,
All the dyno proven data and documentation on Hondata's website is a godsend in saving time and more importantly gaining more power in Project SI. When I read Khiem's article on Project S2000's Hondata K-Pro I thought my quest for power in the ECU would be the same as his complicated multi-sensor and partial engine disassembly required for the S2000 with the K-Pro install. With plug and play programmability on the FlashPro through the OBDII port the only thing getting dirty is your khakis when your knee touches the ground. As an absolute novice in the tuning world the Flashpro has way more features than I'm comfortable touching. Below is a list of the SI specific features included with the Flashpro:
- Ignition, fuel, cam angle, idle speed table editing
- VTEC window
- Rev and launch limiters
- AFM calibration table (Mass Air Flow)
- Wideband input
- Speedometer adjustment (for aftermarket wheels and tires)
- Corrected Air Fuel Ratio
- Readiness and Diagnostic trouble codes
- Idle Speed adjustment
- Map tracing & lambda overlay
- Advanced Graphing
- 35 starting calibrations
- Mass Air Flow (MAF) and Speed Density (MAP) calibrations
- Security Mode (will not start)
- Vallet Mode 3700 rpm and 40 mph limiter
I admitted I was a novice so forgive me for being stunned a bit at the inclusion of a launch limiter. How cool is that? After uploading the tuned map for a stock SI, there's now a launch control. Push in the clutch, put the gas to the floor and the engine bounces off a 5k RPM limiter until you dump the clutch and go. I tried the feature out on a “closed course” and with a completely stock car, 5k RPM is enough to get a good bark out of the tires (traction control off) without a lot of wheelspin. The drivetrain on this car is strong but mechanical empathy forced me to stop launching the car after five passes.
Impressions
The powerband is much more linear now. But this means the explosion of power (my VTEC is kicking in) found after 5,800 RPM's is gone. Instead it's replaced by a progressive bump in power through the rev range and since the VTEC performance (high cam) is set at a lower 4600 RPM the wonderful engine growl is present more often. Stealing from Khiem's words, it's “more power and better power” now with the Flashpro. There's a nice bump in power in the 3-4,000 RPM range and after the car hits VTEC at 4600 RPM it pulls hard all the way to redline.
At first I tried the base MAP (speed density) tune but with crappy California 91 octane, there was part throttle detonation between 3-4K rpm. This tune is just a starting point and Hondata recommends getting the MAP calibrations tuned professionally which means time on the dyno. A quick switch to the “tuned” MAF stock SI program eliminated the detonation but also got rid of some of the snappyness when stabbing the throttle. What good is a couple hp that causes long-term damage to the motor?
