Recommend a tuner in Auckland?

[OSiRiS]

Hey there,

Can anyone recommend a tuner in Auckland?

Mods are:
600x300x76mm Front Mount Intercooler
Custom Cold Airbox
Walbro Intank 255 Fuel Pump
APEXi S-AFC (Blue Screen)

Put your recommendations up and any contact info if possible. I will be ringing around today and tomorrow or whenever I have any contact details.

I'll also use this thread to keep tabs on quotes from various tuners.

Ta,
OSiRiS

[OSiRiS]

Ohlsen Developments Ltd

Address: 10 George Tce Onehunga Auckland
Phone number: 0-9-636 5436

Just rang Ohlsen Developments and they referred me to ST Hi-Tec as they don't have a dyno and usually send their Jap Import cars to ST.


ST Hi-Tec

Phone number: 0-9-573 5575

Rang ST Hi-Tec and they say it'll take 2 to 3 hours and cost a total $450 to $500

:|

[OSiRiS]

Torque Performance

Address: 6 Fremlin Pl Avondale Auckland
Phone number: 0-9-828 7054

Just rang Torque Performance, they said their standard price is $300 for the first hour, $250 for every hour after that plus a $25 charge for the o2 sensor. The lady on the phone said average costs are $600 to $700 all up and it normally takes 3 to 4 hours.

Hmmm...

[OSiRiS]

Gary Capper Motorsport

Address: 10 Crosbie Rd Pukekohe Auckland
Phone number: 0-9-238 0016

Rang Gary first thing this morning, however he was out on the road. So I left my name and number with the receptionist. In all honestly I was surprised he called me back! Had a good yarn about VR4s and what needs to be done etc. From what I have experienced so far this is definately the place to go.

He is available from next week onwards so I'll get a definate booking sorted.

He has quoted me $400 including GST for all of the above services INCLUDING installing the fuel pump.

As I'm not too sure exactly what is happening, either boost or fuel cut, he has even said he will research into looking at a fuel cut defender if this tuning has not solved the problem of the cut out of the engine that I am experiencing.

Very happy.

[ako]

I can't offer any advice for a tuner in auckland - being from chch - but just remember that there is no BOOST cut on mitsubishis. Its all airflow. Hence - an FCD won't help your cause, but leaning out the S-AFC will. If he tries to sell you one, pass on it.

[OSiRiS]

I can't offer any advice for a tuner in auckland - being from chch - but just remember that there is no BOOST cut on mitsubishis. Its all airflow. Hence - an FCD won't help your cause, but leaning out the S-AFC will. If he tries to sell you one, pass on it.

Ok

Then what is causing the cut?

Fuel cut?

[Kenneth]

Ok

Then what is causing the cut?

Fuel cut?

Basically the ECU looks at the frequency from the MAF sensor, it then looks up the RPM and possibly the TPS delta (change in TPS) and comes back with something like "crap, I dont know how to handle this sort of thing" and so cuts fuel to sort it out.

In addition to this, I was getting fuel cut and did a wide band O2 logging session on saturday. there is no leaning out before cut, so you can assume it is very conservative.

Don't know what it is about my car, but I used to get fuel cut even on standard boost on cold nights :(

[OSiRiS]

I don't understand what ako posted.

How do I solve the problem? Gary mentioned FCD. Ako said no FCD.

[Kenneth]

I don't understand what ako posted.

How do I solve the problem? Gary mentioned FCD. Ako said no FCD.

The S-AFC is designed to alter the MAF signal. What the tuner will do is monitor the AFRs and then carefuly alter the MAF signal so that the AFR (in the case of a VR-4) will increase. this is because in standard trim the ECU will aim for something around 10:1 when for max power you want around 12.5:1 for safety IIRC you go somewhere around 11.5:1.

anyway, this tuning will alter the MAF signal and make it look lower than it really is. because of this, the ECU does its standard lookup but it is looking in a slightly different part of its fuel table. This is hopefully in a RPM/MAF/TPS(load) point where it thinks things are nice and safe. as a result you dont get fuel cut

/edit: my understanding of a FCD is that it clamps the MAXIMIUM MAF signal. because of this, you never get to the point where the ECU cuts fuel. unfortunatly the ECU doesn't tend to inject any more fuel eithier because It doesnt know that it is flowing more air. if you were going to do this you would probably want a additional fuel injector controller. a rising rate FPR will most likely provide a bit more fuel as the boost level rises, but not enough.

[OSiRiS]

Ok so just tuning the S-AFC will do the trick?

[Kenneth]

Ok so just tuning the S-AFC will do the trick?
That cannot be gaurenteed. a FCD will gaurentee it, but leave more chance of blowing up your engine.

[OSiRiS]

Ok now I understand what is happening from your explanation Kenneth.

Another question, do I need a FPR?

[Kenneth]

Ok now I understand what is happening from your explanation Kenneth.

Another question, do I need a FPR?

the car has one as it is, I don't know how good it is. I was advised that the first things I should get before tuninng are:
1) FPR
2) Fuel pump

for what I want to do the Sard FPR ($225) and Walbro 255Lph pump (~$300, probably a bit less if you look around) will sufice

[ako]

Possibly, but its not a MUST HAVE item. The new walbro pump may make your car run rich all over the place (it flows more than the stock pump, and may "overload" the stock regulator), some cars don't have this issue. Some do, and just run pig rich - I dont think most legnums have run into this issue though. Going to a SARD reg or similar means you get much better metering of the fuel, and the ability to fine tune the base pressure to give more or less fuel right across the board. Upping the base pressure is a good stopgap measure to help overcome injectors which aren't big enough.

Cheers for clearing up what I said earlier too kenneth :scholar: Like K said, a FCD "clamps" the signal going to the ECU at a certain value, but to date I haven't seen one work with any real reliability on a mitsubishi ECU. All to happy to be proved wrong though!

Leaning out the S-AFC WILL help the issue a lot, since the computer now thinks it is recieving less air than it really is (hence, it won't cut), and since its being tuned with a wideband you can see just how lean you can safely go. Watch for knock/detonation though, as it will advance your timing as well. Gary knows his stuff inside and out, you should be fine :2thumbsup

[OSiRiS]

Sweet.

Tell me now, FPR before or after tuning.

So I can go get one :)

[Kenneth]

Sweet.

Tell me now, FPR before or after tuning.

So I can go get one :)

before, so you dont have to go tune it again.

My guess is that if you install the FPR first you can then install a better fuel pump later on in the piece without having the problems that ako described

[Wodjno]

Are you running standard boost, have you got a boost gauge, when does the fuel cut happen and when did it start. Sorry for the questions, your answers are probably in another thread i have missed .. :thinking:

[bradc]

take it to Gary, he is definately the best.

I wonder if he was out on the road in my car?

[OSiRiS]

Are you running standard boost, have you got a boost gauge, when does the fuel cut happen and when did it start. Sorry for the questions, your answers are probably in another thread i have missed .. :thinking:

With the boost controller installed and fully closed the car sees 10psi.

It will boost ok to 10psi in the day without cutting. Boosting to 10psi at night though will cut.

I first noticed it when the front mount intercooler was installed. Only rarely though. Now that the cold air box is installed it happens alot often.

Obviously it is due to the colder/denser air.