AMS Mazda Speed 3 Test: The in's and outs of the MS3 powerplant

[tru-boost]

i do think an SAFC NEO would work on this car and the other new mazdas, but i'll need a volunteer to prove that.

PM SENT !!(naughty)

 

[shadow1]

you know what, the SAFC series did not work on cars like the Protege and Miata because the computers were too smart and would override them. i do think an SAFC NEO would work on this car and the other new mazdas, but i'll need a volunteer to prove that.

The issue with SAFC is that it is only good for open loop tuning. On non-factory turbo cars where forced induction has been added, the SAFC is not good enough, since the factory ECU will undo any tuning that you attempt with part throttle closed loop fueling. However on factory turbo cars (the prime example being Mitsubishi DSMs and Evos), SAFC have been used successfully to tune open loop fueling (ie, near WOT to WOT). It is not as good as a standalone ECU or ECU reflashing, but it is better than nothing.

 

[FRUCTOSE]

The problem with safc's are they tune for maps that you make based on your last log, but if variables change or you add another mod the tune is way off and you have to start over again. The safc doesn't learn and just tricks the ecu. It was really hard to get a good tune on my dsm to last long. Just the change of season changed a lot and then I had to redo everthing. Got annoying tuning all the time. There are so many variables to consider when you tune yourself and it can get really hard when you have a lot of mods.

To get a good tune on those cars dsmlink was the best. With link you could change a lot more then just fuel maps. You could retard and advance timing, get real time logging, change maf settings, fuel trims based on rpm levels, and a lot more. But it's not safe at all if you don't know what your doing, with the safc or link. DSMlink is a lot like exde tuning.

I don't know if the safc would be good for our cars but I have one sitting in my garage and may go to a dyno and see what I can do with it. I'm sure it will work for awhile but the tune is lost really fast and I'm not sure how much our ecu's would like seeing contradicting numbers. Probably a lot of fuel cut I assume.

 

[shadow1]

Agreed. But as long as all the tuning is only in the open loop portion of the fuel maps, the ECU will not undo your tuning. SAFC is of course not as good as a reflash or a standalone system (like AEM EMS, Exede, Apexi PFC, or DSMlink for DSMs). But it is relatively cheap and better than no tuning at all. Also, no matter what method you use to tune with, anytime you add more mods, you generally have to retune. It's the rules of the game.