Category Archives: Tune/Protune

Cobb Tuning – They Dyno’d a Ford Focus RS!

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The above was a Cobb Tuning live video session that occurred today.

They dyno’d a Ford Focus RS.  The car was stock.  In fact, they dyno’d it four times.  The first two pulls were with the stock tune.  The latter two pulls were with a Cobb AP tune (stage 1).

The guy in the video stated that he’d heard that a lot of people were thinking the car was overrated from the factory and that they wanted to test to see if it was true.

[SPOILER ALERT – Stop reading now if you’d like to watch the video to see the results!]

Well, the first two pulls netted 301 WHP and 340 lb-ft of torque.  The last two pulls netted 313 WHP and 360 lb-ft of torque.

Now, my concern is that current RS owners say they aren’t getting full boost on a consistent basis (ie, they’re not getting the full power on demand, every time they run the car hard).  Yes, different atmospheric  conditions will dictate how well the car runs, but if your car is only generating 250 WHP when you want the full Monte, that’s a problem.  The cars are probably dialing back boost when ambient temps are high.  The Cobb test car was run in Texas, where it’s in the low to mid 90s today.  The dyno testing didn’t see any anomalies but their testing isn’t what the mag publishers’ test numbers are showing.  The mag publishers are showing discrepancies (the cars are not generating what it should, HP-wise).

Cobb needs to test more, IMO.  Or maybe they don’t care enough to investigate further…after all, it isn’t their problem.

Regarding the HP numbers of the dyno runs, the car saw rather significant gains when going stage 1, but this car is already putting out serious amounts of power.  How much more before the car either stops generating nothing but heat (or a thrown rod or cracked piston)?

Subaru Knock Monitoring – Cobb Tuning

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I read Cobb Tuning’s Facebook postings and saw the following the other day:  http://www.cobbtuning.com/subaru-knock-monitoring-and-dit-knock-logic-changes/

Most people that have turbocharged Subarus and either have a Cobb Accessport or want one always ask how does one monitor for knock.  I’ve elaborated on this in the past (here) but the information in the link comes straight from the source!

Excerpt:

Detonation events are inevitable and will occur from time to time on any modern vehicle running on pump gas.  Your car is built to recognize these events and take the appropriate action to defend against them causing any damage.  The Subaru knock detection system tends to err on the side of caution.  This makes it common to see “false knock.”  False knock occurs when the ECU corrects for a knock event but the noise registered is due to other noises that aren’t necessarily detonation or harmful to the engine.  This often happens accelerating from a stop while letting the clutch out, during gear shifts (more so if grunting while shifting), accelerating at low RPM in a high gear, under cruise on the freeway, and during abrupt throttle changes.

Read the rest at the above hyperlink.  Enjoy!

2015 WRX on the Dyno

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We rarely see 2015 WRXs on the dyno, but here it is. I wish they’d provided the baseline HP at the wheels first, but I believe they make 240ish to the wheels stock. I’ve no idea what mods this one may have.

Esnel’s 2015 Subaru WRX – 301whp/325lbtqEsnel brought in his 2015 Subaru WRX to get a COBB Tuning ProTune by Vlad! Vlad got the WRX all dialed in at 300.66whp and 324.84lbtq!

Posted by National Speed on Saturday, July 25, 2015

UPDATE — the mod list is: Tb exhaust , intake , tgv delete

Please Don’t Defraud Subaru of America!

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Read the following thread today:

http://www.iwsti.com/forums/gr-general/272848-13-sti-cyl-4-missfire-other-problems-need-help.html

Read it and see why I have a problem with it.

Basically, the OP stated that he’s at stage 2+, has 20K miles on the car and the car is exhibiting symptoms of cracked ringlands.  Some responders tell him how to check for further symptoms (smoke coming from oil cap opening).  Smoke was exiting the opening.  In the next post, the guy states that he has his car on a flatbed and it’s on the way to the dealer.  He states he’s reverted back to the stock tune (and that the dealer also stated he should do this).

Wow.  I see these at least once a week on the forums.  Some guys end up pannicking when they realize that Subaru of America (SoA) sometimes correlates such posts to real-life people and deny the claims.

IMO, issues such as these constitutes fraud.  I’m a firm believer in “pay to play”.  People who can’t afford to fix their car because they took it beyond the limits of Subaru’s design should not modify their cars.  Shit like this is what makes it difficult for the guys with real/legit repair issues to get them fixed.  Also, someone has to pay for the fraudulent claim (and it’s usually not the dealer nor SoA)…it’s usually other Subaru owners (the dealer spreads the cost to all Subaru owners by raising costs of other services).

I hate crap like this!

EDIT:  here’s one from last week (pay attention to post 6)

Firmware updates for ALL Subaru Accessports!

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http://www.iwsti.com/forums/cobb-accesstuner/271467-firmware-updates-all-subaru-accessports.html

I like leveraging IWSTI forum posts (because I spend a good bit of time reading and posting there).

Cobb has updated the firmware for all Subaru APs.  The notes are below:

Fast Logging for ALL Subaru Accessports!!

We’ve improved datalogging rates for all Subaru Accessports. This includes V2, V2b, and V3 units and all Subaru Accessport part numbers.

V2 and V2b units will now see improvements in excess of 300% over previous datalogging rates. V3 Accessports will see nearly 250% higher resolution.


OTS Map Updates!!

2008-2014 STI v334 Map Updates

  • Revised Engine Load Compensation tables to address potentially high absolute values in the A/F Learning “C” range.
  • Activated new toggle to induce Per-Gear Timing Compensations for 6th gear.
  • Eliminated factory “Fuel Enrichment Ramping” behavior that caused temporarily lean conditions following shifts while driving aggressively.


2002-2007 WRX v310 Map Updates

  • Massive update for Stage1 and Stage2 mapping. Includes refinements to boost control and overall ignition timing strategy.
  • Added Stage1 and Stage2 support for COBB Electronic Boost Control Solenoid (EBCS).


2009-2014 WRX v331 Map Updates

  • Synchronized mapping across all model years.
  • Implemented Per-Gear Timing compensations.
  • Reshaped Boost Targets table for better control at higher RPM which reduces need for Severe Low Wastegate (SLWG mapping).
  • Removed SLWG maps from map offering
  • Revised odd factory Per-Cylinder Injector Pulsewidth tables
  • Updated Primary OL Fuel tables.
  • Revised ignition timing tables based on power and detonation concerns.
  • Many minor adjustments (changed per-cylinder timing compensations slightly, disabled trims based on rear O2 sensor, revised closed loop fuel target at idle, etc.).


For access to updated features, simply connect your Accessport to Accessport Manager and perform a firmware update!

For any other questions, feel free to email support@cobbtuning.com or submit a support ticket at cobbtuning.com/support

The coolest part?  The increase in datalogging rates — 300% for pre-v3 APs and 250% for v3s!!  What does that mean?  Better (quicker) logging!  That means better quality datalogs!

Nameless Performance Cold Air Intake Installed!

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If you remember, I received my Nameless Performance cold air intake a few weeks ago.   I didn’t plan to install my Nameless Performance cold air intake this weekend but I ended up doing just that.

I had a bit of a time trying to figure out how to remove the stock air box and how to install the new CAI.  Only two bolts hold the stock air box in place.  The bolts were difficult to reach but weren’t too difficult to remove.  It’s reinstalling the stock air box that might be troublesome, IMO, because rethreading those bolts back on might take awhile.

In hindsight, I think I probably would’ve been better off getting the Cobb SF intake and airbox.  I still might look into going that route, but I absolutely love the way the NP intake looks in my engine bay.  I sorta wish I’d been able to see the different color options (that wasn’t available when I ordered mine, but it’s on the NP product pages now….they’ve many color schemes depicted.

The install of the CAI wasn’t all that bad.  It’s a tight fit and the product uses the same mount points as the stock equipment, although you have to remove a bracket.  I had to search on the web for a picture of a mounted NP CAI to see how to mount it.  It comes with no instructions.  Fortunately it didn’t take me all that long to figure out and install.  It took me 1.5 hours to install, but that’s only because I kept stopping to take pictures and video clips, and I kept double-checking my work (since I didn’t have instructions).

Here’s a picture of my extremely dirty stock air filter (I don’t think the dealer replaced it like I asked them 9 months ago and the car’s barely been driven since then).

 

 

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Here’s a shot of where the stock air box used to be:

 

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Here’s the close-out and MAF housing that I managed to figure out how to mount:

 

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Here’s where I mounted the MAF sensor (it only fits this way…I suggest you mount it before mounting the close-out…that way, you don’t end up dropping the little screws in the engine bay):

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Finished!

 

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I can now hear turbo spool-up…it is very noticeable.  I can also hear air rushing into the intake.

Note that this CAI requires a tune.  This unit is compatible with Cobb’s AEM maps.  I’m currently using the Cobb OTS Stage 1 91-octane AEM map.  I’ve logged a few miles with pulls included…the logs are kosher.

There’s a slight hesitation at throttle tip-in from idle.  It only happens from idle and it almost sounds like the throttle plate is fighting a vacuum, but I’m not sure that’s possible.  There’s no boost leak (I’m hitting peak boost without issue).  I’m trying to determine what’s going on.  I wonder if this is just a map issue that a tuner can tune out.

Oh, and here’s a video:

 

 

Nameless Performace CAI has arrived!

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This is the Nameless Performance cold air intake (CAI) that I ordered a month and three weeks ago.   I’ve been waiting for this a long time.  At first, I was upset because I thought that most of this was pre-built, but after making a complaint to Jason (of Nameless), he e-mailed me stating that they were almost done building it.  I did a mental double-take.  Then, when I received it, I got a good look at the craftsmanship…it’s good enough to where I can mount it over my fireplace (I’m not joking).  It’s almost a work of art.  The close-out is powder-coated.  If I’d have known it would look that good, I’d have maybe chosen another color.  I opted to have the MAF housing as black in color.  Overall, it looks great!

I’ll probably end up mounting it a week before my protune is scheduled.  No, this CAI doesn’t need a protune, as it is compatible with Cobb’s AEM OTS tunes (although, a protune would be more efficient/safer).    If I could, I’d get the car dyno’d and tuned before the parts are mounted and afterward, but I can’t/won’t.  I’m also still mulling over getting an e-tune.  I’ve a few e-tuners in mind, but will need to get the low RPM stumble fixed (there’s an online mod how-to here).

Lots of Knock!

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A few days ago, it got warm enough to where I wanted to go to a car meet.  I took the car (of course) and ran logs on the way out.  I also ran logs today when driving to a doctor’s appointment.  Well…I saw lots of knock…WTF.  The only thing I can think of that’s causing it is bad gas (I filled up on Friday…those logs were partially clear).  Thinking on it now, it could also be the fact that the weather is warmer…warm enough to have heat-soak (which could contribute to knock on the OTS Stage 1 tune).

I got scared enough to where I unmarried the AP…it may stay unmarried until I’m ready for a protune.   While the DAM was still 1.0, the knock was very prevalent (finke knock learn, actually, which pulled timing quite a bit in some instances) .  I’ll see if I can post the logs.

EDIT – The logs are here.

UPDATE – I think this might have been a combination of bad gas and the fact that the engine was loaded and in top gear. No, I wasn’t lugging the engine, nor was I boosting significantly in 6th, but I was in 6th with light load and running the AC, which the 93-octane Stage 1 OTS tune doesn’t like. When I went to the Stage 1 91-octane OTS tune, it stopped. I’m still running the 91-octane Stage 1 tune.

Fix for STI Stumble

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So, there’s a thing called the ‘stumble’, where there’s a fueling issue that causes an STI engine to falter or lean-out.  In some cases, it is noticeable, especially when getting tuned.  Some tuners can tune it out while other can’t/won’t.

There are several fixes:  1) using an aftermarket fuel pressure regulator; 2) using an aftermarket fuel rail; 3) extending a fuel line.  The below links describe how to perform #3.  As well, after doing fix #3, it is advised to use Cobb’s Accesstuner (if you don’t have it, you can request it from Cobb at this link) to modify your TGV tables (as they were modified by Cobb to compensate for the stumble)…the first URL below explains how to do it.

http://www.iwsti.com/forums/how-install/254372-fuel-line-extension-stumble-fix-mod.html

http://www.iwsti.com/forums/2-5-liter-litre-factory-motor/250449-parts-needed-installing-longer-fuel-line-stock-fpr-hard-line.html

I do plan to do this as soon as I can.  It shouldn’t take any more than 20 minutes and shouldn’t cost any more than $20 in material.   I plan to do this before I get protuned.

Note that this only affects later model STIs (2008-2014)…it does not affect the WRX or other models.

Mishimoto Cold Air Intake for 2008-2014 STI

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subaru-wrx-sti-performance-air-intake-2008-2014-39

http://www.mishimoto.com/subaru-wrx-sti-performance-air-intake-08-14.html

This cold air intake (CAI) is a bit different than that’s currently on the market for the GR/GV STIs.  What’s different?  Your vehicle doesn’t need to be tuned for it to be used on your car, nor does it need to used with a Cobb AP OTS tune.  In most cases, CAIs for Subarus are not plug-n-play.  So when I saw the above URL posted within the IWSTI forums, I immediately had questions, such as ‘how did they do this?’.

Here is an engineering writeup of the product (by Mishimoto engineers).  It is actually pretty thorough.  Another cool fact is that it can still be protuned for further gains.  Mishimoto claims,

The maximum gain achieved was about 25 hp and 24 tq at around 5300 rpm, with a peak gain of 12.7 hp and 2 tq. These results are very good for such an easy part to swap out. Increases on average through the power band measured around 20 hp and 18 tq, which would certainly be noticeable to the driver.

Additional notes regarding the air/fuel ratio of a car with this particular CAI:

The Mishimoto CAI follows the stock AFR as the car builds its boost. Once the engine reaches 4000 rpm the car is under full boost, as seen when the Mishimoto CAI starts to differ from the stock unit. The maximum AFR reached was about 11.7:1, but on average the Mishimoto CAI runs about 11.3:1 when under full boost. The stock AFR maxed out at about 11:1 and averaged about 10.5:1 when under full boost. These numbers were consistent throughout multiple runs, which assured the engineers that this CAI can be used every day without harming the engine.

Looks-wise, I like the Nameless Performance CAI better, even though that particular unit still needs a Cobb AP to be used (it can be used with any map that supports the AEM CAI).  Pricing between the NP and Mishimoto CAIs are also very similar.  The NP CAI is $299 and has an arsenal of color choices of the closeout and MAF housing.  The Mishimoto CAI is $313 and only offers 3 colors of the intake piping.

I’m not sure which offers better gains on OTS tuning, but I don’t think you can go wrong with either solution.