Technical Features
Program Upgrader
By by: George Achorn
Oct 2, 2003, 21:47

Philadelphia, PA - With the common use of turbos in modern vehicles, an extremely popular method of improving power levels of these cars is by modifying the engine management program, commonly referred to as "chipping" the vehicle.

In the USA, one of the most popular "chip" upgrades for Volvos is the TME program sold in North America by IPD of Portland Oregon. Two of the technicians who do significant work for TME were recently in the United States acquiring base code for future TME upgrades.

Marco Alsterfalk and Fredrik Jonsson of MTE, an independent company that works very closely with TME were kind enough to sit down for some time with us, give us some background on TME, their products and their philosophy on chip tuning in general.

Swedespeed: We understand that you've had a rather interesting work history. We've heard you've worked with companies like Porsche, etc. Can you tell us about that?

Marco Alsterfalk: I started out with a Masters Degree in Science from the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm. Then, I went to the University of Michigan and basically did the same thing there. After that, I moved back to Sweden and have worked with different aspects of vehicles with various manufacturers. I've covered everything from interior, comfort and electronics to switches and stalks, but the focus and the interest has always been engine management systems. I've worked on projects revolving around these areas with Saab, Ford and with Porsche.

Swedespeed: How long have you been with TME?

Marco Alsterfalk: Actually, we're not directly with TME. Fredrik and I are with a company called MTE. It can be a bit confusing, but I'll try to explain. Our company is a consult company focusing on software, software development and software calibration. We focus on a mission of mostly drivability and performance.

I started, in my private time, to help TME. But then, as things grow, and more and more people want your help, we had to open up a company that we run. Owners of TME have a stake in the MTE business.

Swedespeed: Does MTE work on other cars besides Volvo?

Marco Alsterfalk: Yes. It is a company that does general engine management, with a focus on drivability and performance. We've done the same thing for Saab, for Porsche and now for TME for the Volvo.

TMEs is the most into the performance area from what we've worked on.

Swedespeed: TME's engine upgrades make use of Flash technology, rather than the traditional mode of installing a new chip on an ECU. We've seen more recently that some companies are beginning to Flash through the OBD2 port to the ECU. Do you do this?

Marco Alsterfalk: We do it to test cars, but in production no.

Swedespeed: Are there problems with that method?

Marco Alsterfalk: There may be, but not always. Most often, it does work fine. The thing is, when downloading over an OBD/OBD2 network versus the way we do it; we eliminate all the other nodes. We have only the master PC and the host, making these the only two nodes on the network so that no other node can come in and interrupt. When you do it over an OBD2 connector, the same thing is supposed to happen. The first thing is that the Master PC tells all the other nodes to be quiet. Now sometimes they are not, even though they are supposed to be. And, if you are unlucky, then the download may crash. If it does, you might have big problems. You can lose programs.

Swedespeed: Do you mean you can lose the original programming also?

Marco Alsterfalk: Every Flash technology download is made up of basically two parts. First, you erase the whole program on the ECU. Then, you override the empty space with the entire new program. Obviously, if it crashes somewhere during the download, then you have half of a program. If you have half of a program, that won't work. In some cases, it is possible to try it over and it will work if there are only two nodes like we do it - the ECU and the Host PC. But if the ECU is on the network in the car it cannot be contacted after such a crash.

When this happens with the ECU in the car, as we've experienced a few times when we've tried it this way in house, then you have to tow it to the dealership and make a complete reload of the whole car. That process is not very cheap and not very convenient either. This is what we've experienced and the main reason we have chosen not to do it that way for customer versions.

Obviously, when we are testing out in the field, we do it because it is so much more convenient and obviously I know what can help it up if it crashes, but anyone on the street won't because they don't have the tools.

Don't get me wrong. This doesn't happen often, but when it does happen and it happens, it happens bad, and then you are in deep trouble. We believe too that it is more comfortable for a customer to have professionals pushing the buttons. Otherwise, the technology of communication is exactly the same. There is no difference between our method and the OBD2 method, other than the differences I mentioned earlier.

The difference lies in the actual program that sent to the ECU, more than the technique by which the program is transferred to the ECU. Of course soldering should be avoided for other reasons. We work very hard to only supply programs that run with the same or better drivability and dependability compared the stock program. A well-calibrated program is smooth enough for anyone to take to the grocery store or for great grandpa to take a drive with. But when the pedal approaches the metal it makes a smooth transition into Mr Hyde.

Swedespeed: Does your ECU work with an aftermarket boost controller.

Marco Alsterfalk: Well, I don't see a reason to use an aftermarket boost controller on an ME7, or any other for that matter. If you want to do it the right way, you make the control unit control the boost to where you want it. That's the way it should be done. That's the way it's supposed to be done. But then again, if you don't have the means to adjust it to where you want, you might have to take shortcuts, and that is one.

Systems have become so much more complicated over the years. If you get a deviation between the request and the actual values and that difference becomes too great for too long a time, then you get error codes and possibly result in the car going into limp-home mode.

The best is always to have the whole system set to play at the same levels, so that you don't end up in a case where your boost controller forces the boost to 20 psi or something while the control unit only wishes to have 14. In that case you have this big deviation that may possibly cause trouble. I'm not saying that it necessarily will cause trouble, but it may.

Swedespeed: What's the maximum pressure on ME7?

Marco Alsterfalk: ME7 is controllable. It can measure up to 1.6 bar of boost. That is the maximum measurable with ME7. With our biggest stage, say a Stage V or Stage VI on a T-5, we're at around 1.5 bar. There is no limit to how high the boost can be with ME7, but since the sensors cannot measure more than 1.6 bar it is not possible to run a system with feedback of the pressure higher than so.

Swedespeed: Are Stage V or Stage VI available to your customers?

Marco Alsterfalk: Yes, but they have to buy a bigger intercooler, the water injection, forged pistons and all of the other things that make the engine able to cope with those levels, otherwise it'll just burn a hole in your piston or bend a rod or something.

Swedespeed: How about the transmission. Can it take it?

Marco Alsterfalk: Actually, we do have a few cars that run with torque that high and they are running okay. Although, it is not really hard to destroy a car like that if you really want to destroy it. At the same time, if you drive with care, then you can have a 350-hp Volvo last very long. It's mostly all about how you treat the car.

Swedespeed: Do you have these higher level systems developed for US cars now?

Marco Alsterfalk: The demand hasn't been all that much. It's mostly been Swedish people. No offense.

(Laughs)

Do you think there is a market?

Swedespeed: I don't think the market is aware of the availability of this sort of hardware for Volvos in North America. I think there is a market for the higher level setups. The aftermarket here for other turbocharged cars such as Audi, Volkswagen or Subaru is quite large. Considering the entire line of Volvos is available with a turbocharger and the new energy behind the R, I could only assume that there would be demand.

To get this interview turned back around, here's a question for you. North American tuners of turbocharged cars, for instance Audi, do staged levels of tuning which are basically bolt on kits that might include higher level hardware, etc. So if you have a car, you can spend $500 and get X or spend $3,000 and get Y and not have to necessarily send your car to Sweden or Germany.

Marco Alsterfalk: We have those types of upgrades that can go up to Stage V or Stage VI now for the P2X cars. One that we do quite a few of in Sweden is putting the new R turbo on it, front mounted intercooler, bigger injectors, water injection, forged pistons, etc. All this might go on a T-5 or a low-pressure setup (North American 2.4T or 2.5T). It's pretty fast.

(Laughs)

Swedespeed: That sounds like a lot of work. What does it entail?

Marco Alsterfalk: It includes the turbo, piping, intercooler, injectors, exhaust manifold, the whole exhaust, all of the water cooling to and from the turbo, the oil lubrication to and from the turbo, all of that. You have to change it all.

We can't get all of the parts. We have to make some. Some of them we can buy, but then again, with some we have to manufacture them ourselves.

Swedespeed: Which exhaust manifold are you using?

Marco Alsterfalk: We use the XC90, which is the same as the R. It's a new design. On the old one, you'd have number one cylinder go up, but on the new one, all of the cylinders go down. It's more open right before the turbo.

Swedespeed: So what is this system called?

Marco Alsterfalk: Stage V, Stage VI.

Swedespeed: Is it developed for North American cars as well?

Marco Alsterfalk: Well, we haven't had any North American cars to put it on.

Swedespeed: What would it take, someone with a US-spec car to come visit you at your shop in Sweden?

Marco Alsterfalk: I think we could probably make a pretty good shot from the hip based upon what we've done to European models. But that would require fuel of a higher quality.

Swedespeed: Do you mean like Premium here in the US?

Marco Alsterfalk: The thing is, if you have water injection, you get some more margin there.

Swedespeed: Do you foresee TME or IPD offering a multiple stage upgrade in the US?

Marco Alsterfalk: That'd be something you'd have to ask IPD. Technically it is possible, but considering the cost to bring it here, it remains to be seen whether the right demand is there.

We're a company with a focus on quality. That's priority #1 for us. So then, the price becomes what it has to be, and people are welcome to buy it if they want to. But I'm not ever going to sell anything that isn't really, really good. That's our philosophy.

Of course, we're trying to keep the price down as much as we can. We continue to strive for that.

Swedespeed: What about cases where higher octane, or premium gas is not available?

Marco Alsterfalk: As long as the fuel quality differences aren't too big, our programs will adapt to the fuel quality. So, if you push it hard enough with low grade fuel, ignition will retard to avoid knocking as much as possible. If you have an extreme case, then it won't work. It could knock a bit in the beginning, and then it will go down.

To go back to what we were talking about earlier. If you use a manual boost controller to get the boost pressure higher than the ECU is aiming for, then what you've done is taken away the ECU's ability to decrease the boost. So you may get into a situation where you can't get out of it unless you release the accelerator. That can be a fairly dangerous situation.

Swedespeed: What is TME's/ MTE's philosophy on power output?

Marco Alsterfalk: The relationship between power output and torque output, combined with what role they play is very important. Many people are focused on how many horsepower their car has, when in real world driving that might have little bearing on strong performance. Most people guage their performance on peak power. The trick is, you need power all through the rpm range. That is what we are after.

It is horsepower that is pulling the vehicle, but you also need horsepower in the mid-range. This is represented more by the torque number, because maximum torque is usually somewhere in the mid-range. So maximum torque is generally representative of the power you have there. A wide and high torque curve is the goal.

Basically, the performance you get if you examine a power vs. engine speed graph is the area under the power curve. It's not necessarily how high that curve goes at its peak height.

What limits power on a turbo engine is flow related. If you have a tight catalyst, it doesn't matter how much boost you have. You still won't be able to flow more than this or that much. So aside from the turbo, and injectors, that is what is peak power limiting. It is very easy to pick up the torque in the mid-range with a turbo by raising the boost. At that low RPM, the flow through the engine isn't nearly what you have at the high end. But still, you can get it much higher, which means that the torque becomes tremendous.

We've done experiments with the T-6 engines and we're at way over 550Nm, almost over 600Nm. But then, the turbos are so small that it hurts the flow at the top end. This is where the catalytic converter comes in, because with that more unrestricted cat, it opens up to provide much higher power, and close to 30hp at the peak.

Swedespeed: Marco and Fredric, thank-you for your time.

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