Exactly, thats pretty much all you have to do.
Overall the process is very simple to do and quite easy to learn on your own. I too was intimidated at first, but after jumping into it and really understanding all the things involved; it easy to do that majority will be able to do so.
I have a feeling im going to type quite a bit, but ill try to keep it short.
First and foremost, you or anyone who wants to tune will need a few things other than the SC and a 7th injector. In addition you will need:
1. Wideband Gauge; i highly recommend the innovate MTX-L 3844. Reason being is that it comes with all the necessary cables and software for free to hook up to your computer and be able to display/track your AFRs digitally. Ill get more into why this is important later. @ $156.61
2. A laptop
3. (2) Serial to USB adapters; i bought some cheap ones on amazon and they worked great! TRENDnet USB to RS-232 DB9 Serial converter @ $8.77 each
I think this is a very concise and general enough list to get started. Granted you understand that buying a wideband will also need you to weld your own bung into your exhaust and or get it welded in. Another reason why the MTX-L kit is great, is that it comes with a bung so you wont have to purchase that seperate.
I will say here that a lot of people might want to buy an AEM wideband and or other widebands but i recommend the innovate one because of its price, quality, and ease of use. For me it came down to deciding between the AEM and the innovate.
Pros of the AEM was that it was a wideband that never had to be calibrated. Meaning install once and it should be good for life.
Cons of the AEM that pushed me to the innovate. To hook up the AEM to a computer to record its AFRs and have digital data requires one to "make" the cable. Meaning it has a few single wires that you need to solder to a serial port and or make your own cable essentially. It was made to hook up to standalones and such which dont require the wideband to hookup through serial but through direct wiring which is why they did it that way.
The innovate comes with a serial cable adapter in the box so that its plug and play.
After you get your wideband installed and its software install you are done with that part.
Next is hooking your serial to USB adapter to the URD 7th piggyback next. Easy enough, plug and play to the serial port built in on the side of your URD 7th box.
Install R4 software.
Make sure you are able to pull the stock maps.
By the way another break point here. this is all assuming those who are reading this to know what it takes to tune have also read the URD 7th manual which explains enough for you to follow me here. Without reading that first you might not be able to follow along.
Also make sure when you download that manual that you download the correct 7th injector version as i read the 6 injector version and not only till i got to the end did i realize i read the wrong one. HAHA
Now that all thats out of the way you are ready to tune. What is takes.
Easy enough to do yourself.
Download a screen capture software. I use screencast o matic. I am sure there are other options available. Screencast is free, we used it back in school so i had it installed already.
With your laptop connected to both the wideband and the urd 7th you will need to split your windows so that you are able to see and record your screen with both information available. Reason being when you record and review later you will need to be able to see your AFR at each parameter your URD is recording. URD 7th R4 software will show you your RPMs and your PSI. Wideband will show you your AFR.
Combine the two? You are able to see your AFRs at each PSI and what lever RPM to see where fuel needs to be added and or removed from.
Start your recording. and go for a drive. Drive as you normally would and also doing pulls.
Essentially you want to do driving so that you hit all your RPMS at different levels of boost. This does take time and its best to do short runs at a time so while you are tuning and changing parameters you give your truck a break.
There will be a blue highlighted box on your R4 software. This is show you your current RPM and PSI. As you engage throttle the bluebox will move as your RPMs change and as your boost/vacuum change.
Imagine a WOT (wide open throttle) push. You probably will be sitting at about 7-9psi depending on your pulley as your RPM goes from 2500-5000 a few times each time it switches gears. The innovate gauge will be impossible to record from the actual gauge while recording your computer screen to read the R4 data. With the ability to have both recording on a single screen i can see through the blue highlighted box exactly where i am leaning out.
For example, i had a dead spot with the stock URD map at around 3000rpm and 4-5psi.
AFRs were 14-15ish which is lean with moderate throttle. So i just added fuel there and evened out the surrounding parameters. Reason is smoother throttle response and there is no point in adding fuel in one small section and having it lean again in the next.
You do this over and over and watch your pulls so that as soon as you WOT you see AFRs near 11s and slowly have it climb to 12s. This is subjective though as each person who tunes has different feelings of where they feel the most power. A lot of friends in the "car" world like 10s on WOT and climbs to 11s. But after speaking with Gadget and other members who tune felt they saw most power at high 11s and low 12s.
But thats the gist of it, i am more then happy to help anyone who wants it.
Ive done a few common driving runs and WOT runs over the course of a few weeks. While each time after a run i would review the video and just change the parameters. Then throughout the week i would just watch my wideband gauge as i am driving and try to log and pay attention to any dead spots i find or lean areas.
Tuning isnt something thats just finished in one day. The reason why its good to tune slowly and throughout the course of a few weeks is that each time you do your runs there are a lot of factors that change that will also change your data. So you are ultimately looking for a good set of numbers that will give you the answers you want over the course of different types of driving. My first tune returned good AFRs with WOT runs starting at 11s and settling to 12s
But the next week i would see my pulls dropping to low 10s then up to 11s. Few things i can think of that changed was gas, tuning at a different time of day/night, and different ambient temps outside.
Good luck to those who are tuning, i encourage everyone to do so. The stock URD map is decent but its a one size fits all. We all spent all this money to get boost and to properly tune with a new injector why not do it right?
It doesnt take much and really easy to tune. Just one box of data to change at each RPM and PSI.
The number in the box represents duty cycle? i think if i remember correctly. Pretty much the amount of the time the injector is on. So the bigger the numbers, the longer it stays on and sprays more fuel which in return, brings your AFRs down.
Easy right?
