HP TUNERS in DA HOUSE

[BSER]

I received my HP Tuners setup for my 03 SS. It came with the software a enhanced I/O upgrade (additional cost), and the cables.

 

My understanding is that the program locks to one VIN; and that the program will work for only one vehicle unless you purchase additional lincenses.

 

The nice thing is that it connects up to your diognostic port and does all the tuning from there no need to get under the hood to do the tune.

 

I loaded up the software on my laptop and had no issues. I am now carefully going through the help files to try and teach myself how to use it. So far the help file seems a little lacking; it teaches about the capabilities of the program (which seem to be fairly extensive) but not how to do the tune or what to do first. Data logging seems to be the first step so we'll start there. There is quite a bit of info and help on their web site but a tutorial would be a great help for us newbies to the tuning world.

 

The next step after I finish the reading is to hook it up to my truck and read my current tune; then do some data logging.

 

I have a SES light on right now and the system is supposed allow us to read the codes and clear them. I already know what the codes are from the dealership (O2 sensor, bank 2 sensor 2 and MAF code) both due to the Super charger, long tube headers and high flow cats. My truck flows a lot more air than the cheap O2 sensors can handle. This program is supposed to allow us to bypass the rear O2's to solve this problem.

 

I'll be going slow and conservative with my changes to the tune so this will probably take a while (probably weeks). If you have any helpfull advice let me know because I have no clue what I'm doing, which is why I'll be going slow (would perfer not to blow my truck up).

 

Stay tuned for further developments.

[TurbochargedBerserker]

Hey BSER,

 

You won't be VIN locked. You can VIN lock your tune, but the software itself is "model locked" meaning you can tune anyone's 03 SS, Denali, etc.

 

To clear that MAF thing, look at the Calculated Airflow table (under engine diagnostics -- its also listed under the code you'll log) and just increase the values. The O2s are easy to turn off. In the engine diagnositics tab, you'll see a tab for codes and you just set each code you log to option 3 -- basically do nothing, and turn off the SES light for those codes.

 

I don't have my version in front of me, so sorry for the lack of specifics.

[chiel]

If you are going to use VCM flash the first time, set it on "non-Active Test

Write". On my first laptop was the port not good or not fast enough.

With "flash" you copy the vcm-program to your laptop so you can use "editor"

Just my 2 eurocents

[deezel]

Hey Bob, welcome to the fun world of tuning.

 

Chiel's advice is good to start with. First read the flash file that is in the PCM currently. You will use this as your starting point for editing the tune. Then you can turn off those pesky O2 codes.

Go into the engine DTC section (don't know the exact name in HPT) and turn off (type 3 no error code set) all the O2 Sensor 2 codes - I think there are 4 (leave the o2 sensor 1 codes alone). Then turn off the catalyst efficiency codes p0420 and p0430.

This will be a good start for a test tune. Try a "safe" flash first, like chiel said, to make sure everything is communicating ok. Then flash the tune in for real. Drive around the block a couple times. Those O2 codes will be gone. You should be able to read the codes with the HPT software.

Now for the MAF code. Like TurboCB said, go into the calc airflow table and multiply the whole thing by 1.5 - that should fix the MAF code.

Now you will be ready to start fine tuning for your preferences - transmission shift points, etc are pretty safe to adjust until you like them. As for power tuning - timing and fuel - you will need to do some logging to get that right. Get a good 10-20 logs of different driving conditions before doing too much with these.

 

Good luck.

[BSER]

Time for an update; Followed the help file and read my VCM using HP VCM Flash. Fairly simple just turn the key on without starting the truck, it took about 5 min.

 

One note: if you have DTC's like i did you may want to read em write em down before you read the VCM because the read clears all the DTC's. They will come back of course but you may have to drive around for a while. I mention this because you have to read your VCM before you can go into engine diagnostics to turn off any DTC's or SES lights. I went in to turn off the DTC's for the bank 2 O2 sensors and found there are several codes for each sensor, wasn't sure which ones to turn off.

 

For those of you out there who are nowledgeable I have a few questions.

 

1. Should I turn off the DTC's and SES light for both bank 2 senors 1 and 2 or just sensor 2 I'm getting the code for?

2. Should I turn off all the the DTC' for those senors or just one's throwing the codes?

If I understand Deezel correctly this is what we want to do.

 

3. How do I make those changes take effect (do I have to save it then reflash or will the VCM editor do it when I save?

 

For those of you that don't know my understaing is you don't want to do anything to the bank 1 sensors, that could cause you some real problems.

 

I drove around breifly to check my LTFT's and they are mostly around +2 to +4 some as much as +6. The lowest I see is a -2 and that's only in a couple of cells. You find this info in the histogram in the using the scanning tool.

 

My understanding is you want most if not all of these to read between 0 and -6.

 

Allen of Nelson Performance is going to help me make some changes without blowing things up. I had his custom tune originaly but since then I have made quite a few changes and now the VCM is not optimized as it should be. It's not practical to swap out PCM's every time I do a mod, especially since I end up undoing them sometimes. For some reason Allen doesn't want to drive to Kansas every other week... I think he's allergic to snow.

 

Thanks everyone for your help and inputs. If any of my assumptions or info is wrong let me know. My hope is to edit this thread (i.e. delete the bad poop) as we go so the tuning impaired may find it usefull. There is a lot of information out there on HPturnes and LS1 web sites and but it seems to be geared toward the advanced user.

 

My last comment is that if you aren't going to be continous performance mods this probably isn't the way you want to go. The learning curve is kinda steep, it's not the cheapest way to go and it's very time consuming. If you just have a few mods planned go with Nelson performance or another custom tuner since they can get you programed cheaper and faster. For those of you who don't know when to quit or you just can't live without that last 1% of performance; welcome to my disease.

[TurbochargedBerserker]

1. Should I turn off the DTC's and SES light for both bank 2 senors 1 and 2 or just sensor 2 I'm getting the code for?

 

Turn off both BANKs, sensor 2.

 

 

For those of you that don't know my understaing is you don't want to do anything to the bank 1 sensors, that could cause you some real problems.

 

Not exaclty. Banks are sides, B1 is driver's side and B2 is passenger. You don't want to do anything to either bank sensor 1. Those are the primary a/f sensors for the PCM. Sensor 2 for either bank just checks cat efficiency. You want both B1S2 ans B2S2 turned off. You'd also turn of COTS (cat over temp system) if you've removed your cats.

 

I drove around breifly to check my LTFT's and they are mostly around +2 to +4 some as much as +6. The lowest I see is a -2 and that's only in a couple of cells. You find this info in the histogram in the using the scanning tool.

 

My understanding is you want most if not all of these to read between 0 and -6.

 

Well, this is where it gets scary. but don't worry, its only scary at first.

 

 

There are two main schools of thought about tuning. One came about before full understanding of the PCMs programming was available, and was basically developed by hacking.

 

Following this school of tuning, you'd adjust your IFR until your LTFT's for fuel trim cells (FTCs) 6-14 are all negative (0 to -8) and then move on to timing, and then WOT fuel. Basically, this method of tuning attempts to "fool" the PCM into doing what you want.

 

In my experience, this method is flawed and leads to very inconsistent results, and rougher engine performance (roughly in contrast to the second method). It is also very confusing, as you are often told to do things that make no sense from either an engine point of view or a programming point of view. These things sometimes work and sometimes don't because they are developed by hacking on an individual vehicle and then bandied about like a bandaid fix for every vehicle.

 

The second school of thought developed from people backwards engineering the PCMs programming and taking into account fuel injection and engine management theory. In this method, you change your tune to account for the actual changes to your truck. The number one rule of this method is if you haven't changed parts that effect a table in the editor, you leave the table alone.

 

Following this school of tuning, and giving your mods that are listed, you'd leave the IFR table alone (unless you've changed to 43# injectors, in which case you convert 43 lb/hr into g/sec and enter this value -- this is assuming your truck has an FPR on the rail as mine does and your IFR table is linear [all one value]), and modify the VE table to reflect the changed volumetric efficiency of the motor caused by your mods, and adjusts the MAF table to keep up. After that is done, you'd move on to maximizing your timing for your boost level, and then WOT fuel.

 

I can tell you from experience, this method provides a cleaner tune and a better running (smoother) truck. It has (so far) also seemed completely logical to me, and I've never found myself thinking: "this is a complete hack".

 

Seems like the post I made about VE tuning has gone missing So I'll outline the steps here again:

 

If you have a wideband, this method works (as posted byWS6Snake-eater)

 

Step by Step for SD tuning:

 

1: Unplug MAF (Replace with strait bellows if you do not have intentions of ever using a MAF again ie. always speed density.)

2: Disable the SES lights for MAF codes P0101, P0102, P0103 (No check engine light.) Do not completely disable the codes or the PCM will not fall into SD mode. Only turn off the SES light, DO NOT DISABLE THE CODES THEMSELVES!

3: Change all points to 1.13 in the Open Loop F/A vs ECT vs MAP table (commands AFR of 13.0)

4: Change all points in the Closed Loop Enable Coolant Temp vs IAT table to 250* (Disables closed loop)

5: Copy High Octane table to the Low Octane Table (computer reverts to low octane table when MAF is unplugged, this assure optimal timing)

6: Change all points in the Power Enrich Fuel Multiplier vs RPM table to 1.0 (disables PE mode)

7: Use your wideband and HPT histogram to verify AFR of 13.0

8: Make adjustments to the VE table accordingly to dial in a 13.0 AFR (a lot of driving or dyno time)

a. you will need to add to VE to correct for a lean condition.

b. you can subtract from the VE values to correct for a rich condition.

9: Hand smooth VE as described by Magnus (a smooth VE results in crisper throttle response)

10: Change all points in Open Loop F/A vs ECT vs MAP table back to stock (re-enable stoich commanded AFR)

11: Change all points in the Closed Loop Enable Coolant Temp vs IAT table back to stock (re-enables closed loop operation and fuel trim leaning)

12: Change all points in the Power Enrich Fuel Mulitiplier vs RPM table back to stock (re-enables PE mode)

13: Use wideband and PE table to dial in desired WOT AFR. (optimum HP at WOT)

 

 

14: From here you can now plug you MAF back in (you might not want to since it will be running so good) and you can begin to modify your MAF table to get your trims back in line with what you were seeing while in SD...(More on this later.)

 

If you don't have a wideband, or just don't feel like doing all the math, etc., this method works very well if you have a stock cam and would also work for 1200rpm and above with a big cam (I used this method):

 

Here's my method:

 

1) unplug the MAF (and for us 5 wire MAF guys -- IAT included -- that means cutting the yellow wire in the MAF plug -- the MAF sender wire)

2) Reset your LTFTs and log, trying to hit every cell in the LTFT histogram in the scanner (if you are going to plug in your MAF again you can ignore those cells over 4000 rpm as they are purely driven by the MAF anyway, according to the HPT gurus -- I personally did them all anyway as I wasn't planning on using the MAF anymore)

3) calculate the change to each VE cell using this formula:

 

LTFT value + STFT value = change to the VE value

 

You will run into cases where the LTFT is negative and the STFT is positive -- doesn't matter, just add whatever signed values you see and add the result (again whatever sign) to the VE in that cell. This gets you pretty close. You may need to repeat 2 and 3 two or three times.

4) Fine tuning: disable your LTFT learning (by setting the LTFT learn enable min temperature to 284 or the same as the max setting -- You can also turn it off in HPT VCM scanner, but mine kept coming back on every 15 minutes or so...), reset your LTFTs and relog, but this time ignore the LTFT histo (since its turned off) and focud on the STFT histogram

5) calculate the VE adjustments by adding whatever STFT value you see in any cell to the VE table value. You may need to repeat 4 and 5 two or three times.

6) re-enable your LTFT learn, plug in your MAF, and log again

7) you'll most likely need to scale your MAF table at this point to move the LTFTs negative again. I scaled the entire table by 102% until I got the LTFTs back to the same point they are with the MAF unplugged.

 

A point on LTFTs. Don't sweat getting them to be the same every time -- it will never happen due to weather, fuel, driving conditions, etc. You should look for consistency instead. The HPT guys say 4 to -4 is considered a well tuned VE table but not always possible.

 

Another point is to not sweat getting every cell exactly at your target. It is more important to have a smooth table (without peaks or crevices in the 3d mode) than it is to every cell at exactly -2.

 

My VE is consistently 0 to -4, with about 16 low airflow, low rpm cells at -3 to -5.

 

 

Whew. This is a long post. Let's talk about timing and WOT later (it's much easier anyway )

[BSER]

WOW- now there's an in depth post. Gonna have to print that one out. I may take me a few days to catch up to the point where i can make use of what you have there.

 

By the way is a wide band that helpfull? I can get the LM-1's for $299 new in the box...should I get it? Anyone else want one?

 

Thanks for the info.

[TurbochargedBerserker]

WOW- now there's an in depth post.  Gonna have to print that one out.  I may take me a few days to catch up to the point where i can make use of what you have there.

 

By the way is a wide band that helpfull?  I can get the LM-1's for $299 new in the box...should I get it?  Anyone else want one?

 

Thanks for the info.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I'd take one. I found that it is extremely useful in tuning WOT in an FI setting, although once you've got the tune

 

BTW, feel free to nail me with questions (pm, email, whatever) on that monster post.

[zippy]

you'll find the wideband is rather helpfull and a much better tuning scale to run from than the standard O2 readings.

[TurbochargedBerserker]

you'll find the wideband is rather helpfull and a much better tuning scale to run from than the standard O2 readings.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

What Zippy said. A lot of web myth has developed about magic o2 numbers for WOT... The truth of it is that there is a magic number for your narrow band o2s, but its specific to your vehicle. Once you find the 'magic range' with the wideband, you can make quick, estimates for AFR from them, but don't try to use the magic 850-950 numbers (which for me ranged from 13.4 to 11.2 ... pretty dangerous range IMO).

[chiel]

Can somebody tell me what a wideband is

i only know it's a step higher than hpt and it has to do with sensors

[TurbochargedBerserker]

Can somebody tell me what a wideband is  

i only know it's a step higher than hpt and it has to do with sensors

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Wideband is kinda American slang for a wideband o2 sensor attached to a piece of electronics that allows you to log and veiw the o2 readings (as lambda or AFR values) in real time. They are accurate in a much wider range of values than regular o2s

 

The o2 sensors in normal cars are 'narrowband' meaning that the are only really accurate in a very narrow range around 14.7 stoich.

[NateZ]

Quick question...

If, for instance, i was having pcmforless tune my truck, and was giving bryan my logs from my truck, but did not have the I/O interface and wideband... how would he correctly set my AFR up?? Did that question make sense?

 

Nate

[TurbochargedBerserker]

Quick question...

If, for instance, i was having pcmforless tune my truck, and was giving bryan my logs from my truck, but did not have the I/O interface and wideband... how would he correctly set my AFR up?? Did that question make sense?

 

Nate

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

He could guesstimate your AFR based on your narrowband o2s and his experience with tuning a bunch of different SSSs (including his own).

[deezel]

Nice responses, TurbochargedBerserker.

 

I have a LM-1 wideband. Its pretty easy to install and set up.

 

I'd say a wideband is not a necessity for tuning mildly-modded vehicles. With experience or trial-and-error you can get a pretty decent tune. However, more/bigger mods will be best tuned with a wideband. Stuff like heads/cam, FI, and even a decent-sized shot of n2o will not perform their best without proper air/fuel tuning.