Tuned to Perfection!
A client arrived today to review and revisit an engine management calibration that had been done previoulsy on his Lotus Exige by quite a well known mapper. The method they had used was to download a generic re-flash file which they hoped would be good. They thought his Lotus was He thought his Lotus was tuned to perfection!
Before undertaking any work, a 3D graphical review of the fuel and ignition tables revealed uneven curves with large calibration steps, excessive ignition timing at low speed and excessive retard at high speed. Dyno testing subsequently revealed a lean air/fuel ratio at full throttle which can potentially be catastrophic.
Undergoing our normal tuning processes on the dyno included optimising the air/fuel ratio, ignition timing and camshaft timing, resulting in the substantial performance gain as shown in the graph below, and of course a high degree of confidence in engine reliability.
The grey curves represent the power and torque from the initial ECU calbration. The red and black curves are the power and toque curves (respectively) after we had tuned the ECU properly.
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What’s the lesson to be learned?: Don’t use generic maps, only use professionally developed optimised maps!
In the competitive world of Motorsport where coming 2nd actually means losing, and when the cost of losing or not finishing is expensive in both financial and emotional terms, you’ll want to give yourself the best chance of winning or at least of putting on a very good show.
We can help you increase your chances of winning by eliminating uncertainties in the vehicles powertrain and associated systems.
With transient and high speed testing and track simulation facilities within our ventilated and sound insulated test cell, our Rototest VPA-R hub mounted chassis dynamometer is capable of delivering enviably repeatable results with an accuracy tolerance of only 0.5%, time after time.
The beauty of the system being hub mounted is that the difficulties and inconsistencies associated with tyres and extreme camber and toe angles are entirely eliminated!
Also, being a “self-contained” system, the dyno is fully transportable to any venue around the world. All that we need is a 240 volt power supply!
So whether it’s an evaluation of small changes in strictly controlled race series cars, full powertrain optimisation, on-track environment simulation, or product testing and sign-off, we can provide you with the correct solution with complete discretion when necessary.
We’re comfortable working with you on a discrete (with NDA) basis or you’re welcome to use our name for leverage if that helps you.
Our service is available by the hour, half-day and full day, or longer as required.
The main features of our test modes are:
- Constant speed Keeps a constant speed (rpm, mph, etc). The throttle adjusts the torque. Used for ECU calibration (fuel mapping, ignition timing), comparison of manufacturer specifications, etc.
- Constant torque Keeps a constant torque. The throttle adjusts the speed.
- Sweep Accelerates at a constant predefined rate (up or down) between two set points.
- Road resistance simulation Simulates road resistance caused by aerodynamic drag, rolling resistance and incline.
- Active Inertia™ Simulates real-world accelerations defined by inertia, aerodynamic drag and rolling resistance.
All dyno testing is done in our sound-proofed and ventilated test cell.
ROTOTEST VPA-R9 2WD Specification s Maximum system performance
- Braking power 1100kW (1475 imp hp)
- Braking wheel torque 4600Nm (3393 lb-ft)
- Vehicle speed 404 kph (251 mph)
ROTOTEST VPA-R95 4WD Specifications Maximum system performance
- Braking power 1700kW (2280 imp hp)
- Braking wheel torque 8200Nm (6048 lb-ft)
- Vehicle speed 330 kph (205 mph)