Engineers: Do We All Need Autotune?

[dobro]

Nobody on this forum could be more ignorant about the fine points of motorcycle mechanics than me--I just like to run 'em--but in the process of deciding whether to buy the autotune accessory for my Powercommander 5 I've encountered some information that made me ask the question: Do we all need autotune? I've read that as air temperature and/or humidity increase the air fuel ratio becomes richer and, I assume, the reverse is true. Are the usual seasonal changes in air temperature and humidity enough to significantly effect the performance of Rockets, for example, in a climate similar to Indiana's? To what extent does a Rocket without autotune or a PC5 automatically compensate for such changes? Does a Rocket with PC5 but without autotune compensate for those changes more than stock? How well does autotune compensate for those changes?

 

[nolton]

I can't speak for auto tune but yes, ambient atmospheric changes do affect the performance.
I recommend TuneECU and reset the addaptives until you have auto tune set up and someone shows you what to do.
Meet at a group ride somewhere and you will learn much.

 

[1olbull]

I can't speak for auto tune but yes, ambient atmospheric changes do affect the performance.
I recommend TuneECU and reset the addaptives until you have auto tune set up and someone shows you what to do.
Meet at a group ride somewhere and you will learn much.

Bring RR cap!

 

[CanberraR3]

Bring RR cap!

 

[1olbull]

I been taking lessons from you, M8!!!

 

[CanberraR3]

I been taking lessons from you, M8!!!

Very good too, Grasshopper.

 

[dobro]

Bring RR cap!

It's childish to throw rocks at a locomotive.

 

[TURBO200R4]

on stock the computer takes info from map,air temp sensor ect. then injects fuel the oxygen sensors reads exhaust and fine tunes in the lower rpm range. It is much more complicated than this.
i was pleased with mine for a long time but just a little while back i got the tune ecu and open up the 2nd throttles above 3000 rpm. i liked what i did and that is enough for the time being. if you want more power then i would recommend this.
with tune ecu there is a lot of info and a lot products to make it go as fast as you want.

 

[Torque addict]

Here’s what I know about this. I was using a PCV with Autotune on my Yamaha Warrior. When I took it to my tuner to see what it was doing on the dyno he disconnected the Autotune because he couldn't get a decent tune with it enabled. He said the response time wasn’t fast enough. He got me an extra 5 HP after disabling it. This is a very knowledgeable tuner who knows what he’s doing.

http://2wheeldynoworks.com/triumph/

When I bought that bike the Autotune was a huge selling point for me. The seller thought it was the best thing since sliced bread and convinced me of the same. Little did I know I was riding around for the first few months of owning it without in dialed into its true potential. I’ve left it disconnected ever since and the bike runs great at sea level, 5000ft above sea level, on a 60 degree day and a 100 degree day. I’m not saying that it’s perfectly tuned at all these conditions but if you tune it at the elevation you usually ride on an average temperature day you should be alright.

My Rocket also has a PCV on it and was dyno tuned before I bought it. I haven’t had a chance to take the Rocket into the same tuner that did my Warrior but I’d rather do that then put Autotune on it. I know a lot of people don’t have access to a good dyno tuner making Autotune a viable option but if you can get it professionally dyno tuned I’d say that’s a better way to go.

 

[idk]

The AT is a good feature if you cannot get it PROPERLY tuned. It is also good if you are changing inlet and exhaust from time to time. However, the best solution is to get the bike WELL tuned and then leave it to do its own thing as you ride it.