I4 tuning box development - who wants one?

[Kaz]

So, you think the 400hp units will have lower net gain. Why is that? if the 360hp is getting 50hp why only 30hp for the 400hp

Oh I was just assuming they are all basically the same car mechanically, and just the tunes are different...so, in theory the box will max out the platform regardless of the starting tune but, what do I know I'm not an engine tune engineer typing on the internet lol. More the merrier I'd love another 50hp

 

[Lotus F1]

Oh I was just assuming they are all basically the same car mechanically, and just the tunes are different...so, in theory the box will max out the platform regardless of the starting tune but, what do I know I'm not an engine tune engineer typing on the internet lol. More the merrier I'd love another 50hp

Well, the initial offering for final power and torque number by TDI were different between the 360 & 400. Remember they are working off the base tune. The base tunes are different and they need a different level of signal tricking to reach those targets. The 360 tune is not going to make as much as the 400 tune from the starting reference and how much altering the tune will need.

 

[Davidexige]

I'd bet my trousers it's more than 400bhp. Dyno is booked for 15th so I'll report back.

Good day today, TDI got the car on the dyno for some base runs and then tweaks to the software in their box to see what's possible whilst checking temps and error codes, etc to ensure the car was running fine and happy.

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Baseline run was interesting: 379bhp and 420Nm. That's more bhp than I was expecting but slightly lower torque. The car picked up on the fact the front wheels weren't turning so threw up an error code and CEL light which TDI quickly read and cleared. All runs were carried out in 5th gear, Track mode with ESC switched off.

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After trying out a few different settings and tweaks TDI settled on a repeatable 431bhp and 470Nm which we achieved on multiple runs. Engine temps were good with just the standard dyno setup (no extra fans required) and even though the photo shows the engine compartment up we actually did most of the runs with it closed. At this level the car ran the same numbers repeatedly with no issues whatsoever.

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I haven't had much of a chance to drive the car on the final map other than the drive home which was pouring with rain. Already though the mid range is much improved, and through the final 2k it really punches hard - performance is significantly improved. I'll test the car over the coming days and report back.

For those wanting more (me), a sports cat and maybe a decent panel filter or intake kit will see a safe 450/460bhp and 500Nm. If cooling becomes an issue (highly likely for track days) I'm talking to a tuner about an inexpensive uprated chargecooler. All in I'd estimate £3k in spend to get there. To put that into perspective I had to spend north of £10k on my Exige V6 engine to achieve similar numbers and even the trans blew which meant another £8k getting that rebuilt stronger.

Right now though having 430bhp on tap via a well developed tuning box for a few hundred £'s that I can easily remove is an absolute no brainer.

A big thank you to Jake, Steve and the team at TDI for their R&D getting to understand the i4 Emira. The i4 is unlike an A45s M139 AMG, or V6 Emira when it comes to the sensors, etc so its been no small feat but worth the time and effort.

That's a great result thanks for posting the update. Quick question, hopefully it's not daft one, but does the cars power gauge/display still max out at 360bhp or does it show your new figure. Thanks