Now what? ECU upgrade?

[ishen]

Hi Ozhonda,

I'm currently driving around DC5R with all the standard bolt on mods. I did a dyno test on stock parts achieving 115kw at the wheels. I then had Toda headers, Skunk2 full exhaust and Injen CAI installed giving me a dyno reading of about 125kw at the wheels. Along with the extra power I also got Hasport engine mounts installed. Now my question is what else could I do without spending a fortune to gain a greater power output? I've considered the possibility of an ECU system but my knowledge in that field is very limited.

Any help is appreciated.
ishen

[Fredoops]

Lightened Pulley (or underdriven pulley set), one of the best bang for your buck mods at $200 odd + installation
Lightened flywheel + clutch

Then save $1500-2000 for ECU reflash lol

PS: Toda header/skunk2 and injen cai all for 18hp atw? doesnt sound right after all the money spent, did you reset the ECU after mods are installed and before the dyno?

[TheSaint]

the next logical step would be clutch and flywheel, cams, than finally an ECU upgrade

ECU really depends on your tuner - i would suggest getting a proper hondata stand alone kit - but i would talk to your tuner to see what they use

toda list the pully kit and cams here...

http://www.ozhonda.com/forum/showthread.php?79595-TODA-Racing-K-Series-engine-components

toda also suggest changing the gear ratios - theres an info thread here

http://www.ozhonda.com/forum/showthread.php?12532-Bang-for-your-bucks-%E2%80%93-DC5R-mods

[ishen]

Thanks for the quick replies, I forgot mention that I have an Exedy HD clutch installed, in regards to ECU reset I'm not too sure as far as I know it wasn't. Would it make a difference in power output if it was? I mean thats the dyno reading I got was about 10 KW's atw increase from those mods.

[Fredoops]

Thanks for the quick replies, I forgot mention that I have an Exedy HD clutch installed, in regards to ECU reset I'm not too sure as far as I know it wasn't. Would it make a difference in power output if it was? I mean thats the dyno reading I got was about 10 KW's atw increase from those mods.
Well think of it this way, if ECU wasn't reset after mod is installed, it will take ages for the engine to "use" the mods so to speak, for example, you may have CAI installed, but if ECU wasnt reset the engine wouldnt use all of the extra airflow thats available.

[fatboyz39]

Your next step should be ECU upgrade. Buy a Hondata Kpro which will set you back from anywhere 1400-1800. Its quite simple plug and play.

If tuned properly you will gain 10kw up top and 10-20kw midrange.

Stock k20a with those bolt-ons tuned haved seen anywhere from 130-145kw (pending on health of the motor).

[fatboyz39]

Lightened Pulley (or underdriven pulley set), one of the best bang for your buck mods at $200 odd + installation
Lightened flywheel + clutch

Then save $1500-2000 for ECU reflash lol


Lighten pulley aint required. Bang for buck? more so it might damage the motor.
Lighten flywheel + clutch - only change if your clutch is stuffed.

1500-2000 ecu flash - Hondata KPRO including ecu can be had at the price. That way when selling in the future it'll hold its resale value and throw the stock ecu back in.

[munkaii]

Hey Jimmy,

Would Kpro require keys to be reprogrammed for a DC5R?

[TheSaint]

Lighten pulley aint required. Bang for buck? more so it might damage the motor.
Lighten flywheel + clutch - only change if your clutch is stuffed.

1500-2000 ecu flash - Hondata KPRO including ecu can be had at the price. That way when selling in the future it'll hold its resale value and throw the stock ecu back in.

i always thought pully kits were a bad idea as well - coming from subaru background on this - wasnt sure if it was the same for honda as they are a very different setup
honestly i would do flywheel, cams and ecu - that will make good use of your mods and engine =)

[trism]

Lightened pulleys are the best thing you can do for a Toyota motor, like the 4age and 3sge

Sent from my Xoom

[TheSaint]

man i love the 4age - just started working on a mates ae92 Gti - bloody awsome little car =)

[dougie_504]

Do you have a hi-flow cat?

Lightweight flywheel next IMO, then Hondata or reflash.

I wouldn't bother doing cams unless you were going to do full valvetrain, gears, port work and maybe an IM/TB upgrade.

[TheSaint]

depends which cam/ecu he gets really

i would also take care in the selection of a light weight flywheel - if its too light it will make slow or uphill or daily driving terrible - especially with stiffer engine mounts
you will also loose torque if the flywheel is too light

[gumus89]

PS: Toda header/skunk2 and injen cai all for 18hp atw? doesnt sound right after all the money spent, did you reset the ECU after mods are installed and before the dyno?

You cant compare dynos on different days. Also, he didnt even specify that it was dynoed at the same place. If it was at different places its even less comparable.
Dynos are only tools to tune with really.

[Mugen_Euro]

I dont think the dc5 has an internaly balanced engine so you might wanna stick with the stock pulleys.

[Mugen_Euro]

Actualy i think it is internaly balanced, all of the k-series is aparently so pulleys are safe as the crank pulley in the engine doesnt act as a harmonic dampener

[ishen]

It does have a Toda high flow cat installed with the exhaust system, I'm thinking I'll go for the camshaft and ECU upgrades. Just wondering how the Kpro will effect daily drivability and fuel economy providing I drive responsibly also in terms of camshaft upgrades what would you guys recommend and how much would it cost roughly?

[blk_shadow]

It does have a Toda high flow cat installed with the exhaust system, I'm thinking I'll go for the camshaft and ECU upgrades. Just wondering how the Kpro will effect daily drivability and fuel economy providing I drive responsibly also in terms of camshaft upgrades what would you guys recommend and how much would it cost roughly?

how it will affect driving and fuel consumption is all really depends on the tuner.

[dougie_504]

If you get camshafts your fuel economy will suffer a bit. If you tune it properly it will suffer less.

[gumus89]

My knowledge with standalones is very basic but when you use a low throttle percentage your tune will most likely be the same as stock, i.e. keep the a/f near ideal.

[Nepolian]

ECU and camshafts should be done together along with all supporting parts to ensure you haven't thrown your money away for the sake of a few bucks. With all thats been said, you really need to work out a budget. Cause, clutch, flywheel, cams, springs, tensioner, ecu, labour etc...gets very expensive.

IMO, flywheel too much to spend to just swap that (unless you're doing a clutch as stated). If you are a street warrior, forget lightened pulleys etc...really what real world benefits will you get on the street and mildly tuned engine?

My suggestion.....$2000-$2500 ecu and tune.

Add cams, springs, tensioner etc...$1000-$2000 depending on what brand you buy (don't forget to add labour for them too).

If you want cams then do it with the ecu otherwise you'll have to spend extra $$ on tuning it twice.

BTW, I'm running I/H/E cams ecu etc.. and I get the same mileage if not better than some of my mates with the same car, so its not always bad!