[SATINSTEEL1LE]

Originally Posted by JimGnitecki

I'd say my psi is more like only 7.5. Higher than that only occurs as a "flash" during the shifts.

Your car is evidently a ZL1, so yes, it can be tuned notably higher due to the stronger pistons, etc.

I realize that you want a much more aggressive tune than the conservative one that Magnuson gave you. But how, specifically, was that tune "total trash"? Was there anything else "wrong" with it other than being conservative? You said "It was all over the board bad from the logs we were seeing." What specifically does that mean?

Jim G

Well it was commanded to run far richer than it should. The maf curve was hardly a curve, it was like an escalator. There were several other values that were not touched that when comparing the Stock tune, to magnuson tune. I dont remember all the things we saw off the top of my head, but the tune was far more conservative than you'd want for any type of driving. The car was sluggish and felt no faster than stock - after just spending $10k for the blower and install. It felt like a massive waste.

I have all the tunes on my laptop still, so i will try and circle back and do the comparison on them. But like I said the car was running like total poop and it was night and day with just Ted's base tune to get me going vs the maggie tune. And we remote tuned the car so its still not completely dialed on a dyno with a wideband installed in the car. We only used the tailpipe sniffer from the dyno I was using to do pulls to send to Ted.

I have a WB going in here any day now and I plan to get the car even more dialed in. Might add that FF sensor while Im at it. The E content even at e10 pump gas can fluctuate and having that value populated will help further to get the car running tip top.

[KingLT1]

Canned tunes are really a crap shoot. Some get lucky and the car runs OK on them...many are not as lucky and the car isn't happy. It's hard to supply a one size fits all tune when all cars vary to some degree. Custom tuning is almost always far better.

There will always be the select few that start doing research after the fact. Likely because they suspect the car isn't 100% where they want it, but they won't openly admit it...My advice to anybody with a stock fuel system canned tune SS running a supercharger would be to upgrade fuel system, put a flex sensor on it, and get it tuned properly. Run as much ethanol as the fuel system will allow and enjoy the car for years to come. It's not hard to mix...it is simply 2 transactions at the pump when you fuel up. Mix it 50/50 and you will be around E50 and likely have enough fuel system for it long as it's at least the LT4 fuel system and boost is kept around 8-9psi.

[JimGnitecki]

In some locations, like mine, running ethanol is not even practically possible. There are NO "e-pumps" at all. The only gasoline choices are 87, 89, and 91 octane, and a label on every pump tells you that the ethanol content "can be up to 10%". Shell has promised to provide a 93 octane gas "soon".

The local Province of Alberta" politics may be a significant factor in causing this:

In the U.S., the corn lobby is VERY strong. So strong that every candidate for the U.S. Presidency must, during the Iowa primaries, promise to continue the Federal government policy of requiring ethanol in all gasoline.

In Alberta, where corn is also grown, but where OIL is the BIG inudstry, MUCH bigger than corn, no one can advocate ethanol too loudly despite the Canadian Federal Government's endorsement of it. In fact, Alberta, being the rebelious Texas of the North, has introduced a bill in the provincial Legislature to openly disregard Federal laws that are deemed harmful to Alberta! No kidding.

Also, in my city of 100,000 population, there appear to be only TWO public EV charging stations, again because around here OIL is king.

So, you see there are multiple reasons that make ethanol fueling NOT practical for some geographic locations.

In addition, if we are truly talking 4-figure costs (parts, labour, and tuning) to ENABLE ethanol fueling, only the most power hungry are going to find that attractive.

Jim G

[arpad_m]

There aren't that many gas stations that carry ethanol in my neck of the woods either, the closest one is 13 miles from my house, so I don't always pump E85.

The car runs tangibly better with extra E in it, some of it could be placebo, but I swear it feels better... maybe I'm becoming one with it more and more

[asthmamax11]

Originally Posted by KingLT1

Canned tunes are really a crap shoot. Some get lucky and the car runs OK on them...many are not as lucky and the car isn't happy. It's hard to supply a one size fits all tune when all cars vary to some degree. Custom tuning is almost always far better.

There will always be the select few that start doing research after the fact. Likely because they suspect the car isn't 100% where they want it, but they won't openly admit it...My advice to anybody with a stock fuel system canned tune SS running a supercharger would be to upgrade fuel system, put a flex sensor on it, and get it tuned properly. Run as much ethanol as the fuel system will allow and enjoy the car for years to come. It's not hard to mix...it is simply 2 transactions at the pump when you fuel up. Mix it 50/50 and you will be around E50 and likely have enough fuel system for it long as it's at least the LT4 fuel system and boost is kept around 8-9psi.

Excellent info once again

I have the DSX flex sensor and am commiting to installing/tuning asap

My tuner is worried about me being on stock pistons
His strategy is for me to get Long Tubes to LOWER boost a few ticks (lower stress on pistons) then we do the flex tuning

As i stated before 600 whp is my end game

Just a # but I am probably sitting around 550-560 currently so roughly 10% gain should be attainable with E50 and Long Tubes

Thoughts ?

[LT1ornothing]

Here in the densely populated cities of the Southeast, I have 3 e85 stations north, west and south of me, all within 5 miles or less. And if I keep to the highway, I can get e85 all the way through the state.
Sucks to hear some of you folks are screwed with no e85 nearby.

[RobZL1]

Originally Posted by arpad_m

so I don't always pump E85.

I don't always pump E85, but when I do:

..

[JimGnitecki]

I suppose that with my current cold and snowy winter weather, my 91 octane fuel will likely deteriorate in its actual octane level over the winter since I'll be lucky to put on 50 miles per month, given the cold temps, the ice and snow, and the Nitto 555R2 drag radial rear tires?

Also, is it safe to add Stabil (fuel stabilizer) to it when running a supercharger?

(Never had to ask these kinds of questions before!)

Jim G

[ZO6Ted]

Originally Posted by JimGnitecki

I suppose that with my current cold and snowy winter weather, my 91 octane fuel will likely deteriorate in its actual octane level over the winter since I'll be lucky to put on 50 miles per month, given the cold temps, the ice and snow, and the Nitto 555R2 drag radial rear tires?

Also, is it safe to add Stabil (fuel stabilizer) to it when running a supercharger?

(Never had to ask these kinds of questions before!)

Jim G

Exactly why my daily is a Whipped 4wd. Stoplight killer and never a dull moment year round lol.

[wnta1ss]

Originally Posted by asthmamax11

My tuner is worried about me being on stock pistons
His strategy is for me to get Long Tubes to LOWER boost a few ticks (lower stress on pistons) then we do the flex tuning

Lowering 'boost' via less restriction is not actually turning the blower down. Still turning the same rpm as before, and therefore is still pushing all that extra air in. IF he wanted to lower stress on the pistons, then slowing the blower down would be the real way to lower what he's calling boost. In other words, boost is restriction, focus instead on airflow when considering how hard you are pushing the motor. More air in means burning more fuel.

[KingLT1]

Originally Posted by asthmamax11

Excellent info once again

I have the DSX flex sensor and am commiting to installing/tuning asap

My tuner is worried about me being on stock pistons
His strategy is for me to get Long Tubes to LOWER boost a few ticks (lower stress on pistons) then we do the flex tuning

As i stated before 600 whp is my end game

Just a # but I am probably sitting around 550-560 currently so roughly 10% gain should be attainable with E50 and Long Tubes

Thoughts ?

That's probably about right. Increasing exhaust flow and switching to E will reduce cylinder temps by several hundred degrees vs stock exhaust on pump gas. Everybody worries about IAT's and they really are only important for maintaining commanded timing. If we could log EGT's the difference between E and pump gas would be a real eye opener for many that seem to snub it off or justify why they don't want to run it.

[LT1ornothing]

Originally Posted by KingLT1

That's probably about right. Increasing exhaust flow and switching to E will reduce cylinder temps by several hundred degrees vs stock exhaust on pump gas. Everybody worries about IAT's and they really are only important for maintaining commanded timing. If we could log EGT's the difference between E and pump gas would be a real eye opener for many that seem to snub it off or justify why they don't want to run it.

It makes a ton of sense when someone with your patience and experience makes the effort to explain it the way that you do. Sadly, this still falls on some deaf ears. I myself have purposely delayed my blower setup just to be able to follow your advice of running an ethanol blend on my SBE LT1.

[toohighpsi]

Originally Posted by JimGnitecki

I'd say my psi is more like only 7.5. Higher than that only occurs as a "flash" during the shifts.

Your car is evidently a ZL1, so yes, it can be tuned notably higher due to the stronger pistons, etc.

I realize that you want a much more aggressive tune than the conservative one that Magnuson gave you. But how, specifically, was that tune "total trash"? Was there anything else "wrong" with it other than being conservative? You said "It was all over the board bad from the logs we were seeing." What specifically does that mean?

Jim G

Jim,

I highly doubt that you have the canned tune, Davenport is more than just a an install shop, they are the Canadian Distributor for Magnuson and know what they are doing. If they install the blower and don't feel the tune is perfect they are authorized to adjust and you will still be warrantied. As I said before you went to the right place to get your install done and the data shows it.

[JimGnitecki]

Originally Posted by toohighpsi

Jim,

I highly doubt that you have the canned tune, Davenport is more than just a an install shop, they are the Canadian Distributor for Magnuson and know what they are doing. If they install the blower and don't feel the tune is perfect they are authorized to adjust and you will still be warrantied. As I said before you went to the right place to get your install done and the data shows it.

Thanks, Toohighpsi. I understand what you are saying, but a couple of things that Steve (the owner) at Davenport said during my calls and my visit with him make me suspect that the situation is a little more complex than that: The tunes still come from Magnuson, BUT they are custom to each car, and "The Calibrators" (i.e. the tuners) are physically dispersed in terms of location. Let me explain:

First, I had told Steve well in advance that I was coming to Calgary to drop my wife off at the Calgary Airport for a trip to her family at 7am, and I was hoping to drop off my car before 7:30am and stay over at a hotel for only one night and then make the 2-1/4 hour drive back to my home in Lethbridge sometime the following afternoon or evening (since the installation process is apparently about one and a half days per Steve).

Steve told me that that would depend on how quickly Magnuson would respond with the required tune, and that the data that "the calibrator" required could not be sent in advance of my visit. I interpreted this to mean that my car would be dynoed first, and the results from the dyno would be sent to "The Calibrator" at Magnuson, as a prerequisite to do the actual tune. Steve was unsure of how quickly The Calibrator would be able to respond, probably because The Calibrator's daily workload varies of course.

In addition, Steve always referred to "The Calibrator" or to "My Calibrator", suggesting that there are multiple Magnuson calibrators, OR Magnuson-authorized caiibrators, who might be, especially during COVID, be working either inhouse or remotely. Checking my email files, I see that Steve said in one of them "Just heard from my Guy at Magnuson, he said he will work on getting the Tune first Thing Wednesday, so we are ready to install tune when car is ready to start".

But while the above of course actually states "my Guy at Magnuson", Steve also later forwarded to me an email from The Calibrator that showed that The Calbrator's email address was at the Davenport email domain, and The Calibrator's cellular phone area code was in Alberta (that area code is large and includes not only Calgary where Davenport is located, but also Lethbridge where I live). So, Magnuson calibrators are clearly actually Magnuson-AUTHORIZED tuners and their physical locations are dispersed.

In addition, I know that the tune is very safely conservative, because of another email conversation that Steve and I had. I had noted that the elevation is Lethbridge is 3000 feet, and that it is even higher in Calgary at 3440, and even higher at Davenport's shop location by the airport: about 3556 feet. I wondered how Steve and Magnuson handled that. Steve responded with: "The tunes are actually based on sea level so they are safe all the way down, but your assumption is correct there is less demand for fuel at our altitudes. And yes you could spin it faster at our altitudes to compensate, however for warranty purposes you do NOT want to go down that road."

So, my conclusion is that the tune is a "Magnuson-authorized" tune, that it is customized to my specific car, and that it is safely conservative especially given the altitude at which I operate it, and will be safe if or when I visit my son who lives just above sea level in California. But Steve's remark about NOT spinning the blower faster (meaning without further fuel and internal engine mods) should be heeded when the car is an LT1, if the owner is adverse to risk or plans long duration high power operation (like roadracing or extended high speed runs).

Jim G