Gobert23 Posted November 26, 2009 Report Share Posted November 26, 2009 The 'Strada' is an unusual beast, in that it uses a Bosch / Magneti Marelli P8* ECU setup, but with single injectors (rather than twin injectors, as on the SP/SPS models). Now, I've got the correct 50mm Termignoni full system and a matched JHP chip installed, but I'm wondering if there's further improvements (actually, more like refinements) to be made. Now, given that Ultimap (a programmable chip maker) are no more... Is a Power Commander an option? The idea of being able to 'create', 'refine' and 'load' maps onto a 'card' (SD card?) or directly through USB to a unit does appeal, but I've not see anyone actually fit/use a Power Commander on these earlier machines. The dealers don't seem to have an overly positive view of 'Power Commanders' (understandable, given the offerings from the Ducati Performance catalogue), but wanted to sound out opinions and experiences with these units. Ta G *The ECU is worth about as much as the bike these days... Scary stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bat Fastard Posted November 26, 2009 Report Share Posted November 26, 2009 With the bike/engine set up right, I think its worth fitting a PC if you want to get the last bit of smoothness etc. This is only going to be a factor with a custom map though. The maps on the net are gonna be no different to the chips that you can buy. I have a PCIII fitted to my 999s and this runs a fuel map for each cylinder. Took about 3 hrs for the dyno guy to do and worth it IMHO. Its gives the bike that crispness on the throttle that makes the engine feel real nice. I also have a 996sps and this runs an ultimap fuel chip ( I know, the company has shut up shop now. Doh!) and its ok but I dont rate it as that much better than the Ducati performance 073 chip. Im probably gonna run a PCIII for the sps when I can afford it because I have set the cam timming and squish so it would be nice to see if the PC can get anything more from the sps engine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barry Posted November 27, 2009 Report Share Posted November 27, 2009 When I had my 916 last year, I ran Termi 50mm cans with a PC3. I tried a couple of chips and they were both crap! So I put the stock one back in, put a PC3 on it and put it on the dyno for an hours setup. It was like a completely new bike when I rode it home that day. To say I was happy was an understatement. My personal view is that these 'performance chips' are a bit of a stab in the dark, as all bikes require different fueling and setup, even if the engine are the 'same!'. So my experience is the swap out chips were rubbish, and the PC3 had it running absolutly perfect as it was custom mapped to my engine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gobert23 Posted November 27, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 27, 2009 Thanks folks You're thoughts and experiences are in line with what I'd thought up to now... The 'chips' that can be bought/supplied have a fixed set of values (map), so only forma baseline (I think there's a way if making fine adjustments with the P8 ECU, but I'm not entirely sure or technical enough to start opening it up). The Power Commander may be a 'simpler' way to piggy-back on a 'custom'(..isable) map. Certainly, in certain circles there appears to be more experience with it, just a specific lack of expertise with a Power Commander/Ducati combination. I'm going to have to keep digging and get my Duc's (sorry, terrible pun) in a row... G Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bat Fastard Posted November 30, 2009 Report Share Posted November 30, 2009 Yep the stand alone fuel chips generally come with set values that cannot be changed. The FIM ultimap fuel chips were changeable but very few tuners had the software to do this. I guess thats one reason why the ultimap firm packed up shop? That and technology moved on. The PC set up really is the most hassle free way as most places are trained to use the DYNOJET/PC software. As ive said, No probs setting up my 999s and I will be fitting a PCIIIusb to my 996sps when funds allow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lorenzo Posted November 30, 2009 Report Share Posted November 30, 2009 Just a little word of warning that if you go buying an older PC, one of the serial ones for example, then the amount of twiddle you can do is limited, I think it's +/- 10%. I had one on the VFR that I put the twin stack exhaust on and although it felt much much better once the bike had been set-up fully, the guy at the dyno was still unhappy about its fuelling from about 4.5k downwards as he hadn't go enough flexibility to dial it in perfectly. Obviously, on a VFR it all gets a bit lumpy below about 4k, so I wasn't overly fussed, but if you're getting a commander 2nd hand it's probably worth paying that bit extra for a newer style one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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