toysareforboys

I installed a Power Commander V on my bike this summer and had all kinds of issues with it. They sent me a "split harness" that separated out each injector wire, TPS sensor, RPM, etc. We traced each wire, one by one until we found the problem (turned out to be corrupt firmware in the power commander itself! LOL!).

I got the Autotune module for it, set it for an AFR of 13.4-12.8 and did a couple of WOT runs through the gears (it does PER GEAR tuning ) and it sorted out my map flawlessly.

For those of you that don't know how the power commander works on a motorcycle it's pretty simple.

If you start with a 0 map, that means the power commander will NOT modify the fueling (fuel injector) signals and just pass on whatever the ECU wants to the injectors.

If you (or AutoTune) increases the fueling (for that given RPM and throttle position) to say +4, that means that the Power Commander will hold open the fuel injectors 4% longer than the ECU asks them to. Same thing with a -4, it would shut them off 4% sooner.

You can see how easy this is to tune from, start with a 0 map, plug in the wide band, set your target AFR's for any given RPM/throttle position, turn on AutoTune and do a few WOT runs. It'll then show you a table with the projected changes needed to make the custom map match your target AFR's perfectly and you "apply" them, boom done. You can leave the autotune running all the time, and it'll make flawless adjustments for temperature and elevation, etc. all on the fly!

Why oh why can't we put this on a car?! I have all the pin outs for the power commander, it's just "Injector In/Out 1, 2, 3, 4, TPS, RPM" etc. If I had the wiring diagram for the Cobalt, why couldn't it be done?

If tuning is more about ignition advance than fueling, they have an ignition module too (didn't work on my bike due to old style CDI ignition system so I'm not very familiar with it).

Cost for the complete system $270 PowerCommander V, $285 Ignition Module, $220 AutoTune, so $775 all in.

Are there any systems like this (auto tune/learn) for under $800 out there that'll work on our cars?

-Jamie M.

TommyP

iTrader: (2)

There are two ways we tune our cars, and both involve modifying the stock ecu. You can either get a custom tune with HP tuners, where a local tuner can plug his laptop into your car and custom tune the car while you drive it, or you can get a trifecta tune, which is a tune by email program, all that is required is a windows laptop.

toysareforboys

But then you have to get a retune every time you do a new mod to your car!? Nothing out there like an "autotune"?

-Jamie M.

TommyP

iTrader: (2)

Nope, so such thing as autotuning for these cars

toysareforboys

Can you think of any technical reason why you think a power commander WOULDN'T work on the balt?

-Jamie M.

TommyP

iTrader: (2)

I think to explain that I'd better let someone who knows more than me chime in.

toysareforboys

Okies Thanks for your help, I didn't know "I" could do a tune with an e-mailed file (and cable apparently). Thanks for the info!

-Jamie M.

TommyP

iTrader: (2)

yep, with trifecta all you need to do is upload it and datalog it. You can do the same with HP tuners as well, some people will do remote tuning, though you would have to spend the extra on the program. I still prefer HP tuners myself because nothing beats having your tuner in the car with you, and you get an explanation of what all is being changed and the effects it has. Also typically if you have a tuner meet up with you and tune your car, it will be cheaper than a trifecta tune. Also, what specific model to you have?

toysareforboys

Sorry, for some reason my signature was turned off... lets see if this works:

WickedSS2005

iTrader: (1)

Simple. A Power Commander is for bikes. Not cars. THAT is why it won't work. Comparing Apples to tomatoes. Not just different fruit, but different crops.

Tuning options that support the cobalts are 1) HPTuners, 2) Trifecta. Both require tweaking to the tune for mods that are added. It's just how it is for the cobalt (most cars)

blackbird

From looking at the product description and the install it appears to be a fancy piggyback fuel controller. These types of controllers can be made to work on some applications if there is no other choice to tune the vehicle this side of an expensive, replacement stand-alone engine management system (EMS), but given that you can reprogram the engine controller on the Cobalt there would be no reason to go this route. The stock computer is more powerful than most stand-alone systems anyway and can be calibrated to provide great power and drivability. There's some benefits to using a stand-alone system like real-time, on-the-fly changes but keep in mind those systems generally run thousands of dollars and this product is in no way close to the same.

With the stock wideband O2 sensor on the '08+ SS and the other monitoring and control mechanisms on the other Cobalts they can make a reasonable amount of adjustments to improve drivability if the baseline tune it good, but there's no magic plug in a box and it "tunes" your car. Some of the stand-alone EMS do have full-time wideband O2 adjustments to help automatically tweak fuel but you still have timing and other factors that need to be manually calibrated for your car and your setup.

toysareforboys

Thanks for the detailed info

When searching around I found out that the computer in the car compensates for an insane amount of parameters that the power commander would either mess with, or by messing with the fueling and especially the ignition timing, freak out the stock computer

-Jamie M.

TommyP

iTrader: (2)

yep, the ECUs in these cars are FAR more advance and complicated than what's in a bike.

Leafydialupking

iTrader: (1)

Yeah, power commander is just a piggy back. AEM makes one for cars called the FIC. Its still a piggy back and therefore no where near as good as modifying the actual computer or using a stand alone. And auto-tune sucks, no auto tune system will be as good as a real human who know what they are doing tuning the car.