first off.. how many of you guys with the utec have the wideband sensor they also sell? i know i should get one so i can street tune and whatnot, but really don't have the extra cash for it. is there any other alternatives? i know the dyno i plan on using has a sniffer.

 

I have the Tuner that goes along with the UTEC, you can use any wideband setup as long as you can log and correlate your data to the UTEC's data.. but the Tuner is designed to work with the UTEC and puts its data into the data logging of the UTEC..

With that said, don't try to aggressively street tune without a wideband, you'll just end up damaging something.

There's a reason this particular engine management forum has the most posts.. because we do street tune our cars so many of us do already have the Tuner.. Check out the other posts, this particular topic has been addressed a few times.

 

i don't plan on street tuning that much, if any.. so i guess i'll just save that money and put it toward dyno time.

also, what about a knock sensor?

 

UTEC can log knock from the factory sensor.. Its not necessary to have another knock sensor unless you doing audible knock detection (headphones) although the TXS Tuner does have a knock sensor that you can bolt on, some of us have installed it, others have not.. I use it to listen for unusual noises in my engine when tuning, but its certainly not necessary in most cases..

 

ok, last question. what parts of the tuner has to be permantly installed on the car? like, what is the feasibility in having couple of cars "share" the tuner. i know a bung/plug will have to be required on each of the car, but what else?

thanks a bunch for your help

 

It depends on the type of installation and how difficult to get the cable inside the car.. But you'll need at the least a bung and plug.. you don't want to leave the O2 sensor on the car when its not being used.. But in my case, I plan on getting another wiring harness, O2 sensor, and knock sensor since I don't intend to drive the car without the tuner itself hooked up..

 

If I were to get a tuner, do I need to leave it in the car when I'm not using it? Would running with the wideband o2 sensor unpowered ruin its calibration?

 

I think if the WB is in the downpipe it HAS to be powered. What this means is that everytime you start the engine you have to wait 20 seconds or so for the Tuner to heat the WB up to its operating temperature of 750 deg C. So if you don't want to use it, as MJ said you have to take it off and put a plug in the O2 bung.

Regarding the warm up sequence, maybe it's my bad choice of wiring point, but i have the tuner coming of the same feed as the Ecu, so if you turn of the ignition AND then want to restart quickly, the tuner goes through it's 20 second warm up AGAIN. The O2 sensor either cools off quickly, or the tuner is a bit dumb when it comes to detecting the WB O2 sensor's temp.

20 seconds wait time can be pain, but I have adjusted by as soon as I get in the car I turn on the ignition to start the warm up, and then I start messing around putting the seat belt on etc. Doing that you don't notice the 20 secs.

 

Well, its really only a problem for logging.. I don't normally wait for it to warm up to start the car.. you just want to make sure its warmed up so it doesnt accumulate crud tahat can screw it up, so when its not powered, it needs to be removed.. Like I said, I plan on getting another harness sensor ad knock sensor (and whatever else is available) so I can tune other cars with it.. But I don't plan on operating my car without the tuner hooked up so I dont worry about removing the Sensor.