What is all the "rage" now in scan tools & data logging?
- Thread starter fredh
- Start date
I'm surprised its so old school still. I feel like we shouldnt need a scanmaster, we should be at the point that we have a labtop in the car and thats it. Just tune and monitor with it, then once your tune is set you don't need to monitor unless you can tell something's up.
- Joined
- May 26, 2001
If you want to move up to a more high-tech approach, go with the latest FAST XFI with adaptive tuning, or self-learning, then add an E-Dash so you can monitor many more functions than a Scanmaster while you are driving.
Unless you are capable of doing the installation, set-up and tuning yourself, be prepared to spend close to $4000 for this XFI package.
Most "issues" and engine damage I have seen over the years is almost always the fault of the owner, especially when they have no experience or actually do not know what they are doing when building the combination, or "trying" to do something different while attempting to find the "extra" HP.
By the way, these items are not toys to "play with", but are there to provide data for you to achieve your specific performance goals, assuming you have defined them?
Thanks for the replies!
For me, a GN would be a toy to "play with". I have other vehicles for daily driving, towing, moving family around. My specific performance goal would be to have a nice, comfortable car that has some reliability that can be driven to test-and-tune at one of the local drag strips a few times a year and run some low 11's or high 10's. Also it should look good enough to take to cruise-ins a few times a year. Turbo buicks are capable of all that
That said, my previous experiences with GNs is that the scanmaster would provide intermittent data that something was off (KR) and the EGT temps were never very high. The worrisome data would happen even at lower boost levels and with nearly undiluted C16 in the tank. So I was always running into a tuning "wall" with a cars trapping about 110-113 mph at 20-22 psi and wondering how anyone ever could run faster on a stock-ish combination (TE44, exhaust, CAI, chip). Was I at the limit for that combination, maybe. So how do a few run 10's with so little?
I am thinking that a 10-second combination for a full weight TR requires dyno tuning or some better chips that what I had, a bigger turbo, a FMIC, 28"+ tall slicks, a roller cam, and some better cylinder heads. Sound about right? The data logging would be check for KR while turning the pressure up in the intake. Not sure how tunable anything would be once you do detect KR, since a new chip would have to be burned to correct the onset of KR. Higher boost, more octane, less timing advance, more fuel...what else is there to tune?
Thanks,
Fred
For me, a GN would be a toy to "play with". I have other vehicles for daily driving, towing, moving family around. My specific performance goal would be to have a nice, comfortable car that has some reliability that can be driven to test-and-tune at one of the local drag strips a few times a year and run some low 11's or high 10's. Also it should look good enough to take to cruise-ins a few times a year. Turbo buicks are capable of all that
That said, my previous experiences with GNs is that the scanmaster would provide intermittent data that something was off (KR) and the EGT temps were never very high. The worrisome data would happen even at lower boost levels and with nearly undiluted C16 in the tank. So I was always running into a tuning "wall" with a cars trapping about 110-113 mph at 20-22 psi and wondering how anyone ever could run faster on a stock-ish combination (TE44, exhaust, CAI, chip). Was I at the limit for that combination, maybe. So how do a few run 10's with so little?
I am thinking that a 10-second combination for a full weight TR requires dyno tuning or some better chips that what I had, a bigger turbo, a FMIC, 28"+ tall slicks, a roller cam, and some better cylinder heads. Sound about right? The data logging would be check for KR while turning the pressure up in the intake. Not sure how tunable anything would be once you do detect KR, since a new chip would have to be burned to correct the onset of KR. Higher boost, more octane, less timing advance, more fuel...what else is there to tune?
Thanks,
Fred
