G37 Supercharger Tuning
EcuTek ECU
There are all sorts of configurable options with the new Ecutek software used to tune our car. The modified traction control was a huge plus for us. Even with normally aspirated power the factory traction control was worse than a DMV instructor from a foreign country. Even with moderate power applied the traction control nanny would pull all power and letting off and re-applying power would repeat the same scenario. It was super dangerous before and even with the linear power a supercharger delivers we assume it would be even more intrusive. With our new boosted power the ECU pulls just enough throttle to surf the edge of the tires traction. The slip light still fires off to let you know its working.
Another plus is the Ecutek Bluetooth interface that works with a smartphone app. Among many options is the ability to have a configurable dashboard of gauges. There are simply too many to list but it’s a plus for those that don’t want to bother with the hassle of adding gauges. Also each one of the maps that Specialty Z configured for us can either be switched via the cancel button on the steering wheel or the application on your smartphone.
Datalogging
The other big feature though the app is datalogging. For those times you just don’t want to have to lug a laptop in the car using the OBD2 interface you can use the app. Simply select the datapoint(s) you want to capture and start the logging. It creates a .csv file you can read through or pass on to your tuner. For us it would be a great thing to look at if we think we’re getting close to detonating to measure the knock count coming back to the ECU.
We’ve got some homework to do there with these datalogs as we watch the air temps climb in the summer. Sebastian said to look for how much ignition advance is pulled. One to two degrees is okay but four degrees is the limit. Zero is obviously best but there are also false positive knocks (things that sound like detonation but aren’t) that also pull ignition advance and kill power.
There’s more power for us when we decide to start playing around with e85. Specialty Z sells a flex fuel kit we’ll be sure to add when the time is right. For now we’ll be enjoying the new found power. We’ll be turning our attention to some ancillary items like a boost gauge, motor mounts and additional bracing.
Thanks for following us on our G37 Supercharger Tuning journey.
4 comments
It seems like a simple 90* or cobra 90* to a giant air filter makes the most sense for the blower. When I saw that filter in the earlier build articles I shook my head immediately, the actual filter area is like an inch wide, it’d be great for a lawnmower. It is weird that the descendant of SCC didn’t just laugh at the filter and get a good one before tuning, it seems like such an obvious bottleneck.
I’ve seen 3 different Air-to-Air setups that build upon Stillen’s supercharger system like this. All of them use this short filter if they run a filter. The blower guard will of course make great numbers but I’m not sure it’s worth the risk of having an object sucked through the inlet and destroying a $2,700 supercharger.
Stillen has an interesting looking hose that necks down from the 3.5″ inlet on the supercharger to what appears to be either 2.5-3″. It also hooks up to their bypass assembly which we don’t need. All 3 of the Air-to-Air setups abandon this intake. I’m sure one of the reasons is having a short intake run like this makes more boost. You are right though the actual filter area is small but there is the top media element in addition to what’s on the side. A lot of the mustang guys who run these setups have the same issue as well.
I think the cobra 90 is probably our only option without some major fabrication work.
Just clean it often since dust will migrate through it quickly.
The clearance is so tight for that air filter, the blower assembly has to be removed to remove the filter.