No exciting turbo or anything, but a MegaSquirt install and tune made a shitload of difference! Last year, johnwag and I did a '99 head/intake swap, but I didn't really see any improvement at the dyno. It was a whopping 108 whp on a Dynojet. I fiddled with the timing, yadda yadda, but it just felt a little sleepy like it was bone stock.

So over the last few weeks, I got a box of old parts from wags (header, intake, MegaSquirt, and some other stuff). They worked long and hard to get everything squared away, and today was D-day for the final tune...

On the Mustang dyno we used, the sucker made 126 hp and 116 lb-ft at the wheels. That should translate to 140/130 at the wheels on a Dynojet. Needless to say, it's a whole different animal... and a WHOLE lot more fun to drive. And the best part is, Trey got the drivability nailed. It idles nice, doesn't buck under part throttle, and it doesn't belch flames or anything. In other words, it drives like stock until you stick your foot in it.

Excellent work, sir...

 

You must be enjoying your car a lot more Tricky…

Good job Trey!

 

Thanks, I had fun tuning it. The looks on your faces for the 6000rpm steady-state tuning was pretty funny.

The car is a pleasure to drive, it's doing everything right. Don't forget that we need to mark the crank pully (not the damper-ring) since it slipped.

This winter I'll have to tune the cold-start.

 

This was the car that I said had the slipped balancer, right? Nice numbers, strong for a 9:1 bottom end.

 

Yeah. The spark angle numbers are lower than I expected so I question my improvised timing. We are going to put the car at TDC and put reference marks on the crank pully and and CAS.

 

Damn, very nice NA numbers. My car needs to come to Texas. It'd be easier if you came up here Trey. My new laptop needs to be broken in by your fingers.

 

Yeah good work. I made 130ishwhp on a p&p 97 head, header, exhintake, and exhaust with a megasquirt. Picking up 20 whp makes if feel like a new car, especially na.Oh, I had a 99 SB too, so more compression.

 

I brought spark down a bit and reduced fuel too because I didn't like what I was hearing in the det cans.

I cropped the dyno because the dyno owner keeps sending me pdf files.

 

What plugs, AFRs, and did you find MBT or detonation?

 

very nice numbers, mind sharing the timing map ?
what target AFR is it tuned for ?

Im just waiting to do my exhintake swap, then need to dyno tune.

 

Trey,

It would be a great help to everybody if you coud write an article on you tuning procedure.

-Raj

 

https://www.miataturbo.net/ecus-tuning-54/dyno-tuning-practices-56374/

 

Here. Remember that the base timing was finicky. I approached detonation in a few cells in the mid range but hit MBT everywhere. I leaned-out the a little bit for 12.8-12.9. But this was the last log I kept.

 

Here is the billiard-table shaped 1.6 table I made.

I still want to do some cruise tuning on both cars. I had up to 38* spark and 16.5:1 on the dyno, trying to find knock and couldn't...so I'm going to road tune with the det cans for both guys.

 

I remember when Hustler was a clueless noob with a knack for e-thugging. Now he's tuning people's cars and generally making the world a better place.

And they say people can't change...

 

I owe this forum a lot.

 

Wow, ive gotten mine up to 42* from 5k-7k at 100kpa and 26*-32* 500-4200k, and have det cans and hear no knock, so i must be very very far past MBT but not finding knock at all.

and my afr is tuned 12.8-13.2

im gonna go try that timing map now lol.

 

Check your base timing. I doubt your 40* advance story.

 

I have multiple times, and confirmed balancer position.

I put in the top two rows of that timing map in my car just now and honestly cant tell a diffrence faster or slower which tells me i was past mbt and might have even started past it.

I just need to spend the money on the dyno, and find a place local that will work with me to do the tuning right, if i was closer i would just bring it to you.

 

Informative thread! I may try running the 1.6 map while waiting for a chance to get it on the dyno. A few questions, if i may:

Could I ask the reason for the slight differences in the map/rpm breakpoints between the 1.6 and 1.8 spark tables? Were they done that way on purpose because of the differences in the engines?

Could you show me the afr target tables?

Thanks!