Originally Posted by
260DET
I'm not far from you Andrew, Warwick, 4370. I do want to use an auto for circuit racing, used a shift kitted GM 4L80E behind the LS3 controlled by a Powertrain Control Solutions TCU and it shifted great, only problem was no engine braking. Probably best to move this conversation to pm but for anyone else interested here a couple of questions about your complete set up. I assume that the TCU will not be user tuneable so how do you supply it pretuned? I'm not fussy but do require strong engine braking and fast snappy shifts. As for the ECU, what about user tuning if, say, the cams are upgraded? There is a good dyno tuner here. Thanks and cheers, Richard.
Hi Richard
Stand alone TCU's are good, but they're best for retrofitting transmissions with engine combinations that never came OEM. For example, fitting a newer transmission onto older engines in older cars. Their main problem is that unless they can integrate with the ECU, they can never coordinate torque control with the ECU, hence your engine braking problem. Mercedes uses engine torque management with the 722.6 so it can change gears quickly and not overstress the engine or transmission, and it can all be adjusted.
The TCU and ECU are not user tuneable, but they are highly tuneable, if you have the right equipment and knowledge. Your requirements for the transmission shifting are straight forward, so I can supply something pretuned (but custom made for your exact setup) that will do the job. It will change gears exceptionally well; however, there's no way I can ever make it change gears as quick as a dual clutch transmission.
If you don't do any major mods to the engine then I'd have some existing ECU tunes that would give you extra HP. They will adapt to reasonable increases in intake air flow and improved exhaust flow (so fit a decent air intake and exhaust system). If you want to do some ECU tuning on a dyno then I could probably come up and change the maps further (while you're on the dyno), but I don't think you'll get too much extra without cams (allowing it to get in some more fuel & air and rev more).
I've had cams made by Tighe Cams, who are close to my place. They make new cams up from scratch and I'm sure they've still got some spare billets left over after the last set I had made. The main problem with just regrinding the Mercedes OEM cams is that the lobe separation angle isn't optimal for the best performance, so without without casting new billets with a different angle, you can never fix it. I'd be interested in doing some before and after dyno tuning just to see how much we could improve an NA engine.
Send me a PM and I'll send you my phone number so we can talk.