Practical Reflash Tuning: Introduction
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Introduction
03.58
| 00:00 | In this worked example we're going to be applying the HPA six step reflashing process on this 2023 FL5 Honda Civic Type R. |
| 00:08 | The FL5 is the 11th generation, or based on the 11th generation Civic. |
| 00:14 | The worked example that we're going to cover here will also be applicable to the earlier FK2 and FK8 Type R Civics. |
| 00:22 | We're going to be performing our reflashing using the Hondata Flash Pro platform which consists of their Flash Pro manager software as well as their Flash Pro interface that goes between our diagnostics port under the dash and our laptop. |
| 00:36 | The FL5 Civic Type R along with the FK2 and FK8 prior are all fitted with a K20C engine and this is derived from the original K20 naturally aspirated engine, however, it's been developed further now consisting of direct injection, turbocharger from the factory as well as VTEC and continuously variable cam control on the intake cam. |
| 01:02 | They have of course been refinements since the debut of the K20C engine in the FK2, however, again largely these have just been refinements and largely everything is going to be applicable if you have one of the earlier Type R Civics. |
| 01:16 | This car is 100% stock and in stock form they're rated at around 315 flywheel horsepower and about 310 pound foot of torque. |
| 01:25 | These engines have proven to be very very tunable and even in completely mechanical stock form, another 40 wheel horsepower is generally relatively easy to achieve. |
| 01:35 | The limiting factor with these engines in terms of producing power is the fuel system, being a direct injected fuel system, it's not a system where we can go and mix and match different parts, we need to be very careful around the characterisation of the high pressure fuel pump as well as any injector upgrades. |
| 01:52 | On this basis, Hondata actually offer a range of fuel system upgrades and I'd highly recommend if you want to go down that path, you stick to their recipe, this will make the tuning process significantly easier as we literally have tick boxes to change the calibration to suit their different fuel system components. |
| 02:10 | One of the big changes that came in with the introduction of the FK2 Type R Civic and the K20C engine is that Honda moved away from their normal ECU supplier, Keehan, and these vehicles are now fitted with a Bosch ECU, specifically this generation, the FL5 is fitted with the Bosch MED17 controller. |
| 02:31 | And this is a very different tuning strategy compared to the older B series and K series engines where Honda and Keehan relied on speed density. |
| 02:41 | Now, Honda have moved to a mass airflow sensor based measurement system for our air charge and this is a full torque based ECU, so the workflow and the processes we're going to go through in order to tune the later model Bosch ECUs is very different from the earlier Keehan ECUs. |
| 02:59 | One small complexity with the Hondata platform is that depending on your exact model of Type R Civic, you may have to have your ECU modified or a jailbreak as it's referred to performed on the ECU before you can write to it for the first time. |
| 03:13 | Now, for the earlier FK2 and FK8, this was required initially when Hondata provided support, but in later years they've actually developed a technique to do this online. |
| 03:23 | So, right now for the FL5, a jailbreak is required, you can send your ECU to Hondata or there are some third parties that can do this. |
| 03:31 | However, it's quite possible that in time this will also be able to be done online instantly. |
| 03:36 | The last aspect that's worth considering here is that a CAN bypass is required to bypass the security system, so that the ECU can actually be flashed. |
| 03:46 | So, this will need to be installed any time that you want to actually flash a map into the ECU. |
| 03:51 | Now, that we know what we're dealing with here, let's move onto the first step of our process. |
