PiXEL

Im new to the performance side of things with my car, and shops have done most everything up until this point. I feel as if a touch of my very own work is needed to really bring this car to life. I want to start by learning how to reprogram an ecu.
ive briefly browsed around the internet looking for guides to this, but i havent found many that are decent. I fully understand that each brand and each chip will be diferent, but i want to at least learn the basics to it and the terms used by these programs and the tuners.
Once i wrap my head around the basic concepts, I would like to find a chip that can grow as my skills and my engine do. I want to stay away from the chips that have presets as i fel this is against what im going for with the tuning to begin with.

With the above knowledge, my questions are:
What is the best source of information about ECU's and EMS's?
What is a solid chip to get that is good at everything from maximizing the stock engine output to pulling out every pound of boost from an M90 and everything in between.
Thank you in advance to everyone who can help,

spdrcr771

iTrader: (21)

Toyota ECU cant be hacked. You can do piggy back's but you said you didn't want preset configurations. You will have to go full stand alone EMS to set everything custom. If you looking to go roots boosted with a M90 there are a couple of options on what EMS to use. You will want to search www.lextreme.com for more V8 info on these 1uz 2uz 3uz engines. I know I didn't answer all your question. But this will help get you goin in the right direction.

PiXEL

Not all, but most. thank you very much for the information you've provided. if anyone elsecan provide direct sources of information or what chips to use with different scenarios it will be much appreciated.
the engine will be one of four variants:
NA: goal HP 450, stock five spd auto
Supercharged: goal HP 550, M90 and R154 swap
Single turbo: goal HP 650, Borg Warner S366 and V160 Swap

im not sure which path to follow as of yet, im trying to plan out the parts list for each and see which one i prefer.

Vrank

iTrader: (4)

You're about 3 years of hard earned work away to make this happen on your own. Minimum. It takes tuners years to figure things out, and most of them start out doing just basic wrenching and getting a good understanding of how things work, break, wear, etc. This is something you really learn through experience. You need to get your hands dirty. Also, the your car will never ever make 450whp naturally aspirated, especially through the auto which would most likely not hold that anyway. superchargers are stupid imo because they're inefficient in the sense that it takes power to make the power (think of it as ac, you click it on and feel robbed, so basically the boost masks/compensates for the power being lost) whereas a turbo uses otherwise wasted exhaust gasses to spool a turbo and make power. With a lot of math and comprehension it's possible to make a turbo engine respond similar to a supercharger.

Why did you choose the s366? Is it because consensus on the board says its a bad mother****er?

Basically, this is way way way way way over your head right now. Additionally, the engine that you have is weak internally and comlicated management wise, so it would not be a cheap/forgiving learning procedure.

I know it sounds cool, but be realistic. What you're saying is not realistic anytime in the near future. Good luck if you try to tackle this. I'm honestly not trying to bring you down, rather trying to keep you from getting way over your head with something and turn away from cars altogether. Seen it happen quite a bit. Keep your sc a nice daily or whatever it is right now, and find something you can get the basics on down that's more forgiving.

Ali SC3

iTrader: (10)

vvti 1uz should be enjoyed in stock form, maybe intake and exhaust.
It is the weakest internally it really cannot handle much boost at all, and seriously if you make 450 n/a horsepower out of it you would have to be the tuner of the century and have some magical skills, it is basically tuned up from factory.
now if you had a 92-94 1uz sc400, I would say go for it those motors can take some punishment, but 95+ they are inteference and 98+ they are inteference with vvti with weaker rods and everything basically.

PiXEL

Thank you for your reply. After going through two libraries and most of the internet i realize how difficult it is to tune. I went into this thinking that it was something people strayed away from because it was more on the electrical side of things as opposed to the mechanical. definitely wrong.

Challenge accepted. (just kidding..mostly)

Yeah, i suppose i would need to swap the transmission out if i do start making power. from what ive read the 5 spd auto isnt much good above 375.

No, because the consensus of most of the internet says its a bad mother****er. Most everything i learn off the internet or through books as i dont know anyone personally that is experienced at building a motor the way im looking to do it. (working with a stock bottom end and building up, mechanics i know are more the swap in an LS, use a 4 speed powerglide, etc. type)


I know, i have chosen the most difficult way to begin learning. As for the weak internals, is it possible to swap to older 1UZ internals or use Internals from the 2/3UZ? Would forged pistons alone support 450?


I understand where you're coming from.

Thank you for the information, it has helped quite a bit. I suppose my new goal is to learn more about my engine and what it is capable of before proceeding.

PiXEL

also, i completely forgot about lextreme when i posted this. i just found im the 39325525th person to ask this question.

RandC

A piggyback ECU gives you a lot of tuning capability. Primarily fuel and ignition mapping, but also other things, like changing from MAF sensor, to MAP sensor. It is possible to completely remap a car after turbocharging, or supercharging with a stock ECU.

I installed a Dastek Unichip and wideband O2 sensor in my car. Greddy also makes one and there are others. I chose the Unichip, because I have one in my Tundra, with a preinstalled map for my headers and exhaust system and it worked very well.

There is not a Unichip system available for the SC400, so I had to go through several iterations of getting the wiring diagram from them, which didn't work, then troubleshooting it with them. In the end, it runs perfectly and you wouldn't know it's there. The wiring is not super-complicated. It basically takes the MAF signal and modifies it to make the main ECU change the mixture. It does a similar thing with timing. To map it, you use the wideband (Lambda) sensor to determine the fuel correction offset at each throttle position/RPM cell in the map. It does a similar map by changing timing until peak torque at each cell position is reached, then backing off a click, or two for safety.

It is identical to a Power Commander on a fuel injected motorcycle.

At anything below about 80% throttle, the ECU in a car controls fuel mapping with the O2 sensor. If the O2 sensor senses lean the ECU adds fuel until the O2 sensor toggles to rich. This oscillation between rich and lean controls the temperature of the CATs. There is nothing you can do with the stock ECU to change this. My wideband O2 display shows that even with ported heads, headers and full exhaust system, the ECU has no problem holding the mixture at 14.7:1 (toggling leaner, every few seconds).

Most cars are mapped very rich at the top end. Mine is no exception. That and timing map are where the performance gains are to be had. So you get more performance, with better gas mileage - a no brainer. I just have not had the opportunity to get mine mapped yet. There is nobody close by to get it done, so I signed up to be a tuner and bought the tuning module and software. I just need a shop with a dyno. I've been waiting for my manual transmission, so I don't have to deal with the transmission wanting to shift.

If I get to 280 RWHP, it would be amazing. For more I'll need a supercharger. But for a supercharger, I have to build the bottom end to take it. Rods and pistons are required. Handling comes first!