XCAL 2 Before and After Dyno?

[Dave-T]

Has anyone done a before and after dyno with the Xcal 2 reprogram on a stock engine. I am thinking of doing the reprogram mainly for the tranny issues. I spoke with Dennis Reinhart and he said I would get 28 rwhp with the reprogram. I find that hard to believe but will take it. What have you guys seen for gains?

[sabtaj1]

DO IT!! its a great mod. Night and day difference! Thats the first thing I did.

[MM03MOK]

Dennis knows what he's talking about. Long before there was a handheld unit, pro tuners (Dennis, Lidio, Jerry Wroblewski) were getting those kind of results from a tune on an NA Marauder. It's more than just an increase in HP and TQ too. Go for it! That was our first mod almost 3 years ago. What a difference! A "Must Do" in my book, even if you do nothing else.

[94_302]

Not trying to hijack the thread, but has anyone noticed a difference in power from the standard sct tune and the off the shelf tunes from Reinhart and Lidio? I know they lock up the tq converter at different speeds but is that the only difference?

edit: Just to be clear I am not trying to compare Lidio vs Reinhart. only sct off the shelf vs the vendors tunes.

[ckadiddle]

I can't tell you exactly how many horsepower it might release. But I CAN tell you that before the DR tune the car would I couldn't spin the tires without standing on the brake. Now I can do it at will by punching the gas pedal to the floor from a dead stop. No standing on the brake pedal. It also chirps into second if I keep the pedal down. This was with stock everything - the tune was the first mod I made.

Get it from one of our site vendors, they really know these Marauders and how to maximize what Ford gave us, and how to do it SAFELY.

[MM03MOK]

Not trying to hijack the thread, but has anyone noticed a difference in power from the standard sct tune and the off the shelf tunes from Reinhart and Lidio? I know they lock up the tq converter at different speeds but is that the only difference?

edit: Just to be clear I am not trying to compare Lidio vs Reinhart. only sct off the shelf vs the vendors tunes.Who is buying standard SCT tunes? SCT tuners sold through vendors on our board are sold either with Dennis' or Lidio's tunes or are blank.

[jawz101]

I know they lock up the tq converter at different speeds but is that the only difference?

both DR and Lidio have a setting to shut off alternator at WOT to get more hp too.

Any SCT dealer can probably do a good job w/ the tuner but DR and Lidio know are cars.

[KillJoy]

Generic Tunes are just that....junk! :D Take the Jet Chip I had in my Dakota (V6) for example. It was Dyno proven to add a MAX of 3HP and 6FT-LBS TQ at the Rears! And it cost $300+ if I remember correctly.

Buy from the Vendors here. Support the site and get an awsome product! The Dyno is just a PART of these guys tunes. The Trans changes make the car sooo much more fun to drive!

KillJoy

[94_302]

Ok, I did not mean to hijack the thread by going there. Is there any before an after dynos from a Reinhart, Lidio, and off the shelf SCT tune. I have found tuners at a relatively low price and they come with the generic sct tune. Since we are talking about a bone stock Marauder, what is it that makes a tune from one of their tuners better overall? I'm not talking dyno tunes because obviously those are superior.
Or even if I did buy from a vendor, trilogy. They have an offer to beat any price on some of the parts they carry and an x-cal2 is one of them. So would that come with the generic tune?

Best info I have found:
Before and After Reinhart Chip (http://www.mercurymarauder.net/forums/showthread.php?t=879&highlight=dyno+chip) "15.2 extra HP and 17.6 extra Tq"
Before and After Chip (http://www.mercurymarauder.net/forums/showthread.php?t=420&highlight=dyno+chip) "20hp 30ft lbs"
Another about the Reinhart Chip (http://www.mercurymarauder.net/forums/showthread.php?t=89&highlight=dyno+chip) "17.3 rear wheel hp and 30.6 ft/lbs rear wheel torque"
I am not trying be biased to Reinhart I just did a search for dyno and chip and skimmed through threads that seemed to be a bone stock car and a chip or tune that was not custom or dyno tuned.

Lidio Tune (http://www.alternativeauto.com/prodserv/marauder_tune.html)~From his site.
I did not see any page like this on Reinharts site.

[Smokie]

Has anyone done a before and after dyno with the Xcal 2 reprogram on a stock engine. I am thinking of doing the reprogram mainly for the tranny issues. I spoke with Dennis Reinhart and he said I would get 28 rwhp with the reprogram. I find that hard to believe but will take it. What have you guys seen for gains?

Unfortunely I never had a before dyno, my average of 3 runs AFTER Dennis flashed my PCM was 265 rwhp/289 rwtq. The average dyno of a stock MM. is 238hp/258tq.

Hope that helps some.

[Marauder2005]

Unfortunely I never had a before dyno, my average of 3 runs AFTER Dennis flashed my PCM was 265 rwhp/289 rwtq. The average dyno of a stock MM. is 238hp/258tq.

Hope that helps some.



WOW :eek:.....................

[jimlam56]

[quote=ckadiddle]I can't tell you exactly how many horsepower it might release. But I CAN tell you that before the DR tune the car would I couldn't spin the tires without standing on the brake. Now I can do it at will by punching the gas pedal to the floor from a dead stop. No standing on the brake pedal. It also chirps into second if I keep the pedal down. This was with stock everything - the tune was the first mod I made.




Not sure about the hp gains, but the above is MY benchmark too!
Well worth the money, if just to smooth out the shift points...

[Marauder2005]

Do you need a laptop computer to load the tune in your car?

[natedog1284]

Who is buying standard SCT tunes? SCT tuners sold through vendors on our board are sold either with Dennis' or Lidio's tunes or are blank.

I bought an Xcal 1 a while back with one of Lidio's tunes. I never got a before and after dyno, but I can tell you there was a remarkable difference, particularly in the trasmmission shifts. If for that reason alone, it is definately a worthwhile purchace. As Mac said, I think it's a must have for anyone with a Marauder.

[jawz101]

Do you need a laptop computer to load the tune in your car?

Vendors will ship tuner preconfigured w/ tunes based on your setup.
Mine came w/ a 3.55 & 4.10 tune. Since they were preloaded all I had to do was program my car directly.



If you ever need to get updated tunes (new mods done/don't like the mpgs) just let the vendor know and they will probably email you a tune.
The SCT tuner has a USB connection and you'll need to get a USB cable like this (http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2036257&cp=2032061.2032365.2032390&allCount=158&fbn=Cable+type%2FMini+USB+Cabl e&f=PAD%2FCable+Type%2FMini+USB+ Cable&fbc=1&parentPage=family). SCT has the Xtreme Tune Software (for the xcal2) which you load the .xtr file emailed to you and send it to the tuner... then load into the car. It's either a laptop or a desktop. You don't have to sit in the car w/ a pc to put it on the tuner

[metroplex]

Has anyone done a before and after dyno with the Xcal 2 reprogram on a stock engine. I am thinking of doing the reprogram mainly for the tranny issues. I spoke with Dennis Reinhart and he said I would get 28 rwhp with the reprogram. I find that hard to believe but will take it. What have you guys seen for gains?

The X-Cal 2, to me, is just a flash drive that holds tunes I send over with my PC. Think of it as a $400 USB flash drive that probably costs $20 to make in China.

[Smokie]

The X-Cal 2, to me, is just a flash drive that holds tunes I send over with my PC. Think of it as a $400 USB flash drive that probably costs $20 to make in China.

I agree the box is worth $20. The "right" tune is worth a little more.:D What would you say 25rwhp/30rwtq, plus great shifting is worth, inside the $20 box????;)

[Marauder386]

I am still trying to figure out how to use my XCal2...its all foreign to this old schooler...I do have the LiveLink loaded onto one of the laptops to do the monitor/datalog bit...DahDah likey that ! Any tips, tricks, guidance for this noob of the stoneage greatly appreciated....

:coolman:

[Marauder2005]

I agree the box is worth $20. The "right" tune is worth a little more.:D What would you say 25rwhp/30rwtq, plus great shifting is worth, inside the $20 box????;)

The time you spent replyng to him was just terrably wasted :)

[metroplex]

I agree the box is worth $20. The "right" tune is worth a little more.:D What would you say 25rwhp/30rwtq, plus great shifting is worth, inside the $20 box????;)

I bought a blank X-Cal 2 for my Pro Racer Package. I was making the tunes myself, so I didn't see why it cost $400 for a $20 flash drive, especially one that was falling apart right out of the box (known problem that SCT supposedly fixed in the later models). Some SCT dealers flat out refused to sell me a blank X-Cal 2. Hey, I tried to give the local folks some business, I seriously did.

For LiveLink, make sure you removed MS .NET Framework or else you must use 2.1.8 for it to work properly.

Connect the X-Cal 2 to the car and then to your laptop. Turn the ignition key to the ON position. Start up Livelink and load your configuration file (or select the PIDs you want, i.e. Vehicle speed sensor, HEGO voltage, etc... ) and save the configuration file. Click the GREEN button to start datalogging and it should start recording. Then you can start up the engine and drive it while it datalogs. This is an oversimplified procedure but there is a tutorial on SCT's forums:
http://www.sctflash.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=76

Version 2.1.8 is the most stable for me, and your mileage may vary. The coolest aspect of LiveLink is apparently how fast it takes data samples. It's like a high speed data acquisition unit that costs significantly less than any National Instruments setup.

[Smokie]

I bought a blank X-Cal 2 for my Pro Racer Package. I was making the tunes myself, so I didn't see why it cost $400 for a $20 flash drive, especially one that was falling apart right out of the box (known problem that SCT supposedly fixed in the later models). Some SCT dealers flat out refused to sell me a blank X-Cal 2. Hey, I tried to give the local folks some business, I seriously did..

I completely agree with you, $400 for a blank X-CAL 2 is a rip off!!!!!

Blank it should retail for $39.95 and there would be a hefty profit there.

[ckadiddle]

Do you need a laptop computer to load the tune in your car?
Nope. If you buy from Lidio or Dennis the tunes are pre-loaded in the xcal2. You plug the xcal2 into the car's diagnostic (OBDII) port and follow the prompts on the screen. Easy as pie to swap back and forth between your custom tune and stock tune if you need to. The port is near your right shin if you are sitting in the drivers seat, looks like a computer connector thingie.

You'll only have to have a laptop if you wish to do live datalogging while driving the car - at least that's my understanding.

[jawz101]

I am still trying to figure out how to use my XCal2...its all foreign to this old schooler...I do have the LiveLink loaded onto one of the laptops to do the monitor/datalog bit...DahDah likey that ! Any tips, tricks, guidance for this noob of the stoneage greatly appreciated....
:coolman:
sry to hijack:
It would be nice to see some information on how to interpret datalogging results. I guess the only way to learn is to find materials that a mechanic would learn from. Any input on that would be appreciated by many.

[metroplex]

Nope. If you buy from Lidio or Dennis the tunes are pre-loaded in the xcal2. You plug the xcal2 into the car's diagnostic (OBDII) port and follow the prompts on the screen. Easy as pie to swap back and forth between your custom tune and stock tune if you need to. The port is near your right shin if you are sitting in the drivers seat, looks like a computer connector thingie.

You'll only have to have a laptop if you wish to do live datalogging while driving the car - at least that's my understanding.

That's true IF you are buying an X-Cal 2 with 3 canned tunes programmed by a SCT dealer. If you have the Pro Racer Package and are making your own tunes, then you need a blank X-Cal 2 for you to upload tunes (using a PC). Afterwards, you would flash your PCM as you are doing now. The laptop/PC is required for datalogging and programming the X-Cal 2 as well as updating the x-Cal 2 firmware.

[metroplex]

sry to hijack:
It would be nice to see some information on how to interpret datalogging results. I guess the only way to learn is to find materials that a mechanic would learn from. Any input on that would be appreciated by many.

What do you want to datalog?

For example if you datalog ECT, you will get engine coolant temperature readings with respect to time.

If you datalog O2 sensor voltages, well you get the idea. It depends on what you are datalogging.

Some are flags (0 = something, 1 = something), most are analog readings (voltages, voltages that are translated into temperature or something else, etc...) but are transferred from the PCM in quasi-realtime (there's a lot of delay so its not real time).

[warren]

I have emailed my dyno. results to Dennis in the past and would do
in the future to get a new SCT tune.
The results were always superb.

Warren