I am in the beginning stages of piecing together a turbo kit for my 2000 ls. Below is a copy of an email I will be sending to (what I've heard) is the best Honda tuner around here. I live in Nova Scotia so I am very limited in tuner, actually I'm a little surprised someone around even tunes Honda's.

What I want from you turbo guru's is to read over my email and give me suggestions on:
1: Am I asking the right questions?
2: Is there other questions I should ask that I haven't?
3: Is there any other info I should ask him about his tuning abilities?
4: Any more information you can suggest I ask him will be welcomed.

So here is the email....

Hello Bruce,

I have a few questions I would like to ask you about your tuning or your shop's tuning abilities (I don't know if you are the tuning guy or someone else is). I am in the process of piecing together a turbo kit for my 2000 ls Integra. As of right now I have a Garrett T3/T4e turbo (internal waste gate), a spearco front mounted intercooler and a tapped oil pan. Over the next few months I will picking up the rest of the pieces as I find good deals on them. I figure I'll have it pieced together by next summer.

My questions to you are about tuning and fuel management. Everyone knows a turbo system is only as good as the tuning. My plans are for the first while is to only boost 7 psi (which is what the internal waste gate is set at) because it will be running on stock internals, for now. I would like to run a FMU (12:1 disk) and an in line fuel pump as the fuel management until I build up the engine a little for higher boost. At that point I will no doubt be getting Hondata. For now, because of the low boost and money restrictions, I think the hondata will have to wait. Do you have any suggestions on fuel management for this set up? Is there any other information you need to know to give me an answer? If there is another system you feel more comfortable with tuning? VAFC?

I would like some input from you because your shop has a good reputation for tuning Honda's and I will be coming to you for my tuning needs. I think it is important to get feedback from you. I don't want to buy equipment for my car and it not be compatible with your equipment or be something you haven't used or tuned on before.


Many thanks and many

All suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

 

dicth the internalfor a tial, seen way to many engines blow cause of internal's,

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by evoeone &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">dicth the internalfor a tial, seen way to many engines blow cause of internal's, </TD></TR></TABLE>

I probably will in a little bit. I want to get the whole thing working before I start to push some psi. I'm going to keep it on low boost until I get everything work.

Thanks for the input

 

well for one you cant tune with only a 12:1 and a fuel pump. You need a vafc or similar to actualy do any tuning. And i would also recomend going with an external gate, you dont have to run high boost with an external, you can actually run 4 psi with a tial with the right spring. but besides that i think its a good letter, you want a good relationship with your tuner. It sucks to have a tuner who cares only about the money he or she is getting instead of somone elses hard earned vehicle. my .02

 

we can take care of your questions right here on h-t

 

Yes I know every question I have could easily be answered here but I want to get to know my tuner and know what he can or can not tune, what he prefers to tune with...that sort of stuff. I can't tune this myself, I don't have the equipment or knowledge. I'm putting the kit together myself and I know tuning is extremely important. I'm going to leave the tuning up to someone who is capable and knowledgeable.

I live in Canada so just asking some HT member to come help me out isn't going to work....unless Tony is flying up to Nova Scotia for a vacation....you have a free place to stay!!! I'd even buy the

 

if it's Bruce from Hipe Motorsports he'll take care of ya. I met him last time when he was in Nyc. I'm assuming it Bruce from Hipe because he's a hondata dealer from nova scotia

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by ekb18c &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">if it's Bruce from Hipe Motorsports he'll take care of ya. I met him last time when he was in Nyc. I'm assuming it Bruce from Hipe because he's a hondata dealer from nova scotia</TD></TR></TABLE>

Yes you are correct...I guess he is good. Should I just send him what I wrote above? Is he the type of guy who will respond and work with me not just for me?

 

I say that if he already has a good rep, you really have nothing to worry about. Understand that this is his business, and he is in it most likely to make money. Be prepared to pay for his time and his expertise.

Ask him what A/F fuel ratios he usually shoots for on a 7 psi limit. How much street vs. dyno time he expects it to take. Ask him if he has any good maps for a car very similar to yours. Many tuners have extremely close maps based on previous cars they have tuned and it will be a minimal amount of time to dial yours in.

Dont ask him about FMUs and VAFC's...by doing a few hours of homework on here and understanding the basics of the engine you can tune those yourself. To any serious tuner, the AFC hack isn't a "tuning option" I would bet.

Tuning is 20% tuning and 80% trouble-shooting. Make sure you have everything set correctly and done everything your tuner has asked you to do beforehand. Answer all of his questions honestly, dont fib to sound like you know more than you do or to showboat your setup. He should also be very aware of your setup, goals, and concerns prior to starting...if he doesn't ask a lot of questions to you, he probably either doesn't care or doesn't know.

 

Great answer. That's the kind of stuff I'm looking to hear about.


Anyone else?

 

you're not going hondata so why obther asking those questions? There isnt much you can tune with a fmu.

 

I can get smc+, you can tune with something like that.

 

If your already holding out untill next summer and not rushing things why not just do it right the first time? believe me i learned the hard way. s100 is only ~$400usd, Or take a look at teh thread with uberteg's software (essentially hondata) im sure you could figure it out yourself over the whole winter..hell what else is there to do in Nova scotia other than play hockey

 

I've looked at threads about the Uberteg software...I'm a little foggy on it but is it just the software with maps laid out and you burn the .bin file on to the ecu and that's it? I am getting this right or missing something somewhere?

I very new at tuning and have never done chip burning but know people who can. Any info would be helpful.

PS. I am reading up on the software now but there is a ton of **** about it so sorry if my questions seems noobie-ish.

PSS: We also drink a lot in NS...and play hockey

 

bump for more info