This article covers the procedures of having M-Engineering complete a dyno tune remotely with M-Tuner. Remote dyno tuning requires the purchase of a ProTune from M-Engineering. This does not include the cost of a dyno rental. This article does not cover dyno operation instructions. Dynos should only be operated by trained professionals.
Disclaimer: You accept responsibility and risks of any tunes and added features by M-Engineering. If you are not the end user of the car, you will be solely responsible for notifying the purchaser and/or customer they also accept the responsibility and risks of these and M-Engineering is not liable. M-Engineering is also not liable for voided warranties due to installation of our products.
Pre-Dyno Inspection
Before dyno tuning, it is advised (in some shops required!) to have your dyno operator or shop complete a pre-dyno inspection.
A pre-dyno inspection will:
Check for any kind of fluid leaks on the vehicle that may present a safety hazard for dyno operation or operation of the vehicle.
Perform a pressurized smoke test or boost leak test to insure there are no boost or vacuum leaks.
Check treads on the tires and inspect suspension components related to operating the vehicle safely on the dyno.
Confirm operation of any auxiliary systems (for example, methanol injection or nitrous).
Note: We recommend confirming ahead of time that the dyno cell has access to a laptop with wireless internet, email, and running Windows 10 with M-Tuner installed.
Scheduling a Dyno
Please schedule your dyno appointments with M-Engineering at least one-week in advance or more, if possible. Our email is info@m-engineering.us. You will need to confirm that your dyno cell and dyno operator is also available at those times as well. Since dyno tuning is remote and can be completed from anywhere around the globe, please make note of the time zone when scheduling.
If you are unsure of where to find a dyno, please visit our Dealer Portal or ask your local speedshop.
Dyno Setup
McLaren M838T and M840T
All McLarens are RWD and we only need the rear wheels spinning on the dyno. It is okay to run these on a linked dyno as well, but a rear setup or unlinked is preferred. Depending on rear tire size or tire compound, traction can become an issue on the dyno. You may want to drop the rear tire pressure down to 25psi and getting some additional straps to pull down on the rear of the car may be required on some higher horsepower setups for more grip. When running a McLaren, a 4th gear WOT pull up to redline is ideal, but if traction becomes an issue you may want to run the car in 5th gear.
McLaren Fans
Fans are required at the front of the car. Please be sure these are aimed at the heat exchangers in the front bumper. These cool the intercoolers and clutches.
Fans are highly recommended to be aimed at the vents behind the door. These heat exchangers contain the engine oil and engine coolant.
M-Tuner contains a toggle to turn on the fans in the car if your auxiliary fan coverage in the dyno can’t cover all 4 heat exchangers.
McLaren Dyno Mode
The “Dyno Mode” actuators are located in M-Tuner. All McLarens being run on a chassis dyno require Dyno Mode to allow for a repeatable and accurate torque and power figure. Even AWD Dynos with the dyno rollers mechanically linked, such as the MD-AWD-500 or DJ 424x Linx, require Dyno Mode for proper operation.
Enable 2WD will enable dyno mode for dynos that only have one roller or choose to dyno in RWD (RWD is often easier and safer than operating in 4WD).
Enable 4WD will enable dyno mode for dynos that operate two sets of rollers at once that are mechanically linked to spin the front tires with power supplied by the rear tires.
Disable will disable dyno mode and return the vehicle to normal operating conditions.
Dyno Mode Conditions
The following conditions must be met to enable Dyno Mode:
Ignition on
Engine on
Handling mode must be set to Normal
Vehicle Must be strapped down to Chassis Dyno
Parking Brake Released (If Dyno mode is activated with the parking brake engaged you will not be able to disengage the parking brake. You will need to disable dyno mode to disengage the brake, then re-enable Dyno Mode)
Under no circumstances is Dyno Mode to be used when not on a chassis dyno! All stability control features are disabled whilst the vehicle is in dyno mode. The parking brake is also disabled so the car can roll freely. To re-enable all factory features and the parking brake please disengage Dyno Mode.
Notes
It is common for ESC Fault to appear on the dash while in Dyno Mode. When engaging dyno mode the Brake, Parking Brake, and ESC lights will come on and stay on as long as Dyno Mode is engaged.
If running the car in RWD verify that you see a change in speed on the dash when rolling the car at slow speeds. If the speed does not change from 0 dyno mode is not engaged.
The MP4-12C, 650s, & 675LT will require Dyno Mode to be engaged every key cycle. The 720s, 600LT, 570s, etc… will allow Dyno Mode to persist during key cycles.
If the wrong mode is chosen (e.g. Enable 2WD while on a 4WD dyno) the vehicle can through faults which can not be cleared immediately. The faults will need to be cleared and then the vehicle will need to go to sleep for them to fully clear. To put the vehicle to sleep close all open hatches and doors and lock the car. Remove the key from the area for roughly 15-20 minutes.
The 650s and MP4-12C do not have separate Dyno Modes for 2WD and 4WD dynos. 2WD is the only Dyno Mode available for these vehicles, however, it is okay to use this mode on 4WD and linked dynos.
Dyno Running and Tuning Procedure
Once your dyno operator has confirmed that the vehicle is safely strapped down and secure in the dyno, fans are in place, and RPM setpoint has occurred, the tuning process can begin.
Depending on your particular setup, M-Engineering will have given you a base map to run the car on. These are generally not power maps, but they are safely put together to make sure the car is running properly. Flash the base map using M-Tuner to start the car.
Start the car and begin datalogging via M-Tuner. Run the car and record a WOT (wide open throttle) pull all the way to redline. We are generally looking for 4th gear pulls in their entirety unless otherwise specified. Once the pull is complete, bring the dyno safely to a stop.
Stop the datalogging. Pull any information from the dyno regarding power figures and other metrics.
Send the datalog (.csv and .ldat) and dyno information/graphs to M-Engineering via email.
M-Engineering will review the data and send back a map revision.
Flash the new map revision to the car.
Repeat steps 2 through 6 until the tuning process is complete.
Remove the vehicle from the dyno and make sure dyno mode is turned off before driving on the street.
Depending on your situation, we advise running the car on the street (closed course) to confirm vehicle operation. Feel free to datalog the street driving and have us confirm the logs look good.
If you notice misfires while running the car or feel it is not running correctly, STOP. Do not push the car, please send us any datalogs you have and await further instruction.
After flashing, a time period of up to 5 minutes is required for the lambda sensors to come back online and operate in closed loop. On some of the newer McLaren models, this time is much shorter. Damage may occur if you run the car while the fueling system is in open loop.
Heatsoak can be an issue, from time to time we need to let the car cool down. Opening the hatches or removing engine covers can help with heat soak.
Important Notes regarding your trip to the dyno.
If tuning for only 1 type of fuel, come to the dyno with a full tank of gas.
If tuning for multiple fuel types, arrive at the dyno with 1/4 tank of gas and multiple jugs of fuel for the other types. For example, bring car to dyno with 1/4 tank of pump gas for the pump gas tune, and bring 15 gallons of 100 octane for the 100 tune. The idea behind this is to tune the pump gas first and use up as much as we can, so that the race gas is not “diluted” by the pump gas when it comes time to fill the car.
McLarens have an option on M-Tuner to pump fuel out if needed.