help a brother out and explain dynamics of tuning

phantom-civic · 11-10-2006, 02:40 PM

alright i was all ready to give up on making my r18 faster and then sickyute had to go and post about the r18 turbo for both AT and 5spd. i have an at (i know i'm sorry guys it was what i could get at my very needy short notice w/ parents fundage)but now that the turbo will work w/ an AT i'm inspired, i know i would prob more likley go w/ a supercharger but i see this as opportunity for an education. I know getting a turbo involves tuning, and since i'm new to this i was wondering what 'tuning' consists of? managing fuel injection, temp, oil pressure? how often do have to check these things? how expensive is it to get installed (i stop at bolt ons). I really admire you guys who do and know about this stuff and while i don't expect a professional education i figure i'd take the opportunity to learn as much as i can from the masters. thanks for the support :)

RWatters · 11-13-2006, 01:22 PM

Tuning adjusts the various functions of the motor (adding fuel, removing fuel, ignition timing advance/retard, etc.) to make sure that it is running safely with the increased amount of power. With more power comes the need for more fuel to deal with the increased amount of air the motor is sucking in, and without the proper air to fuel ratio to help with that you could damage/blow up your motor as a result.

Turbochargers require different ways of tuning because the turbocharger is spooled not only at full throttle but part throttle as well. If you don't tune/adjust for both the motor can detonate itself to death on your lovely highway trip home. It happens a lot on turbocharged DSM's that tune off of SAFC versus a much nicer program like DSM link.

Essentially tuning ensures the safety of your motor. It is ABSOLUTELY necessary that, once you are running forced induction or any method that gives you a lot more power over stock, that you tune the vehicle accordingly not only to take full advantage of the increase in power but make sure that it is adjusted accordingly so that you don't cause severe engine damage as a result.

Hope that helps.

bLaCkAnGeL07 · 11-13-2006, 01:43 PM

so more importantly, if you don't know what you need to tune your settings at should you get someone else (perhaps the installer/dealer) to do it for you? Once the settings are changed, do you have to change them for all mods after it is installed? say, additional bolt-ons, pulleys,etc.?

11-10-2006, 02:40 PM	#1 (permalink)
phantom-civic Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: NY Posts: 215 iTrader: 0 / 0%	help a brother out and explain dynamics of tuning alright i was all ready to give up on making my r18 faster and then sickyute had to go and post about the r18 turbo for both AT and 5spd. i have an at (i know i'm sorry guys it was what i could get at my very needy short notice w/ parents fundage)but now that the turbo will work w/ an AT i'm inspired, i know i would prob more likley go w/ a supercharger but i see this as opportunity for an education. I know getting a turbo involves tuning, and since i'm new to this i was wondering what 'tuning' consists of? managing fuel injection, temp, oil pressure? how often do have to check these things? how expensive is it to get installed (i stop at bolt ons). I really admire you guys who do and know about this stuff and while i don't expect a professional education i figure i'd take the opportunity to learn as much as i can from the masters. thanks for the support :)

11-13-2006, 01:43 PM	#3 (permalink)
bLaCkAnGeL07 Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Austin, TX Age: 18 Posts: 372 Justin iTrader: 0 / 0%	so more importantly, if you don't know what you need to tune your settings at should you get someone else (perhaps the installer/dealer) to do it for you? Once the settings are changed, do you have to change them for all mods after it is installed? say, additional bolt-ons, pulleys,etc.? Last edited by bLaCkAnGeL07; 11-13-2006 at 02:30 PM.

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

11-13-2006, 01:22 PM	#2 (permalink)
RWatters Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Olathe, KS Age: 23 Posts: 1,647 iTrader: 10 / 100%	Tuning adjusts the various functions of the motor (adding fuel, removing fuel, ignition timing advance/retard, etc.) to make sure that it is running safely with the increased amount of power. With more power comes the need for more fuel to deal with the increased amount of air the motor is sucking in, and without the proper air to fuel ratio to help with that you could damage/blow up your motor as a result. Turbochargers require different ways of tuning because the turbocharger is spooled not only at full throttle but part throttle as well. If you don't tune/adjust for both the motor can detonate itself to death on your lovely highway trip home. It happens a lot on turbocharged DSM's that tune off of SAFC versus a much nicer program like DSM link. Essentially tuning ensures the safety of your motor. It is ABSOLUTELY necessary that, once you are running forced induction or any method that gives you a lot more power over stock, that you tune the vehicle accordingly not only to take full advantage of the increase in power but make sure that it is adjusted accordingly so that you don't cause severe engine damage as a result. Hope that helps.