Graham Perry Posted September 12, 2002 Share Posted September 12, 2002 Looks to be very competitive price wise Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JP Posted September 12, 2002 Share Posted September 12, 2002 Out of interest, would I notice any difference in the car (power / torque / etc) if my next upgrade was only an Emerald with a library map? Or is this simply to be regarded as a platform for future development? (Car is a 1.6KSS with comp manifold.) James. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oilyhands Posted September 12, 2002 Share Posted September 12, 2002 It depends on how well suited the calibration is to your engine at present. You would probably see a big improvement in drivability at low to mid RPM and at part throttle and you may well see improvements in torque elsewhere. Oily Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caterhamnut Posted September 12, 2002 Share Posted September 12, 2002 How to sell me upgrades to my car: Get a web site like Mr Dave has here where a simple, clear menu of options shows the basics. List of parts, list of results incl. bhp, cost. Simple. I had the joy of sampling some of your work in driving Peter C's late car and now I feel the need for more.....everything really! Will be in touch!! 😬26,000 miles in 13 months! angus@tinyworld.co.uk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JP Posted September 12, 2002 Share Posted September 12, 2002 Cheers Oily - need to get saving... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scooby dooby doo Posted September 13, 2002 Share Posted September 13, 2002 when i moved to an emerald my 1.6 K SS gained massively low down. ie 3rd (6 speed box) was better for pulling away from rest than nd used used to be... HOOPY R706KGU CYCLE WINGS AEROSCREEN K SERIES CUCUMBER Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V7 SLR Posted September 13, 2002 Share Posted September 13, 2002 An Emerald alone on a VHPD is worth the following: 1. Marginal improvement in power throughout the rev range. We're talking about between 1 and 5 bhp max really. 2. A "tidying" up of the torque curve. Mine had dips in it all over from the MEMS which were levelled off when the Emerald was set up. This coincided with a marginal lift in peak torque and a flattening of the torque curve because of a slightly-bigger-than-marginal lift in lower down figures. 3. THIS IS THE REAL GAIN - Driveability. When changing gear with the MEMS in place, the revs used to "hang" on just a fraction of a second. I believe this is deliberately engineered in to burn off excess fuel and offer better emissions. The upshot was that you had to wait that fraction of a second before the gear would slot in, but with the Emerald you don't get that hesitation. The throttle response is electric. I left Emerald thinking they had added another engine, such was the immediacy. In addition to this, the MEMS would "offer" a second hesitation. As the revs dropped below 3000rpm they would hang one again. Very irritating. Again, the Emerald just works properly. 4. Idle. The VHPD has a staccato da da da da thrumming idle, which settles around 1200rpm. The explaination I received from Caterham was because of the lairy cams. Bull..!! The Emerald can be set to idle those same cams at 700rpm if you want. I set mine to 1090rpm though because that was the point at which the oil pressure reached its "driving" pressure. I like to start the car and see full oil pressure straightaway. I also don't like to see it dip when I slow in traffic or whatever. No other reason. The idle is now rock solid at 1090rpm, and with the compensation for stalling (you can actually let the software control the stability of the idle) in traffic you can just modulate the clutch to crawl forwards. As the revs dip below your selected idle, the software reinforces the strength of that idle and you don't stall (unless you're really daft). It sounds really "motorsport" too, FWIW. 5. Low revs pull. I guess this is linked to the improved torque curve, but really I can plonk it into top gear at 1800rpm and floor it. It just pulls all the way to warp. No fuss. No stuttering. No hole at 3000-4000rpm. Just pull. In addition to the Emerald, the verniers allow you to time the cams in properly. This was worth another 5bhp at peak and more genuine improvements to the torque curve throughout the rev range. Verniers are quote at being something like 180 quid in Demon Tweeks. Obviously DVAPower prices are... shall we say, competitive 🤔 🤔 🤔 One thing that is important to point out is both the Emerald and the verniers are not throw-away items. I'm referring to things like the Caterham supersport kit which become surplus if you ever want to go further than that. This VHPD kit is reconfigurable for all future upgrades. No downsides. Worcs L7 club joint AO.//Membership No. 4379//Azure Blue SLR No. 0077//Se7ens List Tours Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martinwhitcher Posted September 13, 2002 Share Posted September 13, 2002 Now when can I re-morgauge Martin MW 51 CAT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Casbar Posted September 13, 2002 Share Posted September 13, 2002 Martin, when you stop breaking your current engine I expect Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julian Thompson Posted September 13, 2002 Share Posted September 13, 2002 One thing to note is that it has not yet been possible to get the later type, Ptp throttle bodies to work properly in the way that Nige (V7SLR) mentions above. I'm jealous of the driveability in traffic he has - I believe now that the only way forward if you have these later ones is to sell them to someone with a less cammy engine who fanices an upgrade (apparantly they would be fine on a supersport or something) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Carmichael Posted September 13, 2002 Share Posted September 13, 2002 For driveability you want the throttle mechanism to be close to the port. The Jenvey/QED DTH ones have this, the PTP ones are not very good in this respect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julian Thompson Posted September 13, 2002 Share Posted September 13, 2002 This is proven by the fact that my SLR on ptp bodies, whilst making a healthy 209bhp, idles and drives in traffic very badly - yet I have heard another 7 with similar specific output and the even wilder 1227 cams idle at 800 rpm! (Very light throttle good, too). Had a chat with PTP today who advise me that the bodies are sold in large quantites, were developed in conjunction with motor manufacturers by expert people and that there is no problem. I have some facts, but I don't know enough to make comment other than what I have seen so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V7 SLR Posted September 13, 2002 Share Posted September 13, 2002 My original spec VHPD TB's are similar to the later ones insofar as the distance that the butterflies are from the head. Reckon it all comes down the wizzard who maps it personally. 😬 Worcs L7 club joint AO.//Membership No. 4379//Azure Blue SLR No. 0077//Se7ens List Tours Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHRIS CLARK Posted September 14, 2002 Share Posted September 14, 2002 I have the PTP ones fitted as it was less work than playing around with the (must be mucho modified to line up with modified ports) QED/Luminition/Jenvey items. When set up on Dave Walkers RR he was surprised at how low an idle mine would hold as he was of the opinion they wouldn't etc etc too. 850 was fine. I have to say I like to keep the idle to 1100 so when stuck in the inevitable traffic it has good pressure, water pump moving the H2o around and stops some of the first motion shaft 'rattle' from the 'box. Clamshell Club Founder Member. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julian Thompson Posted September 14, 2002 Share Posted September 14, 2002 Dave did an incredible job of the mapping - the car is just everything I always wanted it to be now, apart from the "in traffic" running, which although better than before, is still not up to the standard of some of the other cars I've driven. I'm glad I didn't slag the PTP bodies, though, because if you guys have it ok then it is clearly not down to them! Chris - I would be really interested to have a look at your map - could you e-mail it to me? Is yours a VHPD like mine? Also - I've identified the cold start problem as (another) faulty IACV valve! Different mode of failure this time though(!) Edited by - Julian Thompson on 14 Sep 2002 14:40:43 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alias Posted September 14, 2002 Share Posted September 14, 2002 quick question regarding the Emerald ECU and 4 -1 exhaust. I've got a 1995 1.4SS with MEMS. Is the Emerald a direct replacement for the MEMS? How can tell if the Emerald will fit my car? Secondly, does the exhaust noise increase if you replace the Caterham standard exhaust with a 4 - 1 exhaust? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julian Thompson Posted September 14, 2002 Share Posted September 14, 2002 The Emerald will fit. Exhuast? Not sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oilyhands Posted September 15, 2002 Share Posted September 15, 2002 As Julian says the M3D will kit, but if your 1.4ss is a 'wet block' then the injection will be batched rather than grouped so the loom will need a *minor* modification. A long 4-1 will likely increase the noise a little. Oily Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caterhamnut Posted September 15, 2002 Share Posted September 15, 2002 On the noise issue - when we changed we found the noise to be a far more pleasant noise - less farty and a bit deeper. Don't recall thinking it was significantly louder - just a better quality. Performance was vastly better though. 😬26,000 miles in 13 months! angus@tinyworld.co.uk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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