wolf3d -v500 review

[nize]

my old wolf3d v400 review can be found here;
wolf3d -v400 review

after two years of using the wolf3d v400, i was happy to volunteer to help develop the next-generation v500 series. this is the new wolf3d and replaces the v400. for those who already have the v400 it's just a matter of swapping the ECU. The v500 comes with a handy engine control map conversion utility that allows for easy conversion of the old v400 map for use by the v500, this is necessary because the v500 has way more variables and options which i will cover later.

for those who have the factory stock system, this is a direct plug-and-play replacement for the DME+KLR. it literally takes less than 3 hours to install and be running. because it doesn't require modifying the stock wiring nor sensors, it also allows the car to be returned to 100% stock in the future if desired.

this entire system comes with a lifetime warranty which is hard to beat.

first, the old vs. new, you can see the new is much smaller;

old wolf3d v400;


new wolf3d v500;


as mentioned earlier, the v500 comes with many more additional control settings and features, over 2000 more! i can't mention them all so i'll mention the few that i've found to be useful for me. note that all of these new features in the v500 are in addition to all of the old features as covered in the v400 review.

1) individual fuel trims for specific rpm ranges (useful for quick adjustments and experimental tuning)



2) individual injector calibration trims (useful for troubleshooting or fine-tuning different injector flow rates)

3) correction table/graph for each sensor input and output (allows the ability to use pretty much any sensors on the market)



4) soft/hard redline cut, or combo of either/both (allows smoother cutout at redline to prevent engine shock)

5) intelligent idle control (allows user to set a target RPM and the ECU will take care of the rest)

6) soft/hard overboost cut, or combo of either/both (allows smoother overboost cutout to prevent engine shock)

by far the biggest advantage is that the v500 now has a complete secondary setup with user-configured auto-activation;



what this means is that this single ECU has the ability to function as two COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT ECUs via an auto (or manual) user-configured switch. so for example, you could have a completely independent secondary setup configured to run alternate fuel such as e85 and when the system detects the presence of this (via user-configured sensor), it can automatically switch to the secondary ECU configuration, including independent fuel, timing, and boost maps as well as idle map, etc. it really is like having two completely different ECUs in one.

another possibility for this is to add nitrous oxide, and have the secondary map only activate if it detects the nitrous tank pressure contains enough gas to run safely, etc. the possibilities of this auto-switching second ECU feature is limitless and huge.

this new system also retains complete knock control, and automatically pulls timing if knock is detected while also auto-advancing timing when knock is not present. what this allows you to do is run the ignition timing far advanced to the ragged edge of knock without risk of damaging the motor, and squeezing every last bit of performance from the engine safely. no other ECU for the 951 currently has this ability to squeeze maximum power via safe auto ignition advance. this knock control system was designed by the same guy who designed the original KLR for the 951!

this new wolf3d v500 system should be available starting july 15th 2009 (about one month from now) for the same price as the old v400 system ($3500) from either lindsey racing;
http://www.lindseyracing.com/LR/Porsche//LR-WOLF3D.html

or direct from the north america wolf distributor;
http://www.randomems.com/

[JoeToth]

I need to talk to Bob about a trade in or I will sell my v400. I have been considering methanol/water injection and this duel map would be perfect to switch between standard fuel and the water injection. A local tuner here is seeing 40 to 50 rwhp increases with the water injection. If anyone wants a V400 let me know.

[nize]

it's important to note that this new feature is not a dual map, it's a complete dual ECU system. there are many ecu's that can run multiple maps, but this one can do that and also run as a completely independent second ECU system. for example, it could technically run a complete second engine with a separate turbocharger running different fuel, if desired.

you can actually configure the old v400 to run meth injection, it's just a lot easier to do with the new v500.

[eyeballkid]

I'm intrigued. What sensors must the owner buy/install to run this system? Based on the links you included, I have to ask if that price is a typo? Maybe I'm missing something.

[nize]

this is a direct-fit system that will work with all stock sensors and wiring. all you have to do is unplug the dme/klr and plug this in and you're good to go.

if you wanted to replace all sensors and wiring, there is complete wiring replacement kit available as an option.

the price is not a typo. the system for a 944 n/a or 911 is $2495. you can see the differences in pricing here;
http://www.lindseyracing.com/LR/Porsche//LR-WOLF3D.html

[nize]

photos restored and links updated.

[cockerpunk]

with a system like this, would you be able to easily wire in a MAF system and dump the AFM?

[nize]

Originally Posted by cockerpunk

with a system like this, would you be able to easily wire in a MAF system and dump the AFM?

this system goes even beyond MAF and uses MAP. read up on the differences between AFM, MAF, and MAP here;
stock airbox + snorkle vs. free intake

[cockerpunk]

Originally Posted by nize

this system goes even beyond MAF and uses MAP. read up on the differences between AFM, MAF, and MAP here;
stock airbox + snorkle vs. free intake

yeah i read it runs on MAP.

i assume that means i need to run a map sensor right?

[nize]

the MAP sensor is built into the wolf3d system. all you do is remove the AFM, install a temperature sensor, and you're good to go.

[cockerpunk]

Originally Posted by nize

the MAP sensor is built into the wolf3d system. all you do is remove the AFM, install a temperature sensor, and you're good to go.

damn, thats awesome. so this does have significant advantages when compared to a quality MAF system like Rouge or Vitesse (sp?).

so you just remove the AFM, toss a cone filter on it, and run with that? or some essentially equivalent to that? lovin' it.

[nize]

MAP is superior to MAF as already discussed in other lengthy threads.

stand alone is superior to piggy-back, also as already discussed in other threads.

the only drawback is price but you essentially get what you pay for.

[cockerpunk]

Originally Posted by nize

MAP is superior to MAF as already discussed in other lengthy threads.

stand alone is superior to piggy-back, also as already discussed in other threads.

the only drawback is price but you essentially get what you pay for.

yup, i am pretty well read on those topics. thanks for the info!

[Rogue_Ant]

It is always cool to see new products and support for our cars!

Re: MAP vs MAF - each method has its merits, which is why we try to combine the best of both!

[333pg333]

Peter when you say that it can run two different maps for 2 different engines on 2 different fuels, do you mean simultaneously? If so, nice party trick but I'm not sure of the advantage of this?
Even with a PB I was able to run two maps (with a few different images) and flick between pump and E85 maps from the dashboard. I'm not knocking the Wolf but wondering on the advantage of that particular feature?

Where you say "you could have a completely independent secondary setup configured to run alternate fuel such as e85 and when the system detects the presence of this (via user-configured sensor), it can automatically switch to the secondary ECU configuration" I assume you mean via the GM Ethanol % content sensor. In which case what would happen if you had a small amount of E85 in the system and topped up with pump fuel? Are you saying that it auto adjusts in live sense to whatever % ethanol is in the tank? As opposed to pre tuning a number of maps through the scale of % amounts?
Here is an excerpt from a tuner that I have been dealing with using a different ECU:

"The base mapping will be done this way. The main Fuel Map (Gas) will be spanned Throttle position verses RPM. This gives you a complete map from bottom to top from the whole TPS span. Towards the upper end of the TPS span we will be in some boost. Wastegate spring pressure only. If we spanned the Fuel Map manifold pressure v RPM, the engine may only pull a few rows of vacuum, and so the map resolution would be very small. We may only have a few rows to map. We will then run the 4D map spanned by MGP, manifold gauge pressure v RPM. This will be always on. The MGP gives us the barometric correction as well. The 4D map will be mapped under boost. This 4D map is a correction on top of the TPS map correcting for the increase in manifold pressure. The 5D map will be a correction on top of the 4D and main fuel maps for the E85, correcting to the E85 sensor input. I have to speak to them about exactly what the ECU can do with the E85 sensor values, as I have two ways we can do this. I need to find out which would be best. One way is to span the 5D table by E85 % on the Y axis and RPM and or MAP on the x axis. I'm not sure which would be best yet. We would add for example 10% of E85 to the dyno fuel tank and remap the engine to get the AFR number we need. I have come up with a calculation to calculate the AFR number we need to see when adding X% of E85 to the gasoline content. We would create a target AFR map to map the 5D table against. If the gasoline target table was 12.5 AFR @ 5500RPM and 1.5b MAP, and the E85 sensor shows a value of 30%, we can calculate the required AFR number we need to see."

As you can imagine this is very time consuming and costly. My desire was to have the ECU tune 'live' but I think this could be potentially dangerous. When relying upon one sensor that from what I understand reads with a beam of light you are open to catastrophic failure if that malfunctions. The 2nd area of concern is that knock behaves differently with E85 so I'm not sure how you would configure the JS for example?

Still, all in all, interesting times.

[nize]

imagine if you had two completely different ecu's, one adjusted to run on 92octane gasoline at 17psi boost and the other adjusted to run on e85 at 25psi boost. they would not only be completely different fuel maps they would also be completely different timing maps and boost maps. they might even be completely different air temp compensation maps, overboost, cutoff, accel/decel enrichment/enleanment, idle settings, etc.

now imagine if you could switch between the two at will, either manually or automatically (using any third-party sensor or trigger of your choice). that's essentially what the 'dual map' feature is on the wolf.

most ecu 'dual map' features i've seen only provide fuel, ignition, and maybe boost alternate variables, but not a complete 100% alternate on every variable with on-the-fly switching ability. the wolf essentially gives you two ecu's.

my original plan was to run e85 or 92octane gasoline from separate tanks. i've read that some people are using this feature to allow running gasoline or propane on the same car.

[mede8er]

Please clarify (for a noob)....

In one statement the Wolf is plug and play. In another statement the AFM is replaced by a temperature sensor...

Is this sensor provided in the Wolf package? Thanks...

[nize]

it is plug and play. you could leave the factory AFM as it is, and just keep the 'barn door' pinned open and use the factory intake temperature sensor built into the AFM.

alternately, you could remove the afm altogether and install an intake air temperature sensor into the manifold (provided with the wolf3d kit for the 951) for better flow.

[johnkoawood]

But what about electrolytes? Does it have electrolytes?

[nize]