Wildfires

michael asked:


u forester,sti,wrx,impreza tuning

Improving engine power through mechanical upgrades such as free-flowing exhausts, intakes, turbochargers and intercoolers will boost the amount of airflow into the engine over stock. Any increase in airflow is immediately picked up by the air mass sensor. This causes the following things to occur:

Increased load forces the ECU to operate in areas of the fuel and ignition maps that it was not calibrated for, resulting in fuel mixtures that are too rich, eating up some of the power gains made by fitting the parts in the first place.Reductions in exhaust back pressure enables more ignition advance to be safely run in the mid range than the active ignition control system is programmed to allow, thus compromising peak potential power.Outside of the range of active timing control the ECU is effectively deaf and is programmed with a safe set of ignition timing values. These safe ignition values are for an unmodified engine.

At high RPM and loads ignition timing needs to be retarded, especially after 6,000 RPM, or the engine can start to detonate.Normally as engine load and RPM increases, both fuel and ignition mapping changes progressively in reaction to this. After modifications, very quickly the ECU can reach the end of its scaling so that in essence fuel and timing becomes fixed at the last set values.

 This leads to driveability and reliability issues.The OE boost control is calibrated to suit a known set of exhaust and intake dynamics. More efficient parts can throw the boost control system to far out of sync for its closed loop boost control system to compensate for. Wild boost fluctuations, over boosting or even under boosting are all possible consequences.Products that modify the way in which the engine management system works, in order to address the above issues are broken up into four broad groupings.

They include re-flashing the OE ECU; fitting an interceptor type add-on controller; complete replacement ECU replacements; and finally plug-in chip upgrades. All of these upgrades have their place in the grand scheme of tuning things, each with their own pros and cons.



EDWARD

Anthony Fontanelle asked:


Last month, at the North American International Auto Show, Japanese automaker Subaru unveiled the latest version of the Forester. On February 26, the company announced the pricing for the new Forester. Interestingly, after the improvements made to the Forester, it is priced more than a thousand dollars lower than the outgoing model.

The new Subaru Forester will soon be available at Subaru dealerships across the country starting this April. The automaker announced that the new Subaru Forester will have a starting price of $19,995.

The said crossover vehicle will be available with either a 2.5-liter naturally aspirated or a 2.5-liter turbocharged engine. The naturally aspirated powerplant is available with either a manual or automatic transmission. The turbocharged engine on the other hand is only available with an automatic transmission.

There are overall five variants of the new Subaru Forester. For the Forester with a naturally aspirated engine, there are three trim levels while for the turbocharged engine, there are two available trim packages.

For the Forester with the naturally aspirated engine, the three variants are X, 2.5X Premium Package and the 2.5X L.L. Bean. The third variant comes only with an automatic transmission while the first two can either be coupled with either a manual or an automatic transmission.

The turbocharged Forester meanwhile can be bought in either the standard X trim or the 2.5XT Limited Model. This Limited Model will have a starting price of $26,195 and it will come equipped with a 2.5-liter turbocharged engine which produces 224 horsepower. The package will also include 17-inch alloy wheels.

The naturally aspirated 2.5X trim will have a starting price of $22,495. For that, the Forester will be equipped with a power moonroof, roof rails, rear seat center tray, steering wheel audio controls, and reclining rear seat backs. On the outside, the package will also include 17-inch alloy wheels. The naturally aspirated engine will be mated to a manual transmission.

Tim Colbeck, vice president of sales, Subaru of America, Inc. proudly ticked off the selling point of the new Subaru Forester saying: “For 11 years, the Subaru Forester has been an icon of functionality, dependability and durability. The 2009 Forester now adds greater interior room, improved comfort and more amenities than before, yet with a starting price that is significantly lower than the outgoing model.”

Also, the fact that Subaru vehicles have been known to be equipped with auto parts as reliable as Acura CL auto body parts would attract buyers into Subaru dealerships.



DARREN

Mike Rosania asked:


If you’ve ever smoked a cigarette you know how nasty the filter gets. Even after just a few puffs, the recently white tip will turn a disgusting orange-brown. The Southern California Wildfires have burned up hundreds, make that thousands, of acres filling the air with ash, smoke and dust.

During the fires, you could actually see the particles floating through the air. As the fires died down, you could still see their presence on your car. I would walk out of my house in the morning to find a thin layer of debris coving my car every morning. It was disgusting; and not only because my car was dirty, but because we were breathing that air.

The news advised the residents of San Diego, who weren’t evacuated, to close their windows, shut off their air conditioning and stay indoors. Basically, people should avoid the poor air quality as much as possible.

After a week or so, the presence of tiny ash particles started to disappear and people slowly started to spend more time outdoors. But the air quality was still really bad. Even though the dirty air wasn’t visible, we are still breathing. Not only is this bad for your lungs, but this air can really take a toll on your car’s air filter. People can deal with having bad health, but when car starts problems start to cost money, they aren’t happy. Thankfully, a few car companies have been very understanding and have provided customers with free services during these tough times.

For example, Goodwrench is currently running a promotion for the month of November where they will replace all air filters for GM cars. Their website states,

“Due to the recent wildfires, ash and other particles in the air could impact your vehicle’s engine air filter. To help, starting November 1, 2007 - November 30, 2007 GM Goodwrench will offer to residents of the eight affected southern California counties an engine air filter replacement free of charge on your GM car or truck.*

The offer is available at participating dealers only and to residents of the following counties: Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, San Bernardino, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Riverside and Imperial.”

Volkswagen has also been very helpful. “We at Volkswagen are sending our thoughts and prayers to those affected by the recent devastating southern California wildfires,” said Steve Mears. “For customers who were severely impacted with damage to or loss of their residence and/or business, Volkswagen will defer their lease payments and extend their loan payments for up to 90 days. Customers will not accrue any additional charge or loan interest for the designated period.”

In addition, they offer free air filters for any Volkswagen car in the San Diego area, all models 1998 and newer.

I know what you’re probably thinking - free air filter – Big Whoop. But hey, it’s better than nothing. What does a dirty air filter mean for you? Decreased gas mileage, worse performance and can lead to early engine failure. So sure, you may not get a free car, but a new air filter can greatly benefit your car. Act quickly because the offer is only until the end of November!



REYNALDO