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Need Some Tuning Advice/Direction

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454
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123
Location
Kansas City
#1
Hey gang, 2015 car here with some mods. Bought the car new. Said I wasn't going to touch it mod-wise. Credit card already melting. Previous 2nd car was a '02 Miata, Rotrex SC, large FMIC, 750cc injectors, ECU installed in parallel to the stock ECU, E85 tune, lots of dyno time, twin disc clutch, LSD, custom suspension, 225/45 R-compounds on 15x9 wheels, 400lb diet, many other things I cannot recall atm. The thing was insane and the only other hands to touch my car was the tire/alignment guy. I learned a LOT building that car. The Miata didn't however have a programmable tuner via the OBD-II port like the AccessPort. Dyno and a laptop and lots of $ was required.

With the FiST, I wanted more sound initially. More turbo spool sound and more tone. I chose the cp-e catted downpipe and their Nexus 3" exhaust. I literally could not be happier. I also threw on cp-e's intake setup. It's all perfect for what I want but I'm noticing some flat, dull spots in the power delivery under hard throttle so I'm thinking an AccessPort is needed sooner than later. I also have a larger than stock FMIC coming to control charge temps.

So, tuning-wise, is the AccessPort the end all-be all choice for tuning the ECU? I do not always run 91/93 octane. Typically I run 89. This is because of cost, it's my DD that sees >75% throttle once a day and because the car knows what octane is being run and adjusts accordingly and I'm ok with less peak power with a lower octane. Will a tune with the AccessPort require the highest octane available? Also, how would I obtain a tune for my mods?..on a dyno or are their tunes out there that will work with a 3" dp/exhaust and large FMIC?

Sorry for the amount of questions and thanks in advance for sharing your knowledge
 


dyn085

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#2
The AP3 is generally considered better than the SCT device, but it's generally user-preference or tuner preference. Some pro-tuners don't use SCT and some don't use the AP3. That would be something you should figure out before buying.

Different tuners tune in different ways. Some may be willing to tune multiple octanes on a tune but the majority won't. Your best bet is to contact pro-tuners that you're interested in using and ask them directly to know 100% in either direction.
 


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245
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Location
NorCal
#3
Yeah you're probably running lean installing all that with no tune. The Accessport should have been the first thing you bought. Once you get the FMIC, the Stage 3 91 Octane, Off The Shelf (OTS) tune (already pre-loaded in the AP), should suffice. Unfortunately you can't go lower than 91. It's a clich?, but you've got to pay to play with performance mods.
 


dyn085

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#4
Yeah you're probably running lean installing all that with no tune. The Accessport should have been the first thing you bought. Once you get the FMIC, the Stage 3 91 Octane, Off The Shelf (OTS) tune (already pre-loaded in the AP), should suffice. Unfortunately you can't go lower than 91. It's a clich?, but you've got to pay to play with performance mods.
He is assuredly not running lean. Would he get more performance from a custom tune? Yes. Is anything dangerous right now? No. The FiST has wideband O2 sensors and the ability to compensate fuel fuel trims up to around 30% in either direction (iirc)-you can go full stage 3 without running lean.

Also, once he gets the FMIC he should be robbing the stage 2, not stage 1.
 


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Location
NorCal
#5
He is assuredly not running lean. Would he get more performance from a custom tune? Yes. Is anything dangerous right now? No. The FiST has wideband O2 sensors and the ability to compensate fuel fuel trims up to around 30% in either direction (iirc)-you can go full stage 3 without running lean.

Also, once he gets the FMIC he should be robbing the stage 2, not stage 1.
Good to know. I mentioned Stage 3 since the OP said he has a catted CP-E downpipe.
 


dyn085

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#6
Ugh-don't mind me, I clearly had a reading comprehension fail regarding the stage tune.
 


maperformance

Active member
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Location
Cottage Grove
#7
Hey gang, 2015 car here with some mods. Bought the car new. Said I wasn't going to touch it mod-wise. Credit card already melting. Previous 2nd car was a '02 Miata, Rotrex SC, large FMIC, 750cc injectors, ECU installed in parallel to the stock ECU, E85 tune, lots of dyno time, twin disc clutch, LSD, custom suspension, 225/45 R-compounds on 15x9 wheels, 400lb diet, many other things I cannot recall atm. The thing was insane and the only other hands to touch my car was the tire/alignment guy. I learned a LOT building that car. The Miata didn't however have a programmable tuner via the OBD-II port like the AccessPort. Dyno and a laptop and lots of $ was required.

With the FiST, I wanted more sound initially. More turbo spool sound and more tone. I chose the cp-e catted downpipe and their Nexus 3" exhaust. I literally could not be happier. I also threw on cp-e's intake setup. It's all perfect for what I want but I'm noticing some flat, dull spots in the power delivery under hard throttle so I'm thinking an AccessPort is needed sooner than later. I also have a larger than stock FMIC coming to control charge temps.

So, tuning-wise, is the AccessPort the end all-be all choice for tuning the ECU? I do not always run 91/93 octane. Typically I run 89. This is because of cost, it's my DD that sees >75% throttle once a day and because the car knows what octane is being run and adjusts accordingly and I'm ok with less peak power with a lower octane. Will a tune with the AccessPort require the highest octane available? Also, how would I obtain a tune for my mods?..on a dyno or are their tunes out there that will work with a 3" dp/exhaust and large FMIC?

Sorry for the amount of questions and thanks in advance for sharing your knowledge

Running 89oct is surely going to hinder your ability to make a good amount of power but it is doable. I would suggest going with the Accessport, and I would like to work with you on getting your car dialed in on 89oct. The off the shelf 91 oct map from Cobb is going to be too aggressive for your fuel, so I would richen it up a bit and drop the timing and see how it responds and go from there.

If you purchase the Accessport from us (click here), you will get that custom tune mentioned above for free. You can see some of our blog post about our R&D here: http://www.maperformance.com/blog (click the drop down on the right hand side under the Fiesta ST Project car).

Drop me a pm or email if you have any questions!

Thank you,
Adam Brunson
 


Messages
326
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Location
greensboro
#8
is 89 really that much of a cost savings over running 91/93? why not run 87 and save more? Just curious lol. I've been running 93 since day one. The accessport does have a 87 economy tune that you can run or just get a custom tune for 89.
 


frankiefiesta

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forked river
#9
is 89 really that much of a cost savings over running 91/93? why not run 87 and save more? Just curious lol. I've been running 93 since day one. The accessport does have a 87 economy tune that you can run or just get a custom tune for 89.
I agree. In these small cars the difference between 89 and 93 is probably $2-$4 the most. But it's his car, if he wants to run 89 let him lol
 


OP
eleven
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Kansas City
Thread Starter #10
I actually meant to type 87 octane rather than 89 octane. My bad.

I've always believed that if my car is road driven, meaning <30% throttle 98% of the time and the car can operate properly with 87 octane, what's the point spending the extra $2-300 a year?..especially if the mpg difference between the lower and higher octane is negligible.

Now if I ran the car hard all the time, in boost all the time and/or the car required 91/93 octane then sure, I'd run the higher octane.

But...I'm beginning to think to hell with it and get it tuned for 91/93 octane.
 


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Location
Columbia
#11
I actually meant to type 87 octane rather than 89 octane. My bad.

I've always believed that if my car is road driven, meaning <30% throttle 98% of the time and the car can operate properly with 87 octane, what's the point spending the extra $2-300 a year?..especially if the mpg difference between the lower and higher octane is negligible.

Now if I ran the car hard all the time, in boost all the time and/or the car required 91/93 octane then sure, I'd run the higher octane.

But...I'm beginning to think to hell with it and get it tuned for 91/93 octane.
I definitely would recommend running high quality 93 octane. Look at it another way--you just spent easily $1500 in parts alone between that intake and exhaust. If you keep the car for 5 years, you've spent ~$25 a month for those parts. At my local Shell, the difference between 93 and 87 is $0.45. If you're driving 10k miles a year and averaging 28 MPG, that's only $13 a month.
 


OP
eleven
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Kansas City
Thread Starter #12
Ugh...don't get me started on monthly costs. Between the note, ins, fuel AND personal property tax ($50/mo here WTF)...any $1 saved is gold lol.
 


Messages
191
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Location
Columbia
#13
Ugh...don't get me started on monthly costs. Between the note, ins, fuel AND personal property tax ($50/mo here WTF)...any $1 saved is gold lol.
Yeah, that's fair. To each his own. It just strikes me as penny wise, pound foolish to drop a ton of cash on parts that add very little performance and then save a few bucks by buying low octane gas.
 


me32

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fairfield
#14
I actually meant to type 87 octane rather than 89 octane. My bad.

I've always believed that if my car is road driven, meaning <30% throttle 98% of the time and the car can operate properly with 87 octane, what's the point spending the extra $2-300 a year?..especially if the mpg difference between the lower and higher octane is negligible.

Now if I ran the car hard all the time, in boost all the time and/or the car required 91/93 octane then sure, I'd run the higher octane.

But...I'm beginning to think to hell with it and get it tuned for 91/93 octane.
Your top point is completely invalid if you spent money to mod your car. Your point is to save money. Like you said 30% throttle 98% of the time so theres no need for mods. When you want to have fun turn off traction control and your good. Since you wont need these mods ill take the catted down pipe off your hands.
 


OP
eleven
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Thread Starter #15
Yeah, that's fair. To each his own. It just strikes me as penny wise, pound foolish to drop a ton of cash on parts that add very little performance and then save a few bucks by buying low octane gas.
Again, the manual states the car is to be run on 87. Good 87 octane run on a FI engine that has stock wide ands and can adjust via charge temps and load is perfectly fine. Over 5 years of ownership, 18k miles a year at 30mpg is nearly $1000 in fuel savings. If you found $1000 lying in the grass, would you turn your nose up to it and keep walking? I haven't spent a "ton of cash..." either. I want to hear my car and I want to go with a larger turbo down the road. Nothing wrong with my do and exhaust choice. Is the intake necessary?..not at all, I didn't need it but I have it so I'll pay for it in fuel savings lol.
 


OP
eleven
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Thread Starter #16
Your top point is completely invalid if you spent money to mod your car. Your point is to save money. Like you said 30% throttle 98% of the time so theres no need for mods. When you want to have fun turn off traction control and your good. Since you wont need these mods ill take the catted down pipe off your hands.
My top point is absolutely not invalid.

If I can control costs, I will. Be it the choice between $2.50 fuel vs $2.95 fuel. Be it buying new parts vs used parts. My point is to not spend top dollar, be it fuel or parts. Do you drive around shopping for the most expensive 93 octane?

Why is turning off traction control and tearing up tires, wearing them down faster the better option?
 


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Location
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#17
I LOL'd when you said you're going big turbo. Whatever gets you over your own cognitive dissonance...
 


OP
eleven
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Kansas City
Thread Starter #18
I LOL'd when you said you're going big turbo. Whatever gets you over your own cognitive dissonance...
Enjoy being the big dick around here?

Wasn't aware you knew my plans for next year that would allow me a larger turbo or what the cars future use was.
 


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Location
greensboro
#19
Big turbo on 87? Or at that point will you be running 93?

Idk, seems to me that if economy and money savings were an issue, I would of gone with the 1.0 ecoboost or the base 1.6. But to each their own.
 


me32

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#20
My top point is absolutely not invalid.

If I can control costs, I will. Be it the choice between $2.50 fuel vs $2.95 fuel. Be it buying new parts vs used parts. My point is to not spend top dollar, be it fuel or parts. Do you drive around shopping for the most expensive 93 octane?

Why is turning off traction control and tearing up tires, wearing them down faster the better option?

Your point makes absolutely no sense. The point of modding your car is to get better performance out of it. Part of doing that is using the best fuel in your area. So your basically modding your car to run 87 to be able to have the performance of a stock FIST on 91/93. Even if you buy used parts your still spending money and more money than running 91/93. Plus running better fuel tends to have better mpg on these cars. I gain 2 mpg on 91 vs 87.
 


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