My AEM EMS KA-T tune with pictures. A good example for those new to tuning.

[fiznat]

Alright, I dont claim to know a whole ton about tuning. In fact, all the work that I am going to post in this thread was NOT done by me- I had my tuning done professionally at a local dyno, by a man who seriously knows his stuff and has lots of experience.

I am posting this because I think it will be a GREAT help to anyone with the AEM system, anyone setting up timing and fuel maps in perhaps an emanage or similar setup, or even anyone simply interested in what a finished map is supposed to look like.

Please note, guys. A LOT of work went into these maps. Most people who spend this much time and money on a tune will closely guard it, and keep the benefits to themselves. I love you guys so I'll share, but please do not post this all over the internet. This is a NICO KA-T exclusive.

Background and a warning

The following maps were prepared for a built KA-T motor using 8.5:1, .020" overbore ross pistons with stock rods. Turbo was a T3/T04E .50 trim, .63A/R at 20 pounds of boost through a 30 x 8 x 3 FMIC. Secondary methanol injection was used to cool the intake charge. NOTE THAT THIS SERIOUSLY EFFECTS THE TIMING MAP. Injectors were 72# MSD top-feeds, fed using a walbaro 225lph pump that was NOT re-wired. Pump fuel was used all the time (93 octane). Stock intake on the car, mild port + polish on the head, and an ETD racing turbo manifold. Full 3" exhaust and a tial 38mm wastegate dumped to the atmosphere.

Do not expect to be able to use these maps directly on your own setup. They will NOT work well, I promise you. Tunes like this need to be worked specifically to a car, and setup slowly piece by piece in order to make sure everything is perfect. I take no responsibility that these maps will work well for your car, in whole or even in part. They worked for my setup, and should be used only as a example for learning and interest.

Now that thats out of the way, FUEL!

Here is the table for my fuel map. Units are pulsewidth. On the Y axis is load (boost going from full vaccum all the way up to 29psi. On the X axis is RPM, in 500rpm increments all the way up to 8000rpm.



Here is a graph of the same:



Note how the graph ramps up smoothly as fuel is added through the RPMs and increasing load. Bottom left indicates vaccum and no RPMs, top right is full boost and top RPMs.

Timing!

The timing table, in degrees. Again, Y axis is load and X axis is RPM:



Let me again note here that I am using much more timing than you would normally use without methanol. Normally, we reduce timing to help cool the combustion chamber. Things get pretty hot in there when we're burning highly compressed gasses at a high rate of speed-- firing the spark slightly later in the stroke allows heat to escape through the valves for a few more degrees than we would otherwise have. Using methanol, I had lower combustion temperatures to start with, so I didnt need to take as much timing away. If you attempt to run this much timing on a non-methanol car, it will most certanly cause detonation.

Here is a graph of the timing curve:



This one is a little funky to look at cause I had to flip it so you see all the angles. The highest point (top right in the graph) corresponds to the bottom right on the table (this is the vaccum-advance) area. The bottom right of the graph then corresponds to the bottom left of the table. The whole right side of the graph is equal to the bottom area of the table. Take a second to visualize it. That little bump in the graph there always annoyed me, but my AFRs always ran constant and there didnt seem to be a significant effect from it. Still, you can get a pretty good idea of what the timing map should look like from this example.

The AEM files

If you aready have the AEM software, you can view my whole tune by loading the cal file, here:

(will attach the file in a little bit)

If you dont have the software already, you can get it for free at the AEM website forums (www.aempower.com).

Well there it is guys. Not exactly a step by step guide on how to tune (at all), but just part of the database of information we are building up: a good example to learn from. Enjoy!

[Redline240]

Wow man, nice to see someone contributing to the community! Thanks, hopfully in a few months that might actually make sense to me, lol...

Redline

[nismofly]

ditto

the complexity makes me want a standalone, you can see just how you can fine tune things, but i need a turbo to use it with first

[sunnys14]

you are using stock rods again? i thought you went with aftermarket ones fiznat!?

[fiznat]

This is the old setup...

[steve s14]

are you running a 3.5bar map sensor or something higher? is it an aem, gm, msd? and which ems are you using, 1600, 1610, 1611?i'm using the 1610u with a 3.5bar aem map sensor. i just recently installed it and have been trying to figure out how to use the thing. one step closer to ka-t for me . when i get my setup in and working like yours, i'm also planning on contributing.thanks for showing us your maps

[crzycav86]

Another great post by fizzy.

[fiznat]

are you running a 3.5bar map sensor or something higher? is it an aem, gm, msd? and which ems are you using, 1600, 1610, 1611?

The box was a AEM EMS 1600U (the S13 240sx one with the internal UEGO). Map sensor was a GM 3 bar setup.

[turtl631]

Very cool fiznat. Why does the injector pulsewidth start to decrease again at very high RPMs for all load levels?

[LEMHEAD16]

Fiz anyway you can fix the PICS?

[Florida240sx]

Pics would be nice???? Thanx for the write-up +1 for Fiz

[Edub1]

Damn, that's a whole lot of junior bacon double cheese burgers.

Anyway, cool of you to post that stuff. I'll have to check back when the pictures are working.

One thing though, were does this stuff about cooling things down come from?

For any fuel there is a certain amount of energy that must be applied to the fuel to cause combustion. This threshold is called the "energy of activation."

Higher compression, like heat, excites the fuel and brings it closer to this theshold than normal. Because of this, the spark should be retarded to reflect the fuel being closer to combustion and the speed at which it will take place. Too fast = detonation.

Your methanol, like super high octane, raises this threshold and alows more spark advance.

The basic idea is correct, that methanol will allow more advance, but the reasons have more to do with the kinetic behavior of the fuel molecules than with heat. Although the two are similar.

Anybody interested in just what it's all about should read up on "reaction profiles" and "energy of activation."

If you find something good, post it up.

Anyway, great setup and great post.

Just don't forget you are out of methanol and blow her up!

[PapaSmurf2k3]

Just don't forget you are out of methanol and blow her up!

hahah... a little late for that for fiz...

speaking of fiz... did you pick up my car yet and fix all the stuff? if so.. i want pics damnit, i miss my baby

[oes]

Pictures? =((

[kings_blend]

Fiznat do you still have the calibration file? I need some help getting my idle and vacuum areas set up right. So I wouldnt mind seeing another KA calibration to compare.