General questions on tunes, timing and pulley.

[ATFPat]

Hey guys, I just picked up a 03 DSG Cobra and had a few question regarding timing and pulley size. The car came with a Kenne Bell Mammoth which on the dyne sheet pulls around 23psi of boost and the car itself made high 600's on high octane fuel (105). The pulley is 3 1/2.

The seller was great and transparent with everything. They had the car for several years and it has low mileages.

So there are two pulleys that came with the supercharger, one for the high octane fuel and the other for 93. The way the car sits is the way the owner had purchased it years ago. They never swapped out anything nor did they mess with any tunes. They just kept the car itself EXTREMELY clean.

Sorry for the long read, so I definitely want to use 93 pump gas and I also want this thing to run safe. There are two tunes on the SCT tuner and the current one that is in there reads "Max Timing 20." I hate assuming, but the other that reads 18 deg timing is probably for the larger pulley and 93 fuel.

Question is does that timing sound about right? I know these are file names. In reading, I feel like those numbers could be higher? Again, I am not a tuner and I may just take it to a local shop to have a pull and safe tune done. I "Would" prefer to run the gas out, fill with 93, swap out the pulley and toss the tune in there.

Also, as long as I don't go into any boost, I can drive this over with 93 in the tank. There a good recommended shop near-by.

 

[03' White Snake]

Yes you can drive it out of boost to burn the fuel down that’s in the tank.

Your plan to put on larger pulley and dyno it on 93 is a good choice. Most tunes are locked, so you will not actually be able to see how much timing is in the tunes.

My tunes are named by how much boost they are, not timing. Mine are 22psi and 26psi.

 

[ATFPat]

^ I like that idea with the boost. Going to do my research on what's a good, safe boost to have. When I was looking at mustangs, I wasn't planing on having an aftermarket s/c so having the KB was a bonus! I haven't gotten the other pulley yet from the seller but hopefully will pick it up this week. From the sounds of it, this pulley is good for around 19-20psi.

I appreciate the response! It's been a long time since I've had one and I feel like I'm learning the car all over again.

 

[01yellercobra]

If you datalog you can see how much timing is being commanded.

As for how much power is being made at the time, lots of factors to take into account. The Mammoth is just the inlet. The blower size affects power. Along with weather and such.

 

[ATFPat]

I think i'm going to take it to a local reputable tune shop once I run that gas out.

I'll have to call KB but based on the serial number it looks to be a 2.8 and its liquid cooled. The motor still has the stock crank pulley (7.5) and the pulley on the supercharger itself is 3.25 which allegedly goes up towards 23 pounds.

I know this is based on tune and other factors but could I run 19-20 pounds on 93 octane? I was debating on reaching out to KB for a more conservative range of boost for around 15-16 pounds. I read on the forums here of guys running a 91 octane tune with the same levels of boost. Still looking to get a new tune done regardless but if I can do the 19-20 pulley on a safe tune, Im good with that.

 

[03' White Snake]

You can run a 3.75” pulley which should be 18 psi (with stock manifolds) and stock crank pulley. This is fine for 93 octane. You can run 19-20 also, but usually with lower timing to keep it safe. I did for a few years before going E85 and more boost.

 

[beau t]

I had the tuner who did my tune drop the timing down - its not making max power by any means but I was taking into account the car sits a lot and I didn't want to find out the hard way that I dropped octane (old fuel). If your planning on letting the car sit this might be an option for piece of mind.

 

[ATFPat]

I appreciate the info!

I’m going to reach out and get that 3.75 pulley and get a tune. 18# and a safe tune is well worth the peace of mind while running 93 from the pump.

Definitely over thinking it

 

[cj428mach]

spend $600 on Binary Editor and a mongoose cable. You can load each tune on to the car with the handheld and then pull them off the ecm with BE. After that you can look over the tunes, tweak them, etc. If the car is done and rocking those tunes they're probably pretty close, you can do some minor revisions yourself, and end up with a tool for the future.

 

[LS WUT]

@04sleeper

 

[04sleeper]

First, I would get a good wideband if you don't already have one in the car. A good wideband should be on "Every" forced induction vehicle.

Second, It sounds like you already have 2 tunes, but don't know much about them. They could be fine, they could not be. But really you are not sure. Question I would ask is do you trust your engine to them 100%? Meaning, if the engine melted, you have enough money to cover a new engine. If you have any doubt, then pay for a new 93 tune and then you can be 100% certain it's spot on. It will be a lot cheaper than a new engine.

For 93 Octane, 18 psi is about all I would go with a proper tune to keep it safe and live a long happy life.

Let me know if I can help with anything else.

 

[CobraBob]

First, I would get a good wideband if you don't already have one in the car. A good wideband should be on "Every" forced induction vehicle.

Second, It sounds like you already have 2 tunes, but don't know much about them. They could be fine, they could not be. But really you are not sure. Question I would ask is do you trust your engine to them 100%? Meaning, if the engine melted, you have enough money to cover a new engine. If you have any doubt, then pay for a new 93 tune and then you can be 100% certain it's spot on. It will be a lot cheaper than a new engine.

For 93 Octane, 18 psi is about all I would go with a proper tune to keep it safe and live a long happy life.

Let me know if I can help with anything else.

GREAT advice from one hell of a tuner. @04sleeper can get you the safe tune you want/need. Just saying!

 

[cboyarskirn]

First, I would get a good wideband if you don't already have one in the car. A good wideband should be on "Every" forced induction vehicle.

Second, It sounds like you already have 2 tunes, but don't know much about them. They could be fine, they could not be. But really you are not sure. Question I would ask is do you trust your engine to them 100%? Meaning, if the engine melted, you have enough money to cover a new engine. If you have any doubt, then pay for a new 93 tune and then you can be 100% certain it's spot on. It will be a lot cheaper than a new engine.

For 93 Octane, 18 psi is about all I would go with a proper tune to keep it safe and live a long happy life.

Let me know if I can help with anything else.

I just picked up an 03 cobra with a tune I know nothing about. Are you still offering remote tuning @04sleeper ? If so can you contact me at [email protected] to set something up and walk me thru what I need on my end with sct and everything else.
Chris