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ECU Tuning

Huv1

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Anyone recently done any tuning on a '19 AR190, 1.8 N/A engine? I'm not looking for more top speed but would love to have more punch on the low/mid-range end with a smoother throttle response. I've already done the cone mod with good result but feel there must still be some more to gain. I did some ecu programming on my Suzuki ATV with incredible results. The thing would stand up and sing...it was a beast and I loved it. Hoping to be able to do something similar with the boat. I read several threads from a few years ago but wondering if anyone has done something more recent with perhaps some newer technology that may not be crazy expensive. I appreciate any input you may have and any companies that might have something I could look at. Thanks for the help.
 

Ronnie

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@swatski may have some information for you regarding ecu flashing/tuning. As I recall it’s not cheap and may not result in much or any performance improvement all by itself.
 

2kwik4u

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@swatski may have some information for you regarding ecu flashing/tuning. As I recall it’s not cheap and may not result in much or any performance improvement all by itself.
My understanding was that the overall performance in terms of time to plane, top speed, and even mid-range transition power was largely NOT affected by the tune. The largest (and still overwhelmingly worthwhile) changes were to the throttle mapping. This lead to a more linear engine response to throttle input, instead of the factory non-linear feel.......Basically, not much power to be gained, but some good "driveability" increases.
 

Huv1

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It sounds like throttle response may be more of what I'm looking for rather than how I explained it the first time being uneducated on the topic. Your linear throttle mapping has me intrigued.
 

Maccam26

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GP1800R HO & VXR/VX-HO Stage 1 Kit

Can this kit be used on our boats? If it'll gain a few mph on a ski, may get better acceleration on the boat? Anyhow, I'm good with mine, if i want more power i'd probably upgrade to SVHO.
 

swatski

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It sounds like throttle response may be more of what I'm looking for rather than how I explained it the first time being uneducated on the topic. Your linear throttle mapping has me intrigued.
I would call or email Jerry Gaddis of 4tech/greenhulk store, the last time I checked was about two years ago and it was Jesus Garcia doing the tuning, these guys are great and deliver quality product and service, also super responsive with any questions; the simple system with a Maptuner X is not cheap though, but gives you the flexibility of switching back to backup stock software on demand. Yes, throttle response is great with their tunes, the engines sound and work great the only drawback is needing premium octane fuel.

Oh, and just be advised:
if you do that and post here - there an asshat called gmtech may jump on your post and tell you your motors will grenade while you are going to go to jail for insurance fraud and being a bad person, lol (I'm actually not exaggerating much), so brace yourself!
Or don't post on your mods. You can always pm those who care.


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2kwik4u

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I would call or email Jerry Gaddis of 4tech/greenhulk store, the last time I checked was about two years ago and it was Jesus Garcia doing the tuning, these guys are great and deliver quality product and service, also super responsive with any questions; the simple system with a Maptuner X is not cheap though, but gives you the flexibility of switching back to backup stock software on demand. Yes, throttle response is great with their tunes, the engines sound and work great the only drawback is needing premium octane fuel.

Oh, and just be advised:
if you do that and post here - there an asshat called gmtech may jump on your post and tell you your motors will grenade while you are going to go to jail for insurance fraud and being a bad person, lol (I'm actually not exaggerating much), so brace yourself!
Or don't post on your mods. You can always pm those who care.


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I need two emoji's for this one. 1st half is great, second half is poking the bear. Lighten up and let it go man, life is too short to carry this shit around.
 

Ronnie

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@swatski , I agree with @2kwik4u that’s why I gave your post a thumbs down. The first part was informative but the second part was unnecessary and makes you look like the troll you accused gmtech of being, worse actually because you were instigating/pre-trolling. I think you are better than that and believe most members here that have followed your posts would agree. Please don’t prove me/us wrong.
 

Compatico

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Maptuner X is not cheap though, but gives you the flexibility of switching back to backup stock software on demand. Yes, throttle response is great with their tunes, the engines sound and work great the only drawback is needing premium octane fuel.
Are you talking about the naturally aspirated 1.8l engines too? If so, I'm guessing this tune advances spark and requires the octane to retard combustion for proper power stroke?
 

swatski

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Are you talking about the naturally aspirated 1.8l engines too? If so, I'm guessing this tune advances spark and requires the octane to retard combustion for proper power stroke?
Yes, as far as I understand it, there is that and also remapping voltages of the throttle APS map - similar to things like "Pedal Commander" (?) which by the way is another favorite of mine - in the truck, not available for our boats.
I must add, for the ultimate in throttle control there is RideSteady but that bypasses the binnacles altogether.

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2kwik4u

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Yes, as far as I understand it, there is that and also remapping voltages of the throttle APS map - similar to things like "Pedal Commander" (?) which by the way is another favorite of mine - in the truck, not available for our boats.
I must add, for the ultimate in throttle control there is RideSteady but that bypasses the binnacles altogether.

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I've heard nothing but good reviews on all 3 of those products. I believe with the information and review I've seen that they are all safe to use and present no imminent danger of damaging your equipment, and produce good results.

So......with that said, a few notes for others reading along.

An interesting (and important IMO) distinction to make between these products is that both Ridesteady and Pedal Commander intercept and alter the signals from the source sensor to the ECM, while MapTunerX actually modifies the ECM data.

Most ECMs have built in protections against improper signals being received as well as limits on the outputs to prevent damage to engine/transmission/accessories/etc. Flashing the ECM CAN (doesn't mean it does, just that it can) remove or otherwise circumvent these protections. In this case you have to ensure that the source of your tunes are from a reputable source. You're putting the control over your engine parameters in someone else's hands, and shouldn't take that lightly. Likewise editing the data on the ECM yourself should only be done if you understand the consequences of your changes and are prepared to accept the risk of the modifications. Again, I see MapTunerX and the tunes @swatski has been using as relatively safe. We don't know exactly what parameters were changed (timing, fuel mixture, ECM protection overrides or defeats, or any other myriad of data points), however we have proven results with myriad of hours of run time and no directly related failures. I personally want to know more before I run it, but I have a background of ECM tuning am more curious than concerned.

A similar line of thought exists on products like the Pedal Commander. The ECM can only react to what its sensors tell it. Garbage in garbage out. If the data the ECM receives is altered to a poor state, then the ECM can only do so much to correct that data. So an ounce of caution should be used when looking at products that alter the signal to the ECM. Again, both the Pedal Commander and Ridesteady are excellent products, however there are a number of others out there that are not. I've used and tried a handful of them over the years, and more often than not they don't produce the results they advertise, and cause unintended side effects.

Moral of my ramblings here is that one should understand not just the intended outcome of engine management products, but also how they work, and what other items could be impacted.

Feel free to ask me to elaborate on any of these points. I have years of ECM tuning time, as well as additional experience building mechatronics systems that use the same components as your basic ECM setup.

*edit*.......I reread this post, and realized I had some spelling and grammatical errors. I fixed those. I should really type this length of post on a computer instead of my phone.
 
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