do? Add more fuel.

What happens when you add more fuel in a diesel? The combustion temps rise, so does the exhaust velocity, thus more exhaust gases going through the turbo.

I am seeing up to 33.7psi (MAP) from 1,700rpm (With torque booster set to full, power set to standard)

Running these kind of boost pressures, for so long in the rpm range, puts allot of heat strain on the small Intercooler.

All I'm suggesting is, if you are going to use a Tuningbox in Australia, during summer, and wish to 'turn the whick up' a bit, just keep an eye on post intercooler air temps.

Once you start getting above 80 degrees C, you'll only asking from trouble.

[Lakes]

Thumper, the scangauge was working fine, then i needed to take it out, and 5 pins stayed in the port, i got an electrician to look at the plug they use he said cheap plug. i don't want it to happen again still have to remove the pins from the port. but, just how i am.
well i would agree with you, but anything that add's performance will generate more heat that way also can't expect a small diesel to last a long time when it puts out more power. i would also use the best oil i could obtain, and higher standard than minimum factory requirement. but that type of oil does not come cheap, as you know. i would still like to use LPG with diesel just probably never will as the price and finding a place for the gas cylinder, also getting factory approval would all play there part to put it on the too hard to expencive, and probably would not recover costs in fuel savings.
cheers

[davet]

Christmas present - tuningbox arrived on Christmas eve!  Certainly makes the drive even more effortless than before.  Will be interested to see what it does to fuel consumption (may be difficult to keep the foot off the accellerator   )

[Dazzler]

Hi Davet,

I've been tempted to get one too but seeing how my insurance reacted to my exhaust mod decided against it.. Plus I have enough trouble keeping to the speed limits with all all this torque.

P.S. I am jealous...