Well, I finally ordered my Xcal2.
Can't wait for it to come in.
Where exactly does it plug into?
How easy is it to use?
Do you really need 91 octane or will 87 or 89 work fine?
Plugs into the ODB port below and to the left of the steering wheel.
Octane depends on what tune you have ordered. If it asks for 91 octane -- you put 91 octane in the tank.
Its very simple to use though.
there's no point getting 89 tune IMO
get these 3 87,91,94
Word of warning, the 87 tune from Focus Sport for example is not certifed to work with ethanol, so if you get any remote tuning done, ensure that the tune is okay to work with it (anything lower than 91 octane will have at least some ethanol in Ontario)
NefCanuck
Although I've only driven with my tune for less than a week, here's my opinion:
Get a 91 tune (or install the 91 tune first after filling with 91). Run that. Running anything less is like bolting a supercharger to your engine and then pulling a sparkplug wire. I know what my car felt like on 87 with the new intake and 2.5" flexback before the fill/flash and I know how it feels after... it's like putting the motor in the state it should have been in from the factory.
Don't piss with the "adjustable" options unless you know what you're doing. I went to adjust my tire size and froze, because the first "adjustable" option was a setting for the 0-2000 RPM spark settings. Whoa. Ask and ask again before doing anything with it that you're not familiar with.
Agreed (sortof) ... you've already got an 87 tune ... it's called "stock" and it's fine.
I wouldn't bother with an 89 tune. I went with a 91 tune and purchased a 94 tune and love them both. IMO there isn't enough difference to warrant the cost of 94, but then again I only have the exhaust so someone with more mods might get more out of it.
You can't get yourself in trouble playing around with the adjustable settings ... because truth be told they simply don't offer much adjustability. Plus it's dead nuts simple to go back, so long as you don't "save" the adjusted settings.
There's three spark settings (0-2k, 2-4k, 4-7k) and at most you can advance or retard timing by 1 or 2 degrees (2 degrees max 0-2k, 1 degree max for the other ranges).
But no matter what you do, the ECU will still pull timing if it senses detonation, so the failsafe remains.
Same with WOT fuel trim - a few percentage points adjustment at the most. And although this does impact the fuel trims at less than WOT, again the ECU will adjust if it senses too lean or too rich - except of course at WOT.
The tire size adjustment seems strange to me ... it offers a range of 500 to 900 tire RPM per mile. Well, the stock focus is around 835 and the number goes up as does the circumference of the tire ... so the practical range is 835 to 900 ... not much to frig up there. FWIW my 215-45-17s are about 855 rpm per mile.
NOS2Go4Me,Aug 9 2007, 02:41 PM Wrote:Although I've only driven with my tune for less than a week, here's my opinion:
Don't piss with the "adjustable" options unless you know what you're doing. I went to adjust my tire size and froze, because the first "adjustable" option was a setting for the 0-2000 RPM spark settings. Whoa. Ask and ask again before doing anything with it that you're not familiar with.
[right][snapback]246269[/snapback][/right]
ZTWsquared,Aug 9 2007, 03:15 PM Wrote:Agreed (sortof) ... you've already got an 87 tune ... it's called "stock" and it's fine.
Wouldn't a stock 87 tune and a "modified" 87 tune be different?
I mean, your stock 87 tune is for a stock motor.
A modified 87 tune will take your mods into consideration, will it not, and hence give you more hp?
We all know to get max output you need better fuel, but if he wants to have a 87 tune for regular day to day driving and then a 91 or 94 tune for weekend/strip use, why not?
If I end up buying the turbo I've mentionned in my other thread, I'll be getting atleast 2 tunes. One for everyday driving (87 tune) and one for the strip/track (91 tune).
I'm still searching for someone that will make me those tunes without costing me an arm!
I see your logic ... but for me I wasn't going to bother with any mods, including the XCal, without also moving up in fuel.
Everyday driving makes up 99.9% of my driving and so I was either going to go to 91 or do nothing at all ... and FWIW my driving on weekends is no different than my driving at any other time.
For the rare occasion I take the car to the track I have the 94 tune.
Gravter,Aug 10 2007, 08:36 AM Wrote:ZTWsquared,Aug 9 2007, 03:15 PM Wrote:Agreed (sortof) ... you've already got an 87 tune ... it's called "stock" and it's fine.
Wouldn't a stock 87 tune and a "modified" 87 tune be different?
I mean, your stock 87 tune is for a stock motor.
A modified 87 tune will take your mods into consideration, will it not, and hence give you more hp?
We all know to get max output you need better fuel, but if he wants to have a 87 tune for regular day to day driving and then a 91 or 94 tune for weekend/strip use, why not?
If I end up buying the turbo I've mentionned in my other thread, I'll be getting atleast 2 tunes. One for everyday driving (87 tune) and one for the strip/track (91 tune).
I'm still searching for someone that will make me those tunes without costing me an arm!
[right][snapback]246352[/snapback][/right]
Gravter,Aug 10 2007, 08:36 AM Wrote:If I end up buying the turbo I've mentionned in my other thread, I'll be getting atleast 2 tunes. One for everyday driving (87 tune) and one for the strip/track (91 tune).
[right][snapback]246352[/snapback][/right]
If your going to FI, stay the fawk away from 89. I wouldnt even put 91 in my turbod car.
I would wholeheartedly recommend AGAINST running 87 octane with a turbo. If by some chance you get it to run properly, I'd wager your boost is so low you may as well have done N.A. mods instead and made the same amount of power for cheaper.
Right now it's 4 bucks more a tank running 91 over 87. I can live with an extra 8 bucks a month in gas.
Yeah, thats right, 87 with a turbo would be kinda defeating the purpose :P
I'd have to get 91 tune then because 94 is not available in my neck of the woods!
Is it 100$ per tune? FS is asking 400 for tuning! where else can we get a tune for cheaper?
Gravter,Aug 10 2007, 09:55 AM Wrote:Yeah, thats right, 87 with a turbo would be kinda defeating the purpose :P
I'd have to get 91 tune then because 94 is not available in my neck of the woods!
Is it 100$ per tune? FS is asking 400 for tuning! where else can we get a tune for cheaper?
[right][snapback]246366[/snapback][/right]
Stick with FS. Trust me. Your getting amazing support, & amazing R&D behind teh product. You get what you pay for ;)
I've never bought a part from FS, and when I blew my motor, I called Randy and he was amazingly professional with me, answered all my questions...everything, and I didnt even buy anything from him.
Do you have Petro Canada around you? Petro can in Quebec should sell 94....Good 94 at that!
Flofocus,Aug 10 2007, 08:31 AM Wrote:Gravter,Aug 10 2007, 08:36 AM Wrote:If I end up buying the turbo I've mentionned in my other thread, I'll be getting atleast 2 tunes.ÃÂ One for everyday driving (87 tune) and one for the strip/track (91 tune).
[right][snapback]246352[/snapback][/right]
If your going to FI, stay the fawk away from 89. I wouldnt even put 91 in my turbod car.
[right][snapback]246361[/snapback][/right]
so 94 all the way with turbo then?
its kinda rare to see it at gas stations ......its like havinga disel truck and then driving around looking for a gas station that has disel pump.....nawhatimean?
My car is tuned for 91, thats what was in the tank when it was on the rollers, but I only put 94 to be safe.
I havent had many problems so far. As long as you know where the Sonocos are, you should be good. Every Petro Can that I've gone to in Quebec has 94. But I've only really travelled to quebec city, montreal...big cities...not sure if they dont provide it to smaller ones.
I had to put 91 in once when i was coming back from Toronto because I couldnt find a Sunoco....I just put in what I needed, never hit boost and topped up in Ottawa with 94.
My father has been driving a deisel for a few years now....never had a problem finding a gas station that carries it.
?????
FocusSport is asking $379 US for the XCal2 and one tune - so I guess that's your $400 ... but additional tunes by email are only $25 each and the machine only holds 3 custom tunes total. So the most you could spend on new tunes is $50.
Gravter,Aug 10 2007, 09:55 AM Wrote:Yeah, thats right, 87 with a turbo would be kinda defeating the purpose :P
I'd have to get 91 tune then because 94 is not available in my neck of the woods!
Is it 100$ per tune? FS is asking 400 for tuning! where else can we get a tune for cheaper?
[right][snapback]246366[/snapback][/right]
But that what I said to Randy, why 400$???
I guess they don't like supporting used kits!?!
I will have the original Xcal2 that came with the kit unlocked too and he still wants to charge me 400 for a tune!
Thats why I havent jumped on the turbo yet... to many hidden extras!
ps , sorry for thread jacking :unsure:
If you're not the original owner of the XCal2, tunes are 100 each. I'm not a huge fan of that idea, but that's their policy. You could always bend Walter Marcy's ear to see if he'd tune for less. Given you're tuning a turbo kit (even the FS kit), my vote's on "not likely".
Just got off the phone with Randy actually.
It is 400$ for a "turbo" tune. It is 100$ for someone who bought a Xcal2 somewhere else and wants a basic tune for it (header, exhaust, IM, etc.)
So, that would be about 430$Cnd.
oh wow... it's almost worth it to just go brand new at that point!
The difference is about 1000$Cnd. (not including shipping).
So, yeah, it might be better.
But for that cash, I get my exhaust and other things like boost/oil gauges, etc... maybe even an LC-1 wideband like Randy mentionned.