<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Bailhatch &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
Have you used one before? right now I just listen for pinging via naked ear and call it good if it sounds clean under a heavy load The sound coming through the chassis ear is a little confusing and at higher rpms it gets pretty clattery on my old abused motor</TD></TR></TABLE>

Never used one before nope. I have listened around on my engine quite a bit with a modified (mechanical) stethescope though and so basically I would just like something that functions the same but with wires running to the passenger compartment instead of a tube.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by danl &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Case being, is that I have maxed out the knock sensor scale on my DSM, however I've never heard any audible pinging inside the car, even back when I was running the stock exhaust. If you can audibly hear detonation inside the car with the naked ear, well then no wonder stuff blows up.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Have you ever witnessed audible pinging or even knock without your knock sensor showing anything? Then excessive background noise peaks high enough to trigger anti-knock features when the engine couldn't be happier timing-wise. That is where my concern comes from. I have yet to damage a motor from tuning issues as I start ultra-conservative on my fuel/ign maps, but I would like something to supplement the questionable feedback I get from my knock sensor. Actually listening to the engine was the best way I could come up with to do this.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by hpfsi &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

Have you ever witnessed audible pinging or even knock without your knock sensor showing anything? Then excessive background noise peaks high enough to trigger anti-knock features when the engine couldn't be happier timing-wise. That is where my concern comes from. I have yet to damage a motor from tuning issues as I start ultra-conservative on my fuel/ign maps, but I would like something to supplement the questionable feedback I get from my knock sensor. Actually listening to the engine was the best way I could come up with to do this. </TD></TR></TABLE>

I'm convinced that the most accurate way to monitor knock on a turbo honda is an amplifier device so that the tuner can listen to it. I'm spoiled, my car uses a good KS system from the factory.

When I got my car it was faily quick stock. I then got a MBC and cranked the boost to 15psi like all the DSMers told me to do. The car was very slow. I backed it down to 12 psi and it ran really well. I later purchased a datalogger and found out why it was so slow. At 15 psi my car knocked very bad, but at 12 psi it knocked only a little. 12psi was the best comprimise between boost and the timing the ecu would pull when knocking. Now that I know my head from a hole in the ground, I can generate 20+ psi of boost with very little knocking. I'm a believer that boost doesen't kill motors, detonation does. My car is living proof with 130,000 miles and 20 psi boost daily driven. It runs fairly big boost, but detonates very little. If I were to run 5 psi boost, but detonate badly it wouldn't last long, I can guarantee you that.

 

how does one tune for knock without a stand alone?

 

Turn the boost down. Retard your distributor. Add more fuel via piggyback. Run higher octane.