Ecutek Tune for 3.6R (Powha! brought to you by Visconti Tuning)

[Perscitus]

It's alive! After a full day of dyno runs and off the dyno fuel and ignition map smoothing, we have an ECUtek tune for the 3.6R.

 

Below is a summary of what we ended up with as the base map for a 3.6R with a CBE and a fairly stock intake (AEM DryFlow drop-in filter, milkjug delete, HKS funnel). Modest gains, as we should expect for a NA motor, but some good stuff nonetheless. Especially the low-end torque.

 

REVISED **: 231wHP (286 bHP) / 252 ft lb wTQ (331 ft lb bTQ)

OLD *: 231 wHP (277bHP) / 267 ft lb TQ (332 ft lb bTQ)

Redline limit raised to 6.75K just for fun.

 

* - assuming an avg. AWD/AT combo drivetrain loss of 20%

(likely a bit conservative, should be closer to 23%, but I don't want to inflate the #s)

 

** - actual losses seem closer to 23-25% for 3.6R H6/5EAT combo

and the wTQ figures in the dyno runs below are inflated due to torque converter amplification prior to lock-up. With that the revised bHP numbers are above.

 

The biggest gains John was able to get for us (surprisingly, even to him) are down-low.

Between 2500-3300RPM. Throughout that range HP shot up by 10-15, torque by about 20.

Its practical and fun since this is the ideal range for the H6 under most driving conditions.

 

Most of the gains were achieved through modified cam timing.

 

Right after this, there is a strange dip in torque @ 3000 John couldn't smooth out (no matter what he tried) - perhaps a function of the AT torque converter. He might try again next time with updated ECUtek software (coming soon) that will give him some additional features and controls.

 

And finally more modest (but still consistant) gains from 3500 - 5200/5400 (new peak) and on beyond 6000 (where both HP and torque level and then drop off). As-is, there is not much more to squeeze out of the engine.

 

John optimized the fuel maps (leaned out, flattened), adjusted cam and ignition timing (more aggressive), removed load limiters, deleted the speed limiter, optimized fuel injection. Disabled some DTCs, raised the REV limiter to 6,750RPM (just for kicks).

 

Butt-dyno impressions on the drive home... Sure, its not a 2.5GT but this thing can MOVE! The car feels lighter, more nimble. Throttle response is much improved. Power is smooth and comes on stronger than before. Pulls hard from 1.5K - 3.5K. Much stronger @ 2K than stock. With traction control off, the rear gets understeer happy and wants to come loose under hard acceleration. Overall I'm very happy with the results. A proper 'Stage 1' for the NA H6.

 

Crappy cell phone pics/video and dyno plot coming soon!

 

Cost? $150 for dyno time (call it my contribution for the 3.6R brethrens out there) + an extra $150 for the custom tune!

 

At this price, I think the gains are well worth the cost. John might charge more now that he's developed the baseline for the H6 motor (its his and Ecutek's IP now) but I can't imagine getting a reflash from him in NY or CT would be significantly more.

 

Give him a shout, ask away on FB, etc.

 

Update: Dyno run plot for two late-tune runs.

 

1st (in green) before John optimized the cam timing.

2nd (in red) closer to the final tune, post cam timing tweaks.

 

Notice the low-end power and torque boost and the dip I wrote about?

With the cam and ignition timing tweaks, he was able to pickup some power and torque throughout the RPM range.

 

I dont have a pic of the final tune #s but they are v close to the red run here.

For baseline stock whp was closer to 204-206. Baseline tq arround 198.

[sschmelcke]

Only 300 bucks!!!! I'm in

[GTEASER]

Nice work man!!!! Glad to see you 3.6 guys are able to play around a bit with the powah!!

[ItalianLegacy]

now to add boost and tune

[sschmelcke]

what gas did you get tuned on? 87 or 93?

[Perscitus]

This was with 93. Map is safe to run with 89 as well.

When John has more time, he'll develop a 87 map for us too.

And then using the CC stalk, we will be able to switch between 87 and 93 maps (at ignition).

 

If you meet up with him in CT, maybe fill up with 87 and see if he can tune to that using the map he developed on mine as base.

[sschmelcke]

i only fill up with 87. i found no difference with 93 especially when the car isnt designed to take advantage of it

[ItalianLegacy]

I crave more POWAAAHHH!!

[Perscitus]

i only fill up with 87. i found no difference with 93 especially when the car isnt designed to take advantage of it

Me too. I only put 93 in there so that the lower octane rating wouldn't be a limiting factor during the tune. Our compression ratio is high enough for a 6 cylinder that its a bit safer to run 89 during the summer months. Still, with the stock ECU I got the best milage and performance with 87. I'll fill her up with 87 after this tank is gone and see if I get knock or any issues. John thinks we should be fine.

[sschmelcke]

if you speak to him soon see if he can give you a final price. my birthday is coming up in May so Id like to take a trip down. let us know how the mileage is with the tune

[MN3.6R]

MUST HAVE NOW

[feesh]

MUST HAVE NOW

 

What this guy said. $300 total? Is there any other equipment to buy?

[MN3.6R]

Also I am wondering, are these numbers to the wheel or crank? I thought I saw somewhere that these cars lose almost 100hp at the wheels? I'm not trying to squash the great news, just trying to figure it out. 20hp and 21 ft-lbs of torque for $300 is great either way.

[Rutchard]

Tuning on 93 then going back to 89 or 87 oct sounds like a recipe for disaster. Now if you're switching between maps okay, but I sure wouldn't run anything lower octane than what I was tuned on.

[eckseleven]

Also I am wondering, are these numbers to the wheel or crank? I thought I saw somewhere that these cars lose almost 100hp at the wheels? I'm not trying to squash the great news, just trying to figure it out. 20hp and 21 ft-lbs of torque for $300 is great either way.

 

I'm guessing they are estimated at-crank power.

[Ellesedil]

There's already inaccuracies in calculating wheel horsepower. Why make it worse by trying to convert it to crank horsepower?

 

What should be the most interesting is the before and after deltas. Did you guys do a dyno run prior to messing with the ECU?

[fredrik94087]

There's already inaccuracies in calculating wheel horsepower. Why make it worse by trying to convert it to crank horsepower?

 

What should be the most interesting is the before and after deltas. Did you guys do a dyno run prior to messing with the ECU?

 

I was thinking the same thing, but I read further and he said that dyno graphs are coming....

[Perscitus]

Yep. Before and after show a net gain of 20 ft lb of torque (especially down low 2-3.5K RPM).

And anywhere between 10-15-20 HP (also down low and then @ 5.4K RPM).

 

Agreed, I also don't want to inflate the numbers - in fact I'd rather not report any, just the net gain from baseline but that wouldn't sound as exciting.

 

ECUtek allows for multiple maps (initiated with the CC stalk at ignition).

Right now the baseline map John gave us is for 93 octane.

 

When I see him next (he's flying to Cali), we will develop a 87/89 map.

Then we can switch between conservative and more aggressive tune.

I'll still try to run on a tank of 89, take it easy and see how she behaves.

 

Yes, it seems like the total cost should be $200-300 for a custom tune (including dyno time). For a reflash using one of the maps John made, probably $150-200.

However, please don't quote me on this, check with John. j o h n @ v t u n e . u s

[Nrw]

I've always been curious on what the curve looks like on these, got a graph? Preferably showing the before and after?

[ItalianLegacy]

how much time was shaved off 0-60 i wonder.

[apexjapan]

I'm fairly certain it's like EcuTEK for other vehicles, in that you need to purchase at minimum a flash license for your particular vehicle ($300+) to allow the tuner to modify the vehicle maps. And if you want to keep your own cable so that you can log or reflash in the future, add in another $300+ (varies by vehicle model). Dyno time/tuned ROM costs are on top of that.

[Perscitus]

I've always been curious on what the curve looks like on these, got a graph? Preferably showing the before and after?

Yep, we recorded a few runs, before and after. The before is skewed because its not bone-stock (CBE, etc.). I guess we'd need a third plot of stock stock for a full comparison. I'll post up when I get a digital copy or scan in the printout.

[Rhett]

So what does this mean to me down in N.C.?

[Perscitus]

Rhett - the way I see it, you've got a few options. Ping John to confirm.

1. You can wait until he's in NC or GA again and get the reflash or tune then.

2. You can order the license and get the ProECU cable kit to apply the flash yourself (like apexjapan suggested above). Mind you, you'd be using a map developed on my car with premium gas, CBE, etc.

3. You can locate a local (or closer) Ecutek master tuner (use their website to locate one nearby) and ask them to apply John's tune to your car as baseline, then fine-tune from there. They'd have to work it out with John, but I guess the map/s are Ecutek IP or might hit their database of maps so I don't think it would be an issue.

4. You can drive up here when John or MRPerformance guys can tune your car, get a dyno or street tune in CT or NY and grab a few pints with the Tri-State gang.

[Rhett]

Thanks for all your efforts. Sounds like I got a lot to think about!