Smarty UDC Initial Impressions
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Registered User
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 4,737
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From: Kuna, Idaho
Smarty UDC Initial Impressions
I have had the pleasure of beta testing UDC for the last two weeks.
I run a Smarty Jr, and UDC allows me to adjust timing/duration/wastegate/torque management. I really have only modified timing and torque management, I touched a few cells in duration but nothing to write home about. My goal is to build a tow tune, as that's mainly what I use the truck for. The things I want out of UDC are...
1) Light throttle/torque for the first 10-20% of TPS for towing and driving on snow/ice/dirt roads. This will improve traction and make my tires last longer. Then bring it slightly above stock for 20-60%, and a bit more aggressive from 60% up.
2) Decreased EGT's while partial throttle accelerating.
3) Better EGT's while in the 50-80% load range while towing.
4) Better power/torque in the 1800-1999 range (i.e. eliminate the massive power increase at 2000 rpms)
5) Less smoke output while empty and light throttle (towing isn't an issue as the load keeps the airflow higher)
As far as the tuning goes, it couldn't be easier. It's very well broken down by rpm and load %age. I have had an OBDII gauge for as long as I have had my truck so I have been watching load and know what driving uses what load, which does help with the tuning. But for the most part normal 1500-2200 rpm acceleration starts at 30% and lowers to high teens, passing is 40-60%, and towing flat is 30-50% with hills 40-100%. Load drops as rpms increase for a given throttle position.
I took the OEM rocky mountain looking timing MAP and smoothed it out. I knew about what I wanted to run at idle and what I wanted my max timing to be at a given rpm and worked backwords from there. I would say I have about 3 hours into the timing MAP alone.
So I am currently on my 4th revision to get loaded in the truck. So far I have done everything I wanted to with the truck. I am down to minor tweaks for throttle response and minor, very minor, smoke. My truck seems quieter, and responds better.
I have about 50 miles of empty driving, and 75 miles of towing on it so far. The empty includes rural/city/fwy, and the towing includes city/FS roads/grades.
I towed the exact same route 2 weeks before I got UDC, I was running the Jr on SW3 TM2 TQ3. With the cruise set at 2200 rpms I was about 50-100° cooler and running a lower load %age with UDC. I normally ran 1050° and didn't even break 1000° with UDC. On the way home I went WOT in 5th gear, 2200rpms, 15-15.5K GCW, up a 8-9% grade. I ran from 2200-2700 rpms. Boost peaked at 32 (same) and EGT's peaked at 1210° (down about 50°) with a much slower climb and the truck felt stronger.
Around town I was able to reduce my between shift puff of smoke, and make the truck more responsive. It also appears that my fuel economy will improve, but it's too early to say for sure. Same thing on the freeway, cruise EGT's are down, boost is down, economy appears to be up, and passing power has increased a little. I used to run about 19-22% load at 65 and have been running 11-13% with my timing in UDC. Lower load means the motor isn't working as hard, which means better economy.
When I swapped out the stock turbo my trucks new favorite EGT was 1000°, it's what it liked for moderate acceleration, hills when empty, etc. It took a bit of work to get above 1050°, but it did like 1000°. With UDC the new magic number appears to be about 850°, and I have to work it pretty good to get to 1050°.
The beauty of UDC is that you can tweak the tune for your specific mods/use/truck. The OEM variance in the motor and sensors are a big factor in why the tunes come from Marco the way they do, and now we get to tune around that. The base tune is all done, it's just the finishing touches that you get to apply.
My next goal is to reintegrate the wastegate. Right now my OEM solenoid is on the work bench, but it will be getting reinstalled and the WG on the turbo will be getting weakened to open at about 20-22 psi and I will control boost with UDC and the OEM solenoid.
As far as my truck, I have the following mods that may effect airflow/power and what I can run for timing in regards to rattle/smoke.
Home Depot Cold Air Intake
OEM 4" Air Filter
AirAid MIT
Garrett Stage 2 GT3782R Turbo
Colt Cams 175/206 Stage 1 Cam
ATS 2 piece exhaust manifold
Turbo Performance manifold/turbine blankets
GDP Power Flow Intake Horn
GDP Air Boss w/ Grid Heater Delete
When I swapped turbo's my faint CR timing rattle disappeared, and even with a more advanced low end timing on UDC I don't have any, and it's quieter than stock.
All in all it's a great product and many will benefit from it once it's available.
Here are some pics.
OEM timing.
OEM duration
OEM rail pressure (not adjustable on the SJR)
OEM wastegate
One of my favorite features of UDC is the ability to compare and overlay two tunes.
I run a Smarty Jr, and UDC allows me to adjust timing/duration/wastegate/torque management. I really have only modified timing and torque management, I touched a few cells in duration but nothing to write home about. My goal is to build a tow tune, as that's mainly what I use the truck for. The things I want out of UDC are...
1) Light throttle/torque for the first 10-20% of TPS for towing and driving on snow/ice/dirt roads. This will improve traction and make my tires last longer. Then bring it slightly above stock for 20-60%, and a bit more aggressive from 60% up.
2) Decreased EGT's while partial throttle accelerating.
3) Better EGT's while in the 50-80% load range while towing.
4) Better power/torque in the 1800-1999 range (i.e. eliminate the massive power increase at 2000 rpms)
5) Less smoke output while empty and light throttle (towing isn't an issue as the load keeps the airflow higher)
As far as the tuning goes, it couldn't be easier. It's very well broken down by rpm and load %age. I have had an OBDII gauge for as long as I have had my truck so I have been watching load and know what driving uses what load, which does help with the tuning. But for the most part normal 1500-2200 rpm acceleration starts at 30% and lowers to high teens, passing is 40-60%, and towing flat is 30-50% with hills 40-100%. Load drops as rpms increase for a given throttle position.
I took the OEM rocky mountain looking timing MAP and smoothed it out. I knew about what I wanted to run at idle and what I wanted my max timing to be at a given rpm and worked backwords from there. I would say I have about 3 hours into the timing MAP alone.
So I am currently on my 4th revision to get loaded in the truck. So far I have done everything I wanted to with the truck. I am down to minor tweaks for throttle response and minor, very minor, smoke. My truck seems quieter, and responds better.
I have about 50 miles of empty driving, and 75 miles of towing on it so far. The empty includes rural/city/fwy, and the towing includes city/FS roads/grades.
I towed the exact same route 2 weeks before I got UDC, I was running the Jr on SW3 TM2 TQ3. With the cruise set at 2200 rpms I was about 50-100° cooler and running a lower load %age with UDC. I normally ran 1050° and didn't even break 1000° with UDC. On the way home I went WOT in 5th gear, 2200rpms, 15-15.5K GCW, up a 8-9% grade. I ran from 2200-2700 rpms. Boost peaked at 32 (same) and EGT's peaked at 1210° (down about 50°) with a much slower climb and the truck felt stronger.
Around town I was able to reduce my between shift puff of smoke, and make the truck more responsive. It also appears that my fuel economy will improve, but it's too early to say for sure. Same thing on the freeway, cruise EGT's are down, boost is down, economy appears to be up, and passing power has increased a little. I used to run about 19-22% load at 65 and have been running 11-13% with my timing in UDC. Lower load means the motor isn't working as hard, which means better economy.
When I swapped out the stock turbo my trucks new favorite EGT was 1000°, it's what it liked for moderate acceleration, hills when empty, etc. It took a bit of work to get above 1050°, but it did like 1000°. With UDC the new magic number appears to be about 850°, and I have to work it pretty good to get to 1050°.
The beauty of UDC is that you can tweak the tune for your specific mods/use/truck. The OEM variance in the motor and sensors are a big factor in why the tunes come from Marco the way they do, and now we get to tune around that. The base tune is all done, it's just the finishing touches that you get to apply.
My next goal is to reintegrate the wastegate. Right now my OEM solenoid is on the work bench, but it will be getting reinstalled and the WG on the turbo will be getting weakened to open at about 20-22 psi and I will control boost with UDC and the OEM solenoid.
As far as my truck, I have the following mods that may effect airflow/power and what I can run for timing in regards to rattle/smoke.
Home Depot Cold Air Intake
OEM 4" Air Filter
AirAid MIT
Garrett Stage 2 GT3782R Turbo
Colt Cams 175/206 Stage 1 Cam
ATS 2 piece exhaust manifold
Turbo Performance manifold/turbine blankets
GDP Power Flow Intake Horn
GDP Air Boss w/ Grid Heater Delete
When I swapped turbo's my faint CR timing rattle disappeared, and even with a more advanced low end timing on UDC I don't have any, and it's quieter than stock.
All in all it's a great product and many will benefit from it once it's available.
Here are some pics.
OEM timing.
OEM duration
OEM rail pressure (not adjustable on the SJR)
OEM wastegate
One of my favorite features of UDC is the ability to compare and overlay two tunes.
Registered User
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 4,389
Likes: 114
From: Orange County, California
Excellent first impressions! Can't wait to hear/see more! Have you considered building and selling tunes for other members here? I recall seeing a post from you a while back stating that the UDC will be some good competition for EFI Live. Thoughts/opinions?
Thread Starter
Registered User
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 4,737
Likes: 4
From: Kuna, Idaho
I haven't thought about selling tunes, not sure I want the "liability".
It will be a competitor, but is still not quite the same. It's far easier, but you can't adjust as much. I think for the vast majority of people wanting to tweak their tune to match their mods UDC will be an easier way to go.
It will be a competitor, but is still not quite the same. It's far easier, but you can't adjust as much. I think for the vast majority of people wanting to tweak their tune to match their mods UDC will be an easier way to go.
Registered User
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 4,389
Likes: 114
From: Orange County, California
I understand your concern for liability. Good to know a comparison between UDC and EFI. What sort of HP numbers would you predict some to see out of it? Say for instance, a stock motor with a built trans?
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Thread Starter
Registered User
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 4,737
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From: Kuna, Idaho
I am not sure that the hp potential is any greater than non-UDC, it's really for the low-mid range. But time will tell. I am not after increaseing my hp any, just making it work better for me.
I dyno'd 386/712 on SW3 of the JR in 2008. I have done all my mods since then and want to try to re-dyno it. I will also get a new stock baseline, but my prediction is I am about 400/800 and right were I want to be.
I dyno'd 386/712 on SW3 of the JR in 2008. I have done all my mods since then and want to try to re-dyno it. I will also get a new stock baseline, but my prediction is I am about 400/800 and right were I want to be.
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Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 1,714
Likes: 1
From: Pueblo West
That's the same thing I want. Strong top end but without the racecar throttle at low-mid range. Just like I had my 215 12V working. Do you still get the rpm hang with the UDC? I like the higher tunes on my Predator but the touchy throttle makes it hard to drive around town. From what I've read, they all do that because of the lack of tq. mgnt. down low. Craig
Thread Starter
Registered User
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 4,737
Likes: 4
From: Kuna, Idaho
I did some more towing this weekend, and every time I tow I like it more! Outside temps were up a bit, and EGT's were about the same. All in all I am quite happy with how it runs and I am not sure I'll mess with it too much more, unless the 100° weather says otherwise.
It should be released soon, looks like they are just waiting on pricing.
It should be released soon, looks like they are just waiting on pricing.
Registered User
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 108
Likes: 0
From: Quesnel, BC
AH64ID,
Quick question about the UDC, so you first pick tuning settings on the SJR then UDC lets you adjust that "base maps"? Or does it always use the same base map and you no longer use the SJR settings?
I'm looking for something very much like your tune, but I have to attempt to detune my flux 1.6s that are giving me too much fuel down low for the air I have.
I have updated my SSR with the UDC ready tune and working on a base to start from. If UDC doesn't use the smarty settings then I don't want to waste my time and I will just wait. When I get UDC I will be reducing duration and working on timing to spool fast but then bring the timing up for better economy. Trying to get the smoke out of 1200-1800 RPM range.
My build was heading towards the drag strip early on, but after an expensive rebuild and change of job, she is just a daily driver now.
Lee
Quick question about the UDC, so you first pick tuning settings on the SJR then UDC lets you adjust that "base maps"? Or does it always use the same base map and you no longer use the SJR settings?
I'm looking for something very much like your tune, but I have to attempt to detune my flux 1.6s that are giving me too much fuel down low for the air I have.
I have updated my SSR with the UDC ready tune and working on a base to start from. If UDC doesn't use the smarty settings then I don't want to waste my time and I will just wait. When I get UDC I will be reducing duration and working on timing to spool fast but then bring the timing up for better economy. Trying to get the smoke out of 1200-1800 RPM range.
My build was heading towards the drag strip early on, but after an expensive rebuild and change of job, she is just a daily driver now.
Lee
