Opensource Mazda Rx8 Tuning
 

Hi, Im the proud owner of a 2009 wrx and a Tactrix cable and im not the most knowledgeable with the rotary engine. I have a friend who has a 2008 mazda rx8 that is running a cold air intake and a catless Mp and axleback(not sure what this exhaust is called, for subarus itd be a turbo back....pretty much everything but headers). Now i know for my subaru this would be very unsafe so my first question is whether it is safe to run this without a proper tune. He'd like to tune his car but im not sure if this can be done with a tactrix cable and computer software. So the second question is can this be done? The third is if this can be done is there a place (like romraider for subarus) that has a forum with people who are willing to e tune is car?(or someone on the forums here). After doing hours of research i haven't come upon anything that definitively answers these questions so a definite answer would be appreciated.
Much thanks to anyone who can help clear this up!

Since you own a Subaru you might have heard of a Cobb Accessport.. They also have those for the Rx8.

It is okay to run the car with a midpipe and intake without a tune. You will need one to maximize it. The COBB is one way. Just don't try to buy it from COBB....and good luck with the hurdles to get it tuned.

LOL
Hilarious

really?

ah yeah!
What are you reading?

Welcome aboard lil' Billy



.

Ive heard of the accessport but itd seem rediculous to pay $600 for it when i already have a tactrix cable. So from the responses im assuming there's nobody who produces maps that i could flash via my computer and the cable?

it would be ridiculous when you can get a used one for $300 or so, but it's especially ridiculous that you have no idea what else is required beyond a communication cable

I've know exactly what's required to tune a Subaru. Ive tuned mine with the tactrix, ecuflash, and romraider. Romraider is only for subarus. I need software to flash it to the car, I need someone who knows how to tune an rx8 and would be willing to make maps, and I need a data logging program with the correct Mazda definitions correct?

mazda maniac might or might not be a solution for you if you plan on using the cobb. probably worth a look.

Okay I'll definitely look into Mazda maniac... seems like the only option is to get a Cobb so I'll check it out

MazdaEdit is your tactrix cable solution. Its $900 though, however a cheaper personal version is in the works for you guys. MazdaManiac will just laugh in your face if you pose those questions to him or most likely not even reply at all.

thewird

You may want to as these question to Kane.

The thread seems to have died down now, but I was reading up on RX8 XML file for ecuflash the other day, from the sounds of it there was progress being made. Might follow up there and see if you can bring that thread back to life. I seems to me if the mazdaedit software can do openecu/ecuflash should be able to do it just need to get enough interest from the smart people that sort out all the table address locations....... I have been using ecuflash and tatrix for years on evos and dsms, its truly awesome stuff!

Ecuflash can't read/write from the RX-8 computer. It's not just about definitions.

thewird

I really don't see your point?

We have the Cobb AP and MazdaEdit ... you can at least with the Cobb AP and the Access Tuner Race software (I've never used the MazdaEdit software) pass unlocked maps around to other people.
Doesn't mean you should use those maps, as each engine is different and needs its own adjustments.
But you could .. if you wanted to ... both see and install the map I use on my boosted RX8 in to your NA RX8.

What more is it you want? Free software? You can't afford too buy a used Cobb AP or buy the personal edition of Mazdaedit?

Or is it that you want to see the code that runs the software?

Or is it you want to have access to all the tables even thou nobody seems to be able to decipher what the heck the all mean?

What is the point??? Apparently you dont get it. The taxtrix cable is $60 (I think taxtrix 2 is more) and the software is free and opensource. Spend some time researching openecu/Tatrix/ecuflash. The evo/sti community is doing more with the stock ecu than AP ever thought about doing and everyday there are new discoveries and new features being added.

I was researching the same topic and it pointed me to this thread so I was sharing what I learned with the topic starter. I if AP and Mazdaedit is working for you, then fine, keep using what you have. I am looking for an opensource solution that the community can control and develop.

Well the community has been having this discussion since forever. It's a great concept as long as you're the person expecting someone else to provide you with the software rather than the person doing the work. So far the people that have done the work also expect to be compensated for it. It's not unreasonable, or at least not as unreasonable as expecting someone else to hand over all their work and effort for free. Out of curiosity, what is your contribution going to be beyond getting something that benefits you for free?


.

So that wasn't so hard now was it? And no I didn't get it that is why I asked/wrote I don't see your point.
Now I do get it, you want free and cheap.

So if I understand this, you need someone to develop the software and to map the tables and give it to you for free?

The RX8 community isn't as big as the EVO/Subaru community so finding someone that is will to do this for free is rather difficult.

Now there was one guy around here that was using a Hex editor (I think) to reverse engineer all the maps and such...
Oltmann I think was the guy RX8Club.com - View Profile: oltmann

But I think he is gone now ... his profile says he hasn't been online since last year. You could try asking him to make something for you, he might still be lurking around the forum.

As an aside, I barked up this tree a few months ago a few threads down ("Data logging open source app", iirc).

We of the Subaru / Evo community are ridiculously spoiled when it comes to open source tuning. We take it for granted that others put in the elbow grease and leg work for us long ago to make ECUFlash and ROMRaider available, for free, for us to go and brick our ECU's and blow up our cars as we saw fit.

Even then, with all of the tools at our disposal to do it ourselves, if you go on LGT.com, NASIOC or OpenECU forums you get people all the time asking for stage II and even stage III+ maps for free... and complaining (loudly) when they don't get them... I say again, for free.

So yes, we Subaru folks are an entitled lot, and I don't really blame the OP for at least asking because to be honest, I spent a few hours myself searching on this topic when I first joined the site and I didn't see anything. Turns out, I didn't see anything because there isn't anything to be seen.

OP: Unfortunately, there just aren't enough gains to be made on an N/A RX8 to justify the thousands of man hours it would take to replicate ROMRaider and ECUFlash for these cars for free. Plus, this PCM is far more complex than our Subaru ECU's.

^^^^^^ Nicely put.
Cheers

agreed!!!!!

Really well written response and thank you for that. If there's not much to be gained from an NA rx8 then it makes sense. I do feel quite spoiled in the ease of access to a huge amount of information along with the ease of being able to go on romraider, find a reputable tuner, pay him money, and get an awesome tune in the subaru community!