AFR Wideband on a modded N/A car. Thoughts?
 

Hey everyone, been scouring the web on this topic and can't find any solid answers.

The more and more I read up on AFR's and tuning, the more I'm learning the importance a Wideband sensor can make on monitoring the cars performance and optimizing engine output.

My question is this.

I'm planning on modding my car quite a bit over the summer (so far planned is intake, headers, OFT, pulleys and a few other little goodies).

Supercharging isn't in the plans in the near future unfortunately so it'll be strictly N/A for a long time. Considering I'm planning on running an OFT (or any tuning at all) does having a Wideband benefit me and my vehicles performance in anyway?

I mean dropping in an OTS tune is technically based on theoretical/projected AFRs based on the psychical modifications (correct me if I'm wrong). So does having that added info to the ECU benefit the tune in any way considering its just an OTS tune to begin with?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

You can read AFR with the OFT. A wideband would be good for tuning purposes, but if you are just monitoring them the OFT will do the deed.

The stock front O2 sensor will give you good enough ballpark AFR values for NA tuning. Varying the AFR doesn't create a huge change in power by itself. Yes a wideband will be more accurate, but it far more of a luxury than a necessity.

So sending more info to the ECU via a Wideband is negligible on an OFT tune - the tuned ECU won't care, right?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I asked Delicious Tuning this when I got e85 ecutek and they said it was unnecessary, the front o2 was good enough. For FI I would just cuz I'm paranoid

Yeah a wide band would more or less just be eye candy for you if you installed the gauge and the ECU won't care. AFR alone will not make alot more power. It has to do with the VVT and AFR and probably a few other things all working together to gain prefromance

But you couple watch it to make sure your AFR is safe.

It's not going to be any faster or accurate than the sensor that the car already has, but lots of people like to have one in there to visually check for piece of mind.

Good stuff! Thanks everyone.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I think there may be some confusion here, when you get a wideband, it doesn't feed back into the ECU. It just shows the AFR on a gauge. The ECU can only use the factory O2 sensor in the header, it can't read signals from an aftermarket sensor.

Having an AFR gauge is useful if you are familiar with tuning a car, or are tuning yourself. I'd only get it if you know how AFRs work, if not, I'd use the money to get an oil temp or water temp gauge.

You can rescale the stock 02 sensor to read more accurarly and wider band of afr as others said it good ebough for na car on petrol or e85.The oft has a big vuage function and can display afr real time you can also set up tuning alerts on oft so it will beep and flash if parameters like afr oil temp fuel trims knock or iam etc go outside preset limits

With acr for example you can set an alert for rmp greater than 5000 load greater than 1 afr leaner than say 13 or whatever you like

I read somewhere that some AFR (if not all) gauges actually do pipe into the ECU. I would assume if it's replacing the narrowband, the ECU still needs an input regardless hence the ECU connection.

Given the case that an AFR/Wideband setup isn't necessary unless custom tuning/AFR monitoring is necessary, is there any benefit in having an AFR setup with a failsafe (like the AEM kit) for cars that are still N/A, running tunes, and heavily modified? Just as an added protection.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk