MAFterburnerÔ FAQ
1. What is the MAFterburnerÔ? The MAFterburnerÔ is a state-of-the-art, electronic A/F mixture adjustment computer for late-model automobiles equipped with Mass-Air Flow systems.
2. How does the MAFterburnerÔ work? The MAFterburnerÔ intercepts the signal coming from the automobile’s mass-air flow meter (MAF), monitors the throttle-position sensor (TPS), and the engine speed (RPM), and modifies the MAF signal dependant on the user’s input and values of the other monitored signals, and outputs the “modified” mass-air meter signal back to the automobile’s electronic engine control module (EEC, PCM, ECM, etc.). Most engine control modules have multiple operating strategies that fall under two principle modes of operation. These are closed-loop and open-loop operating modes. When talking about air/fuel mixture control, closed-loop operation usually means that the mixture is regulated to some value by monitoring the feedback signal from the exhaust-gas oxygen, (H)EGO, sensors (as well as others). Open-loop operation normally refers to situations where the engine control computer is not monitoring the EGO sensors. Instead it is measuring the amount of air coming into the engine and applying a calculated amount of fuel, based on some preset table stored in the computer from the factory and usually some “learned” corrections stored while the EEC was previously operating in the closed-loop, adaptive strategies. The end result is that the user can precisely control air/fuel mixture of the automobile’s engine in a manner that is intuitive, predictable, and repeatable.
3. What is the resolution of the MAFterburnerÔ? The MAFterburnerÔ can be adjusted in 400rpm increments from 400rpm to 10200rpm. However, the MAFterburnerÔ performs a linear interpolation of data points that fall in-between these set values. The air-flow correction can be +/-100% in 1% increments.
4. What type of ignitions will the MAFterburnerÔ work on? With some software configuration, the MAFterburnerÔ will work on all Ford “waste-spark”, “coil-on-plug”, and 4/6/8 cylinder EDIS ignition systems. The MAFterburnerÔ can even detect when the PCM (in a “coil-on-plug” system) enters the multiple-spark ignition strategy to reduce idle and deceleration emissions.
5. Can the MAFterburnerÔ be used with aftermarket ignition boosters? Although not thoroughly tested, the MAFterburnerÔ should work just fine with aftermarket ignition boosters provided that they do not inject substantial noise back onto the PCM’s ignition-coil driver outputs (the MAFterburnerÔ processes these signals to compute the engine speed).
6. Can the MAFterburnerÔ be used with aftermarket MAF meters? Absolutely! However, for the utmost in reliability and performance, we recommend genuine Ford mass-air meters (manufactured by Visteon Corporation).
7. Can the MAFterburnerÔ be used to compensate for a “pegged” mass-air meter? NO! If you’re engine is making sufficient horsepower, and thus has an intake air requirement that exceeds the measurement capability of your meter, there is NOTHING that you can do to fix that problem properly except for obtaining a new meter with greater full-scale range. However, the actual calibration of the new meter is less important as the MAFterburnerÔ could be used to tune it perfectly for your car’s configuration. All that really matters is that you do not “peg” (saturate) the mass-air meter because once the meter "pegs", any additional flow is not metered.
8. Can the MAFterburnerÔ be used in conjunction with aftermarket “chips”? Yes.
9. Will tuning made with the MAFterburnerÔ be nullified by the PCM’s adaptive strategies? Changes made to the WOT (open-loop) table in the MAFterburnerÔ will not be nullified by the PCM’s adaptive strategies. However, changes made to the closed-loop table may be somewhat altered over time. More specifically, the PCM is going to try to maintain stoichiometric (14.7:1 air-fuel ratio) regardless of what you program into the MAFterburnerÔ. However, tuning the closed-loop table will allow indirect modification of the PCM’s short and long-term fuel trims. For example, let’s say you put a product on your car that causes your long-term fuel trims to peg at +25%. Some simple adjustment with the MAFterburnerÔ will allow you to bring those fuel trims close to 0% and therefore avoid the MIL event that would occur after a number of successive key cyclings. This would also have a desirable effect on WOT performance as the PCM uses the long-term fuel trims when it calculates how much fuel to apply to a measured air-flow when operating in this “open-loop” strategy (through the OLFM - open-loop fuel modifier variable).
10. Why was the MAFterburnerÔ developed? The MAFterburnerÔ was developed as a tool for giving performance enthusiasts the capability to adjust a late-model, computer-controlled engine’s air/fuel mixture in an intuitive and noninvasive way. More specifically, with the MAFterburnerÔ, an engine tuner can now adjust air/fuel mixture directly and without having to drudge through loads of cryptic hexadecimal data (base16 numerals….0-9 & A-F). The most basic benefit of this product is that it allows the user to recalibrate his own mass-air meter.
11. Who should use the MAFterburnerÔ? The MAFterburnerÔ is a very flexible and powerful tool that allows an individual to adjust the air/fuel mixture of a late-model, computer-controlled automobile. Nevertheless, with this power and flexibility comes the potential to not only improve the performance of the engine but to also decrease the performance and possibly even destroy the engine completely. The MAFterburnerÔ should be installed by a person who is comfortable with electrical wiring techniques, can read basic electro-mechanical drawings, and has some level of familiarity with computer-controlled automobiles. However, the actual engine tuning should be performed by, or under the direct supervision of, a trained and skilled performance automobile engine specialist. In short, the MAFterburnerÔ makes it easy to adjust your car’s a/f mixture under different operating conditions but it is important to understand what effects this mixture change will have upon the performance, drivability, and longevity of the automobile that it is used on.
12. Is it possible to do damage to my engine if the MAFterburnerÔ is improperly programmed? As mentioned above, the use of the MAFterburnerÔ to tune a performance automobile engine should be performed by, or under the direct supervision of, a trained and skilled automotive specialist. Failure to do so may result in serious damage to the automobile, potential injury, and possibly death.
13. Do I have to be computer literate to operate and tune the MAFterburnerÔ? To benefit from the performance gains of the MAFterburnerÔ no you do not need to be computer literate. After it is set-up and tuned it doesn’t have to be touched again and it operates transparent from the vehicle’s operator (unless further modifications to the automobile are made which necessitate retuning). However, to tune your engine using the MAFterburnerÔ, you would need to have basic computer skills to utilize the communications and configuration software, MAFCOMM™, provided with the kit.
14. Does the MAFterburnerÔ have to be tuned in conjunction with a dynamometer? No. It is not necessary to use the MAFterburnerÔ in conjunction with a chassis dynamometer but it IS recommended. With a portable wide-band O2 sensor and a scan tool (or equivalent) you can tune the drivability of your vehicle on the road but this can be dangerous. For maximum power tuning, a chassis dynamometer is a necessity!
15. What vehicles will the MAFterburnerÔ work on? Currently the MAFterburnerÔ has been tested on and is approved for use on 1987-2002 Mustangs (GT or Cobra), 2000-2002 Ford Focus’, and 1999-2002 SVT Lightnings. However, the MAFterburnerÔ should work just fine on any car that has an analog output mass-air meter.
16. Will any other applications be supported in the future? Yes. The plan is to make the MAFterburnerÔ a viable tuning solution for as many individual applications as possible. However, in an effort to produce only the finest quality products, we will be taking our time with product line expansion.
17. Can I use the MAFterburnerÔ on vehicles with power adders such as superchargers, turbocharges, or nitrous oxide? Absolutely! The MAFterburnerÔ will allow you to tune your car regardless of whether you are normally aspirated or have a power-adder installed. Also, the MAFterburnerÔ PLUS+ has the capability to have two independent tunes stored in memory that can be “flipped” between if you are using it on a car with nitrous oxide. Another cool feature of the MAFterburnerÔ PLUS+ is that has a built-in RPM “window switch” that can directly drive a relay or solenoid (250mA maximum).
18. What are the fundamental differences between the MAFterburnerÔ and the MAFterburnerÔ Plus+? The MAFterburnerÔ Plus+ has all of the functionality of the base unit plus the capability to store two entirely different tunes and a built-in RPM “window” switch. The two separate tunes are toggle switch selectable and all necessary hardware is included with the kit. The RPM switch output is capable of driving an inductive load of 250mA directly. It can be used to drive a power relay, which in turn could activate multiple solenoids for direct, computerized control of nitrous delivery.
19. What kind of HP gains will I see with the MAFterburnerÔ? It is really hard to tell as this highly depends on the current state of your vehicle as well as your understanding of how to safely tune an engine for maximum power. The MAFterburnerÔ “claim-to-fame” is that it allows you to tune your engine’s air/fuel mixture easily. It has been described as the electronic equivalent of “carburetor jets”.
20. What kind of fault protection does the MAFterburnerÔ have? The MAFterburnerÔ has short circuit and general over-current protection, reverse-polarity protection, electro-static discharge (ESD) protection on all input and output signal lines, radio-frequency interference filtering (RFI) on all input and output signal lines, power-fail protection (MAF signal is hard bypassed through the device in the event of a power failure), and a “watchdog” that monitors the state of the on-board digital signal processor.
21. Do I have to cut and splice into my wiring harness to install the MAFterburnerÔ? Four of the MAFterburner's six main connections are made with supplied Scotchlock connectors so no cutting of the harness is required for PWR, GND, TPS, and Coil # (-). However, you will need to cut and splice the MAFterburnerÔ pigtail harness into the MAF signal wire in the main PCM harness. This is a fairly straight forward job and all of the necessary materials are supplied. For tools, you will require a wire cutter and stripper, a lug crimper, and a heat gun. All of these tools can be found at your local auto parts and/or hardware store.
22. Will the installation of the MAFterburnerÔ affect the other electronic systems in my car? No.
23. Will the MAFterburnerÔ cause me to have a “Check Engine” or MIL event? If the MAFterburnerÔ is properly tuned, it will cause no MIL events and it can even be tuned to clear up SOME MIL events.
24. Will the MAFterburnerÔ retain its programming if the battery is disconnected? Yes! All of the tuning is stored in FLASH memory (i.e. non-volatile memory) and will be maintained almost indefinitely.
25. Where is the best place to mount the MAFterburnerÔ? We like to mount the MAFterburnerÔ close to the PCM but specific mounting locations will vary among vehicle year, make, and model. There is a short, “pigtail” harness included with the kit that almost makes this a necessity. We recommend against lengthening the harness.
26. What are the minimum requirements for the laptop or desktop necessary to program the MAFterburnerÔ using MAFCOMM – The MAFterburnerÔ COMMunications Software? MAFCOMM has been tested on Windows 98, NT, and 2000. We suspect that it will work fine under Windows 95 but we do not directly support that operating system. The PC needs to have a standard 9-pin serial port connector and that’s about all. However, if no serial port is available, you may be able to use the following USB-to-Serial adapter: GUC232A from iogear. It can be found at: http:/www.iogear.com
27. What kind of warranty does the MAFterburnerÔ have? The MAFterburnerÔ is warranted against component failure and manufacturing defects for 90-days from the date of purchase.
28. Is the MAFterburnerÔ upgradeable? Currently the MAFterburnerÔ hardware is not upgradeable. However, we will be providing free software updates to our customers over the life of the product. These updates will be made available through the World-Wide Web.
29. Who is Zone-5 Performance Products? Zone-5 Performance Products is a small, high-tech development company that spawned from a bunch of engineers who like to mess with cars!
30. What is the relationship between Zone-5 Performance Products and Sean Hyland Motorsport? Sean Hyland Motorsport, SHM, has been instrumental in the beta testing and ongoing development of the MAFterburnerÔ system. We have joined together, in an exclusive relationship, to bring high-tech engineering and the pinnacle in modular motor performance manufacturing and tuning to the end user. This relationship means that you, the customer, will be getting the best product and support possible for your hard-earned money.
31. What kind of technical support can I expect from Sean Hyland Motorsport? Sean Hyland Motorsport will make its extensive resources available for MAFterburnerÔ product technical support.
32. What other products are being developed or planned? We are about to release our newest product, the Afterburner-eFPC™ (electronic Fuel Pressure Controller. Also, we have a lot of ideas for future products but right now we are focusing on bringing the MAFterburnerÔ and Afterburner-eFPC™ systems to you with the highest quality possible. Stay tuned for future developments!!