LNF Tuning Basics w/HPTuners
08-03-2009, 10:38 PM
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LNF Tuning Guide w/HPTuners *revised*
Deleted the old guide and made a new one 
If you follow this guide and just copy/paste these settings into your tables I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANYTHING THAT HAPPENS. While these settings are not a race map or something insane, they are FAR from stock! Be sure to log your car and guarantee its safety!
Hopefully if you're reading this you have installed the software, plugged in the MPVI and loaded the drivers for it. Make sure you check in My Devices that it's showing up MPVI Chan A and Chan B!!
I had some issues just getting mine to read, here's what I do and seems to be working for me. Unlock the car and get in, close the door, open the door, close it again. Plug the MPVI into the PC as well as the OBD2 port. Turn the Key to ON, the position JUST before it would crank and start. Turn off the auto lights as well as the radio and anything else that is on. Then select Flash -> Read from the VCM Editor. It should bring up a little dialog box, click begin. On my car this took ~20mins!!!! So don't get nervous if it's taking awhile!! You may find leaving your driver window down and doing this thru the window allows you to have a life for 20mins instead of sitting in the car the whole time.
After you read the file, you will be prompted to buy a license. If you plan on tuning other people's SS', it maybe worth it to buy same model/year license for 6 credits at this time!!! If you plan on just doing your own, get the single license. SAVE YOUR STOCK ROM!!! And make sure you name it accordingly. EX: 09_Stock_CobaltSS_Turbo.hpt
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now that you have your rom it's time to tinker! First thing to start with would be the: Max Airload Torque Table. Across the top is the RPM obviously and the value below each RPM is the Max Airload in % the VCM will be looking for. Starting at 2700RPM and going to 6300RPM adjust the Airload to be 99%. If you look at the start of the table at 1650RPM, you will see the value is 72%, then 75, 74, 75, (yes I rounded for this discussion). I just bumped up the last 2 to make a smooth acceleration into power. So instead of the 74 and 75%, I made it 80 and 90%. You can adjust a lil here or there and feel the changes this makes right away!!
Stock
Tuned
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Next will be Power Enrichment Lambda. This will be your commanded WOT AFR from 60-100% throttle. I personally never liked the way the car ran 14:1 during most of the band while WOT, so I changed it to be a steady .87 from the point I hit my boost spike. People will argue the AFR, make it what you want, that isn't the point here! To change the WOT AFR goto the 3K RPM cell in the 100% column. Highlight from there to 6K RPM (bottom of chart) and make the values .87.
AFR = 14.68 * Lambda.
so
12.771 = 14.68 * .87
If you feel you want a similar change at other TPS values, then go right ahead and change them. I made my 90% run .87 in the same areas. I would DEFINITELY NOT go making gross changes to this table, you can mess up the car with this one!
Stock
Tuned
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Next up is the Desired Air Load Table. This is where you set the boost values you are trying to achieve. This is prolly the most complicated part of this, and not that it's hard, it's just a lil confusing at first. Down the side is RPM and across the top is TPS %. There was a few different views on how to adjust this table, all had pretty much the same idea. Starting with the 90 and 100% column, I made the DAL's 300 down to 2500RPM, 325 to 5K RPM and 350 from there to redline. I then selected from 50%-100% and did smooth selection a few times. I then went back and input the same values from above BACK into the 90-100% columns.
Stock
Tuned
(These values are NOT a direct correlation to MAP KPa!!!)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now you will want to mess with the Max Torque vs RPM vs Gear. This table is where you can adjust the power/torque per gear and RPM. You will find with the above adjustments the car will be extremely hard to handle at lower RPM's, in traffic especially. So you will want to reduce power slightly using this table. There is no REAL science here IMO, this is also another table you can adjust a lil here or there and feel changes immediately.
Stock
Tuned
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now we'll do a little with the Timing tables. There are (4) in total to adjust and you MUST adjust all 4 tables! I've read to change 1 and then copy/paste to the others but after looking over them, each table is a little different then the last. So I would just make similar changes to the high load areas and use the KR Histogram in the logger to adjust your part throttle areas the same. Here's an example of the 1 Timing table, use these value at YOUR OWN RISK!
Stock
Tuned
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Whether you're running the stock downpipe w/cat or an aftermarket w/out cat you will want to change the Cat Over Temp Lambda table. If you have NO CAT, you can set the values the SAME AS THE PE TABLE! You have no cat to worry about melting! Otherwise, I would still lean out this table a little, leaving it just richer then your PE table.
Stock
Tuned
------------------------------------------------------------------------
You can also change the rev limit if you want to. You can also change it per gear which I am using myself now. 1st gear at 7K, 2nd at 6800 and 6600 for the rest.
To do this you will need to change the RPM Limit in the following spots:
Oil Temp Limit
Trans Limp
Transient Limit
Both Normal and Short Incr in the Cutoff RPM vs Gear section
------------------------------------------------------------------------
And finally is Over/Under Boost Enable RPM. With the DAL's as high as above it IS possible to spike over 22 psi! So you will prolly want to turn of the Overboost Protection!
You can find this in Engine Diagnostics -> Airflow -> Enable RPM
Stock
Tuned
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now that you have your settings dialed in, it's time to flash it back to the car! Go back to the car again, unlock, open, get in, close door, open door, close door. This may or may not be neccesary, I had issues so this is what ended up working for me! Turn the key on, auto lights and radio off and plug the MPVI into the car and lappy. With your newly updated map open, Click Flash -> Write Calibration ONLY, VERY IMPORTANT!! You don't need to write entire!!!! This should only take a minute tops! You will hear the car beep when its done, then beep again. You will hear everything get quiet another maybe 5 seconds after, at that point I shut off the key and open the door. Close the VCM Editor and close the car door. Start the car
Finally, and VERY IMPORTANT as well. You want to LOG the car!! I can't stress enough how important this part is, especially since you have all the tools to finish the job properly! You will find that the Default Logger Definitions for the SS/TC aren't very good, so I've included a CFG file that will bring EVERYTHING you need up. You can then fine tune the CFG file using a Right Click and adjusting the Chart Settings. LNF CONFIG FILE
Once you load the LNF Config file, take the car out and drive it while logging. You want to be sure there is no KR during part throttle acceleration, if you goto Histograms and select #3 you can then drive the car and it will record and average of any KR that occurs. After you drive a bunch of miles and try to hit all different loads, you can go back and input the changes it shows you into the Timing Tables.
If everything is seeming kosher, get into 3rd gear and give the car moderate throttle. You're looking to make sure the Wideband is indeed switching to the AFR we adjusted to earlier. If all seems well again, what the hell, go for a 3rd WOT pull. After you log a full pull (3k-6300) go back home and review the chart. If you filled in what I did above you should be seeing 20-22psi spike, holding at least 20 most of the band and tapering off to redline. The AFR should be a steady .87 during that pull as well! If anything has swayed a little, you should have the knowledge to adjust it to be steady.
If you follow this guide and just copy/paste these settings into your tables I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANYTHING THAT HAPPENS. While these settings are not a race map or something insane, they are FAR from stock! Be sure to log your car and guarantee its safety!
Hopefully if you're reading this you have installed the software, plugged in the MPVI and loaded the drivers for it. Make sure you check in My Devices that it's showing up MPVI Chan A and Chan B!!
I had some issues just getting mine to read, here's what I do and seems to be working for me. Unlock the car and get in, close the door, open the door, close it again. Plug the MPVI into the PC as well as the OBD2 port. Turn the Key to ON, the position JUST before it would crank and start. Turn off the auto lights as well as the radio and anything else that is on. Then select Flash -> Read from the VCM Editor. It should bring up a little dialog box, click begin. On my car this took ~20mins!!!! So don't get nervous if it's taking awhile!! You may find leaving your driver window down and doing this thru the window allows you to have a life for 20mins instead of sitting in the car the whole time.
After you read the file, you will be prompted to buy a license. If you plan on tuning other people's SS', it maybe worth it to buy same model/year license for 6 credits at this time!!! If you plan on just doing your own, get the single license. SAVE YOUR STOCK ROM!!! And make sure you name it accordingly. EX: 09_Stock_CobaltSS_Turbo.hpt
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now that you have your rom it's time to tinker! First thing to start with would be the: Max Airload Torque Table. Across the top is the RPM obviously and the value below each RPM is the Max Airload in % the VCM will be looking for. Starting at 2700RPM and going to 6300RPM adjust the Airload to be 99%. If you look at the start of the table at 1650RPM, you will see the value is 72%, then 75, 74, 75, (yes I rounded for this discussion). I just bumped up the last 2 to make a smooth acceleration into power. So instead of the 74 and 75%, I made it 80 and 90%. You can adjust a lil here or there and feel the changes this makes right away!!
Stock Tuned------------------------------------------------------------------------
Next will be Power Enrichment Lambda. This will be your commanded WOT AFR from 60-100% throttle. I personally never liked the way the car ran 14:1 during most of the band while WOT, so I changed it to be a steady .87 from the point I hit my boost spike. People will argue the AFR, make it what you want, that isn't the point here! To change the WOT AFR goto the 3K RPM cell in the 100% column. Highlight from there to 6K RPM (bottom of chart) and make the values .87.
AFR = 14.68 * Lambda.
so
12.771 = 14.68 * .87
If you feel you want a similar change at other TPS values, then go right ahead and change them. I made my 90% run .87 in the same areas. I would DEFINITELY NOT go making gross changes to this table, you can mess up the car with this one!
Stock Tuned------------------------------------------------------------------------
Next up is the Desired Air Load Table. This is where you set the boost values you are trying to achieve. This is prolly the most complicated part of this, and not that it's hard, it's just a lil confusing at first. Down the side is RPM and across the top is TPS %. There was a few different views on how to adjust this table, all had pretty much the same idea. Starting with the 90 and 100% column, I made the DAL's 300 down to 2500RPM, 325 to 5K RPM and 350 from there to redline. I then selected from 50%-100% and did smooth selection a few times. I then went back and input the same values from above BACK into the 90-100% columns.
Stock Tuned(These values are NOT a direct correlation to MAP KPa!!!)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now you will want to mess with the Max Torque vs RPM vs Gear. This table is where you can adjust the power/torque per gear and RPM. You will find with the above adjustments the car will be extremely hard to handle at lower RPM's, in traffic especially. So you will want to reduce power slightly using this table. There is no REAL science here IMO, this is also another table you can adjust a lil here or there and feel changes immediately.
Stock Tuned------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now we'll do a little with the Timing tables. There are (4) in total to adjust and you MUST adjust all 4 tables! I've read to change 1 and then copy/paste to the others but after looking over them, each table is a little different then the last. So I would just make similar changes to the high load areas and use the KR Histogram in the logger to adjust your part throttle areas the same. Here's an example of the 1 Timing table, use these value at YOUR OWN RISK!
Stock Tuned------------------------------------------------------------------------
Whether you're running the stock downpipe w/cat or an aftermarket w/out cat you will want to change the Cat Over Temp Lambda table. If you have NO CAT, you can set the values the SAME AS THE PE TABLE! You have no cat to worry about melting! Otherwise, I would still lean out this table a little, leaving it just richer then your PE table.
Stock Tuned------------------------------------------------------------------------
You can also change the rev limit if you want to. You can also change it per gear which I am using myself now. 1st gear at 7K, 2nd at 6800 and 6600 for the rest.
To do this you will need to change the RPM Limit in the following spots:
Oil Temp Limit
Trans Limp
Transient Limit
Both Normal and Short Incr in the Cutoff RPM vs Gear section
------------------------------------------------------------------------
And finally is Over/Under Boost Enable RPM. With the DAL's as high as above it IS possible to spike over 22 psi! So you will prolly want to turn of the Overboost Protection!
You can find this in Engine Diagnostics -> Airflow -> Enable RPM
Stock Tuned------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now that you have your settings dialed in, it's time to flash it back to the car! Go back to the car again, unlock, open, get in, close door, open door, close door. This may or may not be neccesary, I had issues so this is what ended up working for me! Turn the key on, auto lights and radio off and plug the MPVI into the car and lappy. With your newly updated map open, Click Flash -> Write Calibration ONLY, VERY IMPORTANT!! You don't need to write entire!!!! This should only take a minute tops! You will hear the car beep when its done, then beep again. You will hear everything get quiet another maybe 5 seconds after, at that point I shut off the key and open the door. Close the VCM Editor and close the car door. Start the car
Finally, and VERY IMPORTANT as well. You want to LOG the car!! I can't stress enough how important this part is, especially since you have all the tools to finish the job properly! You will find that the Default Logger Definitions for the SS/TC aren't very good, so I've included a CFG file that will bring EVERYTHING you need up. You can then fine tune the CFG file using a Right Click and adjusting the Chart Settings. LNF CONFIG FILE
Once you load the LNF Config file, take the car out and drive it while logging. You want to be sure there is no KR during part throttle acceleration, if you goto Histograms and select #3 you can then drive the car and it will record and average of any KR that occurs. After you drive a bunch of miles and try to hit all different loads, you can go back and input the changes it shows you into the Timing Tables.
If everything is seeming kosher, get into 3rd gear and give the car moderate throttle. You're looking to make sure the Wideband is indeed switching to the AFR we adjusted to earlier. If all seems well again, what the hell, go for a 3rd WOT pull. After you log a full pull (3k-6300) go back home and review the chart. If you filled in what I did above you should be seeing 20-22psi spike, holding at least 20 most of the band and tapering off to redline. The AFR should be a steady .87 during that pull as well! If anything has swayed a little, you should have the knowledge to adjust it to be steady.
Last edited by BYT*SS*TURBO; 10-08-2009 at 11:11 AM.
08-04-2009, 08:14 AM
#5
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I'm sure you could push 25-26 out of the stock turbo. Most people seem to agree that 22 is more then enough!
Thanks I'm not an expert nor do I try to claim to be one. I just started using this myself and it was super easy once I sorted thru posts on HPT Forums. I pretty much took it all in, played myself and made this guide from that experience. I hope it helps someone somehow, then it would be all worth it 
Thanks
I'm not an expert nor do I try to claim to be one. I just started using this myself and it was super easy once I sorted thru posts on HPT Forums. I pretty much took it all in, played myself and made this guide from that experience. I hope it helps someone somehow, then it would be all worth it
Last edited by BYT*SS*TURBO; 08-04-2009 at 08:14 AM. Reason: Automerged Doublepost
08-04-2009, 09:13 AM
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Thank you Im glad people are finding it useful!!
If someone brings me their ss/sc and buys just the credits, I will gladly tune it and make a write up of the process
Im glad people are finding it useful!!If someone brings me their ss/sc and buys just the credits, I will gladly tune it and make a write up of the process
Last edited by BYT*SS*TURBO; 08-04-2009 at 09:13 AM. Reason: Automerged Doublepost
08-05-2009, 11:12 PM
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Would love a part 2. I need timing info and can't find it anywhere on the HPT site. I have no clue about adjusting it. I found 4 tables under the spark control section that were labeled: Int min, exh min then int max, exh min etc. Not sure wtf I'm doing. lol
08-06-2009, 09:30 AM
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You need to adjust all 4 tables the same in the 180 and 190 columns to start. If you review your log you will see load %, adjust your WOT Spark Advance in the areas of load % you are hitting. Start slow!!! Just watch your KR, if you happen to see some, you went too far Ive read 10* thru the mid is ok and anywhere from 14-18* up top.
Ive read 10* thru the mid is ok and anywhere from 14-18* up top.
08-07-2009, 06:48 AM
#23
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if I add +1 timing, do I add it to the whole table? I tried this adding timing to 180% and 200% columns from 4k to 6k and I don't think it helped much. I got KR from 4k to 6k of 0.4 - 0.9 where I wasn't getting it before.
Also, I'm only boosting to 240kpa~245kpa. I saw a post where you were able to break thru that. I changed my DALs similar to what you mentioned, by having smaller jumps between % columns, but still getting around the same max boost w/some spikes.
My tune and a log with the +1 timing is over there at HPTuners in the LNF section.
Also, I'm only boosting to 240kpa~245kpa. I saw a post where you were able to break thru that. I changed my DALs similar to what you mentioned, by having smaller jumps between % columns, but still getting around the same max boost w/some spikes.
My tune and a log with the +1 timing is over there at HPTuners in the LNF section.
08-07-2009, 10:35 PM
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I posted my newly altered tune and 2 3rd gear pulls over there. I changed my dals to see if I could get higher than 240kpa in my log. I dunno how people are pushing 255kpa, i can't seem to get it.