HalifaxFD

iTrader: (18)

Its that time of the year guys, the toys are coming out to play. I have been putting tuning for my car for over 2 years now mainly because of no reputable tuners near the East Coast. I have been in talks with Marco "thewird" the last little bit and he has agreed to come down and tune some rotaries for us down here. Most of his tuning in concentrated on FD's but he will look at other rotaries as well.

Marco has some pre-tune requirements:

After tuning a handful of less then ready cars, I decided to create this little pre-tuning guide. Hopefully this will make the tuning process smoother and quicker for both the owner and I.

How do you prepare your car for tuning?

- The obvious, fresh oil change within the last 1000 km. If this is a fresh rebuild still on original oil, change it regardless of mileage.
- The dumb, car needs plates and insurance unless it’s a full race car. Also, the car needs a full tank of gas! Fill it up before you drop it off.
- Does your car have any kind of leaks (fuel, oil, coolant, exhaust)? Fix them first.
- Your spark plugs should be fairly new (less then 1000 km). Unless your car is fairly stock, you should be running 9 heat range plugs in both the leading and trailing holes for added reliability. Heavily modified RX-7’s will require colder plugs, contact me if you’re not sure what is best for you.
- Your fuel filter should have been changed within the last 2 years. If you do not know when it was changed, CHANGE IT. If you suspect bad/dirty gas caused your previous engine failure, change your fuel filter regardless of when you last changed it.

Do I have enough fuel? (Mostly Application Specific)

These are mostly from experience and your mileage may vary as every car is different even if they seem to be modified in the same way. Fuel is a critical part of the reliability of a rotary, there is no such thing as overkill, DO NOT CHEAP OUT ON IT.

Injectors:
- AVOID 850cc primaries. Your car will idle rich and drivability will suffer slightly which cannot be completely fixed by tuning. As well as decreased fuel economy.
- A stock port FD with stock sequential twins generally does not need an injector upgrade if the injectors are healthy. If you want to keep things stock and are running out of fuel, cleaning the injectors first is recommended over upgrading your injectors.
- A rich man’s non-sequential FD might need more then stock injectors at higher boost if the car is setup/optimized well for flow. (Intakes, intercooler, full exhaust, healthy twins etc.)
- A street port FD with stock twins will run out of fuel around 11 PSi with stock injectors depending on the porting.
- If you have a single turbo with a compressor inducer of 61mm or bigger, it is highly recommended you have 1600cc secondary injectors. ID1600/ID2000 are also an option to consider as they do not require resistors or a driver box (the only drawback is price)
Fuel pumps:
- Should I upgrade my 20+ year old stock fuel pump? Yes, even if the stock fuel pump should deliver enough fuel for your needs, do you really want to rely on a 20 year old pump?
- It is highly recommended if you do not have your fuel pump rewired directly to the battery with 10 gauge wire, that you do so. Make sure the relay is rated for 40 amps. (these suggestions are not overkill)
- I always used to recommend the Denso Supra TT OEM fuel pump over a Walbro as it has been proven to be more reliable time and time again over the years. Aeromotive also has a new pump out that delivers 340 lb/h and it has been proving reliable so far so I pretty much recommend this pump to everyone now. It is also quite affordable.
- If you’re aiming for 500+ rwhp, dual pumps or an external high flow pump are recommended. A single Aeromotive 340 pump has been able to achieve this on a few setups successfully.

Since we will be bring Marco down here we will be responsible for paying for his expenses (flight, accommodation, meals etc), this of course will depend on how many cars we get tuned. He mentioned that if we get enough cars (8+) he will look after the flight himself.

Tuning charges will be as follows:

$350 for twin turbo and low boost single applications

$400 for single turbos running 16lbs of boost and up

There will also be charges for dyno usage. This price is yet to be determined, I need to get the info from a local shop down here in Halifax. I would rather see the tuning done on a dyno instead of street tuning to keep things safe and legal.

I am looking at a time frame of late May or early June to have this happen. Let start a list of interested parties and see what happens. Be sure to tell as many as possible as an opportunity like this won't come by very often.

1. HalifaxFD

JDK

iTrader: (8)

I can and will vouch for Marco....he’s tuned my race car/street car for many years now with out a failure, he has also tuned many engine's that have been built by myself and my partner over the years.... great tuner and very good value for the money

Redshft

iTrader: (1)

John, great idea. (Although not directly a big help for me.)
Have you talked to Luc and Mike in Moncton? I don't think they hang out on here much.

HalifaxFD

iTrader: (18)

not yet but I will reach out to them shortly.

Gibby860

iTrader: (15)

I'm in. Just got Power FC, need a tune for twins.

1. HalifaxFD
2. Gibby860

Driver_WT

iTrader: (1)

Great idea. I am just working on getting my new FD delivered from USA. I am interested in the tuning, just have to figure out what the new car has and needs. I expect that June will work better than May as I already have a number of out of province business trips planned.

Wade

Redshft

iTrader: (1)

Might want to check with Nick H in Moncton as well. I think he has a PowerFC as well, assuming he still has the car. (Doesn't bring it out much since he got his M3)

HalifaxFD

iTrader: (18)

I don't have Nick's contact info, Luc is not looking for a tune at this point.

Guys, I spoke to the shop tonight who has the dyno and the price for it will be $125/hr or $800/8 hr day.

thewird

iTrader: (8)

I tuned Nick Hanson's car last year. You guys might want to reach him about the dyno since his buddy has a dyno and a HUGE personal workshop. I can get his contact if you guys don't have it.

If you guys have any questions of your car setups, feel free to ask me. Best you ask now to hopefully provide the smoothest possible session later.

Here's an picture I took of the workshop...



thewird

B6T

iTrader: (2)

Is that a BMW M1!?!?!

HalifaxFD

iTrader: (18)

please save unrelated questions for pm's so thread doesn't get clogged up. Thanks.

thewird

iTrader: (8)

Yes it is ^_^

Opps lol

thewird

HalifaxFD

iTrader: (18)

good opportunity here guys.

racerzedge77

iTrader: (2)

Hey guys, I have an FD and need tuning for my new vmount setup. June would work best for me. Just figure out some dates so i can book time off work since i work in alberta.

HalifaxFD

iTrader: (18)

Is the start of June better for all, seems the case thus far.

Driver_WT

iTrader: (1)

Hi John,

I am good for the first part of June. I should have the water injection installed by then

Wade

HalifaxFD

iTrader: (18)

So far we have 4, its a good start.

1. HalifaxFD
2. Gibby860
3. Driver_WT
4. racerzedge77

Redshft

iTrader: (1)

At the risk of going off topic and feeling the Wrath of John...

Marco, are you just tuning Power FCs, or have you been doing other stuff as well? (Just trying to think of who else I know out there that might have something.)

Also, in the spirit of Maritime Hospitality (that happens to also help expenses) I'm sure we can find a bedroom for you somewhere rather than stashing you in some random hotel.

thewird

iTrader: (8)

I tune anything with spinning triangles in it. I think HalifaxFD misunderstood me about being specific to FD's. What I had ment was some of the Pre-Tuning notes are targeted specifically for FD's but generally it applies to all.

I have experience with PowerFC, Haltechs, Microtechs, AEM, Megasquirt (limited), and even OEM RX-8 ECU's (without need for a Cobb unit). I'm comfortable in learning new systems as well as long as I'm notified beforehand to get familiar with the software.

Also as I told HalifaxFD, I'm good with a couch and a shower. No need for a hotel lol.

thewird

misterstyx69

iTrader: (142)

Halifax FD.
I know it is not pertinent to the Tuning,but can you put about 6 ,3 pounders, on ice and in the back of Marco's car before he comes back?
You'd make a Newfie very happy!
.......
Back on Track.Marco tuned My FC,that has the Haltech PS1000 just before winter.It was the first time I ever seen the Tach Bury itself!
So If the FC guys are wondering..YES he can do "that" too!

HalifaxFD

iTrader: (18)

Sorry for the confusion guys but my original post says that Marco mostly deals with FD's but will also look at other rotaries as well. It's good to know that he is familiar with many other ECU's, will open the door for others as well.

Redshft, thanks for asking the question.

misterstyx69, I'll see what we can do. What's your flavor of choice?

I didn't mean to come across as a hardass concerning non pertinent info, just looking to keep the thread on task for other looking to take advantage of this opportunity. Redshft (Dave), you know by know that I don't have much of a Wrath, pretty easy going.

thewird, I don't have a couch available at the moment with the sister in-law living with us at the moment but if someone else could help out it will be beneficial to all.

Redshft

iTrader: (1)

John, I know you are a big softy on the "wrath" front. I was trying to build up your Internet Tough Guy credibility.

Marco, if you don't have an allergy or aversion to a dog being in the house, we should have a guest room that we can offer up. Happy to do my part. The guest room has a queen size bed in it, but if you really insist on a couch, we have one of those in the rec room.

As for anything with triangles, let me cast a little wider net on behalf of John and see who else I can find.

What are you doing/using for stock ECUs on RX-8s? I have a Cobb AP with an MM tune on mine, but I'm curious as I know 3 or 4 other RX-8s that might be candidates.

As for my RX-7, how are you with a Weber IDA carb?

thewird

iTrader: (8)

I'm using the Pro version of MazdaEdit which directly reflash's the ECU with no other devices needed. It is not compatible with Cobb. I'd only be interested in tuning N/A RX-8's on a tuning trip for now.

I do plan to learn the ways of the carb one day but it won't be on a tuning trip. The most I could do is tell you add/remove fuel with a wideband plugged in. Not very helpful hehe.

I'm not alergic to dogs

thewird

Redshft

iTrader: (1)

Well, if you're good with the dog, we have a room for you. (Sorry, he lives here so I had to check.)

As for the carb, yeah, the black arts of tuning it have been fun.

Dumb question, but, regarding MazdaEdit for the RX8. I was trying to stay sane on a conference call the other day, so I read the 16 page thread on it. Seems like a cool tool. The one thing I wasn't 100% sure on. Do the end-users need to buy a license/cable/etc or can just the tuner have the Pro version + cable and do on-site tuning on any car? Just trying to figure out how wide a net I can cast for you.

There are a bunch of Speed3s and Miata's around, but that's probably a whole other set of MazdaEdit skills.

thewird

iTrader: (8)

The beauty of Mazdaedit, is the owner of the car does not require a single piece of hardware or license to be purchased.

thewird