Nistune Forums

Hey guys,

Just thought I'd fill people in on a bit of info about this.

It's been all the rage locally to use Z32 ECU's to tune R33's. Once the appropriate mods are performed to the ECU this generally works pretty well. But Z32 ECU's are not getting any easier to find, so people have started using R32 ECU's. I've always avoided this as you lose your VCT. But for budget jobs they're quite a good solution.

Well, I've been involved with a few of these lately and they actually work better than I expected. And the lack of VCT isn't that big a deal. We've been simply tying the VCT on all the time. Just snip the wire that goes to the ECU about 6 inches from the solenoid, crimp a lug onto the wire going to the solenoid and bolt it onto the earth near the front of the engine. So intake cam is advanced all the time. We did some tests and in mildly tuned RB25's you lose about 10rwkw right up the top. On most street engines this is hardly noticeable and on drift cars it can actually good cos they're less likely to bang the rev limiter all the time!

In addition, if you use the base image that Matt has provided with the modded code for TPS Trigger voltage, you can set where you'd like "TPS Closed" to come on. R33 doesn't use a switch on the TPS to idicate throttle closed, so the modified code makes it work like later model ECU's - it simply assumes TPS Closed whenever the TPS voltage goes below the trigger voltage. This works a treat, and being able to adjust the trigger voltage allows you to tune out little pesky transition problems from closed to open throttle.

Good things:

- Cheap, easy to find
- They plug directly in (no mods - yay!)
- Easy to tune
- Programmable TPS Idle voltage

If you simply must have VCT working (it IS a good thing after all..) maybe try the "window switch" from Summit Racing:

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/SUM-830452/

* I've not tried these personally but they look like they'd do the job and the price is right.

Pete L

Im using the MSD window switch to control my VCT it works well but is pricey

I take it there's more to it than the $US52 asking price then?

PL

I did look at them but have not heard of any one using them so I was not prepaired to take the risk.

They might work well and the price is good my MSD one cost $200

You designed the Nistune boards didn't you? Ever through of making an add on module for the nistune chip to handle the VCT for the RB20 ecu?

Would probably been a good seller as the RB20ecu seams to be more reliable than the RB20 ecu

I've thought of a lot of things. Having the time and resources to actually make them is another thing entirely! And when people like Summit Racing are already offering what appears to be a good product for $50 it's just plain not worth doing.

PL

Most people use some form of electronic boost control, if you haven't already bought one and need one then buy an eboost street, they come with a window controller built in, just wire it up to a relay and plug the RPM wire into it, it will then switch the relay on at x rpm and switch it off at y just like the stock ECU.

I set mine up to come on at 1500rpm so it isn't on at idle and off at 4500rpm, though play with it on the dyno, leave it on the whole time, then off the whole time, look where the two graphs cross over each other and set the switch over point here for maximum torque across the range.

Win win.

That or use the MSD window switch.

How do you find the eBoost street for boost control? Any good?

PL

PL wrote:How do you find the eBoost street for boost control? Any good?

PL

Yeah seems very configurable, you can set it up to bring boost on slightly faster than with no bleed valve via it essentially unplugging the boost line until x psi is hit, usually half whatever boost you are aiming to run. Also has linear correction between two rpm set points so if the boost is bleeding off you can quite easily get it flat again.

Comes with two set points so you can fairly easily run two boost settings and can also flick between them via an external trigger as well. So you could set it up with an ecu to run x boost up to say 100kph then y after that.

I guess the big question is (unlike so many others) - can you just set it to 15psi and have it achieve 15psi nice and stable?

It's so annoying working with nondescript duty cycle and gain numbers to try and achieve a set boost level.

PL

Have to use random gain numbers and some trial and error, doesn't use the boost pressure as feedback.

Do you know of any controllers that do out of curiosity?

I've got an ancient "M's" EBC with a groovy 7 segment red LED display. It's a "fuzzy logic" learning EBC. You set the boost level you want (in psi even!) and it goes there. You gotta do a few runs to allow it to learn the boost response but once this is done it's pretty good.

But it suffers from the same thing as sooo many Japanese EBC's - instructions are hard to find and only available in Japanese!

PL