Optimizing Fuel Map for Specific Applications

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Author Topic:   Optimizing Fuel Map for Specific Applications

jimh posted 10-18-2005 09:49 PM ET (US)
It occurs to me that marine engine manufacturers who work closely with particular boat builders have the opportunity to optimize the performance of their electronically controlled engines for specific applications. This is routinely done in automotive applications. For example, the 5.7-liter V8 engine in my GMC truck very likely has a different set-up in its electronic controller than the 5.7-liter V8 in a Cadillac sedan. Although they are the same basic engine, their performance has been optimized for a particular application or vehicle. It has been tuned for a particular transmission, axle ratio, and vehicle weight. Why not with boats?
It seems reasonable that Mercury Marine could work with Boston Whaler, for example, and develop a specialized fuel map and control algorithm for a VERADO 250-HP engine when used on a CONQUEST 235 with a particular propeller. This might be different from the settings which would be optimum if you wanted to use that 250-HP engine on very fast bass boat.
One thing that might prevent this from happening is the cost of certifying many different engine versions with the EPA. Complex regulations about emission are already a hurdle to overcome for outboard engine makers; having to qualify several different models of the same basic engine could be expensive.
Historically, I did find some precedent for this with OMC and the Ficht engine. A dealer told me that there were plans for this sort of thing, but they never were implemented.
We have already seen how manufacturers use changes in the EMM programming to make one engine into two or three models of different horsepower. Honda (and others, no doubt) turn a 135-HP into a 150-HP just by changed some code stored in a controller. Why not add more refinement and tailor engines for particular applications.
And, for the suspicious among you, perhaps this sort of things is already being done. Who is to say that the engines that get tested at highly-publicized magazine "shoot-outs" are running on the stock fuel maps which were used for EPA certification? How would a magazine editor know?
rbruce posted 10-23-2005 03:21 PM ET (US)
Last summer after visiting the chaps of Chrysler Crew who celebrated the Chrysler's Nationals at Missouri's Stockton Lake I bought an issue of Bass and Walley Boats magazine and found an article of the modifications that can be pursued to a motor without basically altering the fuel-air-ignition map.
It would be nice though to be able to understand how such tridimensional map is made and to be able though a handheld computer to make "adaptive" maps to the conditions that one finds, sort of an old piston aircraft where you could manipulate air to fuel mixture and have retroalimentation of the results via exhaust gas temperature and the sorts.
sosmerc posted 10-25-2005 12:34 AM ET (US)
On some of the new engines from Mercury you can adjust the fuel curve using the DDT tool. You can change the "fuel Offset" basically Up to 10 percent plus or minus the original factory setting. This would best be done in conjunction with monitoring EGT...to prevent frying a piston from too lean a setting.
jimh posted 10-25-2005 04:40 PM ET (US)
SOSMerc--That is very interesting information! Thanks for contrinbuting that.
I was thinking more along the lines that Mercury and Boston Whaler might get together and do a special fuel map for a particular boat, say a 236 CONQUEST with a single 250-HP Verado, or something like that.
I guess is a sense you can fit your motor to the application with the propeller, but it would be interesting to see what could be done if you could fit the motor right to the boat and the propeller!
sosmerc posted 10-25-2005 06:37 PM ET (US)
Since Mercury went to so much expense and effort with the Verado I'm surprised they didn't also include either a manual or hydro-electric "jack" into the clamp bracket...this would be slick for optimizing performance regardless of prop, load, weather, and running conditions.
Years ago they incorporated a manual jacking mechanism on some of their racing outboards...so the potential is there.
As we know, fine tuning the engine setup can make or break the performance of any engine/boat combo.

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Author	Topic: Optimizing Fuel Map for Specific Applications
jimh	posted 10-18-2005 09:49 PM ET (US) It occurs to me that marine engine manufacturers who work closely with particular boat builders have the opportunity to optimize the performance of their electronically controlled engines for specific applications. This is routinely done in automotive applications. For example, the 5.7-liter V8 engine in my GMC truck very likely has a different set-up in its electronic controller than the 5.7-liter V8 in a Cadillac sedan. Although they are the same basic engine, their performance has been optimized for a particular application or vehicle. It has been tuned for a particular transmission, axle ratio, and vehicle weight. Why not with boats? It seems reasonable that Mercury Marine could work with Boston Whaler, for example, and develop a specialized fuel map and control algorithm for a VERADO 250-HP engine when used on a CONQUEST 235 with a particular propeller. This might be different from the settings which would be optimum if you wanted to use that 250-HP engine on very fast bass boat. One thing that might prevent this from happening is the cost of certifying many different engine versions with the EPA. Complex regulations about emission are already a hurdle to overcome for outboard engine makers; having to qualify several different models of the same basic engine could be expensive. Historically, I did find some precedent for this with OMC and the Ficht engine. A dealer told me that there were plans for this sort of thing, but they never were implemented. We have already seen how manufacturers use changes in the EMM programming to make one engine into two or three models of different horsepower. Honda (and others, no doubt) turn a 135-HP into a 150-HP just by changed some code stored in a controller. Why not add more refinement and tailor engines for particular applications. And, for the suspicious among you, perhaps this sort of things is already being done. Who is to say that the engines that get tested at highly-publicized magazine "shoot-outs" are running on the stock fuel maps which were used for EPA certification? How would a magazine editor know?
rbruce	posted 10-23-2005 03:21 PM ET (US) Last summer after visiting the chaps of Chrysler Crew who celebrated the Chrysler's Nationals at Missouri's Stockton Lake I bought an issue of Bass and Walley Boats magazine and found an article of the modifications that can be pursued to a motor without basically altering the fuel-air-ignition map. It would be nice though to be able to understand how such tridimensional map is made and to be able though a handheld computer to make "adaptive" maps to the conditions that one finds, sort of an old piston aircraft where you could manipulate air to fuel mixture and have retroalimentation of the results via exhaust gas temperature and the sorts.
sosmerc	posted 10-25-2005 12:34 AM ET (US) On some of the new engines from Mercury you can adjust the fuel curve using the DDT tool. You can change the "fuel Offset" basically Up to 10 percent plus or minus the original factory setting. This would best be done in conjunction with monitoring EGT...to prevent frying a piston from too lean a setting.
jimh	posted 10-25-2005 04:40 PM ET (US) SOSMerc--That is very interesting information! Thanks for contrinbuting that. I was thinking more along the lines that Mercury and Boston Whaler might get together and do a special fuel map for a particular boat, say a 236 CONQUEST with a single 250-HP Verado, or something like that. I guess is a sense you can fit your motor to the application with the propeller, but it would be interesting to see what could be done if you could fit the motor right to the boat and the propeller!
sosmerc	posted 10-25-2005 06:37 PM ET (US) Since Mercury went to so much expense and effort with the Verado I'm surprised they didn't also include either a manual or hydro-electric "jack" into the clamp bracket...this would be slick for optimizing performance regardless of prop, load, weather, and running conditions. Years ago they incorporated a manual jacking mechanism on some of their racing outboards...so the potential is there. As we know, fine tuning the engine setup can make or break the performance of any engine/boat combo.