Customer Reviews

Building & Tuning High-Performance Electronic Fuel Injection

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4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Amongst automotive do-it-yourselfers, a pressing need exists for basic information on electronic fuel injection (EFI). In addition, the proliferation of aftermarket EFI systems intended for DIY installation has created a need for a "buyer's guide" covering the many, different EFI packages available to enthusiasts.

Building & Tuning High-Performance Electronic Fuel Injection was intended meet both those needs but, unfortunately, in meeting one of them, it falls woefully short of the mark. This book is divided into two sections. The first half is devoted to EFI basics. Clearly, the Author's intent was a discussion of elementary electronic fuel injection topics but the result contains numerous errors in the technical discussions which make up the six chapters, over the 56 pages, which are the first part.

Knowledge of electrical theory would seem a manifest requirement for anyone writing a book on EFI, but Mr. Strader errors in discussions of both Ohm's Law and "short" circuits. We asked Mr. Strader how this occurred and his response was a seeming attempt to rationalize the mistakes, "Admittedly," Strader told this reviewer, "I am not an electrical engineer, and my expertise lies in the more 'hands-on' aspect of tuning engines." It's very difficult to see that response and anything more than lame. If Mr. Strader was not sufficiently knowledgeable in electrical issues to write a book on EFI, then either he should have gotten educated prior to authoring the title or the book's publisher, CarTech, Incorporated, should have corrected his errors during the editing process.

Mr. Strader's statement about his expertise lying, "...more with the hand-on aspect of tuning engines." is, also, suspect. There are mistakes in the chapter of the book on manifold absolute pressure and MAP sensors. Errors are in discussions of how engine controllers set spark advance. A discussion about the causes of lean misfire is wholly inaccurate. An explanation of gasoline octane ratings is faulty. Statements about how chassis dynamometers work are incorrect. Those are just some examples of the slip-ups in this book. They are goofs which should not have been made by an author who has expertise in tuning engines.

The book's first section contains enough incorrect information that its credibility should be at least questioned if not discounted, however, there is valuable material in Part Two, the buyer's guide section. Eleven different, aftermarket electronic fuel injection systems are discussed. Of course, 75 pages limits the coverage of each to only basic information, but there is more than enough content there to help persons shopping for an EFI system make a decision.

If you are looking for a book which accurately explains electronic fuel injection; look elsewhere. This title does not fill that need. On the other hand, if you already understand EFI basics but need information to help you make a purchase decision, considering the cost of aftermarket EFI systems, nineteen bucks for this book will be money well-spent and that's in-spite of the first half's inaccuracies.

I bougth this book, because I wanted to modify my std Nissan CA18DET ECU (I have equipment and software to do it) for bigger injectors, MAF and more boost and I hoped the book will give me some guide lines how to calculate new base fuel and ignition maps and how to tune it later on dyno or road. The book only covers this subject only ligthly by giving one formula how ECU calculate air mass based on MAP sensor and no examples how to use it to calculate base values for fuel map. No information at all how to calculate ignition base map. In second part of book he just suggest to get base maps from EFI manufacter or some other source.

This books is useful if don't know how the EFI works, as author explains it pretty well. Also it maybe useful if you need aftermarket EFI and don't know which one to choose as author cover 11 twelve EFIs in second part of the book. If you want actually tune your engine using aftermarkte EFI you better read your EFI manual or search the web in the subject.

I was extremely disappointment when I received this book. On the cover it said "modifying fuel & ignition maps" however; it doesn't even scratch the surface on how to tune a vehicle. I suggest to everyone who is interested in learning how to tune to purchase "How to Tune and Modify Engine Managements Systems".

This book is exactly that, a great intro to efi. Don't expect to read it and go out and become a professional tuner, but if you don't know much about efi, its a great place to start. Ben covers the basics of tuning: air/fuel ratio and timing as well as basic how to's on most current systems. I have read it twice and would definately recommend it to others.

I decided to return this book after only the first 30 minutes of thumbing through it. The book is well laid out and out of most of the books I've read concerning this subject, the author is very easy to understand and follow which makes it all the worse that the book didn't have more content dealing specifically with tuning (working with timing and fuel) of turbocharged applications and other aspects of such modifications. I agree with another review post stating the run-down of products offered out there currently in regards to engine management options and their pros and cons was excellent. Thus my review of how this book should be the first one someone buys that is just now getting into the subject.

I just got this book, and I must say it was all and more then I expected. The info was explained clearly and concise and dispelled alot of rumors and myths I have heard. The writing is technical and accurate but with touch of halarity with it that ade reading it over a few times to absorb everything very easy.

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more about EFI Engine tuning therory, it will make a great addition to any tech book collection.

For someone who has never tuned before, this book gave me the confidence I needed. Every question I had was answered but it was all the other items I had not even thought about that really gave me what I needed. The book lays out all the information in a manner that was easy to understand and gives practical advice rather than meaningless theory that only a scientist can understand.
BTW, I just did my first hi-performance tune :-)

Tuning a car is always a daunting task at best, especially for the novice who is just getting started in understanding everything that goes in to it.

While this book is not a be-all end-all, Ben Strader has a knack for explaining the complicated task of tuning in an extraordinarily easy fashion.

If you are a seasoned tuner, keep this book and show it to your customers to help them understand what you are doing to their car.

If you are just getting started in tuning and want to learn more, this is the book for you!

For someone getting into EFI, this book offers a good starting point. It'll get you familiar with the nuts and bolts of EFI by naming and describing various sensors, inputs and outputs that a modern ECU offers. However, for someone thinking of learning how to actually tune a car on the street or the dyno, the information is lacking. More information about dynos, how to monitor sensors, what changes to make in maps, etc would've been appreciated.

I bought this book because I am working on a carburetor to fuel injection conversion for my classic car. I was hoping this book would give me some insight into the actual tuning process of an EFI system once the conversion had been made. Instead, this book spends a great deal of time covering "Basic Electronics" (ie. Volts, Amps, Ohms), the "Tools and Equipment" (ie Multimeter,fuel pressure gauge) all of the components of an EFI system (ie. coolant temp sensor, o2 sensor, TPS) and describes them in great detail. Then there are a few short pages in the middle of the book in a section called "Tuning Maps and Basic Engine Calibration". This is where I was hoping to gain a little insight but the book stays so close to the side of the theoretical, it really doesn't give any more clues on how this would actually be done. I understand that each car, engine and ECU combination is unique and no book could ever cover every combination, but I was hoping to have a better footing when I delve into the tuning of my EFI system. Finally, when that short section is over, with half the book to go, the rest of the pages are devoted to advertising (pgs 57-126)! This may be where this book is best suited or certainly where the most effort was devoted. If you can't decided whether to buy the Accel, Autotronic, Edelbrock or Holley ECU, then this book will help you with the different offerings from each of a bout 11 different companies. Once you've made your choice however, good luck with the setup. You're on your own from there. Just like guess and check with needles and jets on the carb I just got rid of!