Megasquirt - Focaljet

**PaulT28** · 11-10-2005, 12:38 AM

Has anyone ever successfully used a megasquirt standalone to tune their car? Is there any reason why it would not work with our cars if it has complete control over fuel, spark, and timing? I know we have a super smart learning ECU, but if the megasquirt had full control over the vitals that I stated above, I cannot imagine why it would not work. Any thoughts?
Paul

**BUR_ZX3** · 11-10-2005, 12:44 AM

With the innovations that SCT has made... why would you?

Unless you really need a standalone to do things like run a 5th injector, or whatever..... SCT is the way to go.

The ProRacer package affords you complete control of the things you want... fuel, spark, timing. The "adaptive" functions of the ECU are not to be worried about cuz you change the programming of the ECU.

**PaulT28** · 11-10-2005, 12:48 AM

I have the SCT PRP, I just have had such a hard time with getting my car tuned properly. My friend has done several cars successfully with megasquirt and I might switch over just for my own peace of mind to have my car done. Sounds silly, but I just would love to get to enjoy my car rather than having it parked in the garage all the time.

Theoretically, I could run a stock tune with my SCT, simply with the adaptive learning off, and simply run the megasquirt. This may be a good idea given my circumstances, or it may be a recipe for disaster!

Paul

**DJswing** · 11-10-2005, 02:16 AM

No, stick with the SCT. Learn it

**BUR_ZX3** · 11-10-2005, 02:37 AM

Shoot an email to randy at focussport dot com and ask him for access to the special SCT Pro Racer forum on here. The guys in there are UBER knowledgeable on it, and can help you out of most any jam.

**Drabert** · 11-10-2005, 02:42 AM

why isnt everyone allowed access to the special SCT Pro Racer forum?

**BUR_ZX3** · 11-10-2005, 02:46 AM

Quote:

why isnt everyone allowed access to the special SCT Pro Racer forum?

Short answer: It is part of the price you pay for the SCT Package.

Long answer: To help seperate fact from fiction and to make sure that the forum stays dedicated to tuning, and doesn't turn into flame fests and off on irrelevant tangents. Its one of the perks of being a FocusSport/SCT Customer.

**w00w00** · 11-10-2005, 03:31 AM

yea, remember back when fi actually had good tuning discussions? back before the exclusive fs/sct club? back when people would post interesting datalogs and generate meaningful debate? no idea if all those people went over to the secret area but they sure as hell arent in fi anymore. then again i guess im barking up the wrong tree since everyone knows that if you pay fs/sct money, youre bound to be more intelligent/mature/discerning then the rabble on the rest of the board.

**02_smurf** · 11-10-2005, 03:37 AM

Quote:

yea, remember back when fi actually had good tuning discussions? back before the exclusive fs/sct club? back when people would post interesting datalogs and generate meaningful debate? no idea if all those people went over to the secret area but they sure as hell arent in fi anymore. then again i guess im barking up the wrong tree since everyone knows that if you pay fs/sct money, youre bound to be more intelligent/mature/discerning then the rabble on the rest of the board.

Well last time I checked, SCT can do most if not all the things people bought the really expensive PECTEL kits for. And you can get the SCT stuff from companies other than FS. So go cry about everyone picking one of the best tuning options for the focus Elsewhere.

**w00w00** · 11-10-2005, 03:41 AM

i think you totally missed my point. but thanks for playing.

**02_smurf** · 11-10-2005, 03:43 AM

Quote:

i think you totally missed my point. but thanks for playing.

No, I got your point. I just don't see why you hate the FS/SCT idea. The reason they are brought up so much is for obvious reasons.

**w00w00** · 11-10-2005, 03:49 AM

im still not sure you get me. i have no problem with sct or really with fs for that matter. my problem is with the diminished quality of discourse on tuning in fi. i simply wonder if thats because all the interesting topics are now discussed in the secret forum.

**02_smurf** · 11-10-2005, 03:54 AM

Quote:

im still not sure you get me. i have no problem with sct or really with fs for that matter. my problem is with the diminished quality of discourse on tuning in fi. i simply wonder if thats because all the interesting topics are now discussed in the secret forum.

The SCT forum is more for troubleshooting and for helping people figure out how to use the pro racer setup. It is not uniqe to tuning FI, but that is what most people use it for.
Is it more plausible that the discussion quality has gone down because on general people get their car's tuned for them by one of the major players (tom, FS, wayne, etc.) or that the people that once made the discussion great are gone or don't participate?

**Yel900rr** · 11-10-2005, 07:00 AM

I think the most knowledgable are not here any longer. I think there is alot of BS on the tuning discussion and the people that really know just stay away.

I have tuned Megasquirt. It is easier to tune than SCT. Megasquirts is almost like tuning a carb car with a distrubutor with more flexibility. Datalogging is the key to tuning. The better information you have the easier it is.

Look who builds the most powerful and the fastest cars. That is who I would want to get help from. Sometimes it goes beyond tuning to parts selection as well.

**Ray** · 11-10-2005, 07:23 AM

Quote:

i think you totally missed my point. but thanks for playing.

No, I got your point. I just don't see why you hate the FS/SCT idea. The reason they are brought up so much is for obvious reasons.

We dont hate it. Just that i chose to tune locally, and support my local dyno & tuner. But that's okay.

**Yel900rr** · 11-10-2005, 09:48 AM

Quote:

i think you totally missed my point. but thanks for playing.

No, I got your point. I just don't see why you hate the FS/SCT idea. The reason they are brought up so much is for obvious reasons.

We dont hate it. Just that i chose to tune locally, and support my local dyno & tuner. But that's okay.

Good choice. I have seen your tuners numbers on some other cars as well he does a nice job.

**Dudley** · 11-10-2005, 11:17 AM

Aw, crap. The power went out, so I just lost my post. It went something like this:

I’d stick with SCT if I were you.
And don’t get too hung up on the adaptive learning. I’ve had my adaptive fuel disabled entirely for the last year.

The Pro Racer forum isn’t all strippers and cocaine. As was mentioned, it’s mostly troubleshooting and tip-sharing. If you don’t have the Pro Racer package, you really won’t have much use for the private SCT forum.

Technical support for PRP users is supposed to come from the SCT dealer that made the sale. In my case, the dealer was Modular Depot, but at the time when I bought the PRP, MD was the only option. Randy was nice enough to let the old MD guys into the private FS forum, but keep in mind that we bought the PRP before FS offered it. If you recently bought the PRP from an SCT dealer other than FS, you really shouldn’t expect Randy to grant you access to the private forum IMO. It won’t hurt to ask, though.

I view the FI forum as a hardware resource, whereas the private SCT forum is a software resource. If you’re not doing your own tuning, then you’re not missing much by being excluded from the private forum. Keep in mind that information isn’t always free. The Pro Racer package is proprietary software, so I see no reason to open the forum up to everybody. If you just can’t stand being excluded, then buy the damn software. It’s that simple. But like I said, you’re really not missing much if you’re not doing your own tuning.

For those of you who are interested in learning about tuning in general, I’d recommend Jeff Hartman’s book.

Paul – when and where did you buy the PRP? If Randy won’t give you access to the private forum, you can always ask your questions in the FI forum. Let us know just what’s wrong with your car so we can try to help.

**BUR_ZX3** · 11-10-2005, 11:24 AM

Please don't mistake.

The purpose of the forum isn't to say "hey I've got a 13:1 AF ratio from 4500 rpm on is that OK?"

Its to say "hey I'm having trouble getting the MAFS transfer function to properly work... what am I doing wrong, here's my table."

Honestly, if you don't have, or have never seen the ProRacer software, you'd probably have no clue what you are looking at.

(and occasionally there are strippers but no cocaine... just speed)

**Ray** · 11-10-2005, 11:24 AM

Is the pro racer software similar to the tuning software that my dyno uses from SCT?

fun stuff.

**Hocky** · 11-10-2005, 11:29 AM

I've never used PRP... but man, I really wish I had a computer with realtime editing ability. It would be so nice... lol. My software can make a handful of nonpermanent adjustments on the fly, so that helps.

**BUR_ZX3** · 11-10-2005, 12:11 PM

Quote:

Is the pro racer software similar to the tuning software that my dyno uses from SCT?

fun stuff.

Similar, yet different.

**PaulT28** · 11-10-2005, 04:27 PM

I am still trying to find out if the Focus can successfully be tuned with the Megasquirt? Is their an issue that would prevent it from working properly over long term use? Just need to know if it will work or if it will be a lost cause with the focus ecu fighting it constantly, that's all.
Paul

**w00w00** · 11-10-2005, 05:07 PM

megasquirt should work fine. i believe ive seen a few zetec threads over on their discussion boards in the past. i still dont understand why you dont just use the sct prp. thats a much better option and since you already have it, you should dedicate time to learning it.

**BUR_ZX3** · 11-10-2005, 05:09 PM

Simply put: If its not custom built for the Focus ECU. I wouldn't trust it.

**P-51** · 11-11-2005, 08:30 AM

Can the Megasquirt tune the Zetec? Probably, but it's going to be long, hard, lonely road. You'll have to deal with sensor interface problems as well as tuning issues. The biggest hurdle is going to be the returnless fuel system. You'll either have to convert to return fuel, or figure out how to get the MS to run the pump properly.

Can it be done? Sure! I tuned mine successfully with Pectel, and it's way more jacked up than the MS is. I've heard the MS is actually starting to get REALLY cool. Like on-board, closed loop boost control. Something the Pectel is SUPPOSED to have, but it doesn't work.

I would agree with most here though, figuring out how to run what you have is going to be a lot easier than making MS work. If your tuner can't figure it out, I question his abilities.

As for the quality of discussion here... A few tuners have been banned (Tom). Others don't actually know enough about what they're doing to discuss it. Some have cars that are fully tuned, and don't have the time to come here and help everyone out, unfortunately. And/Or, have already answered most of the questions, and don't feel like repeating them.

I know I posted REAMS of tech on tuning the car, and most of it is lost, or too far back for the stupid search function to find it. I don't have the heart to repost it. Sorry.

11-10-2005, 12:38 AM	#1
PaulT28 TEAM Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 466	Megasquirt Has anyone ever successfully used a megasquirt standalone to tune their car? Is there any reason why it would not work with our cars if it has complete control over fuel, spark, and timing? I know we have a super smart learning ECU, but if the megasquirt had full control over the vitals that I stated above, I cannot imagine why it would not work. Any thoughts? Paul

11-10-2005, 12:44 AM	#2
BUR_ZX3 [FJ] Addict Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: On the Set of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Posts: 35,621	Re: Megasquirt With the innovations that SCT has made... why would you? Unless you really need a standalone to do things like run a 5th injector, or whatever..... SCT is the way to go. The ProRacer package affords you complete control of the things you want... fuel, spark, timing. The "adaptive" functions of the ECU are not to be worried about cuz you change the programming of the ECU.

11-10-2005, 12:48 AM	#3
PaulT28 TEAM Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 466	Re: Megasquirt I have the SCT PRP, I just have had such a hard time with getting my car tuned properly. My friend has done several cars successfully with megasquirt and I might switch over just for my own peace of mind to have my car done. Sounds silly, but I just would love to get to enjoy my car rather than having it parked in the garage all the time. Theoretically, I could run a stock tune with my SCT, simply with the adaptive learning off, and simply run the megasquirt. This may be a good idea given my circumstances, or it may be a recipe for disaster! Paul

11-10-2005, 02:16 AM	#4
DJswing TEAM Member Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 453	Re: Megasquirt No, stick with the SCT. Learn it

11-10-2005, 02:37 AM	#5
BUR_ZX3 [FJ] Addict Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: On the Set of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Posts: 35,621	Re: Megasquirt Shoot an email to randy at focussport dot com and ask him for access to the special SCT Pro Racer forum on here. The guys in there are UBER knowledgeable on it, and can help you out of most any jam.

11-10-2005, 02:42 AM	#6
Drabert Senior TEAM Member Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Modestiso, CA Posts: 1,067	Re: Megasquirt why isnt everyone allowed access to the special SCT Pro Racer forum?

11-10-2005, 03:31 AM	#8
w00w00 Senior TEAM Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: gainesville, fl Posts: 2,273	Re: Megasquirt yea, remember back when fi actually had good tuning discussions? back before the exclusive fs/sct club? back when people would post interesting datalogs and generate meaningful debate? no idea if all those people went over to the secret area but they sure as hell arent in fi anymore. then again i guess im barking up the wrong tree since everyone knows that if you pay fs/sct money, youre bound to be more intelligent/mature/discerning then the rabble on the rest of the board.

11-10-2005, 03:41 AM	#10
w00w00 Senior TEAM Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: gainesville, fl Posts: 2,273	Re: Megasquirt i think you totally missed my point. but thanks for playing.

11-10-2005, 03:49 AM	#12
w00w00 Senior TEAM Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: gainesville, fl Posts: 2,273	Re: Megasquirt im still not sure you get me. i have no problem with sct or really with fs for that matter. my problem is with the diminished quality of discourse on tuning in fi. i simply wonder if thats because all the interesting topics are now discussed in the secret forum.

11-10-2005, 07:00 AM	#14
Yel900rr Associate Sponsor Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Central Pennsylvania Posts: 2,807	Re: Megasquirt I think the most knowledgable are not here any longer. I think there is alot of BS on the tuning discussion and the people that really know just stay away. I have tuned Megasquirt. It is easier to tune than SCT. Megasquirts is almost like tuning a carb car with a distrubutor with more flexibility. Datalogging is the key to tuning. The better information you have the easier it is. Look who builds the most powerful and the fastest cars. That is who I would want to get help from. Sometimes it goes beyond tuning to parts selection as well.

11-10-2005, 11:17 AM	#17
Dudley Senior TEAM Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Syracuse, NY Posts: 2,647	Re: Megasquirt Aw, crap. The power went out, so I just lost my post. It went something like this: I’d stick with SCT if I were you. And don’t get too hung up on the adaptive learning. I’ve had my adaptive fuel disabled entirely for the last year. The Pro Racer forum isn’t all strippers and cocaine. As was mentioned, it’s mostly troubleshooting and tip-sharing. If you don’t have the Pro Racer package, you really won’t have much use for the private SCT forum. Technical support for PRP users is supposed to come from the SCT dealer that made the sale. In my case, the dealer was Modular Depot, but at the time when I bought the PRP, MD was the only option. Randy was nice enough to let the old MD guys into the private FS forum, but keep in mind that we bought the PRP before FS offered it. If you recently bought the PRP from an SCT dealer other than FS, you really shouldn’t expect Randy to grant you access to the private forum IMO. It won’t hurt to ask, though. I view the FI forum as a hardware resource, whereas the private SCT forum is a software resource. If you’re not doing your own tuning, then you’re not missing much by being excluded from the private forum. Keep in mind that information isn’t always free. The Pro Racer package is proprietary software, so I see no reason to open the forum up to everybody. If you just can’t stand being excluded, then buy the damn software. It’s that simple. But like I said, you’re really not missing much if you’re not doing your own tuning. For those of you who are interested in learning about tuning in general, I’d recommend Jeff Hartman’s book. Paul – when and where did you buy the PRP? If Randy won’t give you access to the private forum, you can always ask your questions in the FI forum. Let us know just what’s wrong with your car so we can try to help.

11-10-2005, 11:24 AM	#18
BUR_ZX3 [FJ] Addict Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: On the Set of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Posts: 35,621	Re: Megasquirt Please don't mistake. The purpose of the forum isn't to say "hey I've got a 13:1 AF ratio from 4500 rpm on is that OK?" Its to say "hey I'm having trouble getting the MAFS transfer function to properly work... what am I doing wrong, here's my table." Honestly, if you don't have, or have never seen the ProRacer software, you'd probably have no clue what you are looking at. (and occasionally there are strippers but no cocaine... just speed)

11-10-2005, 11:24 AM	#19
Ray Driver > Car Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: CT Posts: 26,716	Re: Megasquirt Is the pro racer software similar to the tuning software that my dyno uses from SCT? fun stuff.

11-10-2005, 11:29 AM	#20
Hocky Dyno Queen Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Indianapolis Posts: 6,754	Re: Megasquirt I've never used PRP... but man, I really wish I had a computer with realtime editing ability. It would be so nice... lol. My software can make a handful of nonpermanent adjustments on the fly, so that helps.

11-10-2005, 04:27 PM	#22
PaulT28 TEAM Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 466	Re: Megasquirt I am still trying to find out if the Focus can successfully be tuned with the Megasquirt? Is their an issue that would prevent it from working properly over long term use? Just need to know if it will work or if it will be a lost cause with the focus ecu fighting it constantly, that's all. Paul

11-10-2005, 05:07 PM	#23
w00w00 Senior TEAM Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: gainesville, fl Posts: 2,273	Re: Megasquirt megasquirt should work fine. i believe ive seen a few zetec threads over on their discussion boards in the past. i still dont understand why you dont just use the sct prp. thats a much better option and since you already have it, you should dedicate time to learning it.

11-10-2005, 05:09 PM	#24
BUR_ZX3 [FJ] Addict Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: On the Set of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Posts: 35,621	Re: Megasquirt Simply put: If its not custom built for the Focus ECU. I wouldn't trust it.

11-11-2005, 08:30 AM	#25
P-51 [FJ] Addict Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Brighton, Ontario, Canada Posts: 14,936	Re: Megasquirt Can the Megasquirt tune the Zetec? Probably, but it's going to be long, hard, lonely road. You'll have to deal with sensor interface problems as well as tuning issues. The biggest hurdle is going to be the returnless fuel system. You'll either have to convert to return fuel, or figure out how to get the MS to run the pump properly. Can it be done? Sure! I tuned mine successfully with Pectel, and it's way more jacked up than the MS is. I've heard the MS is actually starting to get REALLY cool. Like on-board, closed loop boost control. Something the Pectel is SUPPOSED to have, but it doesn't work. I would agree with most here though, figuring out how to run what you have is going to be a lot easier than making MS work. If your tuner can't figure it out, I question his abilities. As for the quality of discussion here... A few tuners have been banned (Tom). Others don't actually know enough about what they're doing to discuss it. Some have cars that are fully tuned, and don't have the time to come here and help everyone out, unfortunately. And/Or, have already answered most of the questions, and don't feel like repeating them. I know I posted REAMS of tech on tuning the car, and most of it is lost, or too far back for the stupid search function to find it. I don't have the heart to repost it. Sorry.

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