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This is all my opinion. Read the following, take it as you will, but, you can hurt your vehicles engine if you don’t know what you are doing. This ‘guide’ is to be used as a tool, without experience, tools can be dangerous and cause expensive damages.
VE Tuning with stock O2 sensors
**this guide is only good for approximately up to 4000 RPMs. Anything above 4000 RPMs goes into PE Mode and can only be tuned with a dedicated aftermarket WIDEBAND 02 sensor. With this guide you can tune cruise, part throttle, and general driving conditions. Anything requiring approximately 70% or more throttle needs an aftermarket WIDEBAND 02 sensor to monitor AFR/Lambda ratio. ( we will call this WB for short from here on out ) Without a WB installed, there is zero way to determine AFR/Lambda ratio, which likely can cause engine damages. This is caused by the ECM using the stored VE/PE parameters as the stock narrow band O2 sensors shut off at more than 70% throttle. Meaning, whatever is stored, is what the computer uses. If you have Power Enrichment for a stock V6 stored, then your ‘built’ V8 will be lean, and could burn a hole in the pistons. *
THIS GUIDE ASSUMES YOU HAVE ALREADY PERFORMED COLD TO HOT IDLE SETTINGS IN BOTH PARK AND DRIVE
1. Disable MAF - set the MAF Fail frequency to 0 (Engine Diagnostics> Airflow> MAF Sensor) and set the DTC P0103 to fail on 1st error (Engine Diagnostics>DTC). The Check Engine Light (CEL) will illuminate. You can shut it off by un-checking the SES box. I leave it on so it reminds me to reload a working file when done.
2. Disable DFCO - set the DFCO enable temperature to 284 degrees (Engine > Fuel Control > Fuel Cutoff > Enable temp)
3. Disable Long Term Fuel Trims - (Engine > Fuel Control > OL & CL > LTFT Set Min ECT to 284 degrees
4. Now flash this working tune with above changes to the ECM.
5. Setup VE Graph (Primary VE vs. RPM vs. MAP) to filter less than 10 cell counts and Plot filtering of [SENS.121] > 14.6
6. Start car and let it warm up to operating temperature. Reset the LTFT via the VCM controls to give your fuel trims a fresh start. Your LTFT trims should be 0 at this point since we disabled them. If they are not, then go back to step 3.
7. Once you are up to temp and the Fuel trims are reset, start logging and start driving. You want to have the VE Graph open as you are driving to ensure you are hitting all the Cells. The goal here is to fill as many of the cells as you can up to and including 4000 rpm. To do this drive the car at each of the RPM values in the table and push the accelerator down and let up and watch the Graph values fill in for that rpm column only. You may have to use lower gears to get the higher rpm values like above 3000. In an A4 car you can use the VCM controls to lock the car in 2nd to get the higher rpm values.
8. Now that you have your Graph complete with as many cells filled as possible, its time to overlay it to the VE table. Select the entire VE Graph and right click > copy.
9. Open up your working tune file if you have not already and open up your VE table (Engine < Airflow < General Airflow < Main VE (Primary). Select this entire table and right click, Paste special < Multiply by % - half. This is going to take the fuel trim numbers and halve them and adjust the VE table numbers to bring those fuel trims closer to 0.
10. You will probably not fill in all the cells, you will need to interpolate values (will fit between) to smooth by using the 3D view and remove any peaks or valleys. A good VE plot is smooth, there is a good example of this in the Scanner Help file under VE I believe.
11. Continue repeating steps 7 - 9 until your STFT's are as close to 0 as possible. Slightly negative (1-3%) is the goal. This usually takes 4 to 8 times, about 25 to 40 mins of driving to log the information, stop the vehicle, save the data, add the info into the Editor, flash the file to the ECM, start the vehicle again, start logging, driving again, etc.
12. Once you feel your STFT's are not going to get any better, you need to re-enable your MAF and setting the MAF Fail Frequency back to 13500 and the DTC PO103 back to what it was set to. Re-enable DFCO and also re-enable the LTFT's. After you drive around for a bit your LTFT should settle in and be very close to 0 as well.
1. The steps required to dial in the MAF are going to very similar in many ways to dialing in the VE.
2. Disable VE Table - Set the High RPM Disable to 0 (Engine>Airflow>Dynamic Airflow) and this will disable the VE.
3. Next we need to use a different Graph to tune the MAF. This time we are going to setup a MAF Graph that plots MAF Airflow vs. Output frequency. We are still going to filter anything below 10 cell counts and filter anything above 14.6 ([SENS.121] > 14.6)
4. Warm up the vehicle to operating temperature and reset the STFT fuel trims. Start logging and drive while watching the new MAF - STFT histogram, to fill as many of the cells as possible as many times as possible. Using VCM controls to lock the trans in 2nd or 3rd gear on an open road makes it much safer and easier.
5. Once you have a good log overlay it over the MAF Airflow vs. Output frequency table. (Engine < Airflow < General Airflow < MAF Calibration Airflow vs. frequency) Select the entire histogram, right click, copy. In the MAF Airflow vs. Output frequency table select the entire table, right click < paste special < multiply % - half. This will adjust the values in the MAF table to bring them in line based on the amount of STFT error.
6. If all the cells don’t get populated, you should smooth the table to make smooth transitions. Repeat these steps to bring the STFT's to as close to 0 as possible, usually takes 4 to 8 times, about 25 to 40 mins of driving to log the information, stop the vehicle, save the data, add the info into the Editor, flash the file to the ECM, start the vehicle again, start logging, driving again, etc.
7. Re-enable your VE table by setting the High RPM Disable table to 4000 and LTFT’s to original temperature value. At this point you should have the VE and MAF tables dialed in and should see mostly 0's for your LTFT's and STFT's.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This tuning guide is nearly identical to when tuning with a dedicated WB. It takes nearly half the time and is much more accurate as it takes the WB ratios and computes the difference with the VE/MAF and above 4000RPMs/WOT almost in real time. For instructional purposes, the Graphs use a mathematical equation between what is being read through the factory sensors and the WB to give the % up or down for each respective cell that needs to be adjusted. This happens from 0 RPM all the way to Redline. This is also called a Street Tune, compared to a Dyno Tune. Street tunes can take a few days to a few weeks of datalogging that a Dyno Tune doesn’t. What is the difference? Dyno is a few hours doing all that can be done with resistance to simulate on road conditions. This is used to get the AFR dialed in at all RPMs. Most people only worry about WOT throttle, think race cars. But for many others, you need the Street Tune to be dialed in from Arizona 120-degree heat to Colorado minus 30 and 18000 feet of altitude. A dyno can’t really simulate those type of extreme conditions. But, driving, and datalogging surely can. For example, in Arizona I can drive 6 hours any direction and be in a different type of eco system such as, California and the Pacific Ocean, Northern Arizona and high-altitude thin air conditions, and down south to the open deserts. The vehicle’s ECM needs as many parameters to be ‘fully tuned’ as possible so grandma will have no issues driving the vheicle to any of the aformentioned places. Race cars only need WOT go time parameters.
Every vehicle manufacture tunes their computers to be able to take on nearly any location around the globe. Therefore if you take your stock vehicle to get tuned to your location youll gain horsepower, torque, and drivability. This tuning narrows the vehicles parameters down to your specific location.
With that being said, anytime you make a change to your vehicle’s engine, it should be tuned to recalibrate those ECM parameters. If you remove the stock catalytic converter and big EOM muffler and replace them with high-flowing performance pieces, your ECM will be reading lean and doing all it can to supply more fuel to the engine. Now you replace your air cleaner assembly with a quality CAI, and even swap in a header(s) on your engine. Your untuned ECM has run out of fuel it can give as it is at the very far edged of its stored parameters and just can’t supply enough fuel to meet the demands of your free-flowing combination. This means the engine is running dangerously lean, which can kill catalytic convertors, burn hole sin pistons, or burn valves.
The answer? Get it tuned. The ECM can be reprogramed to add fuel to where it is needed and can improve power and MPGs as you are calibrating it for your location, and performance parts. When you get to a level of performance to where the fuel injectors cannot supply the demand needed, then bigger injectors can be installed to make up for the lack of fuel. More fuel doesn’t necessarily mean less MPGs. A correctly tuned and efficient performance engine makes more power at cruising speeds, than a stock engine. More power, equals less strain, and that means more MPGs
As a tip, if youre planning on adding performance parts to your vehicle, make sure you plan for a tune as well. Without enough fuel, an engine runs lean. A lean running engine can get very hot internally and melt the piston material. Sometimes lean makes pistons get very hot, and the aluminum pistons expand at different rates than the steel piston rings, which often cause the piston rings to squeeze the pistons hard enough to pop the top of the piston off.
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VE Tuning with stock O2 sensors
**this guide is only good for approximately up to 4000 RPMs. Anything above 4000 RPMs goes into PE Mode and can only be tuned with a dedicated aftermarket WIDEBAND 02 sensor. With this guide you can tune cruise, part throttle, and general driving conditions. Anything requiring approximately 70% or more throttle needs an aftermarket WIDEBAND 02 sensor to monitor AFR/Lambda ratio. ( we will call this WB for short from here on out ) Without a WB installed, there is zero way to determine AFR/Lambda ratio, which likely can cause engine damages. This is caused by the ECM using the stored VE/PE parameters as the stock narrow band O2 sensors shut off at more than 70% throttle. Meaning, whatever is stored, is what the computer uses. If you have Power Enrichment for a stock V6 stored, then your ‘built’ V8 will be lean, and could burn a hole in the pistons. *
THIS GUIDE ASSUMES YOU HAVE ALREADY PERFORMED COLD TO HOT IDLE SETTINGS IN BOTH PARK AND DRIVE
1. Disable MAF - set the MAF Fail frequency to 0 (Engine Diagnostics> Airflow> MAF Sensor) and set the DTC P0103 to fail on 1st error (Engine Diagnostics>DTC). The Check Engine Light (CEL) will illuminate. You can shut it off by un-checking the SES box. I leave it on so it reminds me to reload a working file when done.
2. Disable DFCO - set the DFCO enable temperature to 284 degrees (Engine > Fuel Control > Fuel Cutoff > Enable temp)
3. Disable Long Term Fuel Trims - (Engine > Fuel Control > OL & CL > LTFT Set Min ECT to 284 degrees
4. Now flash this working tune with above changes to the ECM.
5. Setup VE Graph (Primary VE vs. RPM vs. MAP) to filter less than 10 cell counts and Plot filtering of [SENS.121] > 14.6
6. Start car and let it warm up to operating temperature. Reset the LTFT via the VCM controls to give your fuel trims a fresh start. Your LTFT trims should be 0 at this point since we disabled them. If they are not, then go back to step 3.
7. Once you are up to temp and the Fuel trims are reset, start logging and start driving. You want to have the VE Graph open as you are driving to ensure you are hitting all the Cells. The goal here is to fill as many of the cells as you can up to and including 4000 rpm. To do this drive the car at each of the RPM values in the table and push the accelerator down and let up and watch the Graph values fill in for that rpm column only. You may have to use lower gears to get the higher rpm values like above 3000. In an A4 car you can use the VCM controls to lock the car in 2nd to get the higher rpm values.
8. Now that you have your Graph complete with as many cells filled as possible, its time to overlay it to the VE table. Select the entire VE Graph and right click > copy.
9. Open up your working tune file if you have not already and open up your VE table (Engine < Airflow < General Airflow < Main VE (Primary). Select this entire table and right click, Paste special < Multiply by % - half. This is going to take the fuel trim numbers and halve them and adjust the VE table numbers to bring those fuel trims closer to 0.
10. You will probably not fill in all the cells, you will need to interpolate values (will fit between) to smooth by using the 3D view and remove any peaks or valleys. A good VE plot is smooth, there is a good example of this in the Scanner Help file under VE I believe.
11. Continue repeating steps 7 - 9 until your STFT's are as close to 0 as possible. Slightly negative (1-3%) is the goal. This usually takes 4 to 8 times, about 25 to 40 mins of driving to log the information, stop the vehicle, save the data, add the info into the Editor, flash the file to the ECM, start the vehicle again, start logging, driving again, etc.
12. Once you feel your STFT's are not going to get any better, you need to re-enable your MAF and setting the MAF Fail Frequency back to 13500 and the DTC PO103 back to what it was set to. Re-enable DFCO and also re-enable the LTFT's. After you drive around for a bit your LTFT should settle in and be very close to 0 as well.
MAF Tuning with stock O2 sensors
1. The steps required to dial in the MAF are going to very similar in many ways to dialing in the VE.
2. Disable VE Table - Set the High RPM Disable to 0 (Engine>Airflow>Dynamic Airflow) and this will disable the VE.
3. Next we need to use a different Graph to tune the MAF. This time we are going to setup a MAF Graph that plots MAF Airflow vs. Output frequency. We are still going to filter anything below 10 cell counts and filter anything above 14.6 ([SENS.121] > 14.6)
4. Warm up the vehicle to operating temperature and reset the STFT fuel trims. Start logging and drive while watching the new MAF - STFT histogram, to fill as many of the cells as possible as many times as possible. Using VCM controls to lock the trans in 2nd or 3rd gear on an open road makes it much safer and easier.
5. Once you have a good log overlay it over the MAF Airflow vs. Output frequency table. (Engine < Airflow < General Airflow < MAF Calibration Airflow vs. frequency) Select the entire histogram, right click, copy. In the MAF Airflow vs. Output frequency table select the entire table, right click < paste special < multiply % - half. This will adjust the values in the MAF table to bring them in line based on the amount of STFT error.
6. If all the cells don’t get populated, you should smooth the table to make smooth transitions. Repeat these steps to bring the STFT's to as close to 0 as possible, usually takes 4 to 8 times, about 25 to 40 mins of driving to log the information, stop the vehicle, save the data, add the info into the Editor, flash the file to the ECM, start the vehicle again, start logging, driving again, etc.
7. Re-enable your VE table by setting the High RPM Disable table to 4000 and LTFT’s to original temperature value. At this point you should have the VE and MAF tables dialed in and should see mostly 0's for your LTFT's and STFT's.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This tuning guide is nearly identical to when tuning with a dedicated WB. It takes nearly half the time and is much more accurate as it takes the WB ratios and computes the difference with the VE/MAF and above 4000RPMs/WOT almost in real time. For instructional purposes, the Graphs use a mathematical equation between what is being read through the factory sensors and the WB to give the % up or down for each respective cell that needs to be adjusted. This happens from 0 RPM all the way to Redline. This is also called a Street Tune, compared to a Dyno Tune. Street tunes can take a few days to a few weeks of datalogging that a Dyno Tune doesn’t. What is the difference? Dyno is a few hours doing all that can be done with resistance to simulate on road conditions. This is used to get the AFR dialed in at all RPMs. Most people only worry about WOT throttle, think race cars. But for many others, you need the Street Tune to be dialed in from Arizona 120-degree heat to Colorado minus 30 and 18000 feet of altitude. A dyno can’t really simulate those type of extreme conditions. But, driving, and datalogging surely can. For example, in Arizona I can drive 6 hours any direction and be in a different type of eco system such as, California and the Pacific Ocean, Northern Arizona and high-altitude thin air conditions, and down south to the open deserts. The vehicle’s ECM needs as many parameters to be ‘fully tuned’ as possible so grandma will have no issues driving the vheicle to any of the aformentioned places. Race cars only need WOT go time parameters.
Every vehicle manufacture tunes their computers to be able to take on nearly any location around the globe. Therefore if you take your stock vehicle to get tuned to your location youll gain horsepower, torque, and drivability. This tuning narrows the vehicles parameters down to your specific location.
With that being said, anytime you make a change to your vehicle’s engine, it should be tuned to recalibrate those ECM parameters. If you remove the stock catalytic converter and big EOM muffler and replace them with high-flowing performance pieces, your ECM will be reading lean and doing all it can to supply more fuel to the engine. Now you replace your air cleaner assembly with a quality CAI, and even swap in a header(s) on your engine. Your untuned ECM has run out of fuel it can give as it is at the very far edged of its stored parameters and just can’t supply enough fuel to meet the demands of your free-flowing combination. This means the engine is running dangerously lean, which can kill catalytic convertors, burn hole sin pistons, or burn valves.
The answer? Get it tuned. The ECM can be reprogramed to add fuel to where it is needed and can improve power and MPGs as you are calibrating it for your location, and performance parts. When you get to a level of performance to where the fuel injectors cannot supply the demand needed, then bigger injectors can be installed to make up for the lack of fuel. More fuel doesn’t necessarily mean less MPGs. A correctly tuned and efficient performance engine makes more power at cruising speeds, than a stock engine. More power, equals less strain, and that means more MPGs
As a tip, if youre planning on adding performance parts to your vehicle, make sure you plan for a tune as well. Without enough fuel, an engine runs lean. A lean running engine can get very hot internally and melt the piston material. Sometimes lean makes pistons get very hot, and the aluminum pistons expand at different rates than the steel piston rings, which often cause the piston rings to squeeze the pistons hard enough to pop the top of the piston off.
