After taking a beating (all in good fun you know) for the last few weeks for my inability to sit in front of a computer 24/7 and answer questions about delivery and functions, I thought I'd post some information about the AutoTune and other items of interest.
1. AutoTunes are shipping now, and we have enough to go around and then some. It is not our policy to ship back orders for new products until we contact the customer to be sure he still wants it. Sometimes people are hard to reach during the day (our hours are 9-6 Eastern Time), so if you have not heard from us and have an order pending, feel free to give us a call or PM me with a green light if you're still interested.
2. If you already have a ThunderMax and just want to add the AutoTune to it, I've attached an instruction sheet that outlines what you'll need to do to update your software and firmware (if needed). The AutoTune comes with the latest version of SmartLink software and all of our maps (the software and maps can also be downloaded for free from
www.Thunder-Max.com).
3. If/when you purchase a ThunderMax system from us we will install the best-match base map we have based on the information you provide us. When you get the unit it will have a sticker on the box indicating that it has been mapped, and the installed map with a brief description of the map on the software disc label. The software disc also includes all of our base maps, as well as your map.
4. Maps are always being developed and as they are developed, they are posted to our FTP site for your downloading pleasure every few weeks. The same goes for software and firmware updates; once you have our (free) software, all you need is an internet connection to keep up with the latest releases. There are menu buttons that search our FTP site and will inform you of updates that are available for downloading. There is another instruction sheet attached that will explain how.
5. The AutoTune kit consists of two wide-band (5 wire) oxygen sensors and a small module that interprets and converts data from the sensors, which is then fed electronically through the magic of the J1850 serial bus wiring through the data port plug found on all Twin Cam motorcycles. This means that if you have sensor bungs in your exhaust pipes, installation consists of simply screwing in the oxygen sensors, plugging them into the AutoTune, then plug the AutoTune into the data-port plug and you're done. Simple? You bet! Many of the exhaust pipe manufacturers are finally getting on the bandwagon and will be supplying pipes with bungs in them, and not just for 2007 bikes. D&D comes to mind as the first to do this (Yea, D&D!).
6. So what exactly does the ThunderMax EFI closed loop system adjust? It adjusts fuel for a target Air/Fuel Ratio (AFR). The module (software, really) has user-selectable targets for the AFR on 32 RPM pages (every 256 RPM, that's over 2000 points if you're counting), at 64 points on each page. While this sounds like a lot, they are easy to adjustable with point-to-point fill comands, meaning you can move blocks of target AFR points with just a few clicks. You can really hone in on a certain area such as cruise RPM for fuel economy or richen up full throttle maps for best power. If individual point or map adjusting doesn't interest you, you can choose to override the individual map pages with a straight, across-the-board AFR at all points by entering the desired AFR in the AFR Override dialog and a single AFR you will get. For the record, we are currently setting the default AFR to 13:1 on all of the AFR/TPS@RPM pages; it provides a good balance of power and economy. You can AutoTune from there.
7. How much will it adjust? Quite a lot, actually. Up to 50% from the installed base map. How important is the base map? It's still advisable to install the closest base map in our system for your application to minimize the system's learning time. There are two controls within the software that you can set. The first is how much learning the system can do per session (a session being defined and ignition-on to ignition-off, per cycle). The range per session is 0-50%, for a close or dead-ringer match map, we recommend and the default setting is 5% (more if you have a combination that is a mismatch, for faster learning). The second is the total amount of learning, regardless of the number of sessions; the range is also 0-50%, default here is 20%. In the case of one member's kit here, the map supplied was a perfect match for all of the parameters except the exhaust system; our map was built using a Rinehart True Dual exhaust system, his bike is equipped with Vance & Hines TD head pipes and another brand mufflers. Same
type of system, different brand. The AutoTune will easily handle this tune within the default settings.
8. So I let it learn, and it makes its own map, right? Yes and no. The base map is the base map; it does not change within the module. The firmware makes adjustments to the fuel volume dictated from the base map using what are called "fuel point offsets". These offsets are what the ThunderMax learns with real-time input from the AutoTune. The offsets are stored in the module, not in the base map. This means you can't upload the map from the module, load it into another module and have those offset corrections follow it. You can, however, adjust the fuel points manually if you run the module in open loop (you still have that choice), but that's typically what you pay a dyno guy to do, and you don't have to do that with the AutoTune enabled.
9. What else is adjusted? The Idle Air Control and its Stops settings are automatically adjusted, always learning. The IAC-Auto function we recommend running during initial startup speeds this learning process when performed initially. These are also adjusted using offset points.
10. OK, how much? MSRP for AutoTune 399, Tmax 429. Thanks, JK
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Topic: ThunderMax AutoTune Top 10 Q&A (Read 4378 times)