Experienced Haltech but New to UpRev

Unclemeaty

Evening.

I've been in the Nissan game for only a few months and will say up-front I've never tuned a Z car before. I'm new to UpRev, but the software has a strickenly easy and familiar interface from what I am used to. I'm posting this up as myself to help learn a new system; to get positive responses so please dont flame with "Get it dyno tuned" or "You'll be sorry" responses. I wanted to start this thread because theres just not a whole lot of knowledge out there for the DIY tuner, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who paid the premium for the tuner edition licenses.

My previous experiance is with Turbo and NA Mazda RX7 Rotary engine vehicles. I've personally wired a few for standalone operation and have experience with Haltech e6 and e11 engine management systems. I've also built a 400+hp 1.3L Rotary vehicle tuned out of an Australian built Microtek standalone. I've sat in the passenger seat for dyno pulls and road tunes for the above plus PowerFC products. I've spent plenty of seat time staring at WB AF meters and tuning in real time to cars which should have never been street legal. I'm really what you call a road-tuner where in the RX7/Rotary game was very popular and important. For those who tuned RX7s, we'd often find road tuning a bit more important than dyno tuning. It was not always about the horsepower numbers, but the ultimate safety on the road. Dyno tuning is a real great tool, but often times we'd found differences in engine load versus natural airflow; something which does affect stationary dyno pulls to a small degree. Dyno tuning was important, but road tuning was even more important - RX7 Rotary engines are much taken by abuse from a few pings or detonation. New engines would litteraly blow themselves to pieces with any lean-out or over advancement. In RX7 world, the numbers to tune to were pretty easy and really well known by community and tuners - depending on the turbo size, boost, and power would determine your basic ignition timing needs, and then fuel to match would mainly be tuned into the equasion. Basically, a targetted ~350 rwhp rotary engine with a T04S boosting 17 PSI would run about 11 degrees timing advance and 11.2:1 AFR at full torque. That was then, and this is now. The 370z being a piston engine and NA is quite different from the nausiating fumes of a rotary.

Between them, there is not a whole lot of difference from what I can tell comparing a full-standalone product and UpRev. Thats obviously giving UpRev a lot of credit, as of course there are like 10x the maps in a full standalone. To me, the UpRev flash/product is an excelent alternative to full standalone without the worry of constantly having to tune an engine with full management. I'm a DIY'er and this is my daily driver so always having the laptop connected is not possible. The Stock ECU with what UpRev has provided is really a homogenous and appreciated dealing.

Mainly the basics of the UpRev provide us with Timing and Fuel curve adjustment. Theres a few other maps in relation to timing and fuel, and of course once I get a little more edumacated and modified the posibilities for much more power and tuning adjustment exist. Right now my car is STOCK, which is just perfect in my book for learning to get the tuning under control - before I modify.

Fuel:

The first thing I noticed on the fuel maps were the "Target" maps. I was like WOW! First, I was like... "wow I dont have to work that hard at hitting a target if the ECU will do it for me." Its a great safety net, but obviously the main-consumption and possibly other fuel maps might need some attention. My question in this area, is how do I tell if the ECU is trying to 'trim' itself to under or overcome whats set in the main-fuel consumption map? Like, if I tell the target fuel to be "12.5:1" and the main map is scheduling fuel at 11.5:1. The Target is 'triming' and trying pretty hard to close-loop correct the hard-set specifics. It would be nice if there was a logg-able percentage + or - that the trim/target maps are trying to correct from. What fuel ratios do you like to shoot for? 12? 12.5? 13?

Timing:

Nissan timing with UpRev is wierd. I actually had to read the instructions but I fully understand. The UpRev timing maps, if I'm not too far off, are target temperature targets for a factory set point ATDC. I understand the ECU tries to target that temperature by adjusting timing provided; providing that fuel is supplied at a metered ammount. I see how the fuel maps could actually interject themselves into the timing maps such that a rich fuel mixture would be cooler, requiring more timing advance; while a leaner mixture running hotter would require less timing advance. My question would again be related to information from log pulls rather than the timing 'temperature' maps themselves. With logging, I can see the actual timing advance, which I presume at this point is the actual BTDC timing in degrees. That is the figure I am used to; a set number BTDC. My question is what should, would, or could be the best number for a mainly stock NA 370z? Im currently seeing ~22 to ~26 logged in second gear from ~4500 - ~7500 rpms.

AIR:

Air is important. Air makes the power. The ammount of air going in/out of the engine added with fuel/timing makes the engine more or less powerful. Any engine is basically just a MASSIVE "air pump". That being said, its nice to see these cars have mass-Airflow sensors unlike previous speed-density RX7 tuning. Mass-Airflow meters can be logged and monitored. Modificaitons can change read values of the incoming air, but so can ignition and fuel maps. On a stock car, what can one expect to see measured at the mass airflow meter? I forget if UpRev measures in voltage or some calculated air density, but the more the better in my book. If nothing else, this number would represent the health and power-to-pull air into the engine. This number would represent the health and strength of an engine just the same as a dyno would - just without the dyno. It would almost always be better to get the maximum air you can into any engine and then tune that maximum to the safest degree. This is why we opt for bolt-ons and turbos. Its not really a tuneable figure, but some change in a tune can affect what the MAF sensor can read as what is being pulled into the engine. For instance, if the timing is retarded the engine would likely be a bit sluggish; causing the MAF to read a slightly lower value. An advanced/strong/tuned engine would likely pull in the most air possible. The MAF reading is more intriquiet for a turbo engine, but all the princibles are just the same for NA. In a healthy, stock, NA engine, what should the Mass-Air meter be reading?

Dyno:

At the begining AND end of the day, Dyno tuning is VERY important. Without it, you'd hardely be able to tell where you began much less where you end up. its very important, but for someone such as what I and others would possibly like to be doing with our cars, Dyno time and tuning is not always the right or affordable option. For me, Dyno before for baseline, during for tune success, and after tuning for final figures. In my experience every car is different and no tuner has the precise magic number; meaning even an E-Tune isnt going to be as rewarding as taking the actuall time to tune; which is not always affordable.

So I started this thread as a DIY'er, for the DIY'er. If you have any answers to my above questions that would benefit us all then by all means please share. Any self-tuners out there? I cant be the only one. Support the community, And please support your local tuner!