Is it a good idea to tune my engine with an adj. fuel pressure regulator for the time being, before going on the dyno?

The setup is a b18b, head milled 0.040" (around 10.5:1), crane 0012 "stage 1" cams. The setup was ran before with a chipped ecu by the original owner which I don't have.

I am scared to run the engine with the stock 1992 PR4 integra ecu, I don't want it to run lean and hurt the motor. I have no money for dyno tuning at the moment and I will be waiting for adjustable cam gears, better intake & exhaust manifold before going on the dyno for a proper tune. So I was wondering if it would be a good idea to get an adjustable FPR, set the A/F ratio properly by checking the spark plugs and track times, or will the stock ecu be fine to run my setup safely at high rpms. The track season is starting in a couple of days and I need to get that thing running!!!

 

In all honesty, if you aren't using a wideband, you won't know how bad your air/fuel curve will be. I realise that many people are a little short on money these days but is it really worth the risk to get your car out onto the track before you have it properly tuned?

Without adjustable cam gears, both your cam timing and ignition timing will be off and you'll have no way to dial those things in properly for the car to even run right or tune the fuel on even if you had a wideband.

 

The engine ran 40 000 miles with stock cam gears and a cheap chipped ecu. It ran 14.7 in a heavy EG, I know it's far from ideal and the best thing for me to do is proper dyno tune, but the money I have left is going more towards maintenance, a good tune up, new tires, new brakes and pads all around, rear wheel bearings and fixing other little things for this season.
The cams are barely more agressive than stock and I know the engine wont be running at it's full potential as is, and it will be exiting to have a lot of room for improvement over the summer, I just want the engine to run smooth and safe for a good 2 months with the adj. FPR before proper tune and adj. cam gears. Is it possible? Thanks for the input!

 

He just told you.
Without a WIDEBAND o2 sensor and gauge, you will have no idea what you air/fuel ratio is. Without knowing the ratio you are just guessing.

 

correct. The bottom line is it'll be a gamble, only you can decide if it's worth it.

 

I see, thanks for the info.
So a FPR would cost me around 200$, with that budget, can I get any sort of tuning done?
I will try to contact a tuner to see if he can make a chip that will fit my setup.

 

pm member "mtber" on here, I'm sure he can help you out.

 

Thanks red!