The NVRAM in the Denso PCM is actually rated to tens of thousands of flashes by the manufacturer.
Denso rates it lower because they have OE liability to take into account.
You will never reach the flash limit of your PCM.

As I explained earlier, I provide three "flavors" of flash - N/A, turbo and supercharged - each of which comes in three "levels" like what people call "stages", each progressively more aggressive.
You would select the lowest level flash that corresponds to your setup and model year and load it.
Then you drive around for a while and observe your fuel trims.
After they have established, you select the appropriate "adjustment" flash in the same group as the one you have loaded that negates the fuel trim and you drive again for verification.
Then, you would work your way up to maximum load on the engine, verifying that there are no stumbles or other issues.
Then, if you are feeling randy and you hate your CAT, you would move up to "level 2" and then "level 3" for more power.

 

so when is a stage 2 or 3 dyno coming.....

 

My bad i must have missed that post. A FEW hundred really doesnt tell me much though, but whatever, i was just wondering. From the sounds of it there shouldnt be any way one should reach that amount of activity, so....

 

I don't know, really.
I'm going to get some cars on the dyno next week, so I will have some data.
However, they won't be "maximum power" type things.
I'm just looking for improvement and relative differences in tuning levels.

I would imagine that there will be a flood of dyno data once people start taking delivery of these things.

The first wave of orders will go out on Wednesday.
I'd say, start looking for dynos on Friday!

 

^^Exactly, you will have to create a seperate thread for AP dyno charts (hell, maybe even a sticky!). Really lookin forward to them.

 

Once they start shipping, there will be a whole "experiences" thread, I'm sure.
There probably should be a dyno comparison thread, but that would get pretty complicated.

 

Sounds great. No doubt expect me to post some dyno time a week or so later

 

Sorry for being such a noob about this - I just want to get it right when I receive mine... but, what do you mean by observing "fuel trims"?

If you're including a faq sheet with answers to these types of questions, then disregard my question.

 

You just look at them on the AccessPORT display.

 

Much agreed. MM I think for some of the tuning noobs here you need a basic how-to post.

For instance like if fuel trim x is above x% move on to map with x variables.

Just because for me I have no idea. Could a day dedicated to finding the right map do it, or are these trims built over weeks??

Just imagine writing it for a second grader, and I suspect that would do.

 

good explanation, Charles.

I rather have just enough at my disposal to get my car running smoothly and let someone who knows more about it to do the fine tuning. having all of it on hand means one will think they can do it for themselves, whether they are competent or not.

 

The Accessport seems like it could be a good alternative to the INT-X but without the tuning software it would not be worth it. Probably work ok on N/A cars, but if the car is turbo'd you would need the software for tuning. I do not recommend "Map Slapping" on a turbo car and especially a rotary. I have seen to many blown motors because of that.

Jason

 

CRH: This is why I like the concept of devices like the access port, have the professionals design the map, and hopefully one would beable to load one and not worry about having to learn how to tune. I'd assume the maps would have some sort of 'safety buffer' associated with them.

 

The only saftey buffer would be for a rich tune with pulled timing. That is ok and safe, but you could be leaving 50HP on the table doing it like that. Unless the Accessport uses knock detection or montiors A/F's constantly. I dont know enough about it, but I assume not.

 

A tuner actually has a few options to limit epitrochoidal chamber pressure. Fuel, ignition advance, ignition separation can be used, as well as limited RPM, intake manifold controls, & DBW controls. You can ultimately limit the amount of airflow going into a rotary engine which in turn can limit the combustion chamber pressure (power output). As datalogs and testing provide feedback, you can begin to increase power to an appropriate point for the given conditions, driving styles, and fuel used. Proper EMS calibration should not be seen as flipping a switch, but the EMS reflashing process can...which is part of what the AccessPORT does. I apologize for this shameless plug, but that is a beauty of this device. We can update the firmware on the device to meet the demands of the market. We just need feedback, the ability, and time in order to do this. I am not sure if I answered all of your concerns, but I hope this information is helpful.
Agreed, testing and tuning is appropriate. Although, ultimately, the manufacturer "slaps" a tune on an engine and lets it go. Modern OEM EMS systems are very capable and are faster, more powerful, and more capable in feedback controls than some of the best aftermarket EMS systems I have seen, used, calibrated, etc. to date. Most EMS systems that the public has access to were developed in the 80s and 90s. This is opposed to the lucky few OEM engineers and calibrators that have the resources to constantly improve their EMS boxes. We are offering the AccessTUNER Professional software to professional tuning facilities and we should be releasing a version for individual users soon.

Regardless, if phrases such as epitrochoidal chamber pressure, Lambda, ignition separation, throttle-by-wire etc. are unfamiliar to you. As CHR, MM, and others have suggested, completing extensive research prior to thinking about tuning your own Renesis engine would be good, and necessary advise.

Take care,
Christian.

 

That may be for a turbocharged car...but for a NA car I doubt the differences would be so grand.

Better safe than sorry.

 

Thanks for the input CRH, Christian, MM, and others I have missed. Myself, I'm definitely more than willing to let other vastly more knowledgeable folks tune my car. I know that while I would potentially buy the software just for investigative purposes, I by no means have the smarts or the guts to try and build my own map.

And as MM pointed out previously, as I've discovered over the past week and change, the AP is a great driveability mod. I'm looking forward to some modest mods in the future to help the car out a wee bit more. On a side note, our local Mazda club had a Dyno Day yesterday at the same shop where I did my runs. None of them tested higher than my stock 8 (170hp prior to installing the AP). They all had CAIs on their cars.

 

Agreed.

 

Yea I was refering to turbo RX-8's. HP differences in an N/A car would be a lot smaller.

Jason

 

Hmm... actually all I wanted was a clarification of MM's directions earlier. But I guess it's for people that have more experience with tuning. In that case, I'll happily just "slap on" Cobb's standard stage 1 for the moment and after reading more about ... um.. the above lingo, I'll move on to selecting which one of MM's maps to use.

 

OK - I can see lots of newbies joining up and reading over their heads - patience my young grasshoppers....

 

I plan on getting dyno numbers on Friday if possible. But I also want to make sure there is enough time to pick the proper map on the accessport. Jeff, how long does it take to find out if the LTFT suggests a map change is required? Would it even matter since on the dyno the runs are WOT?

 

I would play with it a while on the street.
Fuel trims set pretty quickly.
For the purposes of selecting the proper flash, you only need to get the low-end trim, and you can get it pretty close by just looking at the STFT around idle and low load, which is instantaneous.
For the purpose of a dyno run, it probably won't matter a whole bunch, but the power in the lower RPMs will increase a bit over time as the trims get settled.

 

I am dying to know if the AP will work for Canadian models.

I am almost willing to buy the AP anyways and if it does not work, simply buy a USDM pcm for my car to make it work.

I am currently driving my car without any EMS. It drives like stock but not very fun to drive like a granny!

 

There are some Canadian customers that should be able to report back in the next week or so.