[davet]

I'm not about to tell the insurance company! It's 5 minutes if that to install or remove.  For me it's a safety enhancement - the extra power makes it so much safer to pass other cars on the highway.  Will be interesting to see what it does to fuel consumption (trip computer and actual)

[Shambles]

I'm going to "turn up" my boost later today. Setting is currently at quarter to 9, so I'll nudge it up to 10 to 4.

[Lakes]

Great to hear the tuning box is working for you all.
probably good to be able to monitor the intercooler air temps like Thumper said, but what can you do if they go up high?
you can fit water methanole injection, this will cool the air intake charge, no worry about water in chamber as it evaporates b4 it reach's chamber. but it the temps go up a lot and you use some methode to cool the intake air charge down. you still have to remember the Turbo will still be runing at higher temp's. but i have seen turbo's on engine dyno's runing that hot you would think they were in a furnace. just make sure you use good quality oil to meet highest standards, and don't forget to allow your motor to idle for a few minutes specially if your driving fast in hilly country on a hot day.
i'm luck as if i feel like going quick i just drive my V8.
but i would like one of these tuning box's too
interesting to note.
i've found out what Thumper has been saying about the sport muffler.
i've been doing a lot of country trips, with the sport muffler on i could get below 5L/100K going 110kph over mountains but since removing it i get 5.1L/100k and this past weekend 5L/100k

[davet]

I'm going to "turn up" my boost later today. Setting is currently at quarter to 9, so I'll nudge it up to 10 to 4.

Notice any difference?

[Shambles]

I'm going to "turn up" my boost later today. Setting is currently at quarter to 9, so I'll nudge it up to 10 to 4.

Notice any difference?

Yes.

I've lost the low-end torque and she struggles doing 30mph in 4th... I need to keep changing down to stop the "hunting" for air.

Top end was improved and I should be grateful as most of my journeys are at motorway speeds, but I'm turning it back down later today as I only ever wanted the box to improve low-end grunt, which it did until I tinkered 

[davet]

might be interesting to see what happens turning it down a notch??

[Shambles]

Yeah I'm going to set it between quarter-to-nine (which is how I used it for a few months) and it's current position. It'll mean turning the adjuster counter-clockwise about 1mm

[Lakes]

Shambles & DaveT, thanks for posting, interesting to read your test results Shambles.
Also i was reading back over my last post. i wrote if you were driving up a lot of hill's fast, that would cause the turbo's temps to rise and also the intake ( intercooler ) temp to rise. allow the motor to idle a while, but what i ment was, allow it to idle a few minutes before you are going to turn motor off. if you are on a trip just keep driving, as i'm possitive that the ECU would give out a warning of some type if things got too hot.

Shambles & DaveT have you thought about testing the different setting on a Dyno?

Problem with trying to make motors run better or go faster is, it can be never ending . like you make a change like this and you feel a gain, and you enjoy the new feel your car or what ever it is you have improved, has after the change, then you get used to that new feel till it is not new anymore and you want more, so you do what shambles just done, but you find b4 you where at the top of the hill so to speek. then you made the change and went over the hill and your down the other side about were you started from b4 .
it's all trial and error. if you use a good Dyno, you can test those settings and see what works best then just leave it at that.
problem is finding a good dyno with a good opperator that can be trusted.

if i get one of these it won't be for performance gain, it will be for economy, so can any other aussie's tell me if they are useing a lot less fuel with these tunning box's on?
cheers

[Shambles]

Lakes me mate, you do have an enquiring mind don't you nothing wrong with that by the way.

I judge the use of the device by the feel, but couldn't quite get a happy feeling with it struggling at low speeds. I don't really know what a dyno is nor care all that much, but I do not like the feeling I got with the setting that it had, which is why I returned it to the recommended setting for the i30, as specified by the manufacturer.

As you said though, people will naturally tinker as I did. I might even try it at jack zero to see what it does; then at full setting. Please pray for Fergie.

[Lakes]

  poor Fergie, but sounds like she enjoys being plugged

well... Dyno's are what you would call a test tool, to test your tune, they mostly get used to develop race motors.
they are a safe way, and a fast way to see what works.
most race teams have there own engine Dyno, you need to remove the motor and fit it to the dyno directly then it goes into a sealed ( Bullit proof ) sound proof room. if it blows up you don't get hit by flying engine parts.
there are what they call chassis dyno's you put your drive wheels on rollers, the modern ones use a programed magnetic load control, this is mostly needed to test Air Fuel Ratio, as you need a load on the motor to get an accurate reading on Air Fuel ratio. also you need a load to measure Horse Power or KW or PS or any of the other measurements you wish to use to find out how much power your car is making, also need the load to measure Torque. problem is to be able to compare the results with others world wide you need to use the same weather setting's as they use, as air quality plays a big part in itself. so most would use SAE (soc auto engineers ) weather correction factor. this part is important for race teams as if they are developing a motor over a period of time, they need to be able to compare past dyno testing. so need the correction factor to make it compareable. you would be surprised how much difference air quality can make to your dyno results, or even how your car performs.
so shambles ol mate you got more than you asked for
Cheers
ps do you think Fergie drinks less now?

[davet]

Can't say anything yet about the economy - still on 1st tank with the tuningbox.  Will need several tanks probably to see how it goes over a variety of driving conditions that are "typical" for me.

[Lakes]

Thanks DaveT look forward to your findings.

[Shambles]

Fergie sure drank less when fitted with her box. Didn't given the new setting long enough to test economy - was too shocked at the depleted response low down

[Mick]

I set up a test rig today to map the output versus input of the tuningbox.
There was some response at the minimum setting between 2.4 and 2.5 volt where the output ramped from about 0.85V to 2.4 -2.5v, other than that the output tracked the input.
As I don't know whether the response of the sensor is linear or logarithmic it is hard to guess as to what the variations mean in terms of fuel pressure. I found a PDF that stated the output of the sensor varied between 0.5 and 4.5 volts.
As can be seen the tuning box has no effect below 2.4v, i guess the next task is to check out the voltages whilst driving to see what values correspond to various driving conditions.
Does the scanguage report fuel pressure or fuel pressure sensor data?

[Lakes]

Thank's Mick, Mick when i used the scangauge, i did not get fuel pressure to show, some of the functions are for petrol only some are for both. i got RPM,MPH or KPH, LPHK, LPH,MAP,IAT, and a few other things. but not fuel pressure.

[Thumper]

Oh, forgot to mention, another little tidbit for those with Tuningbox's, do NOT reset your ECU when the box is fitted. (You'll find the ECU re-learns with the different settings, and pulls everything back to normal. IE: No matter what setting you turn to, the engine runs like stock.)

Just thought I'd share that bit of info. 

[Lakes]

Hi Thumper, do you mean, not to disconect the battery then reconect it while the tuning box is plugged in?

[Shambles]

Oh, forgot to mention, another little tidbit for those with Tuningbox's, do NOT reset your ECU when the box is fitted. (You'll find the ECU re-learns with the different settings, and pulls everything back to normal. IE: No matter what setting you turn to, the engine runs like stock.)

Just thought I'd share that bit of info. 

Hi Thumper, do you mean, not to disconect the battery then reconect it while the tuning box is plugged in?

I'd like to know too.

Today I changed my setting back to that which I'd been using for a few months now. It's made an immediate difference to the shoddy low-down performance I was experiencing with it turned to a higher setting. Are you saying, Thumper, that if I reset my ECU right now Fergie will eventually behave as if there were no tuningbox fitted?

[Thumper]

Yes, correct. 

(If you need to disconnect the battery, for whatever reason, disconnect the Tuningbox and run the engine from cold to normal operating temp (Roughly a 10km (6mile) drive, then fit it back onto the engine)

This I have found with the MICI unit. (Not sure if those with the ECO unit will have the same issues)

[Shambles]

Yes, correct. 

(If you need to disconnect the battery, for whatever reason, disconnect the Tuningbox and run the engine from cold to normal operating temp (Roughly a 10km (6mile) drive, then fit it back onto the engine)

This I have found with the MICI unit. (Not sure if those with the ECO unit will have the same issues)

That makes good sense, thanks Thumper.

[Mick]

Sounds like the ECU/PCM goes through some kind of calibration on a hard reset? Both units will react in the same way as they both only under report the fuel pressure. The ECU probably has a routine whereby it sets the reported voltage for a known pressure somehow. Probably to counter act wear and tear on the pump and pressure sensor. Make me wonder whether you could trick it the other way?  
I just hooked a meter to the CR Sensor output, pretty hard to get any definitive readings. Max reported voltage was 3.98V full acceleration in third gear over 4000 RPM. Most of the time in normal driving the Sensor voltage is below 2V, medium acceleration in second gear at 2000 RPM about 2.8V.
Looking at the the box outputs there isn't a huge difference between the outputs from 2.5V to 3.5V (1/4 setting difference 0.1V Max setting difference 0.2V@ 2.6V (from sensor), 1/4 setting difference 0.2V Max setting difference 0.55V @ 3.5V (from sensor).

If the output from the sensor is linear then it seems it provides from about 1000PSI to about 4000PSI difference in fuel pressure depending on the box settings.
The adjusting screw on the ECO must be set prior to power up. It does not vary the output once the unit is running, it appears it is configured as some sort of analog switch.

[Alesand]

I have a version of the 1,6 CRDI with only 90 hp and 235 in torque. (Compared to the usual 115hp with 255 torgue.)

Do you think the tuningbox will give me the same performance as it does in a 115hp engine?
Or will it be a more moderate increase due to the lower starting power?

[davet]

Your second assumption is correct - the performance increase is relative to base engine.  Here is what is claimed
 for your engine:

schreibung:   Tuningboxen zum Selbsteinbau für das angegebene Fahrzeug

Die technischen Daten sind wie folgt
Werte:    KW | PS | Nm | Vmax
Serie:    066 | 090 | 235 | 172
Eco Tuning:    078 | 106 | 277 | 182
MICI Tuning:    079 | 108 | 282 | 183
DIGI Tuning:    079 | 108 | 282 | 183

[funkigreendog]

Does the tuning box need to be fitted by a pro or can it be self installed?

[Shambles]

Does the tuning box need to be fitted by a pro or can it be self installed?

Around 10 mins of self-fitting, most of which is deciding where to position the box, but as my pics show, it's not too hard to choose

[funkigreendog]

Apologies if I've missed this, but what needs to be done to get the special discount rate, that's been disussed previously?

[Mick]

I think the "discount" is available to anyone who asks. Email and say you'r from the forum.

[funkigreendog]

Thanks Mick - One last question.

Does anyone have any idea how this sort of mod is looked upon from an insurance perspective?

[Shambles]

Does anyone have any idea how this sort of mod is looked upon from an insurance perspective?

I would personally keep it quiet.

[Shambles]

(If you need to disconnect the battery, for whatever reason, disconnect the Tuningbox and run the engine from cold to normal operating temp (Roughly a 10km (6mile) drive, then fit it back onto the engine)

This I have found with the MICI unit. (Not sure if those with the ECO unit will have the same issues)

Right. Confirmed. I suffered my first ever stall last Saturday as the engine seemed to be "hunting" for air or fuel. Dunno what happened, although I did have the -ve disconnected from the battery for a while just before, as I had cleanwiped the engine bay.

Washed the beast Sunday and reset the ECU having left the tuningbox off. Drove to work today (42+miles) and she felt like a slug in treacle. Refitted the box before I set off back and the difference was amazing. Back to what I'd been used to. Pure zip. Lovely torque available from right down.