Hey guys, Lately I've been noticing random levels of knock and random misfires. It's been happening anywhere in the range of -5 degrees C and -40 degrees C and I'm running a Trifecta selective tune in just the standard mode with my traction control on (no use for the competition mode tune in winter here).

I understand that the colder temps and driving the car harder in that weather makes the car succeptable to knock and misfires but what else could be causing this besides what I have listed below. I can honestly say I dont drive the car in any manner that would cause the engine to be stressed like this.

Winter Gas (running 94 octane...)
Not running a winter specific tune
Faulty Spark Plugs/Gapping?


I've been seeing knock anywhere from 0.0 to 2 or 3 and have seen up to 9 on a couple of occasions while driving and have seen up to 4 misfires at more than one occasion, both when driving and at idle. The knock is far less common than the misfiring and is also only displayed for a second or two before falling back to zero. If anybody has any input that would be great, I'll be email Vince soon to see if can get a revised tune for winter. Hopefully that'll come before winter is over here.

 

What is highlighted is your issue. You're running a tune that wasn't tested in all conditions. If you're getting knocking and misfires (pretty much the same thing), its due to an improper combustion. When you have colder air, you have more air molecules present, now more fuel needs to be added to have a proper combustion. You're in a -5 temperature scenario which is considered an extreme cold temperature scenario. My suggestion is NOT to use a canned tune and to have someone professionally dyno tune your car.

If you can't have that done, then you should really reconsider modifying your vehicle because you're just putting yourself in danger of having something go majorly wrong. The more you keep misfiring under hard driving conditions, the more you're risking something happening to your engine.

 

^^^ You do know you log the Trifecta tune and send files back and forth to Vince and he sends a re-tune with adjustments?

You can do this at any time if you have the EZ Flash cable and have Vince look over the tune.

Its not a true canned tune

 

It's a Trifecta tune.... its not a canned tune, and I had this tune dialed in this summer. Is it really the case that the temp is causing this problem? How does this car not have some sort of sensor that compensates for ambient temperature... How would a stock car run on the stock or even GMS1 flash and not get knock or misfire when large temperature changes happen?

 

You do realize that its kind of ridiculous, right?

Obviously you don't think its ridiculous. Anyways, to the original poster, find someone who is local to you and get it done professionally on your car.

 

I dont see what isnt professional abouta trifecta tune. How would getting it dyno tuned make it a tune that is both safe for winter at -40 and summer at 35 degrees C as opposed to how I have it now?

 

No not really, I would take a properly street tuned car over a dyno tuned car any day of the week. If you don't know why that would be, go do some reading.

Next thing your gonna tell us is HPT email tunes are canned also.

 

Ok well its not efficient...

I mean you do whatever you want to your car, you asked what the issue was, I'm telling you. If it was professional, you wouldn't be having this issue. He's making a tune, you're trying it...if you have a problem, he makes something else and you try it. You see the pattern? Where as if you have someone in your car, tuning your car, they can see what is going on right there on the spot.

Like said, you do whatever you want to your car, I could care less but I was trying to be helpful and give you the reason as to why you're having problems. Its your tune. My advice of years of experience is to have someone local tune your car.

 

I'm not here to argue or prove anything to you. I'm here to talk to the original poster. Have a nice day.

 

I understand but I'd like to have my question answered. Saying somebody else should have tuned me is completely useless...

 

Have you checked your plugs by chance (like you posted)?

It also could be a bad tank of gas, have you ran a different tank of gas since it started happening?

No codes being thrown? Make sure to check because sometimes a code will be stored and not trigger the check engine light.

 

Nevermind then. I don't know what else I could say to help you understand.

Good luck.

 

Trifecta is not tuning your car in real time for the actual load and atmospheric conditions your car is experiencing. Anybody who disagrees is a ******* moron and I hope your engine melts a piston.

 

I havent but they were replaced 5000kms ago and had no issues until a couple of weeks ago, I would take a look but I have no garage and its freezing outside... I might have to get the dealership to just stick new ones in. Can't hurt.

I appreciate the input, but its not something I'm going to consider, I paid for this tune, I've invested time in dialing it in and it worked perfectly fine until now.

 

My guess would be the winter blend gas. How much KR are you seeing? Is it only during tip-in?

 

Thank you.

To the original poster, its your decision. If thats how you feel, thats fine. Good luck to you.

 

Isnt that how tuning works? You keep tweaking till its working right

 

Yes...in real time...

If you guys are fine with Trifecta tunes, thats fine. More power to you. I'm simply giving my opinion from my experience. I'm not here to argue with anyone.

 

Its minimal but there has been the odd time where it has been at 3 and 4 and it jumped to 8 at one point . It doesnt register long, but its misfiring enough to bother me and enough that my fuel economy went from 7L/100km to 15L/100km... which I have NEVER seen in this car.

 

You dumbshits keep arguing tf vs hpt, this isn't two years ago. Get over it, op can you read afr on whatever you are monitoring with? You sir may have a **** o2 sensor

also if you can let us know what your ltft and stfts look like

 

This makes me think O2. If its going out then it would cause knock. See if you dont have a pending code for slow response or something

 

mine has been acting crazy lately too. I usually dont get alot of knock retard but im starting to see like 8 kr when i get on it. im really hoping it was a bad tank of gas...

 

ITT: people thinking trifecta is a real tune

 

You right its a fake one, what were we all thinking.

I mean why use anything Trifecta, right?
I guess it was lucky for you Vince made it compatible with HPT since his tunes and software sucks so much.
How else would you have got the features HPT hasn't unlocked or probably never will.

Yes I'm being a smart ass, because I get sick of nut hugging hpt tuners bashing his Trifecta tunes but yet jump at the chance to use his tuning software in conjuction with HPT.

No one said it was the best tune, but it is a real tune.

Just take the TF part out of your sig and put HPT. You won't do this because you and I know that a TF+HPT tune is the best you can get atm. Regardless of whether you like his Trifecta tunes or not, your rolling around with his software.

Show the man some respect, hes done more for our community as far as tuning then anyone and keeps coming out with stuff (and making it available to you HPT guys).

 

^ he is right on this matter... and any tuner will tell you:

logging a car on the STREET>running a car in simulated conditions on a damn dyno

that is common f*cking sense

I mean think about it for a second "hmm this big ass fan simulating air flow, yeah, that is probably better than actual air flow"... lol

I would take a street tune with Trifecta or a Hptune over putting my car on a damn dyno for logging ANY day of the week

you can load the dyno, use big ass fans, etc... all you are trying to do is REPLICATE REAL WORLD CONDITIONS, so why not go out in the real world and log your car?


if you really want to tune your car for your environment: put it out in the elements... don't put it on rollers in a 70 degree shop with a fan in front of it