Dyno Time

[HG50]

Well im going to get the Q dyno'd next week. I'm curious to see how the NICO ecu does. I'm going to do 3 pulls. base, stage 2, stage 3. I haven't been able to see anyone's dyno sheet on here.

The only performance mods i have done are a Stillen intake, axle back muffler delete. Just did a grounding wire (6 wires) today but don't think that will help with any power gains.

Not sure if there is any special way to go through the stages on the ecu cause i can switch them when the car is on to valet and i know that works. not sure if going through stage 2/3 if the car needs to shut off or not.

Anyone else dyno there Q to see the gains?

Anyways for the ones that care, ill keep you posted. im hoping for some good gains so I could shell out the $ for the ecu

Chris

[GSUjinih]

Looking very forward for your results. What octane and brand of fuel are you using for the pulls?

[HG50]

Me too. I use chevron 91 octane

[maxnix]

CA crap gas?

[maxnix]

CA crap gas?

[HG50]

yup

[SanCarlosQ45]

CA crap gas?

Its actually not as bad as the stuff in Oregon. Also you need to know where to get good stuff with no E10, like the 76 on Woodside road; lots of lambos, ferrari's, and muscle cars. Plus you can get 100 at the pump, 108 and 116 from barrels in the back.

Damn I wish we had a Nissan+Infiniti shop like that here in the Bay Area!

[HG50]

well after driving the q for a few days, ive noticed that i had a really low hum sound coming from the speakers when it was turned off. now the sound isnt there anymore. im gonna give credit to the grounding kit that i got installed. the guys over at Carzone Auto Repair are the ones that wired it all up. is it possible that my dash lights would be a bit brighter also?

[djwarner]

If you are stuck wih 91 octane, you might want to add 5 ounces of acetone per 20 gallons of gas. I've haven't found any mpg increase, but the ecu will take advatage of the extra anti-knock capability. It's not unusual to see the engine running up to 4000 rpm on light throttle acceleration.

In fact, my mpg may actually be a little lower because the performance increase is just that tempting.

One point, this is not a situation where if some is good, more is better. Adding more acetone than stated above will actually lower octane.

[BadQ45t]

I never knew that 76 had any special gas, is that one just past he high school???

Seems like LA has all the cool shops, that one must be in the Valley given their 818 number, my shop Z Expert in Venice can work on our cars like nobodies busines.

For San Carlos, my shop has gotten very good with Q's and they are honest and reasonable guys. Richard's Auto Repair in San Bruno, they are $88 an hour for labor and do it right or make it right. They have done most everything to my Q the last 5 years with great expertise.

[HG50]

Ya, few gas stations in la I've seen have 100 octane. Maybe ill get a few gallons of that just for the stage 3

[HG50]

ok well dyno is done.

before i start anything, all maps made the car really lean. i dont think its the computer itself, just the 91 octane gas that we have in Los Angeles.

dyno for stock, which is jdm stock would let the car rev past 6k. we dyno'd it 2x in that to get a base. that was 245 hp and 250tq
stage 2 i lost power, it went to 241 hp and 246tq
stage 3 is a whole different story, it leaned it out even more, like i was told, but didn't make any more power. so it wasn't necessary to go past 3500 rpm

after that was done, i put it on "another" oem setting on there that didn't say jdm. i was hoping it would be just a factory setting.
it also didn't make it past 6k rpm but it did make the most power. 249 hp and 256 tq

i am gonna order a NIStune ecu and have them tune it for my car.

im putting up a video of the dyno and some pictures.




here is the best hp dyno
http://youtu.be/ZS16DqWs_08

and the dyno up to 7200 rpm
http://youtu.be/81HAdyK46sM

[HG50]

videos posted

[GSUjinih]

Where was the air/fuel taken ratio taken from, was it from the tailpipe? Those seem like very poor results from what they claim with that NICO ECU?! When you did your stock runs, was this using the stock setting on the NICO ECU or a stock ECU? I thought it was supposed to be good for 30-40 hp? Was this a 4-way ECU? Also, where did you get this from? I would want a refund if I only increased power by less that 5hp! I was really considering getting one of these, but I definitely am having second thoughts now!

[SanCarlosQ45]

I never knew that 76 had any special gas, is that one just past he high school???

Seems like LA has all the cool shops, that one must be in the Valley given their 818 number, my shop Z Expert in Venice can work on our cars like nobodies busines.

For San Carlos, my shop has gotten very good with Q's and they are honest and reasonable guys. Richard's Auto Repair in San Bruno, they are $88 an hour for labor and do it right or make it right. They have done most everything to my Q the last 5 years with great expertise.

Yea its the one past woodside high school. The gas is sunoco for the high octane stuff from the one special pump as well as in the barrels. The last time I was there it was just over $6 for 100 at the pump.

I think I heard of this place, maybe I'll have my mom try this instead of the places she goes to. She seems to get ripped off all the time, like the cost of brake pads for her Saturn which cost way more than OEM Infiniti parts!

Those numbers seem really low for the nico ecu. Otherwise the stock numbers seem good.

[elwesso]

Remember if you have bad knock sensors, the NICO ECU will not do anything! We programmed it this way intentionally so that owners that do not have a perfectly running Q do not destroy their engine from old failed components..

Remember, I have done 100s of NICO ECU's, all with the same tune, and everyone with a Q that is known to be working properly has been very satisfied..

Getting a NISTUNE to retune the ECU will only be fixing the symptom, not the cause, assuming that the car has bad knock sensors (which I suspect)...

[HG50]

I don't have any issues with my car right now. Are there any people on here with dyno'd Q's that show the 30hp increase? Believe me, I wanted it to work so I can get one from you.

The car did feel smoother in the low end, as the slight increase in hp did show.

As for the stock #'s, I was using the base setting on the ecu. Keep in mind, the setting did not allow the vehicle to rev past 6k rpm.

[elwesso]

We originally dyno'd the ECU when we made it, while I do not have the sheets I have correspondence (somewhere) where the original person who made the tune (RobertsNewQ on this forum)..

So were you able to go past 6k RPM with the stock ECU?

I've sen a few times where Q with bad fuel pumps could not reach past a certain RPM.. Are you sure your knock sensors are OK?

[HG50]

i went past 6k on stage 2, just wouldnt let me go past it on the stock modes (i tried both on youre ecu). i put my stock ecu back in and it lets me go past it. so not sure whats up with those stages on the modified ecu.

im pretty sure my knock sensors are good. everything on my motor are in normal working conditions.

[elwesso]

What ECU did you have in the car? You must have a 4-way ECU? have you checked the ECU codes or ohmed the knock sensors at the harness? What about engine timing, are you sure yours is set at 15°BTDC? With IAC unplugged and fully warmed up at 650RPM checked with timing light on crank pulley.... Where did you get the ECU to try, did you borrow it from someone local or something?

Typically the ECU's either work 100% or they don't work at all.. I mean, its not like the tune "wears out", and assuming you have an otherwise stock engine it should plug and go.

I'm more than willing to help you figure out what's causing it, im very confident its not the ECU's fault, and if the knock sensors are good chances are it will be simple to fix.

[hoov100]

This kind of makes me doubt the nico ECU for California cars. I would like to know what kind of timing it's running though, would hate to blow that kind of money only to realize I could just spend a little more and go nistune with a custom map.

[elwesso]

The NICO ECU was originally tuned in California.

[HG50]

What ECU did you have in the car? You must have a 4-way ECU? have you checked the ECU codes or ohmed the knock sensors at the harness? What about engine timing, are you sure yours is set at 15°BTDC? With IAC unplugged and fully warmed up at 650RPM checked with timing light on crank pulley.... Where did you get the ECU to try, did you borrow it from someone local or something?

Typically the ECU's either work 100% or they don't work at all.. I mean, its not like the tune "wears out", and assuming you have an otherwise stock engine it should plug and go.

I'm more than willing to help you figure out what's causing it, im very confident its not the ECU's fault, and if the knock sensors are good chances are it will be simple to fix.

how would i distinguish which ecu i had in the car? i checked for codes, none at all. i borrowed the ecu from a fellow nico member.

[hoov100]

The NICO ECU was originally tuned in California.

Granted there could be an indefinite list of reasons why his car was running lean, but assuming everything was nominal and it was in fact the tune, that would seem kind of odd for a tune in CA. I wonder if his condition could be caused by some sort of slight fuel starvation or poor (ish) fuel quality.

I would also be interested to know what "JDM stock" is; if we are just talking the tune or the entire vh41 motor and tune. I also would be interested in knowing if there is any difference between the CA spec tune and federal.

[HG50]

I always use 91 octane. I know its the not best but its the best we got here

[elwesso]

91 Octane should work fine.

Were there are any markings on the ECU? If it had a switch on the end that had multiple selections then it was most likely a 4-way..

I can say that I've been using this tune in my Q for the last 4 years and its been perfect. I would never sell or promote products that I would not use myself.

[GSUjinih]

91 Octane should work fine.

Were there are any markings on the ECU? If it had a switch on the end that had multiple selections then it was most likely a 4-way..

I can say that I've been using this tune in my Q for the last 4 years and its been perfect. I would never sell or promote products that I would not use myself.

What is the target air/fuel ratio at WOT above 3000 RPM for the NICO ECU? What is the maximum coolant temperature before it starts pulling timing?

[qsiguy]

Air/Fuel ratio depends on the load but it's 12.22 - 12.30 in the higher RPM/load regions for both stage 2 and 3. Stock is 11.20 - 12.46 in that region. I don't see a setting specifically for a temp when it starts retarding timing. In tests on my own car I seem to recall it starting to pull some timing around 190-200°F as viewed through a consult and my laptop but it's been a while since I tested that. I'll have to look to see if I took any notes.

There are many variables that could be causing issues. This mystery ECU you were using I'd like to know specifics about it. When was it purchased? What programs are on it? What do you mean it "wouldn't let me go above 6K rpm"? Rev limit on stage 2 and 3 is 7300 rpm. Did you unplug the transmission control module to keep it in 3rd gear during the dyno? If the ECU sees knock, either from a bad sensor or actually having some knock, the retard is significant. On my car I saw a 50 hp difference between the stock ECU and a NICO stage 2 tune (stage 2 tune was 50 HP higher). This was WITH a bad knock sensor. I did not get it redone after repairing the knock sensor but I've since installed a turbo and many other things so it's irrelevant now.

I'd also like to know more about your intake. Is it actually a hot air intake pulling air from under the hood or what? A cone filter under the hood, not pulling in cold air, will be a huge HP killer once the engine bay is hot.

[HG50]

91 Octane should work fine.

Were there are any markings on the ECU? If it had a switch on the end that had multiple selections then it was most likely a 4-way..

I can say that I've been using this tune in my Q for the last 4 years and its been perfect. I would never sell or promote products that I would not use myself.

ya there are markings on the ecu. it has, non tcs,active. stock jdm, stage II, stage III, valet, stock, stage II and n/a. it has a wire coming out of the back of it with a switch and shrink wrap around the switch.

[HG50]

Air/Fuel ratio depends on the load but it's 12.22 - 12.30 in the higher RPM/load regions for both stage 2 and 3. Stock is 11.20 - 12.46 in that region. I don't see a setting specifically for a temp when it starts retarding timing. In tests on my own car I seem to recall it starting to pull some timing around 190-200°F as viewed through a consult and my laptop but it's been a while since I tested that. I'll have to look to see if I took any notes.

There are many variables that could be causing issues. This mystery ECU you were using I'd like to know specifics about it. When was it purchased? What programs are on it? What do you mean it "wouldn't let me go above 6K rpm"? Rev limit on stage 2 and 3 is 7300 rpm. Did you unplug the transmission control module to keep it in 3rd gear during the dyno? If the ECU sees knock, either from a bad sensor or actually having some knock, the retard is significant. On my car I saw a 50 hp difference between the stock ECU and a NICO stage 2 tune (stage 2 tune was 50 HP higher). This was WITH a bad knock sensor. I did not get it redone after repairing the knock sensor but I've since installed a turbo and many other things so it's irrelevant now.

I'd also like to know more about your intake. Is it actually a hot air intake pulling air from under the hood or what? A cone filter under the hood, not pulling in cold air, will be a huge HP killer once the engine bay is hot.

it wouldnt go above 6k rpm is exactly what i meant.
did not unplug the tcm, no need to.
so if your getting hp numbers with a bad knock sensor, ur saying wes' theory is incorrect?

my intake is just a stillen intake with no other mods, so just oem piping, stillen adaptor, and filter. there was a fan in front ofthe engine, actually maybe 2 with the hood open as you can see from the pic. it was about 930 in the morn, so air temp was around 70 deg and the car was up to normal operating temperature.

chris