Tuesday, May 04, 2010

Romraider

Well I have been really busy but I have still been voiding the warranty on my car. I cannot believe it has been 5 months since I updated last. I have done many more mods so I will just update when I can. As I posted earlier, I got the tactrix cable so that I can flash my ECU with custom maps that increase performance. There are a set of tools you need to flash the rom but you also will want to log the data stream to monitor the feedback from your cars computer thus making sure it is running properly. One of the main things you are looking for is a lean Air Fuel Ratio (AFR) and also knock, which is detonation inside the engine. So, Romraider is a program that allows you to edit you factory map with custom values, it is also the program the allows you to log your data. As mentioned in a previous post the tactrix cable plugs into the OBDII port and the other end plugs into your laptop via USB. These programs then send and receive data over USB. I bought my map from a tuner in colorado for $50. This guy is a really great guy and he stands behind his maps and is also a major contributer on one of the WRX forums I belong to, 3gwrx.com The guys name is Erik Meinhart and his website torquedperformance.com The map was $5o and I think he has pushed out 3 if not 4 updates since....So he is always improving his maps and you get free updates. Anyway, I can't say enough about Erik's maps. Back to the programs needed change your maps, you will also need ECUflash, this is the program that actually does the flashing...It's always a trip when you flash the ECU and you wonder if you are going to brick your $30K car. My heart pounds every time.