Altering the MAF on a sc400 or Soarer?

[stevechumo]

For that Vortex or Turbonator insert, I would say it would disrupt the air flow, instead of concentrating the air in a tornado style. Well, I almost bought it 5 years ago when I was so desperate for more power...heh..heh. But after doing a lot researches, I found that people found it didn't gain at all, they even lost power. Some guys even found that thing sitting sideway near the throttle body after some days. It's even more stupid for the tv show when they interviewed an old lady saying that she got too many tickets after installing that thing. That thing made her car go so fast...

 

[jgscott]

Yeah I know the best way is to try. Don't need to call the dealer and ask if intakes are same. The intake tubes are different.

 

[WICKED SC400R]

Convert your car to speed density. (no MAF) you can do it by just going AEM. Maybe F-con V pro. Sounds like you need it anyway. I read about the aussies getting 440-550HP out of a N/A 1UZ with head and cam. I am 100% sure there were no MAF's on board. IMO, our crappy tranny is a HP vampire, real gains are soaked up from the "Lexus-smooth-silent-soft" tranny.

Can a GS400 intake mani fit in a SC400?

I think someone should do a stroked high comp 2UZ motor with head/cam burns exhaust. 5.7L, 11.5:1, tuned on AEM, 6sp. That should easily do 500RWHP+ N/A then put 6lbs on boost. whoohoo.

 

[jgscott]

Convert your car to speed density. (no MAF) you can do it by just going AEM. Maybe F-con V pro. Sounds like you need it anyway. I read about the aussies getting 440-550HP out of a N/A 1UZ with head and cam. I am 100% sure there were no MAF's on board. IMO, our crappy tranny is a HP vampire, real gains are soaked up from the "Lexus-smooth-silent-soft" tranny.

Can a GS400 intake mani fit in a SC400?

I think someone should do a stroked high comp 2UZ motor with head/cam burns exhaust. 5.7L, 11.5:1, tuned on AEM, 6sp. That should easily do 500RWHP+ N/A then put 6lbs on boost. whoohoo.

I know people who did this on other cars including Toyotas and lexus and the driveability Sucks. It stummbled and surged. If you tune for full throttle, works great at full throttle. Sucks at everything else.

 

[Damien]

If you're talking about removing the MAF, I've removed it and have been running a MAP sensor based piggyback (MAP-ECU) on my V8 Soarer for the last 9 months and it's sweet. The only problem I had to start with was a hesitation when coming off a closed throttle but I was able to tune that out so it behaves like a factory car but with more torque. Maybe the people you know who did it needed to spend more time tuning it? I made a series of small changes over a month to get it just right.

 

[jgscott]

Ok this is what I'm talking about. Not removing it but replacing it with the VVTI 98 and newer model MAF ( see last Pic ) . The cup shape MAF has to be one the most restrictive thing on the motor. Imagine that the space inbetween the fins ( Pic 1 ) is the Max amount of air that the engine can take in. The connections are the same for the plug in.

Damien did you Dyno that car yet. What did you do to eliminate. Play around with the A/F thru the Map ECU. Are you still using the factory intake tubing. Please explain a little more. Thanks.

 

[Damien]

It's my understandig that the later model MAF is a hot-wire and not a karmann-vortex MAF. If so you can't swap them.

I totally removed the MAF and replaced it with some 90mm diameter PVC pipe so there's no intake restriction at all. I bought a wideband O2 meter and tuned it myself but any dyno shop could do that.

I didn't get any before/after dynos done but my car is currently getting 165rwkw (220rwhp) with headers, exhaust and I have converted to a manual gearbox. The most noticable difference though was the part-throttle response which really won't show up on a dyno.

If you're thinking of doing this I'd suggest to get an SMT6 (www.perfectpower.com) as you can then alter the timing as well for about the same money. I've ordered one of these to install in a few months.

 

[jgscott]

Thank's,

I have a Unichip. It controls the timming already along with A/F, and Nitrous kit and I am working on other changes such as this MAF change or delete and use the second map driver that controls my Nitrous map to delete the shift retards. I'm trying to increase the Air intake without have driveabilty problems.

So you cleared up the stumble by simply adjusteding the A/F and that 100 % cured it ? You have no problems from smooth aceleration to flooring it, just like factory ?

 

[Damien]

Yep - the problem was that the middle part of my fuel map was too lean. I gradually increased the fuel in the middle of the table from about 800rpm-2500rpm until the hesitation went away. Was doing a lot of head scratching until I worked that out : )

When cruising it was always fine because it was running in closed loop and worked out the mixtures without the table.

Unichips are pretty popular over here too but I don't think it gives you many options for changing or removing the MAF. You should ask your workshop about that though.

 

[jgscott]

Yeah I have, Unichip can do it to. Not alot know how much the Unichip can do. It can change anything the ECU can do.
Did you feel a big difference in the power losing the MAF. Did you have the one like I have or the Metal one with the screen ? What year is your SC ?

 

[Damien]

Mine's a 91 so I had the rectangular shaped metal one with the screen. I did notice the difference when I removed the MAF - the torque in particular as I can drive pretty much everywhere in traffic in 3rd & 5th gear.

If you want the least restriction possible then removing the MAF is really your best option. The MAP-ECU was simple to install and set up and it works well because it just mimicks the output of the MAF so the stock ECU thinks it's still there.

I thought the Unichip still needs a MAF and it then modifies the output, but I'm no expert. If you can remove the MAF with the Unichip then you're set.

 

[WICKED SC400R]

I know people who did this on other cars including Toyotas and lexus and the driveability Sucks. It stummbled and surged. If you tune for full throttle, works great at full throttle. Sucks at everything else.

My roomates car is been speed density for 4 years (Single Supra) it hasn't stumbled or surged at all for 4 years! The car with MAF on actually was worse driveability than the speed density. IMO I don't think your friends knew how to tune. You should probably have a pro do your tuning. He did. You'll never regret it. Smoother than stock on speed density. BTW, his car is 1000hp with a tilton. I drive it all the time. It has awesome driveability. His 2JZ has more throttle response get up and go off boost in a low gear than my marshmellow SC400 (I am not happy about that:wtf. to top it off his turbo is rated at 1100HP (pretty laggy) I have to do something about this...

 

[jibby]

Yep - the problem was that the middle part of my fuel map was too lean. I gradually increased the fuel in the middle of the table from about 800rpm-2500rpm until the hesitation went away. Was doing a lot of head scratching until I worked that out : )

When cruising it was always fine because it was running in closed loop and worked out the mixtures without the table.

Unichips are pretty popular over here too but I don't think it gives you many options for changing or removing the MAF. You should ask your workshop about that though.

That is funny because with my nos and Apexi piggy back ECU I have been experiencing a bog or hesitation between 1000-2000rpm for the longest time, this does not happen when I engage the nos, however I do experience this problem without nos constantly. I have had it tuned and checked but not fixed.. This problem is complex, and was determined the piggyback or ECU is the culprit... You say increasing the fuel in the middle of the table gets rid of the hesitation? That sounds like the same problem I currently have...This has been a problem for months for me... I have the stock MAF and have not altered it yet....My car does already run a little rich to accomadate the nos system.. Any thoughts on this problem? Does it sound like it could be the same as yours?

Also is the newer MAF swapable from the 98+ to let's say a 1992 sc? Is the flow that much better? I just get nervous messing around with the MAF as I found out any slight alteration throws everything off.

 

[Damien]

I'm pretty sure the 98+ MAF is a hotwire one so it can't be swapped.

With mine I had to increase the fuel but yours may be too rich if it's set up to work with NOS... can't really say. The culprit will more than likely be the way it was tuned, not the ECU or piggback. Best thing to do is get it on a dyno with a wideband O2 meter so there's no guesswork.