Description
Authors: Matt Cramer & Jerry Hoffmann, Softbound, 154 Pages, ISBN: 9781557885579, HP-1557, Published, 2010
- Overview of OEM Systems, Tuning Stock ECUs, Piggyback and Standalone Units, Drag Strip and Dyno Tuning Tips, EFI Conversions
If you've picked up this book, chances are you're a car nut and a serious DIY (do-it-yourself) enthusiast. The whole automotive DIY movement has returned to fashion in recent years, with a multitude of TV shows, books, magazines, online blogs, and clubs dedicated to the hobby. I have always liked to play with cars. I drive around and see different types of cars—some pretty universally loved, and others complete oddballs most would never consider building something cool out of—and I immediately have a vision for them. Whether it's an old Ford/Chevy/Mopar just begging for a new fire-breathing small block, or a little lightweight four-cylinder car I can lighten further, add a little boost, and turn into a great corner-carving rocket, I'm always looking for new project cars. I've even been taking a hard look at my wife's minivan. I'm pretty sure I can fit a second motor in the rear, turbocharge both motors, and still maintain at least one of the bench seats (after getting her a new one first, of course!). There is no shortage of ideas for what I might do next. I bet many of you have similar visions.
One thing that comes into play with every new motorized toy though, is the need to build an air/fuel induction system that produces maximum performance while maintaining excellent drivability. And maybe, depending on the application's needs, it needs a few more features to help get that perfect launch every time. Or maybe you need to cool the intake charge with a blast of water/meth injection, or inject some nitrous.
There are ways to accomplish much of this with a carburetor and a few black boxes, but the peformance automotive aftermarket has come a long way since the days where that was the only option. Computer-controlled fuel injection systems are the norm on anything made from the mid-1980s, and retrofitting EFI to a classic car or truck can enable it to perform better, more economically, and with the best drivability you've ever seen in a classic hot rod. You can ditch the black boxes and have a central point of control for every subsystem on your ride: from basic fuel
and ignition requirements to control of a turbo's boost pressure, a multi-stage nitrous injection (and the fueling/ignition changes to go along with it), a two- or three-step rev limiter, and many other features. All of these can be controlled from just a single interface, minimizing the pieces of equipment—and therefore the points of failure, in a system packed full of black boxes.
In short, this book is actually a new tool, of sorts, and an extremely powerful one at that. In many cases (depending on your choice of EFI system), it will help you assume full control of every aspect of your engine's performance. It will give you the ability to perfectly map fuel and ignition at all load ranges and rpm to extract every bit of horsepower from your motor in all scenarios. This tool is a little more complicated than the screwdriver you may have used to tune carburetors, but it's intensely more powerful, giving you a level of control that screwdriver could never accomplish.
Our purpose for writing this book is to remove some of the anxiety many DIYer's have when entering the world of electronic fuel injection. Our goal is to present the semi-complex topic of EFI in a practical manner that will allow you to install, modify, and tune an EFI system on just about any motor. In our daily business at DIYAutoTune.com, we've helped thousands dive into the world of EFI, most without any prior experience, and emerge with a crazy, fun ride to enjoy. So whether you're an old-school carb-guy looking to learn a little bit about this newfangled computer-controlled stuff, an electronics/ computer geek looking for something else to tinker with, or anywhere in between, you'll find this book to be a great EFI tool. From the basics to dialing your motor in with the perfect tune, we cover it from a practical angle that will give you the knowledge and the confidence to dive into your next project, which we hope will be the most rewarding one you'll ever undertake.
- from the authors' Introduction
