ECUflash and EVOscan Tips

There are many different ways we can use tools to make tuning a little easier. When we log in EVOscan, the data is recorded in spreadsheet form. This allows us to view it in programs similar to Microsoft Excel. The information is valuable to us when tuning and it is important to get the correct information displayed in a specific way and to understand the information available.This allows us to transfer the knowledge we learned from our log into adjustments to our tune in ECUflash.

In this article, I am going to show you some things to make all of this a little bit easier. I will be adding to this article as I go.

Words By: SPOOLIGAN  |  Images By: SPOOLIGAN

Video(s)

Quickly Finding a WOT Pull

We are always looking through our logs at several different things. But in most cases, you are logging so you can go back through and look at something in particular. Looking at WOT pulls is one of the areas we are looking at the most. We drive these things because we wanna go fast. But we also need to make sure that when we are going fast, the tune doesn’t cause a catastrophic failure.

Finding that one WOT pull you did in one 30 minute log can be time consuming if you are going about it in the least logical way. Instead of scrolling down through until you see your TPS at 100% (which means WOT), you can Filter the TPS column.

Step 1- Highlight the TPS column

Step 2- Click Filter

Step 3- A drop down menu arrow will display in the TPS column.

Click on it and a box will appear.

Then check all the boxes near 100% TPS.

Step 4- Now, all of your WOT pulls in this log will rise to the top. Take notice when the LogID column seems to skip cells. The cells that are missing are the cells where you lifted off the throttle to make a shift. This also means that this is two separate gear pulls done back to back. For example, you are doing a 2nd gear pull, then shift to third, then do a third gear pull.

Step 5- Now you can pick out which pull you want to look at and delete everything else. Simply highlight all the rows above and below the pull you want to look at.

You can tell by looking at the RPM that you shifted.

Step 6- To the left is an example of a WOT 3rd gear pull, starting at 3100RPM and ending at 7200RPM.

You can determine you are WOT when your TPS reads near 100. In my case, my TPS isn’t adjusted perfect so my WOT reads 97.2549 instead of 100.

Something else worth noting while looking at this log is your Peak Load.

Peak Load is the highest load reading through the 3rd gear pull and should display the lowest timing if tuned properly.

At the beginning of my pull from 3000RPM, the timing lowers through out the RPM range until it reaches the highest load. Then the timing will begin to increase AFTER peak load.

Peak Load is also the point in which you are making the most power and/or torque. It also is typically where your turbo makes the most boost depending on what you are doing.

Peak Timing is the highest amount of timing at the end of the pull in higher RPM, to redline. As the engine RPM speeds up, you need to gradually raise the timing.

It is very important that when you are doing a WOT pull that you are actually at WOT. When you are driving, we sometimes tend to ease off or “feather” the throttle. You should be absolutely floored when doing a WOT pull and want to look specifically in the WOT area of the log.

You also need to do a pull starting from around 3000RPM and pull to your normal redline/shift point. Doing these couple of things will not only show every area of a complete WOT pull, but it will allow your pulls to be consistent. This ensures you are getting the correct data needed when tuning.

Making a Timing Curve Graph

I spend the majority of my time tuning within the ignition maps. I am always trying to get the most timing I possibly can to crank out the most power in my car, and do so without getting knock. It can get really time consuming, real quick. Something that I like to put together is a timing curve graph. Basically, in Microsoft Excel, I create a Scatter Line Graph to show the ignition timing curve throughout one single gear pull/RPM range.

Your program will obviously have some differences depending on what you are using. I am using Microsoft Office 2016 Excel.

Step 1- Select a Scatter graph with smooth lines.

Step 2- An empty graph will show up. Right click anywhere in the graph and click on Select Data in the drop down menu.

Step 3- This box will pop up. There are 3 small boxes and you need to set a directory for the data and data ranges.

In the first box, click on the TimingAdvance cell.

In the second box, highlight all of the cells with the RPM in it. You will highlight every RPM cell on the WOT, single gear pull. So from the time you hit full throttle till the end where you let off the throttle.

In the third box, you may get the =(1) text displayed. DELETE it.

Then, highlight all of the TimingAdvance number cells. All the way from the first WOT cell, to the last WOT cell, just as you did with the RPM cells.

Step 4- Now, you should have a full graph and it should be displayed as pictured in the screenshot below.

This graph can be a really nice tool as you can compare a single gear pull with one timing map with another timing map from another pull. Or, the same map on two different pulls, one on low boost and one on high boost. Or a million other things. You can also make graphs for ANYTHING else on your log, just like this.

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