engine management; dyno vs. autotune

[SwiftTone]

I'd like to get my 2016 BMW S1000XR running better. It seems to run rich otherwise it rides fine. My goal is to improve rideability and not outright power. I have a full exhaust with Rapid Bike Evo fuel module. Rapid Bike Evo has a long term tuning/adaptation function that utilizes the factory [narrow band] o2 sensors.

I can add autotune feature with Rapid Bike "My Tuning Bike" module which includes adding a wideband o2 sensor. With this addition the modules are suppose to read the air/fuel 50 times a second and make adjustments to the fueling instantly to achieve whatever air/fuel I set it to. It's an close loop system so it'll adjust to the enviroment (temps, humidity, elevation etc). Also it has an option to have different maps for different gears. Of course without the bike on a dyno I wouldn't know what power/torque its making but that is not the goal.

The other option is to use the standard Rapid Bike Evo module and get it dyno tuned. Pros would be I would know how much power/torque I'd be making, and if the tuner is good I'd improve the rideability. Cons would be that it's an open loop system so the tune would be static no matter how the environment changes. Also if I add modification it would need to be retuned.

I called Seacoast and spoke to their dyno guy Charles. We spoke about my set up and goals and to my surprise he actually recommended the autotune first then dyno if I really want to squeeze out more. He said the autotune can build a map/tune faster and better, and this is what he does on his personal bike. In addition to using an autotune he puts his bike onto the dyno to proof the tune. So the fact that he is recommending something that he will not make money on is encouraging as how good autotune is.

I also spoke to Rob at Rob's Dyno. This is before I learned about autotune so it was not part of the conversation. Basically told me that he can do anything I want and cost would be $300.

The cost between a dyno tune with Rob and auto tune is basically the same. What Charles at Seacoast said really stuck but I'd like to know what your experience is with engine tuning.

So has anyone had experience with either or both? Please share.

[Kurlon]

So, one thing I should note, unless the RapidBike piggyback setup is ignoring the ECU entirely you still have your environmental trims in effect, weather you custom map or roll with the stock map in the rapidbike, let it autotune, etc. (Sidenote, holy BS marketing wankertiering on their website... Anyone want to take bets on when the EPA shuts them down in the US given their current push against such products?)

That said, I'm surprised Seacoast said the autotune can map the bike quicker than a session on the dyno. A good operator can usually bang out a full map in an hour or two, and it's a full map, all RPMs, all throttle positions. The autotune can only map the regions it observes, so if you don't WOT it frequently, it won't have a good map in WOT, etc. I'm guessing the recomendation comes from the fact that it being a RapidBike piggyback instead of a Dynojet one, there is a big chunk of extra labor translating the dyno pulls to mapping and then testing and refining the results. Put a Powercommander in and it's a VERY fast operation as the dyno communicates directly with the PC5. The big advantage of dyno mapping is sometimes the target AFR approach doesn't get you the best readability in some regions, a good operator can spot that and tweak the map to account for it. The automapper is just going to aim for a target AFR, for better or worse. The downside of a dyno map session, it's not cheap.

[xrocket21]

I have a wideband 02 I'd sell ya!

[RandyO]

ya never use all that power, as they say. unless your plugs or exhaust are showing excess richness, leave it alone

[SwiftTone]

Installed the Rapid Bike "My Tuning Bike" auto tuner. Installation was pretty straight forward, 4 things to connect including +/- power + welding in a new bung on the exhaust for the o2 sensor. After installation, hooked my laptop and Yaman from Rapid Bike USA remoted into my bike and set the base parameters and correction values for a baseline. Had him set auto tuning for individual gears. Went for a 40 mile ride and the bike definitely rides smoother. Throttle on/off is smoother in all RPMs. The only odd thing I've noticed so far is there is a noticeable dip in power 3rd gear from 8000-8500rpm. Auto tune probably just needs more time to work.

[FriskyDingo]

I hear tell that if you do most of your riding in sub 43 degree weather there is a ton of FREE HP....



Congrats on the good results, I'm surprised they actually have someone log in remotely to assist, did that cost anything or is it included in the cost of the product??

[SwiftTone]

I hear tell that if you do most of your riding in sub 43 degree weather there is a ton of FREE HP....



Congrats on the good results, I'm surprised they actually have someone log in remotely to assist, did that cost anything or is it included in the cost of the product??

No additional cost for them to remote in. Yaman at Cycle Pro in Orlando Florida is the distributor for USA as for as I know. He has been really good with emails and phones. Usually replies to my email within an hour, and Ive sent some dumb emails lol.

Here's my target AFR he set, and the adjustments the auto tune has made in percentages for 3rd gear based on rpm and throttle openings.


Sent from my SM-G998U using Tapatalk