MoTeC:
I’m a MoTeC dealer, have installed, tuned, and used them for over 10years in tons of professional applications. Most of my business is composed of supporting pro teams utilizing MoTec. I sell it and sell it exclusively because it works, it has the best technical support, I believe it has the best software, I believe they have the best data interpreting software, and its price point for a pro system is better than any other “Pro” system. I used to sell other lower brand systems to give a customer a lower priced option rather than losing the business. Those systems ended up costing the customer less up front but ended up costing them more in the long run due to issues with hardware not working or failing hardware or causing a lost motor because the hardware failed. What’s saving 5 grand if you lose a 20k or more motor because the system fails? I now no longer utilize anything but MoTeC by choice.
Fubar is a friend so I pull my hair out every time on the dyno with the crippling stock computer. I’m done with that… the stock computer in the GTs is impressive for a stock system but many performance enthusiasts are way past that with their build, Mark is one of them.
I’m pretty picky with what street builds I take on, but when I do they are pretty serious builds. Right now for example I have a turbo GT500 in the shop. It already has the MoTeC system wired, working, and controlling the motor. Below is an example of the options it entails… all is through the m800.
Antilag- to bring the big turbos up quickly, two stages… one for the highway and one for launching
Single Stage Dry Shot- for if the customer chooses to use the nitrous instead of the antilag to bring the turbos up. I program the computer to squirt it and shut it off once the boost is where I want it. It is also there as a bargaining chip for something to concede in a street race negotiation that won’t affect performance (he has anitlag
Launch control- put your foot on the floor and dump the clutch… the computer will control the power level to control the allowed wheel slip. It does this every time to control the launch making it dead consistent. Also saves wear on the clutch.
Traction control- race grade… I’ve had years perfecting my setup for traction control on pro road race Vehicles… I put this in my street projects. The Shelby has a switch for turning it off for burnouts.
Boost by Gear- Big power takes good control to make it usable on the street and safe…. Usable applied power is dictated by the tire contact patch. The engine torque it takes to overcome the tire’s adhesion is dictated by the torque multiplication through the transmission… this is why we do boost by gear and engine rpm. This is how all my pro drag applications are controlled. Give me a 3,000hp turbo drag motor on the street and I’ll make it drivable and control when it can put down what.
Drive by Wire- This is very important on a high boost/horsepower application. The wastegate spring dictates how much boost you can make on the low and high side. It is recommended that whatever max boost you want to run, you should have a spring in the gate that is at least half that. The Shelby is set to make 36psi boost on race gas… so it requires an 18psi spring. The car on the street can only put down (hook up without spin) about 8psi of boost. I use the throttle to limit the allowable boost in 1st gear. The driver’s foot is on the floor but the throttle will only open enough to allow the power level in first gear that I setup. This is how you make very powerful street cars fast and manageable on the street. I hear people say “too much power to use on the street” or “you can’t use all that power”… bull s*&%! It may not be till 3rd or 4th gear but I’ll use it on you
Some people argue to just use the 18psi spring and let the traction control catch what it can’t use. The problem is that TC is a safety net, not a crutch. If you have TC busy dumping the excessive power your allowing the motor to have, then if you drive over something slick, how much headroom does the TC have to do its job to save your butt or anyone else around you while you’re playing. Saftey is very important to me and this is why I prefer to use DBW.
Others will argue to richen up the system… this is a long shot on a high horsepower application and it contaminates the combustion chamber, fouls plugs, etc…. Others will argue to use ignition retard… this puts excessive heat in the exhaust valves leading to Detonation, especially on pump gas… it also pumps excessive heat into the exhaust. Granted it’s for a short period of time but I think it’s the wrong approach. The Shelby comes DBW from ford but I can retrofit DBW to any vehicle, its pretty straigt forward.
Knock Module- Detonation is very complex, the frequencies that the metal components in your motor ring at from knock is like a fingerprint. Every motor is different. It takes a very sophisticated control strategy to accurately and consistently detect it and then address it to stop the detonation. The MoTeC knock sensor module allows me to log the characteristics of a motor and then properly set up a knock control strategy. It will sense which cylinder is knocking and then address only that cylinder with ignition retard… leaving the ones that are behaving alone.
Multiple ECU configurations- The M800 has 4 programming slots…. It can store 4 separate ecu configurations. On the Shelby we are only using 2 of them… one for pump gas and one for race gas. The config also changes the allowable boost (higher for race gas) with the filp of the switch. I can also have 4 different cars with different engines and unplug the ecu from one, plug it into the other car, the MoTeC will sense which car it’s plugged into and swap the config to that car’s programming, start the car, and drive off. This is for customers that want MoTeC on all their cars but don’t want to buy and ECU for each of them. Buy one ecu and 4 harnesses… just saves some money and prevents having to get the laptop out each time you want to do something.
No Lift Shift Ignition Cut- strain gauge imbedded on the shift lever allows the computer to sense the gear force and apply an ignition cut… the cut is different depending on which gear the car is when the shift is initiated. This is harder on synchronized transmissions but not having to close the throttle on a shift is huge for big turbo cars.
All other basic control of the fuel system is in control by the MoTeC… fans, intercooler pumps, warning lights, etc….
Mark had listed the M880… the M800 is the one I prefer and suggest. The M880 is a higher device with a little more capability but the minimal advantages it has is given up by the fact that it utilizes 22awg wire. From experience I believe the wire gauge is too thin and prone to failure. I recommend everything to be 18awg or larger for longevity and reliability unless you’re a pro team looking to save weight by using thinner wire and have the budget to carry spare harnesses with you to the track. I still drive pro teams toward the M800 and tell them that 22awg wire is a DNF waiting to happen.
BIG WORD OF ADVICE…. MoTeC is the most flexible system in the world… with increased flexibility, comes increased complexity. The computer is only as competent as the person on the keyboard. In other words, the computer is dumb, if a monkey on the keyboard tells it to do something stupid it will do it. These systems are also not for the average installer… the wiring is very sophisticated and should be performed by an authorized MoTeC installer. The more complex your MoTeC system is the better and more experienced installer I recommend you find. I do installs for other MoTeC dealers and 99% of the problems I see and clean up from other shops is wiring related. It’s not because they’re stupid, it’s because it is complex and few have the experience to do it correctly the first time.
Anyone that might be interested in seeing the Shelby install to determine if it might be something for their application, feel free to contact me about setting up a time to visit the shop.
All the best
It was black on black…looked really tough.
