kraegar Posted March 6, 2007 Report Share Posted March 6, 2007 Well, last Friday I received my new SCT Livewire Tuner courtesy of VMP Tuning. I wanted to post a review of sorts, along with some things I've learned in the process. This is not intended to be a sales pitch / full feature review of the Livewire. For something like that, I recommend Justin from VMP's post here: http://www.sctflash.com/forum/showthread.php?t=8211 Instead, I'm hoping to convey the usage information from a user perspective, especially a first time user of a tuner. I need to give a HUGE thanks to Justin @ VMP for all his help and patience, I've emailed him more questions then I could count. The Review... ------------------------------ I opened my UPS package to find the SCT Livewire package, a short user manual from SCT, an introduction page from VMP, the RJ-45 to ODB2 cable for connecting it to my car, and a short USB cable to connect it to my PC. I'm not going to post pics, as they're all over the sites (including my link above). The SCT has no power on its own, so it was off to my PC to connect it and see what it looks like. The manual says there's a CD with software, but it isn't shipping yet, so I'm awaiting them to put it on their website for download. (Coming soon!) The menu is very basic, and is navigated with the jog wheel. I find the jog wheel is a little awkward to use, but not too bad. The jog wheel is also the button you use to select most options, by pushing down on it. The menu options are exactly what you'd expect - program car, device info, performance data, monitor, datalog, alerts, and device options (contrast, etc). Changing your tune is pretty easy. With the livewire plugged in and your car off, select "Program Car" from the menu, select the tune, and follow the onscreen instructions. There was an interesting option at the end to change "User adjustable options". I don't know what user they're referring to, and the options were for spark timing, fan temp thresholds, etc. not things I'm about to second guess a professional tuner on. The one option there that did look like something I'd want to set is tire revolutions per mile. For now I left it at "stock setting". (I've since compared to a GPS, and the stock setting is right on). After that, you click "download tune" and voila, a minute later your car is ready to go. The entire process takes roughly 7 - 10 minutes. The Perf Data section is interesting - it can calculate your 0 to 60 times, your peak HP & TQ, and estimate your quarter mile time. However, with it being cold, and lots of sand on the road, I got a considerable amount of wheel spin. Enough to know it was throwing the numbers off, so I'll report back when I can get a good solid run. This data also requires you to input the weight of your vehicle. I used edmunds.com's "Curb Weight" number (3257lbs) and added in my own weight (250lbs), and rounded to 3600 lbs. Only after collecting the data did I find "Curb Weight" is the weight of the car when full on gas... mine had about 1.9 gallons in the tank. Estimated HP was 225, but again, that was with excessive wheel spin. (Justin in his review says that it's pretty close to what a dyno reports) The Monitor screen is the one they show in all the ads. A minor annoyance to me is that they show the Air / Fuel ratio, but that can't be displayed without buying a $175 cable and getting that set up first. I knew this before buying it, but it bugs me it's in the Ads, but requires additional purchase. The other monitoring points are very interesting, though. RPMs, Est HP, Est TQ, timing, engine load, battery charge, and quite a few others, most of which I was unsure what they are. The alerts section can be used to set thresholds above which the red "alert" led comes on. Most of the options to alert on were meaningless to me, so I played with it a bit, then forgot about it. lol. There's also a "check engine" option, to read & clear check engine codes. It doesn't give them to you in english, it gives you a code you have to look up. The manual has some common codes in it. In all I find this an easy to use device that does exactly what's advertised. I don't think there's enough complexity to the device itself, or how to use it, to scare anyone away from trying one. The extra features may seem like "fluff" to some, but I really enjoy finding out a bit more about what's going on under my hood. The HP / TQ measurements are mostly "for fun" but really do add that little something extra to the device itself that makes it more then just a tuner. I can't wait to really dig in to the data logging side of things. ---------------- Some things I learned, that I hope might help others: One of the big questions I had pre-purchase was which tunes to get. (I have a v6). I settled on 87 perf, 87 mileage, 93 perf. (Choices specific to VMP, obviously). I chose these based on what fuel I'm most likely to have in on a regular basis (87) vs. what I'm likely to use when I want to go fast (93). Obviously this is a choice everyone will make for themselves! I needed to get my "computer code" off of my car in order to purchase the livewire. This was found at the front passengers side of the engine bay, on a piece of plastic guarding the electrical components there. It's a 4 digit mix of numbers & letters. Figuring out your tire's "revolutions per mile" is confusing, the easiest method I found was to look up my tire on the manufacturer's website. All of them list it. I plan to double check the numbers with a GPS for accuracy. (I've now done this, stock setting was right for me, but if I did want to manually put it in, the tire manufacturer numbers are correct, at 35psi) I'm sure more questions will come up as time goes on, and as I think of them & ask, I'll post them here so hopefully others aren't wondering the same things. Again, a HUGE thanks to Justin @ VMP for putting up with all of my questions. From what I've seen so far, the tunes are kick ass, and the support before and after the sale has been incredible. He's done everything he could to make sure I knew what I was getting, and to help me with all my little questions since I got it. You rock! - Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RUFDRAFT Posted March 6, 2007 Report Share Posted March 6, 2007 I"m feeling very - very old for some reason..... Bambi - where's my timing light?..... Great write up, Tony. Good form. :banana piano: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
90GT Posted March 6, 2007 Report Share Posted March 6, 2007 Well, last Friday I received my new SCT Livewire Tuner courtesy of VMP Tuning. I wanted to post a review of sorts, along with some things I've learned in the process. This is not intended to be a sales pitch / full feature review of the Livewire. For something like that, I recommend Justin from VMP's post here: http://www.sctflash.com/forum/showthread.php?t=8211 Instead, I'm hoping to convey the usage information from a user perspective, especially a first time user of a tuner. I need to give a HUGE thanks to Justin @ VMP for all his help and patience, I've emailed him more questions then I could count. The Review... ------------------------------ I opened my UPS package to find the SCT Livewire package, a short user manual from SCT, an introduction page from VMP, the RJ-45 to ODB2 cable for connecting it to my car, and a short USB cable to connect it to my PC. I'm not going to post pics, as they're all over the sites (including my link above). The SCT has no power on its own, so it was off to my PC to connect it and see what it looks like. The manual says there's a CD with software, but it isn't shipping yet, so I'm awaiting them to put it on their website for download. (Coming soon!) The menu is very basic, and is navigated with the jog wheel. I find the jog wheel is a little awkward to use, but not too bad. The jog wheel is also the button you use to select most options, by pushing down on it. The menu options are exactly what you'd expect - program car, device info, performance data, monitor, datalog, alerts, and device options (contrast, etc). Changing your tune is pretty easy. With the livewire plugged in and your car off, select "Program Car" from the menu, select the tune, and follow the onscreen instructions. There was an interesting option at the end to change "User adjustable options". I don't know what user they're referring to, and the options were for spark timing, fan temp thresholds, etc. not things I'm about to second guess a professional tuner on. The one option there that did look like something I'd want to set is tire revolutions per mile. Unfortunately the range was 500 to 1000, and mine should be 265, so I'm waiting to hear back on that. For now I left it at "stock setting". After that, you click "download tune" and voila, a minute later your car is ready to go. The entire process takes roughly 7 - 10 minutes. The Perf Data section is interesting - it can calculate your 0 to 60 times, your peak HP & TQ, and estimate your quarter mile time. However, with it being cold, and lots of sand on the road, I got a considerable amount of wheel spin. Enough to know it was throwing the numbers off, so I'll report back when I can get a good solid run. This data also requires you to input the weight of your vehicle. I used edmunds.com's "Curb Weight" number (3257lbs) and added in my own weight (250lbs), and rounded to 3600 lbs. Only after collecting the data did I find "Curb Weight" is the weight of the car when full on gas... mine had about 1.9 gallons in the tank. Estimated HP was 225, but again, that was with excessive wheel spin. (Justin in his review says that it's pretty close to what a dyno reports) The Monitor screen is the one they show in all the ads. A minor annoyance to me is that they show the Air / Fuel ratio, but that can't be displayed without buying a $175 cable and getting that set up first. I knew this before buying it, but it bugs me it's in the Ads, but requires additional purchase. The other monitoring points are very interesting, though. RPMs, Est HP, Est TQ, timing, engine load, battery charge, and quite a few others, most of which I was unsure what they are. The alerts section can be used to set thresholds above which the red "alert" led comes on. Most of the options to alert on were meaningless to me, so I played with it a bit, then forgot about it. lol. There's also a "check engine" option, to read & clear check engine codes. It doesn't give them to you in english, it gives you a code you have to look up. The manual has some common codes in it. In all I find this an easy to use device that does exactly what's advertised. I don't think there's enough complexity to the device itself, or how to use it, to scare anyone away from trying one. The extra features may seem like "fluff" to some, but I really enjoy finding out a bit more about what's going on under my hood. The HP / TQ measurements are mostly "for fun" but really do add that little something extra to the device itself that makes it more then just a tuner. I can't wait to really dig in to the data logging side of things. ---------------- Some things I learned, that I hope might help others: One of the big questions I had pre-purchase was which tunes to get. (I have a v6). I settled on 87 perf, 87 mileage, 93 perf. (Choices specific to VMP, obviously). I chose these based on what fuel I'm most likely to have in on a regular basis (87) vs. what I'm likely to use when I want to go fast (93). Obviously this is a choice everyone will make for themselves! I needed to get my "computer code" off of my car in order to purchase the livewire. This was found at the front passengers side of the engine bay, on a piece of plastic guarding the electrical components there. It's a 4 digit mix of numbers & letters. Figuring out your tire's "revolutions per mile" is confusing, the easiest method I found was to look up my tire on the manufacturer's website. All of them list it. As noted above, I still have some questions on setting that value in the livewire, and then plan to double check the numbers with a GPS for accuracy. I'm sure more questions will come up as time goes on, and as I think of them & ask, I'll post them here so hopefully others aren't wondering the same things. Again, a HUGE thanks to Justin @ VMP for putting up with all of my questions. From what I've seen so far, the tunes are kick ass, and the support before and after the sale has been incredible. He's done everything he could to make sure I knew what I was getting, and to help me with all my little questions since I got it. You rock! - Tony Excellent write up Tony!!! I'll be looking into getting one of these when it comes time to tune my car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin00Stang Posted March 6, 2007 Report Share Posted March 6, 2007 If you have stock tires or someting that is identical in size its best to leave the value alone. With our tunes everything comes set up already, we give people the ability to change some little things (since many ask for it), but in 99% of cases nothing needs to be changed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kraegar Posted March 6, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 6, 2007 If you have stock tires or someting that is identical in size its best to leave the value alone. With our tunes everything comes set up already, we give people the ability to change some little things (since many ask for it), but in 99% of cases nothing needs to be changed. Great Justin, thanks! - Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carnut Posted March 6, 2007 Report Share Posted March 6, 2007 I"m feeling very - very old for some reason.....Bambi - where's my timing light?..... Great write up, Tony. Good form. :banana piano: Wanna use my dwell meter? It's a snap for adjusting the points Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BADBOY500 Posted March 6, 2007 Report Share Posted March 6, 2007 Wanna use my dwell meter? It's a snap for adjusting the points now i feel OLD thanks all thanks........... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kraegar Posted March 6, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 6, 2007 Hey, I haven't even begun to get into how I want to use the data logging along with perl, and really parse it up and find some good #'s in there. Maybe plot averages and graphs for intake temp, etc and how each value affects the others. Highs, medians, lows, averages, trends, derivatives, percentages, all kinds of fun numbers to collect and correlate. - Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crispy23c Posted March 6, 2007 Report Share Posted March 6, 2007 Hey, I haven't even begun to get into how I want to use the data logging along with perl, and really parse it up and find some good #'s in there. Maybe plot averages and graphs for intake temp, etc and how each value affects the others. Highs, medians, lows, averages, trends, derivatives, percentages, all kinds of fun numbers to collect and correlate. - Tony Great write-up, Tony! Or should I say "Data-Boy! Yeah, I still have my timing light & dwell meter....sad, isn't it?!?!? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kraegar Posted March 6, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 6, 2007 Great write-up, Tony! Or should I say "Data-Boy! Yeah, I still have my timing light & dwell meter....sad, isn't it?!?!? Timing light I've heard of (never used one myself. My dad had one in his tools that I inherited when he passed away. Never used it, probably lost it) What the heck is a dwell meter? - Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crispy23c Posted March 6, 2007 Report Share Posted March 6, 2007 Just off of the cam is the a single set (or two point sets with dual point distributors) of breaker points that open and close by the distributor cam's contact with the point set(s). When the points open and close, they allow the coil to energize and then release energy through the cap, rotor, into the spark plug wires to the spark plugs. How long the points stay closed is the DWELL. The Dwell is controlled by the design of the distributor (distributor point cam, point design, and adjustment). The point adjustment is simply how close each point set is to the point cam. The closer the points are to the point cam, the larger the point gap (dwell), thus the further away you will have less gap and lower dwell (less time the points are closed). Too much dwell can cause a late spark, rough running, lack of RPM potential, early point and condenser failures. Too little dwell causes a weak spark, overheated points, "stuck" points, poor engine performance, and more. As you can see, correctly setting the optimum point gap is mandatory if you want reliability and good performance. But, as the points wear, they will increase the dwell therefore requiring periodic adjustments of the dwell to maintain the correct setting. Hope this helps! Now I just have to learn about data loads! Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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