Additions Part 7 – Dieseltronic from Race Dynamics
One fine morning in April, a conversation and suggestion to a fellow Pajero Sport owner on the topic of getting more power was the inception of an idea surprisingly in my own head which grew bigger and bigger. Finally, researched more and got in touch with Team RD through their Facebook page.
Got a response on email and I sent them my queries some of which made me think would they even sell the box after looking at the questions as there was a pause of almost a day between response probably due to a confusion leading me to being referred to their Coimbatore and then Hyderabad dealer.
They answered my queries on phone directly after my location was clear to them. My main concerns were related to Power curves for the Pajero Sport, effects on the drivetrain, real-time switching of maps and warranty. Turns out that they didn’t have the dyno curves for the Pajero Sport and maps were switchable on-the-fly. As per them, the increase in air and fuelling is done with-in the operational envelope allowed by the ECU which should ensure safe operation. Further, the warranty of the unit is of 2 years and the best part which I came to know was the box can be transferred (at a nominal fee) from one vehicle to another incase I sell this vehicle. Also, the unit has Adaptive Self Learning technology which adapts to the driving style in approx. 150 Kms as informed to me.
Finally decided on getting the Dual Channel Dieseltronic unit which controls both fuel rail pressure and turbo boost as this claims to reduce turbo lag.
I requested Race Dynamics for a demo and they happily obliged by giving 7 days demo time from the date of install. Made the payment and the shipping was blazingly fast and got the unit in 2 days. Resisted the urge to install it in the night and slept with the thought that the next morning was going to be different.
The packaging came in 2 boxes – one had the wiring harness specific to Pajero Sport and the other had rest of the stuff. All the items including the stickers reek quality.
Couple of pictures before install:
The Boxes
Contents of the Boxes
More contents of the box
Dieseltronic with remote having Race Dynamics logo
Wiring harness (Dieseltronic connector)
Wiring Harness
The next morning, installed the box based on the documentation already provided by Team RD. Getting the documents beforehand helped as I knew the install would be difficult with hot engine once I had located the connectors. Before starting the installation, the battery negative wire was disconnected. The boost pressure sensor was easily routed through the box but accessing the rail pressure sensor connector was a task. Once the connector was removed from the sensor, it was a task getting the rail pressure sensor connector coupled to the Dieseltronic harness due to it’s limited length wire but finally succeeded after 5 minutes of tussle. In the end, the power wire of the Dieseltronic box was connected to the Battery positive terminal and then the negative terminal was reconnected. I have not yet found a suitable place to mount the unit and it has been tied-up on top of the fuse box where I feel it is most safe from battery fumes, heat & water splash. Started the engine and there was no engine light or any error code on OBD in any of the modes.
Confirmed Team RD about the receipt and successful installation of Dieseltronic and started my demo period.
Post Install Pics:
Visual indications of different modes of the Dieseltronic
Placement of Dieseltronic over the Fuse Box
Performance:
The box has 4 modes – E (Economy), S (Stock), P1 and highest is P2. The best part is that the modes are switchable on the fly. However I wouldn’t recommend doing the same as abrupt fuel changes result in jerky motion – best is to change the mode by getting engine to idle and then taking it back to power.
E mode: Has an economy map which is said to increase fuel economy by upto 35%. Personally I did not experience anything close to this in the city during my daily drive over 50 kms spanning over 2 days but yes there was an improvement and the gains could be more on the highway. I feel that this mode has near stock response till 2000 RPM after which it completely blunts the throttle. Anyways, this is not what I bought the box for and use it on highway when cruise is engaged.
S mode: Everything is back to stock and you are riding an extra burden of lightened wallet. I only use it when I am not driving.
P1 mode: This is the most balanced mode. It says that there is a 15% increase in power and torque. The driveability is improved below 2000 RPM and the engine pulls cleanly from low revs like 1100 RPM. Basically, the usability of the selected gear has increased by almost 300 to 400 RPM. On the highway where the engine earlier felt a bit hesitant in pulling from 60 Kmph in 5th gear, it now pulls from 50 Kmph in a manner it used to pull from 70 Kmph. This has drastically reduced gearshifts. Above 2000 RPM, it is a different animal all together leaping forward with the slightest input to the throttle. There is no spike or jerk in the power delivery and the rate of speed build-up gradually increases but the transition from below 2000 RPM to above that comes with a kick. This mode masks speed build-up so efficiently that initially for a couple of times I was thinking I might have reached 70 Kmph when the speedo was already crossing 90 Kmph. What’s best is that the fuel efficiency hasn’t taken a toll and gains of 2% or 3% can be termed negligible. The biggest weaklink in P1 mode is the stock Apollo tyres – even with slightest hint of dirt or water, the powered rear wheel breaks traction even in 2nd gear.
P2 mode: It is said that this mode increases power and torque by upto 40%. Below 2000 RPM, there is not much of a difference between this & P1 mode but above that, it’s a different story all together. With the right pedal to the metal above 2000 RPM, you get pinned back. The rate and ferociousness with which it charges forward is simply unbelievable. But considering the dynamics limitations of the Pajero Sport, I don’t use this mode and P1 mode is what I use.
Impressions of the Dieseltronic off the road:
The biggest perceivable difference off the road is the benefit of increased gear usability. It is much easier to maintain momentum in the higher gear while earlier to avoid any break in momentum, a lower gear was required keeping the revs high. Due to this, the incline which required 1st gear in Stock mode was done in 2nd gear in P1 mode – the revs dropped till 1200 RPM but the engine did not feel strained and the climb was done in a more controlled and calm fashion. In Stock mode, the revs kept falling below this mark and strained the engine. Here, I would like to mention that I am not an expert in off-roading as the climb is 2H stuff for the Pajero SFX but with the Pajero Sport, I usually end-up spinning the powered wheel in the absence of LSD.
The E mode is better suited for slush & mud as the blunted response and linear power delivery helps in avoiding any unwanted wheel spin. With the different modes, it’s like having your own terrain response system for the engine.
Final Comments:
I was concerned about it’s affect on the engine specially temperature and logged the data from OBD2 in P1 mode over almost 150 Kms Highway run during the demo period. True to what Race Dynamics says, it operates the engine in it’s safe working envelope and I didn’t find a single odd reading.
In long term, more power and torque from Dieseltronic might accelerate the rate of wear & tear. But as most of the damage to diesel engine happens at higher revs, the ace up it’s sleeve of better power delivery in the lower RPM band has reduced high RPM usage of the engine. This in-effect should keep the increased wear & tear to the minimum.
I have covered more than 4000 Kms in 2 months since the install with the box majorly in P1 mode and the only thing I can nitpick is that I would have preferred a bit more grunt between 1200 to 1600 RPM and less sharper kick at around 2000 RPM mark.
During this time, I did a short run with stock air filter and it highlighted the gains of K&N air filter are better suited with Dieseltronic which probably is utilizing the filter to it’s true potential. Looking forward to the 50K Kms Oil change.
Finally pasted the stickers
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