By Alex Yonetani (djpast/2fastdsm) SPECIAL THANKS TO Kyle Tarry (kpt4321)

FUEL TUNING
Please remember, this is just a tuning guide, a place to start off from.
All these setting are if you are running stock timing settings (5* base timing, 0*/0* Adjustable Cam gears, Stock Cams).
You may (more then likely) have to readjust for any aftermarket parts you add on.
This will point you in the right general direction in tuning your car.
Check the red corners for comments and tips.
IMPORTANT: This is to tune for stock like settings. You will want to richen and or lean out fuel for desired performance.
Please use a datalogger to monitor and fine tune any settings you make.
Insert Settings Into These Color Boxes
Insert Info About Your Car Below (stock values)
Insert Injector size (cc) 450 Insert fuel pressure here 37 Current flow In CC
Ie. 1g 5spd turbo has 450cc injectors, 37psi FP, 1g Auto has 390cc, 43psi FP, and 2g have 450cc and 43psi FP
Desired Max Duty Cycle: 100%, 80%, etc (no % needed) 100 Desired A/F Ratio

Tuning Tables
Fuel Pressure Base Fuel Inj. Size Inj. Size Max Inj Output Max Inj. Max % Above
Regulator Pressure (cc) (Lb/Hr) @ 100% IDC Size (Lb/Hr) Horsepower Stock
w/450cc Inj
1G Turbo 5spd 37 450 42.86 415.02 39.53 318.84 0.00
2G Turbo 43 450 42.86 447.41 42.61 343.72 7.80
1G Non-turbo 47 450 42.86 467.75 44.55 359.35 12.71
w/550cc Inj
1G Turbo 5spd 37 550 52.38 507.25 48.31 389.69 22.22
2G Turbo 43 550 52.38 546.83 52.08 420.10 31.76
1G Non-turbo 47 550 52.38 571.70 54.45 439.21 37.75
w/660cc Inj
1G Turbo 5spd 37 660 62.86 608.70 57.97 467.63 46.67
2G Turbo 43 660 62.86 656.20 62.49 504.13 58.11
1G Non-turbo 47 660 62.86 686.04 65.34 527.05 65.30
w/720cc Inj
1G Turbo 5spd 37 720 68.57 664.03 63.24 510.14 60.00
2G Turbo 43 720 68.57 715.85 68.18 549.95 72.49
1G Non-turbo 47 720 68.57 748.41 71.28 574.97 80.33

Insert Your Own

Fuel Pressure Base Fuel Inj. Size Inj. Size Max Inj Output Max Inj. Max % Above
Regulator Pressure (cc) (Lb/Hr) @ 100% IDC Size (Lb/Hr) Horsepower Stock
0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 -100.00
0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 -100.00
0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 -100.00
0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 -100.00

Propane and Water/Alcohol Injection Tuning

When tuning with boost activated propane injection, you will reach a point that you will run incredibly rich. Propane has an
octane rating of about 116. To tune here, the same general principles apply as laid out in the "Setting Up an SAFC" sheet.
Keep lowering the fuel on the high throttle settings until you see knock, then richen it back up a percentage.
When tuning with boost activated water/alch injection, this allows you to either run more boost or lean out the fuel a little
more. The same general tuning principles of tuning apply here, except most users turn up the boost more as opposed to
leaning out the fuel. A nice side effect of water injection is that your combustion chamber gets steamed clean, eliminating
carbon and allows for a better running engine.
le Cam gears, Stock Cams).

fuel for desired performance.

415.02
e 450cc and 43psi FP
11.00 :1

% Airflow ~ Hacked
Correction Correct %

0.00 5.00
-7.24 -2.24
-11.27 -6.27

-18.18 -13.18
-24.10 -19.10
-27.41 -22.41

-31.82 -26.82
-36.75 -31.75
-39.50 -34.50

-37.50 -32.50
-42.02 -37.02
-44.55 -39.55

% Airflow ~ Hacked
Correction Correct %
#DIV/0! #DIV/0!
#DIV/0! #DIV/0!
#DIV/0! #DIV/0!
#DIV/0! #DIV/0!
 incredibly rich. Propane has an
he "Setting Up an SAFC" sheet.
up a percentage.
oost or lean out the fuel a little
the boost more as opposed to
ets steamed clean, eliminating
Airflow Calculations © Kyle Tarry
Enter Base Data
Boost Pressure (psi) Turbo to Mani Pres. Drop Compressor Efficiency
16 1.5 70%

Intake Temp (*F) Intercooler Efficiency Drivetrain Loss, %

40 90% 20%

Enter Engine Criterium

Engine Speed (RPM) Volumetric Efficiency Displacement
7000 90% 2

Calculated Values
PR CI Displaced MAP (psi)
2.3 122 30.7

Charge Temp (*F) CFM Airflow (at STP) Lb/min Airflow

58.7608827081247 411.97795964166 32.9582367713328

Approx. Horsepower (crank) Approx. Horsepower (wheel)

346.061486098995 276.849188879196
All values in orange colored boxes can be changed by the user.
The formulas and the information in the other boxes should not be touched.

User Input Values

Boost Pressure: This is the boost pressure that you want to see in the intake manifold.
Turbo to Manifold Press. Drop: This is the pressure drop from the compressor outlet to the intake manifold.
In a car with a stock SMIC, it will be between 1.5 and 2 psi. On a car with
a FMIC, you'll be around .75-1 psi.
Compressor Efficiency: The is the compressor efficiency, which can be found on a compressor map.
Intake Temp: The temperature of the air entering the intake/turbo in degrees Fahrenheit.
Intercooler Efficiency: The intercooler efficiency. This can be found by formula, or estimated. A stock SMIC is a
efficient, until it becomes heatsoaked, at which point it is about 55% efficient.
A good FMIC can be as high as 70-80% efficient.
Drivetrain Loss: Self-Explanitory
Engine Speed: The engine speed in rpm for the point that you want to use in calculations.
Volumetric Efficiency: This is the percentage of the displacement that is filled on the intake stroke.
Displacement: The motor's displacement in liters

Calculated Values
PR: This is the intake pressure ratio, assuming .7 psi of pressure loss through the air filter
CI Displaced: The displacement in cubic inches
MAP: Manifold absolute pressure in pounds per square inch.
Charge Temp: This the the temperature of the air entering the motor, in degrees Fahrenheit.
CFM Airflow: Airflow in cubic feet per minute at STP (32*F, 14.7 psi absolute).
Lb/Min Airflow: Approximate airflow in pounds per minute.
Approximate Crank Horsepower, Approximate Wheel Horsepower: Self-explanitory.
 intake manifold.
On a car with

compressor map.
ees Fahrenheit.
r estimated. A stock SMIC is around 65%
bout 55% efficient.

in calculations.
he intake stroke.

e loss through the air filter

grees Fahrenheit.
Kyle Tarry, 2003
This is the new revised version.
This was originally posted on www.racingknowledge.com by myself, in order to serve as a
tuning guide for some "newbies" there. However, I have found it to be invaluable, and hence
have converted it to HTML and have put it up here for reference.

The following is a guide to tuning your car with a SAFC, AFC, VPC, AFR, etc. It starts with
basic techniques and proceeds to moderately advanced ideas.

I guess this guide has been getting around the internet a bit, so let me specify a thing or two:
This was originally intended for DSM's, so the setup and fuel trims sections in particular may
not apply to other cars.

Enjoy!

STEP 1: Setting up the car and the SAFC.

Before we begin the guide on how to tune with a SAFC, you must make sure the car is set up
correctly to do so. Make sure all the fuel components are in good condition, and make sure you
have no boost or vacuum leaks. Also, if you have a 255 lph or larger fuel pump with no
adjustable regulator, then either get a new reg or don't try to use the fuel trim techniques
outlined below.

Second of all, setting up the SAFC. At this point, I will assume that you have it wired in
properly, if you do not, there are plenty of directions in the VFAQ. Also, may I suggest that you
DO NOT do the "blue wire mod", it has been proven to degenerate the O2 sensor's signal.

In the Th-Point section of the SAFC, set the low trigger at 30%, and the high trigger around 80-
85%.

In the NePoint section, set them to: 1k, 2k, 3k, 4k, 4.5k, 5k, 6k, and 7k,.

Now, you want to use baseline corrections for fuel injectors. If you have 450's, leave both
tables at zero. If you have 550's, put them around -10%. If you have 660's, usually around
-18% would be a fine starting point. If you have a hacked MAS, then you will want to use about
5% MORE than these values.

The next section will cover fuel trims, and how to set the low throttle table.

UPDATE FOR SAFC-2: If you are using one of the newer SAFC-2's, which came out in early
2003, then you have to use very similar settings, but they are going to differ a bit. For one
thing, the SAFC-2 has 12 adjustable NEPoints, rather than 8 like the original unit. This just
means that you have 4 more rpm points to play with, I would suggest adding them around 3.5k,
4.5k, 5.5k, and 6.5k rpm, but that is your choice.
STEP 2: Fuel trims and low throttle

Before proceeding past this point, you MUST have a logger of some sort!!

Once you have the SAFC all set up, you should first start by setting the low throttle points,
using the fuel trims. Doing this will require a basic knowledge of fuel trims, so I have outlined
them below:

The ECU is, in essence, just a big set of spreadsheets (also known as "fuel maps"). It takes
input from the MAS (in the form of Hz, temperature, and barometric pressure) and comes up
with a final value that represents the amount of air entering the engine. It also looks at the
engine's RPM. With the RPM and an airflow value in mind, the ECU will look to the fuel tables,
and find the amount of fuel it should inject into the motor.

Then the O2 sensor comes into play. The O2 sensor tells the ECU what the a/f mixture looks
like, if it is rich, lean, or right in the middle (stoich.). If the O2 sensor says that the mixture is
lean, then the ECU will add a bit more fuel on top of what the tables tell it, until the O2 values
get close to stoich. If it has to do this for a certain period of time, it will take note of that in the
fuel trims.

Example: You are pulling in 30Hz of air at 800 rpm (idle). The ECU looks this up, and decides
to inject 2.1 ms of fuel. However, the O2 sensor decides this is not enough. The ECU bumps
this up to 2.2 ms, 2.3 ms, and finally 2.4 ms, when the O2 finally says that is perfect. If this
keeps happening over a period of time, the ECU will increase the Long Term Fuel Trim to
114%, since 2.4 is 14% more than 2.1. It will, from then on, add 14% more fuel whenever it is
in the range of that Fuel trim.

1g: 1g's have 4 fuel trims. The low trim is for idle and low rpm cruise conditions. The middle
trim is for medium cruse rpm's (1500-2500ish) and the high fuel trim is for 2500+ rpm. The O2
trim is constantly changing with the O2 sensor, and it is what will cause the Long term fuel
trims to change.

The approximate airflow ranges for the three trims are:

Low: 0-125 Hz
Mid: 100-175Hz
Hi: 175+ Hz

2g: 2g's only have 2 fuel trims, a long term fuel trim (LTFT) and a short term fuel trim (STFT).
The STFT varies with the O2 sensor, an the LTFT goes for every rpm range. Since the STFT
directly effects the LTFT, then you can just add the two together, and tune from there. For
example, if the LTFT is +20%, and the STFT is -5%, you are at approximately +15%.

You can also do this addition trick on a 1g with a TMO/Pocketlogger type setup.

Whew, that was exciting, but I think I covered it all. Now, on to the tuning. Set up your logger to
display RPM, Airflow, and all the fuel trims your car has. Start the car and let it fully warm up.
Leave it at idle, and we will begin to tune the low throttle table in the SAFC.
Now, look at the low fuel trim (2g's only have the LTFT). If it is positive, add a few percent on
the SAFC at the 1000 rpm point. This is not an exact science, but usually for about every 3-5%
on the logger, you need 1% on the SAFC. After adding or subtracting a few percent, let the car
idle for a few minutes, and watch the fuel trims change. This may take a while, especially in a
1g, so just wait. One thing you can do to speed up the process is reset the ECU before you
start to tune. This will reset the trims back to 100, so you can tune by the STFT (O2 trim)
alone.

When this is done, free rev to 1500 rpm and hold it there. Do the same thing, it will probably
still be on the low fuel trim.

Continue to do this at 2k, and 3k rpm. After you are done and are fairly confident they are
close, take the car for a drive and see if they change. Try to get the fuel trims close to 100%,
plus or minus 10% Keep in mind that in a 1g, a perfect fuel trim is 100%, but in a 2g it's 0%..
That means that in a 2g, if the fuel trim is negative, you have to lean it out a bit, and if it's
positive, you have to richen it up.

Once they are within 5 or 10%, and they have stayed that way for a drive, you can carry the
numbers across up to 7k rpm. So, if you have +5% at 3k and 4k rpm, use +5% at 4.5k, 5k, 6k,
and 7k. Then, you will also want to use +5% on your high throttle table, all the way across, until
we begin to tune it in the next issue.

STEP 3: Hi Throttle

At this point, I will assume that you have your fuel trims leveled out near 100%, and that they
have stayed like that for several days of driving. Also, this assumes that you have used the
same correction factor that you used for the higher rpm's of the low table, all the way across
the high table.

Also, make sure that you have no bad phantom knock, and that your base timing is set
correctly to 5 degrees (on a 1g).

Now, it's time to do some real tuning.

First, set up the logger. You want to make sure to log RPM, knock (if you can), timing advance,
and airflow, and not many more.

Now, go make a pull. It is best if you can make one in third (or fourth) gear, but if you really
have to do second, that might be ok to start. Make sure to go WIDE OPEN from 3k rpm to well
above 6k. Also, make sure you have your boost set where you want it, it is actually easier to
tune if you set it a few psi BELOW where you want it.

Now, save the log, and bring it up. Look at the 3k rpm portion of the graph, at knock and timing.
Now you have to decide if, at 3000 rpm, you are rich, lean, or just right. If you are too rich, your
O2 values will probably be pretty high (over 1.00v in a 2g, and over .95v in a 1g,
approximately) and you will have no knock (although you can have rich knock, but we'll come
back to that), and decent timing advance. If you are too lean, then you will have less timing
advance, and knock.

On a 1g, you want to tune for no knock, end of story.

On a 2g, you want to tune for timing advance. You want to keep the timing advance graph on
the logger above, say, 15-16 degrees, and you want it to be nice and smooth. The timing will
almost always dip lower than that when the boost comes on at lower engine speeds, around
3k-4k rpm. Then, the timing should rise SMOOTHLY to a solid 16+ degrees. Any dips in the
curve, or flat spots, tend to indicate knock.

So, with that information, decide if the 3000 rpm point is rich, lean, or just right. Then, add or
subtract just a couple % of correction, depending on your findings. You want to only do a few
percent at a time.

Then move on to the 4k rpm point, and do the same thing, looking at the logger. Proceed with
this up to 7k, and then make another pull with the logger to see the effects of your changes.
This will get easier as you get more experienced, but it's not really that difficult.

If you richen the SAFC and the timing drops, that means you're not knocking and the increased
airflow is causing the timing to go down. This is covered in the next section.

Tuning: Advanced

So, you have mastered the art of getting your fuel trims right at 100%, and you can make nice
WOT pulls with no knock and/or good timing advance? You've basically learned all that you
need to know to have a car that runs well, but there is a little more to learn if you want run
"really really well." This is where you will most benefit not just from my information, but from
talking to other members of this board as well. I also ask that guys who have lots of tuning
experience (you know who you are) add their input here as well.

Timing vs. Airflow

Now, while the ECU has tables for the amount of fuel it needs to inject, it also has table for how
much timing advance it should give you, and tables for how much it should advance timing
depending on knock.

UPDATE: The old DSM myth that 0-3 knock sum means timing gets advanced, and so on, is
just that. While it looks like it's true in most cases, the real method used by the ECU is
different.

In reality, the amount of timing the ECU takes out is directly proportional to the knock sum.
The ECU takes the knock sum value, and multiplies it by 90/255, and thus comes up with
"degrees of knock retard." 90/255 is very close to one-third, so by dividing the knock sum by 3
you get very close to the amount of timing retard.

If the timing maps say that you should have 18 degrees of advance, but you also have a knock
sum of 3, then you will end up with very close to 17 degrees of advance.

While 2g guys cannot view this knock sum on a logger, it is there, you just have to guess what
it is by the behavior of the timing curve.
Now, the timing tables in the ECU, just like the fuel maps, are indexed by airflow and rpm. With
a SAFC, this has an added effect. Since a SAFC intercepts that signal from the MAS to the
ECU and modifies it, it can change the amount of airflow that the ECU "sees." If you have to
correct your SAFC into the positive range, than the ECU will see more airflow Hz than the MAF
is outputting, and could change the timing map you are following. The problem with this is,
higher airflow levels get less timing advance for safety, and lower airflow levels get more timing
advance, because the ECU thinks you are pulling in less air.

By leaning out the SAFC (big injectors, more fuel pressure, race gas) you decrease the amount
of airflow that the ECU sees, and therefore you usually will get a bit more timing advance for
power. This all assumes you have no knock, and also keep in mind that more timing advance
will give an engine a higher propensity to knock.

I have heard of 1g guys with 660 cc/min injectors getting timing advanced as much as 28+
degrees at WOT, because you have to pull the SAFC correction factors down a lot due to the
fact that 660's are 47% bigger than the stock 450's.

Fuel Cut

Another issue involving the amount of airflow the ECU sees, and the correction factors of the
SAFC, is fuel cut.

For those of you who do not know, the ECU has a program that tells it to cut fuel when the
airflow exceeds a certain amount. Now, this is with the final calculated airflow, not just the Hz
signal, which means that temperature and barometeric pressure will effect fuel cut as well.

If you are to install, say, 550 cc/min injectors, you will be able to pull the correction factors
within the SAFC down about 10%, perhaps more. This means that the ECU will see about 10%
less airflow under a given amount of boost than it would have with the stock setup, which
makes it much less likely for you to get fuel cut.

Timing and Air/Fuel Ratio Curves

With the rpm based adjustability of the SAFC, you have the option to use different correction
factors at each rpm point, even if the SAFC is reading the same load. This allows you to do a
couple of things, which some people don't realize are possible, or beneficial.

The timing and air/fuel curves do not need to be flat at wide open throttle! As a matter of fact,
they shouldn't be. Timing generally needs to be at the lowest advance as boost comes on to
keep the motor from knocking, which it does automatically. Then, once you are at full boost
and WOT, the point where you need to be the most careful with timing is around 5k rpm, which
is the torque peak. The torque peak is the point of highest cylinder pressure, and thus the
point where knock is more likely to occur. As engine speed increases past this point, you can
usually squeeze out a little more advance, for two reasons. First, as VE drops off (you can se
this reflected in the torque curve) cylinder pressure goes back down. Second of all, for a set
amount of advance in degrees, the amount of time BTDC decreases as engine speed
increases. You may want more timing to compensate for this.
The A/F ratio curve can do a similar thing, transition richer around the torque and boost onset
areas, and lean out at higher rpm's.

Just be careful, as you're more likely to run out of fuel at higher engine speeds (less time for
the injector to open), and you're also more likely to do damage if you do knock.

Using the Monitor Function:

One thing it seems to me that a lot of people aren't familiar with, is the monitor function of the
SAFC. There are a whole bunch of choices, but there are only a couple that you will really find
useful:

RPM: This is obvious, it lets you see the speed of the motor.

Airflow: This will allow you to read the Hz output from the MAF, before you apply SAFC
correction factors to it. This will let you see the airflow if it goes over 1606 Hz (the maximum a
logger can read), and will let you compare numbers to compare performance gains.

TPS: This shows you the throttle position as a percentage. This may not match the number on
the logger (mat say 0% when the logger says around 10%), this is normal.

Corr: This lets you see the correction factor that is currently being applied. This isn't good for
a whole lot, but it can give you an idea for how the SAFC applies corrections when you are
between RPM or throttle points.

It also won't hurt for you to become familiar with the save and replay functions of the graph
mode, but I'm not the manual, so you figure that out.
General Tuning Tips
"The point of tuning is to find the optimum compromise of boost, fuel,
and timing. It is ok to sacrifice timing for boost, as long as you don't
have to run excessive retard and excessively rich to do it. Less
timing and more boost usually means more power, as long as you're
still in the efficient range of the setup." - Kyle T

TIP 1: Start with stock or safe settings.

If your base timing is advanced, set it back to 5*. (Via 1G CAS)
Start with low boost, slowly move up. Obviously its safer to start at
12psi then it is to start at 22psi.
Make sure your car is good running shape before you start tuning/
modifying it. A leaky injector or a clogged fuel filter can cost you an
engine later. Check out your fuel system to make sure its in top
running condition. Make sure you have NO BOOST LEAKS, GOOD
SPARK, AND PLENTY OF FUEL.

TIP 2: Increase Spool Up Time

To increase spoolup time, you can do two things: retard timing on
the CAS (I would say 3* base at the most) (1G or a 2G with a 1G
CAS Swap) and lean out the fuel mixture on the low end.

TIP 3: Using a colder plug and a smaller gap

Use only factory NGK plugs, they are tried and true. NGK BPR6ES
are stock plugs. BPR7ES and BPR8ES are 1 and 2 step colder
respectively then stock. Stock gap is recommended at .28-.32. Try a
smaller gap first.

TIP 4: Make sure your timing is correct

Have you checked your timing lines lately? Make sure all timing lines
match up to the corresponding arrows. Any off timing marks will hurt
performance
Set your adjustable cam gears to 0*/0* if you have them until you
can tune them at a dyno.

TIP 5: DATALOGGING
This is the most important tool you can have. Make sure to note
knock, timing and airflow when logging. These values are very key
when it comes to tuning and diagnosing your car.
DO NOT: Count on just an O2 gauge for tuning. Yes, it can tell you
when you are running incredibly lean or rich, but knock and timing
are more important to look at.

DO NOT: Count on just an EGT gauge for tuning. Yes, it can tell you
when you are running extremely lean. Or incredibly hot. But cars
have melted pistons at less then 1500* and cars have run perfect at
1700*. Use it as a last chance warning tool, knock and timing on a
datalogger will tell you tons more and by the time you notice the EGT
gauge, it will probably be too late.
TIP 5: Boost

More boost doesn’t necessarily mean more power. Tune for low air
temps, high timing, and no knock. Too much boost will equal a hotter
charge of air, possibly heatsoaking the intercooler, and a higher
chance of knock. Besides cold air > hot air in almost all cases.

TIP 6: Boost/Vac Leaks

When was the last time you checked for leaks in the intake tract? If
you haven't ever checked this, you may be surprised at what you
find. Boost / vacuum leaks are very harmful on performance and gas
economy and could cause premature turbo failure.
Written and Copyright Alex Yonetani, Tak Motorsports and Kyle Tarry
Special Thanks to:
Kyle Tarry
DSMTuners.com
DSMTalk.com
DSMEtc.com
ClubMitsubishi.com