EDIT: The title was supposed to read "Is it a bad idea to use a base map for Daily Driver in place of dyno tune?" I don't know how to go back and edit the title of this thread.

B16A2 stock (bolt ons only) with a chipped P28.

When I bought the car, it was already chipped with no info about the map installed or if it was tuned. The car runs okay (other than a slightly shitty idle and a CEL code about TPS out of spec, that comes on around 5k RPMS), but the plugs look lean to me. I just want a proper tune for my DD used for (rather spiritedly driven) commuting. I was planning on taking advantage of the fact that I'm local to Bisimoto, but I called today and found out that he will not tune a chipped ECU, only Hondata S300. 3 hours on his dyno costs $660 and the S300 p28 costs $700. That's a fair bit more than I'd like to spend on this task.

I'm thinking about just buying a chip with a basemap loaded from phearable.net and just go with that, hoping it's close enough. Thoughts?

Also thinking about buying a Chrome license and a chip encoder and doing it myself, but without a dyno, this would be fairly pointless I suppose. Am I wrong? Can I throw in a wideband O2 sensor and use those readings to tune it myself?

Sorry for the total n00b questions. I'm old. I remember when spark was controlled by points & condenser and A/F ratio was controlled by jets in the carburetor.

Regarding the shitty idle and my inability to set the TPS to within spec, I think it has to do with my Skunk2 TB, but I'm not sure. The TB seems to stick and also, I've read in another post somewhere, that the idle circuit has insufficient flow for Honda's specs. The TPS is good in terms of resistance and smooth increase of resistance across the entire range, but for some reason, it just won't position correctly on this TB.

 

A few questions for clarification purposes...
You say stock, but with bolt ons.. what bolt ons are installed?
can you pull the cel code? Cel coming on at 5k sounds weird really; more like a shift light indicator using the cel possibly programmed into that chip; but stranger things have happened. Lol.. does the light only come on at/after 5k then go out?

to answer about your wideband and tune, this is touchy for a lot of folks. Yes, you can tune without a dyno, I'm doing that myself at this moment. Will it be a perfect tune? No. Why? Because the syno is a better way to put the proper load on the engine to effectively tune all areas of the map. You can "try" to hit those loads on the street but it is difficult to hit some, and difficult to hold for the time needed. Simply put, it can be done but will not be AS efficient as a dyno. Now.. whether or not you have or want to spend the kind of money for a dyno tune on a nearly stock engine is entirely up to you.
Now as for your current setup, a chip from phearable could work out okay. They have a good rep so far but even they will tell you it's not an end all solution. You can get the demon RTP package from them for a fraction of what Bisi will charge you, install that, then start tuning yourself. Depending on your current bolt ons, a P28 may or may not have a good fuel map for you. I have a stock P28 I hook up to my D15B7 running full bolt ons; Intake, header, full exhaust, skunk 2 intake mani, skunk 2 throttle body; and watching my a/f through my wideband, it monitors a good 14.7 with some spots around 13.5. Almost perfect for me except I don't like the stupid cel from VTEC and O2 heater. Lol.

Your tps is easy to set. There are some great videos on how to do this. If you can not set it after solid, diligent attempts, you may need a new one.

 

Damn, I typed out the longest freaking response and it got lost because the forum was down when I hit post.
Anyway...

I've listed the bolt-ons in my sig.

After much reading and after your post, I think I'm going to just grab a chip from phearable and call it a day. However, I just called Church Automotive in Wilmington who seems to have a great reputation for tuning (especially less-than-aggressive tuning) and he said the first time flat rate for my car to be tuned on Chrome is $450. I might just do that.

Before I can do that, I have to get this CEL under control. The CEL is not a programmed as a shift-light, it's actually a CEL that comes on when I mash it at right about when VTEC kicks in yo. I resets itself when the car is shut off. I don't remember the code at the moment, but I remember it was related to the TPS values. I bought another TPS. Both of the TPS's gave the same readings at the same positions and neither had dead spots. There is something about the TB that's not allowing the TPS to be set properly. As in, neither TPS module would reach the right value for closed throttle without elongating the screw slots. Anyway, I've just ordered an ITR TB from anoth forum member this morning. Looking forward to receiving that and hoping it fixes my CEL and my idle in one go.

 

Sucks about the first response thing, I hate when that happens.. lol.
Sounds like you've developed a plan at least! A piece of advice on your chipped option though, make sure the shop can program that EPROM. The chips phearable sells can be reprogrammed, BUT, it's a different process than your standard tuning setup. See if the shop can accommodate the process and if they would charge additional for it.

 

Great advice. Thank you!