Engine mapping Help - noob wanting to learn more!!

[CAVEMAN]

OK gents...as you lot know I have recently got a new Simtek ECU all nicely mapped and installed. But now I am home with the software on my laptop, I want to learn more of the basics and how I can fine tune it...or if I should leave alone and not risk blowing it all to 10,000 bits!!

So, I know there are 3 basic ingredients, those being air, fuel and a spark. I know the 4 stroke cycle well enough and that the stoichiometric ratio is 14:1...plus some of the other key elements to engine design and performance. However this software doesn't come with any documentation, so the numbers, parameters and settings are all new. I have figured out a few things, but not knowing what values to change and how it effects other is preventing me from going into this blind. Granted the best way to learn is to just do it, but I am sure it will be expensive learning!

Here are a few maps to demonstrate what I mean.

First up the Software GUI...with a few menu's expanded.


Then my fuel map


and ignition map


there is also the tables showing the actual vlaues, but it would be a long post if I put those in there...anyone wanting these can PM me.

then comes the ALS - not at all refined or agressive, but works for me!!


table for numbers..


so there you have it....my car's settings dissected for you...any help/advice or just general tips and reading material all highly welcomed!!

[dynamix]

Fuel map is shown in injector pulse in milliseconds.

Ignition map is degrees BDC. Higher advance in cruise but ignition advance will generally go down with increased cylinder pressure as the time for the spark to travel between compressed particles is less. It will also go up with rpm as the time taken for the fuel to combust will need to offset the increase rpm of the engine.

Speak to Steve Simpson for in's and out's of the software or your mapper.