flashing the ecu

toptaz1000rr

toptaz1000rr

New Member
so can someone please tell me what flashing the ecu does?
for street? for track ?
what are the benefits?

why do it ?
i have a few cbr 1000rr's and most are street .. 2 are track .. 1 is full race with an HRC ECU
are there/is there any reason i should do this ?

thanks in advance
 
J

jcrich

Member
If it means what I think it means, it would be programming the stock ECU to accommodate an aftermarket exhaust at its simplest. My 750's ECU has been "teka tuned" (an aftermarket ECU flasher) for the full M4 exhaust on the bike. I have no PC or Bazazz unit. I believe what can be done with the stock ECU is limited, where there are many more adjustments that can be made with a PC or Bazazz. That is my understanding and I could of course be completely wrong. :D
 
eE jeremy

eE jeremy

New Member
piggy back units interrupt the signals from the ECU, reflashing changes the software in the ECU to operate in the desired method. By reflashing an ECU you can change just about anything about how it operates, move redlines, remove speed limiters, remove checks on certain sensors (like exhaust servo, secondary plates, etc), you can change power modes, change igntion timing, fuel delivery, etc etc. Adding piggy back systems adds another device that could potentially fail, and since ECU's are normally designed to be very robust and last a long long time a reflashed system will be more reliable. Factory kit ECU's are units that are designed to be reflashed easily by the end user (you) or your shop, these are the ideal systems to have as they come with software support and are factory ECU replacements. Reflashing your stock ECU may also be possible, but is usually done through some sort of hack and the results depend upon the person who decoded the software, you're putting your trust in that person/company that they know what they are doing.
 
toptaz1000rr

toptaz1000rr

New Member
eE jeremy;228954 wrote: piggy back units interrupt the signals from the ECU, reflashing changes the software in the ECU to operate in the desired method. By reflashing an ECU you can change just about anything about how it operates, move redlines, remove speed limiters, remove checks on certain sensors (like exhaust servo, secondary plates, etc), you can change power modes, change igntion timing, fuel delivery, etc etc. Adding piggy back systems adds another device that could potentially fail, and since ECU's are normally designed to be very robust and last a long long time a reflashed system will be more reliable. Factory kit ECU's are units that are designed to be reflashed easily by the end user (you) or your shop, these are the ideal systems to have as they come with software support and are factory ECU replacements. Reflashing your stock ECU may also be possible, but is usually done through some sort of hack and the results depend upon the person who decoded the software, you're putting your trust in that person/company that they know what they are doing.
Click to expand...
so ok .. if i am reading this right .. then my HRC KIT ECU with my PC3 is hurting me?
but the KIT ECU is the better set up over all ..

and with re: to my stock ecu's on my street bikes that all have PC3's either they are set up best they are going to be ... OR i remove the pc3's and flash the ecu's to work with my current set ups as long as they are flashed by someone that knows what they ar doing or a reputable place

did i read this correctly ?
 
eE jeremy

eE jeremy

New Member
toptaz1000rr;228957 wrote: so ok .. if i am reading this right .. then my HRC KIT ECU with my PC3 is hurting me?
but the KIT ECU is the better set up over all ..

and with re: to my stock ecu's on my street bikes that all have PC3's either they are set up best they are going to be ... OR i remove the pc3's and flash the ecu's to work with my current set ups as long as they are flashed by someone that knows what they ar doing or a reputable place

did i read this correctly ?
Click to expand...
A kit ECU is ideal, but if you put a piggy back unit on top of it you're really losing the major advantage of the kit ecu to begin with. Tune the kit ecu and ditch the PC3 in my opinion. (Find a tuner that has the software, cable, and knowhow to tune the kit ECU).

Reflashing an ECU is great, but you still need to make sure it is tuned, just like a piggy back system. It's best if the person reflashing your ECU can also dyno tune it, be wary of places that will reflash the ecu without a dyno tune, these baselines are no better than a baseline on a piggy back unit, only a real tune will yeild best results, and when it comes to tuning it's best to get somebody who actually knows what they are doing and will take advantage of the ECU features like timing tuning and not just the fuel control like a PC3 has (without ignition module). (Also note some "reflashes" do not allow custom tuning of the fuel and ignition maps, these reflashes are less valueable in my opinion and would then require a piggy back unit to make those adjustments)

You get what you pay for in the end, a kit ECU with custom tune is very expensive, but will yeild the best results, next is a reflashed ecu with custom tune, almost just as good, but you lose a the ability to have "any shop" tune it, last is the piggy back modules, but these are usually most price efficent especially for a casual rider and not an expert racer.
 
toptaz1000rr

toptaz1000rr

New Member
thanks alot .. i am not an expert ... my track bike is a 1krr and has a kit ecu and pc3 on it .. i had it dynotunde and the pc3 adjusted to the bike and the addons and such.. but now i am thinking from what you are saying it was a waste of time since the KIT ECU was better then stock anyway ..
i guess i need to find someone in teh NYC/long island area that can do the dyno tune on my ecu...
 
Wawazat

Wawazat

New Member
I'm still not seeing why you wouldn't get an added advantage with a fuel controller on top of the ECU. If the ECU only does things like 1:1 throttle, raised rev-limiter, radiator fan activating temps, different shift light perimeters and things of that notion, why wouldn't an added controller helping to trim out the fuel delivery be beneficial? Am I missing something?

Sent from my HTC Evo using Tapatalk
 
eE jeremy

eE jeremy

New Member
Wawazat;228970 wrote: I'm still not seeing why you wouldn't get an added advantage with a fuel controller on top of the ECU. If the ECU only does things like 1:1 throttle, raised rev-limiter, radiator fan activating temps, different shift light perimeters and things of that notion, why wouldn't an added controller helping to trim out the fuel delivery be beneficial? Am I missing something?

Sent from my HTC Evo using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
There are two types of reflashes, the one that just diddles with the things you mentioned, and loads a baseline fuel and ignition curve, and the type that allows the programmer to custom tune the fuel and ignition curves for you when they reflash it. This second type of reflashed ecu is the only type I would consider running, where a custom tune is created for you when you reflash it. Usually this means bringing your bike to the shop that created the reflash software.
The standard mapped plug and play reflashes don't have near as much value in my opinion and definitely also require a piggy back system, why go through the trouble of reflashing and piggy backing though when for about the same cost you could get a kit ECU or a legitimate reflash with custom tune programmed in to your stock ecu.
 
Wawazat

Wawazat

New Member
What about my unit that was second-hand. I don't know all the details of it, bit I can tell it has the things I mentioned as well as a butt dyno'ed dramatic difference in power. Would it still help to use the PC5 to dyno tune it to the differences I may have as opposed to when it was first programmed?

Thanks for the clarification!

Sent from my HTC Evo using Tapatalk
 
eE jeremy

eE jeremy

New Member
Wawazat;228973 wrote: What about my unit that was second-hand. I don't know all the details of it, bit I can tell it has the things I mentioned as well as a butt dyno'ed dramatic difference in power. Would it still help to use the PC5 to dyno tune it to the differences I may have as opposed to when it was first programmed?

Thanks for the clarification!

Sent from my HTC Evo using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
I'd suggest if you know who reflashed it, to give them a call and see if they have any of the data on file, they'd be the only ones that can tell you what exactly was done to it.
 
toptaz1000rr

toptaz1000rr

New Member
jeremy.. you are saying if i read this right
i am better off unplugging the pc3 even with the custom map in it and just running the kit ecu?
 
eE jeremy

eE jeremy

New Member
toptaz1000rr;228977 wrote: jeremy.. you are saying if i read this right
i am better off unplugging the pc3 even with the custom map in it and just running the kit ecu?
Click to expand...
No of course not, a tune is better than no tune.

If you unplug the pc3 then go get your kit ECU tuned, then yes, that is the better option.
 
sobottka

sobottka

New Member
i dont know the details of any other bike but on an r6 with the fly by wire throttle, the kit ecu allows for adjustment of engine braking, ignition timing, redline and pretty much all electronic stuff on the motor as well as allowing the throttle bodies to open to 100% at full throttle (the stock ecu only open to 90% at full throttle),adding power. most people run a piggyback fuel tuner because the kit ecu only allows fuel adjustment in 1000 rpm increments and with a bazzazz or pc you can tune in 250 rpm increments. this equals more precise fuel tuning.
im sure its not all that different on a honda etc.
 
toptaz1000rr

toptaz1000rr

New Member
yes i have heard that .. that the PC3 does allow more precise adjustments
and the kit ecu only goes in 1000's

i was wondering what the BEST solution was for my track bike... i already have kit ecu and pc3 mapped to the bike ... (full carbon custom airbox, minor engine stuff... tsubaki full race ti system etc...)

i also wanted to know what benefit if ANY was to flashing the ecu on a street bike that already had a pc3 mapped with a full arata...

i have 8 bikes... 1 cruiser... 1 track only bike.. and 6 street bikes... all cbr 1000rr's... all are mild to fully modified bolt ons etc...
 
sobottka

sobottka

New Member
toptaz1000rr;229077 wrote: yes i have heard that .. that the PC3 does allow more precise adjustments
and the kit ecu only goes in 1000's

i was wondering what the BEST solution was for my track bike... i already have kit ecu and pc3 mapped to the bike ... (full carbon custom airbox, minor engine stuff... tsubaki full race ti system etc...)

i also wanted to know what benefit if ANY was to flashing the ecu on a street bike that already had a pc3 mapped with a full arata...

i have 8 bikes... 1 cruiser... 1 track only bike.. and 6 street bikes... all cbr 1000rr's... all are mild to fully modified bolt ons etc...
Click to expand...
sorry, im too lazy to re-read this thread but .....if you already have the kit ecu you would gain nothing from reflashing the stock ecu with the same software you already own on the kit ecu right? (a re-flash installes the kit ecu sofware on a oem ecu). maybe you mean on a different bike? imho a kit ecu/re-flash does very little for most bikes with only light mods (exclude r6), not a whole lot to gain (power wise) from a kit ecu/re-flash without cams/pistons, heavy tuning etc. (exclude r6).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top