Autronic has Self-Mapping!
People fitting programmable engine management systems are usually surprised by the unexpected cost of the hours of dyno time taken to set up the fuel and ignition maps. But now Autronic has released a function that allows self-mapping of the fuel. Using an appropriate Autronic air/fuel ratio probe, the system is able to fill-in the data for the whole of the fuel map. Unbelievably, it needs only one starting point fuel figure and then it's able to do the complete rest of the map! The operator needs only enter the air/fuel ratios required at the various combinations of load and revs, and the system then works out the correct injector pulse widths to achieve those air/fuel ratios.
And it's not just theory. We watched the self-mapping feature being used by John Sidney (of John Sidney Racing in Melbourne, Australia), while he tuned a full-house 5 litre V8 Super Car race engine on the engine dyno. While John remained very vigilant during the tuning process, he didn't need to punch in even one fuel figure while the engine was being tuned! He suggested that the amount of fuel used during the setting-up of the fuel maps has been reduced by a staggering 90 per cent by the new process. Self-tuning also means that cars can be tuned on the road simply by driving!
In an exclusive interview with AutoSpeed, Autronic's Richard Aubert also strongly hinted of a similar self-mapping system being developed for the ignition maps, with the spark plug being used as a detonation sensor. As a result of our chat we'd also suggest that a price fall for the Autronic SMC engine management computer might not be too far away...
Contact Autronic on +61 2 9896 6888.
MoTeC Mechanical Injection!
MoTeC - producers of world class electronic engine management systems - is developing a mechanical injection system! Aimed at drag racing and speedway users, the constant flow mechanical system uses a MoTeC-developed crankshaft driven pump and Hilborn style injectors.
Fuel pressure is controlled by a block of three solenoid valves, which can be open or shut in various combinations to give six different fuel pressures. This allows the trimming of the mixtures. The operation of the solenoid valves is controlled by a small purpose-developed ECU. The ECU uses a fuel pressure input and so it can compensate for pump wear or a blocked fuel filter. Initial engine dyno test results (being carried out on a 1.6 litre Mazda engine) look very encouraging.
Contact MoTeC on
+ 61 3 9761 5050
or at www.motec.com.au
Plug-In Power
Advanced Vehicle Operations of Melbourne (Australia) has released a range of Link engine management systems that are plug-in compatible with the factory wiring loom and sensors. Installation of the fully programmable systems is as easy as unplugging the factory ECU, plugging in the Link computer and then connecting a new MAP sensor.
Functions such as cold start, rev limiter, boost control and so on are all retained. The Link ECU is programmed using a hand-held controller. The system is available for the Nissan Skyline GT-R, Skyline GTS, Maxima, and 200SX; Subaru Impreza WRX and Liberty RS; Mazda MX5; Jaguar XJ6; and Range Rover. The Link ECU costs range from $1500 - $1900 including the hand-held controller.
Contact AVO on + 61 3 9584 4499.
APEXi Suspension
JAP Trading has a full range of APEXi suspension kits for Japanese cars. Springs are hot-wound, shot-peened and powder coated. The springs are available in two types, each giving a different decrease in ride height. Prices start at around A$500 for a set. Also available are two different types of struts. The T-Max Triple Tube have 7-way adjustability of both the front and rear dampers. The coil-over design can be used with factory or APEXi springs; prices start at A$1300. Finally, the N1 Mono Tube dampers (pictured) use a variable height platform design, allowing changes in ride height, spring preload and corner weighting. The dampers have 13 adjustment settings. The N1 series starts at A$2100.
The full range of APEXi gear is available from:
JAP Trading
on + 61 3 9879 7799.
Powerhouse Display
The Powerhouse museum in Sydney (Australia) is mounting the "Cars and Culture: our driving passions" exhibition for the whole of next year. Cars on display will range from Jack Brabham's 1966 Repco-Brabham world champion Formula 1 car to the 1949 Hartnett sedan. Material on the (pictured) never-built Holden Torana GTR-X, the 1959 Goggomobile Dart and the design process for the AU Ford Falcon will also be shown. Admission costs will be $12 per adult.
Contact the museum on
+ 61 2 92117 0100
or www.phm.gov.au
Commodore Management Upgrades
EFI Direct - makers of KalMaker software for Holdens - has just released some new products. First off the rank is the KalMaker Ultra-lite. This consists of a dash-mounted box featuring two knobs. One knob allows the adjustment of ignition timing, the other the amount of fuel being added. The software-based system actually slides the ignition and fuel maps from standard (knobs fully anticlockwise) through to a custom map that features more advanced timing and a richer air/fuel ratio. The input sensors are not tampered with - it's all done with the maps. In addition to the fuel and ignition adjustment facility, fitting the Ultra-lite causes the Check Engine light on all V6 and HSV V8 cars to flash when engine knock is occurring.
The "knob box" Ultra-lite is the simplest of the KalMaker Holden products, joining the Street Pro I and Street Pro II software packages. The Ultra-lite is available for A$395 on an exchange Mem-Cal basis. Installation requires a Mem-Cal swap and the connection of four wires. The Ultra-Lite suits VN-VS V6 and V8 Commodores.
Contact:
EFI Direct
+ 61 415 252 342
or check out www.efidirect.com.au
New STA Supercharger
Supercharger Technology Australia is about to release a brand new centrifugal blower. The new product features a larger diameter than the current SC400 design, but more importantly, it uses a machined billet aluminium compressor wheel with curved blades. The curved blade impeller replaces the previous STA designs which all used straight blades. The housing of the new blower is machined from a billet of 6061 aluminium, while the internal step-up gears now use a 3.65:1ratio instead of the previous design's 3:1. Bearings are also upgraded and the compressor intake is curved rather than straight.
Contact STA on
+ 61 3 9723 6022
or check out STA's Web Site
Push for Excitement
Triggering hi-po features like electrically adjustable boost is best done with a button on the steering wheel - that way you needn't take a hand off even for a moment. But if you place a normal push button on the steering wheel, you're going to need a very long curly cord to connect it to the rest of the electrics. Otherwise, as soon as you turn the wheel more than one rotation, your wire is going to wind-up and break....
The alternative is to fit a radio remote button. It triggers a relay (which can be used to switch on anything) when you press it. Hitting the button again turns the relay off. That way you could use it to turn on a turbo wastegate bleed solenoid to lift boost, switch on an intercooler spray, or even turn your high beam on and off.
The kit that we used was the Rhino Remote Immobiliser, available in Australia from Dick Smith Electronics for A$149. We're sure that equivalent kits are available right around the world. While (as its name suggests) it's normally used as a theft prevention device, it works beautifully in this application. The immobiliser uses two small remote radio transmitters that turn on and off a 40 amp automotive relay. Importantly, the kit uses rolling digital codes - you wouldn't want the car next to you triggering your boost control, would you?!
Installing the steering wheel switch can be as complex or as difficult as you like. At its simplest, simply stick the remote to an appropriate place on the steering wheel using double-sided tape. Install the receiver and connect its relay to the circuit that you want to control.
If you want to be more elaborate, you can open up the transmitter and carefully unsolder the pushbutton switch. This can be replaced with a larger pushbutton mounted on the inner part of the steering rim. A new cable connects the button to the transmitter which can then be located out of view on the back of one of the wheel spokes.
Quickies
- US magazine Sport Compact Car recently found an interesting effective power loss on one of their project cars. The car - a late model Honda Civic - was fitted with an upgraded wheel/tyre package. The starting point was a set of 185/64-14 Dunlops on 14 inch steel wheels. Each wheel/tyre weighed 15.5kg. They then went to 205/40-17 Nitto tyres on 17 inch alloys, which increased each corner's mass to 19.5kg. This 4kg per wheel increase in rotational inertia was enough to drop the power measured at the wheels on a Dynojet chassis dyno by nearly 5 per cent!
- The Rare Spares Drive 'n' Jive In '98 will happen at the Coburg Drive-In in Melbourne (Australia) on Saturday, November 21 1998. Trade stands, live music and car club displays will be topped off by a double feature movie! For more details contact + 61 3 9553 2290 or Box 1270, Moorabbin, 3189, Victoria.
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