Mitsubishi Airtrek Turbo ECU Re-Flash

My good friend ask me if i could help him up to flash his Mitsubishi Airtrek Turbo as he said the car is going too rich on acceleration, he can see black smokes on his rear view mirror.

A date was set and he pick me up at home,we go for a logging using EvoScan and LM2 wideband O2.

After some logging and discussing with him what to do,the owner decide to try out a ROM by Tomei. I then flashed the ROM into the ecu.

Here is the Tactrix cable and DIY Mitsubishi Reflash Connector,as the Airtrek is having a different type of connector for re-flash compared to EVOs.

The slightly modded engine,with Tiptronic INVECS2 gearbox,same as Evo 7 GTA.

A quick test drive and he did feel the car abit lively compared to previous map. I did a log again on the AFR and make sure everything was on the safe side,and listen for knock as we drive along. The owner is using RON95. After satisfy with the datalog,its time to go home...the car will go on the dyno after this for a further fine tuning and to see how many horses she can put out..

R.N.R Autosport updates

R.N.R Autosport is now equipped with EvoScan logging software which able to datalog the stock Evo ecu and also check and clear DTC's (Diagnostic trouble codes). By datalogging,we can check if there is any  problems with the engine. R.N.R Autosport  now able to re-map stock Lancer Evo 7/8/9/10. Please contact for more info.

Subaru ECU Re-Flash

I am currently doing Subaru ECU Re-Flash using 'open source' for Subaru vehicles (OBD2 equipped WRX and STI,year 2000 and above).The Re-Flash will be done using Tactrix Open-Port 2.0 as shown below. A brief introduction to ecu reflash is written below, i only write some basics just to give an insight on this process.

What is a ECU Reflash?

ECU reflash is a way of tuning our stock factory ecu using a dedicated software to read and re-write (this process called reflash) certain parameters and maps inside the ECU. ECU reflash is the most cost effective way of tuning our ECU as there is no need to pay for expensive standalone ECU and installation charges. There downtime on your car, just connect the device to your OBD2 port and start tuning.

Which Subaru model can be Reflashed?

Basically all Subaru with HC16 or SH2 processor can be reflashed.

What is the ECU Flash software?

ECU Flash is a software used to read and write 'maps' to your factory ecu. It also allows user to edit parameters and maps as a process of tuning. The parameters and maps read from the ecu is called ROM image or simply,ROM.

Ecuflash software

Shown here is the fuel and ignition timing map,this map can be adjusted just like any other stand alone ecu. Beside this,there are a lot of other parameters and maps can be accessed for tuning such as AVCS (valve timing),MAF scaling,injectors,idle,compensations etc.

The advantages of tuning the factory ecu is we will not sacrifice drivability and tuning is quick as most parameters is already set from factory, factory ecu also have safety features that the manufacturer have develop to safe guard our engine such as knock control and limp home mode if sensors fail. Our Subaru factory ECU is very intelligent and can adapt with new changes quickly and learns the changes over time.

What are the tools needed?

Basically, for open-source reflash, we need a Tactrix Open-Port cable,a reflash connector and the EcuFlash software. One more software can be used to make changes and the most popular for Subaru Open-Source tuning is Romraider. Other tuning tools is Wideband O2 sensor and a dynamometer (where accessible).

What is Romraider?

Romraider is a software developed to tune our subaru ROM after being read using the EcuFlash software. It will allow user to change the parameters and maps and also to log the ecu data while driving the vehicle. ECU data logging is  very very important in tuning our vehicle. Through ecu logging, we can verify whether the tune that have been made is good or safe to our engine. We also can check our engine health through logging and check for problems by viewing various data.

On the next installment i will talk about some parameters inside the Subaru ecu.