Vs Ecotech 3.08

[Pollushon]

On the stock tune/engine in my VS I got less kms and no performance improvement with 95/98, maybe just because I hoofed it harder, but I'm fairly sure it wasn't that. Once I had the generic Mace tune thrown in (among a couple of other mods) suddenly it was more kms and more response, so I only use 98 now as it works out cheaper. And yes it took a couple more cranks to get going on cold starts, but the more octane, the harder it is to burn, hence the protection from detonation and the more requirement for a tune that can capitalise on it. The default Eco tune for lack of a better term is pretty poor.

The Eco seems to be a motor designed around 91 stock, I mean if it was designed for higher octane specifically, there would be a warning to use 95+, or you'd risk detonation. I'd suspect this is the case for most stock (non performance) manufacturers even now as 91 is the most common fuel available.

 

[James39]

Sure 98 is better, but I noticed when I used 98 a couple of times (I always run 91) that it doesn't fire up as quickly. Is that just mine or does anyone else's have the same problem?

Mine fires up almost instant from cold. Been using 98 for over a year in this VS now. Will never go back to lower ****.

 

[kingswood country]

One fires within a second of starting, been using 98 for a year and a half, you do know to get any benefit out of 95 or 98, you need to run a couple of tanks through it. I'm getting 12l/100km on stock tune running 98 around town and as little as 9l/100kms on the open road. And that's in a 320,000km engine using a slightly thicker oil than recommended because if its age. That's with half a boot full and two people in the car.


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[Pollushon]

I ran quite a few tanks pre tune. Nothing. As low as 350kms for a full tank. Post tune, I can grab near 500 per tank round town, about 10.5-11/l per 100. Personally I think kms (therefore cylinder compression) has a lot to do with it. I have lots of that, so the tune's capitalised, vs. sloppier high km compression, which is less of an issue.

 

[kingswood country]

So now on the topic of tunes, would I just go with mace or someone else? Being stock with catback.


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[Pollushon]

I can highly rate the Mace generic, but I hear The1 makes up some pretty sweet tunes that can be ordered here.

 

[Immortality]

Yes, you can run 91 in your 95 VS ecotec with no problems at all because that is what it was tuned to run on from the factory. That should answer your question.

Now, to get into the nitty gritty, the VS ecotec tune is based on 91 ron, the tune does have low and high octane fuel maps BUT both maps are identical as the car was only ever tuned to run on 91 ron fuel. Running 95 or 98 ron fuel in the car without tuning for it is a waste of time and money from a power perspective, however the higher grade fuels do have extra additives that help to keep the fuel system clean like running a fuel system cleaner.

What Brett said above is correct but to get the benefits that he talks about you need to tune for it. From memory it wasn't until the VY or VZ models that Holden started tuning engines to suit both the high and low ron fuels so the customer can decide what he wants to run.

It really is a shame that Holden didn't go the extra step and started doing these type of tunes on the ecotec because the software/hardware was capable of supporting it.